Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Paps, just calm down. it can't have gotten far."

"BUT SANS I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN IT CAME OFF! IT COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THE PARK BY NOW! ANYONE COULD HAVE PICKED IT UP AND THOUGHT 'THIS IS SUCH A COOL SCARF, I WANT TO KEEP IT ALL TO MYSELF!' IT COULD BE GONE FOREVER!"

Sans sighed heavily, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had always known his brother could be (heh) fairly empty-headed, but losing his scarf in a public place was certainly a new level in terms of carelessness. They had come out today at the younger skeleton's insistence that they enjoy the nice weather by having a picnic which had been going well until Papyrus suddenly realized that his red scarf was missing, leading to the scene he was currently creating. The humans were trying not to stare, but Sans could see them watching everything out of the corner of their eyes, as if afraid there would suddenly be some kind of riot breaking out. Honestly, it had been what, two years now? And still the humans stared. Oh well, at least it wasn't something that bothered most monsters anymore. Sans wondered if this was how Frisk had felt during their time in the Underground, surrounded by beings that are not their kind...wait, he was doing something, wasn't he? Oh right, the scarf.

"where was the last place you're sure you had it?" the shorter brother asked with his usual weary patience.

"WHEN I WAS WITH THE TINY HUMANS PLAYING THE GAME OF TAG," Papyrus replied. "IT WAS FLOWING SO MAJESTICALLY...BUT I DO NOT REMEMBER IF I HAD IT WHEN THEY CHALLENGED ME TO THE TREE-CLIMBING RACE."

"right. i'll go look back where we had the blanket and you—"

"Excuse me?"

Papyrus jumped in surprise and Sans froze reflexively. It wasn't often that they were snuck up on and both brothers were rather alarmed at the fact until they realized that the person who had spoken was only a human female who had seemingly just materialized from the surrounding throng. She seemed fairly unremarkable in both her clothes (jeans and an untucked button-up) and physical appearance (brunette hair pulled into a ponytail and dark eyes of an average size and a moderate skin tone), but held in her outstretched hand was...

"MY SCARF!" Papyrus exclaimed, his naturally loud voice somehow rising in volume as it took it from the woman's grasp. "WHEREVER DID YOU FIND IT?"

"Some kids said they found it in a tree. They were taking turns pretending to be superheroes. I was going to take it to the lost and found station, but then I overheard your conversation."

Sans searched the human's face for any sign of mockery—it hadn't been the first time someone had tried to have a subtle joke at his little brother's expense and that superhero comment stuck him as something that could easily be pointed towards the tall, soft-hearted skeleton if she wanted—but he saw only her small, honest smile. Papyrus began to chatter out profound thanks as he rewound the red fabric around his neck. It was then that the woman began to retreat, slowly edging away from the brothers. Sans was about to speak up when a small clump of humans passed by and when they had gone, so too was the young lady who had returned the scarf. If his jaw wasn't secured tight to the rest of his skull, it probably would have fallen off in shock.

"I MEAN, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WITHOUT HIS INCREDIBLY AWESOME SCARF WOULD BE NOTHING BUT A TRAGEDY! YOU HAVE MY ETERNAL THANKS, KINDLY HUMAN! IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT YOU MAY NEED IN RETURN—"

"bro."

"—THEN I SHALL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT! PERHAPS IF WE EXCHANGE PHONE NUMBERS-"

"bro, stop talking and look, wouldja? they're gone."

Papyrus tilted his skull in obvious confusion before he looked to where the young woman had been standing and found the space to be empty. The skeleton whirled around, looking for her in the crowd only to find that she really had disappeared.

"WHERE DID THEY GO OFF TO?"

"y'know, I'm actually not sure. she just took a few steps back and...vanished. it was like she took a shortcut or something," the elder monster replied, a tad dazedly. "except...no magic."

"YOU MEAN SHE HAS MASTERED THE ART OF TELEPORTATION WITH...TECHNOLOGY?! I DIDN'T KNOW HUMAN SCIENCE HAD GOTTEN THAT FAR YET!" the tall skeleton gasped. Then a thought occurred to him. "BUT THEN HOW WILL I FIND HER AND OFFER HER GRATITUDE SPAGHETTI?"

"no idea," Sans shrugged. "but she was a pretty nice human, right? it's awesome she decided to help ya out when she probably had places to be."

"INDEED," his brother agreed wholeheartedly. "IF I EVER SEE HER AGAIN, I WILL REQUEST HER FRIENDSHIP. I WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH SUCH A KINDLY HUMAN."

yeah, but good luck finding her, Sans thought ruefully. She was just one human among thousands in this city. Heck, she might not even be from this city. This wasn't the underground where everybody lived in one of four places and was extremely distinguishable from one another. Of course, if he knew his brother, Papyrus would be stuck on this for weeks, going out whenever possible to catch a glimpse. But even this phase would pass. Then again, that's what he'd said about the spaghetti phase and look where they were now. He just hoped this desire to find that one human girl would pass away quietly.

Chapter Text

They were out of Spaghetti at the house again. And of course when there was no more Spaghetti, it was nothing less than a tragedy in the skelebros' life which needed to be rectified as soon as possible. Sans had been a tad bit reluctant to give Papyrus back his credit card after the fortune he had spent on pasta last time but eventually relented when the younger skeleton vehemently promised to only buy enough Spaghetti to last until they got paid and could go shopping again and to bring back some more potato chisps and other various snack foods that they were also running low on.

Papyrus was humming to himself as he pushed his cart through the grocery store, trying to keep himself from adding another five boxes of his beloved pasta. He wanted to so badly! But he had promised Sans not to go overboard and he still had to pick up that junk food for him. Ugh, how his brother managed to stomach that stuff was beyond his ability to understand—and he, the Great Papyrus, was very good at understanding things.

He was rounding the corner when he saw her and when he realized who it was, he promptly froze in place, delight swelling in his soul.

It was the human! The kindly human who had given him back his scarf when it was lost! He had found them again!

In a burst of sudden excitement, the tall skeleton shoved his cart forward and turned it around the rest of the corner, forgetting that the large wheeled basket was not the most maneuverable of objects. In fact, the one that he had grabbed had a shaky wheel that abruptly decided to betray its brothers by refusing to swivel as it should. All at once, the whole cart capsized, spilling its contents all across the floor.

"NO! MY SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus cried in dismay. He immediately dropped to his knees and tried to gather his boxes of pasta frantically. His hand bumped against a soft fleshy one as he scrabbled to grab everything and he looked up to see it was the same human he had noticed before, down on her knees helping.

"HUMAN!" he declared excitedly, arms full of Spaghetti. "THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU HAVE COME TO HELP ME IN MY TIME OF NEED! THE LUCK OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS UNPARALLELED TO HAVE FOUND SUCH A KINDLY HUMAN FRIEND!"

"It's no trouble, really," the young woman replied, righting the cart with one hand before standing to put the spaghetti in. "Though I'm sure anyone who saw your little spill would have stopped by to help."

"TRUE; THERE ARE MANY KIND PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. BUT I AM STILL VERY GLAD TO HAVE FOUND YOU AGAIN, KINDLY HUMAN! I NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO PROPERLY THANK YOU FOR FINDING MY SCARF!"

"Well, it wasn't that big a deal..." the human mumbled, beginning to retreat. Noticing that she was leaving, Papyrus dumped his groceries into his cart and grabbed her arm to keep her from vanishing again.

"HUMAN!" the tall skeleton declared. "I WISH WE TO MAKE YOU FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI AS A WAY OF THANKS FOR YOUR KINDNESS!"

"Oh no I couldn't," the young woman protested. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you—"

'YOU ARE VERY MODEST, HUMAN," Papyrus interrupted cheerfully, "BUT I INSIST. I AM ALWAYS LOOKING TO FIND MORE HUMAN FRIENDS. OH! PERHAPS YOU PROTEST BECAUSE YOU ARE CURRENTLY BUSY? ON THAT CASE, LET ME GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER SO THAT WE MAY ARRANGE A TIME TO MEET THAT IS MORE CONVENIENT FOR YOU!"

Despite the human's protests, the excited monster managed to nab her phone and after easily bypassing her lockscreen (there were some telltale smudges on the glass that told him the passcode) went into her contacts and put in his phone number under the name The Great Papyrus. Once that was done he quickly sent himself a smiley face text so his phone would have her number in turn.

"THERE YOU ARE," he crowed, triumphantly handing the device back to its owner as he pulled out his own phone to confirm he had received the text. "HAVE NO FEAR—I SHALL BE IN CONTACT SOON. I WILL NEED TO TELL MY BROTHER ABOUT OUR PLANS, BUT I'M SURE HE WILL BE QUITE PLEASED TO MEET YOU. BY THE WAY, HUMAN—"

Papyrus left the sentence hanging in midair as he realized that the young woman had once again managed to disappear without his noticing. He hadn't even managed to get her name!

OH WELL, I'M SURE SHE'S JUST BUSY the skeleton rationalized to himself as he dialed his brother's number.

"SANS!" he exclaimed when his sibling picked up. "YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT I FOUND AT THE STORE TODAY!"

"spaghetti on sale?"

"NO YOU NUMBSKULL! OH SWEET ASGORE, DO NOT MAKE A PUN OF THAT PLEASE!"

"heh. too late. you've tickled my funny bone now."

"AAAAAAAGGH!"

The young brunette woman was sitting on a park bench with her groceries, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly. It had been a long day and to top it off, she had run into that... energetic skeleton again. Now she had nothing against him or his loud enthusiasm, she just hadn't felt prepared to deal with it in a tactful way after everything else she'd dealt with today. So she'd been forced to pull her little vanishing act the moment he hadn't been looking. She hoped she hadn't hurt his feelings too bad; he seemed the type to be sensitive about being left behind.

Her phone chimed its text alert and she unthinkingly opened her phone to look at the message. It was a photo from her new contact—"The Great Papyrus"—of said skeleton posing quite dramatically, scarf clearly waving in a well-placed breeze. A typed message arrived as an explanation of the image a few seconds later.

From The Great Papyrus: HERE IS A PHOTO OF MYSELF TO USE AS MY CONTACT PICTURE IN CASE YOU FORGET WHAT I LOOK LIKE BEFORE WE MEET AGAIN.

Another picture arrived a moment later, this one of a shorter skeleton in a blue hoodie standing in front of an open refrigerator, a bottle of ketchup in hand.

From The Great Papyrus: THIS IS MY BROTHER SO YOU DO NOT THINK YOU ARE AT THE WRONG HOUSE IF HE OPENS THE DOOR. :)

The human smiled faintly at the texts. He was being very considerate of someone he had only met for less than five cumulative minutes. She decided she liked that—even if he had come on a little strong. She considered sending a reply but was suddenly hit by a wave of doubt.

She had only met this monster twice. Sure she was curious about him—she had never made extensive contact with the newest residents of the surface world before—but she was still hesitant. This Papyrus trusted so easily, but she did not. He seemed to want to be friends with her, but she wasn't so sure—she'd need to get to know him better.

It wouldn't hurt to get to know him, she figured. I can always disappear again if it won't work out.

With this in mind, she began to type out a text to thank the skeleton for thinking of her and the troubles she might have when meeting up with him again.

Chapter Text

Today was the day! The day Papyrus had been planning for ever since he got the kindly human's phone number! It had taken nearly two days to finalize the date and time of their meeting, but at long last, the Great Papyrus' new human friend would taste of his masterfully prepared spaghetti!

To say that the tall skeleton was excited would have been a sore understatement: he had cleaned the entire house (except Sans' room—that disaster area was going to be locked away for the next several hours), done some preliminary cooking preparation and had made sure that the house was free of the annoying dog that sometimes came by to steal his noodles and leave its nasty residue everywhere. He was currently trying to keep from texting the human to insure that she really was coming, but his willpower quickly failed him.

From The Great Papyrus: HUMAN, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM FOR YOU TO ARRIVE! :D

The tall monster almost giggled when he saw the three dots appear under his newly sent text, indicating that she was typing a reply right away. He had learned over the past two days that this particular human could take hours to respond to even the simplest of messages. He was lucky to have caught her at a good time.

From Kindly Human: I'm not coming over for another hour. Did you already get everything ready?

From The Great Papyrus: I HAVE BEEN READY SINCE VERY EARLY THIS MORNING. BUT IT IS NO WORRY! WE ARE STILL GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

There was no sign that she was going to respond anytime soon, so Papyrus put his phone away and absentmindedly went back into the living room and began fixing the already perfect throw pillows he'd set up on the couch.

"bro, you need to get out for a while," he heard Sans say and looked up to see his brother coming down the stairs. "if you clean anymore, the house will squeak."

"I DO NOT KNOW WHY THE HOUSE WOULD MAKE SUCH A NOISE, BUT THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT! EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT BEFORE THE HUMAN ARRIVES FOR OUR FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! YOU COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO ABOUT PROPER PRESENTATION OF ONE'S LIVING SPACE," the younger skeleton huffed.

Sans chuckled softly before he plopped down on the couch, shifting the pillows much to Papyrus ' annoyance.

"yeah, but you're so high strung I could use you as a tightrope," he drawled. "in all seriousness though, you should go out for a run. or just something to burn off that energy else you'll scare the human off when she comes."

"DO YOU THINK THAT'S AN ACTUAL POSSIBILITY ?"

All of a sudden the anxiety hit and Papyrus began to wonder if maybe he had come on too strong. Maybe he had been too pushy in inviting the kindly human over. Maybe she really didn't want to be his friend and was only coming over to be polite.

His elder brother seemed sense the shift in mood and stopped slouching into the cushions so he could look at his younger sibling properly while he spoke.

"bro, i'm only teasing—you know that right? there's no human who in their right mind would be scared of you. i'm just saying you don't want to overwhelm her with all of your coolness all at once."

"DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT SANS?" Papyrus asked sincerely, still worried.

"of course paps. so why don't you go for a quick run around and i'll hold down the fort here until you get back, kay?"

"VERY WELL...BUT IF I COME BACK AND YOU ARE ASLEEP, HEAVEN HELP YOU SANS!"

Papyrus had to admit that the run had helped, but now that the human would be arriving at any second he had become exceptionally fidgety. Sans kept watching him from the sofa with this terribly smug grin and it was absolutely infuriating given his current mood. So when the doorbell rang, the tall skeleton was relieved beyond relief to finally have something to do and all but sprinted to the door. Flinging it open, he was greeted by the sight of his new human friend on the doorstep and he couldn't help the natural tackle hug that followed.

"HUMAN! YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!"

"H-hi Papyrus," she managed to choke out, the breath knocked out of her just a bit by the overexcited monster.

"COME INSIDE!" Papyrus invited before letting go and racing in. The human followed slowly and found her host standing in the living room.

"WELCOME TO MY HOUSE!" he proclaimed. "ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU AROUND!"

He then spent the next ten minutes pointing out absolutely everything in sight, including the TV ("THIS IS WHERE I WATCH THE AMAZING METTATON EVERY NIGHT. DO YOU LIKE METTATON, HUMAN?") the stairs leading up to the bedrooms ("OUR SECOND FLOOR IS WHERE OUR BEDROOMS ARE LOCATED. MINE IS VERY VERY CLEAN AND VERY COOL. PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT AFTER WE HAVE OUR SPAGHETTI?") and the kitchen—especially the kitchen. ("THAT IS THE KITCHEN WHERE I CREATE MY CULINARY MASTERPIECES. IT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE, IS IT NOT? NOTHING BUT THE BEST—I AM A MASTER CHEF AFTER ALL!")

The human took it al in quietly, just letting Papyrus talk and get some of his energy out of his system. Sans noted that she looked a little uncertain, but he supposed there weren't many people in the world who could compete with his brother's pure enthusiasm about absolutely everything.

"hey paps," he spoke up when Papyrus paused for a breath, "how about you get started on the spaghetti prep and make some lunch already? the human's probably hungry."

The tall skeleton gasped dramatically.

"OH MY! I WAS SO EXCITED TO SHOW MY NEW HUMAN-FRIEND OUR HOME THAT I ALMOST FORGOT WHY THEY CAME OVER! FORGIVE ME HUMAN! I MUST START COOKING IMMEDIATELY TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME AND ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY FOR A MOMENT LONGER THAN NECESSARY!"

And with that, Papyrus dashed off, leaving his guest alone with his older brother.

"sorry if that was a bit much all at once," Sans laughed. "my bro doesn't really have a low-energy setting."

"It's okay," she replied, smiling a little. "I was just a little startled at...well how much he was going to get excited about this."

"yeah; he's normally a tad bit more chill, but potential new friends always crank him up past eleven. i'm sans, by the way. sans the skeleton."

He extended his hand for a handshake though he did not move from his spot on the couch. The young woman came over and reached out to take it, introducing herself along the way.

"I'm Tabatha. Nice to meet you—"

She was cut off by a loud farting noise that sounded when their hands clasped. She blinked her brown eyes in shock before she began to piece together what had just happened.

"Do you have...a whoopee cushion in your hand?"

"heh, yep," Sans sniggered. "it's never not funny."

Tabatha seemed unsure how to react, but she did smile even though she made no more attempt at conversation. The elder skeleton brother seemed content with the silence as well as he dropped his hand and snuggled back into the couch cushions until he was almost lying down on them horizontally.

"SANS! IS IT GOING ALRIGHT OUT THERE? YOU'RE NOT DOING THE THING WHERE YOU FRIGHTEN AWAY NEW HUMANS BY STARING AT THEM TOO HARD ARE YOU?"

"nah, though we should be dangling from the ceiling by now."

"WHAT?"

"you know, cuz we're just..." Sans had mischievous expression on his face as he spread his hands in a half shrug, "...hanging around."

"SANS! DEAR ASGORE THAT WAS TERRIBLE!"

"i can hear you smiling from here."

"THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Sans sniggered and Tabatha looked from the kitchen to where he was seated, her gaze evaluating though her expression was quite neutral.

"I assume you always tease your brother like this," she commented lightly, choosing to move around the table and sit on the skeleton's other side. "Considering his reactions and all."

"yeah, he's such a scream." The human's face froze at that one, clearly repressing what would probably be some form of frown at the pun. "geez kid, are you a puppet or something? Cuz you're acting pretty wooden."

"BROTHER, DO NOT TORMENT THE KINDLY HUMAN WITH YOUR TERRIBLE SENSE OF HUMOR!" Papyrus chastised, coming out of the kitchen carrying two plates of spaghetti. Appropriately, he was also wearing an apron with the handwritten words of "MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS" scrawled across it.

"It's not so bad," Tabatha interjected slowly. "I mean, timing could be better and some of them are a bit of a stretch, but it can't really be that bad..."

"NO, IT IS NOT 'THAT' BAD. IT IS OVER A HUNDRED TIMES WORSE THAN THAT. BECAUSE, MY BROTHER...HE NEVER STOPS. NEVER EVER, EVEN IF YOU SAY 'PLEASE'!"

The young woman seemed a little startled at how seriously the tall skeleton said that sentence, but before she could comment on it—or even give a proper reaction—his cheerful demeanor was back in place and he set the spaghetti down.

"NOW COME HUMAN! FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI AWAITS!"

Tabatha rose from the couch and came to the table, but Sans just slouched even more, clearly not intending to join them. The brunette sat down and picked up her fork before glancing up and catching sight of her host's expectant expression.

"It smells really nice," she complimented. Papyrus' smile widened and he leaned forward, awaiting her to take the first bite. When she did, he came even closer, reading her expression excitedly.

"Oh wow," she said, her tone slightly surprised. "This is really good Papyrus. You're really talented."

"NYEH HEH HEH!" the monster laughed delightedly. "OF COURSE I AM! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS SKILLED IN MANY AREAS, COOKING BEING THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL!"

"Is that your favorite thing to do?" Tabatha asked curiously before going in for another large bite.

"IT IS BUT ONE OF MY MANY INTERESTS! I ALSO DELIGHT IN CREATING AND SOLVING PUZZLES IN MY SPARE TIME AND I HEARTILY ENJOY EXERCISE!"

"What kind of puzzles, if you don't mind my asking?"

"WELL, IN THE UNDERGROUND I WOULD MAKE MOST OF THEM, BUT UP HERE THERE ARE SOME ALREADY MADE THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE! IT WAS VERY EXCITING TO LEARN THAT SOME HUMANS LOVE SOLVING PUZZLES AS MUCH AS I..."

It was early afternoon when Tabatha finally left and Papyrus had been in such an exceptionally good mood that the meal with the human had gone well that he didn't even complain about his brother's good-natured ribbing. Sans took note of that as he finally got up off the sofa (which now had his shape imprinted upon it) and meandered up to his room to do some good hard thinking.

The human had been very polite, he reflected as he laid on his bed with his feet propped against the wall. Almost too polite though. And she had been deflecting nearly every attempt Papyrus had made to get her to talk about herself. She gave vague answers and kept all the attention on him. While there was no doubt that his little brother had enjoyed being the focus of their conversation, Sans wasn't sure how he felt about the absolute lack of information she had been giving. In his experience, most humans liked to talk about themselves just as much as they loved learning about others—if not more.

He was fairly certain that Tabatha wasn't shy—she had interacted easily enough with the both of them and she had no trouble initiating conversation from what he had seen—and that just made him more suspicious. What could this human have to hide?

Chapter Text

Sans loved his brother—he really did—but there were times when he was just exhausting to be around. Today was a prime example: it wasn't even noon yet and Papyrus had done nothing but talk of potential plans he could present to Tabatha for their next meeting, all while bustling about the kitchen excitedly. Sans had endured the nonstop brainstorming as best he could from the couch, staring blankly at the TV, but it got extremely irritating very quickly and not even bad puns could ease his suffering.

"bro, why don't you just let her make the plans this time?" he suggested when he could finally take no more. "since you went to all the trouble last time, it's only fair she does the same this time."

"YOU DON'T THINK IT'S TOO SOON?" Papyrus questioned, pausing in the kitchen doorway. "I THOUGHT I WOULD NEED TO WAIT A BIT LONGER FOR OUR FRIENDSHIP LEVEL TO INCREASE BEFORE PUTTING SUCH A RESPONSIBILITY ON HER."

"nah, Tabatha's chill. i think she'll fine with it."

and if she's not, Sans thought wryly, then i'll have some choice questions for her next time i see her.

"TABATHA?"

Sans snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at his younger brother in slight surprise.

"yeah, Tabatha. did...did you not get her name when she was over here?"

The look of utter dismay on Papyrus's face was all the answer he needed. The tall skeleton began to lament, his already loud volume rising.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A FAILURE!" he proclaimed. "I DO NOT DESERVE TO BE CALLED GREAT AFTER THIS OUTRAGEOUS OFFENSE!"

"what are you talking about Papyrus?" the shorter skeleton asked in slight alarm. "so you forgot to ask her name—big deal."

"IT IS A BIG DEAL SANS!" Poor Papyrus was nearly in tears. "WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN AND MONSTER RELATIONSHIPS, I MUST BE NOTHING LESS THAN A PERFECT FRIEND AT ALL TIMES! TO FORGET SUCH A SIMPLE STEP IN CREATING THE FRIENDSHIP BOND AS LEARNING MY NEW FRIEND'S NAME IS UNFORGIVABLE!

"who told you that?!"

Sans was completely bewildered. He had known his brother took such things seriously, but he'd had no idea that it was this seriously. This was extreme—even by his brother's unusual standards.

Papyrus sighed heavily, coming out of the kitchen doorway to sit at the table. He folded his hands together and stared at them, his expression quite sad.

"I MAY NOT BE THE MOST INFORMED OF MONSTERS IN THE DEALINGS OF THE SURFACE WORLD, BUT I AM AWARE OF THOSE HUMAN GROUPS THAT TRY TO HURT MONSTERS AND CHASE US BACK UNDER THE MOUNTAIN. I HAVE TO SET AN EXAMPLE, AS AN ALMOST-MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, OF WHAT WE AS MONSTERS REPRESENT. WE ARE VERY KIND AS A SPECIES IN GENERAL, BUT THE HUMANS DON'T KNOW THAT—THEY STILL LIVE UNDER THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF THEIR OWN MYTHOLOGY. IF I AM NOT THE GREATEST OF FRIENDS WITH EVERY HUMAN I MEET, THEN I ONLY MAKE THE WHOLE MISUNDERSTANDING WORSE! THE HUMANS WILL DISLIKE ME AND OTHER MONSTERS AS A RESULT OF MYMISTAKES!"

"but..."

Sans didn't know what to do. He wanted so badly to comfort his baby brother, but he recognized the truth of what he was saying. He might have been overstating things just a bit, but the right idea was there. All the same, he couldn't bear the thought of Papyrus beating himself up over just a simple screwup.

Gently getting up off the couch, the stocky skeleton put his arms around his brother, speaking softly to him.

"bro, you made an honest mistake. if Tabatha gets upset at you for not being able to read her mind, then she's not worth being friends with. but i'm sure she'll forgive you if you say your sorry."

"DO YOU PROMISE, SANS?" Papyrus looked up at him with worried, tear-filled eye sockets.

"well, you know how i feel about promises but...yeah; i think i can promise you that much. there's plenty of decent humans out there who would understand."

and this human better be one of them or she's gonna have a Bad Time.

"NYEH! YOU'RE RIGHT!" his younger brother proclaimed, perking right up. "I CAN'T GIVE UP ON OUR BUDDING FRIENDSHIP QUITE YET! I MUST IMMEDIATELY RECTIFY THIS SITUATION! EXCUSE ME, BROTHER!"

Papyrus leapt up and dashed off, leaving his brother chuckling in his wake. Once he was out of earshot though, Sans let out a heavy sigh.

He really wanted some ketchup after dealing with that heavy crap.

It was very crowded at Grillby's when Sans popped in that night. Then again, it was Thursday and it was always busy then; everybody loved showing up for karaoke night.

When the short skeleton settled into his usual spot at the bar, Grillby only had to see the haggard expression on his skull before he went off and grabbed a full bottle of ketchup for his friends. He set it on the bar and remained standing in that spot rather than returning to his other customers, showing his availability as a sympathetic ear should Sans want to talk about what was troubling him.

Bless him. Grillby really was the unsung hero of the Underground.

Sans took a large gulp of his favorite condiment before he exhaled slowly in an almost-sigh.

"humans are weird Grillbz," he remarked wearily. "can never really figure out why they do the things they do."

"Is there a human in particular or has it just been a long week?" the fire elemental asked, his warm, low voice soft and lightly amused. The skeleton let out a snort before he threw back another shot of ketchup.

"Paps found a new human friend. a young woman this time instead of just another kid. she seems nice enough, but we know literally nothing about her. she just always avoids saying anything about herself at all costs and i can't get a good read on what type of person she really is either. she could be literally anyone."

"Is it safe to assume that you haven't Checked her stats then?" Grillby asked, picking up a glass and rag to begin his usual cleaning habit.

"i'd rather she just let us know more about her on her own," Sans admitted. "you know how humans are about their privacy. but i tell you, that's looking like a more inviting option all the time."

"But is there anything other than her lack of self-description that's bothering you?" the bartender pressed. "Has she acted suspiciously near the two of you?"

"well, not really, but she does this thing," Sans replied, his brow bones furrowing as he tried to think of a way to describe the way Tabatha could just disappear at will. "she sorta just vanishes. when we first met her in the park, we were talking to her and i saw her just melt away. it was like she took a shortcut, but there wasn't any magic at all. she was just...gone. and she's done it to Paps twice now. i just can't figure out why or how she does it and it bothers me..."

Grillby hummed softly to himself as he continued cleaning the glass. The hoodie-clad monster inhaled deeply before idly glancing around the crowded restaurant. Then he nearly choked on his ketchup.

"holy fudge!"he gasped, startling his friend. "she's right over there! look!"

And there she was: leaning against the karaoke machine, picking a song, was Tabatha. She was smiling faintly as she looked at the list, seemingly unaware that anyone was looking at her. In fact, Sans noticed, quite a few monsters were looking at her expectantly, as if they recognized her.

"Ah yes," Grillby said, following his friend's gaze. "Miss Tabatha Strong. She's a very frequent customer and one of the favorite regular performers on Thursday."

"she sings?" Sans repeated, phrasing it as a question so as to prompt more information.

"Yes and more than that: when she comes, she doesn't very often order food, but instead sits at the bar and watches everyone. If there is a group of customers harassing one of my employees, after they all leave she will put a generous tip and a kind note on the table. Sometimes she has paid for others anonymously. But I never really see her do these things, only the results of her kindness."

"she do it for only monsters? or only humans?"

"It does not matter their race—she is equally generous to all."

The skeleton grunted softly to himself, still watching the young human woman through narrowed eye sockets as she mounted the small corner stage where the karaoke singers performed. The music began in a series of cheerful notes as the whole room quieted in preparation for Tabatha to sing.

"A spark soaring down through the pouring rain
And restoring life to the lighthouse
A slow motion wave on the ocean
Stirs my emotion up like like a rain cloud

When did the sky turn black?
And when will the light come back?"

There was a music interlude for a few beats and she adjusted her stance onstage. Her voice wasn't show-stopping amazing, but it had a decent sound to it and she certainly could carry the tune just fine.

"A cab driver turned to skydiver
Then to survivor,
Dying to breakdown
A blood brother, surrogate mother,
Hugging each other, crying their eyes out

When did the sky turn black?
And when will the light come back?

I'm ecstatic like a drug addict
Locked in the attic
Strung out and spellbound

I fought all through the night
Oh, oh, but I made it alive
The sun's starting to rise
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times
This fight of my life is so hard,
So hard, so hard
But I'm gonna survive
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times"

There was another pause for a violin instrumental and Sans noticed that most of the people watching her were swaying to the beat of the music, enjoying the performance. The monsters seemed especially touched by the smooth music and her earnest voice. Sans took a moment to study Tabatha's face as she sang and was startled to see that she seemed to genuinely be feeling the tone of the song-and it showed in the way she performed the lyrics.

"A bad feeling burned through the ceiling
Leaving my healing heart with a new scar
A dead fire rose and rose higher
Like a vampire, up from the graveyard

When did the sky turn black?
And when will the light come back?

We all suffer but we recover
Just to discover life where we all are

I fought all through the night
Oh, oh, but I made it alive
The sun's starting to rise
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times
This fight of my life is so hard,
So hard, so hard
But I'm gonna survive
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times

This fight of my life is so hard,
So hard, so hard
But I'm gonna survive
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times"

Never before had Sans heard Grillby's so quiet. He could actually hear the echoes of Tabatha's voice against the wooden walls. But it seemed the song was nearly over as the last stanza was sung in a soft, reverent tone.

"My heart's burning bad
And it's turning black
But I'm learning how to be stronger
And sincerely, I love you dearly
Oh, but I'm clearly destined to wonder."

The young woman bowed as the last note faded away to an applause that was shockingly loud after the silent spell she seemed to have cast over the crowd. She laughed at the cries of "Encore! Encore!" as she stepped down and handed the microphone over to someone else waiting their turn. And then, just like that, she melted into the audience, completely invisible in the crowd.

"don't you see what i mean Grillby?" the short skeleton asked, gesturing to the crowd. "she just appears and disappears. no way of knowing her intentions or true character. how can I trust her around Papyrus if I can't even figure out what kind of person she is?"

The fire elemental was quiet for a long moment, digesting the dilemma and deciding how to phrase his thoughts. When he spoke, the words were gentle but a touch stern, insisting he pay attention.

"Perhaps you simply have to trust her, Sans. But as you are the Judge, I would think that if she harbored any ill will, you would know. Your intuition is powerful, if not always clear. Did you not experience similar confusion with Frisk when you sensed both immense good and terrible evil? As always, I would advise patience—it has never failed you yet.

Sans grunted and pulled up his hood, effectively ending the conversation. As his friend returned to his other customers, he pressed his hand to his skull in frustration.

Humans were so weird. And he was no closer to understanding this one.

The long line of cars outside of the local middle school sat idling as parents waited for their children to be released for the day so they could return home. Among the minivans and compact cars was a red corvette, holding a particularly fidgety monster.

Papyrus was staring at his phone screen with an untold amount of worry shooting through his bones, centralized within his ribcage. He had decided after more than a day of hesitation to text Tabatha and ask for her forgiveness for forgetting to ask her name when she came over and only now that he had sent the messages was he beginning to have second thoughts about his delivery.

From The Great Papyrus: HELLO KINDLY HUMAN FRIEND! I HAVE SOMETHING I MUST TELL YOU.

From The Great Papyrus: MY BROTHER AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT YOU—NOTHING BAD, JUST CONSIDERING WHEN WE COULD MEET AGAIN—AND HE CALLED YOU TABATHA, YOUR NAME.

From The Great Papyrus: I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOUR NAME WHEN YOU HAD COME OVER! I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY, KINDLY HUMAN! IF YOU WISH TO NO LONGER CALL ME FRIEND FOR THIS MISHAP, I WOULD UNDERSTAND THOUGH IT WOULD SADDEN ME IMMENSELY!

From The Great Papyrus: PLEASE DO NOT BE TOO UPSET WITH ME! I MY BE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT EVEN I CAN FORGET THINGS!

From The Great Papyrus: NOT THAT I WOULD EVER FORGET YOU OF COURSE! YOU ARE TOO PRECIOUS AS A NEW HUMAN-FRIEND TO BE FORGOTTEN!

From The Great Papyrus: PLEASE DO NOT REVOKE OUR FRIENDSHIP! TnT

Clearly, his texts had gotten a little our of hand with his anxiety. He wished there was some way to erase messages he had already sent! He hadn't been thinking properly! Oh, would Tabatha be even more upset at him now that she knew how worried he was about their new friendship falling apart?!

His phone buzzed, distracting the skeleton from his thoughts for a moment when he saw that he had a text from the very person he had been thinking of. Opening it, he saw that it was only two words long.

From Kindly Human Tabatha: Call me.

Papyrus began to sweat. With fumbling fingers, he dialed in her number and pressed it to the side of his skull. It only rang twice before she picked up and began to talk.

"Okay Papyrus, where are you right now?" she asked, getting right to business.

"I AM IN MY CAR, AWAITING THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY."

"Right. Okay, so I want you to pull down the sun visor and open the mirror."

"ALRIGHT..." he said slowly as he followed her directions, a little confused as to where this was going.

"Now I want you to look in the mirror and repeat after me. I, the Great Papyrus..."

"I THE GREAT PAPYRUS,"

"...have made an honest mistake."

"HAVE MADE AN HONEST MISTAKE."

"It is not the end of the world."

"IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD."

"Tabatha has forgiven me and we are still friends."

"TABATHA...HAS FORGIVEN ME! AND WE ARE STILL FRIENDS!" Just the simple act of saying those words aloud was making him feel immensely better! And it seemed that looking at himself in the mirror was enhancing the experience somehow! "NYEH! WHERE DID YOU LEARN THIS USEFUL CALMING TECHNIQUE, HUMAN?"

"It's something we've done in my family for a while. You feeling better now dude?"

"VERY MUCH SO. AND NOW THAT I KNOW OUR NEW FRIENDSHIP IS NOT GOING TO FALL APART, I HAVE SOMETHING I WANT TO ASK OF YOU! WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO ARRANGE OUR NEXT MEETING?"

"Might take a few days, but I'll do it, sure," she replied happily.

"MIGHTY NEAT!" Just then, the school doors opened and the whole of the middle school poured out to the front of the building. "OH! THE SMALLER HUMANS ALL CAME OUT OF THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS! I NEED TO GO! AND BY 'GO', I MEAN GET OFF THE PHONE WITH YOU SO I CAN DRIVE SAFELY."

"I gotcha," Tabatha laughed. "I'll text you when I've got an idea about what to do next time we meet up. Talk to you later."

Papyrus hung up and pulled up to the front of the school, waving excitedly to Frisk, who was with a group of other kids. When they didn't respond, he called their name at the top of his voice, which made Frisk jump a little before they ran to the red car, waving at the other young humans.

"ARE THOSE NEW FRIENDS, FRISK?" the skeleton asked as the 12-year old monster ambassador clambered into the passenger seat.

"Maybe," they signed, smiling. "They've been pretty nice, but haven't really asked me to hang out with them yet."

"WELL THEN PERHAPS YOU SHOULD ASK THEM!" Papyrus suggested. "THAT IS WHAT WORKED WITH MY NEW HUMAN-FRIEND!"

"You met a new human-friend?" Frisk asked, their face lighting up. "What are they like? What do they look like? Boy or girl?"

"HER NAME IS TABATHA AND SHE IS VERY A KINDLY HUMAN! PERHAPS YOU WILL MEET HER ONCE OUR FRIENDSHIP LEVEL HAS RISEN SOME MORE! I THINK SHE WOULD LIKE YOU VERY MUCH! SHE CAME OVER FOR FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI EARLIER THIS WEEK AND WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING A SECOND MEETING! I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THOUGH, SINCE SHE IS THE ONE IN CHARGE OF PLANNING IT..."

Chapter Text

It was a quiet night. Sans was snoring away in his bed as usual and Papyrus was just finishing his nightly routine. It was a complicated ritual of finishing the daily chores and both devising and solving a series of puzzles that prepared him for the night's rest.

This wasn't something that he had always done—in fact, the method was hardly a year old. When they had been living underground, Papyrus had made his brother read to him every night before he went to sleep, but as he had gotten older and required less rest, the bedtime had become more of a formality between them, a moment where they just forgot everything going on around them and enjoyed having one another. After they had arrived on the surface, they had initially continued their pattern of living until about a year ago when Papyrus had asked to change their routine. He explained that having a specific time to go to sleep was no longer working for a healthy sleep schedule because he would only wake up after four hours or so to do any tasks he had left unfinished the evening before. It was stressful to leave things undone, he told Sans. He was no longer a baby bones after all and it was time for a change. Though his brother had been hesitant at first, it soon proved to be better for both of them: Sans' evening schedule was freer to attend to his own needs and Papyrus' sleep schedule was more restful and more convenient for the rest of the world, even if it did mean he wasn't asleep until sometime between midnight and 2AM and awoke at precisely 6AM every day without fail.

It had to be early morning at the latest and the younger of the skeleton brothers was getting ready to turn in once he finished his Sudoku page. He was humming to himself—a song that he affectionately called "Bonetrousle"—when his phone rang, startling him so much the number one he was writing turned into a seven that stretched across more than half of the puzzle in his grasp. Once he overcame his initial shock, Papyrus moved to pick up the small device, curious who could be calling. To his surprise, it was Toriel. What was she doing awake?

"HELLO LADY TORIEL!" he said in a hushed version of his usual volume, aware his brother would not appreciate being awoken. "THIS IS MOST UNUSUAL, I MUST ADMIT."

"Papyrus have you seen Frisk?"

The former Queen's voice was strained with worry and barely constrained fear. Papyrus immediately knew something was wrong.

"NO...NOT SINCE I PICKED THEM UP FROM SCHOOL."

"Oh stars," Toriel gasped. "Oh stars no...no, not my child...are you sure?!

"YES, POSITIVE. ARE THEY MISSING?"

"They came home from school as usual and we had dinner and I sent them to bed...but I woke up short time ago and checked on them and Frisk wasn't in their bed! I don't know where they could have gone! And what's worse, they left their phone behind!"

"LADY TORIEL, CALM DOWN," Papyrus instructed. "I SHALL SEND A GROUP TEXT TO EVERYONE ON MY CONTACT LIST WHILE I WAKE MY BROTHER. IF NO ONE RESPONDS, I WILL BEGIN CALLING. PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND ALERT THE AUTHORITIES IF NO ONE HAS SEEN THEM. WE WILL FIND FRISK, YOUR MAJESTY, I PROMISE IT."

The tall skeleton hung up after that and quickly sent a mass text out describing the situation to every number his phone held. He was mounting the stairs and was about to open Sans' door when his phone pinged with a text indication. He took a glance at the screen and realized that it was Tabatha of all people who had responded.

From Kindly Human Tabatha: Kay, I'm awake. Can you give me Frisk's profile? Age, height, hair color?

Another text then popped up.

From Kindly Human Tabatha: a picture would be great as well for reference.

Papyrus immediately sent a reply along with a selfie of himself and his young human friend.

From The Great Papyrus: FRISK IS 12. THIS IS THEM. THEY ARE SELECTIVELY MUTE SO THEY LIKELY WON'T BE ABLE TO RESPOND IF YOU'RE CALLING FOR THEM.

From Kindly Human Tabatha: K, thx

Papyrus pocketed the device and opened his brother's door and hissed inside.

"SANS! SANS WAKE UP!"

The short skeleton sighed heavily before muttering back in a voice thick with sleep.

"what is it pap? can't it wait 'till morning?"

"NO IT ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT SANS! FRISK IS MISSING AND I NEED YOU TO STAY ALERT IN CASE THEY COME TO OUR HOME!"

"what?!"

Sans' normally soft voice cut through the air almost at his brother's normal volume—which is to say, quite loud and easily audible.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE GROUP TEXT I SENT OUT WITH THE SPECIFICS," the taller monster said hurriedly. "YOU NEED TO STAY AWAKE JUST IN CASE FRISK COMES HERE INSTEAD OF GOING HOME. I AM GOING OVER TO LADY TORIEL'S HOUSE TO INVESTIGATE AND WILL CALL UNDYNE AND ANYONE ELSE WHO MAY HAVE SEEN THEM ON THE WAY. TABATHA IS ON THE SEARCH ALREADY AND I WILL FORWARD ANY UPDATES FROM HER TO YOU."

"bro, you really think the kid'll come here?"

"I DON'T THINK FRISK INTENDED TO WORRY US, SO IT IS A POSSIBLE THING THAT THEY WILL COME HERE. BUT I MUST ALSO WAKE OUR OTHER FRIENDS SO THAT THEY MAY ALSO BE ON ALERT. I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I GET TO THE FORMER QUEEN'S HOME!"

And with that, Papyrus sprinted towards his brother's window and leapt through it with a terrific crash. He managed to stick the landing and then sprinted straight out into the street. There wasn't a second to lose.

It was nearly two in the morning and still actual progress had yet to be achieved. Papyrus had investigated Frisk's room and had nothing out of order aside from the empty bed and the fact that Toriel's door had been unlocked, meaning that the child had slipped away through the front entrance. A police officer had already been over to question the former Queen for any indications of Frisk's location from their behavior that day, but had been unable to determine anything useful. Undyne and what was left of the Royal Guard were out searching the streets and even Grillby had been alerted just in case Frisk went to his bar. Tabatha had not made any other contact aside from a status update that she still had a few more places to try before calling a proper search and rescue group.

Papyrus was just trying to keep Toriel calm at this point: the goat monster was absolutely frantic. She had wanted to take to the streets herself in search of her child, but had been persuaded to stay just in case they came home of their own accord. She was on her third cup of tea and trying her hardest to stay calm as the tall skeleton keeping her company gave her status updates whenever they came in, though they were usually just from Undyne stating that certain areas they had searched were just busts.

"DO NOT FRET, LADY TORIEL," Papyrus urged after the ninth update from the search parties. "AT LEAST NOW WE MUST BE CLOSE!"

"I can't help but be worried," the gentle monster replied, her tone hollow. "I've lost so many this way...they just disappear...and never come home..."

Papayrus was unsure what he could say to comfort the grieving mother, but before he could even attempt to offer comfort, there came a knock at the door. The pair of monsters immediately stood and rushed over, Toriel with her hands over her heart as Papyrus seized the doorknob.

The door flew open and the light of the hall fell onto the front porch where there stood a dirt-covered Tabatha and Frisk. The child looked as through they had been crying quite a lot and both had scratches on their faces and hands.

"Frisk, my child!" Toriel cried when she saw the smaller human and flung herself at them, snaring the preteen in a tight embrace and bursting into tears. Frisk too began to sob into their mother's embrace, burying their face in her soft fur. Papyrus gasped and clapped his hands together happily before turning to the remaining human on the porch. Tabatha was smiling, but before Papyrus could get the words out to thank her for her help, she stepped out of the light that hit the porch and was simply gone, swallowed up by shadow.

"Oh Frisk," Toriel was whispering frantically. "My beloved child...don't ever do this to me again, do you hear?! I was so scared I lost you..."

"I'm sorry, mom," Frisk signed when they finally managed to step back some so they had room to "speak". "I didn't mean for this to happen. If Tabatha hadn't found me, I would have probably been lost until morning."

"Tabatha?"

"This nice lady who brought me back—" Frisk froze in mid-sign as they turned around to see that their rescuer was no longer there on the porch. "Where'd she go?"

"TABATHA IS A VERY SPECIAL HUMAN," Papyrus explained. "SHE DOES THAT SOMETIMES. I DON'T KNOW WHY—PERHAPS SHE WAS BUSY."

"Or maybe she's like a guardian angel!" the child suddenly gasped, their fingers flying to form the words. "She only appears when you need help and when you're safe she disappears again!"

"Well, whatever she is, she certainly was an angel tonight, bringing you back to me," Toriel murmured. "I only wish I could have thanked her."

"DO NOT FEAR LADY TORIEL," the skeleton proclaimed. "WHEN I SEE HER NEXT, I WILL CONVEY YOUR GRATITUDE TO HER! OH! AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME THAT I SHOULD PROBABLY INFORM THE OTHERS THAT FRISK HAS BEEN FOUND AND SAFELY RETURNED HOME! EXCUSE ME A MOMENT!"

Tabatha flopped into bed, completely exhausted. She didn't really mind that her clothes were still sweaty or that she had dirt on her face—they would dry in the night and she could always take a shower in the morning.

She had no idea what had possessed her to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to go look for the lost young child. Yes, she was aware that she was a nicer and more helpful person to strangers than most, but she had never expected to go to such lengths on behalf of people she barely knew. When she had seen Papyrus' message though, she knew she had to help. It wasn't a decision she had made consciously—something deep down inside her had just said that she couldn't not help.

Tabatha's phone beeped and she saw it was a text from the skeleton in question. Though she was hardly was able to keep her eyes open, the brunette decided to read it.

It turned out it wasn't a message at all: it was a picture of the kid and their...goat mom hugging ans crying. It was touching, not to mention completely adorable, that visible love those two held for one another. A few seconds later, a text popped up under the picture.

From The Great Papyrus: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FINDING FRISK, FRIEND TABATHA!

Smiling, the young woman typed out a quick response.

From Tabatha Strong: No prob Pap. :)

Yawning heavily, Tabatha set aside her device and rolled over on her side. She was out in less than a minute.

Chapter Text

"ARE YOU SURE THAT'S HOW MUCH SUGAR GOES IN IT?" Papyrus questioned as he looked at the very full measuring cup and then at the small saucepan where they were mixing it with cocoa and milk.

"Yep—I've been making these for years. If you can taste sugar granules in the finished product, you did it right," Tabatha replied calmly, pouring it into the soupy mixture. "Pass me the butter."

The skeleton did as his friend asked and she added that too to the pot. The pair had finally met up a few days after the incident with Frisk when the young woman had called her monster friend to ask if he wanted to learn how to make her favorite dessert with her: no-bake cookies. Intrigued at the thought of a dessert that did not require an oven, the tall skeleton had immediately accepted although it had taken considerable bargaining to convince his brother to pick up Frisk from school that day before he could come over.

"Now we put them in here and wait until they're hard," the human said as she put the tray away and shut the door of her fridge.

"WOWIE! THAT IS SO NEAT HUMAN TABATHA! WHERE DID YOU LEARN THIS NOT-BAKING TECHNIQUE?"

"Family tradition from when I was little. The internet helped me tweak it enough so I could make some that didn't have clumps of oatmeal or sugar. Do you want to watch some TV and chat while we wait?"

"YES! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR OFFERING!"

The pair moved to the large, cushy couch that sat in front of a modestly sized television. Tabatha warned Papyrus not to slouch on it too much or the squishy cushions would trap him to which he responded that the couch would be the perfect trap for catching Sans napping when he wasn't supposed to be. They giggled at the image before Tabatha grabbed the remote and turned on the cooking channel, which excited papyrus immensely.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS WAS MY FAVORITE TV CHANNEL?" he asked, eagerly drinking in the images of the onscreen chef preparing some kind of chicken dish.

"Just figured, since you like cooking so much and make such good spaghetti," the brunette replied, leaning against the arm of the sofa. Papyrus shifted a little before he abruptly blurted out a confession:

"I WAS NOT ALWAYS SUCH AS GOOD A COOK AS I AM NOW."

"Well, it's not like I thought you were perfect from day one—" Tabatha said casually before she was interrupted.

"NO, I MEAN I USED TO BE TRULY AWFUL! NOBODY WOULD EAT MY SPAGHETTI BECAUSE I WAS TAUGHT BY UNDYNE TO PULVERIZE THE TOMATOES INTO SUBMISSION WHEN MAKING SAUCE AND TO TURN THE HEAT ALL THE WAY UP AND NOT TURN IT OFF UNTIL THE SPAGHETTI WAS SMOKING! IT WAS VERY MESSY, BUT I HONESTLY THOUGHT THAT WAS HOW FOOD WAS MADE. THEN AFTER WE CAME TO THE SURFACE, UNDYNE DISCOVERED THE COOKING CHANNEL AND FOOD NETWORK. SHE MANAGED TO GET ONTO ONE OF THOSE COMPETITION SHOWS WITH THE HUMAN MASTER CHEF GORDON RAMSAY—SHE TOLD ME IT WAS CALLED "DEVIL'S KITCHEN" OR SOMETHING SIMILAR—AND WHEN SHE CAME HOME, SHE TOLD ME THAT WE HAD BEEN MAKING FOOD WRONG ALL ALONG! WE WATCHED A LOT OF COOKING CHANNEL AFTER THAT AND LEARNED HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI PROPERLY. IT TOOK A LOT OF PRACTICE TO BREAK OUR BAD COOKING HABITS, BUT NOW MY SPAGHETTI IS EDIBLE!"

Tabatha looked a little amused at the story, though she also looked quite curious, as though she wanted to ask for more details. She did not pursue the subject however and merely put the matter to rest by saying, "Well, at least you've gotten better now. I'm glad you had the chance to improve."

They sat quietly until the commercial break. Turning his attention from the screen, the tall monster twisted so he was facing his friend.

"TABATHA," he asked hesitantly, fidgeting when her dark eyes landed on him. "I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO ASK YOU...HOW DID YOU FIND FRISK THAT NIGHT WHEN THEY WENT MISSING?"

"I've lived in this city for a while. I know lots of different spots where kids go when they sneak out. It's a coming-of-age ceremony that some people take part of, to get away from their parents without getting caught."

"NYEEEEH, BUT I WAS HOPING TO HEAR MORE OF THE STORY!" Papyrus complained, which made Tabatha laugh.

"Alright, alright," she relented. "So, I'm not really sure what time you woke me up, but when I saw that you were pretty distraught, I knew I had to help you out. After you texted me to say that Frisk was twelve, I was able to get a few places in mind. Middle and High Schoolers hold a yearly tradition of sneaking out to a few favorite locations for a few hours. I thought they might be involved, so I decided to check a few of those places. 'Course as luck would have it, they were waiting for me in the last spot I thought to check..."

Tabatha really wished she had better night vision. The light pollution from the city meant that everything was faintly glowing orange back on the beaten path and that the natural star and moonlight was dimmed. She had checked everywhere kids snuck out to and this was her last shot before she'd be at a loss for ideas.

The woods within the park were not overly thick or deep, but it was a sizable area and it was easy to get caught going in circles—many of the trees were about the same size due to the city reforestation program. There was a clearing about four hundred feet from all paths through the park where teenagers usually had a small campfire before going home. That was where Frisk should be, unless they had decided to wander off and get themselves even more lost.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, the young woman shouted "Frisk! If you can here me, stay where you are! I'll come find you! Papyrus texted me to tell me you were missing! I'm a friend of his!"

There was no response—not that she'd really been expecting one. Tabatha took a deep breath before she stepped off the gravel trail and into the forest. Her eyes eventually adjusted enough that she could tell what was a tree and what was empty space. Bramble bushes were harder to notice and soon her ankles were sufficiently scratched. When she came out into the clearing, she smelled the remains of wood smoke and knew that someone had been there. She decided to try yelling again.

"Frisk! Please stay put! I'm coming to find you!"

This time, a faint sound came in response to her shouts: a clacking, as if two rocks were being banged together. Encouraged, Tabatha jogged towards the sound. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet seemingly disappeared and she tumbled hard into a ditch. There was a small gasp from above her as she finally stopped sliding and the brunette managed to get up onto her elbows to see a small child with brown hair wearing a blue sweater.

"Hey. Are you Frisk?" she asked. The child nodded vigorously, looking worried. "I'm alright—just some light bruising and a few scrapes. I came to get you; your mother's worried sick."

Frisk gasped again and then began to sob. Tabatha got up onto her feet and pulled the child into an embrace, whispering comforting words as she guided them out of the steep stone-lined ditch and back onto solid ground. Using the clearing to orient herself, she lead them back to the path, which they followed to the road.

"Do you know the way home from here?" she asked and Frisk nodded. "Well, lead the way then."

"...and they lead me to their house where you answered the door," Tabatha finished. Papyrus sat in silence for a second before he tackled the human into a fierce hug. They crashed into the cushions and he began to talk very rapidly.

"YOU ARE TRULY THE BESTEST OF FRIENDS, KINDLY HUMAN TABATHA! NEVER DID I SUSPECT THAT SUCH A GENEROUS AND NOBLE HUMAN SUCH AS YOURSELF WOULD BECOME SUCH A FAST FRIEND TO ME AND BE WILLING TO HELP OTHERS AMONG MY FRIENDS OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF YOUR HEART! YOU HAVE SUFFERED INJURIES TRYING TO HELP ME HELP OTHERS AND THAT MAKES YOU NOTHING LESS THAN THE MOST AMAZING HUMAN I HAVE EVER HAD THE CHANCE TO BE ACQUAINTED WITH! YOUR GREATNESS MAY EVEN SURPASS MY OWN WITH THIS FEAT OF COMPLETE SELFLESSNESS!"

"Whoa, relax Papyrus," Tabatha managed to get out, her words breathless due to the skeleton crushing her in his embrace. "I wasn't the only one helping you look for Frisk you know."

"BUT YOU ARE THE ONLY HUMAN WHO RESPONDED, AS WELL AS THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW FRISK AND LADY TORIEL PERSONALLY! AND YOU DID IT SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW THEY ARE MY FRIENDS AND YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO BE DISTRESSED! I DO NOT KNOW IF I AM WORTHY TO BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME AND KIND AS YOURSELF! SHALL I MAKE YOU SPAGHETTI AGAIN AS A SIGN OF MY GRATITUDE AND UNDYING RESPECT FOR YOU?"

"How about we share the cookies we made together and just call it even?" the squished brunette suggested.

"VERY WELL!"

Papyrus tried to get up, but found that the couch cushions were too soft and squishy to be used as reliable resistance to lift himself.

"NYEH?! HUMAN TABATHA, I CANNOT GET OUT OF THE COUCH!"

"Well, shoot," she sighed. "I tried to warn you the couch would eat us alive, but it seems we're doomed now."

"NYOOOOHOOOHOOO!" the skeleton cried dramatically. "I'M TOO HANDSOME TO BE CONSUMED BY A VISCOUS PIECE OF UPHOLSTERY!"

"If I brace my feet against your chestplate and push up, you should get unstuck," Tabatha reasoned. "Hold up, let me get my feet into position. Ready...and...yah!"

Papyrus went flying in an almost-backflip off the end of the couch, landing with a loud thud on the wooden floor. Tabatha gasped and tried to get up, but was sunk in too deep to do much other than wriggle.

"Dude, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, mortified. "You're lighter than I'd thought you'd be! Are you okay?"

"YES!" he replied jubilantly, springing up onto his feet. "IT WOULD TAKE MORE THAN A FLOOR TO TAKE DOWN THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NOW TO FREE YOU FROM THE COUCH DEMON'S SOFT AND CUSHY JAWS!"

With seemingly no effort, he pulled her out of the rut in the cushions and into his arms. Turning to the kitchen, he declared "NOW, TO THE COOKIES!"

Frisk had not been expecting Sans to pick them up from school today, but was more than thrilled to see the shorter skeleton brother. Sans did not own a car of his own and so used shortcuts and walking to get just about everywhere. When Frisk had seen him standing out by the sidewalk, they had run up and given him a fierce hug which was met with an affectionate rub on the head.

"But why didn't Papyrus come get me?" they asked as they walked down the side of the road.

"eh, Paps had ta go meet up with his new human friend or something," the skeleton shrugged. "he promised to pick up some more ketchup for me after he finished, so i let him go."

Frisk detected a faint bitterness in his tone and repressed a sigh. After so many RESETs together, Sans should have known better than to try hiding his emotions around them—he was an open book to them.

"Do you not like Tabatha?" they asked. The monster's face froze in it's usual grin as he shrugged, light vanishing from his sockets as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"not really any of my business, is it kid? Paps thinks she's a good person and i haven't sensed anything seriously wrong with 'er yet. "

"The way you say that makes me think that you don't like her."

Sans chuckled before he sighed, closing his eyesockets. He didn't speak for a long moment, clearly considering his words carefully before he opened them halfway.

"i can't figure her out. why she'd want to be friends with him,why she would go to such lengths to help him out," he admitted. "most humans aren't so...uncomplicated that they would just want to be friends with a monster. there's always some motivation, whether it's for the novelty or to prove a point that we can coexist. i can't think of what her motivation would be to act so...kindly."

"Maybe she's just a nice person," Frisk suggested.

"and maybe the sky is green," Sans spat bitterly. "nobody is just that nice for no reason."

"Not even Papyrus?"

That made the skeleton pull up short. He gave a sideways glance at Frisk, hoping they were just being cheeky. But their face was as serious as a Genocide run. He sighed again.

"kiddo, we both know that Paps is...pretty unique in his outlook on life. what are the odds that someone else—especially a human adult—could see things in the same light that he does? they're astronomical. we'd have a better chance of hitting the jackpot then to find someone—"

Sans' phone rang. The ringtone started them both and they stood frozen for a full minute before Sans picked up.

"hello?"

"SANS, I HAVE HAD AN EPI-EPIPH—AN IDEA!" It was Papyrus, made obvious by his lack of a proper phone voice. "I WANTED YOU TO KNOW ALL ABOUT IT! I FINALLY HAVE A WAY TO THANK THE HUMAN TABATHA FOR COIMNG TO OUR AID WHEN FRISK WAS MISSING!"

"o-oh yeah?" Sans replied through clenched teeth.

"YES! LADY TORIEL DID SAY THAT SHE WANTED TO THANK TABATHA PROPERLY, SO I WAS THINKING—WHY NOT LET HER DO JUST THAT? I WILL CALL YOU BACK ONCE I HAVE THE FINAL DETAILS FOR OUR PLAN!"

The call ended and Sans shoved the device back into his pocket with a growl. Frisk made a "tsk" noise and he glared at the child.

"not a word out of you, twerp," he warned lowly. "not one single word."

Chapter Text

Papyrus was all but vibrating he was so excited. The surprise was going to be so amazing! Tabatha would love it, he was sure.

Everybody was in position. All they needed was the guest of honor.

Papyrus confidently strode up to the door of Tabatha's hone, struggling to contain his energy. He knocked lightly, then placed his hands behind his back. For a moment, he entertained thoughts about her reaction to the surprise, but he quickly brushed those aside when the handle rattle and the door opened to reveal his human friend.

She was dressed nicer than he had last seen her: she was wearing a white shirt covered by a blue and white checked hoodie shirt layer and gray leggings that were covered by a deep blue denim skirt. Her shoes were still fairly casual—black and white converse—and her hair was in its usual ponytail, but the skeleton thought she looked very nice and ready to go out to a mystery location with him.

"WOWIE! YOU LOOK QUITE NICE," he repeated his thoughts aloud. "ARE YOU READY TO BE AMAZED AT MY SUPER-SECRET LOCATION WHERE WE SHALL HANG OUT TODAY?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a faint smile and a shrug. "I'm prepared to be dazzled and nothing less."

"NYEH! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!"

Papyrus very politely offered his arm to her—which she took—and lead her to his red convertible, opening her door and letting her in. He pulled out of the driveway very carefully before he revved the engine, reveling in how cool it sounded before he zipped away down the road. As they made their way downtown, he would occasionally glance at Tabatha and watch her. She would always look out at the people walking down the street with a contemplative expression that left her with a mysterious contented smile on her lips. That grin would widen when the car sped up and her brown hair would whip in the wind like a glossy banner.

"ARE YOU ALREADY ENJOYING YOURSELF, HUMAN?" he asked excitedly.

"Very much so," she admitted. "I really like going fast. It makes me happy."

"VERY GOOD! I TOO LIKE TO DRIVE VERY FAST. I LIKE TO IMAGINE THE WIND GOING THROUGH MY HAIR, THOUGH OBVIOUSLY I HAVE NONE. MY IMAGINATION IS VERY GOOD THOUGH, SO THAT IS VERY GOOD!"

That made Tabatha laugh. They didn't talk much through the rest of the drive and before long they were pulling up before Toriel's house. The young woman looked at the house curiously before a look of trepidation crossed her features. As they moved up the walkway, the anxiety became only more pronounced. She kept eyeing the bushes by the door as though she was going to try and slide into them and disappear. Never faltering, Papyrus wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her in place as he knocked.

The door opened and Frisk looked up in surprise at the two mismatched pair of adults before gasping and smiling.

"HELLO FRISK! WOULD YOU INFORM LADY TORIEL THAT OUR GUEST OF HONOR HAS ARRIVED?"

"I knew something was up!" the signed excitedly. "When Asgore came over, I knew something special was happening."

"OH! I DID NOT REALIZE THAT HE HAD GIVEN AN RSVP! WAIT, DID I EVEN SEND HIM A PROPER INVITATION?" the skeleton mused. "I DO NOT REMEMBER."

"When Undyne went to give him a report she let slip what happened with Frisk and he wanted to join us," Toriel replied, coming into view and wiping her hands on an apron. "You're a little bit early so would you like to introduce her to everyone? They're in the lounge for the most part."

"VERY WELL! COME ALONG HUMAN TABATHA! WE MUST BEGIN THE FRIENDSHIP-MAKING PROCESS IMMEDIATELY."

Tabatha didn't resist but she didn't exactly go along with the program either. Instead she just let Papyrus eagerly pull her along, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

The lounge was full of monsters who were conversing and relaxing, the only one recognizable to the human being a snoozing Sans. When they caught sight of their tall friend, they all smiled at his approach or gave equivalent forms of greeting—which meant Undyne came over and punched him in the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.

"Thought you were gonna be late, ya nerd!" she laughed. "The party's already started without you!"

"NOT SO! A SURPRISE PARTY COULDN'T START WITHOUT THE PERSON THAT ITS INTENDED TO SURPRISE!"

"Which must be you, punk," the fish monster concluded, looking down at Tabatha, who had managed to pull her face together into a more neutral expression as opposed to outright shock. "Heh. Guess Paps really is into brunettes. Name's Undyne. Captain of the Royal Guard—or what's left of it anyway."

The young woman nodded politely and took the hand outstretched towards her, not so much as flinching when her whole arms was roughly flailed around by the taller, burlier female though her hand was marked red where Undyne had squeezed.

"Tabatha Strong," was her simple, mild reply.

"HAH! You don't look so tough!" the redhead gloated. "I bet I could take you with one hand tied behind my back!"

"U-U-Undyne," Alphys scolded from the sofa. "You c-could take most people o-one handed. Oh! I'm A-Alphys, by the way," the yellow lizard added when Tabatha glanced her way. "Royal scientist."

"And my girl," Undyne interjected. "So hands off."

"You don't have to worry about that," the human assured them softly. "I know a thing or two about respecting boundaries."

"I suppose that just leaves me," sighed Asogre, rising to his impressive height and coming forward. He gently took Tabatha's hands into his furry paws and smiled. "Howdy! I'm Asgore. You probably know me as King Asgore from the news, but you don't have to use my title."

At the king's introduction, the faintest smile came onto the young woman's face and her voice was a little more sincere as she replied.

"I'm honored, you highness."

Frisk then began to frantically tug at Tabatha's shirt and when her dark eyes finally landed on the child, they began to frantically sign. Unable to understand them, she looked to Papyrus who quickly translated.

"THEY WANT TO CONFIRM THAT YOUR NAME IS INDEED TABATHA SO THEY CAN DUB YOU WITH A SPECIAL SIGN LANGUAGE NAME!"

"Oh, yes my name is Tabatha," she informed the younger human. Frisk grinned and giggled as they formed their hands into the letter "T" in the ASL alphabet and made a gesture near their shoulders like wings fluttering.

"Is that my ASL name?" the brunette asked curiously. The child nodded and Asgore chuckled.

"Frisk has been calling you their guardian angel nonstop since you brought them home," he explained. "It makes sense why they would give you that sign for your name. The letter 'T' merged with the sign for angel. Very fitting."

Tabatha's face was frozen in an expression that was difficult to read. She looked more bewildered than anything and more than a little nervous. But it vanished under a faint smile when she bent down to thank Frisk and give them an affectionate rub on the head.

"Supper is ready if everyone is ready!"Toriel's voice called from the kitchen. Undyne yelled out an affirmative and picked up her girlfriend as she charged over to the table. Papyrus cheerfully pulled his human friend along after him and seated her at the end of the table, in plain view of everyone.

"Don't be afraid to eat as much as you like, dear," the former queen said as she set a bowl of mashed potatoes and a boat of gravy down before seating herself. "After you brought my child home to me last week, I owe you more than just a simple dinner treat."

"There's really no need for this," the young woman murmured softly, staring at the meal that resembled a Hogwarts holiday feast as the monsters situated themselves and some of them began eating and chattering. "I didn't do anything more or less than anyone else who was out looking for Frisk."

"All the same, I wanted to offer a proper act of gratitude," Toriel replied. "One kind turn deserves another, do they not?"

The human nodded, but still seemed reluctant as she took a peach from a fruit bowl being passed and took some lasagna from another dish. She bit into the food and blinked in surprise before she took a second, seeming to consider the favor. She then reached out to put a small sample of pork chop on her plate and seemed to melt a little bit as the rich food touched her tongue.

"You truly have a gift for cooking, ma'am," she breathed before taking samples of everything that was in reach.

"Thank you, miss Tabatha," the kind goat monster replied. "Now, Papyrus has told us a little about you, but not in very much detail. I'd like to get to know you a little bit better, if you do not mind."

"Well there's not much to tell," Tabatha admitted after swallowing. "I'm very average, not very exciting."

"Oh nonsense dear. Everyone is exciting in their own way. Do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?"

"Um, well I have two jobs. One's just the standard job of a fast food cashier. Flexible hours, enough pay to cover all my basic needs if I'm careful."

"And the second job?" Asgore prompted, sipping from a cup of tea.

"Dancing. I work with a professional dance company. When there's jobs of course, which isn't always the case, hence the other job."

"I NEVER KNEW THAT! WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME YOU COULD DANCE?" Papyrus declared, looking up from his spaghetti. Everyone turned to look at her, even the sleepy Sans though his gaze looked more grouchy and suspicious than tired at the moment. She froze up, looking ready to vanish at any second, but instead stammered out a faint reply.

"What?" Undyne shouted down the table. "Speak up, human!"

"It's nothing special," she said in a small voice that was slightly more audible. "Lots of people can dance. I'm not amazing or anything..."

"Oh yeah? Let me be the judge of that!" the fish lady cried, standing up. "Go on, dance!"

"might as well have her sing for ya too," Sans added, clearly seeing and not caring about her apparent nerves.

"YOU SING?" the taller skeleton squealed delightedly.

"N-not really...just as a little hobby sometimes..."

"Well then? Give us a show!" Undyne demanded, banging her fist on the table and making the dishes rattle alarmingly.

"Undyne!" Alphys suddenly shouted, surprising everyone with her volume. "Sit down! Can't you see that T-Tabatha's uncomfortable enough right now?"

A sudden quiet swept over the room as the monsters seemed to realize their behavior was indeed making their guest look quite stressed. Undyne returned to her chair, staring hard at her plate as Papyrus covered his skull in his large, gloved hands. Asgore and Toriel both lowered their heads as Frisk signed "sorry". Sans just tilted his skull in what was obvious critical observation, clearly unaffected by the shame the others were experiencing.

"My apologies, miss Tabatha," Toriel said earnestly. "I didn't intend to upset you by having you over. We are just all...so used to one another that I suppose we forgot to put our best foot forward for your sake until you get to know us a little better...if you'd like to, that is—we won't force you."

Seeing the motherly monster's saddened expression seemed to invigorate Tabatha somehow because her face composed itself and she took a deep breath.

"No, it's fine; you just caught me off guard. I don't really do...impromptu performances," the brunette admitted. "Not good enough to do it without preparation. Um, and as for spare time, I usually just read or indulge my geek side."

"O-oh?" Alphys spoke up. "What f-fandoms? Any genre in particular?"

"I'm a sucker for the Disney classics. 2-D animated musicals are my favorite. And super heroes. Super heroes and villains are another weak spot."

"W-what about anime?"

"Well, I'm not opposed to anime in any sense of the word, but I'm kinda all-or-nothing when it comes to committing my love to a series. Takes a lot of nudging to get me to fully dive in. But I have watched and enjoyed anime in the past and anime-type video games are usually something I like to play around with. I'm a, uh, small-time gamer, usually with RPGs and MMORPGs. Heavy into that roleplay aspect."

"What anime?" This time it was Undyne asking and her face was very intense.

"Blue Exorcist, Fullmetal Alchemist...Fruits Basket—"

"Oh! We've seen that!" the fish lady interrupted. "Not a very long series, but pretty good until the end. Then it just got weird."

"Well, the manga series actually goes on for more than twenty books," the human explained. "But the Anime apparently wasn't doing very well so they halted production when the story was reaching book six. I personally consider the manga as the cannon story, so I consider that particular anime as something of a failure in regard to the overall story. In any case, as I was saying..."

Sans would never say it out loud, but he was a little impressed by the human's behavior change over the course of the dinner. When she had come in with his brother—nervous and jittery as she was—he'd expected her to just cave into her own fear and do her little trick to disappear. But she had stuck it out, even managed to pull herself together into a more sociable state after Alphys' reality check. Sure, she was still reserved, but now he finally felt like he had a clue to who Tabatha Strong really was.

She was a people-pleaser and a socially anxious one at that. She was not confident in meeting new people yet didn't want anyone to feel bad due to anything she may have said or done. So she had put on a brave face though it was clear that she wanted to vanish and had tried to be friendly. She hadn't entirely succeeded though—when the conversation was directed away from her, she was quite content to just let them all prattle on until a new question for her arose and she would try to satisfy them again.

Eventually the party have moved back to the lounge where Tabatha had managed to surprise everyone by standing up to Undyne when the latter had made an offhand comment about how anyone in decent shape could be a dancer.

"For your information, it's actually not so easy," she'd said in a cold tone. "Fitness is part of it, but there's also balance, a sense of timing and muscle memory for the different steps so you execute them perfectly each time."

"Oh please," the fish woman scoffed. "I'd bet gold that I could perform any dance you can. There's no way it can be so tough so long as you have the talent."

"You'd lose that bet," Tabatha promised. "The exercises I do at a basic practice session would be beyond you."

"Heh. It's on then!"

Toriel announced it was time for dessert as the two women shook on it, both wearing determined expressions. They all vacated the couches and chairs except for Sans and Frisk who had noticed his lack of movement.

"Still suspicious?" they asked with a raised eyebrow.

"i'm always suspicious," was the dry response. "it's how i stay alive when my instincts can't identify if someone's motives are for good or for bad."

Frisk rolled their eyes as the they stood and trotted to the kitchen to where the smell of butterscotch-cinnamon pie was originating. Sans knew they thought he was being overcautious, but if there was one thing that he refused to risk, it was the health and happiness of his baby brother. He would not let Papyrus be hurt by anyone and he was going to keep an eyesocket on this new human until she finally revealed what game she was playing at, making friends with a monster with little to no prompting. It didn't just happen—not without a reason.

It was late when Papyrus and Tabatha both loaded up in the red convertible so that the skeleton could take his human friend home. As soon as they were safely around the corner, the young woman slumped against the seat, letting out a heavy sigh.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, FRIEND TABATHA?" Papyrus questioned worriedly.

"Hm? Yeah. Just tired. Large groups of strangers wear me out."

"SO YOU ARE NOT UPSET AT ME?"

"Why would I be? I mean, you did catch me off guard by planning a party where I didn't know anybody but I think it worked out okay. I'm just exhausted now that it's all over."

"I AM SO SORRY THAT I EXHAUSTED YOU TONIGHT!" the tall monster apologized sadly. "I SIMPLY WANTED YOU TO MEET MY FRIENDS AND LET TORIEL THANK YOU FOR HELPING FRISK...I NEVER REALIZED THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE SOMETHING YOU WANTED. I SAW HOW ALARMED YOU WERE WHEN UNDYNE BEGAN TO PRESSURE YOU ABOUT YOUR DANCING AND IT MADE ME VERY SAD TO KNOW I BROUGHT THAT UPON YOU."

"Paps..."the brunette said softly, sitting up straight, "You couldn't have known. We've only known each other for...well, less than a month. I really appreciate that you wanted to thank me and have me meet your friends. It's just that I need to mentally prepare myself when meeting strangers so I can behave like a normal person. I'm not mad at you though. Lessons for next time, yeah?"

Papyrus still seemed uncertain, but he nodded and turned his focus back to the road. Leaning against the car door, Tabatha leaned out of her open window and smiled as the wind pushed her ponytail behind her in a sleek brown river. After a few minutes, she withdrew her head and pulled the band out of her hair before leaning back out, the strands floating in all directions. She looked far happier looking up at the dark sky than inside the house sharing food with friendly monsters, her expression serene. A thought occurred to the tall monster as he paused at a stoplight. Perhaps this kindly human was quite like his brother—content in having large amounts of alone time and not very good with new people. Except Sans used bad puns and blatant laziness to keep others at bay while Tabatha would just leave the situation behind and become invisible until she found somewhere more comfortable.

"SO ARE ALL SURPRISE PARTIES OUT OF THE QUESTION OR JUST ONES WITH STRANGERS?" he dared to ask when the light turned green.

"Mmm...to be completely honest with you Papyrus, I don't really like parties. I like to meet up with people one-on-one or in small groups. Too many people in a room makes me feel crowded and like I can't breathe. But if you ever want to throw me a party, don't hold back—you'll just need to let me know that you want me to prepare for lots of people and I'll be fine."

"SO THE WAY WE'VE BEEN MEETING UP IS FINE?" the skeleton confirmed. "YOU WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT?"

"Oh yes, very much so," she replied with a bit more energy than before. "You need to give me a crash course on Undyne sometime so I can figure out how best to win our bet."

"SHE WON'T GIVE UP EASILY; SHE'S VERY PASSIONATE, REMEMBER? SHE WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO TURN ON THE STOVE TO THE SAME LEVEL AS MY PASSION AND HER SPAGHETTI WAS ALWAYS BURNT. SHE EVEN BURNED DOWN HER HOUSE ONCE!"

"Passion will only take you so far," Tabatha said with a smirk. "That's when years of hard work and skill come into play. And I'm confident that I have more than her—not that I'll ever say it to her face, of course. She'd probably break me in half."

The two friends laughed as they continued on their late-night ride, content to live in this moment where all tension was gone and the world seemed at peace.

Chapter Text

Tabatha leaned back in her chair, looking out the window of her house for the hundreth time before reminding herself that they would get here whenever the arrived and not a moment sooner.

It was strange how quickly her circle of friends seemed to be expanding. Not even a week had passed since dinner at Toriel's and already the monsters she had met seemed comfortable with her. Frisk had managed to get her address out of Papyrus and before long, word had spread about where she lived. Undyne had already come over to arrange the particulars for settling their bet and the former Queen had delivered brownies when she made a batch to ask for Tabatha's opinion. (They had been absolutely amazing which was no less than she had honestly expected). Even Asgore had taken a moment out from his busy schedule to invite her to tea at his home in the upcoming days. They were all so very open and kind to her, despite knowing literally nothing about her-she wished she was brave enough to let people in that quickly. It must be a cultural trait, seeing as six of the seven total monsters she had ever spoken to all warmed up to her right away.

The human realized her thoughts were digressing from the task at hand and she have herself a little shake. This was no time to get daydreamy; she had to focus, get her game face on.

Today was the day. She was going to beat Undyne and win their bet. As soon as Papyrus pulled up to take her to the dance studio-

A honk interrupted her internal powwow session and Tabatha jumped like she'd been burned. Snagging her bag off the table, she ran outside and waved to her skeleton friend before she locked her door.

"Ready to get schooled, punk?!" Undyne screamed from the backseat. The brunette but her tongue as her brain decided to point out the irony that she had chose such wording when she was a fish monster...her brain was an annoying traitor at times.

"Depends. Are you?" she shot back, feeling confident enough to do some trash talking. Undyne seemed like the type to appreciate the behavior as a friendly way to psych each other up.

"You better hope your moves can back up your smart mouth! I will pummel you!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," the brunette said simply as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Thanks so much for driving us, Papyrus."

"YOU ARE VERY WELCOME! I AM JUST GLAD THAT I WILL BE ACCOMPANYING YOU AS YOUR IMPARTIAL JUDGE! NOW, PLEASE GUIDE ME TO THE DANCING PLACE!"

Papyrus was very excited. Tabatha had been taking to his friends so well! Undyne had even said that she was a lot more interesting than she looked at first glance, which was kind of rude, but he knew she meant it as a compliment. The only one who didn't seem pleased with this happy turn of events was Sans who had taken to wearing a surly expression every time her name was mentioned. Papyrus wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but he was slow to warm up to people and had even behaved this way with Frisk until they had made it to the surface and had spoken to the young human about some private things that had soothed any doubts he'd had. The tall skeleton was certain that a few months of them seeing one another would prompt his brother to behave better when she was around.

But even more exciting than Tabatha opening up to his friends was how far their own relationship was growing. He was going to get to see her dance! He knew very little about how humans did it aside from silly things he had watched on the internet or in movies. And Tabatha was a professional, meaning she was very good no matter how modest she was about it.

The building where they pulled up to was simple-looking, but when Tabatha lead the pair of monsters inside, their jaws fell open in shock. The room she lead them to was absolutely enormous! About the size of a basketball court, half of it was taken up by a large black stage with full lights and sound system while the other side had a mirror and a bar like a more traditional dance school. Already several humans and a few monsters were casually stretching and chatting

"This is our main room," the brunette explained. "The company meets here often to warm up and to make plans about group performances. We also run rehearsals when the whole company gets hired for a big event by the city like a holiday celebration. There's smaller rooms out of that door and down the hall, but that's for individual work."

"Oi! Tabatha!" one of the other dancers—a man with a strong jaw and spiked black hair called. "Who're your friends?"

"This is Papyrus and Undyne," she introduced loudly, getting a pair of jazz shoes from her back an using them to replace her sandals. "We're here as part of a bet."

"What are the stakes?" another brunette woman asked, though she had streaks of blonde in her bangs and her hair was boyishly short.

"Undyne has to keep up with me for one practice session and one run-though of my individual performance for our recital. If she can't, then I win and she has to admit that I'm not a wimp. If she can though, I have to admit I was wrong and that I'm not as special as I thought I was."

"Who's the skeleton though?" the first man asked.

"Papyrus is going to be our judge as he is both our friend and a very fair person. He also wanted to see me dance, so it's win-win for him."

The two dancers paused to laugh and the spiky-haired male came over and clapped a friendly hand on the tall fish monster's shoulder.

"Good luck, Undyne," he chuckled. "Tabatha's one of our best dancers and her recital piece is almost four minutes of rapid-fire combinations. You'll really need her to seriously mess up for you to win."

"WHEN DOES THE DANCING BEGIN?" Papyrus asked excitedly.

"Well, there's enough people here that we'll warm up," Tabatha replied, tightening her ponytail. "Mark, go put in the CD, kay?"

The dancers all gathered so that they stood in lines facing the mirror. Tabatha instructed her monster friends to stay behind her and follow her movements using her reflection. When the The track began to play an instrumental of a pop song, the whole company began to move the same way, doing a side lunge to the right and holding it as they moved slowly further down. Then they switched sides after about twenty seconds. The rest of the warm-up went in similar fashion, slowly becoming more difficult if one lacked the proper flexibility. The two guests did okay at keeping up, but Undyne began to wobble as the stood on one foot and bent so far at the waist that they were supposed to press their palms against the ground. The final move of the warm-up was to go down into a complete splits, which most of the dancers did with little effort, but Undyne couldn't get very low before she began to hiss curses at the pain. Papyrus made it all the way down without a problem, but he promptly got stuck and began to repeat "OW" over and over as his own weight placed a lot of strain on his joints until he got some help back to his feet.

"I guess it's easier for you since you don't have flesh and muscle getting in the way," his human friend remarked as she rose off the ground. "All the same, do you want to move on to the main reason for us being here?"

"I AM READY TO DO THE JUDGING," the skeleton replied brightly. Undyne scowled and folded her arms.

"Bring it, you punk."

"Okay," Tabatha clapped her hands together. "I'll go put in my music and I'll give you the rundown of the moves. Then we'll do the actual dancing."

It was becoming increasingly obvious that this bet wasn't going to be so very easy to win and the fish monster knew it. She paid extreme attention to all the moves shown to her and practiced them when prompted, but when it came time for the final performance, she felt extremely unprepared.

Tabatha actually took the stage for the dance-off, using full lights and sound though she didn't wear a costume and was instead in her gray workout shirt, black leggings and jazz shoes. She way lying on the dark floor with her lower arm stretched out elegantly as if pretending to be asleep. Every dancer in attendance stood in the darkened room watching as the light faintly illuminated her. She lay perfectly still until the first note of the sang rang out and then swept her arms out and sat up gracefully before she pushed herself elegantly up and wobbled in stretching-like motions as she gained her feet. She rotated her body and hips in a swiveling motion until the violin began to pick up into a faster tempo and she launched into a series of leaping turns before abruptly stopping and pausing in a backbend before the chorus line of the song began and she launched into no less than three pirouettes without pause before she moved into the next combination of moves.

It was strange to watch her move this way: it was like she was floating on air, making the long quick strings of techniques look easy despite the high level of difficulty.

The music slackened and she moved more slowly, gracefully, her toes sliding over the ground as she moved, hands coiling around the air as if she were caressing it. And then the tempo rose again and with a simple moonwalk, she entered a tight pirouette trilogy again and began to move in faster techniques once more. And then the music reached it's height. Tabatha was leaping and twisting onstage, her body rolling from the hips up whenever there was pause in the constant motion. And then there returned the sweeping, gliding motions across the stage. As the song neared it's end, she picked up the pace once more before she stretched out her arms back in a graceful pose, as if she was poising for flight.

The last note died and the audience erupted into applause. Tabatha broke free of her frozen state and gave a modest bow before jumping off the stage.

"Okay Undyne, your turn," was all she said with a faint smirk at the taller female. Undyne swallowed nervously before she mounted the stage herself.

The opening piece of the performance was done with nearly as much precision as her competitor, but once the first triad of pirouettes came up, the tall redhead stumbled on the second and failed to recover fast enough to attempt the third. Flustered, Undyne tried to rush her way through the fast part and ended up slipping on one of her leaps. The rest of the dance went in similarly disastrous shape which left the form Guard Captain panting and red in the face with embarrassment. The audience still applauded, but there was a tangible difference in the tone of it: this was the kind of clapping that was done only because it was polite, not because the viewers had been entertained.

"That was awful," Undyne groaned as she jumped down, wiping sweat from her brow.

"WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY AWFUL..." Papyrus hedged, trying to comfort his friend and giving up when he saw her disbelieving glance. "OKAY, IT WASN'T VERY GOOD. BUT AT LEAST YOU GOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT!"

"True, that was very impressive," Tabatha agreed. "Most beginners would have just given up and fled the stage. To stick it out takes guts."

"Impressive for a first try," a blonde male dancer commented. There were murmurs of agreement and the tall female seemed to take comfort in them and smiled weakly.

"I guess that's the hardest part of the competition," the brunette continued. "We really can't be judged on the same scale. I have years on you and to put us on the same level is just unfair to both of us. But, we have to be judged."

"Nah, I know I lost," Undyne sighed. "Guess I gotta say it: you're no wimp. In fact, you're pretty tough. But I'd bet you wouldn't be able to keep up with me for one of my training sessions!"

The fish monster laughed heartily and Tabatha chuckled.

"Well, let's save that experience for another day," she stated. "You can spend the rest of today as spectators, alright? We have a few more dances to run through for our yearly recital. Would you like to be the first to witness our show?"

"OH YES, I WOULD LIKE THAT VERY MUCH!" Papyrus squealed.

Papyrus was a very happy skeleton. As the company finished performing their group piece for a cover of Michel Jackson's "Beat It", he was beaming so wide his skull was actually aching.

It was clear that it was here that Tabatha was in her element. She all but glowed with passion and confidence. When she was doing a partner dance with a male companion to the song "The Arena", she had been so intense that it looked as though she really had been in an arena being judged by hostile observers. It was just incredible to see his almost constantly silent friend take charge for once, to look so powerful and happy. He wished she was like this more in everyday life.

For her part, Tabatha was smiling at how her friends looked so thrilled to be watching her. She would never admit it, but she loved to perform and show off just as much as the next person. But she needed to stay hidden, stay unobtrusive and unnoticed. Otherwise...she didn't want to think of what might happen. The message she had received from her uncle had told her to keep her head down for a few weeks, but who was she to stop dancing? It was her happy place. And it felt even happier knowing that she could share it with somebody else.

Chapter Text

"She took her loss very well," Asgore commented as Tabatha finished telling him about winning the bet with Undyne. "Of course, the very best way to earn Undyne's respect is to prove yourself as superior in something. It was how our relationship started."

The brunette human was enjoying tea with the monster king. She had been a little uncertain what sort of protocol was required for an informal meeting with royalty, but her mind had been put to ease about her own casual dress when she saw that he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts with sandals. She quite enjoyed conversing with him: he was an easy person to talk to and had a quiet, fatherly air that was naturally welcoming.

"I will say, I never thought that I would get so many additional friends just by meeting Papyrus," Tabatha chuckled softly, taking her teacup into her hands. "He's very keen on everyone being friends, isn't he?"

"Papyrus has a rare sort of optimism that draws good people to him," Asgore nodded, nibbling on a cookie. "As a result, those people often like the others he keeps in his company. Many people consider his outlook on life as nothing more than naiveté, but he is much more aware of what happens around him than most realize."

"He's so earnest, so passionate," the human agreed. "I honestly think he was more thrilled than anyone to know that I liked his other friends. If only his brother was so welcoming."

"Oh," the large boss monster said, his tone awkward. "So you, ah, noticed that, did you?"

"It would actually be difficult not to. He goes out of his way to stay aloof, but he's always watching when I'm around. Honestly, I'm not that surprised; he seems like the protective type."

"Sans has always been slow to trust," Asgore admitted. "For reasons he has never shared, he views most humans as inherently unsafe. Toriel once shared with me that he is convinced that any human can be equally kind or cruel depending entirely on their mood. Despite his natural powers of insight, he is always suspicious of newcomers."

"And Papyrus knows of course, but I don't think Sans is aware that he is. I don't blame him for being cautious or anything, but I'd think after nearly a month and a half of regular meet-ups he'd understand I mean no harm. It's been upsetting Papyrus, but he hasn't said anything yet because I think he's hoping the situation will resolve itself naturally."

The pair fell silent and Tabatha looked out at the garden surrounding them, watching a bird pecking at the earth, her dark eyes distant. The monster king studied her as he refilled his teacup and began to drink from it."

"What does Sans like?" she asked suddenly, not moving from her current position.

"He enjoys jokes of the...irksome variety, he is proficient in science...and he would be very upset at me if he knew I told you this, but he is intensely curious about humans in general despite not trusting them. The culture and technology is fascinating to him."

A small smile pulled at the young woman's lips. The kind of smile that told Asgore that she'd just had an idea.

Sans slowly ambled to the door, yawning heavily. He was wracking his mind for any reasons why someone would be coming over to the house while his brother was out to work and he was between shifts but couldn't come up with anything.

There was a final series of knocks before the stocky skeleton managed to wrench open the door, squinting as sunlight hit his eyes. Then his scowl deepened.

Oh great. It was her.

"Hello Sans," Tabatha said politely. "I came by to see if Papyrus was in."

"why?" he asked bluntly. "i didn't think you two were meeting up for another week."

"I just downloaded Pokémon yellow on my 3DS and realized that he's probably never played it, so I wanted to show it off to him and maybe let him play it."

"very little of that sentence made any actual sense. is it a video game or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'm a casual gamer. Would you be willing to let me in? Pokémon is kind of a cultural thing with humans and I could explain a little better if I could just show you."

Sans shifted his weight as he considered it. His brother was currently out at work, but she probably didn't know that—meaning her intentions were probably innocent. And he had heard some things in the news regarding that "pokeymon" stuff, so he couldn't deny that his interest was piqued. But that didn't mean he liked her or trusted her.

"sure," he mumbled, leaving to go to the couch. Tabatha came in and closed the door behind her before she came over, reaching into her bag and pulling out a squarish device. She opened it and pressed a few buttons which made the screen light up as she sat down.

"So, Pokémon is a video game franchise that's been out since the 1990s. The first games were called Pokémon Red and Blue and created a world where there are intelligent creatures called Pokémon that can be captured by people called trainers and used in contests of strength called battles."

"that sounds cruel," the skeleton remarked flatly, slouching against the cushions. "i mean, catching intelligent beings and keeping them locked up somewhere until you need them? forcing them to fight for you?"

"You know, that argument was made very effectively in the fifth generation," Tabatha remarked as she opened the game on her device. "The villains in the game were constantly telling everyone 'if you love your pokémon and see them as your friends, then you'll free them from their suffering!' It turned out to be a conspiracy in the end, but ultimately it was determined that trainers and their pokémon share a bond of friendship that makes them proud to help one another in the battles they fight together. But it's easier just to see for yourself. Want to start a game?"

The skeleton blinked in surprise as she proffered the handheld out to him, which was showing the menu screen of the game. He slowly took hold of it and pressed the "A" button and selected the "new game" option on the menu. The introduction played and he raised a single eye ridge.

"i thought video games were supposed to have more realistic graphics than this," he stated, though it was clearly a question. "this is so...pixelated."

"This was one of the first games released in the series. It's kinda old. But if you're gonna get into a new franchise, might as well start at the beginning, right?"

Sans grunted as he read the text. He seemed to have a general sense of what he was doing as he guided his little character around Pallet Town. He jumped a little when his wandering in the grass was interrupted, but made no comment nor asked for help until he was in the middle of his rival battle.

"is there...not a way to spare the other guy?" he asked slowly. "i mean, i don't really want this, uh, 'eevee' to die right off the bat."

"Pokémon don't die—not in the games anyway; the anime is another story entirely. "All you have to do is make the little health bar go down to empty and he'll faint. But the eevee will be fine! As soon as it visits a healing place, it'll be fine!"

The short monster shot a glance at her from the corner of his eyesockets, not sure what to make of her reassurances. It sounded like she made those sort of excuses often. Did she do this with his brother, or was it just to make herself feel better about making these pocket monsters (yeah, he'd figured out what the name stood for pretty fast) fight until one of their HP was gone.

Everything continued in silence as the two watched the screen. And then the battle was over and Sans' eyes blacked out.

His Pikachu had just gained...almost 100...EXP.

Oh stars.

"Sans? Sans are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The skeleton shut the handheld and slowly turned to face Tabatha, his eyes still dark. She looked concerned, but he wasn't buying it.

"the little electric guy just got some EXP," he stated coldly.

"That's a good thing though. EXP means experience points. Your Pokémon just improved it's fighting skills so it could challenge stronger opponents."

Sans blinked, the light coming back into his eyes.

"experience points?" he repeated. "really? what does LV mean then?"

"Level. It's a way of measuring how experienced your Pokémon is at battling. Sans, be straight with me: are you okay?"

The human looked almost distressed and for a second, Sans' dislike of her faltered.

"how much do you know about monsters?" he asked curiously.

"Do you remember a few years ago when Asgore helped produce that video series about monsters to educate humans?" she asked back. "That's basically it. And what I've figured out just by being around your brother and his friends. Why? Do...do those letter combinations mean something else to you?"

"monsters have this...common ability," the hoodie-clad monster explained slowly. "when we battle, there's this thing we can do called CHECK. when we do it, we get a bunch of information about the other fighter's Soul. we call it their stats. EXP and LV are stats, and they...aren't exactly positive things."

"What do they stand for?"

"EXP is Execution Points and LV is short for LOVE, which is just an acronym for Level of Violence. both are stats that can only rise if a monster—or human—kills. they're ways to...quantify how much hurt you've caused, how much you're capable of hurting others...and how affected you are when you do something cruel."

Tabatha clapped a hand over her mouth, her dark eyes wide.

"Sans," she gasped, "I am so sorry. I had no idea...I just..."

The human seemed on the verge of tears. She ducked her head as if in shame and then slowly rose to her feet.

"I understand if you want me to leave," she said hollowly.

"hey, who said anything about that?"

Tabatha blinked and turned her head to stare at Sans in obvious, undeniable shock. The skeleton's grin became a little more sincere as he reopened the game and continued. The young woman hesitantly sat down and leaned over so she could have a better look at the screen and quietly pointed him in the right direction and walked him through the steps of catching his first Rattata—which he promptly named FatRat with a smirk.

They ended up playing Pokémon for almost an hour before Tabatha suggested he try something a little more challenging and brought out a strategy game called Fire Emblem. But as Sans fought off brigands with his small military force, Tabatha went quiet again, seeming more thoughtful as she stared up at the ceiling fan.

"watt's up?" Sans asked when he noticed her distraction.

"Just thinking," she replied. "I was wondering...monsters can look at people's stats and tell who they are based off of those numbers..."

"actually, most monsters can't tell exactly what it means—it just gives them the general overview of who they're up against. monsters who can read everything a soul has contained in it are rare."

"Sans...would it be too forward of me to ask to see my Soul and hear my stats? I know that souls are a private thing and—"

"you...you sure you trust me enough to handle it?" the skeleton questioned, setting down the handheld again. "it's not something to take lightly; it's the culmination of everything that makes you...who and what ya are."

"I want to know. Besides, Papyrus is your brother. If you didn't know how to be gentle, he wouldn't hardly be the same person he is today, now would he?"

"heh, no kidding," Sans chuckled, a little surprised at her assessment. "if you're sure...we can go ahead."

"Do I need to do anything?"

"nah. just relax. it can be kinda weird if you're not used to it."

In complete honesty, Sans was surprised that she was willing to let him do this. Most humans would have been upset and making a fuss about how monsters could look into "private affairs" simply by taking advantage of the opportunity. But instead she was curious and willing to let him handle the entirety of her being as though he were a trusted friend instead of the suspicious brother of her real pal. As his magic flared and his eyesocket ignited, he got up off the couch and held out a hand.

"don't freak out," he warned, "but for me to really tell what your Soul's made up of, i gotta pull it out of ya. very few monsters can figure out human stats without the Soul being present."

Tabatha didn't react other than to clench her hands tightly together when he got a hold on her Soul and began to gently pull at it so there wouldn't be an recoil when he let it go. And then it was out in the open.

Pulsing with a green luminescence and with the occasional flicker of light blue and orange in the aura, there floated a heart, looking like it was made of pure energy. The skeleton dropped his hand to just let it hover there so he could do the actual CHECK.

"well, you've got an LV of one, but there's five EXP here," he commented. "any particular reason why that would be there?"

The human shifted uncomfortably and stared at her hands, eyes closing.

"Well...there was a, um, incident when I was younger...someone I was close to was in an accident and...i-it was partially my fault. I'm the reason they were in the place the accident occurred and—"

"you assumed some of that guilt." Sans finished. He studied her distressed face and listened to the emotions her Soul was outputting and found that her grief was sincere. "that can cause an EXP increase, but not enough to raise your LV..."

"Nobody's ever had zero LV?" Tabatha asked.

"nah, it's impossible. why? 'cuz every thinking being is capable of causing hurt to other people. but if you're at one, it means that hurting other people hurts you pretty bad to—your Soul's still sensitive even if it doesn't retain it's innocence."

"Wh-what about the other stats?"

"you've got...thirty-five HP, 20 AT and 40 DF. human children average 20 HP from what i've seen, so you've matured at about the normal rate, but you retain a bit more of your innocence than other adults. means you can't stand as much emotional devastation as some people, but your DF is so high it takes a lot to really get past your walls in the first place. AT is pretty high, but that's in terms of physical attack power since your human and all...and you keep fit with dance."

"Anything else?"

"just your Soul trait; that's what gives it the color. there's seven Soul traits that are the most common in humans. green represents kindness, but you've got traces of light blue and orange—patience and bravery respectively."

What Sans wasn't telling her was that he could also hear the description that her Soul was passively sending out. This is what he'd been after: to get a better sense of who she was.

Tabatha Strong. Past experiences have taught her that it is safer to always go unseen. While caring and peaceable, she does not like meeting unfamiliar people especially in large groups. Hides a brilliant passion.

The skeleton felt a surge of frustration. He'd basically figured all of what he'd just learned on his own! Letting his magic glow brighter with a flash of yellow, he began to use his unique magic to solicit more from her—reading her emotions and the memories of what she had been through recently. He could sense her growing discomfort, but ignored it as he pursued the information he sought.

Tabatha was very afraid most of the time. Always looking over her shoulder. Her memories of Papyrus were all highlighted as the most happy times of her recent past. He could sense no malice from her, just a sincere desire to help. Everything in her character seemed to be linked to a faded part of her Soul—a scarred piece of her. It had something to do with her family. Something bitter and sad.

"Sans, what are you doing?!"

The panic broke through his maniac concentration and he blinked himself back to reality. He realized that his magic had ensnared Tabatha's Soul again, trapping it in place. Realizing he'd gone too far, he swiftly returned it to its proper place inside her and took a few steps back.

"sorry," he mumbled. "it's just...your Soul has a scar on it. i wanted to see what it was from and began to...look too closely. did I hurt you?"

"No." That was a lie—he could see the fear on her face and sense her worry through the still-faintly-present connection he had to her Soul. "Sans...when you started doing...that, I...felt something. Like you didn't care if I was hurt or not."

"a monster's magic is directly connected to their Soul," he explained, his mouth on autopilot as guild began to worm into his rib cage. "your Soul was able to sense what i was thinking, at least on the surface."

"Then...you...you really do hate me, don't you?"Sans was startled that she had picked up on his dislike when he had hardly been around him. "I see the way you look at me when I come by...you think I might hurt Papyrus, don't you?"

There was a heavy silence. Tabatha's eyes were boring into him and he didn't know how to stop the feeling of his sins crawling down his back. Then her face crumpled into an expression Sans recognized—he saw it every day in the mirror when he screwed up and began to deride himself. Sudden compassion welled up in his Soul.

"look, kid, it's nothing personal," he tried to explain. "i...it's hard to explain, but i have seen things that i'm determined to protect my baby bro from. humans...they're one of 'em. some humans are fine, but there are others that...they would hurt him, use him, take advantage of his kindness. i have to protect him from that."

The skeleton made a motion similar to swallowing to help calm his nerves.

"but...showing me your Soul...getting a chance to feel who you are...maybe you aren't so bad."

That got her attention: Tabatha's expression displayed shock and she leaned forward in interest. Sans dared to take a step closer as he put his hands into his pockets and slapped on his usual lazy grin.

"yeah, you're pretty ok Tabatha. i think you'll be fine for Paps to chill with. but, i assume you know what'll happen if you ever hurt him."

She nodded and broke out into a smile which made his own twitch and become a little more real. Yeah, maybe she really was alright. Still, that didn't mean they were friends. But he could be fine with her being around.

"say, why don'tcha show me what else that little device can do?"

"My pleasure."

Chapter Text

Tabatha stretched luxuriously as she stepped out of her shoes and tugged her hair out of her ponytail. It had been a late shift and she was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to go to bed and sleep for ten hours.

She left the light off as she navigated by touch, not wanting to turn the light on and ruin her night vision. She tripped over a shoe box outside of the hall closet that she didn't remember being there before, but made it to the bedroom without any more incident. It was then that she froze. Someone was there. A man.

A door creaked and light flooded the hall. And then a loud shriek sounded.

Papyrus was humming to himself as he got out of his car, ready for another cooking lesson from his human friend. Tabatha had promised to teach him how to properly make a lasagna! His bones were practically vibrating from excitement.

He eagerly knocked on the door and put his hands behind his back to wait. He heard the lock being fiddled with and then the door opened. It was not Tabatha.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged woman in the doorway asked, her tone suspicious.

"I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS," the skeleton replied. "IS TABATHA HERE?"

"Who is it, dear?" a man's voice sounded from behind the woman, who's face had soured. A face with round glasses appeared by the doorway as well.

"HELLO SIR!" Papyrus greeted him. "I AM HERE LOOKING FOR TABATHA. THIS IS HER HOME."

"So she was telling the truth," the man mused. His wife looked positively indignant.

"If you're part of this conspiracy to steal our new home from us, you can go toss yourself in your fancy car and drive away!" she snapped. "Or better yet, you can go join your little brunette friend: behind bars."

Alarm struck the tall monster very hard, alongside deep, pervasive confusion.

"THERE WAS A YOUNG HUMAN LIVING HERE NOT LONG AGO," he stated, trying to stay calm. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"

The woman looked like she might explode, but her husband intervened by whispering something into her ear. With a huff she left and the man stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him.

"I'm afraid I don't know the whole story here, good sir," he said in a weary tone, folding his arms. "My wife and I are renting this property from a man by the name of Joseph Strong and we don't know the arrangements he may have had for the house or the previous tenant. But I can say what happened to the young woman who came here last night. She came into the bedroom at about ten-thirty and my wife came out of the hall bathroom since I'd been using the master and startled her. We thought she was an intruder, so I subdued her while my wife called the police. She was very compliant and was trying to explain that she had been expecting us to come within the next three days and had planned to clear out, but the officers decided to take her to the station until they can verify her story."

Papyrus stammered out some thanks as he raced back to his car, almost forgetting to buckle his seatbelt as he backed out of the driveway. He drove as fast as he dared to the police station, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Tabatha arrested? In prison? For simply being home? It didn't make any sense. He had always assumed that Tabatha owned her house or was paying it off or something. Was it possible she'd been there illegally? The realtor shared her surname, but that could have been a coincidence. For the first time, Papyrus became highly aware of how little he actually knew about Tabatha. She was almost a stranger to him: he didn't know who her family was, where she worked other than the dance studio or what she did when she wasn't with him. All at once, he was terrified.

He made it to the police station in record time, his long legs easily carrying him inside. Swiftly, he marched to the front desk where the human officer seated behind it looked up at him expectantly.

"I AM HERE TO INQUIRE ABOUT TABATHA STRONG," he stated. "I WAS TOLD SHE WAS BROUGHT IN YESTERDAY TO THE... DETENTION CENTER."

"Let me check our records really quick," the officer replied, typing away at the computer for a few moments. "Okay, yes, I do have a record of her coming in. Last night, about eleven PM."

"IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I COULD SPEAK WITH HER?"

"I'm sorry sir, but unless you are an attorney or a member of the clergy you cannot simply speak with her at any time. There is only one visit allowed for friends and family a day and hers has already been used today."

"V-VERY WELL," the skeleton managed to bite out through his tight jaw.

"Sir, are you alright?" the officer asked. "You don't look very well."

"I...I WILL BE FINE, I THINK. EXCUSE ME."

The skeleton backed away from the desk and tried to keep himself from sprinting out the door. Never before had he envied his brother's ability to teleport and get anywhere in a matter of seconds. He just wanted to find someone to talk to—right now.

The drive home was torturously long, and Papyrus was bursting by the time he pulled up. He opened the door with enough force to significantly loosen the hinges.

"SANS!" he cried. "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Papyrus heard his brother ambling down the stairs at a leisurely pace, yawning.

"kay, i'm awake," he sighed. "what's up."

"IT'S TABATHA. SHE'S...BEEN ARRESTED."

That caught his attention: Sans immediately stopped rubbing at his eyesockets and came down the stairs. He sat on the couch and gestured for his brother to explain, which took several minutes. When Papyrus was done, Sans' eyelights were completely extinguished.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK, SANS!" The tallest skeleton was figuratively pulling his hair out as he paced back and forth across the living room. "I KNOW I SHOULD JUST WAIT FOR THE POLICE TO MAKE A VERDICT AND REVEAL THE TRUTH, BUT I CAN'T HELP THINKING...WHAT IF SHE IS NOT THE KINDLY HUMAN I THOUGHT SHE WAS? WHAT IF ALL HER SECRETS ARE SUPER BAD AND SHE IS A VERY BAD HUMAN?!"

"and the cops wouldn't let you see her and get an explanation?" Sans confirmed.

"ONLY ONE FRIEND OR FAMILY VISIT A DAY," Papyrus repeated with a nod.

"then... there's nothing we can do," the stocky monster shrugged lazily, leaning into the cushions. "gotta let justice run it's course...or whatever humans say about these kinds of things."

"SANS! YOU'RE JUST BEING LAZY AGAIN!"

"you should try it some time Pap. so relaxing."

"NNRGH!"

Sans looked at his little brother, knowing that this distracting was only a temporary solution. Until the whole story came out, his bro would be stressed and anxious, even if he wasn't saying it. So, simply put, Sans would have to get that info a little sooner than the Justice system would allow. Even if that meant using... unorthodox methods that may not be... entirely legal. It was hard to say how the law would classify the use of his unique magic in an interrogation.

Tabatha sat against the back wall of her holding cell, not really looking at anything as her eyes idly flicked around. She wasn't too worried about her situation—she was actually more bored waiting for everything to work itself out than anything else. The quiet was nice though.

"heh. y'know, you almost had me trusting you."

Tabatha jumped about a mile when she heard that familiar drawling voice and saw the hooded figure of Sans standing opposite where she sat. In a panic, she looked around for anyone who might spot him in her cell. What she saw, however, was that the world had gone gray around her and everyone seemed to be frozen in place. The only thing in full color was a circle that surrounded both her and the monster who had appeared out of nowhere. A monster whose face held a dark smile that did not promise a good time.

"i was starting to think you were okay," the skeleton continued, seeming uncaring that the world had stopped around them. "but now...heh heh, you got yourself in a load of trouble now."

The human was paralyzed. This was not natural, this was not okay. And on top of that, a terrible feeling of dread was sinking into her chest when she saw that eerie grin that promised nothing but pain.

"i don't really know what plans the humans have for ya Tabatha, but i got a bone to pick with you. remember how i asked ya not to hurt my baby brother? and how i toldja you'd be in for a bad time if ya did? well guess what happened to Paps when he tried to drop by your house."

Tabatha moved to stand up, but with a loud, almost cheerful ding, her Soul was wrenched out of her chest and became blue. Suddenly gravity yanked her back to the floor.

"let me tell you...i hoped i would never see him look so devastated and worried in his entire life."

Sans' eyesocket was flaming with blue magic as he stalked forward towards the helpless human. He squatted to her level and put his hand on her head so that the pressure made her look up at him.

"you wanna learn something cool about monsters, kiddo?" he asked in a low tone. "unlike humans, we don't have judges. just the one, with a capital 'j'. this Judge...he can see and hear much more out of a Soul than a regular monster. he can see their memories, see everything about them with just a little special magic. very efficient way to determine someone's guilt or innocence—far more than the humans attempts to do the same in their courts."

"Sans," the young woman managed to force out around the lump of terror growing in her throat. "Please, I didn't mean to hurt Papyrus; this is all just a mistake!"

"oh really?" Sans drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "well either way, you're in my judgement hall now. and i don't think that the verdict will be in your favor."

"Sans please!" Tabatha cried, tears streaking down her face. "My uncle lets me live in his rental properties when there's no tenants! I was supposed to move out of that house tomorrow with my personal items to a new place, but they showed up earlier than my uncle said they would! They didn't know, I didn't know, it's all just a big misunderstanding!"

Her tears gave the enraged skeleton pause. The emotions her Soul was projecting were those of deep regret and pain as well as an unhealthy dose of terror. She really hadn't meant for this to happen at all. And then he remembered what he had sensed in her Soul when he had pulled it out just a few days prior—pure, genuine kindness and a complete lack of malice. This human couldn't bring herself to hurt anyone, could she? All the same...

"you made Papyrus upset," he growled, keeping up the façade of anger to conceal his curiosity about how she would react to his next words. "he was ready to cry because he's scared you're a criminal."

The pain in her Soul skyrocketed to the point where Sans had to resist the urge to wince himself. Then he heard the (sadly) familiar sound of a Soul cracking. The short skeleton was startled when her HP bar appeared in his field of vision and he saw it begin to drop. She was...taking damage. All because she knew that she had caused Papyrus emotional distress.

Sans released Tabatha's soul from his blue attack, but he did not sever his connection to her entirely. Instead, he searched through her memories of the day, finding an image of the man who had visited her—her uncle, Joseph Strong. He lingered on her thoughts a minute longer to find out a detail or two more that he would need in the near future before he lifted his control over time and space, teleporting away.

If he was going to get the whole story, he was going to need a second witness and informational source.

Chapter Text

Tabatha finished collecting her various odds and ends from the officer behind the detention center desk. After nearly a week of waiting for all the official paperwork to go through, she was now a free woman again. She was extremely glad that she and her uncle had documented their deal so his lawyer could present the information as proof that her story was valid. Of course so no longer had a place to live, but she could stay with her Uncle Joseph until one of his other rental properties opened up, which should be relatively soon.

Once all her things were collected, the young woman gave a quick "thanks" to the officer behind the desk and walked out into the center of the Police Station reception. She looked for any sign of her ride and was startled to see that instead of her aunt—who she had been told would be picking her up—that a certain tall skeleton was waiting for her instead, looking through a magazine with mild interest.

"Papyrus?" she said, not sure if she was seeing things or not. His head snapped up to see her and and immediately broke into a wide grin.

"HUMAN TABATHA!" he exclaimed in a stage whisper—clearly what passed for his indoor voice—"IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN! AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE COME TO COLLECT YOU!"

"Um, what about my aunt?" the brunette asked uncertainly.

"ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE! YOUR UNCLE HAS EVEN APPROVED THIS! NOW, ONWARD!"

"So I guess you heard the whole story," Tabatha mumbled as the excited skeleton lead the way out of front doors and lead her through the parking lot.

"SANS GAVE ME THE SHORT VERSION—THAT YOU WERE LIVING ON YOUR UNCLE'S PROPERTY TEMPORARILY AND THAT THE NOW-CURRENT RESIDENTS MISTOOK YOU FOR A HOUSEBREAKER," Papyrus admitted as he unlocked the doors of his convertible. "THOUGH I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHY YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU DIDN'T HAVE A HOME THAT ACTUALLY BELONGED TO YOU."

"Not many people I know are actually aware of my...situation," she continued, climbing in her seat and buckling up. "I...don't really get close to people since I move from property to property every six months or so. And I don't always stay in the city either."

"I CAN SEE WHY THAT WOULD BE A CONCERN," her monster friend chirped as he backed out and began to drive. "BUT ALL THE SAME, I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOUR FRIENDS; THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND."

It's not so simple as moving all the time, Tabatha thought, leaning against the car door, familiar pain pricking at her chest. I can't risk them asking for the full story either.

Papyrus glanced over at his friend and saw tears collecting in her eyes as he came to a stop at a light. Compassion swelled in his Soul and he felt the undeniable urge to comfort her.

"DON'T BE UPSET, KINDLY TABATHA," he told her gently. "I AM NOT ANGRY WITH YOU."

"You must have been," she whispered, wiping at her nose. "Sans said...that I hurt you."

"I WAS CONFUSED AND MORE THAN A LITTLE WORRIED, BUT I WAS NEVER ANGRY AT YOU," the skeleton replied. "I WAS HURT THAT YOU KEPT A SECRET FROM ME, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME PEOPLE NEED SECRETS SO ALL HAS NOW BEEN FORGIVEN! PLEASE DO NOT SUFFER EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ON MY BEHALF, KINDLY HUMAN."

The young woman released a shaky breath as she looked out of the open roof at the sky above.

"You are too precious for this world, Pap," she sighed. "Okay, no more tears—not about this at least. If we watch something that kicks me in the feels really hard, I am still going to cry without reservation."

"BY 'FEELS', YOU MEAN FEELINGS, YES?" the skeleton confirmed. "I SEE THAT PHRASE ALL OVER THE INTERNET."

"It specifically means the soft, fuzzy bits of your feelings; the parts that make you feel sympathy for someone else and tempt you to shed a tear."

"OH...IT SOUNDS VERY PAINFUL TO GET KICKED THERE."

That made Tabatha laugh. She smiled at him brightly before she struck up a conversation regarding what he had been doing while they were separated. It wasn't until the monster finished regaling her with his tale of Undyne's new deadly obstacle course in the backyard while pulling into a driveway that she noticed that they were not en route to her Uncle's house at all—that they were actually going to Sans' and Papyrus' home instead.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, climbing out of the car. Her towering friend did not reply right away, instead ushering her inside where she saw two backpacks, her gym bag and a stack of boxes all piled in the entryway.

"What is...?"

"SURPRISE!" Papyrus cried. "WE BROUGHT ALL OF YOUR THINGS SO THAT YOU CAN MOVE IN PROPERLY WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK TO YOUR OLD HOUSE AND COLLECT THEM YOURSELF!"

'I...what?"

Tabatha's eyes were wide as she looked between her things and the excited skeleton, clear disbelief written all across her features.

"i talked it over with your uncle," a familiar voice said from behind her, making her jump as she whirled to find Sans standing where he hadn't been a moment before. "he's agreed that since we're friends and all and our house is closer to your work that it would be better for you to stay here instead of at his place."

"IT WILL BE LIKE A SLEEPOVER EVERY NIGHT!" Papyrus agreed. "AND THERE WILL BE FAR LESS COMMUTE TIME TO ALL OF OUR HANGOUTS! IT IS THE PERFECT SITUATION!"

"You're sure it's okay?" the young woman confirmed, her tone cautionary. "I don't want to inconvenience you—"

"IT IS NO TROUBLE AT ALL, FRIEND TABATHA! HERE, ALLOW ME TO TAKE THE BOXES UP TO OUR SPARE ROOM!"

The tall skeleton easily scooped up the boxes and raced up the stairs with them in his arms, leaving Tabatha behind with his brother, who was casually slouching by her side.

"welp, i gotta go to work," Sans suddenly stated with a shrug. "have fun getting moved in, kid."

And without another word, he disappeared, leaving the confused human behind to deal with the chaos that would certainly come with adjusting to her new living arrangements.

It was late afternoon by the time that Tabatha was (mostly) settled in: her clothes were hung in the closet, the bed was made up with her sheets and her other possessions each had a newfound place. But the young brunette was still struggling to grasp the idea that she was actually moving in with the skeleton brothers. She had only known them for a short time and had only been to their house on rare occasions! How was she supposed to react to suddenly finding out that she would be living under the same roof as them?

Papyrus had left her to "get settled" while he made his welcome spaghetti, but since her things were unpacked, she did nothing more than sit on her bed in slight shock until the call for dinner came. She changed her clothes and washed her face before going down and sitting through dinner quietly. Sans came in about halfway and listened to the mostly one-sided conversation before he casually reminded Papyrus that he was supposed to have delivered something to Undyne earlier which sent his little brother into a frenzy of apologies and scrambling around to get out the door. There was an awkward silence between the two remaining residents before the hoodie-clad monster suggested they watch some AFV reruns together since it was on.

The pair sat on the couch and stared at the screen, but neither of them were really watching it. No, each one was waiting for the other to make a move. Eventually, it was the human who gave in.

"It was you who set this up, wasn't it?" she asked wearily, not glancing at the skeleton taking up three-quarters of the couch all by himself. "Me staying over...I thought you hated me."

"that's a kinda harsh term, kid," Sans sighed.

"You are the king of not answering direct questions."

"yeah, well, i don't hate you per se, but i don't really trust ya either."

"Then why arrange for me to live in the same house as you?" she pressed. "I mean, I can think of a lot of reasons, but I'd like to hear it from you before I assume anything."

"short version? Paps was super concerned about everything that went down last week and i wanted to clear everything up, so i found your uncle and i figured it would be good for my bro to get to know ya better somewhere safe."

"Safe for me or safe for him?" Tabatha asked wryly. "I'm not about to forget that blue Soul magic anytime soon mister 'bad cop'. You were going to kill me, or at least royally screw me up."

Sans shrugged, still not looking at her, nor her at him.

"what can i say? i'm protective of my little bro."

"And maybe a tad bit smothering too."

The skeleton's eyesocket flashed with unmistakable cyan light at the soft comment, but he made no other aggressive moves towards the brunette seated beside him. They stayed in their uncomfortably tense bubble of silence all the way through two commercial breaks before Tabatha seemed to realize something.

"So what did my uncle tell you?" she said lightly though her words were tense. "About my situation and our arrangements, I mean."

"nothing incriminating—just that you were living in his properties," the monster replied in the midst of a yawn. The young woman looked relieved for a moment before her brow twitched into a more concerned expression again.

"And...what did you tell Papyrus?"

"exactly what Joseph told me: that it was a misunderstanding and everything was gonna be worked out. he was pretty stoked at the idea of you staying over, so i don't think there's any lasting damage to your friendship with him."

"He is too precious for this world," Tabatha groaned, rubbing her eyes. "I don't deserve a friend like him..."

Sans stayed quiet on that topic, not outrightly agreeing or disagreeing, but she seemed to pick up on what his silence meant as she sighed again.

"I'm gonna turn in," she eventually muttered, getting up and walking away. Sans did nothing to stop her and instead swiftly occupied the space she had left open on the couch. Inside his skull, two very different voices were yelling back and forth. Half of him was screaming that this was a terrible idea, that he should have just left her to her uncle—to the humans. But the other side kept reminding him of the fact that causing Papyrus had been emotionally devastating enough that her Soul had cracked a little and reminded him how serious someone's pain, even a human's, would have to excruciating and traumatic to experience—to the point of almost scarring her Soul.

"Stars, why is nothing simple anymore?" he grumbled to himself.

It was close to eleven when Papyrus returned home, looking like a hero at the end of an action film—that is to say, completely filthy. Clearly, Undyne had wanted him to run through the "Gauntlet of Deadly Terror" in the backyard to test some "improvements" that involved dynamite or something similar.

"GREETINGS, BROTHER," he said when he spotted Sans on the couch. He sounded completely exhausted. "I TAKE IT TABATHA WENT TO BED?"

"yup. 'bout three hours ago," the shorted skeleton brother replied with equal weariness.

Papyrus made a noise of acknowledgement before he wandered into the bathroom so he could scrub the mud and ash off his face. Sans turned down the TV volume when his brother came back and flopped onto the couch with an uncharacteristic air of tension about him. Plus, he was wearing the expression he always did when he had something to get off his chest.

"what's on your mind, Paps?" he asked, sitting so he his spine was pressed against the armrest and was only taking up two cushions instead of three.

"IT'S TABATHA," the tall monster admitted, his voice low(ish). "I KNOW YOU EXPLAINED THAT HER SITUATION, WHILE UNUSUAL, WAS PERFECTLY LEGAL AND PROPER, I SIMPLY CANNOT GET ONE THOUGHT OUT OF MY HEAD."

"and what's that?"

"WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME, SANS? WHY DIDN'T SHE TRUST ME ENOUGH TO KNOW? WHY DOESN'T SHE TRUST ANY OF HER OTHER FRIENDS ENOUGH TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE WAY SHE LIVES? I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THAT...THAT I DON'T KNOW HER. NOT THE WAY A FRIEND SHOULD."

The elder of the siblings took in a deep breath, held it, then slowly let it out. He could not believe that he was gonna say this, but...

"getting to be friends with someone to the point where they'll talk about their problems with you takes time," he replied. "'sides, Tabatha's a pretty private person, isn't she? i'd bet it would take a while 'fore she'll be willing to 'inconvenience you' with her issues."

"BUT I COULD NEVER SEE HER TROUBLES AS INCONVENIENT FOR ME!" Papyrus protested. "I ONLY WISH TO BE THE MOST HELPFUL FRIEND POSSIBLE FOR HER! HOW CAN I DO THAT WHEN SHE WILL NOT TELL ME ANYTHING THAT'S WRONG?!"

"bro, why don't you just tell her this yourself?" Sans asked, exasperated.

"TRUE FRIENDS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TELL ONE ANOTHER THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER! IT SHOULD JUST BE PART OF THE RELATIONSHIP! BESIDES—" the trainee guardsman's voice dropped down into almost a whisper, though it was still mostly audible "—I KEEP THINKING THAT...PERHAPS SHE DOES NOT TRULY WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME. THAT PERHAPS HAVING A MONSTER FRIEND IS JUST SOME KIND OF NOVELTY FOR HER. THAT PERHAPS SHE IS JUST BEING NICE SO I WILL SHOWER HER WITH PRAISE AND SUPPORT..."

Sans was severely tempted to tell his brother what he had heard and felt from Tabatha's Soul, but he knew it wouldn't work (mostly because Papyrus would be absolutely aghast at the thought that he had done a Check on her not once, but twice—and the second time without permission!).

"bro," he said softly, "why do you think i went to all the effort to move her in? sneaking into that house and getting her stuff on the fly?"

"BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO CHEER ME UP BY HAVING HER OVER?"

"sorta, but that's not all of it. i know you've had some doubts about her due to all this...stuff that went down this past week and i figured that the best way to know if...if Tabatha's worth keeping as a friend is to see her day to day. see her at times when you normally wouldn't. just...get to know her differently. better."

There was a strained silence as Papyrus clearly mulled over his brother's explanation.

"AND YOU ARE SURE THIS WILL HELP?" the younger skeleton confirmed. "THAT...I WILL SEE WHO SHE IS BETTER?"

"it might. can't say for sure. but...probably. hopefully."

"NYEH...YOU ARE SO THOUGHTFUL, SANS," Papyrus declared softly. "TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR ME...FOR MY PEACE OF MIND..."

"what are big brothers for, am i right?"

Sans opened his arms and was promptly swept up into a hug as his brother sprang off the couch and began to march up the stairs.

"NOW, YOU SHOULD GO TO BED, SANS. IT IS FAR LATER THAN THE TIME YOU USUALLY GO TO SLEEP AND I DO NOT WANT YOU BEING TOO LATE TOMORROW."

"aw come on Paps. you know i'll just get there with a shortcut anyway."

"AND THEN BE TIRED ALL THROUGHOUT YOUR SHIFT? YOU WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY FALL INTO THE TEMPTATION TO NAP THE DAY AWAY!"

"Papyrus—"

"NO! I WILL NOT BE SWINDLED INTO LETTING YOU STAY UP A MOMENT LATER! YOU WILL GO TO SLEEP IN YOUR OWN BED AND I WILL TAKE A SHOWER AND CLEAN THE HOUSE BEFORE I DO THE SAME. NO ARGUMENTS!"

"fine 'boss', whatever you say," Sans yawned. "no complainin' over here."

And with that, the stocky monster promptly slumped over and passed out in his brother's arms. Papyrus laughed in a chorus of soft "NYEH"s before he deposited his brother onto his bed. He was making his way to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up when his gaze fell upon the door to the spare room where Tabatha was sleeping. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully opened the door and peered inside.

Tabatha was laying on the floor, curled in a blanket and her head resting on a pillow. It must not have been very comfortable, but the human was fast asleep and showed absolutely no signs of discomfort. The tall skeleton frowned at the sight before striding inside and picking her up and placing her atop the sheets before he bent over to grab the pillow and situate it properly.

"I WILL SEE YOU IN THE MORNING, KINDLY HUMAN," he promised as he tucked her in a little better so she would be warm. "PERHAPS TOMORROW YOU WILL BE MORE OPEN WITH ME AND WE WILL INCREASE OUR FRIENDSHIP POWER AND LEVEL. I HOPE SO; I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE YOU AS MY FRIEND."

Chapter Text

Papyrus was cheerfully whisking at the pancake batter in the kitchen, trying his hardest to keep from going too fast and spilling it all across the floor (old habits truly did die hard, didn't they?). So far there had been no appearance from either his brother or his human guest, but he had few doubts that they would come down soon.

He was just taking the first circles of fluffy buttermilk goodness off the griddle when Sans wandered over to the table, managing the feat with his eyes shut tight the entire time.

"mornin' bro," he yawned out. "Tabatha already leave?"

"NO, SHE HASN'T EVEN COME DOWN YET," the younger skeleton replied, cleaning up his grill space.

"really? 'cuz she wasn't in the room when i looked in on 'er."

"WHAT?!"

The tall monster was out of the room before his brother could say another word and raced up the stairs until he made it to the top. Flying to her room, Papyrus wrenched open the door and was met with the sight of a tidy room and a well-made bed. One of her backpacks was missing, as were the shoes that had been lying at the foot of the dresser. There was also a piece of paper, folded into a rough half, that was resting on the pillow.

Papyrus marched across the room and picked up the note and flipped it open to read the message that had clearly been scrawled in the dark if the deplorable handwriting was anything to go by.

Papyrus and Sans

You've probably found this note sometime after I've gone. Don't worry about me—I've just decided to walk to work today since it's less than an hour away and I have a short shift. I'll be back at the house after lunchtime. Sorry if I made you worry, but I didn't want to inconvenience you two.

Tabatha

"must have snuck out while you were cooking," came Sans' voice from behind. "she's good, i'll give her that; didn't even notice."

The taller skeleton gripped the paper so tight his hands were trembling. A multitude of emotions crossed his face, flickering between frustration and sadness for the most part before it was reassembled into a neutral expression. He took a very deep unnecessary breath before he went back downstairs to fetch his phone and opened his messenger app, typing out a text with the caps lock on as usual.

From The Great Papyrus: HUMAN, I HAVE JUST FOUND YOUR NOTE. HAVE YOU SAFELY ARRIVED AT YOUR WORKPLACE? DID YOU HAVE BREAKFAST? BECAUSE I WILL BRING YOU SOME OF THE PANCAKES I HAVE PREPARED TO YOUR WORKPLACE IF YOU HAVE NOT!

The cheery text did not match the frown on the Papyrus' skull. He was trying to incite his usual optimistic mood, but it felt something like dragging a wagon through mud -difficult and unpleasant . He wanted nothing more than to be upset, to be hurt, but he knew such a thing would not be good for his human friend. Tabatha had been through a rough time lately and she needed him to be supportive, to give her something happier to focus on until she adjusted.

A return message popped up.

From Kindly Human Tabatha: I missed out on your pancakes?! Shoot! Could u save me some in the fridge? (btw, I did eat breakfast)

Seeing her words made the knot of frustration in Papyrus' hollow chest loosen some and he found it much easier than before to type out a reply.

From The Great Papyrus: OF COURSE I WILL SET ASIDE SOME PANCAKES FOR YOU! YOU MAY EAT THEM TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU ARE GOING TO WAKE UP SO EARLY AGAIN! I SHALL INSTEAD FOCUS ON MAKING YOU A DELICIOUS LUNCH FOR WHEN YOU RETURN HOME!

The gentle monster grinned at the thumbs up emoji that popped up on his screen, his mood lightening. He had absolutely no clue that on the other side of town, the young woman who had sent that picture was smiling at her own phone quite sadly, feeling a weight on her heart and Soul that she couldn't let him know; she had to seem happy with the situation, keep her guilt at causing her friend pain hidden away so she would not hurt him again. He did not deserve that pain...and she did not deserve such forgiveness.

It didn't take long for a routine to set in at the skeleton brother's household. Tabatha was a veritable ghost, gone long before Sans woke up and while Papyrus was out on his morning run. She was home in time for a late lunch, but then she was off to the studio to work on her dance performances and she wasn't back until Frisk had already been dropped off after school. She would eat dinner with her hosts and then enjoy some time watching TV with them before she retired to an early bed without any further announcement.

The only day when the human wasn't gone at all hours was Friday. Friday quickly became cleanup day around the house and the time for Papyrus to spend with his human friend. While the elder skeleton was off at work, they would wreck the kitchen trying new recipes and then clean it all up and the living room for good measure. Things were still awkward between the pair, but their friendship didn't seem to have taken a hit from the tensions of the recent past—seem being the key word.

Sans hated his naturally perceptive nature sometimes. To anyone else, his brother and Tabatha may have seemed like the best of buddies, but anyone else wasn't sharing the same living space. He had come home after many a work shift to find the two of them standing in complete silence, not even looking at one another unless necessary. And then there were the flashes of brief, involuntary emotions that he caught when they thought nobody was looking.

To be frank, he was getting sick of their beating around the bush.

"are you sure that you and Paps are friends?" he asked the brunette one day at the kitchen table when they were alone in the house (Papyrus had gone grocery shopping).

"What makes you say that?" she questioned back, her tone holding a bite to it as she refused to look up from a choreography diagram she was drawing.

"oh, you know: two weeks living in the same house and you and my bro haven't done anything remotely friend-like except for sit next to each other. don't think i don't notice how you avoid him all the time with the extra hours out of the house."

The human sighed heavily before she set down her pencil. Her jaw was tight with anger and she seemed to be struggling to maintain her composure.

"Sans," Tabatha stated, her voice tight, "did you ever think that this is just an adjustment period? I've always lived on my own; I don't know how to be social 24/7 with housemates. It'll get better with time."

"c'mon kid," the skeleton scoffed. "don't treat me like i'm some kind of fool—'cause i'm not and neither is my brother."

"I am trying, Sans," she insisted through gritted teeth.

"then why are you making Paps unhappy?"

That did it: the young woman pushed herself to her feet, knocking her chair over, face flushed with rage.

"You think I asked for this?!" she yelled, gesturing to the house around them. "You think I wanted to lose my house?! You think that I wanted to hurt him?! The simple fact of the matter is that I never meant for anything like this to happen, but it always does! And to top it off, Papyrus has been nothing but kind to me, even though I put him through what I know was considerable pain! I don't deserve anything he's offered me—not after what I did!"

There was a faint sound that echoed in the silence after Tabatha's outburst: a crunching noise, like stepping on a pane of glass and cracking it. Sans didn't react fast enough to resist flinching at hearing her Soul continue to crack. He'd suspected that she was still hurting over the whole "incident", but he hadn't been expecting her to worsen the emotional wound with self-loathing.

"Nobody has ever been this kind to me," the brunette whispered, seizing handfuls of her own hair, her face screwed up against furious tears. "And I'm so pathetic, I can't feel anything except guilt. Guilt that he feels the need to take care of me and that I'm burdening him with making him constantly think about my well-being...I'm just a waste of space."

Sans' phalanges curled into fists. Stepping forwards, he yanked her down by the shirt collar so she was at his eye level.

"you're right," he growled. "you are a waste of space—all you do is hide and continue to make Papyrus feel bad for you. so i'm going to tell you what's what right now: you keep acting like this, and i'll let your uncle know that this isn't gonna work out so he'll take you off our hands. but if you get your act together and stop feeling sorry for yourself and make up nice and proper with my brother, then i'll lay off on the dirty looks and let you stay."

Releasing her shirt, the monster shoved his hands into his pockets and meandered up the stairs to his room, leaving the human behind in shock. Tabatha then blinked and straightened up, staring at the empty staircase before she too abandoned the kitchen table, headed for the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, the brunette leaned against the sink and peered into the round mirror. Pointing at her reflection, she made a very determined face.

"No more," she told herself. "No. More."

Sans, who was lounging on his bed, staring at the ceiling, grinned a little more sincerely when he felt the surge of healing magic within the other Soul in the house.

"So is there any particular reason why there is a sock in the middle of the living room?" Tabatha asked as she came down the stairs that Friday morning, a basket of laundry on her hip.

"SANS!" came Papyrus' irate voice from the kitchen where he was washing the breakfast dishes. "YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GOING TO PICK THAT UP FOUR DAYS AGO!"

"did i? i don't remember," Sans replied lazily from the couch.

"NYGGGGHHHH!"

The human laughed, the sound silencing the brothers' argument. Bending over, she snagged the lone sock and shook it free of the many sticky notes covering it. Adding it to the pile she was already carrying, she made her way over to the laundry room and set about starting a load.

"DID YOU REST WELL, HUMAN TABATHA?" Papyrus questioned, coming out of the kitchen, his tone confused. "YOU ARE IN A VERY GOOD MOOD."

"I was tired of feeling bad," she replied by way of explanation. "You remember that trick I showed you for cheering yourself up?"

"THE ONE WITH THE MIRROR? OF COURSE I DO!"

"Well, I told myself that I wasn't going to be upset anymore and that I was gonna try to have a better attitude about living here. So far, it's working."

The tall skeleton shot a glance at his brother who did not appear to have any reaction to the news whatsoever. Taking off his apron, the trainee guardsman made his way over to the laundry room and stood in the doorway, clutching his hands together.

"TABATHA...PLEASE DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO ACT A CERTAIN WAY JUST TO MAKE ME HAPPY," he told her in a slightly quieter tone than usual. "I KNOW MY BROTHER CAN BE...INTENSE, BUT YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRETEND TO BE CHEERFUL IF YOU AREN'T REALLY."

"Papyrus," Tabatha said back with a smile, "Sans didn't make me do this. He just told me what's what and I realized that I needed to improve my attitude. Right now, I really am feeling better and I've decided to be more open with you guys so that you can get to know me a little more thoroughly...when I'm not just being your friend in public. It's not always going to be easy, but I want to be more sincere with my feelings and be more honest with you about who I am...I'd say you've earned the right to know the real me more than anyone else."

Papyrus' eyes were sparkling as he covered his mouth in what looked like pure joy. With a very happy sound, he tacked his human friend against the dryer in a fierce hug, spewing an endless stream of gratitude for her as she struggled to catch her breath. Tabatha managed to wrap one arm around his shoulders in a half-hug, a brilliant smile lighting up her face.

Chapter Text

Tabatha was dancing around the kitchen, humming along to whatever music was playing in her headphones, putting dishes away with an artistry that was normally reserved for the stage.

"okay, what's the occasion?" Sans asked when he saw her from the stairs. She cocked her head to the side and took out one of the earbuds and gestured for him to repeat himself. "what's with all the dancing? and you shouldn't you be at work?"

"Oh, about that," the brunette sighed, shutting off her ipod. "Well, the thing is I got fired yesterday. My manager found out that I'd been in jail and he's kinda paranoid about that, so I was let go with a bonus check for the days I was scheduled to work this week."

"then why the heck are you so happy? shouldn't you be upset?"

"This is me trying to keep up the positive vibes," she explained. "Besides, if you heard what I was listening to, you would know why I'm able to do that. 'Die in a Fire' is a great song for releasing the hate without hurting anybody."

"i'll take your word for it, kid," the skeleton sighed. "Paps know?"

"Yep—told him after he came back from his run. He freaked out a little, so I'm letting him keep a lookout for places with hiring banners. There's a place I've been considering applying to as well, now that I'm free."

Sans gave a noncommittal grunt as he settled into the couch, lazily keeping one eyesocket on the human who resumed dancing about the kitchen. She had been quite serious when she had declared her attitude change: in the past three days, she had made a complete one-eighty in how she behaved. Yes, there were still quite a few incidents where she would slip up and say something vague or try to reassure the skeleton brothers that whatever was bothering her wasn't important, but she was pretty good at catching herself and offering further explanation. She still wouldn't talk about her past, though, except for the occasional mention of where she went to school, where she used to work and stories about some of her human friends.

"I'M HOME!" Papyrus announced, coming through the door with his arms bagged down with groceries. "AND I HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE PLACES I SAW THAT SAID THEY WERE HIRING!"

The tall skeleton bustled about setting the food on the table before her caught sight of Tabatha moonwalking from the cupboard back to the dishwasher before she spun around and gracefully stacked a set of bowls before she sashayed to go put them away. She was lip syncing to the song on her ipod and seemed oblivious to her audience as she moved to the beat. When she came back around, she finally made eye contact with Papyrus and promptly stopped moving, her face flushing.

"Sorry dude," she apologized, pulling out one of the earbuds. "I didn't see you there. Were you trying to talk to me?"

"I WANTED TO INFORM YOU ABOUT THE PLACES THAT HAD HIRING SIGNS, BUT YOUR DANCING..."he trailed off before he shook himself back into the present. "NYEH! YOU PERFORMANCES ARE ALWAYS SO MOVING! EVEN IF IT IS JUST TO MAKE THE DISHES MORE FUN, I LOVE TO WATCH YOU! YOU SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR!"

"Uh...thanks Papyrus," Tabatha replied, seeming a little stunned. "You're...your compliments are always so flattering."

"WELL THAT'S BECAUSE I MEAN THEM! IT IS HARD NOT TO BE FLATTERED WHEN SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I SAYS SOMETHING IN COMPLETE HONESTY TO YOU!"

"looks like you've given her head quite a turn. don't spin it too much, " Sans commented, exasperating his brother.

"SANS! WHAT DID WE SAY ABOUT THIS?!"

"Those were really weak," the brunette added. "Not up to your usual standards."

"can't be perfect all the time, can i?" he asked wryly. "it'd just be unfair then."

The young woman rolled her dark eyes and turned her attention back to his brother, prompting him to recount his trip and tell her all he places that he had looked at for her potential employment. The stocky monster watched them from the couch, the half-formed whispering of an idea beginning to bounce around his skull.

Paps really liked to watch his human friend perform, huh? Well, there was a place where his little bro would have the opportunity to witness just that."

"I STILL DON'T SEE WHY YOU HAD TO BRING ME ALONG!" Papyrus declared. "YOU KNOW I DON'T EAT AT GRILLBY'S!"

"c'mon, it'll be worth it, promise," Sans replied, pushing open the door and meandering over to the bar. "i'll even get ya a milkshake if it'll make you happy."

"BUT WHY AM I HERE?"

"you'll see," the elder brother assured him. Clambering up onto his usual seat at the bar, he beckoned for Grillby to come closer. "hey man. she gone up yet?"

He was answered with a quick head shake and a nod towards the stage corner. A quick glance confirmed that Tabatha was indeed there, talking to a nervous-looking teenager with a patient smile. After a moment or two more, the pair mounted the stage, taking out their microphones.

"hey Paps, check out the stage," Sans nudged his brother, picking up a ketchup bottle off the bar. His brother's gasp was clearly audible, but it was then that the beat began to play and Tabatha took a step forward, mic in hand and grinning from ear to ear.

"Come on, come on, turn the radio on

It's Friday night and I won't be long

Gotta do my hair, I put my make up on

It's Friday night and I won't be long"

With a gesture to the teen standing alongside her, the younger girl joined in the song, looking nervous. Their paired voices matched up well, creating an almost-echo effect.

"Til I hit the dance floor
Hit the dance floor
I got all I need
No I ain't got cash
I ain't got cash
But I got you baby

Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
But I don't need no money
As long as I can feel the beat
I don't need no money
As long as I keep dancing"

The brunette began to dance a little on the stage, pantomiming some of the actions mentioned with one hand, encouraging her singing partner to sing louder, more confidently.

"Come on, come on, turn the radio on

It's Saturday and I won't be long
Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on
It's Saturday and I won't be long

Til I hit the dance floor
Hit the dance floor
I got all I need
No I ain't got cash
I ain't got cash
But I got you baby

Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
But I don't need no money
As long as I can feel the beat
I don't need no money
As long as I keep dancing"

During the quieter interlude, Tabatha let the teenager take the central stage before they dove in for the final verse together, both beaming and clearly having the time of their lives as they bounced in time with the beat.

"Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
I don't need no money
As long as I can feel the beat
I don't need no money
As long as I keep dancing

La, la, la, la, la, la (I love cheap thrills)

La, la, la, la, la, la (I love cheap thrills)

La, la, la, la, la, la (I love cheap thrills)

La, la, la, la, la, la (I love cheap thrills)!"

Papyrus' jaw was dropped so far open that it looked as though his mandible might detach off his skull at any moment. The two humans onstage embraced each other before they hopped off the stage to loud applause. As they disappeared, the taller skeleton appeared to regain his powers of speech, turning to his brother with sparkling eyesockets.

"SANS! DID YOU SEE THAT? HUMAN TABATHA WAS SINGING! AND IT WAS SO LOVELY!"

"then i'm glad i took all the treble of bringing you here. if you'd refused, it would've put a snare in the surprise."

"SAAAAANS! WHY?!"

"awe, c'mon. my puns aren't that flat."

"Do you do research in order to come up with situation-appropriate puns?" a familiar voice asked from behind them. Both skeletons turned to see Tabatha standing there, smiling bemusedly.

"you shouldn't go around tambourine with my pun-making process," Sans shot back with a smirk.

"Then I guess we need to guitar act together!"

Papyrus looked absolutely horrified.

"NOT YOU TOO, HUMAN TABATHA!" he cried in dismay. "FIRST IT WAS LADY TORIEL, THEN FRISK, NOW YOU?!"

The young woman was laughing so hard she doubled over. By the time she recovered, her face was flushed and she was grinning with happy abandon.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "That was just too good an opportunity to pass up on. No more puns, okay? I'll be good."

"NYEH! NOW IF ONLY SANS WOULD DO THE SAME!"

"heh. i can't help it if my jokes are..."

"SANS...NOOOO..."

"...humerus."

It was a good thing they were seated at the bar: Papyrus looked ready to flip a table in his rage. The human was stifling laughter behind her hands to prevent herself from making the situation worse, but it wasn't working very well. Sans winked at her, which only made her face redden more from holding back fierce giggles.

"THAT'S IT! TABATHA, I WILL BE TAKING MY LEAVE OF MY BROTHER AN HIS ATROCIOUS PUNS! WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPANY ME HOME OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY HERE AND PERFORM AGAIN?"

"Limit one song per person," she replied, looking relieved at the chance to say something that wouldn't make her bust a gut. "And I ate dinner at home, so I'll follow you."

The tall monster proffered his arm and the brunette took it with a crooked grin. The pair strode out of the restaurant together, much to the bemusement of the remaining skeleton brother. He then twisted in his seat, facing the flaming bartender.

"hey Grillbz, i got a little favor to ask of ya..."

"I'M NOT SURE...I REALLY WANTED TO WATCH A METTATON MOVIE TONIGHT."

"bro, we watch MTT movies almost every week. i wanna try out this sci-fi one. it's about space Paps!"

"NYEEEEEEEEH, BUT SANS, IT'S METTATON!"

Tabatha came back into the living room, holding a bowl of fresh popcorn. Papyrus immediately locked eyes with her and pointed straight at her.

"HUMAN!" he declared. "YOU MUST DECIDE FOR US! SHALL WE WATCH THE AMAZINGNESS THAT IS METTATON FOR OUR MOVIE NIGHT TONIGHT, OR SHALL WE INSTEAD WATCH SANS' 'INTERSTELLAR' MOVIE THAT DOES NOT APPEAL TO ME IN THE SLIGHTEST?"

The brunette looked between the two of them before she set down the bowl on the floor beside the couch where the pair of monsters were seated.

"Wait here," she commanded, darting to the upstairs. There was some noise from the upper floor before she came racing down the stairs, DVD case in hand. "Here's my voice," she announced, tossing it to Papyrus. The pair of skeletons looked at the case, then back at the young woman.

"STAR WARS?"

"i've heard of that," Sans commented. "there's a lot of hype for it on tv."

"There's a new one coming out," Tabatha explained. "I wanted to go see it, so I figured I'd best indoctrinate you now. There's two ways to watch the series—in order of release date or in order of would you prefer?"

"your gonna have to explain that a little better, bud," the shorter brother replied.

"There are six movies, each one called an 'episode' in the overarching story and were released as two trilogies. The first movie that was released was number four in the overall story more than thirty years before episode one came out. We can start with episode four or episode one."

"I WOULD PREFER TO START AT ONE IN THE ENTIRE STORY," Papyruse interjected. "I DON'T WANT TO BE CONFUSED BY THE INTRICACIES OF AN INTERGALACTIC CULTURE!"

"They do a pretty good job of filling in the blanks, but sure, we'll start there. But I insist we watch the original trilogy right afterwards; episodes two and three have spoilers for the originals."

"fine by me," Sans shrugged. "put it in and lets get started."

It became immediately obvious that Tabatha was a fan of the series: she was humming along to the introductory moments, smiled in anticipation of funny moments and would explain things whenever either brother had a question, trying to keep it brief so they could keep watching without missing any major plot points. But the moment when they realized she was a complete lover of the series wasn't until later, during the climactic battle scene.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND," Papyrus commented as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn pushed Darth Maul across the palace hangar. "WHY ARE THEY ALL FIGHTING? I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS PROPERLY EXPLAINED. WHO ARE THE SITH AND WHY DO THEY HATE THE JEDI SO MUCH? ARE THEY THE ALIEN'S SPECIES? AND...WHICH OF THEM IS WINNING AT THIS POINT?"

"Okay," Tabatha paused the movie and sat up straighter on the couch. "So this is a bit complicated, but long story short, the war between the Jedi and Sith is ancient and comes down to an ideological struggle between whether your emotions should be pursued for your personal gain or pushed away for the sake of general peace. But all that aside, there is Maul himself to consider. He was pretty much raised to hate Jedi by Sideous, not to mention trained to fight them specifically. I don't think he knows any other way than to hate them and want to kill them. And as for who's winning, well isn't it obvious? Maul is literally just dancing around them; he's fending two Jedi off with ONE lightsaber. They can't break his defense, but he can't win against them while they're together, so he's looking for a way to separate them. And once he does...game over. And the subtle brilliance is he makes it look like they've got him on the run, when really, he's luring them to their demise! If that's not an incredible strategy, then I'm bantha fodder."

Leaning back into the couch with a deliberate flop, the young woman hit the play button to allow the onscreen battle to continue.

"Oh and by the way, Papyrus," she added, "while the Sith technically are a species of alien, Maul belongs to a race called the Zabrak. Just a little tip for future reference."

Satisfied, the human continued to watch the screen. Papyrus joined her, much more eager after hearing her passionate descriptions. Sans just grinned as he watched Tabatha's radiant expression,

She really had turned it all around, hadn't she? And it was all genuine too—thank the stars for the Judge's Sight being able to determine that her Soul was reflecting her new attitude. And for the first time since meeting her, the shorter skeleton felt that he might not need to keep his magic at the ready and a threat in his mind just in case she screwed up in a major way. Tabatha Strong was cool with him—cool enough to hang out with his brother and go get into little misadventures with him. Sans was beginning to trust her. Maybe not with Pap's life, but with his enjoyment and time. Her Soul was kind and whatever had left that scar across its energy had clearly taught her to be careful with other people. She was safe to be around. He could finally relax.

Of course he still had to get her back for those smart-alek puns she had shot at him Thursday evening. And it would be a punishment to remember.

Chapter Text

"Undyne, I'm not sure about this," Tabatha said with some apprehension as she looked at the insane obstacle course laid out before her. If it belonged to anyone other than her overly zealous friend, it would have been shocking to see it just casually sitting there in the middle of a backyard.

"C'mon you wimp!" the fish monster scoffed from her right side. "I removed the explosives; you'll be fine!"

"I could still very well end up killing myself," the human maintained. The course looked like something out of an American Ninja Warrior episode or straight off a Navy SEAL training base (which made sense considering that Undyne had run the Royal Guard, but still!) It required her to hoist herself up by her arms on a set of parallel bars that lead to a burma bridge she's have to cross before weaving her way down through metal poles that were covered in long spikes on the side you clearly were not supposed to touch. She would then run through several tires laid out in what had once been a minefield if you didn't go the right way and then parkour-style vault herself over an inclined wall and haul herself up and spider-crawl across a series of ever-rising horizontal and vertical platforms before crossing a balance beam that had swinging ropes hung above it to replace the magical projectiles that had been thrown in the original design. The final goal was to use the rope swing to fling one's self over the pool and not hit the concrete below when released.

"Papyrus would rescue ya before anything bad happened," Undyne replied, waving off the protests. "I did you dancing so now you're gonna return the favor and do something on my turf for a change."

"I am gonna break my arms," the brunette mumbled. To her left, Papyrus looked down at her with a smile.

"NEVER FEAR, KINDLY HUMAN," he proclaimed. "I WILL BE RIGHT UNDERNEATH YOU THE WHOLE TIME SO YOUR SOFT, FLESHY BITS DO NOT SUFFER INJURY!"

"That's not gonna help with the soreness tomorrow," Tabatha grumbled, pulling out her ponytail and retying it tighter. She then began to stretch; she was going to regret giving in and wanted to minimize the damage she might suffer... "Don't time me."

"ALPHYS! GRAB MY STOPWATCH!"

Frisk giggled from the porch swing as the yellow dinosaur jumped up and waddled back into the house, which only made the older human groan again.

"I hate you for doing this to me," she informed Undyne flatly before she moved up to the parallel bars.

"I BELIEVE IN YOU, TABATHA!" Papyrus called cheerfully. The young woman twisted to flash a smile back at him before she faced front again, shaking out her arms.

Alphys returned to the back porch, holding a stopwatch which she promptly passed to her girlfriend. Undyne took it and raised her arm to a ready signal.

"Alright! Ready...GO!"

Tabatha leapt into action, lifting herself up on the parallel bars and moving along them quickly, her expression solidly focused. Once she reached the apex of the slanted bars, she swung her legs out and made a jump for the burma bridge, managing to snag it with her hands before she slid off entirely. She made her way across very cautiously, using that same slower method while weaving through the bars as well. The bottom of her pants leg got caught on a few of the spikes and shredded the fabric, but none of them seemed to pierce her skin. When she reached the bottom, she staggered back to an upright position, her breathing already a little labored.

"Tired already you wimp?!" Undyne screeched. "GO YOU PUNK!"

"YOU ARE DOING WELL, HUMAN!" Papyrus added. "DO NOT GIVE IN TO YOUR TIREDNESS!"

The brunette did not acknowledge either of them as she ran to the tires and stepped through them all before vaulting over the low inclined wall, her ankle catching on the edge and sending her skidding down the slanted side. She was wobbling on her approach to the first of the platforms she had to lift herself up and her arms were clearly shaking as she hauled herself over the edge.

"C-careful!" Alphys called from the porch swing as Tabatha made her way over to the vertical wall she would have to climb. "S-some of those foot-footholds are wobbly!"

"Thanks!" the human replied, her voice strained and high due to breathlessness. She carefully planted her foot on one of the protrusions from the wall and, finding it steady, began to move in a diagonal direction towards the next platform. She had to ascend another level of platforms and spider walls before she was at the balance beam. The tall skeleton immediately darted over to the obstacle course, stading under his friend's current position, clearly at the ready should disaster strike. Undyne, meanwhile, was working herself into a frenzy.

"GET A MOVE ON, YOU PUNK!"

"DON'T FALL HUMAN! I WILL BE HERE TO CATCH YOU IF YOU DO, BUT I WOULD PREFER YOU DID NOT: MY BONES ARE NOT THE SOFTEST THING TO LAND ON, THOUGH THEY ARE STILL BETTER THAN THE CONCRETE!"

Tabatha took a steadying breath before she stepped out onto the wooden log. She ignored the ropes waving around her as she moved at a normal walking speed along the suspended log. She nearly lost her balance when she brushed up against a rope and the crazy fish monster from below began to shout abuse, shaming her for getting "hit" by a projectile. She managed to right herself and then took a risk by jogging to the other end and snagging the rope swing. It was here that she messed up: her arms, exhausted from the sudden, intense strain put upon them, suddenly gave out, unable to hold her up second longer. The young woman let out a startled cry that forced everyone seated to their feet in alarm.

The fall was not large, but it would have been plenty damaging if not for the skeleton who lunged over and managed to snag the falling human in his arms, coming to a skidding stop by the edge of the pool. There was half a moment where nobody dared to breathe and then Papyrus straightened up, turning back to the porch and revealing a perfectly intact Tabatha in his grasp. Alphys released her held breath and Frisk smirked, seeing the position the two were currently in.

"It looks like he rescued a damsel in distress," they signed while chuckling. The royal scientist took a second look at the pair and began to giggle.

"O-oh goodness! I s-ship it! S-so kawaii!"

Meanwhile, Papyrus was hastily ensuring that his human friend was unharmed.

"It's probably just light bruising," Tabatha protested. "I'll be fine."

"NYEH, ARE YOU SURE?"

"It'll be worse tomorrow. Now will you put me down now?"

"Nice catch Pap!" Undyne shouted as she came over. "Looks like you just weren't up to scratch, nerd! Took you more than fifteen minutes! Lesser Dog runs it in ten!"

"You would make an excellent drill sergeant," the brunette remarked dryly. "Then the military would pay you to be as crazy as you are."

The fish monster only guffawed at the comment. Papyrus tried to let Tabatha down lightly, but when he let go of her arms, she nearly toppled over from exhaustion, her legs refusing to hold her up just as her arms had.

"IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR LEGS, HUMAN TABATHA?!" the trainee guardsman exclaimed in shock. He did not wait for her reply before he scooped her back up into his arms and ran towards the porch. "DOCTOR ALPHYS! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TABATHA'S LEGS! THEY WON'T HOLD HER UP!"

"T-take her inside and p-p-put her on the couch and I'll ch-check to make sure she's not i-in shock or anything," the squat monster commanded through half-formed snickers. Papyrus wasted no time and dashed back into the house, setting the human down on the couch and fussing over her until Alphys chased him away so she could do her quick checkup. (Of course he was hovering over the back of the couch the entire time, so it wasn't like made much a difference to his fretting.)

"J-just exhaustion," was the diagnosis, much to the skeleton's relief and Tabatha's affectionate exasperation. "A few minutes of sitting down and she'll be fine."

Before the conversation could progress any further, the front door burst open and an unfamiliar male voice rang out.

"Alphys, darling, are you home?"

Said dinosaur jumped like she'd been given an electric shock and Papyrus snapped to attention, his jaw dropping open in shock. It was no surprise why: Mettaton—the Mettaton in all his black and pink EX-form glory—was standing in the entry hall. The robotic celebrity caught sight of the trio by the couch and flashed a winning smile.

"Alphys, there you are! And Papyrus too! It is so good to see you darlings!"

"METTATON!" the skeleton exclaimed excitedly. "I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE NO LONGER ON TOUR!"

"Just got back into town three hours ago," Mettaton replied with a dramatic hair flip. "I would have called, but I wanted to make a surprise entrance to say 'hello' to all my dearest friends."

With an excited "NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus raced over to the robot and captured him in an embrace.

"Oh Papy dear, I've forgotten how wonderful your hugs are."

"I-i wasn't expecting you to be back for a-a-at least another week," Alphys admitted, pushing up her glasses. "Y-you had another few shows scheduled overseas, didn't you?"

"Actually our venue for Prague was mis-booked and we ended up with the tour cut short," Mettaton explained, stepping away from Papyrus. "In any case, it was perfect timing: now I have some time to rest before I start up on my newest project."

It was then that the monster star noticed the human sitting on the couch.

"Oh hello there, beauty!" he cried in excitement. "I don't believe we've ever met before!"

"I'm Tabatha," the brunette said with a grin. "A friend of Paps. He's talked about you a lot."

"Has he? Well, any friend of my dear Papy is a friend of mine."

Mettaton approached the couch and put a hand under her chin, tilting her head so he could get a better look at her. He flashed another winning smile, apparently liking what he saw.

"Ohhh yes," he purred. "Very lovely complexion, gorgeous hair once styled carefully and such expressive eyes! You have a face meant for being seen in the most glamorous of ways! Tell me, have you ever considered show business?"

"I—what?" Tabatha looked completely bewildered. Alphys swatted Mettaton on the shoulder.

"H-hey! Sh-shouldn't you get to know her first before you t-try to recruit her?"

"TABATHA IS ALREADY IN THE SHOW BUSINESS," Papyrus added. "SHE DANCES AND SINGS!"

"Really!?" The look on the celebrity's face gave the young woman a sudden sense of foreboding. "Oh darling, you're perfect! You might be just what I need for my new project!"

"Uh..."

"WHAT KIND OF PROJECT?"

The tall skeleton plopped down on the couch next to his human friend, clearly all (metaphorical) ears for whatever suggestion his idol would have. Tabatha felt like an anime-style sweatdrop appearing on her temple would have been just the right thing to describe how she was feeling about this situation: worried for what was to come.

"Well, as you know, Emergence Day is next month and I was considering hosting a festival to celebrate how far monsters have come since leaving the Underground! I wanted to have a mix of performers do something onstage that celebrates human and monster friendships."

"Mettaton," the brunette interrupted, "I know what you're getting at, but I'm really not that good—"

"Nonsense," he chuckled, brushing aside her concerns. "You don't need to be a professional—"

"ACTUALLY, SHE IS A PROFESSIONAL," Papyrus interjected, missing his friend's panicked side glance. "BUT I THINK SHE IS JUST A LITTLE NERVOUS TO PERFORM AT A FESTIVAL HOSTED BY YOU!"

"Then how about you work with her for a duet? I'm sure that she could teach you how to dance."

"NYEH! WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA!"

Tabatha swallowed hard. Oh boy—this was going to be painful.

"I couldn't just tell him no!" the human explained with slight desperation to Sans at Grillby's that evening. "He was starry-eyed and everything! How could I destroy his dreams like that? It would be heartless."

"what's so bad about performing with my brother?" the hoodie-clad monster asked,squirting a shot of ketchup into his mouth.

"Aside from not having a place to practice at consistently—because the studio has a room-booking system that doesn't really allow for nonprofit, individual performance rehearsals—I'm not comfortable performing in such a big festival where my name will be all over it. I like to do things with groups, where I'm relatively anonymous."

A plate of fries was placed on the bar before Tabatha's seat and she gave Grillby a quick "thanks" before she bit into one. The fire elemental cocked his head to the side as he looked at the young woman, silently asking her not to mind him and continue her conversation.

"Then there's the struggle of coming up with choreography appropriate to the theme and Papyrus' skill level at dancing," she sighed. "I need to be looking for a job right now; I don't have time to do this extra work—not until I'm getting paychecks again."

"If I may," the flaming bartender interjected in his soft voice, "I would like to solve a few of your problems right now, miss Tabatha."

"Uh, okay. Shoot," she replied, more than a little taken aback.

"If it would be alright with you, I would like to offer you a job," the fire elemental continued. "I have been busier than ever recently and would like some new additions to my wait staff while I work the bar and kitchen. It is a night shift position, but the building would be accessible for use during the day and I do have a decent sound system and stage that would be free for you to use for these rehearsals of yours with Papyrus."

Tabatha's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Sans brought me a copy of your resume and I have been watching you for the past several months when you've come in to perform. You are the type of person I would very much like to have working for me and you are fully qualified. What say you? Would you be willing to work here?"

Tabatha was still trying to comprehend what was going on: her mouth and eyes were both wide as she looked from Grillby to Sans, as if waiting for one of them to reveal it was all just a practical joke. When neither of them did so, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"No one has ever done anything this nice for me," she whispered.

"well, you're so nice to everyone else, guess it's time we helped the universe return the favor," the skeleton drawled with a broad grin. The human laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I take it you're accepting?" Grillby pressed. When she nodded, the white flames that showed where his eyes were located crinkled up in a clear smile. "Good. I expect we will enjoy working together, miss Tabatha."

Papyrus stifled a yawn as he moved upstairs to do one final clean check before he turned in for the night. As per usual, he checked in to make sure Tabatha was sleeping on the bed and was surprised to see that she was not in her usual spot on the floor. Instead, she was passed out on the desk, her laptop open and a notepad under her arm.

Moving closer, the tall skeleton saw that she had written an extensive list of songs and several were crossed out. He couldn't tell what the songs were—many were unfamiliar to him—but he did know that sleeping the way she was could not be good for her neck and back.

"COME ON NOW, HUMAN TABATHA," Papyrus stage-whispered as he shook her shoulder. "YOU SHOULD NOT BE SLEEPING HERE—THAT IS WHAT THE BED IS FOR."

The brunette stirred and looked up at him with droopy dark eyes before she yawned and stretched. She allowed the monster to pull her out of her chair and walk over to the bed, where she promptly collapsed and curled up into a tight ball. With an affectionate smile, Papyrus tugged the blankets over her and tucked her in, nice and snug. As he was leaving the room after turning off the lights however, she stirred and looked at his silhouette in the doorway.

"Thanks Gareth," she said sleepily. "Love you."

That made the tall skeleton pause with one foot out in the hall. Looking back, he saw that his friend had already re-bundled herself up and turned away from the door, her deep breathing signalling a return to unconsciousness. But that did not stop the swell of curiosity within Papyrus' ribcage.

Who was this Gareth that Tabatha loved? And why had he never heard her speak of him before.

WE ARE BETTER FRIENDS THAN WE USED TO BE AND YET SHE STILL KEEPS SECRETS, he mused, not sure how to feel about learning this new tidbit about her. WHY DOES SHE HIDE SO MUCH ABOUT HERSELF?

Chapter Text

"Would you say you're good at singing?" Tabatha asked out nowhere as she typed frantically on her laptop. Papyrus, who was working in the kitchen, started at being addressed without any warning. "You know, all pride and stuff put to the side for a moment."

"UM," the skeleton hedged, looking uncertain. "I"M NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN, HUMAN FRIEND TABATHA."

"Can you carry a tune?"

"WELL, I CAN HIT ALL OF THE NOTES? I MEAN, NOT ALL NOTES OF EVERY SONG—NO ONE IS THAT GREAT—BUT I DON'T THINK I SOUND TERRIBLE..."

"Show me," the human requested. "First song you can think of. Just go for it."

Papyrus immediately cast his mind about for the first song he knew by heart, feeling more than a little caught off balance; his friend had never requested anything like this before. Deciding to just go for it, he put down the knife he was cutting vegetables with, wiped his gloved hands on his apron and just belted.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE AMAZING FANTASTIC COURAGEOUS HANDSOME STRONG RAD SKELETON MAN, THE COOLEST DUDE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD AND SO MUCH MORE USEFUL THAN THAT SLEEPY LAZYBONES SANS!"

Tabatha stared up at him, shock apparent on her face and immediately the tall monster became flustered and buried his face into his hands, cutting himself off. He was absolutely mortified. What had he been thinking?! That old song was something he had never shared with anyone before—and for good reason, considering he had written it at the height of his attempts at popularity underground.

"Did...you come up with that on the spot?" the young woman asked in surprise.

"NYEEEEEH...NO...IT'S...SOMETHING I MADE UP A LONG TIME AGO. IT'S...NOT VERY GOOD. BUT IT'S BETTER THAN THAT AWFUL MIXTAPE I TRIED TO MAKE WHEN WE FIRST REACHED THE SURFACE!"

"Well it answered my question anyway," the human concluded. "You can carry a tune though your vocal inflection needs work."

"WHY DID YOU ASK, HUMAN TABATHA?" Papyrus inquired as his friend wrote a note on her computer.

"I'm trying to figure out our routine for the Emergence Day festival," was the distracted reply.

"YOU MEAN... YOU'RE ACTUALLY CONSIDERING IT?!"

"Why the heck are you so surprised?" Tabatha asked back, looking away from the screen at her friend once more. "I said I would, didn't I?"

The skeleton laughed nervously, sweat magically beading onto his skull. Oh stars, this was going to get hairy.

"WELL, UPON REFLECTION OF WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY... METTATON AND I MAY HAVE BEEN... OVERENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT OUR PLAN-MAKING: YOU KEPT TRYING TO REFUSE, BUT WE DID NOT LISTEN."

The poor gentle-hearted monster looked to be on the edge of tears by the end of his statement. The shame that had been stirring inside his Soul ever since he had put together her reactions to Mettaton's insistence she perform had done nothing but get heavier to the point it ached. The young woman closed her laptop and got to her feet, crossing the floor so she could take hold of Papyrus' hands.

"Paps," she implored, "I agreed to this."

"BUT ONLY BECAUSE—"

"Don't interrupt," she reprimanded him. "I agreed to this and now I'm going to go through with it wholeheartedly. Yes, you were... insistent that I do this, but I'm the one who makes the ultimate choice. So stop feeling bad that you wanted me to go through with this; I want to do it too."

There was a strained moment before Tabatha released her hold on her friend's hands and returned to the kitchen table.

"In other news, I got a job," the brunette commented casually.

"REALLY?! SO SOON?"

"Sans took pity on me an recommened me to Grillby. He hired me is letting us use the restaurant stage and sound system for our rehearsals."

"WOWIE! I AM GLAD TO HEAR OF MY BROTHER BEING PROACTIVE FOR ONCE IN HIS LIFE! BUT I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION..."

"Yeah?"

"WILL GRILLBY'S STILL REEK OF GREASE WHILE WE ARE THERE?"

That made his human friend laugh. He seemed confused by her sudden descent into hysteria, having asked the question in complete seriousness—which only made her find the whole situation funnier.

Papyrus still looked a little uncertain as he stepped through the door of the restaurant, almost looking offended when Tabatha teasingly told him that she would protect him from the grease beast in the back of the building. It had taken nearly a week to pick the song and start on the choreography planning so they could actually have a rehearsal instead of just a planning meeting.

"So this stage isn't really big enough for us to use as a dance floor, so we'll need to make space on the main floor once we start learning the moves," the young woman assessed, standing in front of the raised section of floor with her hands on her hips. "Sound system will be plenty though—you can hear the music from anywhere in the room. Help me set up our stuff, will ya?"

As the two of them set to work prepping the space, the human began to elaborate her plans for their rehearsal schedules. They were going to learn the basics of singing today and practice their song a few times before going over stage pointers and the timing of the dance breaks.

"I AM STILL CONCERNED ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO EMULATE THE REAL SINGERS," Papyrus confessed as his friend fiddled with the karaoke machine settings. "NEITHER OF OUR VOICES SOUND VERY MUCH LIKE THEM."

"Paps, we talked about this," Tabatha sighed. "We don't have to be clones of the originals for the song to be good."

"BUT THE WAY I SING MIGHT MESS UP EVERYTHING! THE SONG MAY NOT BE RECOGNIZABLE WITHOUT THE SPECIAL SINGING STYLE AND VOICE INFLECTIONS!"

"You'll learn the voice inflection. It'll eventually come naturally."

"BUT THE ACCENT—"

"Papyrus whatever your middle name is Skeleton," the brunette interrupted firmly. "Calm yourself down. Accents can be imitated. Do I sound like I have an accent to you?"

"NO...?"

"Well, I can sing with one. Listen."

Taking out her phone, she scrolled through a few screens before she picked one and immediately leapt into song. Her words carried the lilt of an English accent, something Papyrus had never heard her do before.

"My God, my heart beats faster...and my mind is racing. Could it be? Could it be that you've come back to life? I know those eyes, following me...dark and familiar and deep as the sea. I know that face—strange though it seems! Younger and kinder, it haunts all my dreams. How can you stand there, a whisper from me yet somehow be so far away? In eyes once familiar, a stranger I see, with so many words left to say..."

She cut herself off and hit the pause button before scrolling through some more screens. When the skeleton tried to tell her that while he was impressed with her skills she hadn't demonstrated the right accent she gave him a very sharp glance which shut him up right there. When she found what she was looking for, she did some more clicking and started to sing again. To Papyrus' great surprise, her voice sounded almost completely different, a low southern drawl in her words.

"Right now, he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blond chick and she's probably getting now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot whiskey. Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick showing her how to shoot a combo...And he don't know...I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive; carved my name into his leather seats...I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights; I slashed a hole in all four tires; maybe next time he'll think before he cheats."

Stopping the music once again, the human stowed her phone away.

"Accents are the least of our worries," she explained calmly. "I don't speak with either of the ones I just used, but I can imitate the sounds. But—as I said before—you don't have to sound exactly like the original singers in order to do well. That's the beauty of singing it as a cover instead of karaoke."

The tall monster did not seem entirely convinced, but he shrugged aside his concerns as his friend resumed setting up the music.

"So we'll start at the beginning," Tabatha tried again. "We'll learn lyrics first, then sing along. You okay with that? Just believe me when I say that I know how this works."

"I TRUST YOU HUMAN," Papyrus replied, gaining back his more characteristic enthusiasm. "WE SHALL BE VERY GREAT AT THIS! VERY GREAT INDEED!"

Frisk was skipping as they traveled the route home from school, occasionally glancing over their shoulder to make sure that Sans was still ambling along behind them at his usual pace. Ever since the rehearsals for the Emergence Day performance had gotten officially underway, Papyrus had been busy enough that his older brother had taken over all responsibility for after-school pickups. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing—it got Sans out of the house and it meant that the work with Tabatha was going well—but there were times when Frisk was filled with curiosity about what the two were actually doing. Hence today's little...side track.

"trying to sneak a peek, kiddo?" the stocky skeleton asked as they stood by the front window of Grillby's. The blinds were closed, obscuring any glimpses of what was going on inside and the brown-haired preteen pouted that their plan had failed. "if you want...i could help ya with that."

Frisk looked at their friend with a pleading face, even going so far as to drop to their knees and make begging motions with their hands clasped together. Sans chuckled at seeing the young human's face and held out his hand.

"c'mon. let's take a shortcut."

When the world returned to its normal state, the pair found themselves seated at the bar, facing out towards the rest of the dining area. Most of the tables had been pushed aside or stacked atop one another to make room for a large space in the middle of the floor. Standing in the center of that space was Tabatha and Papyrus, so wrapped up in their practicing that they didn't notice they suddenly had an audience.

"So for the lifts, you're gonna hold me right here," the brunette was saying, guiding Papyrus' hands to her waist and holding them there. "You'll get good leverage for the actual motion. When we reach the count, just lift your arms straight up until you're holding me at a forty-five degree angle."

"BUT WHAT IF I LIFT YOU TOO HARD AND BRUISE YOU?"

"You can't lift a person too hard, Paps. You could grip me too hard and make my ribs hurt, but you're strong enough that you won't need to be holding me that tightly. Now, I'm gonna count down and when you lift me, I'm going to slide my hands from your chest to your shoulders to balance myself, okay? Five, six, seven, eight!"

On the last count, Tabatha bounced onto the ball of her foot, aiding the tall monster in lifting her off the ground. As she instructed, Papyrus lifted her by the waist until his arms were at the right elevation and she was braced against his shoulders. Both were making eye contact with each other, very focused and it made Frisk want to gasp at how intimate and romantic such a gesture could be. Oh yes, they were shipping those twohard. Blame it on them for being too cute for words, even if they didn't intend it.

"Right, now put me back down." The skeleton did so, careful to make sure that she had her balance before he let go. "And you don't have to treat me like glass; I can get my feet under me just fine."

"YES, BUT I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE YOU BE INJURED BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE EVEN STARTS! THEN IT WOULD BE A DISASTER!"

"Papyrus, you worry too much," the young woman chastised with a faint smile. "I already told you that I forgive you for the whole swing dancing mishap. I've healed and you should just relax a little bit. Do I have to get the mirror?"

"NYEH! YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO MAKE ME NOT SO UPSET, KINDLY HUMAN!" the skeleton exclaimed, returning the smile. Neither of them seemed to realize that they both had their hands resting on the other's body until Tabatha stepped away and tightened her ponytail.

"Okay, so let's try that with the move for the dance and—"

The brunette cut herself off as she turned around and caught sight of Frisk and Sans sitting at the bar. Her face flooded with color and the tall guardsman trainee looked at her with minor concern before he too realized that they were being watched.

"NYEH?! S-SANS?! HUMAN?! H-HOW LONG HAVE YOU TWO BEEN WATCHING?"

"We saw the lifting practice," Frisk signed with a smile. "You two look so good together! The dance will look so good at the festival!"

"DO YOU REALLY THINK SO?" Papyrus' eye sockets had gotten all starry again. Meanwhile Tabatha was shifting from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable.

"You're gonna spoil the surprise for yourselves," she finally said. "We wanted to wow everyone on the day of, not before!"

"eh, with you and Paps up onstage it'd bee good either way," Sans shrugged with a slow wink.

"You're just saying that," Tabatha protested.

"nah, i'm totally serious. you two been working a ton lately."

"OH SANS NO!" Papyrus cried, knowing what was coming next and promptly clamping his hands over where his ears should have been to spare himself from having to hear the impending pun.

"a skele-ton."

Frisk giggled at the old joke and Tabatha rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"All the same, the pair of you need to shoo yourselves on out of here," she continued. "We can't practice with the two of you watching!"

Frisk made a very sad face as Sans simply settled further into his seat, showing no sign of moving. Sensing that they were out of dangerous waters, the younger skeleton brother lowered his hands from his skull and put his hands on his hips.

"YES! THIS IS A SUPER-SECRET PERFORMANCE THAT NO ONE WILL SEE UNTIL THE FINALE! NOW LEAVE OR WE SHALL ESCORT YOU TO THE DOOR!"

"go for it," Sans yawned. He immediately felt a sudden sense of foreboding as Tabatha began to smirk.

"Papyrus, let's show off our lifting skills," she suggested. "You get Frisk, I'll get your brother; he can't be that much heavier than you."

Frisk squeaked and jumped off their stool to flee, the tall skeleton hot on their heels, monologuing about how he was going to capture the tiny human and tickle them until they submitted. Sans teleported out of reach when the brunette female came to grab him, but she doggedly kept after him until she managed to nab his hood and ended up brought along for the short jumps through space. She managed to get her arms around his ribs and easily lifted him off the ground, grunting in surprise.

"You are a lot lighter than I thought," she commented. "What are you, thirty pounds?"

"don't you know better than to ask a skeleton about his weight?" the short monster shot back with a wry smile of his own. "i could be sensitive about it."

"Yeah right; your skin and bones...sans the skin."

That made him snort as the human carried him to the door, joining Papyrus who was struggling to hold a laughing, wiggling Frisk. Working together, they managed to get the pair out onto the street.

"And stay out!" Tabatha declared, pointing at the two of them, her voice bearing a British accent.

"heh. well i may not be bread, but you sure know how to butter me up," the elder skeleton shot back with a knowing grin which made the young woman let out an unladylike snort of laughter that she quickly stifled. His little brother's eyesockets immediately narrowed.

"DID YOU TWO JUST MAKE A REFERENCE PUN?" he asked suspiciously.

"who knows?" Sans snickered. Tabatha looked like she was going to explode from some kind of geeky joy and Papyrus could do nothing but look between the two of them in a mistrustful sort of way before he returned to the inside of the restaurant, insisting loudly that it was time to move on with practice and to stop boondoggling—no matter how amusing it was. The older human gave the pair a smile and a wave before she returned to the inside of the restaurant, closing the door and blocking them from sight.

"ya see what you came to see, kiddo?" the stocky monster asked his companion, glancing sideways at the child. Frisk gave a thumbs up with a small laugh. "good. 'cause don't think i don't know about that ship you and Alph are puttin' together."

"Do you want to be the Second Mate?" they asked cheekily. "There's still plenty of room."

"nah, you two have your fun. just don't let Alphys or Undyne do any funny business. there's no way i'll let Paps get pressured into that kind of situation."

Frisk gave Sans an affectionate but exasperated look. He was so overprotective he didn't seem able to accept that his baby brother was fully grown and capable of acting on his own volition. Not to mention that there were no guarantees with love once it arose. Some day that notion would rise up and slap the silly skeleton right across the face and when it happened, Frisk wanted to be there to record it and save it forever.

"alright, we wasted enough time here," Sans sighed. "your mom's gonna take my skull off if we're any later."

Frisk resumed walking the path to home, smiling broadly. As the one monster and human went on their way, the remaining pair inside the restaurant were hard at work, preparing their shared performance for the world to see.

Chapter Text

"Well darling? What do you think?" Mettaton asked, grandly spreading his arms to encompass the entirety of the outdoor stage. Tabatha looked over the light rigs and paced across the stage to get a feel for its size before she smiled.

"Looks great," she remarked. "We'll need to run a few practices and a dress rehearsal, but I think we're just about ready to do this thing."

"Ah, that's wonderful!" the robot idol purred. "Now, have you already designed your costuming or do you need me to provide something for you two?"

"I've got some sketches and ideas that I wanted to show you. Wanted to get you opinion before we did anything final since you're hosting us."

The human rummaged in her bag before she withdrew several folded sheets of paper and passed it over to Mettaton. As the flamboyant monster flipped through the pages, his eyes brightened—quite literally considering that his irises were lit with LED bulbs.

"Oh darling, I've half a mind to hire you as my tour consultant right this second!" he gushed. "You have quite the eye for this!"

"It's nothing really," Tabatha protested. "It's just a hobby—"

"Miss Tabatha, never discount your talents," Mettaton scolded her. "You must own your skills, be proud of them! This attempt at modesty is most unbecoming of someone as gifted as you!"

"Heh, no wonder Papyrus likes you so much," the brunette chuckled. "You sound just like him right now."

The celebrity's smile softened and he sighed to himself.

"Papy's such a sweetheart; I'm so lucky to have a fan so dedicated as him. It's very inspiring."

"He'd probably explode if he knew you were talking about him," Tabatha added with a grin. "He's very...genuine and sweet. I think it's his life's goal to bring about global peace and happiness."

"Yes, that is where he really shines," Mettaton agreed. "Much better than his attempts to be popular back in the Underground."

The pair smiled at one another before the human shook herself and tightened her ponytail absentmindedly, bringing herself back from wherever her mind had gone.

"Ahem. Okay, so about the costuming options, what were you thinking in terms of what I showed you?"

Though the two got back to work, the robotic monster would take pause every once in a while to look over the young woman beside him. He was starting to see why Alphys was developing an obsession...and he was also beginning to wonder if that Second Mate position was still open.

Sans didn't like crowds very much: they were loud, usually squished all together and all the noise set him on edge. But for his little brother, he would endure just about anything—and he had too, with all those endless do-overs to make sure he did everything right.

The Emergence Day Festival was much bigger than anyone had anticipated—Mettaton really knew how to spread the word around. Everywhere he looked, the short skeleton saw humans and monsters playing the festival games, sharing food from vendors and just having an all-around good time. It was a little surprising, honestly: this celebration marked only the third anniversary of monsterkind emerging on the surface and so far there hadn't been a single monster hater sighted trying to demonstrate. While the people in this particular city, living under the shadow of the very mountain the monsters came from, were more welcoming than most, it would not have been the first time that protesters had crossed the country to shout abuse all those who considered the monsters and equal race. Then again, the overall amount of aggressive action had abated quite a bit once it became an equal offense to harm or harass a monster as it was to do the same to a human.

"HEY ALPHYS! I FOUND HIM!"

Undyne's distinctive voice cut about the throng's general chatter and startled Sans out of his thoughts. He twisted around and spotted the tall fish woman pointing at him from on top of a table that had likely held somebody's baked goods for sale. Waving at them, the skeleton moved through the crowd towards them, noticing that Frisk was there with Toriel and Asgore had found them as well.

"Sans! Good. Now we have everybody!" the former queen said happily. "The show will be starting very soon. Let's not miss the opening ceremonies."

"anybody got a program or something?" Sans asked as their group began to make their way across the fairgrounds in the direction of the stage. "since there's more stuff happening over there then just Paps' and Tabatha's dance and all."

"Ah, yes, I have it here," Asgore replied, pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and looked down it.

"It would seem there's five acts. Miss Tabatha and Papyrus will be the concluding number."

"A-a-anyone else we know performing?" Alphys dared to speak up as the stage came into view, already having a nice cluster of humans and monsters gathered out front.

"Take a look for yourself," the king offered, holding out the paper. By the time that everyone had looked over the list of performers and argued about whether or not they remembered which name belonged to who, several more people had arrived and were now crowding out the space where the stage was set up. When Mettaton came onstage, those who had assembled to watch went absolutely berserk, cheering loudly.

"Hell-o beauties and gentlebeauties! Humans and Monsters alike!" the flamboyant robot cried, his link to the speaker system allowing him to be heard without needing a microphone. "Oh yes! Such a lovely crowd we have this afternoon! Welcome to the third ever Emergence Day celebration!"

His words were met with more noise from the mass on onlookers. Mettaton gave a dramatic hair flip before he propped on of his long legs against a strategically placed stage block that probably served no other purpose than to help with this type of posing.

"Have I got a show for you," he gushed. "Today, we celebrate the return of monsters to the surface world and our third year living in peace with one another. Naturally, all of our performers will be doing a piece following this theme, showing how far we all have come in such a short time. But before I yield the stage, I would like to give all of you a special treat: a preview of the song I wrote specifically for today! The full thing will be available for free off my website by tomorrow."

With the self-marketing out of the way, the monster celebrity proceeded to perform the first verse and chorus of his song before he took a bow—amid rampant applause—and introduce the next act. To all of their credit, it was clear everyone had worked very hard at their performances: the skit about Frisk's befriending of Asgore was moving, as was the slam poetry performance done by a mixed quartet of humans and monsters, the acapella cover of "You've Got a Friend in Me" and the live-narrated video project about human and monster cooperation. When the last set of performers exited stage left, Mettaton bounded back out to introduce the pair who Sans and his friends had been waiting for.

"You will be pleased to know that I saved something special for last," he announced, his tone warm. "I have known this monster for as long as we've been on the surface, and he has never failed to brighten up the day of anyone lucky enough to cross his path. I have known his human partner for far less time, but she too has a kindness that it hard to deny. It is now my utmost please to introduce to you our concluding act: the Great Papyrus and the Kindly Tabatha!"

The stage lights darkened as the robot strutted offstage. Coming from opposite sides of the stage, the two finally appeared, each with a microphone in hand.

The costuming actually came as something of a surprise—it was as if they'd traded fashion culture. Papyrus was wearing a very nice navy Korean jacket, a white shirt bearing the words "cool dude" printed on them in the papyrus font peeking out from underneath. His gloves were now black and he wore skinny jeans of the same color and expensive-looking high tops. It was strange but the tall skeleton actually looked awesome in those unfamiliar clothes. As for Tabatha, the young woman had actually let her hair down out of its ponytail and she was sporting a purple tunic shirt, loose black pants and simple brown boots. She had a long red scarf wrapped tight around her neck and just underneath it, a golden necklace with the delta rune on it glinted in the sunlight. Both of them took up their positions onstage, standing side-by-side at the front of the stage, heads down.

Then the music started, a guitar coming across the speakers. Then Tabatha's head snapped up, bringing up her mic as she sang the opening line, loud and proud.

"Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover."

Then Papyrus imitated the motion, head coming up and singing out.

"HEY SISTER! KNOW THE WATER'S SWEET BUT BLOOD IS THICKER."

They switched back to the human singing as the pair faced each other, both pressing their free hands to their chests and bowing at the waists before slowly coming back up, eyes locked on one another.

"Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do..."

There was a beat of silence before Tabatha pirouetted away from her partner, pointing at him as she sang the next line, taking measured steps back along to the beat.

"Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?"

Papyrus took a great leaping stride that crossed the distance between them in half a second before he wrapped an arm around her waist, looking down at her with his back to the audience, only the profile of his face visible.

"HEY SISTER! DO YOU STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE? I WONDER..."

The pair then began to turn in circles on the floor as the tall skeleton lead the song.

"OH, IF THE SKY COMES FALLING DOWN, FOR YOU
THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS WORLD I WOULDN'T DO."

There was another beat where they froze in place before it was Papyrus who slipped his arm free and strode across the stage, his back to Tabatha.

"WHAT IF I'M FAR FROM HOME?"

"Oh brother, I will hear you call!" the young woman sang in reply. She then turned away and brought her hand up over her heart. "What if I lose it all?"

"OH SISTER, I WILL HELP YOU HANG ON!" the monster called out, twisting back around to face her back this time. Then Tabatha twisted back around and they walked towards each other, their voices mingling as they repeated that same pair of lines they had each said individually before.

"Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do!"

The pair of them both slipped their microphones into little pockets that were attached to their belts, getting them out of the way as the instrumental started with Papyrus slowly taking up a traditional dance position, hand on his partner's waist, Tabatha appearing to direct him in the movements before they did a basic square—like they were waltzing—twice and froze in place for a breath. Then when the beat dropped, the skeleton dropped his hand and began to twirl the human around rapidly for about five seconds before she was released to pirouette away again, Papyrus freezing in place, one arm outstretched. She then began to dance on her own, taking a spinning leap and dropping down the the splits before she leaned onto her side, sweeping her arms against the floor in dramatic fashion and then did a backwards role to get back up onto her feet. Moving swiftly, she managed to get over to Papyrus with another pirouette and a leap before taking his hand and freezing just as he mimicked the spinning jump to move on the opposite side of the stage. His solo dance was a little different, however: it involved him moonwalking back across the stage before he dropped to a crouch and began beginning to helicopter his legs around in a breakdancing style before rising up into a handstand that arched his spine enough so he could regain his footing and clasp his hand around Tabatha's forearm. Moving together, each of the partners pulled forwards until they had passed one another, their arms strained backwards before both they released each other and collapsed back, landing face-up on the stage.

There was a beat of silence when Tabatha pulled her mic back out of her pocket. When the cue came, she began to sit up, singing all throughout the slow motion.

"Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover."

Once again, the motion was mimicked by the tall skeleton.

"HEY SISTER! DO YOU STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE? I WONDER..."

Both of them then got to one knee and clasped their free hands together as their voices mixed again.

"Oh, if the sky comes falling down, FOR YOU
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do!"

Papyrus then looked down at the ground, looking like he was folding in on himself.

"WHAT IF I'M FAR FROM HOME?"

"Oh brother, I will hear you call!" Tabatha replied, pulling him to his feet before her own no longer appeared to hold her and she fell back to her knees, releasing his hand. "What if I lose it all?"

"OH SISTER, I WILL HELP YOU HANG ON!" The guardsman trainee easily stepped behind her and lifted her up, setting the human onto his shoulders before they once again sang together, the young woman bending over as Papyrus turned so their profile was to the audience. The were making eye contact as they sang the words, both smiling widely.

"Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do!"

This time when the instrumental came on, both simply dropped the microphones. Taking Papyrus' shoulders in hand, Tabatha pushed herself up and let herself down from off the skeleton. Stepping to the side, both appeared to preen themselves, make themselves more presentable before they whipped about and faced one another, their stares intense. Lunging forwards as the bass dropped, the two locked hands and appeared to be pushing against each other in a dramatic show-tussle, spinning around and doing impressive backbends as they roved across the stage. However, Papyrus let himself get pushed over and Tabatha drew a line across the stage with her toe and when the tall monster attempted to cross over that line, he collapsed again dramatically. At the second drop, the brunette ran at the line and faked tripping over it, falling to the ground as well. Papyrus snapped into action again, leaping to his feet before lifting her up and setting her back onto her own. The two circled around one another for a moment before they joined hands and stepped in, then out, then in again before they raised their conjoined hands and looped it over their own heads so they could slide out of the other's grasp. But they didn't complete that motion: instead, their hands stayed linked as they spun under their joined arms. Then Tabatha grabbed the red scarf she was wearing and looped it around their wrists so they were linked and Papyrus took the other end in his free hand. Facing the audience, the pair raised both their bound hands and the free so that the red scarf woven around them was one single line of fabric. The music died and they stayed like that, frozen in place as the audience went berserk.

Papyrus eagerly accepted the water bottle from the backstage hand who proffered it to him, draining almost all of it in one gulp. The dance may have been over, but his bones were still trembling with the excitement and leftover nerves.

After their bow, he and his human-friend had come back behind the stage so Mettaton could do his closing statements to the crowd. He had gone to change out of his costume before he'd been informed that, as a gift, it was now part of his wardrobe. Tabatha got to keep hers as well, which was very good too (the younger skeleton brother thought she looked quite nice in her performance clothes as well).

To be completely frank, he couldn't ever remember feeling like this before: so pumped up and yet so shaky. It was exhilarating. And one look at his partner told him that he wasn't the only one: the young woman sitting on a crate of some kind was all but glowing, her face flushed and brown locks of hair falling into her eyes as she breathed deeply, a goofy smile on her face. That expression of quiet joy made Papyrus' Soul feel warm and he wished he knew of other ways to get that sort of reaction from her so he could see it more often...

There was some commotion at the edge of the stage area and one of the backstage helpers came over and informed the two of them that their friends were waiting just outside for them. Grabbing Tabatha by the hand, Papyrus raced out to greet them, but was unprepared for the sudden flood of hugs and talking. He actually ended up getting noogied by Undyne while Frisk clung to one of his legs and Sans cracked puns all simultaneously, which was something of a blur of affection and annoyance.

"Man, that punk sure knows what she's doing, eh?" the fish lady commented when she finally let him out of the headlock. "She taught ya all the cool stuff, made you look like a pro!"

"I was impressed!" Frisk signed, beaming so wide that their cheeks must have hurt. "I saw the lifts, but I never thought it would look like this!"

"i'm proud of you bro. you really got up there and blew everyone away."

Tabatha was getting smothered as well, but not so much physically: Alphys, Toriel and Asgore were all talking over one another, showering her with compliments in a cacophony of voices.

"Truly, it was wonderful! You have such a gift."

"I w-w-wish I could do that! I'm, uh, just n-not brave enough...or coordinated enough."

"I especially liked that concluding piece to the whole thing. The past versus the future of human and monster relations..."

"There's my two showstoppers!"

Mettaton's voice cut through the general chatter as he sashayed his way over.

"You were absolutely amazing darlings," the robot gushed. "The audience loved you! You're practically famous already!"

"Oh gosh no," Tabatha laughed. "I can live without the spotlight. Papyrus though, he totally deserves a bigger fan base."

"THIS WAS A TEAM EFFORT," the tall skeleton protested. "IF WE SHALL BE POPULAR, THEN WE SHOULD BE POPULAR TOGETHER! YOU DID MUCH HARD WORK TO GET US HERE AND REFINE OUR PERFORMANCE UNTIL IT WAS AS MAGNIFICENT AS COULD BE!"

The young woman looked as though she'd been blindsided and her cheeks were flushing red. Alphys released a silent squeal behind her hands as she watched them and Undyne began to guffaw.

"Oh just kiss already you goobers!" she crowed.

A tangerine blush suddenly materialized on Papyrus' skull and he began to sputter out half-formed protests. Mortified, he hid his face in his hands as everyone laughed along good-naturedly.

"Okay, let's not embarrass the skeleton," Tabatha reprimanded them. "What sort of plans do we have for the rest of the day?"

Sufficiently derailed, the chatter turned to the topic of their upcoming sightseeing and fun—for the most part. Alphys and Mettaton were hanging on the fringe of the group, smiling to themselves.

"Do you have room on that ship for one more, Captain Alphys?" the celebrity asked his old friend slyly.

Dusk was falling and most of the crowds had dispersed to go home. The booths were being taken down and the large group of monsters—along with their two human friends—were crossing the street to reenter the city proper.

"IT IS SO STRANGE TO WALK ABOUT AND BE STOPPED FOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY COMPLETE STRANGERS," Papyrus commented as their group was leaving the festival grounds. "I KNOW THAT I AM VERY GREAT, BUT THIS IS A NEW HEIGHT TO MY POPULARITY!"

"Y-your performance was l-live streamed on Mettaton's YouTube channel," Alphys put in. "You two a-are going viral as we speak!"

"Lemme see that!" Tabatha demanded, pulling out her phone and opening the app. "Oh my gosh, we are!"

"REALLY?!"

"Look!" The brunette showed the taller skeleton the screen, pointing out the more than fifty thousand views on the video already. The group then took turns rechecking the number and became so enthralled that they failed to pay much attention to their surroundings—and in turn, the large crowd of humans that stood waiting.

It happened so quickly: one second, everyone was laughing and having a good time, the next, Frisk let out a cry as they were seized by a human in a mask along with Alphys and Tabatha from opposite sides of their group. There had to be at least fifteen attackers, all standing around the considerably smaller group of monsters in a large ring.

"Frisk! My child!" Toriel screamed.

"TABATHA!" Papyrus cried in shock.

"ALPHYS!" Undyne screeched, a spear materializing in her hand.

All three of the victims were being held at knifepoint, the humans holding them all covering their faces in one way or another. None of the captives dared to struggle and poor Alphys was sweating and shaking so much it looked like they might pass out.

"Tell the shark to put down her weapon, King Fluffybuns," one of the humans growled.

"Yeah, as if!" the former guard captain growled.

"Undyne ," Asgore intoned seriously. "Do as he says."

"Asgore, you can't be serious!" she sputtered.

"You heard me," the monster king maintained.

Toriel was sobbing as she watched the proceedings and Undyne was literally growling as she dissipated her magic. Tabatha frowned, feeling a wriggle of doubt enter her chest. What was he doing? Was he really going to do as he was told, like just any old victim in a mugging?

"Better," the human who was holding Alphys nodded. "Now, here's how this is gonna go down: you are gonna do whatever we want and your little brat, scientist and showgirl don't get hurt. You understand me?"

"THE KINDLY HUMAN IS NOT A SHOWGIRL," Papyrus corrected him on impulse.

"bro, priorities," Sans reminded his sibling quietly.

"What are your demands?" Asgore continued, stone-faced.

"Asgore!" his ex-wife exclaimed. "How can you give in like that."

"Be quiet, my dear," he commanded, though his tone was gentle. The former queen looked heartbroken, but did as he asked, stifling her noise.

"I think it's pretty clear what we want," the one holding Tabatha spat. "You gather your people and go back to the pit from where you came and stay there. We'll hold onto your little ambassador and showgirl until you do just that and then we'll throw 'em back down the hole for ya; we've got no room in this city for monster lovers."

There was a tense silence. Undyne looked ready to charge forward and start ripping off heads, Papyrus was wringing his hands nervously, Toriel was still crying silently and Sans' grin was frozen in place, his eyesockets hollow and black.

"I have been king for a long time," Asgore sighed. "And in that time I have learned that is is sometimes necessary to unbend my pride for the greater good."

"You can't be serious!" the fish monster burst, shutting up when she got a harsh sideways glance from her monarch.

"However," the goat man continued in that same measured tone, "there is something else I have learned throughout the long years of my rule. And that is simply this: never negotiate with terrorists. Sans, if you would."

"it'd be my pleasure," she short skeleton intoned darkly, one of his eyesockets lighting up with a flaming eye that flashed cyan and yellow. With a cheerful DING sound, all the humans'—including Frisk's and Tabatha's—Souls were pulled out of their bodies. With another DING, they all turned blue and Alphys was surrounded by an aura of the same color.

"Shank 'em!" one of the attackers screamed, his voice cracking with terror. But before any of the humans could harm their captives, Sans flicked his fingers and they were all sent flying backwards before they slammed into the asphalt. Tabatha, Frisk and Alphys were anchored into place by the blue magic and were released from its grasp when the stocky monster strode past them to stand over his own victims.

"you shouldn't have done that," he snarled at the prone humans trembling under him. "you really shouldn't have."

Frisk ignored the proceedings and trotted over to Toriel, who snared them in a hug.

"Mom, I think you overdid it a little," they commented, helping to wipe away her tears.

"Yes, that was a bit over the top," she agreed, sniffling. "I'm feeling a bit of a headache now."

Meanwhile Alphys was being smothered by her frantic girlfriend, asking hurriedly if she was hurt or upset and apologizing if her inaction worried her. Tabatha was staring at Sans as he calmly spoke to the humans who'd attacked them and unmasked them on by one. The young woman let out a shriek when a pair of arms came around her and hoisted her up.

"TABATHA! ARE YOU EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY UNDAMAGED?" Papyrus ' voice bellowed from behind as she was crushed against said skeleton's rib cage.

"Yup," she managed to force out. "No damage. Papyrus, air please?"

The tall monster put the human down and she took a minute to catch her breath before she folded her arms in concern, turning to face her friends.

"Does this happen...often?" she asked. "You seemed pretty sure of what you were doing...it actually came off as a bit weird."

"We have all had... incidents," Asgore replied. "Never in so large a group as this, but...when we came to the surface, we knew there would be challenges when it came to our integration. We each worked out ways to respond to situations like these that would harm as few individuals as possible—and that generally means cooperating until we have an opening to use our magic effectively."

"IT IS VERY EFFECTIVE," Papyrus added. "THOUGH SADLY, WHEN THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE ARRESTED THEY OFTEN BLAME US FOR THEIR PUNISHMENTS INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING THAT THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES THROUGH THEIR CHOICE TO PURSUE VIOLENCE."

"That's fairly typically, actually," Tabatha stated. "People tend to blame others for everything or only blame themselves...but turning the tables on your attackers like that, so smoothly...that's... pretty smart actually; I'm impressed. Though I have to say, anyone who knows Toriel would know she's bluffing; she's too tough to just play the hysterical mother card."

"Well then it's a good thing that none of our attackers did very good research," the former Queen chuckled, nuzzling Frisk affectionately.

"That makes it official then," the brunette sighed though she was fighting a smile. "Human beings are simultaneously the most intelligent and the most stupid of all the races on earth."

"oh i'd second that," Sans called over, pulling his phone out from his pockets, dialing 911. "you wouldn't believe some of the crud that i've had to deal with."

"Alright, enough standing around!" Undyne crowed now that Alphys had recovered a suitable amount. "We were heading out to go get some grub yeah? I'm starving!"

"I'm so terribly sorry for his interruption," Asgore apologized to the group. "Yes indeed, let us continue on our way to the celebration. I think some relaxation is in order."

"you all go on ahead," the elder skeleton brother interjected, taking the phone away from the side of his skull. "i'll wait here until this mess is all cleaned up."

"ARE YOU SURE, SANS?" Papyrus asked worriedly. "IT'S A LONG WALK..."

"yeah, there's a shortcut i can take. i'll ketchup to you later."

"THAT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY CONTEXTUAL BASIS!"

"oh yeah? well—"

"NO! NO, I WILL NOT HEAR ANOTHER OF YOUR PUNS! I'M LEAVING!"

And with that, the taller skeleton turned on his heel and went on his way. The other monsters all laughed and then, one by one, followed after Papyrus until Tabatha was the only one left by Sans' side.

"You sure you wanna stay behind?" she pressed. "I don't want you here all alone just because you feel the need to wait until this mess gets cleared up."

"you're too sweet," the stocky skeleton remarked, the teasing evident in his voice. "gonna get diabetes off ya."

"I'm serious!" The brunette was failing to stifle a smile as she swatted his arm.

"hey there serious. i'm Sans."

"Oh my gosh!" Tabatha threw her arms up into the air helplessly. "Alright, if you insist. We'll be at the house."

With a wave, the young woman jogged away, her ponytail swaying back and forth. Behind her, Sans looked down at all the humans still pinned to the concrete by his magic.

"now that is how a human ought to talk to a monster," he commented. "none of this nonsense with knives and threats—that's just rude. but since i've got a captive audience, i might as well test out a few of my new jokes on you all."

Today had been an incredibly tiring day, so full of work and partying that Tabatha was ready to keel over. Going through dress rehearsals, troubleshooting with the sound and lights crew, not to mention doing the actual performance within a few hours of each other was severely draining, especially when one considered she was attempting to direct an amateur the whole while. (Nothing against Papyrus, but he was so new at dancing that it was difficult to get him to understand exactly what she meant with all her instructions.)

It was only nine at night and the young woman was ready to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours. She was almost envious of Frisk, who had passed out on the couch with Sans the second dinner was over. She was making her way up the stairs when her phone suddenly went off, startling her. Pulling out the device, she saw that it was her Uncle Joseph calling—a rare occurrence on a weekday.

"Hey Jo," Tabatha greeted him, lowering her voice so as not to disturb Papyrus busily cleaning up the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Tabatha, was that you performing at the festival today? You were dancing with your skeleton friend?"

"Yes..." she answered, her stomach beginning to twist uncomfortably. Dread began to sink its fangs into her as she suddenly realized the meaning for the call.

"Tabby, she's looking for you again. She saw the video trending and she knows you're in town. You have to lie low."

"I can't just vanish again!" Tabatha hissed as she entered the guest bedroom. "The way my schedule changed doesn't exactly give me a lot of options, not to mention that Sans and Papyrus would most definitely notice."

"You still haven't told them?" Though Joseph's voice lost none of its tension, it shifted into the universal tone of a disapproving family member. "Tabatha, you can't leave them in the dark like this. Not only does it compromise your safety, but it undermines your friendship with them!"

"I'm just...I'm not ready to lay it all on them yet. But we're getting there—"

"Listen, we both know I can't cover for you very well this time—she doesn't trust me anymore when it comes to you. Just promise me that you'll keep off the radar as much as you can."

"I'll try," the brunette whispered. "Thanks for the warning, Jo. I love you."

"Love you too, Tabby Cat."

And with that, the call cut off at the other end. Tabatha slowly lowered the phone from her ear and realized that her hands were shaking, both curled into tight fists. She hadn't been this scared in a long time. Then again, this hadn't happened for a long time...and her usual avenue of escape—vanishing from the public eye—was no longer and option. This far-too-familiar situation was no longer just a routine going under cover and the fact she couldn't just hide terrified her more than anything.

Chapter Text

The human was blinking blearily at the screen as the news continued to roll on. Sans was slouched beside her as they waited for spaghetti so they could start their usual movie or TV episode binge. Currently, the story being covered was of the reactions to the Emergence Day festival, with a tiny spotlight on the attack as no one had come to any actual harm throughout the whole thing. The entire time they'd been sitting there, Tabatha had yawned multiple times and seemed constantly on the edge of sleep. She'd been like this ever since the festival: exhausted and a tad bit jumpier than usual. Her cheerful attitude hadn't faded, but she was distracted, lost in thought a lot and giving in to nervous tics while inside her own head, almost constantly fiddling with her hair. She almost never left the house anymore either, always finding excuses to stay behind unless it was a ride to work or to another of their friends' homes.

Sans had pulled her aside and asked if it was the attack that was causing this sudden bout of exhaustion—if she felt unsafe being out on the streets—but she had denied it and blamed it on her sleep schedule shifted so she could work nights for Grillby, now unable to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Under most circumstances, that would have been enough to soothe the stocky skeleton's concern, but he smelled an owl in the mud: Papyrus would have said something if she was regularly staying up, but he claimed to see her asleep about an hour after going up to her room every night. The only other thing Sans could think of that would tire her out so much would be that her sleep was getting interrupted, probably by nightmares. There was also her Soul to consider. From what he had glimpsed with his more limited Signt on the sly, it would seem as if some old wound was hurting, some memory triggered recently, but he couldn't find anything else without looking deeper, meaning he should ask permission.

Papyrus bustled out of the kitchen with three plates of pasta and passed them out before taking up his seat on the other side of his human friend, going on about how curious he was about the new animated show he'd discovered. Tabatha smiled up at him before she began to pick at her food, eating it in small, almost reluctant bites. Once everything was set and the show was running, she began to lean over until she was pressed against the taller skeleton's side, watching the screen, but not really seeing it. She was asleep before the end of the first episode, snuggled against her friend.

"NYEH! SHE'S FINALLY RESTING PROPERLY!" Papyrus proclaimed, looking down at the brunette fondly. "GOOD! SHE HAS NOT BEEN STAYING ASLEEP VERY LONG—AT LEAST, NOT AS LONG AS I THINK HUMANS OUGHT TO!"

"whatcha mean by that, bro?" Sans asked, shifting so he could stretch out more.

"SHE HAS BEEN WAKING UP VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. SOMETIMES SHE IS UP EARLY ENOUGH TO MAKE ME A PROTEIN SHAKE AFTER MY MORNING RUNS! OF COURSE SHE GOES TO BED AGAIN RIGHT AFTER, BUT WITH HER WORKING SO LATE IT MAKES ME A LITTLE CONCERNED. AND SHE HAS TAKEN TO MOVING BACK TO THE FLOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AS WELL."

"oh really?" the shorter brother murmured, his thoughts beginning to swallow him up again as the TV rambled on into the next episode. Yup, those were all big red flags, the owls were in the freakin' mud. Tabatha hadn't slept on the floor since the first few days of being their roommate, not since Papyrus had been ensuring she was in her bed. And if there was one thing that Sans had in common with Tabatha, it was their dislike of early mornings. Why would she be awake if there wasn't something wrong?

His little brother moved his human friend up to her room when the credits began to roll, but neither of the monsters were really focused on the screen for the rest of the evening. Finally Sans gave up on trying to concentrate, going up the stairs himself and headed for his room. He paused at the top of the case, glancing at the guest bedroom before he made his decision.

Tabatha did not stir when he materialized inside her room, hardly three steps away from the bed. Closing the distance, he gently called out her Soul and looked over it, his eye igniting as he began to use his powers to get a better look at where the emotional ache was originating from. Guilt curled in the empty space where his guts should have been but he did not replace the glowing green energy as his gaze focused in on the large scar that crossed the center of the heart shape, that pale patch that went several layers deep. That was it—the old wound that was hurting again.

He was tempted. He was oh so tempted to just let a smidge more power flow into his eye, let his Sight determine where that injury had come from and how it had never left her. But he was already toeing the line by just looking as deep as he was, not to mention that her Soul was beginning to crystallize from fear—wait, fear?! There shouldn't be fear; his powers were so gentle on a Soul that it hardly realized it was being observed.

The brunette let out a whimper, shifting under the covers as her face contorted, more panic settling into her Soul and forming its hard, crystal shell that was supposed to protect it from attack. Sans felt brief panic himself before he realized what was happening: she was having a nightmare, and a fairly lucid one judging off the messages her Soul was sending out: Don't come any closer! Don't hurt me!

Reacting on instinct, the skeleton brought out his own Soul and channeled his magic through it, letting it broadcast a message of his own to help soothe her: You are not alone. There is help. They cannot hurt you.

There was a flash of something in the depths of his eyesockets as a brief connection surged between the two manifestations of their beings. It wasn't words or even an image, but a sensation of white pain, physical and emotional mixed. And a presence, a female presence, malignant and threatening.

Sans pulled his Soul back into his rib cage, knowing he would see more if he let the connection persist. He had no right to see what he just had; those were Tabatha's private, most intimate thoughts. No one should know what those images meant unless she told them.

The stocky monster took a minute to consider the fact that he was thinking such things. Not too long ago, he would have shrugged all guilt aside, determined to find what she was hiding from them. But, someway, somehow, this human had earned some respect, some trust. Not enough for him to really stop looking for potential danger signs, but now it was as much for her well-being as it was for him and his brother. It was like when Frisk had wriggled their way into the skelebros—particularly the older one's—metaphorical hearts for good: it just clicked all into place and made sense, like how the earth spun and kept everyone firmly anchored to its surface. Somehow, Sans got the feeling that Tabatha was just meant to be in their lives. Perhaps the greater universe had a plan for her and she needed to be in this place at this time, needed to be their friend, for everything to be right.

man, it's too late to get all philosophical, he thought as he fought a yawn. Blinking back to his room, he flopped down onto the mattress, feeling a slight glow of contentment inside when he realized that the young woman's nightmare had not been troubling her when he's put back her Soul. Of course it was only a temporary fix, but it would do for now. She needed her rest.

"You know, Alphys, you could always be Armin," Tabatha suggested as she scrolled through the image search and clicking on a good picture of the blonde Attack on Titian character and dragging it into their shared document. "It'd be a cute genderbend."

"Alph would be cute going as anyone!" Undyne declared as she continued looking through pictures of Hatsune Miku and other vocaloids. "But we're gonna need more than one costume since we're doing the convention tour."

"How many are you going to?" the human asked, impressed at the volume of nerdiness these two were going to engage in.

"Everfree Northwest, Anime Expo and Comic Con are the big ones," the former guard captian listed off. "But we're gonna stop by every single place we can that's on the way!"

"You guys do realize this is gonna be a several-month long tour, right? You have plenty of time to get your stuff together."

"W-well, it's better to be p-prepared early, j-ju-just in case our plans change," Alphys replied. "C-cosplay is an art that shouldn't be rushed."

"Well, I do have an idea for who you two could be Everfree Northwest," Tabatha mused. "The Flutterdash shippers would be all over you. You even have the same colors and personality types!"

"Are you sure you don't want to tag along?" Undyne added. "You're just as much as nerd as can be! You'd love this tour!"

"I can't be away from work for so long," the brunette sighed. "Otherwise I would totally jump ship and travel with you two for a few months."

"W-well could you b-be away from work f-f-for two or th-three days?" the squat scientist questioned.

"I mean, if Grillby approves, but—"

"GREAT! Because me and Alph got you a little something..."

Tabatha looked between the fish woman's smug grin to her girlfriend's fidgety form and twitchy smile, raising an eyebrow at them expectantly.

"Y-you know what PAX Prime is, y-yes?" Alphys continued, getting a nod from the human. "W-well, w-we wanted to show s-some appreciation for what y-you did for Mettaton by p-p-performing at the festival—or well I did, but Undyne was the one who came up with the idea—"

"WE GOT YOU A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THE VIDEO GAME CON!" Undyne bellowed, clearly unable to hold back the surprise any longer. "So you and Paps can go nerd your little hearts out for doing such a good job dancing!"

The redheaded monster's smirk could only be described as sharklike as she let out her usual belly laugh. Tabatha's face was blank with shock.

"How long did you say those passes were for?" she asked in shock.

"T-three days."

"Those kinds of tickets cost more than a hundred dollars each!" the young woman exclaimed. "Did you really—?!"

"YUP! So you better enjoy yourself and take lots of pictures! Fuhuhuhuhu!"

Tabatah scrambled to her feet and promptly tackled both monsters in a hug, spewing out a rush of "thank youthankyouthankyou!" as she squeezed them. When she pulled back, she was actually crying a little, but her wide smile and laughter only assured her friends that this had been the right choice.

And hopefully the ship would be leaving the harbor soon...

"So how would you guys feel about taking a trip next weekend?"

The question was quite unexpected and both skeletons looked at each other in surprise before glancing back at the human, who was all but vibrating with an excitement they hadn't seen for a while.

"uh, what kind of trip?" Sans dared to ask. "because that could mean a lot of things."

"Well, it's out of town and will last three days."

"WHAT COULD LAST SO LONG THAT WE WOULD BE GONE FOR THREE WHOLE DAYS?" Papyrus piped up, tilting his skull to the side in confusion.

"Do you know what PAX Prime is?" When both brothers shook their heads, she hastened to explain. "It's a really big convention all about video games. Professional gamers, programmers, level designers, people from all over the industry are going to be there to talk about game and the fan merchandise will be off the charts! Not to mention lots of people are probably going in cosplay and nerding over every little thing."

"where'd you hear about this?" the shorter monster continued questioning, resting his head on propped hands.

"Alphys and Undyne got me some tickets as thanks for helping Mettaton out with the dancing. Since I had enough for all of us, I wanted to invite you guys along. Better to not let them go to waste, right?"

"WELL I DON'T KNOW ABOUT SANS, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO BE THERE WITH YOU AT THE PAX CONVENTION!" Papyrus proclaimed. "THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT THE SURFACE WORLD AND THIS WILL BE A WONDERFUL WAY TO MEET MANY HUMANS WHO ALL SHARE THE SAME PASSIONS!"

"eh, i dunno Tabatha," Sans shrugged. "sounds crowded and i really don't do lots of people. 'sides, i'd probably lose you two in all the crazy."

"Mm, seeing as Papyrus is taller than just about every human in existence, I think it would be hard to lose track of him," the brunette chuckled. "But you don't have to be down on the floor all the time, Sans. Just come out for a few things, get a good look at some of the tech and then you can go back up to the hotel room."

"it's three days?" he confirmed. She nodded and he leaned back in his chair to think about it. Then he sighed. "well, i might not go to any of the big stuff, but i'll tag a long to keep and eyesocket on the two of you. don't need ya getting up to funny business while you're out alone with each other."

Tabatha's cheeks went pink as Papyrus began to admonish his older brother, adding that "IF ANYONE WERE TO GET UP TO 'FUNNY BUSINESS', IT WOULD BE YOU!" She tried to cover up her blush by turning back to the subject of the convention and laying out the details so they could plan their trip. As his younger sibling began to ask questions about potentially going in costume, Sans slouched in his seat, a little unsettled by the circumstances of the invitation.

First she'd been quiet about whatever was bothering her, then she went out of her way to stay at home whenever possible and now she was leaping at the chance to get out of town. Something was up. Something big. But he wasn't going to press for information yet; no, he would let her have some time to relax before he got to the root of this...whatever it was.

Chapter Text

"Alright...car activities?"

"CHECK!"

"Snacks?"

"check."

"Directions?"

"CHECK!"

"Luggage?"

"check."

"And everyone is ready! Let's get this show on the road, people!"

Papyrus actually cheered at the announcement, making Tabatha laugh and his brother smile. The trio clambered into the convertible, Sans in the back with all the luggage with Papyrus driving and Tabatha navigating. Pulling out of the driveway, the road trip began. Well, kind of.

"WHY DO YOU NEED TO STOP OFF AT THE CEMETERY?" the taller skeleton asked when they were paused at a stoplight. His brunette friend had been running over their printed route when she had remarked that she needed to divert their path of travel so she could briefly visit the local graveyard before going on with the rest of their drive.

"I have a friend who stops by there pretty frequently and I wanted to stop off and maybe say goodbye if he's there. Should be pretty short though, especially if I missed him."

"what's your friend's name?" Sans pressed, already hunkered down with the softer bags around him like pillows.

"Brian. He's one of my grown-up friends that I met through my Uncle," the brunette answered easily. "We look out for each other."

Nobody continued asking, so everything was quiet again aside from the periodic directions from the human copilot. Sans knew there was more to this than she was saying, but he didn't get any overly suspicious vibes off of it. Papyrus meanwhile was wondering how many other human friends she had aside from those in her dance class. He'd almost been certain that her friend would be the Gareth person that she had professed love for not so very long ago. But now there was a Brian?

True to her word, the visit to the cemetery was brief: she went in and came out in less than ten minutes. When she climbed back into her seat, she was rubbing at her eyes, her breathing deep and purposeful.

"HUMAN TABATHA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus questioned worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she sighed, her nose sounding stuffy all of a sudden. She sniffed before she grabbed the directions again. "Okay, let's blow this popsicle stand!"

"WHAT POPSICLE STAND?"

They drove away from the iron-wrought gates with the brunette laughing at the innocence of her best friend. Sans was the only one who noticed the man step out from the graveyard before they rounded the corner: a tall older man, who shared Tabatha's deep brown hair and eyes. He was holding two lilies in his hand.

After nearly six hours in the car, everyone was tired of sitting—even Sans and he had slept the whole way! But their patience was paying off: they finally spotted the grand hotel where they would be staying for the next three days. It was absolutely packed, parking limited to the very back of the lot and quite a walk away. A quick shortcut solved that once they got their luggage out and the trio made their way to the front desk to get their room key.

As Tabatha confirmed their room reservation, Papyrus was spinning in circles, his bag clutched to his chest as he looked at all the humans passing by. His eyesockets were sparkling and the little stars only got brighter whenever someone in costume came by.

"LOOK HUMAN TABATHA!" he proclaimed excitedly. "THIS IS ALL SO AMAZING! I DO NOT KNOW WHO MANY OF THESE CHARACTERS ARE, BUT THE DEDICATION AND PASSION OF THOSE WHO WEAR THEM IS ADMIRABLE—NAY, INCREDIBLE!"

"indoor voice bro," Sans reminded him, noticing the humans staring.

"Okay, got keys, let's go up and get dressed," the brunette chirped, holding up the trio of key cards. "We're up on floor six!"

Reshuffling their bags, they made their way through the crowd and onto the main floor. It was so packed it was quite difficult to move with the luggage, so Papyrus had to take all of it into his arms and hold it over the collective heads of all the convention-goers until they had reached the elevators. The sight from through the glass doors was quite impressive, seeing all the people milling down below, like colorful ants.

Papyrus was vibrating and all but sprinted down the hall to their rooms when the elevator finally reached the right floor. When he got there, he realized that his hands were too full to open the door and raced back to his brother, demanding in his stage-whisper of an indoor voice that Sans hurry up and come along to get into their room quicker.

"somebody's hyped," the short skeleton remarked as he watched his sibling bounce excitedly by the door.

"Rightfully so!" Tabatha laughed. "He's prepped and all there's left to do is get out there and have a blast!"

The door was finally unlocked and Papyrus bounded inside, hurriedly setting aside all the bags as his human friend opened the door connecting her room to theirs and stepping inside. The younger of the skelebros immediately set about pulling out his costume and getting it on, making sure that everything was in order. It wasn't the most complicated of outfits, but he still spent several minutes adjusting and readjusting the fine details on the costume.

"ARE YOU SURE IT LOOKS ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked worriedly as he stood in fron of his brother for an evaluation.

"you'll knock 'em dead, bro."

"SANS!"

A knock came at the door, interrupting the banter as Tabatha peeked her head in.

"We all good in here? Oh wow Paps, you look great!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Sans, gotta hand it to you, you know how to put together a costume."

Sans shrugged at the compliment, but his brother was beaming. Papyrus wore a long, dark grey cloak with a hood though it did not cover his skull at the moment. There was a golden chain about his waist, acting as a belt with a leather tome on one end. At his side was a scythe, eight feet of black iron staff and a glittering crescent of steel. The reaper image was only helped by the skeleton's natural height and regal posturing.

"MY BROTHER HAS A HIDDEN SKILL WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING THINGS!" Papyrus crowed. "NOW LET'S SEE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE!"

"It's not as cool, but..."

The human opened the door the rest of the way and stepped into the room, spinning so the pair of monsters could take in the whole outfit. Tabatha was wearing a Japanese schoolgirl uniform that was spattered with scarlet from fake bloodstains. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she carried a katana in one hand.

"who are you again?" the shorter skeleton asked, scratching his skull.

"Ayano Aishi, better known as Yandere-chan from the game Yandere Simulator," the brunette explained. "Not a game you guys would probably play, but easy to pull off for a cosplay."

"WHY WOULD WE NOT WANT TO PLAY THE YANDERE SIMULATOR?" Papyrus asked curiously.

"Lot of casual violence and cruelty," was the grim answer. "Anyway, we need to go get checked in then we can check out the floor. Come on!"

Tabatha jogged out of the door, her skeleton friend in close pursuit. They managed to slip into an elevator with a Cloud and a Deadpool cosplayer and when they reached the bottom floor, they noticed that Sans had beaten them and was holding their place in line for the check-in. As they waited, the trio observed all the different costumes and commented on them.

"hOI!" a sudden voice interrupted from behind them in line. Tabatha and Papyrus started, but Sans merely rolled his eyelights. "I'm tEM! Da King tEMMIE! HOomIN and sKelE-tEM loOk sooOOo guD!"

The young woman looked down in surprise at the small, gently vibrating monster. It too was dressed up, wearing a spiky brown wig and yellow vest over a silvery harness.

"Thanks a lot!" Tabatha graciously accepted the compliment. "And right back at ya! Love the Tracer outfit!"

"cHEerS wUv!" King tEMMIE exclaimed, vibrating intensely—so much so that it was hovering off the ground.

After the trio got their lanyards and were all registered, the human immediately looked over the map to determine where to go first. She rushed off with the taller skeleton in tow, spouting something about virtual reality. The shorter of the brothers followed at a distance, clearly able to see where they were due to Papyrus' considerable height. Down a set of stairs and through a pair of doors into a wide open space that was crowded with booths selling merchandise or showing off games. When he finally caught up, he noticed the station where they had gone was showcasing a game called "Portal" on a VR headset. Tabatha was giving her friend the rundown as he pulled the goggles.

"It's a bunch of puzzles in essence. However, because of the portal gun, space doesn't work the same way. The game should walk you through the controls—here's the controllers."

Papyrus looked completely baffled as he adjusted the equipment. But once the system turned on, he gasped dramatically.

"HUMAN?!" he cried. "WH-WHERE AM I? IT'S... IT'S SO BRIGHT!"

"Do you see the menu and your controllers?" Tabatha asked. "Point and press start."

The younger skeleton seemed baffled, but did his best to follow the directions. Sans and the human both watched the actions being shown on the display screen at the booth, watching him go through the tutorial and play with the portal gun. Papyrus was in complete awe as he looked around the virtual puzzle map, easily solving them once he got the hang of it.

"BROTHER! YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO TRY THIS!" he exclaimed, pulling the headset off in excitement. "THE TECHNOLOGY IS INCREDIBLE!"

"alright, i guess i could have a go," the hoodie-clad monster shrugged. "just one puzzle before i go back up and nap."

Tabatha pressed her hand against her mouth, her face glowing with delight as her friends traded places. She was so glad they had decided to come along with her, glad that the money spent on her three-day pass had gone to good use so they could have the two free ones. It was something special to share this thing—these video games—that she loved with them.

The brunette would have to be a fool to not realize what Undyne and Alphys had been trying to do with only getting her a pair of tickets: they wanted her and Papyrus to be alone together, clearly hoping their friendship would...expand beyond its current state. But...as much as Tabatha adored the taller skeleton, there were still secrets that prevented her from truly being able to invest in that type of relationship.

The young woman shook herself, fighting down the small pulse of fear that shot through her veins. She had come here to forget why she'd been so stressed, not to carry it along as baggage and ruin the whole experience. There was still plenty to educate her companions on in the real of interactive entertainment.

Papyrus was just beyond words as he went with his brother and best friend back to their room. The last event of the day had been a new console reveal from a large gaming company and the room had been packed—so much so that he'd barely had room to breathe much less applaud or move about.

It was almost...unreal being at the PAX convention, he reflected as they entered the glass elevator for the thrid time that day. He and Tabatha could hardly go ten feet without someone complimenting their costumes or wanting to take a picture. Even Sans got some attention when a few people mistook him for someone called "Grim Fandango." There was also all the things that he was learning: before today, he had never realized that puzzles could exist in the virtual world and have entirely different rules than puzzles that had to obey both physical and magical laws. And people made a living off of it too! It sounded almost too good to be true—getting paid to something he did in his spare time already (albeit in a different medium).

His friend bid both him and his brother a good night before going to her separate room to remove her costume. Sans passed out the second he hit the bed when they unlocked their own door, snoring loudly and making his rib cage rattle a little. Papyrus sighed fondly, knowing his sibling was exhausted from not being able to get away and nap for more than ten minutes at a time with all the excitement and things to see. The trainee guardsman took off and hung up his reaper robes and tucked the scythe into the closet before he pulled out a laptop from their bags, signing in. In the blue glow of the screen, he typed the name of the game he had played on the headset earlier: Portal.

It wouldn't be until early morning that Papyrus would put away the laptop, his eyesockets flashing with images of portal guns and white walls and cubes with hearts on them. He joined his brother on the bed before settling in under the covers himself.

For the first time in his life, Papyrus wondered if perhaps there was a place for him in this surface world—as more than just a kind friend to anyone who needed it; as a worker who made things and helped progress their now-shared society. For the first time, he saw how he could be a part of the larger world. He wouldn't ever become a guardsman—he had known that for quite some time now—but maybe, just maybe...it was okay to give up that dream. Give up an old dream...for a new one.

Chapter Text

"PLEASE DO NOT GET SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER," Papyrus requested as he stood outside the conference room. "I WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO COME LOOKING FOR ONE OF YOU WHEN I AM DONE HERE, ESPECIALLY WHEN ALL THE HUMANS WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME!"

"I'm not surprised they want to get a picture of you," Tabatha laughed. "This costume really beats out all the competition."

It was the trio's second day at the convention. They'd had a lazy morning getting ready for the craziness of the main convention floor—which had been mostly due to the complicated nature of their cosplays for today. Papyrus had decided to go for a Star Wars theme and was dressed in an incredibly detailed set of armor and cloak that gave him the appearance of General Grievous, complete with lightsabers that ignited with blue magic at will. (Sans really could work miracles when he had the proper motivation to). Tabatha was going as another video game character, dressed as Chell from the skelebro's new favorite game Portal. While her resemblance to the character was helpful—as was the simple nature of the outfit—the best part was the portal gun Alphys had given her, which shot rings of orange and blue that magically hovered in the air though they didn't actually work as portals.

The doors to the conference room swung open and the tall monster jumped in surprise before fidgeting excitedly.

"JUST PLEASE BE MATURE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS WHILE I AM GONE!" he pleaded.

"no promises," Sans chuckled. "now go have fun and don't worry about us. we can handle ourselves."

Papyrus made a face before he went through the doors to grab a seat for the panel he was attending—a question and answer session with some independent game developers on how they got started in the gaming industry. When he was out of sight, the stocky skeleton gave his human friend a sideways glance.

"so what's the plan, tabby cat?" he asked.

"I am going to induct you into a new fandom. There's another VR experience back on the floor that might intrigue you."

The human guided him down a flight of steps and into the large crowded space, pushing through until she found the booth.

"So have you ever heard of Batman?" she questioned as they waited in line.

"yup. he's a superhero or something yeah?" Sans shot back. "kinda dark stuff, isn't it?"

"Well that's the beauty of the franchise. The gray area between good and evil how everything is blurred. It's a little bit of a psychological thriller sometimes, lot's of complicated answers."

"geez, what is it with humans and violence?" the skeleton muttered. "it's like you all have this desire to blow something up as spectacularly as possible. plus, video games with casual murder? why would someone make a game like that? seems like it would only provoke more of that in real life."

Tabatha frowned at her friend before she tucked her portal gun under her arm and pulled out her phone.

"Sans, I want to show you a few things," she said. "And you are right that humans do have a thing for violence...but just because someone is okay seeing explosions and getting headshots or casually kills a rival in a love triangle doesn't mean that that translates over to real life. Here."

She passed over her phone which was playing a video of some guy playing a video game. It looked like one of those pointlessly violent ones about whacking somebody so hard their guts went everywhere. The man playing the game was clearly having a blast, laughing his head off when he wasn't getting frustrated by the tricky levels. It made him a little sick. Once it was over, the brunette then typed up another title and passed it back to him. It was the same gamer as before, but now he was playing something having to do with war. Tabatha had moved to the end and briefly gave the context of what was happening, but mostly just let him watch. While there was still the same frustration when the puzzles were proving difficult, the man no longer laughed at the deaths. Instead, by the end of the video he was sobbing when a character had to be executed in a cutscene.

"One more."

The last one wasn't a gameplay video at all: it was of three men, one of which was the same as the last two videos. For whatever reason, that man and another one were supposed to slap the third and when it came time for the laughing man to do it, he was extremely reluctant to do it and even after he managed to give a proper smack, he hugged the human who'd been on the receiving end and apologized.

"That guy is a professional gamer," Tabatha explained as she put her phone away. "He might laugh at the Gore sometimes and get a rush from killing the bad guys, but that doesn't mean he's a psychopath. The thing about video games is that they aren't real and because they aren't, gamers can enjoy playing without being overly disturbed by the violence. And that carries over into other sorts of entertainment, comics and movies among them."

"but..." Sans' brow bone furrowed. "why would you willingly sit down and watch something like that? knowing that there are people dying..."

"There's a little thing called 'suspension of disbelief' that people experience during a movie or game," the human continued trying explain. "When in the moment, the fiction takes over reality. In those kinds of worlds, characters can come back after dying and there's no consequence for murder because when you start over and they'll be back. But most games and movies are just entertainment—they stay in that suspended-reality state and don't infringe on the real world. The games that are well-made, that make you think, that make you feel...those are the stories that last because they're more real. Those are the characters we mourn as real people because they break the barrier between entertainment and reality."

The skeleton looked at his friend with no small amount of awe. The way she was speaking...it showed that she had experienced these things for herself. She had played with little care for the CPU's and had cried for a fictional death. She was one of those humans who enjoyed these games, violent or not, dark or not...and she had the brightest, kindest Soul he had ever seen.

"so which Batman thing do you think will be my favorite?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"Dr. Freeze," was the immediate answer. "When he showed up in the movie, his opening line was a pun... plus, he's far easier to empathize with than most of the Rogues Gallery. Or the Riddler; he's clever."

"so how's about you gimme the lowdown on the franchise?"

The excited gleam in Tabatha's eyes was definitely worth the effort of having to stand in this line, waiting for their turn.

HMPH, WHERE IS THAT LAZYBONES!" Papyrus exclaimed with his hands on his hips. "HE WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET US FOR GAMES!"

"It's only been fifteen minutes since his panel let out, maybe he just got held up with the crowd?" the brunette suggested. It had only been a few hours since Papyrus had gotten out of his own panel and he had been rather impatiently waiting for his brother and best friend to finish up with their own things so they could all have fun together before the game night show with famous video gamers. The tall skeleton had already used that time to beat the first portal game and was still waiting for his download of the second to be finalized.

"WELL I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT WANT TO STAND AROUND AND LOSE PRECIOUS TIME ANY LONGER!" the guardsman trainee declared. "I SHALL GO SEE WHAT IS DELAYING HIM!"

It was quite a sight to see General Grievous carefully navigating his way through the crowd, a significantly less dressed human trailing after. The conference room had a cluster of people still standing outside, but there was no sign of Sans. Papyrus managed to get a peek inside the doors over the heads of the humans still milling about and caught a glimpse of a familiar blue hoodie. It looked like he was standing in the aisle of chairs, talking to someone in the crowd with a higher-than-average interest in the conversation.

"EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME!" the monster apologized as he pushed past the crowd. "SANS!"

"oh hey bro," the shorter brother remarked casually, twisting to face him. "how very ice of you to drop in."

"SANS! THAT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE CONTEXT!"

"Actually, Pap, it kinda did," Tabatha added, pointing at the young lady standing beside Sans. The girl looked to be on her late twenties or early thirties and had Asian features. She was dressed in a warm esquimo-style coat and overlarge fake glasses. "She's Mei from Overwatch. Snow and ice powers."

"ALL THE SAME, THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR POOR TASTE IN JOKES!" Papyrus huffed. "HUMAN, I GREATLY APOLOGIZE FOR YOU HAVING TO ENDURE MY BROTHER'S SENSE OF HUMOR."

"Well, it's no problem, really," the other female replied brightly.

Sans' smile widened to the point where everyone could see the pun forming in his skull without him needing to vocalize it. The truly murderous—or grievous considering his costume—look from his little brother prevented him from correcting the new girl that it was actually snow problem. The shorter skeleton stuck his hands into his pockets, shrugging.

"well, great talking to ya, sweetheart," he addressed the human. "maybe i'll see ya around."

"Wait," Tabatha interrupted. "Are you going anywhere, miss?"

"Um, no," she replied with faint surprise. "Why?"

"Well we three were just going to head over to the gaming floor and do some competitive play. If you'd like, you could tag along and we could have even teams for DDR and Smash Bros."

"I wouldn't want to impose—"

"REALLY HUMAN, IT'S NO BOTHER," Papyrus added warmly. "I WOULD ENJOY SPENDING SOME TIME WITH SANS' NEW HUMAN-FRIEND! HE USUALLY TAKES MUCH LONGER TO WARM UP TO PEOPLE."

"Well then, how can I refuse?" she laughed. "I'm Mia, by the way. Mia Ramirez."

"I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! YOU ALREADY KNOW SANS AND THIS HUMAN HERE, DESPITE LOOKING LIKE SHE WOULD BE NAMED CHELL, IS MY FRIEND TABATHA! NOW, ONWARD TO THE FUN GAMING COMPETITION!"

As it turned out, Mia was very good at video games—which was something of a relief because it meant Sans had a partner who actually cared and was competent enough to carry the team. Dance Dance Revolution sent Tabatha into stitches when the stocky skeleton played the game by sitting down and pressing his hands to the buttons instead of doing it properly. Of course hers and Papyrus' victory was swept under the rug when the other team crushed them in Smash Bros—reason being that the only actual effort Sans had to put forth was in button mashing, which he did incredibly well.

"We'll settle this with Overwatch!" the brunette declared. "There's a computer station over there!"

"Prepare for annihilation!" Mia crowed back excitedly, hot on the other young woman's heels with Papyrus in pursuit.

The match turned out to be a draw, which resulted in a tug-of-war in losses and victories on each side until they all agreed to stop because their eyes were getting tired. They sat at one of the benches set out for convention-goers to rest on and shared stories, including how Tabatha met the skeleton brothers.

"Your meeting sounds a lot better than mine," the other human chuckled. "I just wanted to tell Sans that I appreciated his questions during the Panel and we got talking."

"THAT IS REMARKABLE IN ITS OWN RIGHT!" Papyrus declared, affection heavy in his tone. "SANS DOESN'T USUALLY 'GET TALKING' WITH ANYONE! NOT WITH THE ATTENTION HE WAS GIVING YOU!"

Tabatha's smile widened and Sans felt sudden apprehension at the expression on her face: it was the same sort of look Alphys reserved for anime characters she shipped non-canonically.

"So what do you do for work, Mia?" she asked, still grinning wolfishly.

"I'm a programmer with an indie gaming company. I work on making sure the code is functioning properly and fix glitches in the gameplay before they hit beta."

"REALLY? THAT SOUNDS VERY EXCITING HUMAN MIA! PLEASE, TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT! I HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT I LIKE VIDEO GAMES MORE THAN AS A CAUSAL PASTIME AND WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE!"

Sans jerked when Tabatha suddenly leaned over with a smug smirk, one eyebrow raised.

"whatever you're thinking, stop," he grumbled. "i see what you're doing."

"Oh come on man," she snickered. "You're smart, she's smart, you like fiddling with tech, she fiddles with tech for a living...don't tell me monsters don't believe in love at first sight."

"we just met, okay?" the skeleton hedged. "let's not jump into any conclusions."

"Alright...but I insist that you get her phone number. You're my bro-friend and I wanna set you up with all the cute girls."

"what if i didn't swing that way?"

"Then I have lots in experience in finding cute guys."

Sans groaned and put his skull in his hands. This was never going to end, was it? Why was everybody so insistent on shipping the skeletons?

It wouldn't be so bad some part of him he refused to acknowledge whispered.

Shut up you.

"I think you should get the companion cube," Tabatha suggested as they looked over the rack of plushies on sale. "I mean, you finished Portal in less than a day and you're gonna finish the second one too."

"NYEH...BUT I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF GAMES! TRUE, THE APATURE PUZZLE GAME WAS REVOLUTIONARY TO ME, BUT..."

"bro, you gotta choose quick," Sans reminded him. "we're gonna be home tomorrow instead of today if we take too long."

The tall skeleton looked over all the plushies again before he picked up the pink cube and took it over to the salesperson. He paid and the trio walked away from the market stalls with their purchases. The older of the two brothers had gotten a map of the Star Wars Galaxy and a shirt proclaiming "the cake is a lie." Tabatha had gotten a functional replica of the Legend of Zelda master sword while Papyrus had both the companion cube and a set of posters for multiple franchises, including Overwatch.

It had been the third day of Pax Prime and the last the three friends had to spend. It had been more relaxed than the two previous day's, mostly meeting up with Mia and looking at the big events of the day. It was evening now and they were checking out at the front desk with some reluctance but also some relief to finally be going home.

"So I take it you both enjoyed?" Tabatha asked as they left the building and crossed the parking lot.

"i didn't know if i'd be game for this, but you certainly won't have to console me about wasted time," Sans chuckled.

"NORMALLY I WOULD REPRIMAND YOU FOR YOUR PUNS, BROTHER, BUT I AM EQUALLY PLEASED WITH HOW THIS TRIP HAS TURNED OUT."

"Good. Then I'll finally be content in knowing that you two won't be entirely clueless when I reference something."

They joked and shared commentary about the convention until they reached the car where they all piled in and began their journey home. The shorter skeleton in the backseat was texting for the first part of the drive, but quickly dropped off and began snoring. The ride was mostly silent except for double checking the directions.

"TABATHA?" Papyrus dared venture as they neared the edge of familiar roads. "I...I WANT TO KNKW SOMETHING."

"Yeah Pap?" The brunette was almost asleep staring out the window.

"IF..IF I WANTED TO MAKE VIDEO GAMES, WHERE WOULD I START?"

That caught her attention.

"Well, there's lots of different ways you can go with that type of thing," she replied, sitting straight. "If I were just starting, though, I'd get to know more about how the games are made, what kind of work needs to go into them. You could also start playing more to get a feel for what a good game looks and acts like."

"WHERE WOULD I LEARN SUCH THINGS?"

"Internet is always a good place to start. Online classes are available at some universities to teach basic programming. You'll have to do your own research; I'm not a specialist by any definition. Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

"I HAVE SEEN SO MUCH ABOUT THE VIDEO GAMES OF THE SURFACE THE PAST THREE DAYS," Papyrus replied eagerly. "UNDERGROUND, THE ONLY GAMES PUT OUT WERE BY METTATON ABOUT METTATON. HERE, THERE IS SUCH VARIETY ! AND...I HAVE REALIZED THAT MY DREAM OF BECOMING A GUARDSMAN WILL LIKELY NEVER HAPPEN; THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE GUARDS ANYMORE. BUT PERHAPS I MAY BE ABLE TO FIND MYSELF BEING GOOD AT THIS NEW THING INSTEAD. IT IS... SOMETHING I WANT TO EXPLORE A LITTLE."

Tabatha's face softened into a warm smile. She reached over to gently take his shoulder in her hand in a comforting manner.

"Well, once we get home, I'll help you figure out where to go next," she promised. "Two heads are better than one, right?"

"NYEH! RIGHT!" the tall skeleton proclaimed. His Soul was thrumming in contentment, sitting here with his best friend. He had almost forgotten about his brother in the backseat, completely unaware of how the constant snoring had abruptly stopped.

Chapter Text

"No, that's a for-profit school. They're going to use you as an investment instead of as a student because the whole point is to make money off you in any way they can. In any case, I think for a start you should just be taking some program and design classes at the local college—they're pretty monster-inclusive, aren't they?"

"WELL, YES, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE A FULL-TIME STUDENT TO TAKE SOME OF THOSE COURSES AND I SENT IN MY APPLICATION AS A NON-STANDARD STUDENT ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO WITH UNDYNE AND ALPHYS' RECOMMENDATIONS. THERE STILL HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE."

"College mail is brutal," Tabatha sighed. "But we still have to be patient because they have their own schedules we have to respect. In any case, have you started your Legend of Zelda indoctrination? I have a copy of Ocarina of Time on my 3DS that you can use."

As the two friends continued their back-and-forth discussion, Sans continued to glare at the TV screen with an unusual amount of bitterness. He'd been in a mood for days, grouchy and with a severe lack of punning—the jokes now barely had any contextual sense and seemed more like someone wearily acting out a gimmick. Papyrus had worried that his brother was sick or being overworked, but the stocky monster managed to dodge all the concerned questions and investigation. It was starting to strain on everyone's nerves, but there was no resolution in sight.

"Alright, that's enough college searching for now," the brunette remarked, closing the laptop. "You gotta go train with Undyne, right?"

"OH YES!" Papyrus declared. "EXCUSE ME!"

The following ten minutes was a rush of activity and goodbyes as the younger brother gathered his workout bag and drove off, leaving his friend alone with the still-glowering comedian. The cushions dipped as the empty seat became occupied by another person and the cheerful atmosphere faded into a more serious tone.

"Alright Sans, what's wrong?" Tabatha sighed as she settled into the couch.

"dunno what you're talking about, kiddo," the skeleton grunted. The human rolled her dark eyes before reaching over and shutting off the TV.

"Don't underestimate my intelligence, mister skuklity skulking skullface. Spill."

The stocky monster didn't reply right away, still staring at the void that was the blank screen in front of him. Then he groaned and slouched even further into the cushions.

"i just don't see why Paps is so into going to college," he grumbled. "i make enough to keep everyone here fed and have fun. so what's the point of him spending money on classes that he probably won't ever really use? i can take care of him just fine."

"He's going to learn, to get new skills."

"he's done great without school up 'till now."

Tabatha looked over Sans, reading his body language and between the lines of his crabby responses. Then she frowned.

"Have you ever thought that maybe Papyrus has more to do with his life than he's already doing?" she prodded. "That he could be happier being independent—being himself?"

Her words were swallowed up silence and she knew she'd hit a nerve.

"Sans," the brunette stated firmly, "Papyrus is an adult."

"i know he's an adult."

"Then why are you treating him like a child?" The skeleton gave her a dangerous look, the iris in his left eyesocket flashing cyan. "I know he's your little brother, but he's got his own life to live, his own talents to discover and develop."

"don't try to lecture me about our relationship," Sans bit out, his sockets hollow and dark as he clearly repressed a far greater display of rage. "you don't know what we've been through."

"I've lived here long enough to know that you smother him," Tabatha shot back. "You want him to be happy, but whenever he expresses interest in anything new, you try and get him off the subject. You just act like you're living the same week, over and over, same routines every day, like you're stuck in them. You don't like it when things are different, and this...it's a huge difference, especially because your brother is the one pushing so hard for it in the first place."

"you don't know what i've seen. you don't know what nightmares i've been through. you don't know what it's like to lose someone so close to you because you couldn't stop it."

"Did you forget my EXP?"

That drew him up short. Sans blinked and the lights returned to his sockets. That's right: Tabatha had 5 EXP from some sort of...accident with someone close to her. But it wasn't enough to totally quench his frustrations.

"we're fine the way we are," he insisted.

"Yes, you are fine. But you could be more than content you know. You could be happy," the young woman suggested. "Papyrus deserves happiness...and so do you, Sans."

Sans's resolve was breaking—his emotions were getting jumbled and were far too close to the surface.

"i can't lose him," he mumbled out, burying his skull in his hands. not again.

A warm hand touched his clavicle before the skeleton was pulled against Tabatha's soft chest in a tight hug. His sockets widened in surprise before he returned the gesture, gripping her shirt.

"You won't lose him," she promised. "No matter what happens, he's still your brother. Always has been, always will be."

"how'd you get to be so good at this?" he mumbled against her shoulder.

"I had someone do this for me...a long time ago. Not anymore, but it's always stuck with me. Just always hope it'll help somebody out when they need it."

Sans shifted back so he could wipe away the magical tears that were beginning to fall. He smiled weakly at his human friend who decided to help him along with a grin of her own.

"SANS! HUMAN TABATHA! LOOK!"

Papyrus came racing into the house with something clutched in his fist.

"UNDYNE CANCELLED TRAINING SO THAT SHE COULD HAVE A DAY TO WORK ON SOMETHING WITH ALPHYS. BUT LOOK WHAT WAS IN THE MAILBOX!"

The pair on the couch realized that it was a letter in the young brother's grasp and stared at each other in mild shock.

"congrats bro," Sans replied, climbing off the human's lap and coming over to the taller monster to playfully slug his arm. "we need to go out and celebrate."

"BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN OPENED IT YET!" Papyrus protested.

"doesn't matter. first college mail, we should go out somewhere."

"REALLY?! IT BETTER NOT BE GRILLBY'S!"

"nah, i got somewhere sweeter in mind."

"So there's really spiders in all the food?" Tabatha asked as they walked down the street. "I couldn't really tell."

"eh, Muffet's got some oddities, but it's probably a spider thing. doesn't stop her baking from being great though."

"I DO NOT USUALLY EAT SUCH UNHEALTHY THINGS, BUT IT WAS MOST DELICIOUS," Papyrus agreed. "A FITTING CELEBRATION!"

"Congrats again on getting accepted," the brunette continued, "You really deserve it."

It was late afternoon and the trio were on their way back home from eating out at Muffet's cafe, all full of pastries and warm drinks. Cars passed in a rush, including one silver four-seater that had driven by at least four times now.

"I WILL LIKELY STILL WANT TO LOOK AT THE OTHER SCHOOLS AND SEND IN APPLICATIONS BEFORE ACCEPTING," the guardsman trainee remarked. "THAT IS WHAT IS USUALLY DONE, YES?"

"Well, yeah, but I only did my first year before I decided to take time off to work and I got into my choice school right away, so I didn't wait. But with what you're wanting to study—"

There was a screech of breaks as the silver car came to an abrupt stop by the curb. They all whirled around and Tabatha's faced drained of blood—to the point that she was almost the same color as the brothers beside her.

"Tabatha!" a woman's voice cried. The driver has leapt from her vehicle and grabbed the young woman by the shoulders roughly. "I finally found you! Why did you hide from me?! Do you have any idea how worried sick I've been?!"

The brunette was struggling to get out of the middle-aged woman's grasp, but wasn't making much progress as she was only backed up against the wall of the dress shop they'd been walking past and trapped there.

"How dare you!" the woman began to shriek. "It was Joseph, wasn't it?! Conspiring to take my only remaining baby away from me?! Oh, I'll see to it he never so much as looks at you again!"

"It was my idea, not Uncle Jo's!" Tabatha protested. "Please, let me go! I can't live with you anymore!"

"Lies! You're lying to protect him! Just like you always do, right to my face too!"

It was here that Papyrus decided to intervene: taking hold of the woman's hands, he pulled her off his human friend, who slid down the wall and curled up into a defensive position, hands protecting the back of her head as if she expected to be struck.

"What are you doing?! Unhand me!" the stranger spat, whirling to face the skeleton who held her bound.

"MA'AM, I MUST ASK THAT YOU CALM DOWN AND EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING," Papyrus scolded her gently but firmly. "YOU ARE HARMING MY FRIEND."

"How dare—you can't tell a mother how to speak to her child!"

The taller monster glanced at his brother, who had his arms around the still-curled Tabatha's shoulders. Their gazes connected and Sans' eyesocket flared cyan before he tightened his grip on the young woman and vanished from sight.

"MA'AM, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING, BUT YOU MUST CALM YOURSELF BEFORE YOU DO A VIOLENCE," he commanded. "PLEASE, I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE YOU GET IN ANY TROUBLE."

"You have no part in this! This is between me and my girl and—"the woman noticed that her self-proclaimed "daughter" was gone and blanched. "She's gone," she whispered. "She's gone and...you."

Really, there was only one right way to handle this: Papyrus let go of her wrists and fled as fast as his long legs would take him. The stranger wailed and screamed at him as she gave chase, but he soon left her behind when he hid in an alleyway that was too narrow for most humans to fit through very far before the dumpsters blocked their path. He heard the woman sobbing as she ran by, sounding almost insane.

Papyrus' Soul throbbed, magic pulsing through his bones and giving them a faint glow as he tried to process what he had just seen and heard. But no answers came.

Tabatha was hysterical when she and Sans landed in her bedroom after the swift extraction from the crime scene: she refused to relax out of the tight, defensive ball she had curled into and constantly whispered things like "stop" or "please, no" and "not again. I can't live through it again". The stocky skeleton had tried to talk to her to snap her out of it, but she seemed beyond his reach. Placing his palm on her collarbone, he called forth his magic to reach her Soul, establishing a connection between them. He sent feelings of comfort through the link, but she rejected it, her fear snuffing out any and all attempts to soothe her. Helpless with what to do, Sans ripped her comforter from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, holding her close and letting her feel the energy of his own Soul through their connection.

After about fifteen minutes, the human finally began to show some sign of change: she lifted her head and looked around, clearly registering that she was no longer out in the streets and was instead inside her home. Then she looked at Sans, staring at his ignited eyesocket before more realization began to set in. Her dark eyes widened before they filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, dropping her head in shame. "I'm so, so sorry!"

The monster pulled her against his rib cage, letting her cling to him as she continued to cry and apologize in a wavering voice. When she ran out of tears, he tilted her face up so he could see her face and Tabatha flinched away from his gaze.

"if you don't wanna explain, ya don't have to say anything," he offered.

"No," the young woman refused, her voice thick. "No, you—you have to know Sans. You have the right to an explanation."

"not when you're like this," he insisted. "your Soul's on the verge of cracking."

"B-but you have to know."

Sans shushed her and pulled her head down to rest on his clavicle, stroking her hair. It took what felt like forever, but her breathing evened out and the fear began to fade, though it was still very much fresh and raw.

"She's my stepmom," Tabatha mumbled against her friend's blue hoodie. "She wasn't always...like that. When my dad married her, she was pretty normal. She had a son who was a few years older than me...I was eight, he was twelve at the wedding. His name was Gareth...he became my best friend."

The old scar on her Soul was aching his magic told him and the skeleton ceased petting her head as he listened to her story.

"Gareth was the-the nicest person I've ever met—maybe even nicer than Papyrus. He would give help to strangers, always have a compliment to offer up...we weren't family by blood, but it was almost like we were made for each other. I was...thirteen when it happened."

Her breathing hitched on the word "it" and the aching in her Soul spiked. Sans tightened his grip, pulling her closer and continuing to send her comforting waves of magic.

"I was bullied in middle school...they took my backpack and stuck it up in a tree. Gareth went to go get it but when he was climbing...th-the branch broke. H-he went painlessly, instantly...but he was still dead. His mom didn't take it very well: she locked herself in her room and cried for weeks and weeks...she'd scream out randomly that it was my fault, that I took her baby boy from her, but then she'd start crying and going 'the poor girl, my poor girl' like she couldn't decide if she hated me or felt bad for me. When she finally came out...she smothered me. Didn't let me out of the house for a solid month before my dad insisted I go back to school...but then she never let me out of her sight. She called the office and my teachers regularly to make sure I was there, became convinced they were lying to her and would randomly show up just to see if I was where they said. When the school told her off, she got me a cell phone and texted me, insisting I tell her what I was doing at any random time...she wouldn't let me do extracurriculars, made me stop doing dance...it was like this all through High School. I got used to it, but sometimes...sometimes I would disappear to attend dance practice or hand out with a friend...and then...then she really began to lose it."

Tabatha swallowed as her arms wrapped around her torso, like she was holding herself together.

"Whenever I came back after 'vanishing', she'd scream at me. Ask me if I wanted to die just like Gareth, who didn't tell her he was going to the school that night. My dad tried to reason with her, but she was beyond his help. I just kept thinking 'it'll be over when I move out'...and then she followed me to college. That's when I called my dad and told him I couldn't take it anymore. He called my uncle and we decided that I needed to disappear. I've been moving from property to property ever since, protected by Uncle Jo. I had to stop going to school—she knew I was there and had enough pull as my stepmother to find me if it came down to it."

"that's why you've been so jumpy," Sans breathed out. "she saw the video of you at the concert after it went viral."

"My uncle called to let me know," the brunette confirmed. "The usual procedure is for me to go to a new property out of town until my dad reports she's stopped combing the streets for me, which can take months. But because I was living with you two, I just had to stay in as much as possible, minimize the time I was out in public and was able to be found."

"why didn't you just tell us?" the stocky skeleton asked, feeling his friend tense up, her fingers hooking in the material of his hoodie.

"You two...you've been so kind to me...I didn't feel like I could burden you with knowing my unhinged stepmother was hunting me. It would make you two targets if she figured out the connection..."

Her breathing became shallow again as panic began to overtake her again.

"Oh no...she saw you, she knows. I can't stay here, you're in danger—"

"you are not going anywhere, Tabatha," Sans informed her firmly.

"But she'll find you, she'll interrogate you, find some way to get you—"

"you think this is the first time i've had to deal with a human who wanted to mess with me and my bro?" he interrupted. "we can protect ourselves just fine. and i'm not about to let one of the gentlest, most selfless humans i've ever met exile herself from her home just 'cause she's got a problem she needs to be safe from."

"S-Sans?"

"i'm gonna protect you, tabby cat. me and Paps both. and i'm gonna tell Tori and get her and Asgore on board so you'll have a few safe houses to run to if you can't make it home. Grillbz should probably know to not let her in, but he'd protect ya no matter what happens."

Tabatha was silent as she stared blankly at the wall beyond Sans' shoulder.

"Why would you do that for me?" she mumbled, her voice so soft he wouldn't have been able to hear it without her face so close to his skull. "I thought...you'd want to keep Papyrus safe from me now that I'm...I'm a danger to him."

"maybe back when you first moved here i would've," the monster Judge admitted. "but not now. you're as much my friend as you are my brother's and i always protect my friends."

The young woman didn't respond to that as she was interrupted by a huge yawn. Shifting her position in his arms, the skeleton laid the human burrito down and fixed the comforter around her, tucking her in. She didn't let go of his hoodie with one hand, so he took it and laced his phalanges with her soft, fleshy fingers. Almost as a reflex, Sans began to tell her a story of when he and Papyrus had first moved to Snowdin and how he and Grillby had built their friendship. He was making the third fire-related pun when he felt her lose consciousness through the link he left unbroken between their Souls. Their hands were still tightly clasped together.

It was early evening when the door opened and Papyrus crossed the threshold of their home, haggard from running the whole way. Sans was sitting at the kitchen table drinking from his stash of ketchup packets when he heard his brother come in and he quickly wiped his mouth to hide the evidence before he stepped out to welcome him back. The taller of the pair went straight to the bottom of the stairs before pausing.

"IS TABATHA WELL?" he asked with a low voice.

"better then she was when we arrived. she's sleeping now."

"THEN I SUPPOSE I HAD BEST NOT DISTURB HER," Papyrus muttered, letting his hand drop from the banister. There was a tense silence as he continued to stare upstairs, immobile as his elder sibling looked on.

"she's told me what's going on," Sans broke the quiet tension in the air. "that lady who went after her was her stepmom. she's...not well. been after Tabatha for years—it's why she's been moving around so much."

The brothers moved to the couch as the story was repeated. While Papyrus was now able to make sense of many things he'd found odd about his human friend—including the identity of the Gareth whom she loved so much—he couldn't help but be hurt at how she had not told him this herself. Yes, she was in distress and needed her rest, but did she really have to tell Sans?

His jealousy surprised him. Why was he, the Great Papyrus, upset that his brother had learned the truth first and was now relaying it? Wasn't it a good thing that the big mystery that surrounded Tabatha's life was in the open? Now he could protect her.

The feelings though, of both the jealousy and the desire to keep the human safe, they were stronger than they should be. They...were not feelings that one had for a friend.

The tall skeleton had to excuse himself to his room, making an excuse of he needed some time to think about what he had learned—which was true, in a sense, but not about Tabatha's newly revealed past.

His feelings...how did he not realize it? For so long, they had been affectionate towards his kindly friend, but ultimately platonic. Now...they were in the realm of very not platonic.

His mind recoiled at the notion. These were not feelings one should have for their friends! It was inappropriate! But if he stilled his thoughts, listened to the pulse of his Soul and allowed his feelings to just be without repressing them, he found that the warm protectiveness, the call to be her guardian seemed to quiet all his anxieties—if she was safe, then they'd be fine.

Papyrus had heard stories of love. Monster folk wisdom said that a Soul would only develop more than unspecified affection for an individual who was compatible, who was right to be made a mate and spend the rest of their life with. But he himself had never felt such a thing. He loved his brother very much, but even that seemed cooler than the drive he had to make sure that Tabatha was protected and happy—a drive he had never fully realized was there until just now. Yet this had to have been developing for a long time. When had it started being more than friendship? No, when had he startedwanting it to be more than friendship?

"OH SWEET ASGORE," he breathed. "OH STARS. WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?"

And just like before, no answer came.

Chapter Text

It had been a very difficult month for everyone: to say that Tabatha's other friends did not take the revelation of her stalker stepmother well was a severe understatement. Toriel had been shocked to her core, as had Asgore, but while the former queen's first instinct was to smother the young woman with affection, the monster king had immediately made contact with Joseph Strong to gather the details and see if there was anything he could do to increase her protection. Thankfully word hadn't gotten out to Undyne or Alphys yet—that would be a complete disaster. Out of everyone though, nobody was more concerned than Papyrus. He still went about his day as normally as possible, continued applying to colleges wherever he could, but he was preoccupied, prone to sitting in silence for lengths of time or outside of Tabatha's door when his brother was inside tending to her. He never let his stress show, but it was apparent to everyone that he was merely putting up a front so his human-friend wouldn't take notice.

But most surprising of all was when Sans had stopped by Grillby's to let the old fire elemental know why his star employee would have to take more time off. According to the short skeleton, he had taken the news quietly before deciding to ask why. When told that there had been an incident, the bartender had seemed to just let it be. To everyone's immense surprise, he had come to the skeleton brothers' home the next day to speak with Tabatha and even went so far as to prepare a proper meal for her while he listened to her story. Grillby had then given her an enchanted candle that, once lit, would ensure that he would be able to hear no matter the distance—just if she ever needed to talk to somebody who would just listen without comment.

All in all, despite the stress their human seemed to be doing better. The support of her friends was really seeming to help with her anxieties, though she often didn't dare come outside of her room when the windows were open, feeling too exposed otherwise. Papyrus had been an immense help in keeping her company, always ready to come upstairs should she call and delivering food thrice daily. Sans continued to monitor her Soul on the sly and was relieved when he saw that it was healing from the incident with her stepmother, albiet at a much slower rate than would be ideal.

It was a recovery in waves: some days were better than others. There were days where she would let Sans take a shortcut to Grillbys and she'd work a few hours under both his and Grillby's protection. There were also days where she wouldn't leave the bedroom and only would let the older of the skeleton brothers come in to check on her and use his magic to reassure her Soul that she was truly safe.

According to her Uncle, it had been more than three years since she'd seen her stepmom face to face and seeing her in the flesh had been the cause of this PTSD-type relapse. It wasn't the first time she'd suffered such a reaction to the trauma inflicted by all those years of constant emotional abuse, but there would be no telling how long she would take to recover and resume her usual cheerful outlook. He had mentioned, though, that he'd never seen her able to get up and about so soon after an incident before, so that was promising.

Of course the heart of the problem was the human herself: she refused to stop worrying. Even on good days, she was caught having bouts of anxiety, thinking about where her stepmother could be, what she was doing, how far she was going to go to find her or the skeleton brothers. On worse days, she would cling to Sans and Papyrus when they tried to leave the house, begging them to just stay in and be safe, to not risk getting tracked to work or to Frisk's school. Sometimes she barely seemed like the same woman they knew and cared about. Still, there were always the times when everything was almost normal—and those were the best days of all, the eye of the storm when they didn't have to worry.

"Ooh, somebody's out of the hoodie," Tabatha teased Sans from the couch. "Who you all dressed up for?"

"shut up," the stocky skeleton grumbled, a blue flush on his skull. He wasn't really dressed up, but he was wearing something different than his usual style choices: a nice cream sweater and jeans, a less beat-up pair of sneakers on his feet. "Mia just wanted to hang out."

"Pretty made-up for 'just a hangout'."

It was one of the human's better days again today, the third one this particular week: she had come downstairs and done the laundry of her own volition, through she still wore her pajamas and hadn't gotten up until ten in the morning. She wasn't glancing over her shoulder or out the windows compulsively either, meaning the paranoia was on the down-low as well. It didn't entirely erase the fresh memory of her sobbing for the better part of the night after a horrific nightmare, but the brothers were going to take what little they could get.

"i'll be back by six," Sans informed the young woman. "you need me before then, there's more than one way to get me."

"Have fun, ya bonehead," the brunette chuckled. "Tell her 'hi' from me."

"will do. see ya later Pap."

"GOODBYE BROTHER!" Papyrus called from the kitchen, not looking up from the spaghetti sauce he was making. "I WILL HAVE DINNER READY BY THE TIME YOU RETURN."

The door opened and closed, leaving the pair alone in silence. The tall skeleton released a breath that was entirely unnecessary but helped loosen the tension in his ribcage.

If anything had been more difficult this past than his best friend being rendered almost completely helpless, it was dealing with the onslaught of jealousy he'd been feeling towards his brother. Intellectually he knew that Sans was best qualified to look after her with her emotional and Soul-related problems, but that didn't help with his desire to be the one helping Tabatha, to be the one spending so much time with her.

"I AM ALMOST DONE WITH LUNCH, HUMAN TABATHA," he informed his friend. "WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO AFTERWARDS?"

"I was thinking we could keep on with Star Wars. We're on Attack of the Clones...we can eat while watching if you like."

"IT IS UP TO YOU, BUT I AM IN AGREEMENT!"

The last of the noodles were cooked as Tabatha jogged back upstairs to fetch the DVD. The lunch was plated and served as the disk was loaded and the brunette snuggled into the tall skeleton's lap, taking her plate from him. They ate and watched the drama unfold in silence, chuckling at the right times and giving the occasional remark.

"I always feel so sad at this part," the young woman sighed as Anakin knelt before Padme and confided that he had murdered a village of Tusken Raiders. "It's really the first time that it becomes apparent he's going to fall to the dark side."

"WHY? BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENCE?"

"Sort of, but more of why the violence occurred. Anakin loves very powerfully and as a result feels great pain when he loses those people. He channels that pain into anger to take it out on others...and slips away from the Jedi Code by letting his passions rule him. Not to mention that by losing others that he's loved, he just gets all the more determined to preserve the live of those he has left...no matter the cost."

The lanky monster did not reply to that, but instead cuddled his friend closer, as if in reassurance—though for whom it was not clear. When at long last the credits rolled, he loosened his tight grip around her body and allowed her to put the movie away in its case.

"TABATHA?" he dared ask, his voice low and tentative. When she glanced over with a grin, he continued. "SINCE TODAY IS ONE OF YOUR BETTER DAYS...I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR STEPBROTHER—IF YOU'RE ALRIGHT WITH THAT!"

"What about Gareth?" she questioned back, genuine interest in her tone. "And of course I don't mind; it'd actually be a relief to talk about him after so long."

Papyrus breathed out another unnecessary sigh of relief as the human settled into the cushions and leaned against him.

"DO YOU HAVE PICTURES OF HIM? I KNOW HE WOULD NOT HAVE ANY RESEMBLANCE TO YOU BECAUSE YOU DO NO SHARE BIRTH PARENTS..."

"Yeah, hold on..." Tabatha took out her phone and flicked through her photo gallery, stopping close to the bottom. "That's him, in the glasses."

Handing over the device, the tall monster gazed at the photograph. On the left was a much younger Tabatha, maybe twelve or so years of age and wearing a black hoodie with the hood up. At her side was a tall young man with shaggy blonde bangs and a bushy ponytail. His blue eyes were wide and shining behind the thick-framed glasses and there was an unmistakable spattering of freckles across his nose. His arm was around his stepsister's shoulder and he was waving at the picture-taker with a wild and happy abandon.

"SO...WHAT WAS HE LIKE?" Papyrus prompted.

"He was so sweet," Tabatha chuckled. "He was the one who introduced me to giving anonymous tips at restaurants and he always had something nice to say. Plus he never had anything negative to say, even when people were impolite to him. Kinda reminds me of you, to be honest. He had that neverending positivity..."

"SO DO YOU," the skeleton remarked.

"Well, I actually learned that from him. I was really shy as a kid and never spoke to anyone. Gareth helped get me out of my comfort zone and realize that people are generally good."

"HE WAS YOUR ROLE MODEL?"

"Isn't every big brother?"

"NYEH...TRUE," Papyrus murmured, thinking of Sans. How different would his life be if he hadn't had his brother there to encourage him?. "I AM SORRY THAT HE IS NO LONGER HERE—I WOULD VERY MUCH HAVE LIKED TO MEET HIM."

"The Great Papyrus meeting the Gentle Gareth?" Tabatha smiled at the thought. "World peace would be declared in a week with you two working together."

"DO YOU REALLY THINK SO?"

The brunette went to answer, but was cut off by a giant yawn. The trainee guardsman immediately leapt to his feet and picked his friend up and began to march upstairs, frantically apologizing for keeping her up and occupied when she clearly needed her rest, that her fragile human self needed to be tended to and she shouldn't be indulging the curious skeleton when it was time for her to rest—she hadn't slept very much last night after all.

The young woman had laughed at his antics, but allowed him to tuck her in and draw the curtains, calling him a worrywart and reminding him that she wasn't made of glass. She was asleep before fifteen minutes had passed. Papyrus returned to the kitchen to clean up his mess from cooking, but while his hands were working, so too was his mind—far too hard.

Tabatha said that Gareth was similar to him...did that mean she saw him as a brother-figure? Was he her newest best friend and nothing more? His Soul ached at the thought.

NO, DO NOT THINK SUCH THINGS, he told himself firmly. IT IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME FOR SUCH THINGS! TABATHA NEEDS KINDNESS AND SUPPORT, NOT A SUITOR!

BUT WHAT ABOUT AFTER SHE HAS RECOVERED? that other part of him suggested. Papyrus began to sweat a little. When had such...devious little voices entered his head? Devious voices with a very good point, he had to admit. But no, he couldn't afford to be selfish...even if that selflessness kept him securely in the friend-zone.

How odd. He had never thought of the friend zone as a bad thing before.

It was well after midnight when Tabatha awoke again, groggy and hungry. Daring a trip down the stairs, she found a plate of homemade pizza with a note that designated it as hers. Smiling , the young woman ate the cold food and put her dish in the dishwasher when she had finished. Carefully, she made her way back up to the second floor on the dark.

She decided to chance checking in on her housemates before going back to her own room, just to make sure they were both safe and sound. Sand was easy: she could hear him through the door and when she dared to peek, the vibrating lump of blankets was a telltale sign he wasn't going anywhere—it was like being wrapped in a straightjacket.

Tabatha was actually a little surprised to find Papyrus asleep in his room; she'd never caught him asleep before. It was almost cute seeing him curled up under the quilt, holding a pillow tightly to his chest. He didn't stir when she closed the door behind her, nor when she came across the floor.

The brunette smiled as she looked down at her friend's resting features. She knew how lucky she was to have him here to support her, knew how hard he worked to keep up his cheerful attitude despite how worried he was, despite how much effort it took to care for her. There were times she felt undeserving of his support, couldn't bear to see him, could hardly stand to look Sans in his eyesockets. How much was he willing to give when he had already given nearly everything?

"I really don't deserve you, Paps," she sighed. "Then again, I don't suppose anyone really does; you're too precious for this world."

As quietly as she could, the young woman leaned over and pressed her lips to the skeleton's brow bone. She knew it was poor repayment for what she cost him, but at this point there was little else she could give back.

What she didn't know as she closed the door behind her was that the sleeping monster's dreams had just taken a very pleasant shift.

Chapter Text

"Alright! Twenty laps around the house! Let's go!" The shout came from an extremely pumped-up Undyne, only gaining energy as she worked her protegee harder and harder.

"YES CAPTAIN UNDYNE!" Papyrus cried in response, the words automatic despite his distraction. As they sprinted around the sizable house at top gear, his gaze was unfocused, almost dazed. It had been like this all morning, but so far his teacher hadn't noticed…or at least he didn't think she had.

The central figure occupying his thoughts was not entirely unusual, though it was with a higher intensity than he was used to: Tabatha had been a prominent character in his dreams last night. In some of them she was crying inconsolably, in others she laughed and helped him make spaghetti. But the last of them had been the most vivid: the human had been crying, but in happiness rather than fear or sorrow. She had told Papyrus that he was her best friend and that she loved him so much and before he could confess his ultimate feelings for her dream-image, she had kissed him on the forehead before moving onto his cheekbones, peppering them with signs of affection. He'd woken with a vivid blush and a strong desire to go find the young woman and return the favor she had bestowed upon him, even if it wasn't really real.

The shame the tall skeleton felt made his hollow insides feel even emptier than usual. One wasn't supposed to kiss their friends! It was downright scandalous! Not to mention probably very rude as well.

All of a sudden, Papyrus crashed into someone, toppling both of them and landing in a heap on the grass in the backyard. Brought back to reality, the guardsman trainee scrambled back to his feet and began to frantically apologize to Undyne for knocking her over.

"Yeah, you're fine," she muttered distractedly, her eye narrowing in suspicion at the younger monster. "I think we should take a water break. Come on."

The fish woman lead her friend back into the house, seating him on the couch before she threw a water bottle and a towel at him and flopped down herself, cleaning up the sticky perspiration off her face and neck.

"Alright, what's eatin' ya Paps?" she sighed, taking a swig of her water. Papyrus fiddled with the bottle cap and looked away.

"NOTHING."

"You suck at lying. C'mon, what's up? Do I gotta hurt somebody?"

"NO!" the lanky skeleton cried in alarm, whipping back around. "THERE IS NO NEED FOR ROUGHNESS OR VIOLENCE! NOT WITH THIS...THIS NOTHING! BECAUSE IT IS NOTHING AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE SOLVED WITH FORCE BECAUSE IT IS A DELICATE MATTER!"

The redhead was clearly not convinced and her deadpan gaze was enough to confirm that opinion. Papyrus shuffled again, fresh sweat breaking out on his brow.

"Look, Pap, we're friends, aren't we?" Undyne pressed. When he gave the affirmative, she continued. "I wanna help you with whatever's got ya so distracted you can't do pushups without staring into space and forgetting to go back down after each one. But I can't help without you telling me what it is, man."

"NYEEEEEH," Papyrus whined plaintively. "VERY WELL...BUT I TELL YOU IN COMPLETE CONFIDENCE! NO ONE ELSE MUST HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY—NOT EVEN DOCTOR ALPHYS!"

"Okay," the fish woman agreed, her sharp grin suggesting that she was going to hold to that promise like oil mixed with water—that is to say, not at all.

"CROSS YOUR HEART!"

"Seriously? Are we five?"

"CROSS IT!"

"Okay, cross my heart and hope to die. Now what's the juicy news?"

Papyrus fidgeted again, twisting the fabric of his gloves so much the leather was squeaking.

"IT'S...TABATHA," he finally admitted. "I...I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT HER AND...MY FEELINGS HAVE BECOME SO MUCH STRONGER FOR HER..."

"I KNEW IT!" Undyne crowed, jumping up from her seat. "I knew you two would eventually fall for each other!"

"BUT IT IS NOT SO SIMPLE!" the skeleton protested. "I DO NOT EVEN KNOW IF SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY ABOUT ME! AND IF MY ULTIMATE FEELINGS ARE UNREQUITED, THEN WHAT WILL I DO?"

He clapped both hands over his mouth in horror, not having intended to share that particular insecurity. However, the confession seemed to have brought the fish woman down from her sudden excited high because she sat back down and folded her arms, nodding.

"Yeah, that's a problem," she acknowledged. "You haven't caught any signs that she feels anything close to what you feel?"

"NO..."Papyrus hedged. Undyne still didn't know about the whole incident with the stepmother...and he couldn't tell her that Tabatha was unwell either, or she would go straight to the house and demand to see the human—which would be a disaster if she was having a bad day. "BUT I THINK SHE ONLY SEES ME AS A FRIEND."

"What about your brother? Couldn't he use the Judge's Sight to get a look at her Soul for ya?"

"UNDYNE! THAT IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE! SHAME ON YOU, YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO ABUSE MY BROTHER'S POSITION AS JUDGE TO SATISFY MY BURNING DESIRE TO KNOW IF THE HUMAN HAS FEELINGS FOR ME BACK OR NOT!"

"Well how else are you gonna figure it out without asking her?!" she shot back. "Remember what you told me when I wanted to confess to Alphys?!"

"NYEH! I WAS SO IGNORANT THEN!" Papyrus cried helplessly. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP BEING A WEENIE AND JUST DO IT, BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD BE SO EMOTIONALLY AGONIZING! I NOW REGRET BEING SO INSENSITIVE TO YOUR PLIGHT FOR NOW I AM SUFFERING THE SAME!"

"H-h-hey! Wh-what's going o-on here?!"

Both the monsters on the couch jolted at hearing the new voice. Alphys had gotten home from shopping it seemed, because the Royal Scientist was now standing in the doorway, arms laden with bags. Undyne jumped to her feet and rushed over to her girlfriend, taking the bags and talking so fast the words blurred together, filling her in about the situation. The more she heard, the bigger Alphys' eyes got until they were shining in a way that shouldn't technically be possible.

"O-oh my GOSH!" the squat dinosaur shrieked. "Th-the ship is a-actually sailing!"

"UNDYNE! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP IT SECRET!" Papyrus protested. "NOW EVERYONE WILL KNOW!"

"Naw, they won't," the former guard captain brushed off.

"YES THEY WILL! DOCTOR ALPHYS HAS DIFFICULTY KEEPING SECRETS OFF THE UNDERNET AND INTERNET!"

The back-and-forth continued for several minutes, almost turning in a fight when Undyne mistook the skeleton's panicked words as an insult to her girlfriend but making no progress with the problem at hand. However, it eventually ended when Alphys fled the room, overwhelmed by the confused shouting and general rowdiness. The two remaining monsters both fell silent when they realized she had gone, both filled with embarrassment and shame for their behavior. Returning to the couch, Papyrus played with the end of his scarf, staring hard at his boots.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID ANYTHING," he decided aloud. "WE HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT FIGHT ABOUT WHETHER I SHOULD CONFESS OR NOT...AND NOW IS NOT EVEN THE RIGHT TIME FOR CONFESSING."

"Naw, it's my fault," Undyne sighed. "I got carried away...I remember how nervous I was when I was trying to tell Alphys how I felt. If you're feeling anything close to that, then I probably just made it a lot worse for you."

"NYEH...YOU JUST WANTED TO HELP...BUT I DON'T THINK YOUR KIND OF HELP IS THE KIND I NEED."

"Heh, true...the dating manual doesn't exactly cover everything, does it?"

The friends chuckled before lapsing into silence, both lost in thought.

"I still think you should get your bro in on this though."

UNDYNE!"

Sans' phone sounded off its notifications alert and he automatically pulled it out to check what it was. Social media post from Alphys again—nothing new, but it looked like a certain "coolskeleton95" had already responded.

ALPHYS: When one of your GF's buddies has a crush, but he can't tell them! ((´д｀))

COOLSKELETON95: YOU PROMISED THAT YOU WEREN'T GOING TO POST ANYTHING ABOUT IT!

Another ding went off as another response came in from Undyne.

UNDYNE: It's not like she typed out her name or anything! Relax dude! ;P

If he hadn't thought it odd before, he most certainly did now: Sans' big brother senses were tingling in a way he hadn't felt since the first few Genocide timelines.

Opening the messenger app, he sent a quick text to the scientist in question: "Al, I saw your post. I'm calling you.

Even though the house was empty, the short skeleton teleported up to his room and locked the door. Pressing his thumb on his speed dial, he held the device up to his skull and waited while it rang. Clearly understanding how serious he was about talking to her—he had used capital letters, a sure giveaway that he wasn't joking around—she picked up on the third ring.

"talk to me Al," he stated flatly. "what was that post about? you know i don't appreciate being out of the loop."

"I, uh, I kinda p-promised that I would keep it a secret—"

"that promise was broken the second you clicked the button to put it on the internet. most people won't care, in fact, i usually don't look too much into your posts myself...but when it involves my brother, that's a surefire way to get my attention."

"W-w-well—but...J-just don't tell him I told you!"

"heh, no prob Alph...i'm not you."

Alright, maybe that last bit was harsh...but it was out now, too late.

"P-Papyrus came o-over for training," Alphys stuttered, "H-he ended up t-telling Undyne that h-he's...d-d-developing feeling for...T-Tabatha..."

The shy monster's voice was a squeak by the time the last word came out. Sans' eyelights were completely gone as his legs suddenly felt week. He had to lean against the wall as he hung up the call. His skull crashed into his hands as he tried to process what he had just heard.

Papyrus...pining after Tabatha? Now of all times?! How long had this been going on?! How could he not have noticed it?! Papyrus was just starting up the college process, he didn't need a girlfriend on top of all that too!

whoa, slow down, he told himself. no need to get all worked up. would probably do something stupid that i'd regret later...'sides, i can't afford to make everything worse at the moment; it's tear both of 'em up pretty bad...

The skeleton snorted as a thought occurred to him. How many years had he been the Judge and only now was he actually facing a situation where he was seriously considering using his powers for more than a simple once-over to check stats? It was like he was actually doing his job for once!

Besides, there was something else niggling in the back of his hollow skull: Tabatha's words to him when she had tried to comfort him about his brother's college applications.

"I've lived here long enough to know that you smother him...You just act like you're living the same week, over and over, same routines every day, like you're stuck in them. You don't like it when things are different, and this...it's a huge difference...Papyrus deserves happiness."

After so many genocide runs, after seeing his brother get killed time and time again, his first instinct had become "keep Papyrus safe." That meant ensuring that there was no deviance from the script, make sure that his happiness comes first and stick with what works because he had no idea what might trigger another killing spree. There was nothing but routine in the underground and that meant that things were predictable; he could prepare for his brother's demise when the time came around, he could cherish every individual moment...until Frisk had broken the pattern. They had come to him after their latest Pacifist run-through and told the skeleton that after so many resets, their Soul was now far older than their body...they had grown up mentally, but not physically...and they wanted to grow up properly and see how long they could "Continue" and exist in peace without resets.

There had never been a moment in his life when Sans had felt more afraid. Learning that Papyrus wanted to go to college was a close second, but nothing compared to the raw panic he'd felt about not knowing what to do. So he'd found a routine and stuck with it...but then this new human had to come along and change that.

What is it with humans being the only force capable of making him take action? Even death wasn't as powerful a motivator. No, it was just humans and fulfilling his little brother's dreams...that was what got him out of bed in the morning.

And on the subject of his brother's dreams...if there was one thing Papyrus was bad at, it was keeping a secret—or rather, protecting the existence of the secret through dishonesty. Knowing her, Tabatha wouldn't push to figure out what was wrong—especially not with all the personal trauma she was still recovering from—but it wouldn't be hard to add two and two together. That meant he had very little time in which to figure out the depths of his sibling's developing affections for the human...and to see if she returned the sentiment. He'd have to be careful though; Papyrus wouldn't very much like to find his older brother snooping into his business, especially when he clearly wanted to keep that information to himself.

Sans felt his phone buzz and he blinked, returning from his head back to reality. Pulling the device back out, he saw that Alphys had sent him several texts that seemed to be increasing in anxiety with their tone. Pressing the reply button, he wrote a quick message assuring his friend that he wasn't angry and he'd just been a little shocked. He then asked a question he knew would surprise her: would it be okay if she kept from everyone else that he knew? His response to her query of "why?" was simple:"i think Papyrus would appreciate being able to come forward himself."

all i have to do, he thought, is be prepared for the aftermath.

Chapter Text

"hey bro, gotta question for ya," Sans remarked from the couch as he watched his brother setting the table for dinner. Papyrus flinched and did not look up from where he was placing the dishes.

"'REALLY SANS? WHAT IS IT?"

"do you mind if i borrow the human tomorrow? wanna take her out and give her a little change of scenery."

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME? YOU SHOULD BE ASKING HER." His brother finally looked over and cocked his head in slight surprise. "I AM HER FRIEND, NOT HER KEEPER."

"well, i am, but you got a free day tomorrow and i have work off...just didn't wanna ruin any surprise-type plans you might have."

The shorter skeleton had his eyesockets shut, appearing sleepy and unconcerned, but under the bony lids, his magic burned and rolled, seeking to escape in its usual flame-like trails. He wasn't about to let his brother know that he was magically surveying the scene and listening intently to every beat of the Soul resting in Papyrus' ribcage. The emotions present there were rolling and conflicted and the turmoil had begun the second he referenced Tabatha—and not even by name.

"WELL, I HAD NO SPECIFIC PLANS..." the taller monster mused, more to himself than anyone else. "VERY WELL, BROTHER! BUT ONLY IF TOMORROW IS A GOOD DAY! AND YOU DO NOT STRAIN HER! SHE IS STILL IN A DELICATE PHASE!"

"heh, no problem Paps," Sans chuckled, deciding to probe a little deeper. "i can promise that i won't damage your human."

It happened in the space of three seconds: there was the flash of surprise in Papyrus' Soul followed immediately by something dazzlingly hot and passionate that was only smothered by a flood of forced guilt and natural sorrow, carrying the bitter aftertaste of regret. The sensation was so jarring that it almost made the older of the brothers fall over onto the couch cushions from the whiplash. And yet his sibling didn't so much as flinch or manifest any magic. If there was only thing Papyrus had going for him, it was his incredible ability to control himself, even down to the most basic of levels.

"NYEH, THEN YOU HAD BEST INFORM HER OF YOUR PLANS!" the guardsman trainee remarked, his tone not wavering in the slightest despite the chaos within.

"yeah...i'll go see if she's awake yet. that was a pretty bad attack she had this morning. you think i oughta take a look at her Soul to make sure she'll be fine?"

"NOT IF SHE IS SLEEPING! THAT IS AN INVASION OF PRIVACY!"

Oh if only Papyrus knew how much privacy had already been invaded—both on her behalf over their slowly-to-develop friendship and what was currently happening with his magic at this very moment. Sans made no comment as he meandered up the stairs. Instead of checking in on the human, however, he went to his own room and shut the door, sliding down it once the latch clicked and opening his eyes to let the remaining magic free. It stung from having been repressed, but it had no use to him now; its energy was spent and purpose served...his suspicions were confirmed.

Papyrus had a genuine attraction to Tabatha, and it had clearly been there for some time. The exact nature of his feelings were difficult to ascertain, but hovered somewhere between a crush and genuine love that would likely become romantic if the young woman responded in a way to cement his affections—it was a decisive point that could determine their relationship for years if not the rest of their lives.

It was hard for him to admit, but the monster Judge had just faced the raw facts of the case: his brother was having mature adult feelings...about his best friend. It was so cliche it seemed almost absurd. But now there were Tabatha's feelings to determine in this matter and there were two possible outcomes: the one Sans felt the most comfortable with or the one that would make Papyrus the most happy.

Tabatha sat up groggily, unsure what time it was with the curtains drawn as they were. She felt like a total mess, hair sticking up in all sorts of places, her face feeling a little crusty from crying earlier. Stretching, she caught sight of a slumped figure against the side of the bed in a chair, snoring lightly.

"Sans," the brunette hissed, shaking his shoulder gently. "Sans, wake up. What time is it?"

The stocky monster snorted (how that worked without a nose Tabatha had no idea, but she was in too deep a relationship with these skeletons to really question it) and leaned back into his chair, stretching lazily.

"hey tabby cat," he grunted. "finally awake."

"Yeah...what time is it?" she repeated. The skeleton reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The white light illuminated his bones in a haunting way, emphasizing how hollow his eyesockets were as well as the dark shadows under them.

"little after three in the morning. bet Paps is asleep by now. he left you some dinner on the bedside table. asked me to look after ya when you started having a nightmare."

The young woman shuddered at the memory of running so far, so fast, but her stepmother constantly closing in, screaming incoherent threats. There was also the memory of blue, of fire that acted as a shield between them, keeping the prowling madwoman a safe distance away...but missing the warmth as the blue fire was cold in its protection, offering comfort but not real reassurance.

"I think I remember that happening," Tabatha remarked. "Thanks a lot Sans. You can go to bed now; I'm sure you're tired."

"actually, i had something i wanted to tell ya...and now's actually a really good time since it's...private."

That piqued her curiosity. Running her fingers through her hair to push the stray strands away from her face, she repositioned herself to listen more attentively.

"What is it?" she pressed. The skeleton shook his head before rising from the chair.

"it's not something i'd wanna tell you here...are you okay to come somewhere safe with me?"

"What's safer than your own home?" the brunette questioned, her brow furrowing.

"it's not that this isn't safe," Sans hedged, "but...i don't want Paps to overhear it."

Tabatha's face smoothed out as the understanding hit. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she asked if she needed to get dressed. He replied that they would be the only people there and he didn't mind if she was in her day-old clothes. Taking his hand, the young woman closed her eyes as a falling sensation overcame her, not so much as breathing until she felt a warm metal ground underneath her feet. Letting her lids rise, a strange metal room came into focus, monitors and half-finished machinery littered on every workspace.

"Where are we?" she breathed.

"Alphys' lab in Mount Ebott. she kept the entire underground under surveillance except for in here. most private place in the world i'd venture."

Tabatha released her friend's hand to look around, playing with the monitor screen that cycled through footage of a snowy forest, of a waterfall, of a volcanic land. All the while, she could feel Sans' gaze on her, silent and heavy.

"Why wouldn't you want Papyrus to overhear this conversation?" she dared ask when the quiet tension stretched on too long.

"you've probably noticed, but my bro's been really protective ever since...the whole stepmom thing," the stocky monster sighed, leaning against one of the tables on his elbows. "doesn't want anything to upset ya. i...don't have the same reservations, and he disapproves."

"Why don't you? Have the same hesitation about talking about it, I mean."

"has to do with my position as the Judge. i can hear Souls without a lot of effort, meaning i know the emotional state of everyone around me most of the time," Sans explained. "when i let my magic loose, i can see them without needing to actually manifest 'em. i can tell when you're in a fragile state and when it's okay to treat you like i always have. Paps...he doesn't really know the extent of my powers and he's never wanted to know. thinks that when i listen in or use the Sight to get a glimpse of a Soul that it's an invasion of privacy. he made me promise that i wouldn't use the Sight for anything except my duties as the Judge...but then again, i was never any good at promises."

"So all this time," the brunette stated, her voice oddly calm compared to how he thought she'd react, "you've been reading my Soul. You know when I need to stay home instead of work...you could have done all those treatments of yours without needing to summon my Soul. You...you could have read into my past instead of letting it be."

The skeleton flinched at her tone, a spark flashing in his black eyesockets. The human stared at her friend, unreadable, before she crossed the floor and looked down at his tense form.

"Sans—" she started, cutting off when his grip on the table tightened even further. "I'm not mad at you," she reassured him. "From what I've seen, you only use your powers to help others. I wanted to thank you for not...for not pushing too far. For keeping an eyesocket on me through this whole thing. You had every opportunity, every motive, to see me for what I was—a scared little human who vanishes at the drop of a hat—but you didn't. You let me have my privacy...let me keep my secrets. Knowing that you could have just taken that information away, especially when you suspected me for so long...I have a whole new level of respect for you Sans."

"heh," Sans laughed shakily. "heh, wow. you really do deserve that green Soul. most humans would be ticked at me for even having this powers, no matter what i did with 'em."

"Only humans?" Tabatha asking in a teasing manner.

"monsters would trust me to keep control of the magic. if it came out that i was abusing my station, i'd probably be put in isolation until some other deserving Soul came along to take my place. and being the Judge is a lifetime occupation if you catch my drift. great power, great responsibility and all that. and i got no real reason to use it on monsters anyway; we're a bunch of softies tibia-nest."

The young woman snorted in laughter at the pun and the skeleton relaxed, joining in with a chuckle of his own.

"anyway," he continued, "that's not what i wanted ta talk about. i wanted to talk to ya about Paps."

"Can I assume that you'll be monitoring my Soul throughout this conversation?" she questioned back.

"heh, maybe just a little, to know if you're lying to me. i really don't go to the trouble most of the time. takes energy that could be used towards being lazy."

That earned him an eye-roll, but Tabatha sat herself down against the wall to listen regardless. Sans joined her, stretching out as though there were nothing more comfortable than this stretch of reinforced steel.

"so Paps has been kinda hovering around you lately," he restarted. "does that...bother you at all? i mean, i get you're recovering, but i just wanna make sure you don't get annoyed by how much he's trying to take care of you or anything."

"Well his timing needs work, but I really don't have any complaints," his friend replied without hesitation. "Though...there are times when I just want it all to go back to normal. I hate feeling like I'm totally dependent on him—and you as well with all you've done with monitoring my Soul."

"you don't think he's overbearing, going on about how you're delicate?"

"Sans, we both know that's the truth of the matter; I'm delicate. When it comes to dealing with...the trauma, I mean."

"how? how don't you get annoyed with it? i'm just a bystander and there're times i wanna pull him away from you for more than a minute or two."

The question apparently struck the young woman as quite funny because she laughed for a solid minute.

"I try to think about it from his perspective," she elaborated. "He never knew about Gareth or my stepmom, never suspected that I'd have suffered at the hands of someone who was supposed to be my guardian. My breakdown scared him...and I'm not fully recovered. He's scared that it'll happen again and he wants to prevent that all costs—even if that means treating me like glass. I may not always like the feeling, but I understand it, and that's enough to keep the irritation at bay. He's really just so sweet to attempt helping me and I just feel so grateful that he's trying so hard."

There was a warmth inside her chest as she said those words and Sans picked up on it without even trying. It was undoubtedly affection...but something was restraining it, a cool barrier of control that brought the faintest sadness with it. The skeleton forced himself to appear merely interested rather than heed the wild thoughts that began running around his mind at top speed about what it could mean and how it could change his life. When he trusted himself to speak, he decided to probe a little bit more—subtly, of course—to confirm that these feelings were not simply of gratitude that carried over into his perception of her thoughts.

"you ever think about trying to pay him back for it?"

"All the time. But he's not exactly going to let me...does this mean you have a plan to do some secret service for him?" Her voice told him very clearly that she hoped so and Sans nodded, mildly impressed she's guessed his next angle.

"that's right." he reaffirmed. "see, Paps' birthday is coming up next month and i was thinking...he wouldn't ever complain, but he sometimes really misses parts of the Underground. things like the echo flowers or the wishing cave in waterfall. if you felt up to it, i could arrange a little trip for you to come back here and find him something to keep on the surface."

"Oh yes!" Tabatha exclaimed excitedly. "Yes, that would be great! There'd still be some logistics to work out but...yeah, that'd be really meaningful."

"guess it's a good thing i told Paps i'd be taking you out tomorrow—well, later today really," the stocky monster chuckled, getting to his feet. "we can go to Alphys and get her to tell you about the Underground's regions and 'attractions'. but we can't tell her it's for my bro or she'll write all over the internet about it."

The brunette laughed as she rose herself, taking her friend's outstretched hand to return home. They vanished from sight and all was quiet within the lab once more. Until, that is, it was broken by a snicker originating from a hole a few inches deep in the wall.

"Hehehehehe. So very interesting."

Papyrus was quite melancholy that afternoon as he washed his convertible in the driveway. His brother and human friend had both left not even an hour ago and despite his worrying, Tabatha had done nothing but assure him that she was going to be okay, that it was a good day and Sans had his uses for instant travel if she suffered another incident. The tall skeleton had come outside to distract himself from the heavy silence that loomed within the house now that there was no one else there to make any noise. Yet as was becoming commonplace, his thoughts were far away from the mindless task of soaping the car's cherry-red body.

Today was the fourth good day Tabatha had experienced this week. The week before she'd only had two, but this showed incredible progress. Instead of being hourly increments where she was back to her old self before she would relapse, her cheerful attitude was lasting for longer and longer. At this rate...she would be back to normal soon.

The thought was both a comfort and a point of stress. He had promised himself that when she had recovered, he would tell her about his growing non-platonic affections. Then again, there still had been no word from Joseph Strong or Tabatha's yet-unnamed father about her stepmother giving up the hunt. And there was still not any documentation of the stalking behavior to get a restraining order, just the word of three humans and two monsters that—according to his friend—were easily overturned by the equal testimony of witnesses who believed her actions to be those of a concerned mother. Asgore was currently researching what he as the ruler of monsters might be able to do to protect Tabatha, but so far it was a lot of dead ends aside from the unspoken option of putting both humans under constant surveillance.

Fetching the hose from around the side of the house, Papyrus rinsed all the dirty suds off the car, trying to stop his train of thought from the dilemma of the young woman he cared about so much. His Soul wanted nothing more than to go find the stepmother in question and give her a stern talking-to about why stalking was wrong and encourage her to pursue a healthy relationship with her stepdaughter. However, he doubted that would be enough to stop her seeing as her own husband had tried many times before and had failed. He was completely powerless to help actually solve the problem at hand and could only do a little to ease the symptoms of said issue.

Papyrus decided he didn't like that feeling. Both feelings of helplessness actually: the one regarding his sort-of-crush's familial troubles and the one regarding his own feelings about his sort-of-crush. He wondered if this was how Sans felt when they first came to the surface—like he was tiny, like he was invisible in a crowd with so much happening outside of his control. It then occurred to him that this must be what Tabatha felt like all the time, constantly fleeing and hiding. To be so scared as to seek lonliness...

Papyrus swore to himself in that moment. Swore that never again would his human have to feel unloved or isolated. He would stay by her side no matter the risks. He would be her ultimate friend...

...oh stars. Had he just called her his human?

Chapter Text

It was snowing lightly as the two figures materialized by an arching door with the Delta Rune carved into it. Tabatha inhaled sharply at the drastic temperature change, blinking as while flakes landed on her eyeliashes.

"right, you have two days before Paps starts to wonder what's up," Sans informed the human, passing her a backpack containing food and an extra coat. "you left your phone back in your room, right?"

"Yup," she replied, zipping up her jacket to deal with the chill. "Uncle Jo knows to field the calls by either being busy or by giving me an excuse to be out if your brother tries him at all."

"kay. think you're set. before i forget, i had Alphys make this for you." The skeleton passed over a nondescript black phone. "should get signal even down here, but only use it for emergencies or when requesting pickup; every time you use it, a big chunk of the power goes down and it doesn't charge up very quick. texts are easier on it, but you could make maybe two calls. when you need a break from the cold or want to sleep, you can go to our old house—it's the one on the east edge of town and is covered in gyftmas lights. should be an old mattress upstairs in my room. don't mind the trash tornado."

"That is so you, Sans," the brunette snickered, pocketing the device. "Seriously though, I'll be careful. Just keep your bro from getting overly worried, would ya? I'd hate for him to be a wreck when I finally get home."

"will do."

And with that, Sans was gone. Slinging the backpack around her shoulders, the young woman looked out over the snowy path before her. Touching the rune carving on the door—why, she had no clue. For luck? For reassurance? Neither seemed right, but the action felt appropriate anyway—she set out, white powder crunching under her feet.

She did not feel the eyes that watched her from the trees.

Papyrus was cleaning the house for the second time that day, altering the perfection he had already bestowed on the dwelling in an attempt to busy his mind. Of all the times to forget her phone, Tabatha just had to do it on a visit to her Uncle. With no other option than to call her host—who was very often busy or giving him some reason why he had called at the wrong time—the taller skeleton had become nervous. It was one thing to get status updates and quite another to hear her voice for himself and to know that she was really okay. He was so close to sending his brother to go check on her just to make sure...but she was going to return home tomorrow.

How sad was this? She hadn't even been gone for more than 36 hours by now and he was already crazy.

Sans' phone went off. It was sitting on the kitchen table and so startled the younger monster while he was fixing the couch cushions. Glad for something to do, he rushed over to see who was calling so he could later report it to his brother. To his immense surprise, the caller ID identified the number as belonging to someone named...TabbyCat. That was the nickname he'd given their human-friend! She must have somehow found some way to contact them!

Without thinking about the potential repercussions for taking a phone call from a device that was not his own, Papyrus bypassed the lockscreen (seriously, what kind of password was 'paps' anyway! Anyone who knew him would be able to guess that!) and accepted the call.

"HUMAN TABATHA! I AM SO GLAD YOU HAVE FINALLY CONTACTED US! I HAVE BEEN CONCERNED FOR YOUR WELL-BEING EVER SINCE I DISCOVERED YOU LEFT YOUR PHONE BEHIND!"

"P-Papyrus?!" Tabatha's words were breathless and rough, as though she had a sore throat or had been screaming too much. "Where's Sans?"

"SLEEPING, I'D IMAGINE. HE HAS PLANNED ANOTHER MEETING WITH HIS SPECIAL HUMAN-FRIEND MIA AND WANTED TO STAY AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME INSTEAD OF PASSING OUT LIKE HE DID AT THE MOVIE THEATRE THAT ONE TIME. BUT YOU MAY TALK TO ME! I HAVE MISSED YOU! DESPITE YOU NOT BEING AWAY FOR VERY LONG!"

"Listen, I need to you to get your brother right now. I don't have time for small talk."

The snappish tone caught Papyrus off guard, his Soul stilling in its happy beat.

"TABATHA?"

"I need Sans!" she hissed vehemently. "There's something down here—I think it wants to kill me!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?" the tall skeleton demanded. There was a distant clattering sound before the call cut itself off into a droning tone. His phalanges tightened on the device as fear froze his core. But then the cold hardened from fear into something he had never thought he'd feel for his brother: rage. A logical, calculating rage.

Sans was going to answer his questions...and he was going to answer them now.

"Hehehehehe! Wasn't that just a sweet little cry for help! It made me tear up...oh, no wait, that's from me laughing too hard. My bad. Still, do you really believe they'll come for you? Oh that's right: you're friends; I forgot. Heh. I like you a lot more when you're quiet like this—none of that screaming and fussing. I wonder what those bags o' bones will think when they see you. Probably stand in awe at how...different it all is. Sans will hate it. Papyrus...his jaw's gonna come off. Wonder if their Souls will crack...probably not. You're not that important to them. Oh, did that sting, human? I bet it did. I like making you hurt; makes it so much easier to get under your skin, all the way down to that pretty broken Soul. How do they not know how broken you really are? Are you that good an actress? Or are they just stupid? Well, I already knew Papyrus was an idiot—oh? Is that anger? Hehehehe! You don't get it, you stupid human.

I know EVERYTHING."

Sans was jolted awake as the sheets on his bed were roughly yanked off him. Blindly flailing for a minute, his eye ignited with instinctive magic and he was suddenly confronted with the familiar feeling of his brother's Soul. But something was...off. There was not the usual affectionate annoyance when he usually overslept. Instead, it was harsh and...angry...

Chills ran down the older skeleton's spine as he struggled to get his mind all the way out of dreamland. He didn't make much progress before his brother's words descended upon him.

"SANS. WHERE IS TABATHA?"

This was wrong—so very wrong! Papyrus shouldn't be talking with such an empty voice, there shouldn't be so much cold rage—

"I WILL NOT ASK TWICE, BROTHER. AND DO NOT LIE TO ME."

Sans stared up at his younger sibling in nigh horror at his deathly expression. In Papyrus' gloved hand was his phone...

"Tabatha called?" he asked in a panic. "what did she say!?"

"ANSWER ME FIRST. I WILL NOT BUDGE UNTIL YOU ARE HONEST WITH ME."

"she...well..." Sans' mind was racing as he tried to think of what to say. If Tabatha had called—emergency or not—she need him to come get her, and she likely wouldn't appreciate the secret being spoiled...then again, the anger he felt in his little brother's Soul was only growing hotter.

"she wanted to see the underground," he finally surrendered. "she knew you wouldn't approve, that you'd think she wasn't ready to do something like that...so we decided to give her a few days to explore. her uncle was in on it, tried to keep you from knowing that the visit was just a cover-up. i was supposed to go get her later today."

The stocky skeleton flinched, his eye burning brighter when he felt the heat of rage from within Papyrus. Chancing a look up, he felt like withering up and turning to dust.

Papyrus. Was. Furious. Orange magic danced along his fists, tightly restrained but wild and dangerous all the same. His jaw was so clenched so tight it looked as though his skull was fused into a single plate of bone. Posture rigid, the taller monster took a step backwards, likely to keep his older brother out of striking or seizing range.

"YOU WENT BEHIND MY BACK." The pain was easy to hear among the harshness of his words. "YOU WENT BEHIND MY BACK AND NOW MY HUMAN...MY BEST HUMAN-FRIEND IS IN DANGER."

"Paps, what did she say?" Sans pressed desperately. "i gave her that phone for emergencies or for pickup. if she used it—"

"SHE SAID THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING DOWN THERE. SOMETHING SHE FEARED MIGHT HAVE THE INTENT OF KILLING HER."

The hoodie-clad skeleton would have disappeared then and there, but blue magic wrapped around his Soul and effectively pinned him to his bed.

"I AM COMING WITH YOU," Papyrus insisted. "I WILL NOT IDLY WAIT BY FOR YOU TO BRING HER BACK."

"bro, it's...it might be dangerous."

"NEVERTHELESS, I AM COMING. TABATHA IS MY FRIEND, AND I MUST SEE THAT SHE IS SAFE. AND I AM STILL ANGRY WITH YOU FOR KEEPING THIS A SECRET, AS WELL AS FOR SENDING HER UNSUPERVISED. IT APPEARS I MUST ALWAYS CLEAN UP YOUR MESSES FOR YOU, DOESN'T IT SANS?"

It was agonizing to hear him speak with such little emotion as he clearly held everything back in the interest of finding and saving their friend first. Sans actually felt magical tears beginning to manifest, the guilt crushing him far more than the gravity magic holding him down ever could.

"Paps...i'm sorry—"

"I AM NOT READY TO FORGIVE YOU YET. AND THERE IS STILL A HUMAN TO FIND AND POTENTIALLY RESCUE. LET US GO."

It had been a strenuous three hours. Three hours of combing through every corner under the mountain. Starting at Snowdin, the brothers had searched high and low, using magical means and manual alike. Now that stood before the only place they had yet to check: the Judgement Hall.

"YOU ARE CERTAIN SHE IT THERE?" Papyrus confirmed, fingering the fabric of his scarf anxiously as he stared at the stone doorway.

"it's the only other Soul down here that's strong enough," Sans asserted. "is she's not here, then there's something dangerous lying in wait."

"Oh that's no fun. Why can't it be both?"

The skeletons both froze. That voice...no, it couldn't be. Turning to face the dark entrance to the Hall, they watched as a figure came into view from beyond the shadows. Papyrus took a startled step backwards when they came into the light, sockets widening in horror. Sans covered his mouth with a hand, trying to repress the instinct to be sick.

No...of all the things that could have happened...why did it have to be this?

Chapter Text

"What's the matter? Don't you like my new toy? She's rather interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"L-LITTLE FLOWER-FRIEND," Papyrus choked out. "WH-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TABATHA?"

"Well," the small monster sneered, "I'd say it's an improvement, wouldn't you?"

The lanky skeleton felt magical tears welling up at the edge of his sockets as he stared, but he just couldn't look away from the sheer horribleness of it all. Tabatha stood before them, bruised and bleeding, head down. Thorny vines wrapped around her arms and neck like verdant chains and another coil was looped around her waist seemingly to act as a torture device if the stains on her shirt were anything to go by. Flowey himself draped over her shoulder, smirking.

"L-LET HER GO!" Papyrus demanded shakily. "YOU...YOU'RE HURTING HER..."

"That's the point, idiot!" Flowey chuckled, the vines tightening and causing spots of red to bloom against dirty fabric and exposed skin. The brunette didn't even flinch at the pain, but Sans audibly gagged, his eye igniting. "It's kinda funny how naive you are bone boy—only kind of though; it's mostly sad."

"TABATHA, PLEASE CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"bro," Sans whispered hoarsely. "i...i don't think she's gonna be able to talk to you."

"BUT—"

"the weed's gone and rooted himself in her Soul."

"WHAT?!"

"Ooooh, clever for someone so empty-headed," Flowey mocked. "I wondered if you'd be able to feel it. You wanna see?"

The vines holding their human-friend captive shifted and a green glow enveloped her chest. Tabatha's green Soul materialized slowly—far too slowly—forming itself around a black intrusion. When it was finally manifested, Papyrus suddenly sympathized with his brother''s desire to be sick.

The emerald shape should have shone bright and pure, a beautiful sight, but instead it was hard and crystalline, ready for battle. The hard shell was severely cracked and roots with green veins invaded every available entrance. The color of her kindness was being sucked out by those roots, leaving a graying husk where they had finished their work. Tabatha was fighting back, as evidenced by the surges of weak magic that tried to repel the invading force, but all that energy was just being stolen away to feed the infestation.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" the delicate demon-plant sighed, tone sardonic. "When I saw it, I just had to have it. Not the strongest human Soul, but oh so sweet! And that bitter aftertaste of old pain just made it all the more savory once I got ahold of it. You two have no idea what she's been through."

"THAT IS PRIVATE!" the younger of the brothers declared, aghast. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE IN CONTACT WITH HER SOUL!"

"Oh please; she all but offered it to me! Wandering the Underground without even knowing how to Fight. Besides, your brother's already invaded her privacy enough, sneaking all those little peeks at it whenever he had the slightest suspicion."

"that's not true," the stocky skeleton protested. "i didn't—"

"So you didn't pull her Soul out without permission every other night to stop the nightmares?" Flowey taunted.

"that was agreed to beforehand—"

"Just like how she agreed to be 'Checked' when dear Papyroo was out and about all those months ago before your were 'friends'?"

Sans flinched at the reminder, but anger was growing inside him: his magic was sparking all along hos bones, especially between his phalanges. Papyrus meanwhile was overwhelmed by how much he was feeling all at once. There was the concern for Tabatha, the murky to-be-identified grossness that Flowey was evoking in his Soul and now a rising mix of hurt and frustration with his brother.

"She had no idea what you were doing of course, but it was quite frightening for her," the wicked plant sneered. "But compared to what she's already suffered through, that was child's play. Did you know that she's been lying to you the whole time she's known you?"

"S-STOP," the younger skeleton protested weakly, the interior of his rib cage twinging sharply.

"You thought the controlling personality was all there was to it with her stepmother. You didn't know about slaps, the 'punishment' for wandering out of bounds or how many friends were chased away and had their lives ruined."

"STOP IT!"

"Every second of every day, poor little Tabatha keeps it all inside to protect everyone she comes in contact with. Weeks, months, heh, years of crying herself to sleep, so scared that her life's gonna return to the seventh level of hell. All of that time alone, knowing that anyone she talks to is at risk, never speaking, barely able to freeze her smile in place so no one will worry, will get involved. And all of you—her so-called 'friends'—are barely even distractions from the incoming shattering of her world...over and over and over. Repeated endlessly, a cycle of pain, of loss."

"i am going to kill you, you sick freak," Sans hissed, his magic loose and wild, surrounding his hands like flames and trailing from his single lit socket. "i'm gonna make you beg for me to just end you."

"Really?" Flowey sniggered. "Then come get me."

Jerking into motion like a puppet on strings, Tabatha lurched before fleeing into the depths of the Judgement Hall.

"WAIT! NO!" Papyrus cried, sprinting after her. He suddenly was pulled to a stop like a dog at the end of its leash as his Soul was seized by the familiar touch of his brother's blue magic. No matter how he fought it, he could not move he feet beyond where they were planted, just outside the stone archway.

"SANS! LET ME GO!" he begged. "I HAVE TO HELP TABATHA!"

"no Paps, you're gonna stay right here until it's safe," his sibling replied, voice low and heavy, hands retreating into his pockets though they still glowed with power. "i'm not chancing losing you. it's my mess for leaving her here alone and i'm gonna fix it."

"BUT SANS—!"

"no."

There were no more words as the shorter skeleton passed his brother, refusing to look at him. Papyrus stared at Sans' retreating back in horror and betrayal.

"SANS NO! WHAT WILL I DO IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO YOU?! PLEASE, PLEASE BROTHER! LET ME COME! I CAN HELP YOU! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE WITH NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING! SANS!"

Nothing he said stopped his big brother's measured stride into the Hall. Even after he vanished from sight, Papyrus continued to plead, begging to be released, to be permitted to help. His cries fell on deaf ears, but he had no way of knowing the anguish it caused the hidden, stubborn Soul, infused with enough anger to repeat the same deed he had done a hundred times before. Except this time, the human wasn't his target.

It was time to kill the real criminal here.

The Hall was exactly how Sans remembered it: shining with gold light and in pristine condition, not a single sign of the destruction and deaths that had graced it only a few short years ago. It send a chill of trepidation through his hollow form, but he pushed down the memories of the genocide timelines, his gaze sweeping every shadow and hiding place where the pair might have vanished to.

Quick footsteps came from his left and the skeleton whipped out his left hand, grabbing hold of and anchoring in place the human who tried to charge him. Turning to face his opponent, the first thing he noticed was the knife in Tabatha's outstretched hands, the steel bright and clean and deadly.

"Hehe! Recognize it?" Flowey giggled lightly from his place on the human's shoulder. "You should. That's the knife that Chara and Frisk both used to kill you in different timelines. And now it's gonna repeat its job and finish you off again."

"before we get down to business," the skeleton commented icily, "how's about you tell me why you're doing this? that's what the evil megalomaniacs are supposed to do, right? you've never stooped this low in any other timeline, never tried to do this to the kid."

"Unlike this pathetic little human, Frisk has a Determined Soul," the weed sneered. "They're able to come back from death itself, so anything I tried to do would only be undone the second they Loaded again. But poor little Tabby Cat here doesn't have that Determination—even in a place of magic she can't Save or Reset because Frisk is in control of the timeline. So unlike Frisk, who would just start over and know all my tricks before I pull them, this sweet little broken creature is perfectly vulnerable to anything I want to do to her. It was easy enough to get her to expose her Soul—she actually believed me when I told her that green Souls are able to do healing magic to fix up the twisted ankle she unfortunately suffered while walking through Waterfall! Once it was out in the open, I took what I wanted and here we are!"

"let her go," Sans ordered. "maybe then I'll find some Mercy left in my Soul for a sorry dastard like you."

"Oh, that's not possible; I'm too far along. The second I took root, we began to merge. Now we're practically the same entity! All her memories, thoughts, feelings, they're slowly evaporating as I take over her Soul. Soon, she'll be nothing more than a husk and then I'll finally no longer be so empty. And the best part? The process is far enough along now that to kill me would be to kill her too. Same with removing me by force. Simply put, you can't do anything to save her. You. Smiley. Trashbag."

A wave of pure Determination flooded through the fractured Soul, foreign in the human's usual composition. The blue magic shattered and she continued where she had left off, rushing forward with the knife pointed forward. Her swing was clumsy and Sans easily stepped to the side, raising a cage of blue bones to contain the conjoined pair.

"there has to be a way to separate you two," the stocky monster mused darkly. "i wonder if you need some incentive to let go? i can provide that."

"Wow. I don't know if you're desperate or if the stupid gene is just the default in skeletons," Flowey drawled. "Your fancy little 'Judge' tricks won't do a thing to me; I done't have a Soul to call my own. The only one here belongs to the human...for now. Oh, and another thing: do you really things a few bones would stop me?"

Tabatha once again came at him. Her face was slack as she crashed through the light blue magic, HP dropping without so much as a reaction to it.

It was then that Sans knew he was in serious trouble.

The Fight continued in similar manner for nearly ten minutes: Flowey would set fly tiny white bullets as a distraction before manipulating his puppet of a human to follow up with the knife and the skeleton would dodge until it was too close for comfort and he would vanish and reappear at some far corner of the room, making a maze of bones his opponents had to weave through to get back in range. Then the whole cycle would repeat. As the struggle continued, however, two things became apparent: Flowey was paying absolutely no regard to how much damage Tabatha suffered and the more hurt she forcibly endured, the smoother her movements became. It was like he wasn't managing to hurt the demon weed...only giving him more control over his victim.

"Getting tired?"

The taunt was followed by a swipe that almost lodged in Sans' vertebrae. Before he could think of verbalizing a response, the blade stabbed back towards his ribs, forcing him to warp back towards the Hall entrance. The usually-grinning monster was panting and sweat beaded on his skull, both of anxiety and exhaustion.

"I suppose I should thank you." The words made his Soul almost stop beating. Tabatha, not Flowey, was speaking though her face was as expressionless as always. Yet the words clearly belonged to him...oh stars. "If you hadn't fought me, I wouldn't have had the chance to take advantage of the cracks you made with your damage. And if you hadn't been holding back, I wouldn't have lasted this long."

Steps echoed across the space between them. Each of the brunette's measured steps sounded like the ticking of a clock, counting the seconds until she struck.

"it's monsters like you that made the humans push us underground," Sans growled. "the monsters who would absorb a human Soul to gain ultimate power."

"Well, it's not ultimate power; not yet anyway" Flowey chuckled. "Even though she's dying, little Tabatha is still trying to throw off her own swings, trying to keep herself from hurting you. You'd think her priorities would be a little straighter than that—even you have more survival instinct!"

"i'm not kind," was the simple reply. "not like she is. you could learn a thing or two from her."

"Hehehe! 'Kindness' is just a much more polite way to say 'weakness'! Isn't that why Papyrus died so many times?" the Soulless monster continued.

"Tabatha was going to confess to your brother after this trip, you know." This time, the words came from the young woman's own lips, though they were not her own. "She likes him quite a bit—more than she'll even admit to herself. Shame that's never gonna happen."

"heh, with a Soul like hers..." Sans shrugged, closing his eyes as she closed in, "...i'm not surprised Paps took a lichen to her."

It was then he felt it: a flicker of something in that fading green Soul that felt familiar. The human's shadow blocked the light, but the skeleton did not budge. For once in his life...he decided not to run. He chose to trust.

The knife's blade carved an arc across his ribs, but two things happened simultaneously: a wash of unfamiliar magic coated his body, reducing the fatal 1 damage by half, just as he heard a single word escape Tabatha's lips.

"Go."

That simple command—along with the shock of only retaining .5 HP—spurred Sans' magic into action almost against his own will. Physical space vanished all around him as time slowed and he fell into the void. Before he was fully gone, his eyes opened and he saw the young woman finishing her slash in slow motion, the knife blunted by a small shield of green magic. The familiar white, smiling mask that always stared at him when he took his shortcuts was not looking at him this time. Instead, those black pits were focused on Tabatha with an intense interest.

And then the world returned, the short skeleton landing almost too neatly on the couch of his house. He let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, gently touching the nicks that had been taken out of his bones through the gaping hole in his shirt. He was lucky to be alive; if Tabatha hadn't been able to muster up the strength to use even that tiny bit of magic...

It took a few minutes before the relief wore off, but once it did, Sans got the distinct impression that he was forgetting something. Cold shot through his whole body when he remembered.

He had left Papyrus behind.

Chapter Text

The younger skeleton brother knew something was wrong the second the blue magic holding him in place evaporated. If there was one thing that Sans was, it was stubborn; he wouldn't have let that energy release unless...well, magic didhave a distance limit. Perhaps he simply teleported too far away. Yes, that must be it.

Either way, he now had the chance to go in and see if he could help in rescuing Tabatha and he was not going to let that slip by!

Papyrus had never actually been in the Judgement Hall before except for the one time he had come to help Frisk when they were confronting Asgore. He was impressed by the size of it...and how empty it was. Nowhere was there any sign of his brother or their human-friend...nor the little golden flower whom he had thought was a friend not so long ago. There wasn't even a single speck of dust to be seen—which was a big relief. But then where were they?

A sound came to his attention. It was gentle, yet haunting, seeming almost like music. It came from the doorway at the far end of the Hall, where the throne room was located. Then it rose in volume and he recognized the voice.

"They send me away to find them a fortune
A chest filled with diamonds and gold
The house was awake, the shadows and monsters
The hallways, they echoed and groaned

I sat alone, in bed till the morning
I'm crying, "They're coming for me"
And I tried to hold these secrets inside me
My mind's like a deadly disease"

It was Tabatha. Filled with a wild, desperate hope, he sprinted to the end of the Hall, concerns almost forgotten at the prospect finding his friend. All the while, the melody continued.

"I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones

"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Oh yes sir, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?"

Papyrus skidded to a stop at the edge of the royal flowerbed, narrowly avoiding crushing the poor, delicate plants. It did not take long to find the human: she was in the center of the room, laying across the arms of the throne almost lazily. Flowey's vines still coiled and shifted across her body, but his head was nestled in her hair almost peacefully, like he was enjoying the music.

"I paced around for hours on empty
I jumped at the slightest of sounds
And I couldn't stand the person inside me
I turned all the mirrors around"

"TABATHA!" the lanky skeleton called desperately, hoping for a response—any response. Flowey jolted from his resting place and the human's fingers twitched but she did not cease her song.

"I'm bigger than my body
I'm colder than this home
I'm meaner than my demons
I'm bigger than these bones"

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," the small plant sneered, his voice overlapping hers. "Little brother comes to play after big brother's gone away."

"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Oh yes sir, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?"

"THIS IS NO GAME, LITTLE FLOWER," Papyrus admonished. "PLEASE, RELEASE MY FRIEND. SHE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG, TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE."

"Hehehe! Oh Papyrus, your naivete never ceases to be amusing," Flowey chuckled. "It doesn't matter that she's innocent: she had something I wanted, so I took it. That's how the real world works. Even you can't be so stupid as to think that everyone is as sickeningly kind as Frisk or even this human. Not that she's in any position to offer kindness at this point."

Like a puppet pulled up on its strings, Tabatha sat up, the vines around her body coiling and unraveling to avoid being crushed by her weight. The whole time, her eyes were focused on something distant, like she was seeing beyond the visible world, yet her face betrayed no emotion, none of her personality. When her head turned to face him, those hollow eyes

"I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my head
They beg me to write them so they'll never die when I'm dead
And I've grown familiar with villains that live in my head
They beg me to write them so I'll never die when I'm dead"

"TABATHA, PLEASE," the skeleton plead. "YOU MUST STILL BE IN THERE—I KNOW YOU MUST BE!"

The brunette gave no sign of hearing his words, continuing to move as though in a dream, like each line within her song was the guide to every action.

"I'm bigger than my body"

She stood from the throne.

"I'm colder than this home"

She knelt, fingers reaching for something hidden by the flowers.

"I'm meaner than my demons"

She rose again, knife in hand.

"I'm bigger than these bones"

With each measured step Tabatha took, the sense of foreboding that had been steadily growing inside Papyrus ever since he had first seen the terrible circumstance his friend had founder herself spiked. Flowey's smile grew wider every passing second until his face seemed it must either stop or split in two.

"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
Oh yes sir, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?"

"TABATHA...MY FRIEND...PLEASE."

Though her face was slack, tears began to fill the young woman's dark eyes. Flowey snickered as his vines tightened their grip, shedding fresh blood over all her previous wounds. The song became harsh and angry, filled with a desperation that came straight from the deepest reaches of Soul.

"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy"

Papyrus' back hit the wall, a fact that startled him immensely (he hadn't realized he'd started retreating) but not nearly so much as the human who stalked him had. With a lunge forward, Tabatha caged him against the wall, gaze intent yet distant as a single tear traced its way down her cheek.

"Oh yes sir, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?"

The hand holding the knife lifted up, ready to strike, and it seemed as though the whole world froze.

Gaster was first and foremost an observer. When he had lived, that had been his foremost duty and even now while he existed in this terrible, fragmented state, he continued to watch.

Usually, he watched Sans because he was his [ERROR] [ERROR] and he [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR], but his attention had begun to shift as of late. In so many timelines within the Pacifist path, it was the elder of the two who found some sort of friendship or connection with a human. There were endless variations of it, as was to be expected with the eternal nature of time itself. But in comparison, the number to timelines where Papyrus was the one to build such a strong rapport with someone not of his kind was...less. Perhaps it had something to do with fewer of these possibilities being fleshed out by [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR][ERROR]. And yet, when he had seen this turn of events in the many splits and fractures of the central timeline, it had intrigued him.

Gaster was not omniscient or omnipresent, but he was very close to it. His presence could be found—or traces of it—in every possible timeline with in this universe. He was aware of the general structure and flow of each new branch of possibility. However, the majority of his attention could only fix itself onto one piece of the many timelines at any given moment, see only one place where time split into so many variants of itself at a time. Of course even within this timelines there were variants of himself, created by [ERROR][ERROR] and [ERROR], but that was a whole other level of quantum and meta physics do deal with and he was wasting precious attention dwelling on such things.

This particular series of events had caught his attention, however, due to the incredibly improbable paths it had taken as the central stream of the timeline wound its was through reality. The fact that the universe maintained Tabatha would even meet Papyrus again after their first encounter in the park had been astronomically out of that outcome's favor. And then the other crossroads, all had been equally capable of going wrong and changing this relatively cheerful string of events into something grim and painful, yet everything had just continued to build for this exact moment. Gaster was beginning to think his theory of [ERROR][ERROR] was correct after all, at least in regards to the number of [ERROR] that had been created.

Of all of the crossroads that had been faced before within this "tale" the timeline had woven, this one by far had the most disastrous consequences. For a small eternity, the former royal scientist had categorized every possible way that this encounter could end in tragedy and did not find it lacking. Yet there were only a handful of variations where things even mightbe ultimately alright.

There were three ways this could go: Papyrus dies, Tabatha dies or something unique happens. The first seemed the most likely—that due to carelessness, refusal to defend himself, or simply being overpowered, the young skeleton would become dust. The second was also likely and most of the options revolved around the different ways Papyrus would fail to save Tabatha though there were a few where she faded from existence due to the former prince consuming her Soul. The unique ones also had many potentially disastrous and fatal consequences—including but not limited to Papyrus taking his human-friend's place and becoming part of a new horrible entity and the most intriguing one where the other human Souls had gotten involved and the flower had morphed into his Omega form. But there was one path that could lead to a happy ending. One amidst an infinite number of painful possibilities. There was just one problem: Papyrus, if left to his own devices, would likely never be capable of going through with it; he did not have the [ERROR] or [ERROR] to do such a thing naturally.

Gaster had always tried to keep himself separate from matters pertaining to physical reality—he was no longer part of those kinds of events. But there were times like this where he felt the call to join in the story, to be the deus ex machina as it were. And when it came to Papyrus, to [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR], he hated to see him suffer such pain as the other possibilities promised. In any case, he'd rather this timestream continue as it had—it would [ERROR] the [ERROR][ERROR] if it didn't.

There was not very much that the former Royal Scientist could to to affect the physical world—in any timeline except for the rare few—but when it came to the skeleton brothers he had a little more ground to work with. Sans was easier to reach with his unique powers over time and space, but he and his brother came from the same source; it would not be impossible to influence Papyrus and guide his actions.

He vaguely wondered if the young skeleton would be able to feel his presence as his brother sometimes did. He doubted it, but it would be very interesting to see if he did.

In the moment when the human's arm drew back, the dark void-creature stretched out his hands, letting his incorporeal fingers brush against the fragile yet brave soul tucked under armor and ribs. The holes in his palms sparked with magic, warped and hardly recognizable, yet that small inverted heart accepted it, seeming to find it familiar. Did the Soul know [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR] even though the mind did not? Ah, but those were musings for another time, for now that very flow must resume and the tale must commence...

It was in the brief moment of hesitation before action, before Flowey could command Tabatha to strike him down, that a sudden feverish feeling burst into Papyrus' being. He did not know why, but every bone in his body screamed at him to move. So he did, lunging forwards and tackling the young woman before him. The soulless parasite attached to her let out a squawk of surprise as all three were knocked to the hard ground, hardly cushioned by the yellow flowerbed.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?!" Flowey spat as Tabatha limbs moved to get back up, the movements jerky and uncoordinated. Papyrus swiftly took hold of the human's wrists, pinning her legs down as best he could with his own.

"YOU ARE NOT THE ONE IN CONTROL," the trainee guardsman stated insistently. "MY FRIEND IS IN THERE—I KNOW SHE IS!"

"Ugh, you just don't give up, do you?" the small monster groaned. "Why can't you understand it doesn't matter if your precious Tabatha is still alive? I have too much of her Soul under my control; we're too close for you to separate by force on a spiritual level."

Dismay shot through the tall skeleton but one of those words stuck his mind as...significant? Why he hadn't a clue, but...

"BUT A SOUL REQUIRES CONSENT BEFORE INTERACTION OR ELSE A FIGHT STARTS," Papyrus heard himself say, mind trying to work out why the word "force" seemed important. "YOU COULD NOT HAVE TAKEN MY HUMAN-FRIEND OVER UNLESS SHE ALLOWED YOU TO..."

"Ugh! You're such an idiot! The rules don't apply to someone without a Soul of their own!"

"...BUT YOU HAVE ONE NOW," the skeleton mumbled, mind still working furiously. "YOU ARE FIGHTING TO TAKE IT ENTIRELY...BUT...YOU COULD CHOOSE NOT TO FIGHT. YOU COULD CHOOSE TO LET HER GO."

"And why would I do that?"

There it was! No denial, just challenge! If Flowey let go then Tabatha would be free. But the excitement soon died as he realized that it was hardly likely that he would not likely let go of the trapped Soul willingly...which was the only way that they could be separated now.

"Oh, did you finally figure it out?" the yellow flower jeered. "Now you know how hopeless it is! You should do what your brother did and just. Give. Up."

With a sharp kick, Tabatha's left leg broke free from the skeleton's awkward hold on her and she managed to get the leverage to roll over, trapping her friend underneath her with her greater weight.

"Either way, you don't have much time left." The words were spoken by the human as Flowey rested his petals on the crown of her head, smirking. "You don't have anything...not even your best friend."

Papyrus struggled in the hold on him, but it was to no avail: simply by virtue of having flesh, Tabatha weighed more than him and had not trouble keeping him in the inferior position. Frustrated, helpless tears began to well on the edge of his sockets and in a rush of hot anger sat halfway up, his skull colliding with the young woman's forehead. She didn't so much as flinch, but a gasp escaped her lips nonetheless. Caught off guard, the young monster's gaze slid to the flower resting a little higher than the expressionless eyes that stared so hard into his Soul. Flowey was grimacing as though...as though he had felt it to.

An idea began to sprout inside papyrus' mind. A horrible, insidious idea...and yet...if Flowey refused to release his human-friend peacefully then he would have to be...coerced.

Concentrating his magic, the skeleton formed a bone attack that shot out of the ground and narrowly missed his spine but firmly jabbed Tabatha in the stomach. As her grip involuntarily slackened on his wrists, he took the opportunity to break free and struggle to his feet. Before his possessed friend could regain her own footing, he built a cage around her of solid bone, hoping it would hold her long enough to negotiate.

"LITTLE FLOWER," Papyrus stated sadly but firmly, "I WILL GIVE YOU ONE OPPORTUNITY TO DO RELEASE MY HUMAN PEACEFULLY."

"Oh really?" Flowey drawled. "And what if I tell you no?"

"THEN I WILL HAVE TO MAKE YOU, MUCH AS I DO NOT WANT TO."

This sent the tiny plant monster into fits of screaming laughter. He had to pause to suck in air before he was set off once again. The lanky skeleton clenched his hands into fists, his Soul throbbing painfully. He didn't want to do this...but he had to, lest he lose Tabatha forever.

Summoning his magic was on the edge of outrightly painful, but Papyrus tightened up his jaw and forced it to cooperate, despite longing to do otherwise.

"RELEASE TABATHA," he insisted. His answer was in the continued laughing as the human rose to her feet and tabbed the edge of the knife against one of the bones holding her in the enclosure. With a sigh, the guardsman trainee let the magic loose, his right eyesocket igniting as he let his Soul overflow with all his power and emotion.

"I'M SORRY,' was all he said before he let the cage vanish, the energy forming a single long bone. Tabatha charged without hesitation, taking a wild swipe that was intercepted by the staff-like weapon the skeleton held. Then Papyrus made his move: using the large femur to knock the young woman over, he dropped it aside and took hold of one of her legs, pinning her hip under one foot. Hesitating for only a second as he steeled his nerve—and feeling a rush of a strange, savage energy fill his hollow frame as he took that moment of pause—Papyrus then used his leverage to put opposing pressure on her calf. Fueled by magic and emotional desperation, the normally gentle monster did something he would never be able to do otherwise: with a terrible crack, the bones within the human's leg fractured.

Tabatha's body convulsed spastically as Flowey released a truly horrific scream.

"I'M SORRY," Papyrus whispered as he took hold of her second leg and began to exert the same pressure there as well. "I'M SO SORRY."

Legs broken, he moved on to her arms, tears falling down his face at seeing his friend's body react to pain even if she couldn't vocalize it. When she was rendered incapable of using her limbs and hands, a serrated bony dagger formed in Papyrus' hand.

"PLEASE, LET HER GO," he begged. "I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DO THIS."

"Hrgh! N-never!" Flowey hissed. "I'm too close! T-too close!"

Both monsters cried out in different pain as the magical blade sliced through the vines coiled around the human's middle. The skeleton called out to the cracking, infected Soul resting in the young woman's chest and it appeared, pulsing in a panicked rhythm. Careful not to sever the vines that connected Flowey to her Soul, Papyrus cleared the green ropes holding Tabatha bound, careful to keep an eye on what HP she had left. When it dropped too low, he set aside his weapon though his eye still burned with the power hiding just under the surface. Leaving the throne room behind—and ignoring Flowey's demands to know where he was going—the lanky young guardsman returned to Asgore's house, finding a kettle to put on the stove and tea bags containing crushed golden flowers. When the kettle whistled, he poured the hot water over the bag and let it steep until the passive magic left within the dried plants sparked to life, imbuing the tea with healthful properties. Returning to the throne room with kettle, tea bags and teacup, Papyrus knelt and gently rested his hand behind Tabatha's head and tilted it up so he could give her sips of the drink he had prepared, ceasing when her HP had risen back to safe levels. While this sadly meant that Flowey was healed as well, she hadn't recovered enough for her limbs to have healed.

And so it went. It had to have been nearly an hour and it was the same cycle: Papyrus would inflict pain upon the tied pair of beings until they were in nigh mortal danger and then he would give them tea until they were healthy enough to continue on. It was almost mindless, out of body in fact, for the normally pacifistic monster, his actions seemingly dictated by some outside force that granted him the power to keep hurting, to keep pressing on when his Soul screamed at him to stop.

Flowey was in complete agony. Tabatha had been silent for so long he had no idea if she was experiencing anything like he was, but he hoped it hurt her too. For the first time, despite the many Resets, the soulless creature finally began to comprehend the terrible wrath that came along with harming a dearly loved one. Is this how Frisk had felt when facing down Sans at the end of every genocide timeline? Looking into those dark eyesockets and never catching sight of any Mercy coming on the horizon. Flowey had thought he could play this waiting game—that he could outlast the younger skeleton brother's attempts to convince him that gaining a human Soul was not worth the torture. But he had snuck a Check on Papyrus when he'd been preparing another cup of tea and had noticed something unsettling: his stats were different. The numbers for his EXP and LV kept fizzling out with static, replaced with strange symbols before changing back again. And yet perhaps even more frightening was the message his Soul was giving out:

Papyrus is filled with Determination.

"Wh-why do you want me to let her go so bad?" Flowey asked in a tiny voice while Tabatha was once again given small sips of now tepid tea. The relief from the healing was overshadowed by a dread of the future pain to come. "I just don't understand it. Why go so far for someone so broken?"

"THAT IS SOMETHING I DO NOT THINK YOUCAN UNDERSTAND, LITTLE FLOWER," was Papyrus' equally quiet reply. "BUT...I THINK IT IS SUFFICIENT TO SAY THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO KEEP HER SAFE AND HAPPY...AND SADLY THAT HAS PLACED US HERE. I NEVER WANT TO HURT ANYONE. NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE."

"You are so..." the soulless plant didn't seem able to find the words to express what was on his mind and so he weakly scoffed. "Tch. Whatever. Th-this isn't worth it anymore. Have your pathetic little human back then."

Pulling out of Tabatha's Soul was slow, strenuous. Flowey let all that he had stolen flood back out of him, shuddering as a familiar emotional emptiness overcame him. When had he started being able to perceive proper feelings again? Well, no matter; it was too dangerous to continue absorbing the human's characteristics. There was something otherworldly happening going on here and it was on the side of his enemy.

The second Flowey's roots were extracted from the deep furrows in the green Soul, the young woman's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she slumped limp into the flowers under her. Her attacker did not stick around, vanishing the second he was firmly anchored to the earth again and Papyrus collapsed forwards onto his hands, exhaustion overtaking every inch of him, the tail of flaming orange extinguishing itself out of his right socket. Every part of him ached, the tension in his bones having only just been released. And then a sound reached him that froze him in place.

Crack!

Like glass being stepped on, Tabatha's Soul was breaking.

NO! He had given so much! He couldn't lose her now, not when he had done things nigh unspeakable to prevent her from dying.

Scooping the brunette into his arms, Papyrus manifested his own Soul, the little inverted heart glowing with orange—the color of bravery. With one hand, the skeleton took the breaking Soul into his palm, letting his eyesockets drift shut as he concentrated on trying to muster up healing magic. Bright energy left his Soul and filled in the cracks on hers, keeping her together and from slipping away.

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME," he plead. "NOT NOW. I DIDN'T GET TO TELL YOU..."

A sensation similar to fingers brushing against his phalanges prompted him to curl them inward, the tips brushing against the still half-crystalized manifestation of Tabatha's being. A sudden sensation bolted through his bones, hot and passionate. Images and fragmented words entered his mind and Papyrus jolted, flattening his palm out in a panic.

How could he?! Touching ones' Soul was reserved for only the utmost of intimate relationships! He had just committed a grave error. There was no forgiveness for such casual contact, no matter how weak the other party!

"I'M SORRY," he whispered, the phrase like a mantra that had been repeated infinitely during the past hour. But this time the words meant something different: it was not an apology by rather a cry in the dark that he be forgiven. "I'M SORRY TABATHA; I'M SO SO SO SO SORRY."

Sans hadn't known what to expect when he returned to the Underground. It had taken nearly a full hour to gather up enough magic to return to the Judgement Hall and when he'd arrived, he had no strength left for a fight. When the human and weed weren't where he left them, he began to search deeper in until he entered the throne room. It was there he got the shock of his life.

His brother—his baby brother—knelt at the foot of the throne cradling a severely injured Tabatha. One might even go so far as to say she was broken, shattered. The sight of her Soul so badly injured, held together by Papyrus' magic and...the presence of something from the void.

His brother was apologizing frantically and, to the elder skeleton's great surprise, Flowey was nowhere in sight (though that was small comfort considering the field of flowers surrounding them). Yet despite all the chaos, all the confusion, all he wanted to say and do right now there was one thing that stood out.

Tabatha was alive. As for being alright...that was another mess to navigate.

Chapter Text

Papyrus decided that he really didn't like hospital waiting rooms. They were too quiet, too full with stress and worry—he could all but feel it radiating off everyone else present and it was toxic. Bad news, good news, all of it was kept hidden away by those swinging doors for hours and hours.

He'd been sitting here fro what had to be three or four hours, but truthfully it was all a blur. The only indication of time was the clock on the wall that seemed unreliable as it skipped ahead when it wasn't looked at and stayed stubbornly still when any eye was on it. It had to be evening at the earliest...had it really all been in one day? All those charged emotions, all the life-or-death fighting all contained within a few short hours?

Leaving the Underground had been tense on all sides. Sans had arrived mere moments after the Soul-touching incident (thank the stars he'd had the sense to put her Soul away straight after!) and had tried to assess their injuries, which had been horrifying.

"Paps! did that weed do anything to you?!"

"NO, BUT I...TABATHA...I HAD TO..."

"bro...y-you did this to her? oh Delta."

With no magic to instantly bring all three of them to the hospital, they'd been forced to go by foot. Papyrus carried the brunette on his back through the passage where the barrier had once stood and after his brother's legs gave out from walking too far, he'd slung the shorter skeleton over his shoulder. The entire time they walked down the mountain, Sans' eye had not once stopped glowing, constantly ensuring that Tabatha's Soul didn't start to break again. They had reached the hospital in under the orange light of the afternoon sun and it was then their friend was whisked away, condemning them to the waiting room.

They had sat for a brief eternity before Sans had jolted from his seat and run through those double doors leading to the emergency room without explanation, eyesocket flaring with power. Papyrus had been left alone, surrounded by staring humans who clearly were unsure if his presence was some kind of joke or not.

A small finger poked the upper part of his humerus, jolting the young lanky monster out of his mood in shock. Twisting, he saw there was a little boy staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Hi," the child said with a wave.

"HELLO," Papyrus replied automatically.

"Are you a monster? I've never seen a skeleton monster before."

"Joshua," a woman who was probably the boy's mother hissed. "Don't bother him."

"HE'S FINE, MA'AM. I AM USED TO SUCH QUESTIONS. YES, LITTLE HUMAN, I AM INDEED A MONSTER. MY BROTHER AND I ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO I KNOW OF THAT ARE SKELETONS."

"Oh. Was it your brother who got hurt?"

"NO...IT WAS OUR HUMAN-FRIEND."

"Oh. I didn't know grown-up monsters had human-friends. My Grandpa is the one who got hurt and why I have to sit and be quiet in the chair. His back is hurting."

"I AM SORRY TO HEAR THAT."

"What happened to your grown-up-human-friend?"

"SHE...THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT..."

The doors swung open and a hush fell over the room. The nurse standing there with his clipboard scanned the room before gesturing to Papyrus. As he rose from his chair, Sans emerged from the same doors, looking as haggard as he could get.

"HOW IS SHE?" the tall skeleton wasted no time in asking.

"Stable, thanks to this guy here—we were losing her when he came in and did some kind of magic on her Soul to keep her alive. She's got multiple oblique fractures in her ulna and radius of both arms, disjointed carpals and comminuted fractures in her fibulae. Aside from that, she's got multiple surface wounds and a potential concussion, however her blood levels are quite low. Can I ask you how that happened? None of her wounds are deep enough to cause that kind of blood loss."

"I...I WAS ABLE TO GIVE HER SOME MONSTER FOOD THAT HEALED THE DEEPEST CUTS. I KNEW HER HP WAS LOW, BUT I WASN'T SURE HOW BAD IT WAS..."

"Either way, she's lucky you managed to get her here. I doubt she would have made it without serious medical care. Then again, with what this guy did to her Soul, maybe she'd have pulled through either way so long as he was around."

"...SANS?"

"yeah bro?"

"HOW...HOW WAS HER SOUL? IT...IT WASN'T TOO BADLY DAMAGED, WAS IT?"

The stocky monster sighed heavily and shifted his weight onto one leg.

"not here," he suggested gently. "don't want anyone overhearing and getting the wrong idea."

"C-CAN I SEE HER?" Papyrus asked the nurse nervously. The man shook his head and then assured the younger brother that when she woke up they would be alerted right away, along with her Uncle. After learning the visiting hours, the two monsters left the hospital and moved down the dark and empty streets of night in tense silence. Sans was doing his best to fight back yawns and keep walking in a straight line, but eventually the taller skeleton could no longer maintain his anger and picked his brother up.

"WHAT DID HER SOUL LOOK LIKE?" he repeated softly. His sibling took a moment to think about it before he sighed again.

"not gonna lie, she's real beat up. her Determination was the only thing keeping her together for a while and while that may have reduced some of the trauma...she'll be scarred where her Soul was...'invaded'. really though, she's still too fragile to determine anything for sure. it's in her own hands now."

Papyrus averted his gaze from his brother, facing forward and watching where he was going. Sans slipped into sleep on his shoulder, burned out from so much magic use within such a condensed time frame. By the time they were home, the guardsman trainee felt like joining him, but after he retreated to bed (Sans tucked into his own) he just laid awake, staring at the shadows on the ceiling.

Every time he closed his eyesockets, he saw Tabatha's empty eyes, heard Flowey's screams, felt the bones snap under his hands. Even worse was the odd sense of static that permeated the memories—unnatural and disturbing on the deepest level.

"I'M SORRY," Papyrus whispered, tears slipping down his cheekbones, pleading with the stars, with God, with whoever or whatever could hear him and take this feeling away. "I'M SORRY...PLEASE, I DIDN'T WANT TO..."

BUT I STILL DID IT.

It was so quiet, so dark...wait, her eyes were closed, weren't they? Why wouldn't they open?

Miss Tabatha Strong.

"Who are you?" she demanded the warped voice, struggling against the weight on her.

That is not important. But while you are here, I wanted to get a good sense of who you are.

A white, smiling mask emerged from the inky blackness and Tabatha flinched away. This creature was wrong—otherworldly. It was part of the darkness, yet...not.

The human Soul is incredible, is it not? Such abuse it has suffered...and yet you endure.

A skeletal hand reached out for her, a hole carved into its palm. A green heart formed out of the darkness and the young woman gasped at the state of it. Paler than it should have been, there were ugly black cracks all along it. What was worse was she could feel every broken piece, where they hurt her body and what had been damaged in her mind.

Kind Souls are often considered weak due to a lack of Attack capabilities. Yet they recover from things that are almost inconceivable simply by trusting and relying on the same trait in others. Considering that Papyrus is the one who has made true contact to your core most recently, I suppose I should have expected that you lasted so long by merely being in his proximity...a shame his walk speed is quicker than the average or Sans wouldn't have needed my prompting to save you.

"Papyrus," Tabatha breathed. "He...he found out?! He knows I was in the Underground?!"

Hush child. Such emotions will stress you more than you can handle at the moment. It would be a tragic shame if you faded away now.

The human frowned, feeling almost insulted that this thing thought she was on the brink of death. Of course, he could have a point she mused as she looked over the damage done to her Soul. Now that she was aware of it, she was actually aware of her body and for the first time realized she was outside of it.

"Where am I?" she asked softly.

The void. Hovering between life and death, I can contact what is left of your conscious mind and spirit. I was intrigued why Papyrus would go to such lengths for you...it seems he has ample reason to do so.

"What lengths?"

You will see before long—hiding his feelings is not something he is very skilled or experienced at. Though I do wonder if my influence will change in any part how he feels about what he had to do.

"You're not very helpful, are you?" Tabatha remarked dryly.

It is not my place to intervene. I am an observer of your timeline; I am limited when it comes to..."

White noise and static overtook the creature's voice, fading only when he ceased speaking. Somehow, the while mask's grin became a little more wry than before.

It seems I cannot describe too much of my role in the greater universe without some...interference. Perhaps it is for the best; my presence is not relevant here.

"So what happens to me now?" the young woman pressed. "I'm...just stuck in purgatory or something? The void?"

That is entirely up to you. Human Determination is a powerful thing. Perhaps Kindness is even stronger in your case. That is something I think few of your kind appreciate: the power of your own will that propels you to far greater heights than many would dare to dream. However, the start of every great thing—of every story—comes with a choice. Now is the time for you to make yours. Ponder it carefully.

Two orange boxes appeared, filled with strange symbols that flicked to English every few second. One said "Continue". The other said "END".

Knocking sounded against the door. Sans stood out in the hall anxiously waiting for his brother to respond. Today was the second full day since they had dropped Tabatha off at the hospital and things were not looking good on the home front. For both of those days, Papyrus had been in a sort of depression, hardly doing anything productive and staying in his room for hours upon hours. Sans had been incredibly worried to start, but now his concern was reaching never-before-seen heights. This was downright out of character for his baby brother and the stocky skeleton had finally reached a breaking point.

If Papyrus wasn't going to come out on his own, then they needed to have a serious talk. A real one, brother to brother, heart to heart. This had to stop.

"c'mon Paps," he prompted through the door, trying to hide his desperation. "i wanna talk to you."

The door opened a crack, but no one stood behind it. Yet another red flag: Papyrus relying on magic to do simple tasks rather than make the effort himself. Sans let himself in and left the door open so it wouldn't be a closed off environment, standing by the head of the racecar bed where his brother laid.

"bro, you wanna tell me what's going on?" the elder monster pressed lightly. "you've...you've been in here for more than half a week. i'm worried about ya."

"I DON'T REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT AT ALL, BROTHER," was the melancholy reply, words muffled by the pillows. "IT IS...PAINFUL."

"Papyrus, i know you've been having a hard time since Tabatha was put in the hospital, but if we just talked it out..."

"SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THESE KIND OF THINGS? YOU HAVE ALWAYS KEPT SECRET WHAT YOU REALLY FEEL FROM ME..."

"that's not true—"

"THEN WHAT FLOWEY SAID IN THE UNDERGROUND WAS JUST A LIE THEN? YOU DIDN'T USE YOUR POWERS ON MY FRIEND?"

The taller skeleton's tone was accusatory and his hands had curled into fists on the sheets. Sans inhaled deeply, about to reply when suddenly his brother burst, sitting up and sending blankets and pillows everywhere.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO ME?!" he demanded. "HOW LONG, SANS?! I KNEW YOU DIDN'T LIKE TABATHA AT FIRST, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D STOOP SO LOW! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ABUSING YOUR POWER?! I TRUSTED YOU TO LET THINGS BE!"

"Paps, you're overreacting—" Sans tried to placate his sibling, but his words seemed to only enrage him further. Papyrus rose from the bed, towering and his anger clearly only gaining momentum.

"OVERREACTING?! I TRUSTED YOU! AND YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE! AND YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE! WHENEVER I ASK YOU WHAT'S WRONG, YOU ALWAYS SAY 'NOTHING' AND MAKE A BAD PUN! BUT WHEN I HAVE A PROBLEM, SUDDENLY NOTHING WILL STAND BETWEEN YOU AND THE MATTER! WHEN WILL YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD?!"

"i'm trying now," Sans insisted. "i wanted to have a real talk about this, i wanted to come clean about what i did! i know what i did was wrong and i'm sorry! please, can't you let me try and fix my mistakes?"

Both brothers were in tears, the younger's hot and angry, the elder's in despair. Trembling with emotion, the trainee guardsman stared down at the shorter skeleton, the rage mixing with pain.

"YOU LIED TO ME," he stated hollowly. "FOR SO LONG...I...I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE ABLE TO FORGET THIS ONE, SANS. YOU HURT ME, VERY DEEPLY."

"i know," Sans choked out through the tears. "i know, and you'll never know how sorry i am."

He reached for his brother's gloved hand only to have it pulled back, as if the attempt at reassuring contact were hot coals or something equally undesirable.

"NO," Papyrus hissed, the fury evaporating a little under a new feeling: terror. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS TRUE ANYMORE...NOT EVEN MY OWN SELF...I...AS MUCH AS I WANT TO GO BACK TO HOW THINGS WERE, WE ARE DIFFERENT NOW..."

"Papyrus—"

"IF I CAN HURT MY BEST FRIEND TO THE POINT OF DEATH, THEN I CAN DO IT TO YOU, BROTHER!"

"that wasn't you! you were—"

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I STILL DID IT! I COULD FEEL HER SOUL BREAKING! I CAN STILL HEAR HER BONES SHATTERING! HOW CAN I EVER GO BACK TO HOW IT WAS WHEN I...I..."

The tears were flowing freely as the lanky skeleton suddenly bolted, dashing out the door and vaulting down the stairs as his brother scrabbled to keep up.

"Papyrus! please!"

Sans' cries did nothing to stop his flight and soon the front door was left hanging open as Papyrus vanished from sight. The monster Judge could have used his powers to catch up, to bring him back, but the mere thought was agonizing. It had been the use of those powers that had aided in straining their relationship, as well as putting their friend in mortal danger. The whole world was crumbling...and it was all Sans' fault.

He didn't remember going to close the door, nor moving to sit numbly on the couch but somehow that's where he ended up. His phone chimed its ringtone and he answered without thinking.

"yeah?"

"Sans the Skeleton?"

"yeah?"

"I'm calling from the hospital. Your friend Tabatha regained conciseness about an hour ago. She's sleeping now, but is now available for visits."

Sans could have sworn his Soul stopped beating for half a minute as he managed to get out an affirmative reply and proper thanks. She was awake. She was awake.

She was going to make it!

Chapter Text

Voices. There were voices. Muffled, but Tabatha thought they sounded...familiar.

"What exactly happened to her down there? The doctors weren't able to do much more than list her injuries."

"it's complicated. basically...i shouldn't have left her alone. most of the damage was done when my bro saved her life. 'course she wouldn't have needed saving if i was with her..."

"Please, don't blame yourself. You made an honest mistake and I'm sure that she'll forgive you."

The young woman managed to crack her eyes open and squinted against the bright light. She groaned as she struggled to move upright and found her progress stopped by a sharp pain in her left arm. Further squinting revealed an IV drip on that side of her bed...her...her hospital bed...

"Tabatha!"

The voice jolted her a little but not so much as the sudden arms around her shoulders. Feeling a beard scraping over her scalp, she determined it to be her Uncle—he had a habit of not shaving until his blonde beard made him look like a hobo.

"Uncle Jo, I'm fine," she mumbled out. "A little sore, but fine."

"oh stars." She barely registered the words before another pair of arms joined the hug-fest, these ones far bonier. "stars above, you're really okay. i—i was afraid..."

Sans was choking up, bright blue tears on the edge of his sockets. The human had never seen him cry before—whatever had happened must have been serious for him to break down like this.

"Sans? Where's Papyrus?" she questioned. "I thought he'd be with you if I had an accident..."

Both males released the brunette from their embraces though Sans kept a grip on her shoulder, his relief clearly overshadowed by concern and...slight fear?

"what do you remember about the Underground?" he asked, brow furrowed. "and what about after?"

"I remember the little Flower monster—Flowey I think?" Tabatha recalled, her words slow and hesitant. "I remember him showing up in Snowdin and guiding me to the wishing cave...I fell when I went to explore the dump and he told me that my Soul would be able to heal me if it was green...after that..."

Scattered images flashed in her mind, all disjointed and warped.

"...I'm not sure if I was dreaming or if something happened when my Soul was exposed...it's fuzzy."

"now's not really the time to bring it up, but yeah, the weed took advantage of you being so open with your Soul," Sans sighed, dropping his hand. "roughed you up real bad, inside and out. but...looks like you're gonna be fine."

Joseph released a breath of relief as well. It was then that a figure seated in the corner rose: another man, this one tall and burly with the same brunette shade of hair as the young woman resting in the bed and the exact same eyes. Tabatha's lips parted in surprise before her dark eyes began to water. The stocky skeleton took notice of this and stepped back, tapping her Uncle on the arm.

"c'mon Jo; let's give these two some privacy."

"Hey, you never answered me," Tabatha suddenly realized as the pair were halfway out the door. "Where's Papyrus? I thought he'd be here to smother me..."

Sans paused on the threshold, turning back with a strained grin.

"he was out when i got the news you were waking up. once he comes home, i'll give him the news. he'll probably be all over ya in a few hours—i'd enjoy the quiet while it lasts."

And with that unconvincing reply, he was gone. The brunette frowned, but her attention was captured by the only remaining person in the room as he came to sit by her bedside. They watched each other in silence for a long, strained moment before he finally broke it.

"I thought I lost you," the man stated in a somber tone, old hurt in his voice.

"I know," Tabatha whispered, dropping her gaze, eyes watery. "I'm...I'm sorry."

There was another pause and then the man stood so quickly the chair fell over as he embraced the girl, who returned the gesture with a sniffle and suppressed sob.

"I love you, my sweet girl," the man declared thickly, on the edge of crying himself.

"I love you too Daddy. I'm sorry I almost left you..."

The pair remained like that for almost a minute as a few tears were shed and composure were completely abandoned in seeking solace through the other's embrace. When they finally parted, Tabatha's father tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and went to fetch his chair, righting it so he could take a seat once more.

"Tell me," he requested simply, "how did you become friends with that rather interesting skeleton? I have a feeling that this is something you've been leaving out in our private texts."

Papyrus was not usually one who trained with such single-minded focus, but today he was determined to think about nothing else. Undyne was away to pick up Alphys from work, so the tall skeleton had let himself into her backyard to do the obstacle course a few times, hoping that the exertion would provide a significant distraction...so far it wasn't working very well.

Over and over he ran the course, but the terrible darkness inside refused to go away. Tears of frustration began to gather, but he wiped them away and just ran it again, completing the ten-minute course in half that time.

This wasn't working. He needed to talk to somebody...but all his friends either didn't know that Tabatha had been hurt and he wasn't ready or willing to talk to Sans about this any time soon—the hurt was too raw. Perhaps he could speak to Joseph...no, Tabatha's Uncle would likely be appalled to learn what he had done.

How do they manage to keep it all inside and not break? Papyrus wondered, his mind turning to his brother and human-friend. Both kept terrible secrets, one with the burden of his power and the mysteries that only he and Frisk were privy to and the other with a broken family and personal life. Neither let slip what they were holding deep within until reaching the breaking point when it finally became more harmful to hide it than tell.

Another round done.

Papyrus took a small break, his bones complaining a little under the strain he had put on himself. If he had muscles, he'd have probably collapsed by now and yet the anxious energy remained, itching him to move and do something. This wasn't working.

Making sure to lock the gate behind him, the lanky skeleton strode off down the street. The world seemed tinted with a bloody orange light as the sun approached the horizon, signalling the change from afternoon to evening. Papyrus had no desire to go home right now—that would mean seeing his brother and likely coming into conflict with him again—so he turned towards the downtown area instead.

A thought niggled in the back of his mind: perhaps he could go to the hospital and inquire as to Tabatha's condition. The idea was quickly shot down, however—even thinking about his friend sent bolts of guilt and anguish in his Soul. He...he wasn't ready to face her, to face the consequences of what he'd done. So where could he go?

Another idea hit him. It was strange, but it sounded like what he needed. After all, Sans had done it many times and come back far less stressed than usual. Was it out of his comfort zone? Yes, but this was the best thing he had at the moment; it was this or nothing.

Papyrus hesitated outside the restaurant, staring up at the neon lettering of Grillby's with a small amount of hesitation. Swallowing the feeling, the young guardsman trainee pushed open the door and strode inside. It was fairly busy, but it was already well into business hours—it was getting dark out by now. Grillby himself was cleaning the bartop and seemed unoccupied. Walking over, Papyrus felt a little awkward when the fire elemental straightened up with clear surprise in his posture and limited facial expression.

"HELLO GRILLBY," he murmured as quietly as he could with all the hustle and bustle around him. "FORGIVE ME IF THIS IS FORWARD, BUT...YOU LISTEN TO SANS WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS, RIGHT? I...I WAS WONDERING..."

The fiery monster held up a finger to stay the conversation before disappearing into the back. After a few moments, he returned with a human on his heels who took the cleaning cloth and continued the work. Grillby set a glass of milk in front of the skeleton.

"WHAT IS THIS FOR?" Papyrus questioned, a little confused. The bartender gave a small shrug.

"I figured perhaps you might like a drink," he admitted in his rich, warm voice. "And you now have my complete attention and confidence—Luke will take all the drink orders for now."

He leaned forward against the bar, clearly ready to listen. Papyrus nervously took the glass and sipped the creamy liquid while he looked for the right words to express what was in his Soul without giving too much away.

"IT'S...TABATHA," he slowly began. "SHE'S BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT...PHYSICALLY THIS TIME. SHE'S BEEN HOSPITALIZED.

He stopped, tapping his first finger against his drink nervously.

"Was it due to her stepmother or was it a separate situation? Grillby asked, prompting him to continue.

"...IT WAS NOT HER STEPMOTHER. SANS DECIDED TO LET HER EXPLORE THE UNDERGROUND AND...I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT."

Another swallow of milk, another careful pause.

"I...WAS NOT HAPPY WHEN I FOUND OUT AND NOW SANS AND I ARE FIGHTING."

More milk gone. The glass was almost empty, but there was still quite a bit Papyrus needed to get off his chest. As if he could feel it, the fire elemental flagged down one of his servers and gave some quiet instructions. The human vanished in the back only to return with a gallon of milk which she passed to her employer. Grillby refilled the milk before setting the jug on the bar and resuming his listening stance.

"I HAVE NEVER LIKED THE POWER THAT SANS' STATUS AS THE JUDGE HAS GIVEN HIM, SO WE MADE AND AGREEMENT THAT HE WOULD ONLY USE THOSE POWERS FOR HIS DUTIES. AND NOW I'VE LEARNED THAT NOT ONLY HAS HE BROKEN OUR AGREEMENT, HE HAS BEEN OUTRIGHTLY USING HIS SOUL-READING ABILITIES ON TABATHA FOR A VERY LONG TIME...AND THEN HE PUT HER IN DANGER. AND HE KEPT IT ALL A SECRET TOO! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY WITH HIM IN ALL MY LIFE! AND THEN HE TRIES TO RECONCILE IT ALL WITHOUT TRYING TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF WHILE OUR FRIEND IS HURT AS A RESULT OF HIS CHOICES! I JUST...I JUST CAN'T FORGIVE HIM FOR THIS! WE'RE BROTHERS! WHY WOULD HE HIDE SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT FROM ME?!"

Frustrated, the lanky skeleton downed the entire glass in one gulp, folding his arms against the wood surface of the bar. The hot emotion cooled some as the other source of his distress came to mind.

"AND THEN THERE'S THE HUMAN...SHE MAKES ME FEEL SO PASSIONATELY AND YET I KNOW THAT SHE CANNOT EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF MY FEELINGS FOR HER BECAUSE SHE NEEDS SUPPORT NOW WITH BOTH THE STEP-FAMILY TROUBLES AND HER PHYSICAL RECOVERY...AND...I..."

With a groan, Papyrus rested his skull in his hands.

"EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED," he lamented, hearing the glass become full once again. "I WISH THEY HADN'T...I WISH I COULD GO BACK, COULD UNDO WHAT I DID...COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS ALL FROM HAPPENING. I HAD A HAPPY LIFE! A GOOD BROTHER, A GOOD HUMAN-FRIEND...BUT NOW IT'S BROKEN...I BROKE IT...IT'S MY FAULT THAT THIS ALL FELL APART. IF I HADN'T GOTTEN ACCEPTED TO THE COLLEGE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE WHEN TABATHA'S STEPMOTHER WAS SEARCHING FOR HER...IF I HAD PAID BETTER MIND TO HER, SHE WOULDN'T HAVE GONE UNDERGROUND WITHOUT MY KNOWING...IF I HAD PAID ATTENTION TO SANS' WORRIES ABOUT HER IN THE BEGINNING, HE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN TEMPTED TO USE HIS POWERS..."

A warm hand gently touched his bony shoulder and the young monster looked up into the bright flaming face of the bartender.

"Tell me more," Grillby requested softly. "I have all night."

"I have to say, this was a really nice surprise, Sans," Mia remarked as she walked down the park's gravel path with her skeletal friend. "After you had to cancel our meet-up two days ago, I thought I'd have to wait until next weekend to see you again."

"eh, i had the time and i needed to get out of the house for a bit," the stocky monster shrugged. "thanks for being willing to hang out."

"I'm always up for seeing you. How are Papyrus and Tabatha, by the way?" the olive-skinned female asked. "You haven't said anything about them at all and you usually make it a point to mention what new cool thing your brother's doing with his bestie."

Sans' lazy grin dropped and he looked to the side. Mia immediately picked up on the shift in mood and put a hand on his clavicle to stop him from moving on.

"What's wrong?"

"nothin.' it's not really that big a deal..."

"Don't brush this off, mister," Mia warned. "You gotta problem, you can tell me. My lips are sealed."

The skeleton let out a heavy sigh before leaving the path to sit on one of the many benches scattered about. His human friend joined him, her attention enitirely focused on him.

"Paps is goin' through a hard time right now," Sans admitted softly. "he...he found out i've been keepin' some real important stuff secret. and ontop of that, Tabatha got hurt real bad two days ago when we were originally supposed to hang out. Paps is...he's blamin' himself for it, even though it wasn't really is fault. needless to say, things aren't really...it's not good at home right now."

"Is this the first time the two of you have fought?" Mia questioned.

"first time we've fought like adults. Paps is normally so forgiving...but I broke his trust with this one. i don't think he'll ever see our relationship the same way again. he might never get over it..."

"Never is a bit much to assume, doncha think?" The hoodie-clad monster blinked in surprise at the interruption and twisted to face the woman beside him. Licking her lips nervously, she continued. "Never means that no matter what happens, he'll feel this same sort of betrayal...but that doesn't happen in real life. Papyrus is your brother and he loves you very much—one fight won't change that, no matter how big a fight it is. You just need to give him some time and space to deal with this whole shift he's going through."

"something like this ever happened to one of your sisters?"

"My mom and one of them, yeah. Little sis came out of the closet as aro and ace when she told us before that she was demi. Mom's always wanted all her daughters to give her grandkids...took a while for her to accept that she wasn't probably gonna have gandbabies from all of us and to be okay with that. But throughout the whole thing, she made sure to affirm that she still loved my baby sis and that while she was confused and a little hurt that she still cared."

"how can i tell Paps that i still love him when he shuts me out though?" Sans plead, sounding a tad desperate. "i...i can't get close without him running away."

"Little things. Leaving him reminders, doing something you normally wouldn't—something that makes it obvious that you want to repair the damage, rebuild that trust."

A ringtone went off. Both friends froze before reaching for their phones. It was Sans' ringing and he swiftly answered it.

"heya Grillbz," he commented, tone colored with surprise though his choice still shook a little from emotion. "wasn't expecting you to be calling me of all people."

"Do you think you could stop by tonight, Sans?" the bartender asked in his usual gentle voice, barely audible amidst the background noise. "Papyrus is here and he passed out at the bar."

"you gave him alcohol?" the elder skeleton brother exclaimed, shocked.

"No, I served him milk. He was quite emotionally distressed and eventually became incoherent due to his own powerful emotions. He was exhausted after some time trying to express himself and I allowed him to rest in his seat. He wouldn't wake up, so I figured it best to call you and see if you could help."

"when Paps is out, he's out for a solid couple of hours. i'll be by in a few minutes to take him home. i'll pay for the milk."

"That won't be necessary. Just make sure your brother is all right."

The call ended there and Sans put the device back in his corner with a heavy breath.

"looks like my bro went out to my favorite bar. need to go get him. sorry to cut this short, Mia."

"No problem; I know how much he needs you and vice versa," she replied with a smile.

"stars, i owe ya big," he breathed, standing. After a moment of hesitating, the stocky skeleton leaned over and pressed his teeth against Mia's cheek in the closest thing he could get to a kiss. "thanks for tonight. i'll text ya later."

With that, he vanished, leaving a rapidly reddening human in his wake.

Chapter Text

Oh stars, his skull was heavy. Papyrus groaned faintly, reaching out for an extra pillow to place over his face. He felt weary down to his Soul and he could feel the tingle of magical residue over his cheekbones. Had he been crying?

With a jolt, the lanky skeleton sat up, the memories of the previous night flooding back. He'd gone to Grillby's...he had cried and tried to express his thoughts and feelings without giving too much away...so how had he gotten home?

...did Sans take him?

Papyrus slid from his bed and crept silently to the hall. Cracking open his brother's door, he peered inside and saw a telltale lump in the blankets, snoring lightly. It was still dark out and the younger monster didn't have the heart to wake Sans before the sun was even up. Retreating, he made his way downstairs, catching sight of his cell phone on the counter, plugged in to charge.

He had forgotten his phone here yesterday with all the...chaos. Picking it up to check the screen, he noticed there were several unread texts and a few new voicemails. Most of them were from his older sibling, which sent a spike of mixed emotions through his rib cage. Passing the lockscreen, he went through the texts, trying to swallow down the bitterness that accompanied the thought of talking to Sans even if it was just through a phone screen.

From Sans: Paps, got news abt Tabatha. will be at hospital.

From Sans: bro?

From Sans: Papyrus?

From Sans: plz call me

From Sans: or text me

From Sans: Paps, i'm serious rn

From Sans: answer me

From Sans: Paps, i know you're mad at me, but plz reply

From Sans: where are you?

From Sans: PAPYRUS

From Sans: k, i won't call anymore. still hospital if you want to come by.

From Sans: not to see me, to see your BHF

From Sans: Pap, it's been five hours. where r u?

From Sans: i'm going out. Tabatha's still open if you want.

From Sans: love ya bro

From Sans: i'm sorry.

The messages had been sent intermittently, most of them with considerable time spans between each one. Papyrus checked his recent calls list and, just as the texts had said, there had been close to ten calls from his brother, six of which had left voilcemails. Reluctantly, the younger skeleton went through the inbox and listened wearily to what Sans had to say.

Going from newest to oldest, four of the six were just pleas for him to answer, to call back, that this wasn't okay anymore and that he needed to check in. The second to last was a request that of he wasn't going to call back that he at least text or show up. The first voicemail, however, came as a slight shock:

"bro, i know you're probably upset with me right now and that's fine but i gotta tell ya something. the hospital just called. Tabatha woke up. i'm headed to go see her. please let me know if you're coming. we don't have to talk about anything if you don't wanna...yeah. bye."

The automated voice came on after the message ended, but Papyrus paid very little mind as he shut off the connection. His thoughts were racing and his breathing picked up involuntarily.

Tabatha was awake. Oh stars, if she was awake then...that meant he had to face her—face what he had done to her.

I'M NOT READY! his Soul screamed. NOT NOW, WHEN EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE!

The clattering of his phone on the tile startled the tall skeleton from his thoughts, the room coming back into focus. Papyrus blinked, feeling how tightly his hands were clenched and how his knuckles were actually beginning to ache. With a shuddering breath, he relaxed his grip and retrieved his phone, setting it down gently.

It was like being split in half: his body was still functioning but his mind had all but stopped, creating an oddly numb sort of panic. It was like a dream when he returned to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. The only thing we was completely aware of was a singular fact that he wanted to dearly to be able to deny but couldn't without being a complete and utter liar.

He was out of time. And he was completely unprepared to deal with what needed to be done.

Tabatha had just finished telling her father about her excursion out of town to the convention when a knock came at the door. A moment later, a familiar head poked inside, curved horns barely able to fit through the small crack.

"Hey Asgore!" the young woman called with a bright smile. "I didn't know you were coming by today!"

"One of my meetings was cancelled," the Monster King replied warmly, coming in and standing by the foot of Tabatha's bed, his broad figure partially blocking the midday sunlight streaming through the window. "I heard from Joseph that you were in the hospital, so I decided to check up on you. Toriel sent me with some cookies when she heard as well."

"Oh sweet! I love her food!"

"Now who is this?" Asgore asked, looking over the other human, seated at a bedside chair.

"Brian Strong," was the answer, the large yet quiet man rising to his feet and stretching out his hand. "Tabatha's father. We've spoken over the phone before, your majesty."

"Ah yes! I recognize your voice. It's an honor."

After a brief handshake, Brian settled into his seat once again and Asgore produced a small package from within the depths of his robes, passing it to the brunette in bed. She eagerly pulled it open and munched on the sugary treat, humming at the warm, happy feeling it gave her.

"Nothing beats monster food," she sighed, clearly blissful. "And nothing beats Toriel's either."

The next several minutes were spent with small talk, updating Asgore on what had happened and when Tabatha was scheduled to stop needing constant bed rest. In turn, he gave news about what was happening in the larger world and how the fight for monster security was going. When the conversation turned to her monster friends—specifically a certain pair of skeletons—her father stepped out of the room to both get some food and to give them some privacy, having caught his daughter's nervous side glance at him.

"I actually haven't heard from them in some time, but I am not their usual contact for such things," the King admitted. "But they've been to visit, I trust?"

"That's the thing," Tabatha said, worry evident in her tone. "Sans came in once when I first woke up two days ago, but he hasn't been back since...and Papyrus hasn't stopped by even once. I know that they were the ones who found me when Flowey...did whatever he did to my Soul and now I can't help but wonder what it was. Did he make me say or do something that scared them off? Or...you don't think they're mad at me? For being stupid enough to fall for the lies? Oh shoot, I didn't even think of that! it was totally my fault for even being there and not to mention we went behind Papyrus' back to do it—!"

"Calm yourself, child," Asgore commanded gently, resting his giant paws on her shoulders. "I'm sure that's not the case; they both care too much for you to hold such a grudge."

"But—!"

Her protest was cut off as the monster pressed a furry finger to her lips and he looked at her with a stern, fatherly sort of gaze.

"Do not worry, young Tabatha," he reassured her. "I'm sure there is a good reason for their distance. If it will make you feel better, I shall go to them and ask why they haven't been visiting. Would that make you feel a little better?"

Nodding, she added onto the thought once Asgore's hand retreated.

"Also, could you get me the candle from my room? It should be on the bedside table. I need to talk to Grillby and tell him what happened."

"Of course, my dear. Please, do not dwell upon this too much—it may interfere with your healing and that is the only job you need concern yourself with at the moment."

"Is that an order, your majesty?"

"Indeed it is, little human. And you had best heed it."

"As you say, King Fluffybuns."

"Be careful, Tabatha," her father's voice remarked from the doorway where he emerged holding a wrapped sandwich. "There is nothing that could save you from a suitable tongue-lashing for disrespecting royalty when you are trapped in bed."

"Oh the horror!" the young woman gasped dramatically. "I cannot bear the mere thought of it! I suppose I'd better heal up and get out of here before I incur the wrath of the cuddle king and his lectures!"

As the three shared a laugh, troubles forgotten, it seemed as if the world righted itself. If only for just a moment, there was no worry or fear—just contentment and joy.

Papyrus laid on his bed, staring idly out of the window, thoroughly exhausted. He hadn't slept since the day before and as agonizing as it was to be without rest his constant worry, the ever-present countdown he could sense in the back of his mind, was far worse to endure. Sooner or later, someone would come asking questions or worse Tabatha herself would come home...

A firm knock sounded through the silence in the room. After the initial shock, the lanky skeleton twisted over to stare at the door before it cracked open. Through the narrow space between the frame and wood, he could just barely make out the familiar blue of his brother's hoodie but it was quickly blocked out by a royal purple and gold. The door swung open and someone ducked to get through the low doorframe. Papyrus blinked in surprise , sitting bolt upright.

"Y-YOUR MAJESTY," he sputtered out.

"Please, there is no need for formalities Papyrus," Asgore said warmly, sitting on the side of the bed. "I merely wished to check up on you."

"UM...IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON WHY?" The trainee guardsman twisted her blankets nervously, looking anywhere but at the large goat monster. The bed creaked as Asgore sat on the edge, smiling at the young skeleton.

"Yes, actually. Miss Tabatha has been wondering why you haven't come in to see her yet. It's been three days since she woke up but no sign of her best friend."

Papyrus flinched at the last two words, squeezing his eyesockets shut to keep down the wave of guilt surging through his Soul.

"PLEASE SIRE, I DO NOT WISH TO TALK ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW," he hedged. "I...I...IT'S TOO SOON."

"When it comes to resolving a crisis, I find it better to do it sooner rather than later," Asgore remarked pointedly. "Tabatha is concerned that what happened in the Underground may have frightened you off. She wanted to make sure she didn't have something to apologize for...she is quite worried for you."

"SHE...BUT IF SHE KNEW WHAT HAPPENED...SHE DOESN'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ME, SHE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT HERSELF."

"I agree. Which is why I want to put her mind at ease regarding you as soon as can be done."

There was a tense silence. Asgore patiently waited for an answer as Papyrus fidgeted uncomfortably where he sat. The logic made sense to the younger monster, but that did not stop him from feeling sick at the thought of telling someone what he'd done—the king himself no less! Yet he would have to come clean sooner or later...

"HOW MUCH WILL YOU TELL TABATHA?" he asked tentatively.

"Only as much as needed to help her understand. The rest will be a secret safe with me."

"...I DON'T WANT SANS TO HEAR THIS. COULD YOU...?"

"Your brother was actually on his way out when I came by. He wanted to stop by Grillby's for some early dinner."

"I...I'M NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN," Papyrus admitted nervously. "THERE IS A LOT THAT HAVE ALL COME TOGETHER NOW..."

"Why don't you start with what happened on the Underground?" Asgore suggested. "Tabatha doesn't remember what happened when you found her."

"STARS, IF ONLY I WERE THE SAME," the skeleton mumbled. "I'LL NEVER FORGET...THERE WAS A FLOWER CALLED FLOWEY THERE. HE HAD...HE HAD INVADED TABATHA'S SOUL AND WAS ABSORBING IT...HE HAD CONTROL OF HER BODY. TO FREE HER, I...I HAD TO HURT HER."

It all came out in a rush after that: Papyrus described every moment of his fight with Tabatha, how much it had hurt him when he'd broken her bones, how Flowey had refused to let go until more than an hour of torment had passed. He hesitated as he reached the point in his story that was most agonizing, but he'd said this much: it would hurt more to keep this secret now.

"I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO LOSE HER," he whispered. "HER SOUL WAS BREAKING...SO I...I TRIED TO HEAL HER. I TOOK HER SOUL INTO MY HAND SO I COULD SHARE MY MAGIC WITH HER...BUT THEN I...I-I TOUCHED IT."

"Pardon?!" The king had been quietly listening throughout the tale, but this was the breaking point. The shock was evident on his face as he tried to process this information and Papyrus immediately rushed to explain.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME! I WAS SO WORRIED I WANTED TO HOLD HER CLOSE AND I ENDED UP MAKING CONTACT WITH HER SOUL WITHOUT PERMISSION! I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE FRIEND TO DO SUCH A THING AND—AND—!"

Warm paws descended onto his clavicle and the lanky skeleton flinched violently, curling in on himself as though expecting a reprimand. When nothing happened, he peeked one eyesocket open to look up at the much larger goat monster. While his expression was stern, there wasn't a single trace of anger in his features and his face only softened further the longer he stared.

"Papyrus," Asgore stated calmly yet with firmness that demanded an answer. "Do you have feelings for Tabatha? Romantic feelings?"

Unable to find his voice, Papyrus slowly nodded, still flinching slightly.

"And you did not intend to harm her when you touched her Soul, yes?"

"I WOULD NEVER HURT HER IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER WAY!" the young guardsman exclaimed. "I WOULD RATHER BE DUST THAN MAKE HER SUFFER ON PURPOSE!"

"Then why are you beating yourself up over this whole situation? You said yourself there was no other way to convince Flowey."

"BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF ME! I...I DIDN'T KEEP HER SAFE..."

Papyrus was promptly crushed against Asgore's chest, his words cut off by the sudden embrace. Confused, he looked up as best he could, but wasn't able to see much through all the fur and fabric blocking the way.

"Such pain to carry so young," the monster king murmured softly. "Please Papyrus, do not blame yourself for this. You did what you had to...but keeping this all inside and not communicating that it had to be done...I made that same mistake far too long ago. It's how I lost my wife. If you are not careful, your own relationships may start to crumble just as mine have...and you don't deserve that Papyrus."

Tears welled on the edge of the tall skeleton's sockets. He could lose Tabatha if he waited to long? Maybe even Sans? No, he couldn't lose them! No matter how upset he was, there was no way he could just live without his brother! And the human...he didn't want her to have any reason to leave him behind! Not when he still had his feelings to express!

"I...I'M STILL SCARED TO," he admitted weakly, choked up from the silent crying.

"Do not repeat my mistakes Papyrus. Go to her. Explain everything. And then you need to make up with your brother; he's been worried sick for the past few days."

"DO...DO YOU THINK I CAN DO IT? I DON'T FEEL LIKE I CAN..."

"Of course you can!" Asgore boomed encouragingly, scooting back to hold him at arms length. "You are the Great Papyrus! Undyne's protege! Friend to all! If there is anyone who Tabatha is better suited for, it's you!"

"REALLY?" Papyrus' eyesockets were almost shining at the praise.

"Absolutely. But I think you should clear up this situation first before any confessions happen."

"YES...YES, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT! EXCUSE ME YOUR MAJESTY!"

Throwing off the covers in an uncharacteristically messy manner, the guardsman trainee jumped out of his bed and sprinted out of his bedroom. His footsteps were clearly audible as he raced down the stairs and before long the front door was opened and slammed shut. Asgore chuckled quietly to himself as he rose to his full height, ducking a little to get out the door.

"Young love," he mused as he traveled down the hall to the spare room.

Papyrus was as out of breath as a skeleton could be when he finally arrived at the hospital, having run the whole way without pause. If he was going to talk to Tabatha, he needed to do it while he still had his courage.

The receptionist at the desk was very polite when he asked for the room number, giving directions as to where the room was on the floor as well as reminding him that visiting hours would be over shortly. It was eerily quiet as the tall skeleton walked down the halls, every step echoing faintly. When he found the correct door, he nervously straightened his scarf before taking hold of the handle. Another breath of hesitation passed before he twisted it and opened the door.

The room lights were dimmed inside, but it was still plenty bright for Papyrus to make out the figure of his friend on the hospital bed. There was a clenching sensation in his Soul as he saw her laying so prone and still...and then he realized that she was asleep.

His legs nearly gave out when it came crashing down on him that he wouldn't actually be able to go through with telling her. All his courage built up for this moment...wasted. The sense of loss was almost enough to make him cry, but he resisted the urge and instead forced himself to cross the room and sit on a chair by the bedside.

His gaze roved over the unconscious human, lingering on the thick wrist braces and the clearly defined casts on her legs through the sheets. What few cuts he could still see along her body were mostly scabbed over and a few were already fading. She must have had some monster food to help close up the wounds this quickly. The bones though...those would still take a few weeks to heal even if she was using some magic to aid her recovery. Adults were much harder to fix than children—they had more HP to regain as well as tended to hold a resistance to foreign forces.

"I'M SORRY I HURT YOU SO MUCH, TABATHA," the lanky monster murmured, more to himself than to her. "I WISH IT HADN'T GONE SO FAR..."

The young woman did not respond to his words aside from twitching a finger and sighing lightly. Unsure how to react to her not hearing him, Papyrus nervously played with the edge of his gloves and decided to keep going.

"I...I'VE DECIDED I'M NO LONGER MAD AT YOU FOR BEING IN DANGER. I'M NOT MAD WITH SANS ANYMORE EITHER...MOSTLY. I STILL WISH HE HAD AT LEAST TAKEN THE EFFORT TO ENSURE YOU WOULD BE PERFECTLY ALRIGHT, BUT I KNOW THAT FLOWEY'S ATTACK WAS...UNEXPECTED. IT'S NOT HIS FAULT ANY MORE THAN IT WAS YOURS...THAT LITTLE FLOWER CAN BE QUITE DECEPTIVE SOMETIMES."

Tabatha groaned in her sleep, her brow furrowing. Papyrus stopped speaking, wondering if she was going to wake up—if he'd woken her up by being too loud, he was going to be thoroughly embarrassed. Yet her eyes did not open. Instead her breathing became shallow and she began to make faint, frightened sounds.

"TABATHA?" the skeleton asked, concern growing within him. The brunette whimpered but otherwise did not respond. And then it hit him: she was having a nightmare.

WHAT DO I DO? Papyrus wondered in a sudden burst of panic. Sans had always taken care of these before and he had always done it through magical means. But his magic wasn't nearly strong enough for a human to sense under most circumstances and in any case, his brother had always been utilizing his ability to directly connect with Souls. He wasn't about to do anything else to Tabatha's Soul without permission, so that limited his options to—

A thought struck him. He had promised himself he wouldn't ever do anything to her Soul without her knowledge but that didn't mean he couldn't use his own for this.

Every ounce of logical reasoning Papyrus had screamed at him not to do it. Souls were personal, private and monster Souls were incredibly delicate. To expose his very core would be to put himself in mortal danger. His Soul, however, was not in agreement: it pounded furiously and struggled to manifest outside of its body's rib cage, reaching out with warm magic to comfort the one it had chosen to love.

IT COULDN'T HURT TO TRY, Papyrus reasoned, letting the magic collect and begin forming the inverted heart shape. AFTER ALL, IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN ATTACK ME IN HER CURRENT STATE...

Comforted by his logic, the gentle monster allowed his Soul to fully appear. It was pulsing with orange magic and illuminated the room with a soft glow. Keeping a firm hold on himself, he began to direct that magic towards the sleeping human, breathing out an involuntary sigh of relief when none lashed back out at him. For several minutes Tabatha's breathing was shallow and occasional worried sounds escaped her chest, but as time went on and the magic continued to embrace her and caress her gently, projecting nothing but a calm, protective aura, her tense muscles began to relax. Her breaths deepened and the whimpering ceased altogether. The fear she had been showing faded into a sort of contentment as she snuggled herself back into her pillow.

Papyrus was stunned. He had been expecting his efforts to have no effect or to even worsen her condition but instead...pride swelled within him as he looked at her relaxed form. He had done that—he had calmed her fears. He was the reason she slept with a faint smile on her face.!

His Soul reacted to his sudden happiness by glowing even brighter. Before he realized what he was doing, the small inverted heart flew forward and pressed itself to Tabatha's chest, calling out to her Soul to come share in the joy.

The young skeleton swiftly pulled his own Soul back, flushing a brilliant orange shade at his own nerve. Such an action was reserved for lovers and as much as he might want to be with Tabatha in a more-than-friends relationship she had yet to reciprocate his affections. To call out to her core like that...it was a bold move—a little scandalous even—and not to mention quite rude.

I HAD BEST LEAVE BEFORE THIS GETS OUT OF HAND, Papyrus decided. IN ANY CASE, VISITING HOURS ARE ALMOST OVER...

It hurt to leave the room, but the guardsman trainee managed it without incident, pulling his Soul back into his rib cage and making sure it stayed there as he exited the hospital.

He had heard that leaving a loved one was like trying to pull apart magnets, but only now did he realize exactly how accurate that statement was: though his feet lead him outside, his Soul continually tugged in the direction of the young woman he had just left behind. Even when the hospital had faded from sight he still longed to run all the way back and sit beside her bed until she woke up. It was incredible to him that his feelings had strengthened to this level...he could only hope that she reciprocated.

Of course there was little he could do about it now: he needed to go home and get some rest to make up for the days he hadn't been sleeping. And...he also needed to have a long serious talk with his older brother when he got there.

Chapter Text

Gaster wondered if this was how the [ERROR] for a [ERROR] felt when the [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR][ERROR].

Hm. Some of this thoughts were being blocked from the [ERROR]. Interesting. Probably due to [ERROR][ERROR].

Well...that was going to be frustrating.

His thoughts were digressing. Funny how they did that so frequently. Not being bound by time was a truly unique experience, but the cost was getting lost within himself. Now, where was he...

Ah, yes. Tabatha, Papyrus and Sans. And Asgore and Mia, but they were not the focus of his musing. They were...[ERROR][ERROR], as harsh as that may sound.

Near omnipotence was a truly frustrating ability—Gaster could hardly recall how he'd been able to stand not knowing exactly what everyone was doing and feeling at any given moment. Papyrus and Tabatha, both feeling near the exact same yet out of fear that the other did not continually maintaining silence...if he had hair, he'd be tempted to pull it out. He almost wished he could manifest himself to one of them and shake some sense into their thick skulls.

Giving Tabatha the nightmare through reminding her of Flowey's intrusion hadn't worked out quite as he'd hoped: while it was becoming more and more apparent that the two were compatible down to a metaphysical level, it hadn't been enough to do more than frighten Papyrus some more about the intensity of his feelings as well as strengthen the sense of self-loathing. Granted, both were minuscule adjustments but that did little to ease the scientist's frustration.

If he weren't so tired, he'd be giving each of them a firm lecture! Perhaps even bring their consciousnesses together so he could berate them simultaneously! The latter would take the equivalent energy of a creation event to pull off if they weren't in close physical proximity, but still!

Oh stars...he'd joined the ship Alphys had formed. Without even realizing it...

This confirmed his hypothesis: [ERROR] were evil. Utterly and completely.

If there was one thing Sans had not been expecting when he wandered downstairs in the morning, it was Papyrus setting the table for breakfast. His younger sibling was moving back and forth from the kitchen to get all the places ready while still minding the eggs and bacon that popped and sizzled in their respective pans. He was so absorbed in cooking that he didn't notice his older brother until he had already made most of the journey down the stairs and the third one from the bottom creaked a little.

"AH! SANS!" Papyrus said with an uncertain smile. "COME SIT. THE BREAKFAST WILL BE DONE IN BUT A MINUTE."

"what's the occasion?" the hoodie-clad skeleton asked, coming forward and taking his usual spot. "i thought you'd be takin' the day off again."

"IT IS...IT IS A PEACE OFFERING," his younger sibling replied nervously, bringing out the food and setting it on the plates. "I...I KNOW I WASN'T VERY KIND TO YOU THE OTHER DAY AND...I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU. I THOUGHT FOOD WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY SINCE YOU ENJOY IT SO MUCH..."

Papyrus trailed off as he set aside the pans, taking his own seat and playing with the fabric of his gloves. Sans was tempted to make a pun, but the awkwardness in the air was so thick he didn't want to dare.

"thanks bro," was his chosen response, paired with a small but genuine smile. Taking a breath as if to steady himself, the guardsman trainee added on to the sentiment.

"I HOPE YOU FIND THE FOOD...EGG-CELLENT."

Sans couldn't suppress the sudden snort of laughter that escaped him, more surprised than anything else to hear his brother say a pun—and a situationally appropriate one at that. Papyrus was cringing a little, but he visibly relaxed when he saw that his attempt to use his brother's sense of humor had paid off.

"h-holy...that was a good one, bro," the shorter skeleton choked out, fighting down more uproarious laughter. "seriously though, you didn't have to do this."

"OH BUT I DID, SANS!" his brother protested. "I HAVEN'T BEEN TREATING YOU AS I SHOULD, NO MATTER HOW UPSET I WAS WITH YOU..."

"don't beat yourself up about it; i deserved it, keepin' all my secrets—"

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!"

The exclamation had been so sudden Sans had almost fallen out of his seat. Papyrus took a calming breath and forced his fists to relax, leaning back into his chair.

"SORRY FOR YELLING, BUT..." the tall skeleton suddenly looked quite nervous, one hand reaching up to play with the edge of his scarf. "YOU ALWAYS DO THIS SANS—TRY TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER BY TAKING ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY. FOR ONCE, CAN'T I JUST FEEL BAD FOR SOMETHING I DID? AND I DO FEEL BAD, SANS. VERY MUCH SO."

The elder monster was about to respond before he thought better of it and instead took up his fork and speared a piece of egg. He nodded to urge Papyrus to continue and the guardsman trainee hesitated for a moment more until the words came spilling out.

"SANS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND TABATHA...AND I AM STILL UPSET THAT YOU USED YOUR ABILITIES WITHOUT PERMISSION AND FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT YOUR JOB EITHER! BUT AS ANGRY AS I WAS, I SHOULDN'T HAVE LASHED OUT THE WAY I DID. I...I MADE YOU WORRY AND..."

"hey," Sans interjected. "Papyrus, look at me." When he complied, the stocky comic continued. "i'm your big brother. i'll always worry about you."

"BUT—! I AM AN ADULT SANS! I DON'T WANT YOU ALWAYS HAVING TO BE SO CONCERNED FOR MY WELL-BEING! I...I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF."

"yeah...i got that now," he admitted, taking a bite of egg. "but up until a little bit ago, i didn't know the difference between worrying for ya and being overprotective. sometimes i forget you don't really need me to protect you up here."

"SANS?" Papyrus dared venture as his brother continued eating. "I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED...I MEAN, YOU WEREN'T NEARLY SO PROTECTIVE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER...BUT YOU BECAME LIKE THAT A LITTLE AFTER FRISK ARRIVED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SNOWDIN. AND SINCE WE'VE BEEN ON THE SURFACE...IT'S GOTTEN A LOT MORE PROMINENT. I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING BUT...WHY? WHY ARE YOU SO DETERMINED TO KEEP ME SAFE?"

There was a heavy silence as Sans' eyelights vanished, smile dropping ever so slightly. The quiet lasted just long enough for the other skeleton to start sweating and fidgeting before a single, hollow laugh broke through.

"that's...a really long story Pap. but you know how humans have this thing called 'Determination'? Frisk had a lot of it...enough to rewrite their own history and choose to do different actions every time they went back. during a couple of those times...they weren't so nice. there were times when...when they killed every single monster in the Underground. just to see what would happen. i...i was the last one between them and Asgore. i killed that kid...more times then i'm willing to admit. because i'm the Judge, i can't be deceived, so i was the only one who would ever remember...i saw things...i saw you die Paps. over and over. and every time Frisk went back to when they fell, you'd be back, same as if you hadn't been slaughtered...it almost drove me crazy before the kid came to me to tell me how they wanted to live a real life again and stop living the same few days or weeks that they took to get through the Underground. but sometimes i wake up and get scared i'll be back there in Snowdin and you'll still be tryin' to get into the royal guard and just...losing everything you've gotten through living up here. all your progress."

"F-FRISK DID ALL OF THAT? TO YOU?" Papyrus asked, aghast.

"to be fair, they were possessed by some kind of demon for a while...but yeah. and as far as i know, they could just Reset everything back to when they first fell into the Underground at any time...but i'm trying to trust 'em. we made promises to each other and the kid...this isn't the first time we've made it to the surface. longest time we've been here though."

"SO...THAT'S WHY YOU ARE SO SUSPICIOUS OF HUMANS," the tall skeleton realized. "YOU...YOU SAW THE WORST OF THEM WHEN FRISK...DID THAT."

"and the adults up here with all their political crap and racism hasn't helped in the slightest," Sans agreed with a heavy sight and another mouthful of breakfast. "it's why i was so suspicious of Tabatha for so long...and why i decided to look at her Soul, a couple of times without permission. i had to make sure she wasn't going to try hurting you, emotional or otherwise. i just didn't really know how else to do that except for using the Sight."

"...BUT WHY OPEN UP ABOUT ALL OF THIS TO ME NOW?" Papyrus dared to voice. "YOU'VE NEVER DONE SO BEFORE..."

"there were a couple of things that've been leading up to it," the older monster admitted, resting his chin on one propped fist. "not the least of which was the influence of two certain human women. Mia's been supporting me recently and Tabatha told me flat out a while ago that i wasn't bein' fair to ya when you were applying to college. and with both of 'em being pretty smart, i kinda realized that they were right. it wasn't right for me to keep you close like i have and keep resisting the fact that you're not a babybones anymore. you...you have every right to be mad at me: i lied to you, hurt your friend, haven't been treating the way i should've...but you know something? even if you decided to stay mad at me, even if you decided to leave...i'd be fine with that. 'cause i love ya little bro. no matter what happens, i will still love you Papyrus."

Silent tears were pouring down Papyrus' cheekbones, the liquid glowing faintly against their porcelain backdrop. Sans' smile relaxed into a gentler expression, blue magic collecting on the edges of his own sockets. pushing back his chair, he rose to his slipper-clad feet and padded around the table to his brother, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Burying his face in the fabric of the blue hoodie, the younger skeleton sobbed with a flood of emotions driving him. It took nearly ten minutes before he was able to settle himself enough to say anything more, Sans' phalanges tenderly stroking the back of his skull.

"S-SANS?" he choked out, hearing his sibling hum in response. "I...I'M SCARED TO SPEAK TO TABATHA. AFTER WHAT I DID TO HER—NOT HER INJURIES! I HAVE ALREADY RECONCILED THOSE—"

"slow down," Sans soothed. "just take your time; i'm here to listen."

"I...AFTER SHE AND FLOWEY SEPARATED, I WAS TRYING TO KEEP HER SOUL FROM BREAKING..."Never before had Papyrus' voice been so quiet—it was like he feared the walls themselves had ears and would judge him for whatever he said. "BUT WHEN I WAS HEALING HER...I TOUCHED IT."

The last three words were squeaked out and said in a rush, the anxiety getting the best of the trainee guardsman. Sans took his time considering that admittance, not once ceasing the gentle strokes on his brother's head. When he did find his words, there was nothing but a quiet calm in his voice.

"this was when she was unconscious?"

"Y-YES..."

"how did it make you feel?"

"AWFUL! HOW COULD I DO SUCH A THING TO MY BEST FRIEND?! SHE—!"

"no, not afterwards," the short Judge interrupted softly. "i mean when you actually made contact how did you feel. how did she make you feel?"

The question was answered with silence, but in the corner of his vision a soft orange glow overtook part of Papyrus' face. With a sigh, Sans stepped back with a sigh, looking his blushing brother straight in the sockets.

"you already told Asgore about this right?" he confirmed. There was a quick nod as answer, so the shorter skeleton followed up. "and Tabatha has no idea?"

This time it was a shake of the head. Nodding to himself, Sans reached back out and rested his palm on Papyrus' clavicle.

"you want me to go in and explain things?" he asked. Confusion overtook his sibling's face, so he elaborated. "Tabatha doesn't remember what happened to her at all after the weed got into her Soul. if you want, i could...enlighten her. i wouldn't tell her about your feeling towards her, just what touching someone's Soul means."

If Papyrus hadn't been blushing before, he certainly was now—the whole of his skull was lightly coated in orange as he shifted awkwardly.

"A-ARE MY FEELINGS SO OBVIOUS?" he asked sheepishly.

"well, i have an unfair advantage," Sans teased with a wry smile. "your Soul lights up whenever you're thinking about her or even hearing her name. plus, i am your big brother; not exactly hard to tell when being near her flusters you."

Papyrus let out a small whimper and buried his face in his hands, his embarrassment at a new peak. His big brother chuckled lightly before retreating and putting his hands into his pockets.

"when are you planning on telling her?"

"I...I WAS GOING TO LAST NIGHT BUT...SHE WAS ASLEEP. I WAS ABLE TO SOOTHE HER WHEN SHE HAD A NIGHTMARE, BUT...NOW I'M WORRIED WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I GO BACK. MY COURAGE HAS ALL DRAINED AWAY BY NOW..."

The lanky skeleton's arms dropped to wrap around his form in a gesture of self-comfort. The flush was still on his cheekbones, but it was now a competing feature with the return of his tears, brought on by anxiety and panic. Sans' grin dropped fractionally and after a moment's hesitation he dared to speak up again.

"bro...don't take this the wrong way, but i don't think you're ready for that yet."

"WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"look, you've had a bad time with Flowey and having to...'detach' him. you've been under a lot of stress and you haven't really taken the time to recover. making yourself face Tabatha right now probably wouldn't be good for you...you need to rest and recover; take a lazy day or two and just get back into your regular swing of things."

"BUT..." Papyrus shifted uncomfortably before settling his elbows against the table, idly picking up his fork and spinning it between his fingers. "...IF YOU THINK THAT WILL HELP, BROTHER...BUT YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE BEING USELESS!"

"trust me, taking a day off and doing nothing can be really therapeutic," Sans assured him. "i'll do my best to not make any kind of mess and handle the food for the rest of today. just...do something fun. play a game, watch a Mettaton movie, goof off online—anything that'll make you feel like yourself again. now, i'm gonna go call Asgore and talk to him about explaining this to Tabatha. when i get back, i'll let you know how it went...also, there's a few other things i need to tell ya that i've been keeping to myself. things that are more...personal."

With a final nod the shorter skeleton, turned on his heel and strode out of dining area. A blue aura of magic surrounded the remaining slices of bacon on his abandoned plate and whisked them away after their owner, likely to be devoured with much relish upstairs.

"I'M NOT DOING YOUR DISHES FOR YOU SANS!" Papyrus called, picking up his own strip of fried meat and biting into it. Though his lightly irritated tone didn't indicate it, his Soul was warm with affection...and a tiny spark of Determination.

Chapter Text

Tabatha bit her lip in frustration as she struggled to get the lighter to work with her clumsy, bandaged hands. It was late and she had just had a very strange and vivid dream that she wanted to discuss with someone who wasn't medical personnel. With visiting hours over, her options were limited but that's what the candle Asgore had delivered was for: the bar would be open now, but it was past the initial rush, meaning her friend should be able to listen to her story.

The little flame finally burst from the plastic tip and the brunette hurried to press it against the wick of the candle resting on the bedside table. Her arms ached from the exertion, never mind how small it was, but she managed to light it and set the lighter down before she flopped back against her pillows. The candle's small flame initially looked no different from any other but then it appeared to shiver before the color became a deeper orange, the light growing brighter and swaying to a different air current then what flowed through the hospital room.

"Grillby?" she whispered. "I'm not really sure how this works, but...I'm gonna assume you can hear me."

The flame winked before swaying in a nod-like motion, making the human smile.

"Well, that's a confirmation if I've ever seen one...anyway, I just needed to talk out loud about this, so feel free to keep working and just let me talk in the background if you need. I just woke up from this really weird dream and it didn't make a lot of sense."

Tabatha took a moment to gather her thoughts, pulling back the images she'd seen and attempting to string them together into a sequence that made sense.

"I think...I think I was in the Underground. I've never seen this place anywhere in real life...but it was a room full of flowers. Like, you couldn't see the ground there were so many. There was this really big chair and I was draped over the arms...I think I was singing. I felt numb, like I was just watching everything from the outside of my own body. Everything just kinda dimmed until I saw Papyrus. He was very upset about something but when I went to him he cowered away from me. Then things got weird."

The young woman gently ran her fingertips over her collarbone, where several of the deeper scabs itched.

"I think I fell...somehow. Everything was dark and cold all of a sudden...I heard noises. It sounded like things breaking and being cut. I couldn't feel anything anymore except for this really tight squeezing in my chest, like thorns digging into my heart. And the whole time, Papyrus was talking. He kept asking me not to die and to...not hate him. But while I was in the dark, it was so cold and my head began to feel fuzzy...I saw a face. Or a mask that was designed to look like a face—it was so perfectly round...The face looked like it was stuck in a smile, but I could feel something about it...like it was dangerous, like it was more interested in me than it should be. I felt so...small. Like a grain of sand—powerless and at the mercy of the wind or even just a careless shoe. Then there was this warmth, like a hug but a hundred times better. It didn't make the static go away, but there was this light that showed me a pathway up a mountain...the path was lined with orange torches and when I walked past them they got brighter. The last thing I remember...is there being a big hole in the road between me and the peak. I was just getting ready to jump it when I woke up."

Her voice was hushed, contemplative as she finished her story.

"The strange part wasn't what I saw though," she mused. "It was how the whole thing felt. It was so real I could have sworn I was actually in those places. Like reverse deja vu. Then again, I am on a lot of pain meds right now..."

The candle flame made a loud pop that startled Tabatha out of her thoughts a little. With a shaky laugh, she realized how long she'd been talking.

"Sorry for distracting you Grillby. I guess it is pretty late, huh? I'll let you get back to work. Thanks for letting me talk your metaphorical ear off. Think I'll try to sleep again now."

The tiny fire grew in height, becoming a bright yellow color that seemed to indicate some kind of affection as palpable warmth radiated from it. With a small puff, the flame extinguished itself, not even leaving a smoke trail or burned wick. Snuggling down into her stiff hospital bed, the brunette stared at the ceiling. Of all the dreams to have...why that one? Did it mean something? Was this some kind of aftereffect from having something happen to her Soul?

Life was a lot simpler when there weren't monsters and magic all around, she thought amusedly, closing her eyes. Then again, it wouldn't nearly be as much fun and fulfilling.

Sans stood in silence as he watched all the children standing outside the school, his gaze on Frisk as they happily signed to a few of the other young humans. Every so often their gaze turned to the car line, clearly waiting for the red convertible to show up. But as the line continued on, the young human's gaze turned from the cars to looking over the grounds, their face lighting up when they caught sight of him. Waving goodbye to their friends, they trotted over with a big smile.

"Hi Sans!" Frisk greeted him. "Is Papyrus hanging out with Tabatha today?"

"nah, he had stuff to do at home...and there's somethin' i need to tell ya too kiddo."

The preteen's grin faded when they noticed how tired and strained Sans' usual expression was. With a nod the pair began to walk the familiar route home, silent until they reached the emptier streets of the neighborhood.

"i told Paps about the Genocide runs," the stocky skeleton admitted. "we...we've kinda had a fight and i realized that keeping it a secret from him was doing more harm than good. he...he deserved to know why i've been treating him like a baby bones even though we've been on the surface for two years."

Frisk's face was absolutely horrified. Stopping on the spot, all the color was draining from their face. Hands shaking so hard the words were difficult to interpret, the brunette signed a question.

"How much did you tell him?"

"just that there were timelines when i was the last one you had to fight...that i saw him die. he wasn't really focused on that though; he was more interested about the reasons why i'd keep that a secret. i don't think he's gonna press for anything more though...he'll probably respect your privacy and all that; he respected mine for...for forever, i guess."

"What about Chara?"

"i mentioned possession, but like i said i don't think he's gonna ask you about anything—"

There was a screech of tires and Sans moved to instinctively push Frisk behind him and out of sight, his eye flaring up with magic. The first thing he noticed was the silver four-seater car that had come to an abrupt stop by the curb. And then he saw the furious human woman stepping out of it—an unfortunately familiar face.

"You! Skeleton!" she screeched, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I finally found you!"

"back off, lady," the stocky monster growled. She ignored the warning and continued to advance.

"What were you doing, making off with my daughter like you were?!" she demanded, leaning over to stare into his now-empty sockets. "Do you know who I am?! Do you know what you've done?!"

"kept Tabatha safe from you," Sans spat. "she told me everything you did to her, how you just won't leave her alone."

"I am her mother! She is my business!"

"Tabatha's a grown woman and i can't, as her friend, let her suffer any more abuse at your hands."

"She makes up stories! I just want to make sure she's safe, make sure she's loved! Please, take me to her! I have to know she's okay!"

The wild stepmother's hands fisted into the blue hoodie and magic sparked back into Sans' socket and he reacted instinctively: his magic wrapped around her Soul and pushed her back, locking her in place where she stood. Frisk gripped onto his shirt from behind, reminding him they were there as well.

"look Mrs. Strong," he ground out, trying to keep his temper in place. "i've seen what your 'loving' did to Tabatha and it wasn't anything that could ever be seen as healthy. if you really want to do what's good for your stepdaughter, give her some space to breathe! you suffocated her and she still hasn't gotten over it!"

"You don't know her! She makes up things to try and stay away! She's going to get herself in trouble and killed!"

"i know her better than you ever will!" Sans roared, tightening his grip on the woman's Soul. "i've seen everything about her laid bare! i know that she wasn't lying and you're just lying to yourself! for stars sake, she's been recovering from her last little 'encounter' with you for almost two months!"

"You know nothing! You don't know the pain of losing a child! Of knowing that you'll lose the other one because you aren't there to care for her!"

Frisk was pressing their hands firmly against Sans' spine, fingerspelling a single word over and over: "Go. Go. Go." The skeleton glared at the grown woman before him with contempt. It was this human—this paranoid, angry human—that had hurt his friend. Family relationship aside, this was the cause of Tabatha's suffering. How so very badly he wanted to pass Judgement on her...but this wasn't in his job description; not his jurisdiction.

"i know more than you think, Mrs. Strong," Sans stated coldly. "and if you come within five feet of my friend, i can't promise to hold back from giving you a bad time."

With those parting words, his magic flared and he disappeared into the void, the child behind him strengthening their grip until they had safely landed on Toriel's front porch. Both monster and human alike stayed frozen where they stood, both slowly adjusting to the fact that they were no longer in direct confrontation with the unstable woman as well as the implications of what had been said. Frisk tugged on Sans' sleeve to get his attention.

"Is that lady the reason I haven't seen Tabatha around lately?" the asked slowly, trying to stop their hands from shaking. Unable to formulate words, Sans just nodded, rubbing his skull wearily.

"let's not mention this to your mom, alright?" he suggested, his tone haggard. "she already knows about Tabatha, but...i don't think she'd like the idea that the stepmom's figured out what neighborhood we all live in."

"You're not going to keep it all secret, will you?" Frisk's face became stern. "Secrets are probably why this has all gotten so bad."

"relax kid," the stocky skeleton waved off the concern. "i just wanna wait until i've had a chance to talk to Asgore and Tabatha about it. we can tell her once we've got a plan for keepin' our human safe."

The small brunette suddenly giggled, the last of their tension disappearing like morning mist.

"what're you laughing at squirt?"

"You caller her 'our' human!" was the gleeful response. "You've finally accepted her! Now the ship can safely sail!"

"oh shaddup," Sans groaned. "i swear, you need to stop hanging out with Alphys so much—she's gonna consume your brain with all that shipping stuff. now let's get inside; i gotta ask Tori when Asgore's next break is."

"And you confronted her?" the monster king inquired, refiling his teacup.

"sorta. i mean, i shouted some stuff at her, but i didn't start an actual Fight. didn't want to get Frisk involved and thankfully i don't think she noticed them."

Asgore hummed to himself as he set the teapot down, brow furrowed in deep contemplation. Sans fiddled with his own cup but remained patiently silent for his monarch to voice his thoughts on the matter.

"This is something I had hoped wouldn't happen," the goat monster sighed. "I don't think Tabatha is capable of facing her right now and this new information might impede her recovery. Not to mention she already has concerns about Papyrus..."

"i actually had an idea about that," the skeleton admitted. "see, i talked to Paps earlier today and got his side of the story and it made me think...there's still a lot Tabatha doesn't know about the situation and I think we have to fix that."

"What do you propose we do?" Asgore prompted, taking up his cup again and sipping at the golden liquid within.

"i think it's time we finally told Tabatha about Souls—about what they really are and what they mean."

Chapter Text

A knock came at the door, distracting Tabatha away from the TV screen.

"Come in!" she called, muting the commercial break that had begun. The door to the hospital room swung open and a familiar pair of horns were the first things to poke through, making the brunette smile widely.

"Afternoon, miss Tabatha," Asgore greeted her with a smile. "Toriel sent me with lunch again."

"My favorite part of the day," the young woman chuckled. A brief look of surprise crossed her face when she noticed Sans coming in as well, looking far more relaxed than when she had last seen him. "Oh hey! Didn't think you'd be in today."

"eh, even i can't be lazy all the time," the stocky monster shrugged. "also figured you might wanna see how your Soul is doing in the aftermath, since it was attacked and all."

"Pie first," Tabatha insisted sternly, though a grin snuck onto her face even as she said it. The monster king produced a Tupperware container from within the depths of this cloak, setting up the small table so he could place it before the human. She hummed appreciatively, carefully navigating her still-healing fingers to manipulate her fork. She enjoyed the treat immensely before settling back down against the pillows.

"I swear, I actually feel a lot better after eating Toriel's food," Tabatha chuckled. "She's got the magic touch."

"heh, in a pretty literal way Tabby Cat," Sans added. "Tori uses fire magic to cook her pies, meaning they've got healing properties. doesn't work as well on adults since your magic absorption is way lower than a kid's, but it's still enough to close up cuts and keep ya alive in a pinch."

"No wonder I'm in less pain than the nurses seem to think," the human mused, putting away the tray table. "You guys have been sneaking me the good stuff. Alright, I'm ready for the Soul stuff now Sans."

"Do I have your permission to stay, miss Tabatha?" Asgore inquired gently. folding his hands together. "This is an very personal thing you are revealing and I wouldn't wish to invade your privacy."

"You're fine," the human shrugged. "It's just me, right?"

"bit more complicated than that, but i'll explain after i've had a look," Sans responded, standing at her left side. The larger goat monster took the seat to her right and rested a warm hand over hers in a gesture of comfort. The brunette took a calming breath as the skeleton's socket ignited with his magic. Tabatha winced as the green heart slowly formed, the swirling energy settling into its shape and inhaled sharply when it fully manifested. Sans' brow furrowed and Asgore's grip tightened as they too got a good look at it.

The happy green color was marred by thick black stripes, edged with gray. The old scar that had been there was no longer simply duller but instead was freshly ripped open, held into a single line of inky damage by an aura of mixed orange and blue.

"Oh stars," Asgore breathed. "That's..."

"not gonna lie, it's pretty bad," Sans concurred. "it's better than i thought it would be but this is definitely gonna leave a scar or two."

"Wh-what happened to it?" the young woman pressed, tears forming to see something that had been so lovely stained with such ugliness.

"what is the last thing you remember from being in the underground—the last thing you're certain was real?"

"Falling in waterfall...the little flower named Flowey popped out of the ground and told me it was a shame I had gotten hurt but that if I pulled out my Soul I should be able to heal myself since green is the color of healing magic. After that...it's all weird."

"right. Flowey was lying to you, Tabatha—at least partially," the stocky skeleton sighed, plopping down into the chair on the left side. "modern-day humans can't use magic unless they've been exposed to lots of monster influence and even then it's weak. take Frisk for example: a Determined Soul has the magic necessary to command time and space but the kid can only use it if they die and only within their own timeline—and that was only when they were in the Underground, a place chock full of magic. up here...their ability is limited. but Flowey didn't want to tell ya that to help you...he just wanted to get your Soul into the open. see, that weed doesn't actually have a Soul; he runs off of pure Determination. when you exposed yourself like that, he was able to latch onto you and get his roots into your Soul. he was gonna steal it so he wouldn't be so... empty anymore."

"He...he was inside my Soul?!" The human's face was stricken. "But that means...he saw—"

"he knew everything you did, saw your memories, everything," the stocky monster confirmed. "he was literally draining you away."

"No..." Tabatha's eyes were unfocused and her breathing became shallow—hardly even pants. Her Soul's rich color began to pale and it pulsed faster, the black wounds seeming to get even darker.

"no no no no no," Sans murmured, taking her face in his hands as Asgore rose from his seat and put his warm palms on her shoulders to support her. "Tabatha, stay with me. you're gonna be fine, okay? that nasty weed can't touch you anymore. breathe. c'mon, you remember how to breathe, right? i'm right here, just focus on my voice, don't think about him...yeah, you're fine. you're a tough human; you won't let this ruin ya. come on Tabby Cat, i gotcha."

"Wh-what did he tell you?" she choked out. "What did he make me do? Please tell me most of it was a nighmare..."

"he didn't tell us anything that we hadn't figured out ourselves," the skeleton soothed. "he made you try and fight us, but we're both fine...physically, you didn't land a scratch on us."

"Ph-phy-physically?!"

"scared us half to dust—Paps more than me—but that's all."

Tabatha fell silent, still pale and shaking but her Soul's beat had settled...for the most part. After a few minutes of deep breathing, she managed to speak again, volume still at a whisper.

"Sans...are you lying to me? About that being all?"

Sans didn't reply immediately, dropping his hands so they could cup around the green heart in front of her chest, magic suffusing his palms. The young woman felt a tender warmth fill her body, relaxing her tense muscles and lowering the intensity of her fear.

"it's...complicated," he finally decided. "see, if you were a monster, you would already know what this all means. human don't understand Souls very well...Asgore, you wanna explain it for a sec? i need to get a better look at the damage."

"I would be more than happy to," the king rumbled gently. "Tabatha, what do you know about the identity of your Soul?"

"Um...that it's me—it holds everything I am. My color means that I'm a fairly kind person...and a Soul is usually a very private thing and since its fragile, I have to protect it. Also...I think I heard somewhere that a human Soul is stronger than a monster one?"

"While none of what you said is incorrect, they are very basic," Asgore sighed, sitting back down but not releasing the human's hands. "Human Souls are fundamentally different from monster ones, but at the core the same rules apply: it is the core of your being, your 'self' contained in one small manifestation. The main difference is that, yes, human Souls are stronger. It's due to your bodies being made of actual matter."

"Actual matter?" Tabatha repeated.

"Monsters aren't made of the same materials as humans. Our bodies are composed of Dust and are shaped by our Souls—we are literally the physical form of our personalities and selves. Humans are made of actual atoms and your Souls don't have to expend energy to hold you together and keep you functioning. On top of that, humans are nonmagic beings and don't have the same close connection to their Souls needed to do magical acts. Essentially, humans use less of their Soul's energy in everyday life and over their lifetime as a whole, meaning that whatever magic you do have is kept deep in your core and makes the Soul as an independent entity stronger. You are not your Soul but your Soul is very much you, if that makes any sense."

"So...what did it mean when Flowey..." the brunette swallowed as she searched for the words. "...uh, took over my Soul? I'm guessing it was...bad?"

"Mildly put," the King remarked, tucking back a lock of Tabatha's hair that had slipped forward in a tender manner. "Monsters are taught from a very young age that one's Soul is the most intimate part of themselves and is only to be shared with those whom you trust implicityly. For Flowey to attack that and attempt to take it from you...it's the worst thing that anyone could ever comprehend."

"Wh-what would have happened to me if he'd finished stealing my Soul? Would it be like...I dunno, the dementor's kiss?"

"I don't understand what that means but, in theory, it is possible for a human body to survive without a Soul, though you would be nothing but a functioning body. From what Sans and Papyrus have both told me, they didn't know if Flowey intended to use your body as well to gain the extra power or if he intended to leave you for dead. Thank the Angel it didn't come to that..."

"see, when the weed had a hold on ya, he was able to control your body," Sans picked up, pointing at one of the deepest lacerations in the gleaming heart. "you were pretty much hollow, but you were still very much alive; it's probably why you don't remember what happened. anyway, that's where the complications get involved..."

The green Soul pulsed nervously and Asgore's hand squeezed Tabatha's in reminder that he was there for her. She tightened her grip in response and took a deep breath as the skeleton continued.

"see, i wasn't there when it happened—most of what i know is from what my bro told me or i figured out. the weed had a level of control on you to where you were almost the same being and the only way to reverse that would be for him, as the invader, to back off and leave you alone, but he wasn't exactly planning to cooperate. yet while you two were connected, your body still felt pain, even if you didn't react to it. Flowey on the other hand, could feel when you were hurt. Paps realized this and...he gave the little demon every opportunity to let you go. when he didn't, my bro didn't have any other choice..."

"Y-you're saying that Papyrus..." Tabatha swallowed nervously. "H-he was the one who hurt me?"

"he didn't have any other options, not with your Soul already so damaged," Sans stated sadly. "he's been...he's been beating himself up pretty bad for it, but the parasite wouldn't let go of you without...convincing. still, it's not as bad as what he's currently still working through."

"Seriously?! It gets worse?!" The young woman's eyes were overflowing with her tears now and she looked to be on the edge of a breakdown. The skeleton immediately set about soothing her, his magic glowing in a warm, protective aura.

"hey, it's not as bad as you're thinking," he intoned earnestly. "Paps feels worse about this bit, but it's not anything harmful—not the way he meant it. it has to do with how Souls respond to others in actual proximity."

"Your Soul is the truest form of yourself," the bigger goat monster continued. "It cannot lie about intentions or keep secrets like your mind can. When you have a relationship with someone, your Souls become attuned to one another and are able to evaluate the other person involved and be able to tell you if you are compatible with one another. Have you ever wanted to be friends with someone but for whatever reason you never really 'clicked' with them? It's a sign from your Soul that the other individual is either not compatible or may have an intent to take advantage of you. With humans, this seems to be very hit-or-miss, but you aren't entirely without the ability."

"i'm not surprised you didn't have any kind of warning about the weed—there's nothing to pick up in terms of Souls. but what i want to know is whether you remember feeling something...foreign during the nightmares. did you, at any point, feel any emotions that felt out of place from the moment? they might have even brought some kind of sensory memory to mind."

Tabatha's brow furrowed, her breathing hitching as her gaze slid out of focus, gaze turned inward upon her flare of green in her exposed Soul told both monsters present that she had recalled something before her face could even reconstruct itself into the proper facial expression that matched the revelation.

"There was...a moment," she whispered. "I was really tired—all the way down the deepest parts of me. I think I wanted to fall asleep and never wake up...then there was this...warmth. It was like being completely wrapped up in a blanket or a hug...I felt so safe and sheltered. I swear I saw...orange fire or something—then again, that was part of my dream a few nights ago so I don't know how much of that was real..."

"was it similar to how you feel now?" Sans pressed, nodding to her glowing green heart, suffused in his blue magic.

"Yeah...though it's not so intense. There was this edge to it and more...passion? I don't know; your magic feels pretty constant while that one had this big spike where I swear a whole world of color opened up for maybe half a second."

Asgore's eyes met his friend's sockets and they came to an unspoken agreement that now was the moment—the reason they had come here in the first place.

"Tabatha?" the stocky skeleton waited until her gaze was on him. "what you felt...if you'd been conscious it would've been a lot stronger than just one little rush."

"What do you mean? Sans, why won't you just tell me what's going on?!"

"This is a delicate subject, my dear," the king hushed her. "The fact Papyrus has shared what happened with us is monumental—most others who have done the same prefer not to speak of it."

"But what happened?!"

"right after Flowey let you go, my brother heard your Soul breaking. he refused to let you die and, while trying to help you...he touched your Soul Tabatha. that's a gesture that only happens between Soul-mated pairs—between married couples."

There was a deafening silence as the human's dark eyes widened in complete understanding.

"H-he saw—he held—"

"he can't bear to face you—not when he did something so intimate without your knowledge," Sans explained in a whisper. "i don't know what he saw or felt when he made contact but...he's been scared that you'll hate him for doing it. been driving him out of his mind, honestly—he hasn't been himself since that day."

"I...I hurt him?"

The dimming of the green heart's glow was accompanied by the old, reopened scar pulsing in a sickly manner, straining against the magic binding it. The hoodie-clad monster immediately reignited his eye and focused his magic more intently on keeping the wound from widening, sending a jolt of confused and muddled emotions through the young woman. She began to cry in earnest as Asgore turned her so she could sob in relative silence against his shoulder.

"Shhhh...oh my child, it is alright..."

"I-I-I hurt Papyrus!" she wailed. "A-All I do is hu-hurt people! No matter what, when someone comes too close, when I let them in...I ruin everyone I touch!"

"Come now Tabatha, that is simply not true," the king rumbled in his hearty baritone. "You have done so much good for everyone...from the humans and monsters you serve every day in the bar to those who get to watch your inspiring dancing...and you have done more good to these skeleton brothers than I have ever seen. Sans has been more proactive, motivated to live in a way I never thought possible...and when Papyrus is at your side, I've never seen him so thrilled to simply be alive—and that is no small thing. Both of them have grown so much since meeting you...please, do not think so poorly of yourself; you have helped so many...now let us care for you."

The muffled sobs seemed to lighten as Asgore spoke to her, the black wound no longer spreading though the color did not return to the small energy form.

"He thinks I hate him?" Tabatha mumbled.

"He doesn't know if you do or not and that is what scares him enough so that he cannot bring himself to see you. He cares for you so very much, my dear...he doesn't want to lose you."

Quiet swept into the hospital room, the only sound that of the three sets of breathing. No one dared move from their spot, the monsters waiting for the human to give them a sign for what to do next. Slowly, hesitantly, Tabatha pushed herself up off and away from Asgore, wiping at her tears with her heavily bandaged hands.

"C-can I have some time alone to think about this?" she asked, her voice not rising above a whisper. The skeleton spared a final look at her Soul, appraising its condition, before nodding and releasing the magic that kept it manifested. He then too a step closer and wrapped his bony arms around her, phalanges carding through her hair lightly.

"take care of yourself, Tabby Cat," he murmured into her ear. "'cause so many people really care about you."

The pair left shortly after, the young woman sitting in silence as she removed all evidence of her crying with as much care as she could. Her hand strayed to her collarbone, just above where her Soul had manifested.

When had it all gone wrong? Why had she let this happen? She should never have tried to venture the Underground without help...all that had come out of it was pain—both hers and his. She had to fix this...but how?

Papyrus was never going to admit this out loud but...having a day where he had nothing to do was oddly relaxing—once he got over the itch to be doing something productive, that is. The cooking competition show was just entering the final round when a sudden knocking came at the door, jolting him from his lounging seat to upright on the couch. After a strained moment when the skeleton didn't even dare to take a breath, the sound resumed and Papyrus got up to answer. Who was there, however, was not the person he would have expected.

"HUMAN MIA?" His voice was louder than usual in his surprise and the olive-skinned woman winced a little.

"I forgot how loud you are," she remarked simply.

"MY APOLOGIES—I JUST WASN'T EXPECTING ANYONE TODAY. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SANS, THEN YOU MISSED HIM; HE WENT OUT EARLIER."

"Actually, I wasn't looking for Sans, I was looking for you," Mia clarified. "I heard you've been down recently and wanted to stop by. May I come in? I've got some games you might be interested in."

"OF COURSE!" the trainee guardsman replied, flustered and off-balance. "I WILL...I WILL GO FETCH DRINKS AND YOU MAY MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE."

The young woman stepped over the threshold as her skeletal host rushed off to the kitchen to prepare the drinks. Moving into the living room, she set down her bag and situated herself on the couch before a cup of ice water was offered to her.

"Thanks." She took a small sip. "So, how are you?"

"BETTER," Papyrus replied, seating himself next to her with a drink of his own. "I STRUGGLED VERY MIGHTILY WITH MY FEELINGS AND DIFFICULTIES, BUT...WELL, I AM STILL STRUGGLING, BUT IT IS NOT SO BAD NOW AS IT WAS."

"Girl trouble?"

The skeleton nearly spit out his drink.

"HOW DOES EVERYONE KNOW?!" he sputtered. "I HAVEN'T HAD TO ACTUALLY TELL ANYONE!"

"Sans hinted that Tabatha had something to do with your funk," Mia chuckled. "You just confirmed my suspicions is all."

"NYEH...PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ME SO FLUSTERED," he requested . "I DON'T LIKE IT VERY MUCH..."

"Fair enough; I didn't come here to embarrass you anyway." The human rummaged through her back before withdrawing a small gaming console and a few disk cases. "I actually wanted to talk to you about video games. Sans told me you've been looking to get into the industry."

"I HAVE BEEN APPLYING TO COLLEGES WITH GOOD COURSES IN GAME DESIGN, BUT I HAVE NOT PICKED ONE YET."

"But you're still new to gaming overall, yeah?" She was given an affirmative and she continued on. "Well, fear not, for I am here to indoctrinate with some of the best games ever programmed! Let's go!"

"WAIT HUMAN!" Papyrus protested. "I MAY NOT BE VERY GOOD AT THESE GAMES AND FAIL TO DO THEM JUSTICE!"

"Gotta start somewhere! C'mon, I gotta update my channel by tonight!"

"NYEH?! YOU ARE A YOUTUBE PLAYER? WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE ON THE INTERNET?!"

"I'm not very big or anything—I've only got a small collection of subscribers. Anyway, I wanna do a collab with you today so I can introduce you to my viewers! You are too awesome not to want you in a video with me. Now stop dilly-dallying and help me set this up!"

Chapter Text

The first thing Sans heard when he walked through the door was his brother's loud voice and Mia's familiar laugh. Odd—he hadn't known she was coming over today. Then again, it had been pretty much an open invitation when he'd included his address in his contact information.

The pair of them were in the main room, sitting in front of the TV with a small computer, keyboard and mouse plugged into it, the game window on the desktop appearing on the larger screen. The game was apparently nothing but static at the moment and seemed to be the source of Papyrus' confusion.

"BUT I FOUND THE PAGES," he was insisting. "WHY DID I STILL LOSE?"

"That's the point!" the human laughed. "The player never wins! It's why it's a horror game! And such a good creepy pasta story."

"do i even want to know what's going on in here?" the shorter skeleton said as he leaned over the back of the couch, grinning when his younger brother jolted in surprise.

"SANS! DON'T DO THAT!" he scolded. "YOUR HABIT OF APPEARING OUT OF NOWHERE WILL DUST ME ONE DAY!"

"hopefully not for a couple more decades, bro," Sans teased, smile widening when he saw the olive-skinned woman shove her face into a pillow to muffle her sounds. "you two having fun?"

"OH YES! MIA HAS BEEN FILMING US PLAYING GAMES TOGETHER FOR A FEW 'COLAB' VIDEOS SHE WANTS TO PUT ON THE INTERNET! WHILE MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN ENJOYABLE, THIS LAST GAME ABOUT THE SKINNY MAN IN THE FOREST IS JUST BIZARRE."

"Sans, you have to let me record Papyrus playing Five Nights!" Mia burst, propping herself on her elbows over the back of the couch. "His reactions are amazing."

"ask him yourself; he's the boss when it comes to his gaming time."

"IF IT IS ANOTHER HORROR GAME WHERE ONE CANNOT TRULY WIN, I WILL HAVE TO DECLINE," Papyrus inserted to the conversation, responsibly shutting down the game. "BUT NOW THAT YOU'RE HOME, SANS, I WANTED TO ASK YOU..."

The atmosphere shifted palpably at his words. There was a breath of silence that stretched between everyone in the room before Mia got to her feet.

"Do you guys have a bathroom?" she asked simply. "I need to get a mirror to make sure my hair isn't too wild before I record anything else today."

"upstairs, last door on the right. take as much time as ya need."

With a quick "thanks", the black-haired woman jogged to the staircase and disappeared. Sans took the opportunity to plop down on the couch with a relaxed sigh. His brother sat straight up nervously and opened his mouth again to repeat the question, but he was beaten to the punch.

"so physically, she's doing well. mentally...that's still up in the air. but while her Soul was pretty roughed up by the weed, it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought. might not even leave permanent scarring if she keeps on at her current healing rate. Tori's cooking has been super helpful there..."

"BUT...WHAT DID SHE SAY ABOUT...ME? I-I ASSUME YOU TOLD HER." The young guardsman trainee shifted in his seat, twisting the fabric of his gloves as he avoided the older skeleton's gaze.

"honestly, you came up at the end, after she was already a little...worked up after hearing about the whole...Soul invasion," Sans admitted sheepishly. "it was kinda hard to distinguish anything concretely positive about you in all that."

Papyrus visibly deflated, slouching backwards into the cushions uncharacteristically.

"SO THIS WAS ALL FOR NOTHING?" he questioned, tone mournful. "SHE...SHE HATES ME?"

"i didn't say that, bro," the stockier monster continued. "i said there wasn't anything to confirm that she liked you back. however, when we told her about how messed up you've been recently, she actually felt downright guilty. people don't feel the way she did unless they've hurt someone close to them. i know it's not much help, but i still think you have a shot at her returning your affection. she still cares about you quite a bit, even if she's...overwhelmed by what happened."

"SO...S-SO THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?"

"that's up to you, Paps. i've done my bit, but if you wanna come out and teller her how you feel then that's on you to figure out. i'm gonna be here to support you all the way, though, not matter what you choose."

Silence fell between them and the distant sounds of activity from upstairs became audible. Papyrus glanced towards the stairs, a faint smile returning to his features.

"NYEH...YOU WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO FIND SUCH A CONSIDERATE HUMAN OF YOUR OWN, SANS," he commented. "MIA IS VERY UNDERSTANDING."

"heh, yup," the hoodie-clad skeleton chuckled. "takes a special kinda person to put up with a lazybones like me."

"DO YOU...HAPPEN TO LIKE HER?"

"well yeah, but not in the way you're suggesting. i'm not really...up for that kind of commitment at the moment. got lot of stuff going on."

"VERY WELL BROTHER," the younger of the pair conceded. "BUT JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME...I THINK SHE LIKES YOU QUITE A BIT MORE THAN AS FRIENDS—SHE WOULD NOT STOP MENTIONING YOU AND THE THINGS YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT AT ANY GIVEN TIME. AND WHEN SHE THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING SHE WOULD GIGGLE AND GET THIS VERY AFFECTIONATE SMILE ON HER FACE AND I KNEW THAT SHE HAD TO BE THINKING OF YOU! SHE IS A GOOD HUMAN. DO NOT LOSE HER, SANS."

"same to you about Tabatha, bro. that's all i can say."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Mia bounded over, beaming from ear to ear.

"Alright!" she declared brightly, clapping her hands. "One more video, then we can just mess around with games! Sans, you wanna join in?"

"eh, why not?" he shrugged with a smile. "i'm game."

"SANS! OH MY STARS!"

Tabatha was about sixty percent sure she was dreaming. Forty percent was still up in the air because of how very real everything seemed, not to mention physics appeared to be functioning normally. But she had never seen this mountain before in her life, with such a defined path straight towards the peak.

The young woman found herself standing at the base of this mountain, the mouth of the road at her feet and lit by warm, orange torches. Not knowing what else to do, she began to ascend, flinching when the torches she passed rose in size and heat, the glow brighter than before and obliterating what little darkness remained on the path. Perhaps it was forever or maybe only a moment, but the distance seemed to twist before her and shorten. Within no time, she could see the very top...it looked like someone was standing up there. No, they were coming down from the summit...

There was a sudden swooping sensation in Tabatha's stomach as he foot slipped. Eyes snapping down to the ground, she became aware of a terrible, gaping hole that broke the surface of the mountain into a pitch-black circle. Even the light of the torch on her right could not illuminate the pit no matter how warmly it burned. Lifting her gaze from the obstacle, she noticed a shadow on the other side of the chasm, tall and familiar.

"Papyrus?" she called, squinting.

A smaller torch sputtered into existence across the hole in the ground, lighting the tall skeleton's features. He looked almost stricken, an unusual expression for one who normally never ceased smiling. He too stood at the very edge of the pit, arms outstretched as if silently begging her to jump across while assuring her that he wouldn't let her fall.

If it's a dream, I'll wake up anyway, Tabatha reasoned, retreating a few steps to garner momentum. Charging forward, she waited until the last possible moment before pushing off. Her body flew towards the other side, but suddenly the crater seemed to come alive, a sudden rush of wind sucked down into the depths...and dragging the brunette along with it.

She screamed. She screamed so loudly the whole world should have been able to hear her. And yet when she looked up for help, Papyrus was just standing there, horrified.

Static flickered over Tabatha's vision and when it cleared, she saw a shadowy figure with a smiling white mask-face behind her skeletal friend. It seemed to be whispering something to him before it fizzled back out of existence and Papyrus lunged into action, features set with determination as he reached out. So close...

His hand clamped around her arm.

All of a sudden, the young woman felt like her nerves were on fire: pain rocketed through every cell, so intense she couldn't make a sound. Dimly, she was aware of being pulled free of the dark chasm, being cradled in the tall monster's arms, but she couldn't think, could barely breathe—it hurt to the point of death itself.

Numbness began to settle in and Tabatha became aware of Papyrus speaking to her. Maybe her mind was just fuzzy, but she could have sworn she heard two voices coming from him: one at his regular volume and the other far softer, more tender and sensitive.

"HUMAN!"

"Tabatha!"

She wanted to reassure him—tell him that the pain wasn't as bad as it seemed, that it was more bearable now—but she just slipped in and out of focus, unable to get her mouth to cooperate and get the message across. Her skeletal friend's voice dropped to a stage-whisper—as quiet as she'd ever heard him—but the second words only rose in volume, became more urgent.

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME," he plead. "NOT NOW. I DIDN'T GET TO TELL YOU..."

"I care so very deeply for you. I don't know how to live without you."

"I'M SORRY TABATHA; I'M SO SO SO SO SORRY."

"I didn't want to hurt you...please don't hate me...it would be as bad as you leaving me..."

Tabatha tried to say something with all the energy she could muster, feeling secondhand Papyrus' fear and agony so clearly she had no idea how he could bear the emotion. Her limbs were dead to her will as were her throat and tongue. But she had to do something! He didn't deserve to suffer like this—not on her behalf.

A flash of green lit the sky and the young woman sat straight up in her hospital bed, sweating and sobbing uncontrollably. After several panicked moments, she realized where she was and what had happened.

Just a dream. Or was it a dream? Maybe it was a memory. Those words sounded familiar...but it couldn't be a memory—that place hadn't been the Underground.

Blinking, Tabatha became aware of a faint glow emanating from her chest, the same color as her Soul had been when Sans looked at it but with a vibrance that hadn't been there earlier. There was a physical sensation of pulling as well, paired with a powerful desire to jump put of her bed and run all the way to the place she'd begun to call home. It didn't matter how early it was, Papyrus needed to know—know that she didn't blame him for what had happened and to beg for forgiveness for not being able to tell him sooner, for letting him languish in emotional agony. The human actually made to do just that before the heavy casts on her legs reminded her she couldn't exactly walk at the moment. With a frustrated huff, Tabatha laid back against the pillows, massaging the spot where the green light came until it faded entirely.

For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that in some way she had just witnessed what had happened when Papyrus had forced Flowey to leave her Soul. That dark figure...he had been in one of her other dreams too. He had claimed to be watching her, interested in her relationship with the younger skeleton brother. Was her the one who had given her friend the realization needed to save her life? Was he somehow influencing things? Or was he just an observer, drawn to her by how far Papyrus had gone on her behalf?

Tomorrow, she was going to get one of the nurses to call home for her—she needed to talk to Papyrus as soon as possible. Now, if only she could go back to sleep so morning would come faster...

ALRIGHT...HERE I GO...COME ON, JUST KNOCK. IT'S JUST TABATHA...I CAN DO THIS—I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY A DOOR!

Thoughts like these flowed nonstop in Papyrus' skull as he stood outside the hospital room door, fist frozen in midair as he tried to convince himself to knock and go inside. It had been over two minutes and the nurse at the station was beginning to look concerned. The guardsman trainee took a few unnecessary breaths before he managed to bring his fist down against the wood lightly in a series of light taps. Taking hold of the handle, he squared his shoulders and twisted it with false confidence even as he resisted fleeing down the hall, away from this confrontation.

The room past the door was fairly unremarkable, but seated in the bed, reading over a novel, was the human behind both the thumping of his Soul and the weakness at his knees. She didn't notice him immediately, but the second her dark eyes landed on him, they widened and she immediately set the book down.

"Papyrus?" Her tone was clear of anything but surprise and the lanky skeleton forced himself to not bolt at hearing his name. Bringing back his smile, he came to her bedside.

"HELLO TABATHA," he greeted brightly. "HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALRIGHT? SANS SAID YOU WERE DOING BETTER."

"Well, I'm alright I guess. The food here isn't nearly as good as yours or Toriel's. Been missing it recently. You too."

"AH YES..." Papyrus shifted before glancing at the chair set at her side. "WOULD YOU MIND IF I SAT? I...HAVE SOME THINGS I NEED TO SAY TO YOU."

"Yeah...me too," Tabatha admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

Chapter Text

"I...I HONESTLY WOULD LIKE YOU TO GO FIRST," Papyrus admitted. "I NEED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS BEFORE I TELL YOU...WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. JUST TO BE CERTAIN IT'S THE RIGHT TIME."

"Alright," Tabatha sighed, her finger idly tracing patterns on the cover of her book. "So...I think there are some things to get out of the way first. Chiefly...I know what happened in the Underground. I don't remember it, but Sans told me about Flowey, what he made me do...and I know what you did too."

The skeleton's hands clenched on the armrests of the chair reflexively, anxiety spiking through his bones. This was not missed by the young human and she reached out with her bandaged hands and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, unable to do much else in the way of comfort.

"Papyrus...I don't blame you," she stated empathetically. "I know that you didn't want to hurt me—that it was the only way to save me. I...I know it deep inside. Down to my Soul. You didn't want to bring me any actual harm, but to rescue me from Flowey. And for that...I am not angry with you or emotionally hurt."

"ARE YOU...CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE NOT UPSET?" the lanky monster asked shakily. "I WILL NOT BLAME YOU IF YOU STILL HAVE RESERVATIONS."

"Paps, you're allowed to be relieved. You're allowed to have selfish feelings..."

"I CAN'T—I REALLY CAN'T, NOT WITH YOUR CURRENT STATE—BUT I APPRECIATE THE KIND THOUGHT, FRIEND." Papyrus patted the human's shoulder before he leaned back in his seat. "IS...IS THAT ALL YOU WANTED TO SAY?"

"Actually...actually there was something else." Tabatha bit the corner of her lip as her arms curled tighter around her body. "It has to do with...well, how my Soul looked."

"A-ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS THIS WITH MY BROTHER? HE IS FAR MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE CONCERNING—"

"No, it needs to be you," the brunette insisted fervently. "Sans wasn't there...or made contact with it. I want to know...what it felt like. What it was like, holding all of me in your hands."

A tense silence came over the room. Sweat was breaking out along the top of Papyrus' skull as he stared, shocked at what his friend was suggesting. She, however, looked quite resolute in her words—on the edge of outright Determination.

"TABATHA," the lanky skeleton hedged. "DO YOU...DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS YOU'RE ASKING? TO TOUCH YOUR SOUL WAS AN INCREDIBLY INTIMATE GESTURE ON MY PART; FOR MONSTERS, IT IS AN INTERACTION THAT ONLY SOUL-MATED COUPLES SHOULD DO. MY CONTACT WAS NOT ONLY INVASIVE, IT WAS WRONG. I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THAT CLOSE TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE, SHOULD NEVER HAVE—"

"But it's already done, Paps!" the human burst. "Yes, you probably shouldn't have, but the fact of the matter is that you did. Besides, Sans already explained how...unusual it was for you to touch it and I'm fine with it. You can't go back, can't make it undone, so why don't you stop tormenting yourself? I just want to know how it was for you, nothing more, nothing less."

The quiet returned between the pair. As what she'd said began to dawn on her, Tabatha's dark eyes widened before they began to fill with guilty tears. Her form folding as she curled inward, she twisted away from the monster at her bedside.

"I'm so sorry," she choked out. "I...I forgot my place. I really don't have the right to ask that of you, do I? You know what, just forget it; it was wrong of me—"

"NO, TABATHA, IT'S ALRIGHT," Papyrus soothed, hand reaching around to cup her cheek and turn her back to face him. "I UNDERSTAND: YOU ARE JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THIS...AND YOU'RE RIGHT: IT HAPPENED ALREADY AND THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THAT. THE REASON FOR MY HESITATION IS JUST MORE...PERSONAL THAN ANYTHING ELSE."

"Wh-what do you mean by 'personal'?"

The skeleton's cheekbones began to glow a light tangerine color, giving Tabatha the beginnings of an idea as to what he might mean.

"CONTACT BETWEEN SOULS IS A TWO-WAY INTERACTION," he finally mumbled out, his volume almost low enough to be considered a normal indoor speaking voice. "WHEN YOU TOUCH A SOUL, YOU NOT ONLY FEEL WHATEVER THEY ARE FEELING BUT IT ALSO...EVOKES EMOTION WITHIN YOUR OWN SOUL. IF THE OTHER PERSON WERE ALSO IN CONTACT WITH YOUR SOUL, THEN THEY WOULD BE EXPERIENCING YOUR TRUEST FEELINGS TOWARDS THEM—GOOD OR BAD."

The meaning of his words began to dawn on her and the young woman's face began to take on a certain redness to it even as Papyrus' flush spread and deepened in color. The lanky guardsman made a throat-clearing sound before he nervously began to play with the end of his scarf.

"I...I'LL START WITH SOMETHING A BIT LESS...WELL, SOMETHING I'M MORE COMFORTABLE SHARING. IS THAT ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked awkwardly. Tabatha nodded quickly, fiddling with the bandages on her hands before forcing herself to be still. "VERY WELL...I MUST SAY, DESPITE THE RATHER TRAGIC AND ALARMING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAUSED ME TO SEE IT, I WAS AWED BY THE SIGHT OF YOUR SOUL IN ITS PURE STATE. I KNOW YOU WERE NOT IN VERY GOOD SHAPE AT THE TIME, BUT YOUR SOUL WAS STILL QUITE A SIGHT TO BEHOLD."

"I've seen it a few times," the human commented, her face still a little pink. "It's pretty beat up though."

"ALL SOULS GET SOME SORT OF WEAR AND TEAR TO THEM FROM DEEPLY EMOTIONAL PAINS AND I KNOW YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE PLENTY OF THOSE IN YOUR LIFE...BUT DESPITE THE SCARRING, IT REALLY IS QUITE BEAUTIFUL! THE GREEN IS SO RICH AND VIBRANT, MUCH BRIGHTER THAN ANY OTHER I HAVE EVER SEEN. NOT THAT I HAVE SEEN VERY MANY GREEN SOULS, ESPECIALLY IN HUMANS, BUT THAT MAKES ME APPRECIATE IT EVEN MORE!"

The color was beginning to return to Tabatha's warm cheeks and she ducked her head in embarrassment. Papyrus let out a nervous laugh as sweat began to drip down off his skull.

"E-EVEN SEEING HOW BEAUTIFUL IT WAS DESPITE THE DAMAGE COULD NOT HAVE PREPARED ME FOR WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I ACTUALLY MADE CONTACT," he admitted. "WHEN I TOUCHED IT..."

The brunette saw him struggling with his words and leaned over as far as she dared and reached out to rest a hand on his clavicle, stroking it with her fingertips.

"Please, take your time," she urged. "There's no rush."

"I HAVE LEFT HIS UNSAID FOR TOO LONG, DEAR TABATHA," Papyrus sighed, covering her hand with his much larger one. "BUT IT STILL SURPRISED ME WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I TOUCHED YOUR SOUL."

"You said it creates emotion?"

"IT BRINGS THE EMOTIONS TO THE SURFACE, YES, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE THEM JUST MATERIALIZE. THESE FEELINGS WERE ALREADY THERE AND WERE JUST STRENGTHENED TO AN INTENSE HEIGHT."

Tabatha's face scrunched momentarily as she processed it and then her eyebrows shot upwards in understanding. She then looked up at Papyrus with the most inquisitive eyes he'd ever seen—she seemed almost childlike in her silent plea to know.

"IT WAS HOT," the skeleton recalled, his voice hushed again, this time low enough to count as a reverent whisper even if volume-wise it was still only a normal indoor speaking voice. "LIKE A FIREWORK OF PASSIONATE FEELINGS. AND THERE WAS A LOT TO TAKE IN, VERY CONTRASTING FEELINGS THAT REALLY WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE FOR ANYONE ELSE."

He took a moment to pause and felt the grip on his clavicle increase as much as it could with injured fingers as the young woman's tension mounted.

"I FELT...STRONG. LIKE I COULD DO ANYTHING IN THE WORLD IF YOU ASKED IT OF ME. AND YET I WAS ALSO SO SCARED THAT SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU THAT I COULD NOT FIX. I FELT VERY PROTECTIVE OF YOU...THAT FEELING HAS NOT LEFT ME SINCE YOU MET YOUR STEPMOTHER BUT IT WAS MORE ZEALOUS WHEN I TOUCHED YOUR SOUL. AND OF COURSE, THE STRONGEST OF ALL, THE ONE THAT FILLED OUT EVERY OTHER SENSATION...I FELT LOVE. A VERY PASSIONATE, POWERFUL LOVE, THE MOST FERVENT SENSATION OF LOVE THAT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED."

The words hung there, heavy in the air to the point of almost being tangible. The tears that had vanished from Tabatha's eyes began to pool once again as she leaned even closer.

"Papyrus?" she breathed and the tall monster slid out of his chair to kneel by her bedside, now equal to her in height as he took her face into his hands and pressed their foreheads together.

"TABATHA," he murmured. "I...I LOVE YOU. I HAVE FOR SOME TIME NOW. BUT I WAS AFRAID OF THESE FEELINGS, AFRAID THAT YOU WOULD REJECT ME. I PLANNED TO TELL YOU ONCE YOU HAD FULLY RECOVERED FROM THE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS RELAPSE...BUT IT DID NOT TURN OUT AS I HOPED. I HAD TO HURT YOU TO FREE YOU AND FELT I HAD COMMITTED ONE OF THE MOST CRIMES FOR A MONSTER WHEN I TOUCHED YOUR SOUL. BUT I CANNOT RUN FROM MYSELF ANY LONGER—MY SOUL ACHES WHEN WE ARE APART AND EVERY TIME I LIE ABOUT IT IT ONLY DOUBLES THE PAIN. I WANT TO BE WITH YOU, TABATHA. AS A ROMANTIC PARTNER."

Trails of salt water traced down the human's cheeks, sobs suppressed in her chest as she tried to speak.

"P-Papyrus...I...I...I care for you too...b-but..."

The words just wouldn't come, no matter how she tried to force them. Again and again she restarted, but she got no farther than the first attempt. Her friend gently shushed her, wrapping his arms around her back and resting one large palm against the back of her head to cradle her.

"IT IS ALRIGHT," he soothed. "YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEAK. I AM FINE IF YOU DO NOT FEEL THE SAME WAY."

"B-but you just confessed!" the brunette blubbered. "Y-you have some r-right to an explanation o-of my feelings."

"YOU ARE STILL HEALING, DEAR TABATHA," Papyrus reminded her. "BOTH WITH YOUR BODY AND YOUR SOUL. I AM A PATIENT MONSTER; I WILL GLADLY WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE WELL TO DISCUSS YOUR FEELINGS IN COMPARISON TO MINE. UNTIL THAT TIME, WE CAN SIMPLY ACT AS WE HAVE ALL ALONG DURING OUR FRIENDSHIP."

"W-wouldn't your new feelings prevent that?" Tabatha managed to get out, her words hardly more than breath.

"I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU, KINDLY HUMAN. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE NOW IS I WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE A ROMANCE WITH YOU AND THAT CAN WAIT UNTIL IT IS MORE APPROPRIATE."

The lanky guardsman turned and pressed his teeth to the young woman's temple in a gesture clearly meant to convey the same feelings as a chaste kiss. Then the floodgates opened and Tabatha began to cry in earnest, clinging to Papyrus as though he was a lifeline.

"I missed you so much!" she wailed. "So much! I thought I'd lost you..."

"I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU, TABATHA," he mumbled into her hair. "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU ALONE LIKE THIS AGAIN."

As the tender moment stretched on, neither of the pair could hear the shouts that echoed through the void.

"YES! YES! [ERROR]ING FINALLY!"

Chapter Text

Sans and Mia were both asleep on the couch, the human curled up on one end while the stocky skeleton lay spread on the other side. The TV flickered with the title screen of their last game but neither of them reacted to it in the slightest nor to the sudden opening and slamming of the front door. It wasn't until the hoodie-clad skeleton was lifted from his resting place that he jolted from his slumber and greeted with a not-very-quiet stage whisper.

"SANS! SANS, I DID IT! I TOLD HER!"

Sans took a moment to wake up a bit more before the meaning of that statement struck him and he was suddenly alert.

"uh, that's great bro," he replied, a bit lamely, but to be fair he had just gotten up. "hows about you put me down and tell me what happened? oh and try not to wake up Mia."

Papyrus put his brother back onto the couch as gently as he could in his excitement, but his bones were clacking together lightly as he vibrated with energy. When Sans had settled back in, he started recalling what had happened earlier.

"I WAS SO NERVOUS AT FIRST, BUT TABATHA ASSURED ME RIGHT AWAY THAT SHE WAS NOT UPSET ABOUT MY HAVING TO HURT HER! AND THEN OF COURSE SHE WANTED TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOULS AND HOW THEY WORK WHEN THEY COME IN CONTACT BUT AS I WAS EXPLAINING I DECIDED I NEEDED TO CONFESS."

"and what did she think?" Sans prompted, holding back a yawn. He sensed his brother was editing the actual events, but he decided against pursuing it; if Papyrus wanted to tell him later on in more detail, that was fine. If he didn't, that was fine too; this wasn't the time or place to press the issue.

"SHE WAS...WELL, I DON'T THINK SHE WAS THAT SURPRISED," the guardsman trainee mused. "IT WAS AS A LITTLE UNEXPECTED PERHAPS, BUT I THINK SHE MAY HAVE SUSPECTED MY FEELINGS BEFOREHAND. SHE WAS QUITE OVERCOME WITH EMOTION..."

"she didn't, y'know, tell you how she feels in return or anything?"

"SHE TRIED, BUT SHE IS STILL VERY FRAGILE FROM HER ORDEALS. I TOLD HER I AM WILLING TO WAIT UNTIL SHE IS RECOVERED FOR HER TO TELL ME AND THAT I JUST WANTED MY INTENTIONS TO BE CLEAR. I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE HER FEEL BAD AND POTENTIALLY DISTURB HER HEALING IF SHE DOES NOT SHARE MY AFFECTIONS." Papyrus hesitated, tugging on his scarf nervously. "DO YOU THINK THAT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?"

"mmph, no idea," Sans shrugged. "really bro, you're not responsible for her reactions or feelings. but i'm glad you got it off your chest and finally told her."

"YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE RELIEF!" the younger monster exclaimed, joy in his tone. "TO JUST SAY IT TO HER OUT LOUD...I AM IN LOVE, SANS! I AM IN LOVE AND I JUST WANT TO SHOUT IT OUT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO HEAR!"

"With your volume, you're already part of the way there," a sleepy voice interjected. Both skeletons jumped a little at the new person participating in their conversation, twisting to face the half-awake human still curled up on the couch arm. After a moments' silence all three of them burst into laughter.

When Brian Strong had asked to meet with Asgore, the monster king had been a little surprised and more than a little worried: Tabatha's father had never reached out like this before and he had sounded urgent.

They had met at Joseph's house, the younger of the brothers graciously stepping out to give the pair privacy. No time had been wasted: as soon as they were both seated, the human got right to the point.

"My wife called me yesterday for our usual nightly conversation and check-in. She said she's discovered where the skeletons who 'stole' Tabatha live. She didn't elaborate if she'd found the house or just knew the general vicinity, but she's on the hunt now. You need to warn Sans and Papyrus to be extremely careful when they are out and about."

"You're certain that this is truly such a dangerous situation?" the large goat monster questioned. "They are both incredibly capable at defending themselves."

"This isn't the first time my wife has been on the war path where my daughter is concerned," Brian stated grimly. "When Tabatha was still enrolled at college, she hid by living with friends. Lyssa bid her time until she knew which students were giving her shelter and took her time discovering their weak points. Each and every one of those kids ended up shutting Tabatha out because they either believed that she would be safer without them or were otherwise forced to. My wife is patient and determined and she will not stop until my sweet girl is found."

Tense silence fell between them and Asgore threaded his fingers together in his lap, mind whirring to find something to say.

"What did you say when she told you this?" he asked softly.

"I couldn't get a word in; she just kept going on and on. I try to get her to come home every time I can, but she...it's easier to see than to explain."

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing a number and switching it to speaker so they could both hear it ringing. After a minute, the call connected.

"Brian? Are you on your way home from work?" Mrs. Strong's voice was warm and affectionate, a far cry from what the monster king had been expecting.

"Yes dear," the large man replied in an even tone. "Are you coming home as well?"

"I'm still looking for our daughter...but I have a new lead to follow, so I hopefully won't be away for much longer. I miss you so much, sweetheart."

"Lyssa...please," Brian requested softly. "Tabatha is a grown woman. Part of love is letting go, remember?"

"I lost one child and I refuse to lose another; we've had this talk a thousand times." Her voice was weary now, as if he were the one who was being unreasonable. "I have to know that she's safe and the only way I can do that is if I have her at home with me. I love you. Enjoy your night."

The call ended with a click and Brian replaced the phone with a sigh.

"If I didn't know what she'd done...if Tabatha hadn't told me in detail...then I'd be the same as everyone else: thinking Lyssa's in the right when in truth she's unstable and obsessed."

"Is this how she's been able to avoid having a restraining order put on her after all this time?" Asgore's voice was soft with shock.

"She is careful that nothing looks incriminating and no one but Tabatha can claim to have witnessed the abuse. I've never seen it myself or I would testify about it in court—everyone else is too intimidated or is in support of her actions. Until she makes a mistake or gets someone involved who will stand their own against her, all I can do is help my daughter hide."

The brunette looked so exhausted, arms crossed and leaning back in his seat, just resigned to the tragedy that was constantly happening in his life. Asgore felt sympathy stir within his Soul and rose to his impressive height, crossing to the human and resting his paws on his shoulders.

"I swear to you," the king stated firmly, "your daughter will be kept safe. I will do all in my power to protect her and ensure she will be able to live her life without fear. And I know all her friends will do the same. For now, we will wait, but we will find a solution; you have my word, Brian Strong."

"Ma'am, I have to remind you that we have never really tried this before," the nurse offered hesitantly, hardly able to believe her eyes at the scene before her: an absolutely gigantic skeleton seated on the hospital bed, cradling the comparatively small brunette woman as a white goat monster held one of the human's outstretched arms, palms glowing with green magic.

"NOT TO WORRY, MISS MEDICAL ASSISTANT!" Papyrus assured her. "HER MAJESTY HAS BEEN DOING HEALING MAGIC FOR...WELL, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG BUT A VERY VERY LONG TIME."

"I also have practice in healing humans," Toriel added. "I tended to those who fell in the Ruins over the years. Also, because Tabatha has been eating monster food during her stay, she should be more receptive to the magic."

"Alright then," the nurse nodded, still looking a tad worried. "Go on then, your highness."

"No need for titles," the motherly monster remarked, sending a quick grin at the young woman before turning her attention to her patient. "If something feels off, tell me right away."

The glow on Toriel's hands brightened and the green light wrapped around the cast on Tabatha's arm. The human tensed up and sucked in some air.

"Oh gosh," she muttered through gritted teeth. "Oh gosh that feels weird. It's like my bones are vibrating and wiggling."

"BUT IT DOESN'T HURT?" Papyrus confirmed, getting a nod from his friend as the magic left her arm to concentrate around her wrist. The rest of the process continued much the same way, both arms and legs tended to and repaired while Tabatha tried to describe the sensation of her bones sealing up the breakages. When it was finished, she reported that her whole body felt tingly and her fingers repeatedly twitched at the sensation. The nurse swept her away to get x-rays and confirm the bones had really healed to the point where she could be discharged. After roughly half an hour, the nurse returned with her patient to report that everything looked good and all she needed was the doctor's signature on the release forms and then they could get the discharge process started as well as get her casts all off.

"I WILL TELL SANS!" the tall skeleton declared when the news arrived, whipping out his phone and texting as fast as his thumbs would let him. Tabatha chuckled at his excitement and Toriel leaned in closer to the bed, a smile on her face.

"So you'll be home by tonight," the former queen remarked. "I expect you're more than ready."

"Heck yeah!" the human declared. "Don't get me wrong, the care is great but it gets really lonely almost being in quarantine 24/7. Even if there's a higher risk out there, it'll be a lot more comforting to be with the skelebros again."

"SANS IS VERY PLEASED TO KNOW YOU WILL BE HOME!" Papyrus announced, holding out the phone so his friend could see. "HE IS WORKING NOW, BUT HE WILL BE THERE THIS EVENING TO GREET YOU!"

"Hopefully the discharging process won't take all afternoon or we won't be out until late."

As it happened, Tabatha's hopes came true: the doctor got right back to her and helped her set up some follow-up appointments so he could study how her bones reacted to the magical healing and ensure everything was alright. Soon enough, she was being wheeled out to the front of the hospital and loaded up into Papyrus' convertible. Toriel joined her in the backseat and they were soon rolling along familiar streets in the orange glow of late afternoon. Tabatha was leaning against the edge, the wind whipping through her ponytail and tossing it like a banner. She looked so peaceful, eyes nearly closed and a content smile stretched across her lips.

"TABATHA?" Papyrus questioned while they were at a red light, getting a hum in reply. "WOULD IT BE ALRIGHT IF ALPHYS AND UNDYNE COME OVER TO WELCOME YOU BACK?"

"Do they know about the accident?" The young woman's tone was surprised and her friend quickly explained.

"WE TOLD THEM THAT YOU WERE AWAY WITH SOME OF YOUR DANCE COMPANY TO DO A SHOW IN ANOTHER CITY. I EVEN LOOKED UP WHERE THE DANCING WOULD BE SINCE THEY REALLY WERE GOING OUT OF TOWN. YOU WEREN'T PERFORMING, BUT YOU WERE THERE FOR MORAL SUPPORT OF SOME OF THE NEWER DANCERS. SANS THOUGHT...WELL, WE BOTH THOUGHT IT BEST IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH, SINCE IT WAS A VERY PERSONAL EVENT."

"You two are too sweet," Tabatha sighed as the light turned green. "I wouldn't mind them showing up, but I might not be able to keep up with 'dyne for very long. That healing session tuckered me out more than I thought; I've been fighting yawns for hours."

The brunette didn't notice Toriel pul out her phone as she resumed her resting state. She didn't stir until the car bumped up the driveway and settled into place. Her dark gaze swept the house and a little salt water began to collect before she swiped it away.

"WELCOME HOME!" Papyrus crowed as he opened her door for her and held an arm out to steady her when she wobbled on her feet. She shot him a grateful glance before continuing the rest of the way up to the door. She twisted the knob and then slowly began to push it open...

"Surprise!"

Tabatha nearly fell backwards at the collective shout before swiftly recovering and beginning to laugh. In the entry hall of the house were all her monster friends, crammed together under a banner what said "Welcome back!" Frisk stood in front of the group, holding out a sizable cake that bore the same message. Sans was directly behind the kid next to Alphys and behind them stood Asgore and Undyne, the latter of which looked far to psyched up about the whole thing.

"Did we startle you, ya little nerd?" she guffawed as the three outside on the step managed to fit their way in and the young woman took the offered cake with a big smile.

"No, what do you think shark face?" Tabatha snarked right back. "Maybe I won't share this cake with you if you're gonna be a jerk about it..."

"Oh no you don't!"

A frantic scramble ensued with the fleeing human attempting to protect the dessert from the enraged guard captain, which was prompty settled by Toriel snatching the plate and insisting that everyone go to the table and sit down—Tabatha was exhausted from the trip and the sooner the chaos settled down, the better.

"You sneaky skeleton," the brunette chuckled as the energy level came down. "You were just prepping me for a surprise party when you asked if Al and Undyne could come over."

"WELL, I DID HELP, BUT IT WAS MOSTLY SANS' IDEA," the guardsman trainee admitted. "HE MADE SURE EVERYONE CAME OVER AFTER WE PICKED YOU UP AS WELL!"

"her face was worth the effort," Sans added, flipping his phone around to show a picture of when his human friend had first opened the door. She lunged to try grabbing the phone but missed, the hoodie-clad monster making it float just out of reach with his magic.

"If you post that to the internet, then you better be ready for revenge," Tabatha insisted. "I know when and where you sleep, bonehead."

"Do I have to take the cake away from you two?" Toriel asked with false innocence as she returned with plates of the dessert in hand.

"Take it away from him; he's the one being the jerk."

"well we both know i'm hollow, so tibia-nest what were you expecting?"

"I HAVE HALF A MIND TO CONFISCATE IT FROM YOU TWO MYSELF!" Papyrus interjected. "THIS WAS GOING TO BE A NICE OCCASION BUT NOW YOU'VE BOTH SPOILED IT! I HOPE YOU'RE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES."

"You wanna keep me from my cake? Fine; fight me for it." the young woman challenged. "Nothing will stand in my way of eating Toriel's perfect creation."

"Yeah! Fight him!" Undyne cheered, pounding the table in excitement. A sudden yipping came from under the table and a small pomeranian shot our from underneath the furniture, knocking into the younger skeleton's chair legs. Papyrus gasped dramatically.

"WHAT?! WHEN DID THIS MANGY LITTLE MUTT FIND US?! SANS! DID YOU KNOW IT WAS HERE?!"

"what, you afraid of a little ruff treatment on his end?"

"OH YOU ARE INSUFFERABLE!" It was at this point the dog decided to make off with the end of the lanky monster's scarf, pulling the whole thing free as it fled the room. "NYEH?! OH NO! CATCH THAT CANINE!"

He, Undyne and both the humans immediately rushed after the small dog, leaving Sans, Alphys, Toriel and Asgore still seated. The stocky skeleton pulled out his phone and began to video record the chase while the king laughed, a deep, booming sound. The former queen rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen to get more plates for the cake.

Life was chaos with this bunch. But they wouldn't have it any way.

Chapter Text

The hour was late, drawing close to Midnight now and the celebration for Tabatha's return was only just winding down. Toriel had left some time ago with Frisk, but the others were only just getting ready to leave. Tabatha was yawning as she came out of the upstairs bathroom, beyond ready for bed. She had already gotten into her pajamas and let her hair down and was heading for her room when she heard someone on the stairs. Twisting, she was surprised to see Undyne coming up, her expression far more serious than she had ever seen it.

"Hey," the redheaded monster greeted, giving a two-finger salute. "You headin' to bed already?"

"Been tired all afternoon," the human yawned in reply. "You and Al going home."

"She's out in the car already, but I had something I wanted to ask you before we left."

"Go ahead."

Undyne paused and drummed her fingers on the banister, clearly searching for the right words before she shrugged and just said what was on her mind.

"Has Paps talked to you recently?" she asked. "He's been meaning to tell you some stuff and...y'know."

"You mean about his feelings for me?" Tabatha tucked her hair back behind her ear and shifted her weight onto one leg. "Yeah, we've talked..."

"Good," the fish monster affirmed. "He's been keepin' that in way too long, the goober. Now I get all that stuff about you maybe not wanting to declare anything in terms of a relationship that Papyrus was going on about—"

"Hold up, he told you?! Then what did you ask me for?!"

"Just double checking." Undyne's grin revealed her teasing but she sobered up a moment later and folded her arms. "Anyway, I get being unresolved on your feelings or whatever, but just be careful, okay? 'Cause if you hurt my buddy then you'll have me to answer to, punk. Papyrus is too good to be treated badly."

"Undyne, if I hurt his feelings on purpose, then I would gladly let you pummel me because I am clearly possessed and in need of immediate rescue from whatever evil thing has taken me over," Tabatha stated sincerely, one hand over her heart and the other aloft like she was making a vow. A smile broke through a second later and the two shared a laugh. A quick honk from outside broke up the moment and the guard captain gave her friend a light noogie before racing back down the stairs and hollering a goodbye to the skeleton brothers and Asgore. The brunette smoothed down her disturbed hair and continued her way to bed, her mood a tad brighter than before.

Sans too had been yawning and ready for sleep when the two girlfriends had left but he was feeling wide-awake now: Asgore was the only guest still in the house and he'd pulled both brothers into the relative privacy of the kitchen to give them some news—and it hadn't been good.

"SO YOU MEAN TO SAY THAT WE ARE NOW AT RISK FOR BEING FOLLOWED OR CONFRONTED BY TABATHA'S STEPMOTHER AS WELL?" Papyrus repeated, his tone quite worried and concerned.

"Brian tells me it is not the first time that a friend was convinced to reveal our dear friend's location," the king confirmed grimly. "I know you are both capable of defending yourselves and will protect Tabatha against any and all threats you can, but you should still be cautious. If Lyssa Strong finds your home, it will become far more difficult to avoid her."

"why only tell us though?" Sans asked, a little confused. "if Tabatha's the one she's after, don't you want to warn her too?"

"Considering she only just left the hospital today, I wanted to give her time to have a proper homecoming and some time to readjust to normality," Asgore admitted. "As friends who share the same roof as her, I thought the news might best be delivered by you so you could work together to make plans should things turn out for the worst."

"WE CANNOT KEEP OUR KINDLY HUMAN IN THE DARK," the younger of the brothers affirmed. "AND SUCH CONTINGENCIES WILL BE VITAL TO DISCUSS AS A HOUSEHOLD. HIS MAJESTY WAS WISE NOT TO BRING THIS UP WITH HER WHILE SHE IS READJUSTING. WE WILL NOW HAVE TIME TO DISCUSS WHAT SORT OF THINGS ARE RISKS AND HOW TO REDUCE THE RISKINESS INVOLVED!"

"you gonna tell Tori about this as well?" the shorter skeleton followed up. "we gotta keep Grillby in the loop for sure..."

"I am not sure whom else should be told about the situation for fear they will be involved and bring harm to themselves trying to defend our dear human." The large goat monster folded his arms. "And without the ability to take legal action against her as of yet..."

Papyrus raised his hand a little like a schoolboy before he realized how silly it looked and put his hand down.

"I, UM, ACTUALLY STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY TABATHA CANNOT GET LEGAL PROTECTION FROM HER STEPMOTHER," he admitted uncertainty. " WHY CAN THE HUMAN AUTHORITIES NOT KEEP HER AWAY IF SUCH TREATMENT IS AGAINST THEIR LAWS?"

"Simply put, there is not enough evidence for Tabatha a restraining order," Asgore explained gently. "When one submits a form to their courthouse asking for one, there is a hearing that takes place where both sides tell their version of the story. Because Tabatha has no actual witnesses and only her word against another very convincing story, no human judge has been able to award her the order."

"BUT DIDN'T WE SEE THE ABUSE?" the guardsman trainee pressed. "WE WERE WITH HER WHEN HER STEPMOTHER FOUND HER AGAIN. SHE EVEN CHASED ME! SURELY THAT WOULD BE EVIDENCE ENOUGH FOR THE COURT."

"i asked about that some time ago," Sans interjected with a sigh. "while it would be helpful to share our eyewitness accounts, we as monsters are less likely to be taken seriously on a legal basis. while we're technically supposed to have the same status as humans, the actual laws determining that status haven't been finalized to be loophole-free. our testimony could be overturned through some way we're not ready for and it would be safer for anyone who comes forward with stories if we can be assured of a victory."

Papyrus made a frustrated sound and folded his arms, a rare frown set on his skull.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" he grumbled. "IT SHOULD NOT BE SO DIFFICULT TO KEEP SOMEONE FROM BEING HARMED BY THEIR FAMILY!"

"I'm afraid these things happen all too frequently," Asgore remarked sadly. "I have heard many tragic stories...and I want to ensure that Tabatha does not become one of them. I will strive to find another solution, but until then we must do everything possible to keep her safe. Do I have your word on this?"

"like you have to ask," the older of the brothers immediately replied.

"WE WOULD HAVE DONE SO REGARDLESS," the younger added. "AND SO YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR WITH THIS MATTER FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS GIVEN YOU HIS SOLEMN VOW, YOUR MAJESTY."

"Thank you. Thank you both," the monster king fervently said, taking both skeletons by the shoulders. "I should not have doubted."

The remainder of Asgore's stay was brief as he gave them his farewells and well-wishes, promising to keep them updated on his progress. As he left the house, the brothers stood together in the entry hall, side by side.

"SANS?" Papyrus questioned, getting a hum for a response. "DO YOU GET THE FEELING THAT SOMETHING VERY BIG WILL HAPPEN SOON?"

"it's been a long time coming," the stocky monster replied. "might not be soon, but it's pretty close now."

"I'M WORRIED HOW SHE'LL REACT TO THE NEWS."

"let's give her a few days, like Asgore said. then we can find a way to break it to her gently."

The next afternoon, Tabatha stood outside the door of Grillby's. She was dressed in her waitressing uniform, hair pulled into a bun instead of its usual tail and was fidgeting a little from nerves.

Why are you so nervous? she asked herself, smoothing her hair unnecessarily. It's just Grillby. I've literally told him everything about myself and he is still cool with me.

And yet her hand still shook when she pulled open the door.

The fire elemental in question had his back to the entrance of his bar when the brunette first walked in, but once he had finished stocking one of the shelves with fresh alcohol, he twisted around to see which of his employees was clocking in. When his invisible gaze landed on Tabatha, he froze, expression unreadable in the flames of his face.

"Heya Grillby," the young woman greeted her boss, wincing at how her voice broke a little halfway through. "Uh, so...as you can see, I'm back. Out of the hospital and all that. I know I'm not on the schedule for tonight, but I figured I'd drop by and see what I could help out with."

Still no response from Grillby. Tabatha's smile wavered a little and she stared down at her shoes, rolling her weight onto one foot.

"I, uh, I'm sorry for not giving you any notice about all this; kinda decided to drop by really at the last minute." Her voice shook as she tried to repress her emotions and continued studying how her shoes reflected the light. "Plus it's been...forever since I actually worked. I can understand if you really didn't need me tonight—"

The young woman's rambling was cut off when warm hands clasped her shoulders and pulled her into sudden embrace. The tender heat made it beyond doubt that it was the bartender who had his arms around her, even if there weren't orange flames flickering in her periphery. Tabatha squeezed her eyes shut, holding back tears.

"...I'm sorry," she mumbled pathetically into his shoulder.

"Don't be," was Grillby's reply, his rich voice soft and gentle. "I am beyond glad that you are well. Come, let's talk."

The fire monster guided the human to one of the tables and sat her down, silently offering to lend an ear when he sat across from her. That was all it took for the brunette to spill her troubles, detailing everything from how Papyrus had confessed to the reason she had been in the hospital in the first place. Grillby listened without comment the whole time, his emotions conveyed only by the way his flames flared and flickered with flashes of color. When Tabatha finally had her fill, she breathed out long and slow, feeling release of the invisible weight she'd been carrying without knowing. As she swiped at her eyes to remove any stray tears, the fire elemental sitting opposite her removed his glasses and rubbed at where the white flames of his eyes burned bright, a few cinders floating free.

"...never has one's surname been so appropriate," Grillby remarked softly, almost to himself. "To endure such things as you have and with such humility..."

"I didn't do it all by myself," the young woman mumbled, blushing a little. "I've pretty much had help every step of the way from my friends..."

"And that in and of itself is a different, quieter king of strength. And now I have something I would like to do for you, if you don't mind."

"I trust you, Grillby."

The bartender nodded and then took Tabatha's hands and held them between his palms, hers cupped as if trying to hold water. After a moment, there was a sudden rush of warmth and a small flame flickered into being above the human's hands, making her jolt a little in surprise.

"This is a type of magic that only my kind can do," Grillby explained gently. "Traditionally, elementals are protecters and guardians. While I prefer to tend to the emotional well-being of my patrons with my food, drinks and conversation, I am not without the ability to fulfill that classic role."

"What does it do?" Tabatha pressed curiously.

"You mentioned that you fear your stepmother is still in the city searching for you. This is meant to give you some security when you walk home at night: should you ever be in danger, all you must do is smother the flame and it will both reveal your location to me and create a wave of fire to drive off your attacker. I will then be able to come find you and protect you no matter where you may go. If you make it home without incident, then releasing the flame will tell me you are safe. I will have to rekindle it every time you leave, but it is a very effective enchantment."

"...you would do this for me?" Tabatha's tone was revenant and awed. Grillby nodded, his flames crackling in a chuckle.

"You are one of my valued employees as well as a dear friend," he insisted tenderly. "I would be most distraught if you were to be hurt again. And I'm sure everyone who comes on Thursday will dearly miss you being the opening singer for the night."

That made her laugh. Pulling her hands back, the brunette let the flame slip out of her grip and dissipate into the air.

"So what do you want me to do tonight?" she asked with a fresh smile and bright eyes.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sans awoke to the sound of singing.

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!

"What did you say?"

"The hobbits-The hobbits-The hobbits-The hobbits-To Isengard!-To Isengard! The hobbits-The hobbits-The hobbits-The hobbits-To Isengard!-To Isengard!"

The human girls were the ones responsible for the repetitive verse, grinning like fools as they danced around the kitchen making breakfast. Papyrus was seated at the table, hands pressed tightly to the side of his skull as he plead for them to stop.

"YOU HAVE BEEN PLAYING THE SONG FOR NEARLY FIFTEEN MINUTES AND SUNG IT TWICE! I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES MORE I CAN LISTEN TO IT! IT IS TOO REPETITIVE!"

The stockier skeleton pushed himself off the couch, already beginning to sympathize with his brother as the same words repeated over and over. However, neither Tabatha nor Mia let up until they had finished echoing the last word of the song several times. When they finally stopped singing and turned off the music, the brunette came over to the table and pulled down Papyrus' hands.

"Alright Paps, we're done," she promised. "No more Isengard."

"THANK THE STARS," he sighed. "DEAR TABATHA, I KNOW THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU ENJOY THAT I DO NOT BUT THAT WAS...EXCRUTIATING."

"When the song of my people is played, I must answer," the young woman replied, suppressing a giggle. "But you're right: that song is an...acquired taste. I'm sorry dude."

"looks like you all went and got the party started without me," Sans commented as he came to stand by his brother. "didn't have the heart to wake me bro?"

"HOW IS YOU CAN BE AWAKE FOR LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES AND STILL BE CAPABLE OF THAT INCESSANT PUNNING?!" the guardsman trainee asked with no small amount of exasperation.

"it's a gift, bro. goes right down to my bones."

"AH!" Papyrus jumped to his feet. "BESET ON ALL SIDES! I CANNOT FACE THESE ODDS!"

The lanky skeleton sprinted as fast as his long legs could carry him towards the outward-facing window of the main room. Pulling it open, he retreated several steps before leaping out. With a cry, Mia rushed to the window, her face stricken.

"Did he stick the landing?" Tabatha asked excitedly as she too came to the window.

"He does this...often?" the olive-skinned human asked, her words slow and a little confused.

"with varying levels of success," Sans shrugged. "he had the decency to not break your window at least; we've gone through quite a few at home."

"The window is his preferred escape route when doors just aren't fast enough," the brunette chuckled. "But I'm a little worried he's gonna get himself lost. Sans, you think you can go find him and turn him around? We're gonna finish up breakfast and it'll be best if it's hot."

There was something in her tone that made the skeleton pause. She wanted him gone for some reason, he mused. Wanted to be alone with Mia then? For what? Girl talk? Or was it something more serious?

"you got it, Tabby Cat," the monster judge agreed, giving a lazy thumbs up before slipping into one of his shortcuts.

Tracing his brother's magic through the void was simple enough and when he stepped back into reality, he found Papyrus pacing around the bench at a bus stop. In the last three minutes, he'd managed to sprint what had to be about five blocks from Mia's apartment complex and be was clearly still running high on an energy burst.

"hi there bro," he said casually. "what's up with the sudden exit? you scared our host half to death."

"WHILE I DID NOT INTEND TO STARTLE MIA, I DO NOT THINK I COULD HAVE STOOD BEING IN THAT LITTLE APARTMENT FOR MUCH LONGER," the younger monster replied, not flinching at Sans' arrival. "AS GREAT AS MY SELF-CONTROL IS, IT WOULD NOT HAVE LASTED FOR MUCH LONGER."

"whatcha mean Pap?"

Papyrus' cheekbones began to flush bright with orange magic. He stopped his pacing and began to twiddle his fingers.

"...SEEING TABATHA SO HAPPY—EVEN IF IT WAS CAUSED BY THAT...ODD SONG—MAKES MY SOUL DO STRANGE THINGS. IT MAKES ME WANT TO DO THINGS, THINGS THAT WOULD BE BEYOND THE FRIEND-ZONE."

"what kind of things?" Sans' grin was positively sinful and his taller sibling swatted him on the shoulder.

"NONE OF YOUR NONSENSE!" he declared. "I JUST WANT TO SMOTHER HER SOFT FACE IN SMOOCHES IS ALL! BUT UNTIL THE KINDLY HUMAN IS READY FOR SUCH FORWARD AFFECTION, I MUST RESIST. SHE SIMPLY MAKES IT A TOUCH HARDER IS ALL."

The shorter skeleton's smirk softened, but didn't fade.

"you're the coolest, bro," he remarked. "you ready to walk back or do ya still need some time to cool your jets?"

"THAT DEPENDS...ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ANYMORE PUNS?"

"So, let me see if I've got all of this down," Mia was saying as she helped extract a waffle off the iron. "You have a crazy stepmom."

"Mmhm," was Tabatha's reply, setting the jams and syrup on the table.

"You also have PTSD and are on the run because you haven't been able to get a restraining order."

"Yup."

"Then stuff went down in the Underground and as a result, you and Papyrus are still not together."

That drew the brunette up short, almost making her knock over the butter.

"Seriously? That's what you're getting out of this, Mia?" Tabatha asked incredulously.

"Well it's true, isn't it?" the other woman maintained. "You've been dancing around each other for months if what I'm hearing from Sans is any indication."

"Does all he talk about is what Papyrus is getting up to on any given day?" Shaking her head, Tabatha continued. "Anyway, while Lyssa is a big part of the...whole 'not together' thing, it goes deeper than that."

"Really?" The olive-skinned woman's tone contained nothing but surprise as she brought over a full plate of the waffles. "Then please, enlighten me."

"It's a long story...and I don't know when the guys'll be back..."

"C'mon, please? If they show up, we can table it for later."

Mia sat down at the table and looked at her friend expectantly. Tabatha bit her lip as she considered the proposal. After a minute, she nodded and sat as well.

"So...yeah, Lyssa is the main big thing in the way right now," she admitted. "But even if she wasn't, I'd still have told Papyrus that I don't want a more intimate relationship...even if I do wish that I could be his girlfriend or whatever the monster equivalent is."

"But that's just silly!" Mia exclaimed. "He wants a romantic relationship, you want a romantic relationship—really, you should just make it official and save yourselves the drama and potential heartache."

"Hence the problem comes into play: I want it as much as he does...but is that for the best?"

"Don't tell me that you're doubting your capability to be a good girlfriend," her friend interrupted, her disbelief evident.

"Back when Pap first told me about his feelings, that's exactly what I was thinking: that I'd be a bad partner for him. I'll admit that I wasn't in the right place emotionally, but even now I stand by my decision to wait on starting anything serious with him." The brunette traced her finger in a circle across the wooden surface of the table, staring down at her hands. "See, I need to make sure that if I were to be...involved with Papyrus that I take my time and make sure its something that I really do want. That I'm not, I don't know, just clinging to him for stability since my current life has next to none. Or that it isn't a reaction to the trauma of my Soul getting invaded. It's just...Papyrus really deserves to be with someone who genuinely loves him and I'm not certain that I am at this point in my life. Maybe after we get everything with Lyssa resolved, but definitely not right now."

Mia looked like she wanted to say more, but a knock came at the door of the apartment and it swung open to let the skeleton brothers back in.

"Hey boys!" she called out instead. "We were about to start breakfast without you! Plus, we gotta make some plans for today. How do you feel about making a quick rpg today with me Papyrus?"

"THAT'S A THING WE CAN DO TODAY?!" the lanky monster exclaimed excitedly, joining the two young women at the table.

"Sure! We can leave it up to Tabatha to keep Sans entertained for a little while I'm sure."

"I'll do my best," the brunette said with an overdramatic sigh. "I might have a thing or two he'll be interested in."

"Then we can do that once we finish cleaning up," Mia declared. "Now get some waffles before I take that plate for myself."

When everyone was sufficiently fed and the dishes were clear, Mia took the younger of the brothers into her office area where her desktop was. She left the door ajar, so while Tabatha rummaged in her bags to get something for Sans to do the conversations the two had were very clearly heard by the rest present.

"So see here? These are our assets. They're basically the interactive game characters and environments, but their just the images of them without any code telling them what to do. We have a few to pick from, so I'll let you just..."

"Here you go." Sans startled a little when the human suddenly outstretched her hand, holding a small handheld gaming device—her 3DS. "Just got a new game I thought you might like. Logic puzzles and mystery-solving, all taking place under legal proceedings."

"well if you're gonna put such judgement on me, then i'm gonna makes sure it all rises to my expectation," the skeleton teased, turning on the system. After the tutorial and starting the first case, he happily became absorbed. The human at his side took out her phone and began to read, catching up on the novel she'd recently found online.

"hey, Tabby Cat." The brunette looked up at the sound of her nickname. "sounds like Paps is totally gettin' into the whole programming thing over there."

Glancing over her shoulder, she was able to catch a glimpse of the aforementioned monster leaning in close to the screen.

"SO HOW DO WE MAKE ALL THE 'X' TILES BECOME 'O' TILES?" he was saying.

"Well, you have to input a command on those assets so that when the character sprite crosses over them, the image on the screen changes," was the reply. "Here, I'll show you real quick."

"he's remaking his first ever puzzle," Sans chuckled. "as far as i know, it's still there in the woods by Snowdin. he was so proud when he built that thing all by himself—kept it a secret until it was ready to so he could surprise me. one of the happiest days of his life."

"I'm so glad we found Mia and got him into this," Tabatha said with a smile. "She's great."

"heh, that she is."

That made a mischievous smile cross the young woman's lips. Her friend groaned.

"If you think so highly of her, you should spend some more quality time one-on-one with her," she teased.

"i already do; where'd you think i go when I'm on break?" the skeleton shot back. When her smile widened, he realized the confession had been a mistake. And then her expression suddenly changed, becoming reflective before the devilishness faded entirely from her expression.

"Sans, do you really not want to get into a relationship with Mia, or is there something else going on."

That made the monster Judge blink in surprise. Closing the 3DS, he considered the question.

"well, there's no denying she's awesome," he conceded. "and maybe if things were different, i'd consider it...i just got a lot to sort through—both with me and with your whole deal. plus there's Paps to consider and my work. 'sides, i've never really been one for social stuff anyway. having a partner...that involves a lot of promises and i'm no good at keepin' those. and it's a lot of work too; lazy guy like me, i gotta be sure the effort won't be wasted."

Tabatha nodded in understanding as she settled back into the couch. After a moment, she spoke up again.

"For the record, I think Mia likes you a lot too. She's a great woman and even if she's just a friend, you should treat her right. I still think you two should be a couple, but I get where you're coming from. Just...whatever makes you happy, Sans."

Silence swept over the pair. They just looked at one another, no communication or anything in their gazes, but a mutual understanding. Then the spell was broken and Sans opened the game again.

"man, i don't know whether these visions of the deceased are more helpful or hurtful to the case," he commented, cycling through the series of images on the screen a few times.

"Want some help?" Tabatha offered. "There's some tricks to it."

"by all means." Sans gestured to the cushion next to him and the human immediately scooted over.

"Tell me what you've figured so far," the brunette requested. "We'll work our way from there."

Chapter Text

"Stay away from me!"

"You need to come home!"

"Don't make me do it! I will, Lyssa! I will!"

"Tabatha Strong, are you threatening me?! I will not stand for this!"

A wash of fire suddenly lit the empty side street with a brilliant orange flash, blinding the older woman, who shielded her eyes reflexively. When she finaly managed to blink away the spots, her stepdaughter was gone. Jogging out to the main road, she looked both ways before racing across, just barely making it down the crosswalk before the light changed. Joining the flow of people, Lyssa Strong made her way to the bar she had caught one of those accursed skeletons frequenting not too long ago—the one called "Grillby's".

She was hit with a sudden warmth as she stepped inside the door and blinked at the abundance of monsters and humans crowded inside. Putting aside the minor surprise she felt, Lyssa made her way over to the bar, towards the man-shaped fire tending to the drink orders, keeping sharp eyes out to spot her troublesome child among the diners.

"Pardon me," she began, her tone pleasant, "would you have happened to see a young woman with a ponytail and wearing a purple jacket?"

The monster looked at her (or at least she assumed so based on how he turned his head—if he had eyes, they were hidden behind the reflection in his glasses). After a moment, he waved down a waitress and signed something to her, getting a nod in turn.

"Mr Grillby says that he isn't certain she didn't come in, but he did not see her," the server reported. "He said you are welcome to wait for her if you planned to meet up here, though."

"Oh no, nothing like that—I just thought she might have stopped by; one of her friends frequents this establishment, I believe," the older woman replied airily. "I suppose she stepped into one of the other shops then. Good night then."

Lyssa turned and left, leaving a confused waitress behind, who looked at her boss questioningly. Grillby signed to her briefly, telling her to go back to work and that it was a private matter. After twenty minutes or so, the fire elemental went to the back room and walked towards the storage. There, tucked between the extra napkins and placemats, crouched a young woman with a brunette ponytail and clad in a purple jacket.

"She's gone," Grillby murmured, tone gentle. "You were right: she knows you have at least one friend who comes here."

"Did she disturb anyone?" Tabatha's voice was a little shaky as she got to her feet, playing with the end of her ponytail.

"No. Asked about you and when Jane said I hadn't seen you, she left."

"She left that fast?" The brunette's brow furrowed. "Normally she'd wait for at least an hour to ensure I wasn't hiding somewhere...could she have figured out you were protecting me?"

"I saw no such sign of that suspicion, but she was very casual when she asked for you." Grillby's flames flickered as he tilted his head. "...Would you like me to call Sans to come get you?"

"...yes please," the human whispered. The fire elemental nodded and rested a warm hand on her shoulder before returning to the front. Tabatha sat back down to wait for her friend to come get her, holding back tears.

It was starting to feel like no where was safe.

Papyrus was pacing again. This was becoming more and more common the longer it took to come up with a permanent solution to the whole "obsessed stepmother" business. Tabatha could sense his desire to be comforting—despite not facing him on the couch—but also his respect for the space she had requested and it made her feel bad that he seemed so helpless to do anything more productive.

"so Grillbz told me he's not sure you should come to work anymore, huh?" Sans commented, his voice low and weary. "looks like today just can't go right."

"DID YOU COME ACROSS ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN YOUR RESEARCH?" The younger skeleton stopped pacing for a moment and began to fiddle with the end of his scarf.

"apparently it's illegal to present a recording in court if it's done by a third party. has to be one of the participants in the conversation recording it to make it valid, so Tabatha would have to do it and there's a lot of risk for potentially no reward."

"And Lyssa usually sounds like an angry parent, not necessarily an abusive one. It would be weak at best and I don't want to do it over the phone because then she'd know a way to contact me at any moment."

Tabatha tugged the band out from her ponytail, letting her dark hair pool around her shoulders.

"There's probably some sort of loophole somewhere that we could use, but none of us are legal experts—not in human law anyway," the young woman mumbled. "It'd probably get overturned in court anyway though..."

"I KNOW THIS IS A TOUCH OFF TOPIC," Papyrus interjected, coming around the side of the couch, still fiddling with his scarf, "BUT...THE MORE TIMES WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM, THE MORE I START TO THINK THAT OUR EFFORTS FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER WON'T BE ENOUGH. SHE SEEMS TOO DETERMINED TO GIVE UP EVEN IF THERE IS A LEGAL PROTECTION IN PLACE..."

"I doubt the restraining order will be the final solution," Tabatha admitted. "It's more of a start than anything else...if she breaks it frequently enough, there would be consequences and it's better than nothing..."

Sans' expression was sour, indicating some amount of disagreement, but he said nothing as he rubbed at his brow bone. With a sigh, the older skeleton got to his feet.

"gotta get back to work," he mumbled. "no offense or anythin', Tabby-cat."

"No, I understand," the brunette sighed, leaning her head back and curling up against the cushions. "Just wish I could be more helpful to you."

"staying safe is help enough and you've already helped me a lot in gettin' on the right track with all the legal stuff. just take care of yourself in the meantime. Pap, i'll be home for dinner but probably not gonna be on time again."

Rising, the shorter skeleton gave his brother and friend a short wave goodbye before he vanished from sight. Papyrus slid off and re-tied his scarf nervously.

"...WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP ME FOLD LAUNDRY?" he suggested. "WE CAN WATCH SOMETHING WHILE WE WORK...PERHAPS MORE OF THE CLONE WARS SHOW? WE HAVE SEEN ALL BUT THE MOST RECENT OF MOVIES AFTER ALL."

"Sure, I'll go get the baskets," she offered, getting up off the couch. "You go ahead and get it started. Be right back."

The young monster watched her move down the hall, a sad frown set on his skull. He'd known that things would get worse before it got better, he just hadn't comprehended how much worse. He wanted to help, but he didn't have Sans' intellect to study the laws nor the permission from his friend to confront Mrs Strong. All he could do was be supportive and as important as that job was, it was frustrating to not see any longtime results come from his efforts.

It was incredible how well his human was doing under all the pressure: despite a few scares and close calls from her stepmother, she did her best to keep cheerful and be helpful around the house, always keeping a positive attitude. Her openness, her cheer, it was inspiring to witness, but Papyrus knew how much it cost her to keep up that image: some days she couldn't even get out of bed, completely bogged down with exhaustion. But she kept trying and as long as she tried, he needed to try too.

Sans' fingers were pressed so hard against his skull, it was a small miracle that the bone wasn't being scraped off. Human law was so complicated. Their divisive natures and lack of magic made it so much harder to determine the criminals from the innocent and the ways they meted out justice was reflective of that. Stars above, he had a mind built for understanding the cosmos and advanced science, not this tangle of rules and exceptions, Judge or no.

Asgore had been consulting human lawyers on what to do in their situation, but the answer had been mostly the same: the evidence was circumstantial and the situation as they understood it would need a much more decisive solution than just a restraining order. Evidence was once again the enemy.

Dropping his hand away from his face, the stocky skeleton used his magic to close and levitate the thick book in front of him, settling it onto the pile of other one's he'd read. The information rattled in his head, different snippets jumping out at him, none of them helpful or important.

if only the laws were as simple as that game made them out to be, he thought wryly, mind going back to the weekend at Mia's. In that game, the crimes were just logic puzzles, many of them that he could solve with his sockets closed. Then again, that game had the advantage of a lot of supernatural elements: able to conveniently gain evidence from the murder victim's last memories or even detect for certain when someone was lying.

The last thought struck a chord in Sans' brain. For a moment, he wasn't sure why...

...then the lightbulb went off in his head.

He had to call Asgore.