Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

You cannot give up just yet ...

Chara!

Stay determined ...

***

Frisk shifts a little closer to them. Chara can feel them shivering even through both of their jackets. After a few seconds' consideration, they put their arms around their sibling, their ex-host, their friend, as much for comfort as for warmth.

Sitting here in the dark, all alone with only their little counterpart for company in a world that has once again become their enemy ...

... it fills them with

D E T E R M I N A T I O N

***

Chara starts awake, and for the first hour, the first minute, the first second, all they see is a sputtering streetlight, raindrops sliding down leafless, night-black bushes and hitting the ground endlessly, the clear water pouring out of a cloudy gray heaven hanging far too low over the shadowy night, filling their ears with static and their nose and mouth with ice crystals, and for that first fraction of a second, they're certain that this is not their body, this is not their soul, their flesh is too soft, there's no dryness in their throat, no burning sensation behind their eyes, no stiffness in their back or neck, and that pounding headache that's only gotten worse and worse is almost nonexistent, and their soul-

It's so light. So light and bright and clean, not quite like Frisk's, but still so very close. It feels so new. It feels so young.

Unable to stop themself, Chara lifts their hand to their chest, cupping the glowing, fluttery little thing under their breastbone. Their fingertips brush against something between their collarbones. Instinctively, they trace its shape.

The locket.

A heart of gold.

They look to the child sitting next to them. They're staring straight ahead, eyes wide with shock, a hand clasped over their mouth to hold back a whimper, a cry, the air they can't seem to keep in their lungs. Tears spill down the little one's face.

"Frisk-!" Chara quickly pushes themself up on their knees, reaching out to their little sibling sitting right here with them, eyes bright, color in their cheeks, radiating warmth and health and life, they're so alive, they're alive- "Are you okay-?"

Frisk jolts away from them, scrambling backwards to get away, the terror in their eyes now directed at Chara.

Chara resists the urge to follow them, holding their hands up in front of them to show that they mean no harm. "No-no-no, I'm not gonna hurt you, it's alright, it's alright!"

Wincing at an unfamiliar pain, Frisk pauses and lifts one grimy, mud-stained hand to their cheek. The scratches. They used to be scars. Not very pretty scars, not very well healed, but at least healed. Now, when Frisk pulls their hand back, red stains their fingers, mingling with the wet black soil.

They can't believe it. They can't believe it, it healed, they healed, they healed-

"Chara ..?"

"Frisk- Frisk, no, wait-!"

They push themself to their feet, and fighting to stay balanced on unsteady legs, their hand over their mouth again, this time to hold in a scream, they back out of their hiding place behind the bus shelter, the spindly hands of bushes and low-hanging trees clawing at their hair and clothes, leaving even more red lines in their scalp and across their hands.

From under the flickering street light, they can see the home - the time - they left behind what feels like so, so long ago. The same street, the same houses, the same city lighting up the sky in the distance like an imitation sunrise. On the horizon, the black silhouette of Mt. Ebott looms over the town and the city, as cold and as passive at it always has been.

This is the bus stop they go to every morning with Toriel.

This is the bus stop they used to go to every morning with Toriel.

When they were at home. When they were alive.

Right now - they should be neither.

Chara hurries after them, hiding their face under their hood and their hands in their sleeves, and escaping with minimal pain. "Wait, where are you going?"

Frisk doesn't know themself. Where can they go? There's nowhere left to hide. They travelled the world, they almost made it out. They were captured, but they escaped again and almost made it to the Extractor. Why? Why do they keep failing? Why does nothing ever work out, why are they back here, what did they do wrong? They did everything they could to save their friend, but it just wasn't enough, they weren't enough, didn't they try? Didn't they do everything they could?

"I died," they whisper into their hands, voice bright and breaking on the edge of panic. Already, the memories are slipping away. But they know what it feels like. They know exactly what it feels like. "I died for you." They can almost feel their own overheated blood leak down their skin.

"But you're okay now!" Cold hands grab their shoulders, shaking them. "You're okay now, I brought you back!" One hand leaves their shoulder and softly, gently, Chara brushes stray hair out of Frisk's eyes so they can look at them. "You're okay ..."

Frisk can't meet their eyes. No. No, they're not okay. They can still feel the echoes of that terrible fire filling their heart, red claws blotting out the white energy, a blade opening their skin and slipping between their fingers, and even as the many cold winter nights spent far, far away from everyone they love fade, even as the memory of the warmth of every comforting hug from their big sibling turns cold, even as all the fear and desperation and fragile hope evaporates in the frost in the air, they can still feel that terrible, terrible aimless rage corrupting everything they are.

They wanted to protect their friend. They couldn't imagine a world without their counterpart. They were ready to risk everything to save them. But-

"But it's not okay!"

Pushing the other's hands away, Frisk backs away again, stepping onto the glittering, rain-soaked road. Their hood falls to their shoulders, but they ignore it, welcoming the cold water washing the blood and dirt from their face, and hiding their tears.

"I can't do this anymore!" They never should have done this in the first place. How could they be so gullible? "You tried to control me! You tried to make me hurt him, how could you do that to me!?"

"I- I-I was scared, I needed you!" Chara stutters, stumbling over their own words. "I knew he wouldn't hurt you on purpose, so I thought-"

"What did you think?"

Chara doesn't know. They don't know what they were thinking. That Frisk would understand? That they'd forgive them, just like they forgave everything else Chara's done to them?

Frisk shakes their head slowly, looking at them like they're only now seeing them for the first time. "I keep waiting for you to trust me," they say, "but no matter what I do, it's just never good enough. I thought that maybe if I stayed with you for long enough, you'd ... come around. And stop being so mean all the time. But you're not, are you?"

Chara has no idea what to say. They want to go to them. They want nothing more than to go give Frisk a hug, to apologize, apologize for everything, for this timeline, for every single one before it. But they don't dare to leave the sidewalk.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, I didn't, I was just-" They force a deep breath into their lungs. They need to make themself heard. They can't stay quiet now. "I was so alone, Frisk. I couldn't lose you too. You were all I had left and I was so scared ..."

It's all so blurry now. Like waking from a dream. Frisk can't even remember what Sans said to them when they hugged him anymore. Was he afraid of them? Was he angry?

"I did everything I could to make you feel safe ..." They use their sweater sleeve to wipe the dirt from the open scratches on their face. Even under the raincoat, the sleeve is soggy and cold. "I even let you think all your mind games were working, just so you'd trust me." They sniffle and wipe their nose on their sleeve too, the side of it that isn't gross with mud and blood. The lump in their voice is almost too thick to speak through. "I'm not that gullible, you know. I don't fall for your tricks anymore."

Chara doesn't get it. Frisk knew that they were being manipulated? That doesn't make any sense. That can't be true, they must be lying. If they'd known, surely they would've left? Surely they would've known they were in danger from the beginning?

"You didn't know!" Chara argues, unable to hide the scoff in their tone. "You were doing everything I wanted you to all the way up until the end!"

"Because I didn't want you to hurt anymore!"

Wait. What?

Frisk closes the distance between them again. "I couldn't bear to see you cry anymore, I'd do anything, anything to make you stop-" This close, Chara can tell their sibling's tears apart from the raindrops making their hair cling to their reddened face. "You were so sad and you were so afraid, and I couldn't leave you. You lost everything all over again and you couldn't even risk dying to escape all of it, and I just wanted you to know you weren't alone. I didn't care what I had to do, I just needed you to know, I needed you to know you could trust me no matter what, I just wanted you to be okay-!"

A sob chokes their words. Trembling under the force of the convulsions making their chest heave, they press their palms against their heart, trying to focus on the clearness of their soul, how light and soft and gentle the energy is, how unlike that burning energy in Chara's heart it is, and it's their own, this is their own soul, this is how it's supposed to be, this is how it always should've been, and they can't believe the demon could take it back so easily, they can't believe they could bring themself to steal it back so easily, Frisk didn't want that, they never, ever wanted that.

Chara can hardly watch. But at the same time, they can't move. They can't look away.

They did this. They made this little thing cry like the whole world has ended again.

They feel like they're back in the void. Alone, clutching their vessel's fragile little soul, left with nothing but that relentless, undying love that little kid held for all their friends coursing through their formless being, corrupting and cleansing, unbearable and impossible to leave at the same time.

"If you were so above it all," Chara says, darkness creeping back into their voice and coldness into their eyes, "then why didn't you leave before it was too late?" They knot their fingers in the fabric of their sleeves, hard enough to make their fists shake with repressed anger. "If you thought I was so pathetic, then why did you give me a chance at all? Huh? Why'd you let me keep hurting you if you knew what was happening?"

Frisk's sobbing stills, bit by bit. They dry their eyes, and when they lift their chin and look Chara in the eyes, Chara can barely hide the small spark of fear in their soul. It feels like getting the air knocked out of them all over again.

"... Why do you think?" The little human's voice is cold now, colder than anything Chara could ever muster, and the embers in their dark eyes hold so much more power than the demon ever did, too.

Frisk tears their gaze away from their twin and lets it roam across the shadows hiding just beyond the unsteady streetlight. Snow hasn't fallen yet. Not in this timeline. Now they know the exact number of days until winter begins for real. Even as their memories wash away, a few catch on, remaining steadfast through the tide. Some things they've learned on this journey erased, they'll never forget.

"You never could believe it. When people told you they cared about you." Frisk raises their eyes to the heavy clouds shrouding the night in moonless darkness. "No matter what they do for you, you always think you just manipulated them into doing what you want them to. You couldn't imagine a world where someone could love you just the way you are. I should know. You've been in my head." One corner of their mouth twitches up in a mirthless little smirk. That's another one of Chara's shadows. Another scar they left on their mind. The smirk fades away again as Frisk looks back to their old friend. "But I'm not you. I never were you. And you can't keep treating me as badly as you treat yourself."

Chara doesn't realize that they've unclenched their hands. They don't realize every illusion of coldness and anger has lifted from their expression, leaving nothing but crippled shock. Water runs down the rim of their hood, down their bangs and into their vision.

"I want you to be happy." Frisk moves their fingers to the places on their chest where blood was pouring out precious few moments ago. "And I want you to be safe." Even now, they almost expect their hands to come back red. "But I can't keep putting myself in danger to protect you. I tried ... everything to make you understand. How much I care. And how much I love you just the way you are." There is no blood, of course. It's all gone. Just like everything they worked towards. Everything they suffered for. "It just wasn't enough. It's never going to be enough with you."

As Frisk's eyes dry, Chara's water in turn. Finally, they dare to take a step towards their sibling. Onto the empty road. "I ..." They swallow, and then they put more force into their voice, speaking up even though Frisk will be able to hear it tremble. "I'm sorry."

Frisk holds their gaze, their brown eyes softening a little, with empathy, with sorrow, with regret. But in the end, even as Chara can feel their heart breaking, Frisk shakes their head.

"That's not enough."

Chara can do nothing but let the tears fall. They have nothing left to lose. "I never wanted you to get hurt. I was just- I was just playing."

Frisk turns their back to them. "The game is over, Chara." They cross their arms, hugging themself. "It's been for a long time."

Try as they might, Chara can't silence the little whimper in the back of their throat. They'd ask - no, they'd beg them to stay, if they thought it would help.

But in that moment, they know it wouldn't.

"If you want to run away again ... you're on your own."

Frisk leaves them there. By the roadside. Chara can do nothing but watch as their counterpart crosses the road and leaves the streetlight, swallowed up by the dark, rainy night. Soon they can't even hear their footsteps anymore.

Chara raises their eyes to the sky above, just like Frisk did a moment ago. Their hood falls, and cold, crystal clear rain washes down their face and through their hair, freezing their skin and stealing away their tears. It's so empty up there. In the sky. No stars, no moon, only clouds, heavy and dark gray, impenetrable.

Chara never considered themself religious. They never thought a god could have need for other gods.

It wells up inside all at once. Fear, anger, loneliness, despair. Everything they've held on to, everything they've tried to forget, everything they've forgotten and everything they've remembered, and they cry, out loud, in a way they haven't since they were very small, so, so long ago.

They cry, and they keep crying, until it's all out, until there's nothing left. Even then, silent sobs continue to make their tired body twitch.

For what feels like a very long time, they think nobody will come. No one ever does, right? Not for them. Maybe for Frisk, but ... not for them.

They didn't notice when they closed their eyes. But they sense the rain disappearing before they see it. They open their eyes and blink a few times, and then they look up at the sky, confused.

Above them is a dark blue umbrella.

"so. level one, huh?"

They sniffle, wiping their eyes with their sleeve. Sans heaves a long, tired sigh.

"let's go home, kid."

***

Half an hour later, Chara is seated at the table in the skeleton brothers' kitchen, wrapped in a towel taller than they are and about three times as wide. Their soaked sweater, jeans and socks have been slung haphazardly over a drying rack by the door, water still dripping into a little puddle on the floor. They eye the mug on the table in front of them suspiciously. It's filled with hot chocolate, which they love, obviously, but it also says "LITERALLY THE WORST" on the side, scrawled on in black permanent marker in a very familiar font. Something tells them it might have been a not-so-passive passive aggressive gift from one exasperated brother to a slightly more chill one. Probably some kind of inside joke or reference. They don't really feel like asking.

"so just fyi, this is used laundry, this is not ... new," sounds Sans' voice from the other room. He lumbers through the living room area and into the kitchen holding a big light blue shirt with the words 'party animal' printed on the front. The word 'animal' has been crossed out, and underneath it, also scrawled on in black marker, is the word 'skeleton.' Sans squints at it appraisingly. "prolly from yesterday-ish. my bro keeps his clean shirts in his room and since i'm not gonna wake him up and-or let you touch any of my shit, this is gonna have to do. catch."

He throws it and Chara grabs it out of the air, before putting it on under the towel. In the meantime, Sans retrieves a mug of coffee for himself, clearly having given up on getting anything resembling sleep tonight. Once their borrowed shirt is on, Chara hesitantly picks up the hot chocolate and glares into the depths of it, as if trying to decipher whether or not it's safe to drink.

Sans scowls at them, impatient. "look, if i was gonna poison you, i woulda given you coffee. actually the world's slowest, most painful possible death." He sits heavily on the chair across from them and as if to demonstrate, he takes a swig of his mug. It disappears without spilling through his jaw. Must be monster coffee.

Still a little wary, Chara tries a little bit of the hot chocolate. It's been a really long while since the last time they had some. It's still good.

With a deep, slow breath, Sans sets his mug down again and crosses his arms, leaning his elbows on the table. "so," he says, giving them a look that ... isn't exactly nice, or understanding, but also not quite as disdainful as it normally is. It's a little jarring. But welcome. "you, uh ... wanna tell me what's really going on?"

They don't. Not really. But what other choice do they have? There's a lot of explaining to do. Not all of it makes sense, even to Chara. Most of it doesn't, in hindsight. But Frisk is right. The game is over. And it has been for a long, long time. It's about time they came clean. About everything.

"I'm not going to pretend I feel bad about everything I did when I was dead," they start, words coming slowly, like they've been lying on a shelf in their mind somewhere for quite a while, waiting patiently to be spoken. Chara runs a finger across the top of the mug in a careful circle, resting their eyes on the soothing movement. "I can't. It's just not possible. Most of the time, in those early timelines, I was nearly soulless. And unlike Asriel, I wasn't really ... awake." They close their eyes. "It took me so long to even remember who I was. When I finally did, I'd built up too much LOVE to be able to care. My soul almost withered away completely."

Sans' brows furrow just slightly, but he doesn't interrupt. He watches and he waits. Chara supposes there isn't really any rush. Not anymore.

"I ... think there were two exceptions, though." Of course there were. Chara can't imagine a life where they don't care at least a little bit about their two exceptions. "I cared about my brother. Or at least my memories of him." They remember the look on Flowey's face when he realized that Chara no longer saw Asriel in him. When they decided, hollowed out by LOVE and determination, that the flower holding their best friend's memories was an insult to his memory, a mockery of the person they used to love more than life itself. They don't think like that anymore. But they did back then. Chara sighs and leans back in their chair, holding on to their mug a little more tightly. "... And I cared about Frisk."

Sans takes another sip of his coffee. He's trying to hide the fact that he's tense, Chara thinks. Truth be told, they didn't think he was that attached to the little human. Enough to give up his mission for them. Enough to wish for a reset to save their life. They suppose you don't really know a person before you've seen what they do when nobody else is watching.

"Not the way you care about a friend or ... even a person, I guess," they add, shrugging, uncomfortable. "But the way you like a new toy. Or a chair you stand on when you want to steal something from a high shelf. They were convenient for me. I appreciated that. That was all there was to it."

They don't like thinking about it anymore. They can't really feel bad about what they did to everyone else, but Frisk and Asriel ... Those two didn't deserve any of the things that happened to them. None of the others did either, but most of them don't remember, so it doesn't matter. But Chara's siblings do remember. Chara wishes they had the power to erase all their memories from before, forever.

They don't. And because of their paranoia, Frisk now has even more bad memories than they used to.

Chara's heart feels heavy again. Not with determination, this time. It's the opposite.

"But then this one timeline happened." Their voice falls to a whisper. They remember that one as clearly as they remember the yesterday of this time. "I'd grown stronger. Frisk had grown weaker. And ... for once, they couldn't stop me."

They keep their eyes on the warm mug between their hands, but still they can sense that Sans is holding his breath. Maybe they can hear it. They're not sure.

"Do you remember it?"

"i, uh ... can't ... say i do."

"But you can imagine it."

"i can imagine it."

Chara has never told anyone about this before. Not even Frisk. Sometimes, in the past, they wondered if it happened at all. But what else could have made them change their mind back then? They were barely even the shadow of a person anymore. There's no way they'd be able to see just how horrifically they messed up on their own. It must have been real.

They take a deep breath and close their eyes again, letting the visions pour into the forefront of their mind without resisting. This is their past. They can't deny it any more than they can forget it. "I took away ... everyone." They know exactly how the sound of snow crunching under their feet echoes off empty cave walls. "I emptied the Underground. And I ended the world. It was what I was born to do." It feels like a different life. A life that isn't theirs. "I didn't feel bad."

They don't dare to look at Sans. They know the look on his face would haunt them until their dying day.

"But determination kind of does its own thing, most of the time. I may have ended the world, but determination doesn't work within the laws of our world anyway. One day, in the middle of the ... plain nothingness that comes after the end ... Frisk showed up." If they strain enough, they can oh-so-faintly feel the pulse of Frisk's soul emanating from across the cul-de-sac. The energy is steady and mellow, a little lighthouse in the dark. They must be asleep.  "We struck a deal, they and I. I were to bring the world back exactly the way it used to be ... and in return, their soul would be mine."

A pained noise sounds from Sans, even though he seems to be trying to keep it in. Finally, Chara looks at him. He's shaking his head and rubbing his temple. Chara can't help but smile at that.

"Heh. I know, right?"

"for fuck's sake, frisk ..."

"They only deal in absolutes."

"you don't say."

Chara's smile fades again, as they reach for the other memories. They don't like what happened next very much, either. This memory isn't a happy one.

"Anyway," they continue, not all that eager to continue. "I accepted, I guess. I ... don't remember why. And I brought the world back. And I revived everyone I'd taken away. And everything was supposed to be back to the way it was on the day that Frisk fell into the Underground. Only ..." They tighten their grip on their mug, trying to use the heat to ground themself. "... it wasn't."

Sans crosses his arms again, tilting his head a little in a kind of nervous curiosity. He's never seen them like this before, he doesn't think. They look sad. Not the kind of sad a little kid should be. Not the kind of sad a demon should be able to be. They suddenly look older, he thinks. Tired.

Chara hangs their head and with one hand, they pull the towel closer around themself. And quietly, they say: "Frisk wasn't there. I was alone."

They don't remember much from that time. Only the feeling. They try to concentrate, try to pick apart the details and the many, many timelines they spent without their mind-twin. They can hear Waterfall in the rain drumming against the roof and the windows. If they listen very closely, they can almost hear the low, sorrowful chime of an old music box.

"I had their soul, of course. That was the deal. And I had their body as my vessel, just like I always did. But I couldn't hear them anymore. I couldn't sense them anymore. I don't know why." They blink away the water threatening to spill from their eyes again. "I tried to go through the Underground again, but ... no matter how long I waited, they didn't come back. I tried to do what they'd do. I chose mercy and I tried to be good. I even got everyone to the surface. But nothing worked. I was all alone. And I couldn't ... stand it."

They remember holding that little soul in their chest, so much brighter and softer and more frail than their own fragmented one. They remember the love within it, all the caring and understanding, and that endless, undying hope plaguing them in every waking moment and filling their dreams with peace they didn't deserve. Chara never had a conscience of their own before. It was torture.

"I did it all over again. I turned the world to void. But even then, even in the dark, where nothing was supposed to exist but me, even after everything was over, their soul was still there. I couldn't just throw it away. I was so alone."

Sans recognizes the dread in their voice, so soft and so helpless and so unlike anything he thought them capable of. They sounded like that when Frisk died. He remembers that now. Already, his memories of the humans' disappearance and his search for them are fading. But this, he remembers. This one thing, seeing this ruthless, otherworldly being break down and cry as they cradled a passing mortal life - this he'll never forget. Not many things have the power to surprise him anymore. This did.

"So I fixed it the only way I knew how," Chara continues, and their voice and eyes go hollow now, hollow with dread, hollow with anticipation, as if they're reliving it all over again. "I couldn't stand to exist in a world where Frisk wasn't there with me. I was ready to do anything to get them back. So I opened up the very fabric of reality. And I tore out a piece. Not enough to undo everything I'd done before, no, only enough to remove the one timeline that took Frisk away. The timeline where I killed everyone."

So he was right. Sans was right all along. The demon was a threat to existence itself.

"you could have unraveled the fabric of space and time."

Chara swallows heavily, feeling cold sweat on their forehead at the memory of what they did. They knew it was dangerous. They knew the risk. But they were desperate. "Their soul turned me human again. I could finally feel how much I cared about them. How much I cared about everyone. I had to risk it. I had to. And it worked. I got Frisk back. My determination levels went down again and ... I guess my LOVE did too, even though I couldn't tell at the time. I started all over. All the way from the beginning. And we- we did it right this time. Frisk did it right." They can't believe they forgot. How important their friend is. To them, and to the world. After they brought Frisk back the first time, they swore they'd never hurt that little human ever again. How did they end up breaking that promise? "I didn't mean to hurt you by bringing you all back to the Underground over and over. I ... I missed being with everyone. I felt everything Frisk felt. I got to know you through them. Most of you don't even know me, but to me, you all feel like family now. Even you." They tried so very hard to hide the fact that no matter how much they hated Sans, they kind of missed him, too. There's no reason to hide it anymore. "I missed living through Frisk. I spent so many years of my life wanting to die, but when I was finally gone ..." They can't finish the sentence. But they think he can guess where it's going.

Sans really, really messed up. The realization hits him like a shovel to the face. He freaked himself out, made himself paranoid. This is not the kind of person who can end the world for good. Maybe they used to be, but they're not anymore. He can tell they're not. This is not the demon he made them out to be. Or at least, that's not all there is to them.

"you're not really fallen anymore, are you," he says, but it's not really the question it should be.

Chara is quiet for a moment, eyes half-lidded in thought. Then they shake their head, slowly, but not in response to his question. Sans leans forward on his elbows again, listening, concentration on his face.

"I think you got it wrong," the child says, then. "When you talk about me - when you talk about Fallen, I mean - you make it sound like there's some big, scary force of evil stretching all throughout the universe and all throughout the other universes, too. Like they're a- a being, something cruel, that wants nothing but destruction. But I don't think a being like that exists."

His first instinct is to assume they're lying. This is the foundation of everything he knows to be true. That something out there is after them. That something out there wants all of them dead. But he pushes past that, he tries to listen. Because if this kid - if they really are a kid - is willing to turn themself in to save someone they care about, then they can't be all gone, right? If their LOVE really has gone back to one, and he has felt it on his own body that it has, then they should by all accounts be mortal. A real person. Not just a vessel for something bigger. They should have no reason to lie.

"Fallen is ... winter. Fallen is forest fires. Fallen is death and strife, and little kids getting hurt because their parents carry grief they can't shoulder on their own. Fallen is the end of the world."

Chara sets their mug back on the table and folds their hands in their lap, straightening their back and willing themself to look Sans in the eyes.

"I am Fallen. But so are you. And so is Frisk. And so is everyone else. No one is free of sadness, that pain exists in all of us. We all get hurt, no matter what we do to protect ourselves, and we all hurt other people without meaning to, those are the conditions we accept every day we're alive. It's the price we pay for getting to be with the people we love and experience all the good things we can before we leave. My one fatal mistake, the reason I came to embody all the hurt in the world, was that I let all my pain blind me. I was so busy being messed up about everything I'd gone through myself to realize that in trying to gain revenge for what I lost, I hurt innocent people. Including the people I care about the most." They put their hand over their heart, reaching out to that familiar energy sleeping soundly on the other side of the cul-de-sac. "I thought I was destined to end the world. I thought it was too sick to be good for anything anymore. But I was wrong. Frisk made me realize that. I ... I think I forgot that." They take a deep breath to steady their voice and they avert their eyes in shame. "I've been a terrible friend."

For a long, quiet minute, Sans only looks at them, conflicted. Chara awaits his response with patience. They can't demand anything from him anymore. They can't demand anything from anyone. They messed up again. Their past mistakes were unforgivable in the first place. Now, they know for sure they don't deserve his mercy. Or Frisk's.

"listen." Sans leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "i'm still not gonna make excuses for you. and i'm not gonna pretend what you caused was anything less than a tragedy, not back then and not this time, either. you did some real, real messed up stuff, and people i care about suffered because of it."

Chara shrinks under his words. They know. They know. If they could do it all over again, they would. They have done it all over again, but it's not enough. For as long as even a single person remembers what happened, it will never be enough.

"... but nevertheless ..."

They hold their breath.

"i misjudged you." For once in his life, Sans looks dead serious. "i thought you were something you weren't. frisk told me your whole no-soul-deal was just like asriel's, but i didn't believe 'em." He bows his head to them, holding their gaze. "i'm sorry."

It's like something very big and very heavy finally lifts from Chara's shoulders. They choke up again, but they don't cry. They didn't really realize how much they wanted to hear him say that until now. They've been so busy playing outlaw on the run that they forgot how much they once cared about this person, how much they still care about him when they're really being honest with themself.

Hearing him apologize is a relief. Still they can't really help but wonder if he should be doing so at all. He was right, in the end. They were dangerous. Not in the way he expected them to be, but he was still right about them, in a way. Frisk is the one who misjudged them, in the end.

Chara sighs again and takes their mug back from the table. Their hands are still freezing. The warmth seeping through the ceramic helps. "Frisk probably hates me now." Chara knows they would if they were them. "We were just getting around to being friends for real and then I screwed it all up again."

Sans thinks it over for a moment. Frisk has never hated anyone. Not for real. Nearly everyone in their family used to be a threat to their life. Frisk doesn't hold grudges. Not even towards Sans himself.

"i wouldn't be so sure 'bout that," he says. His attention drifts to the window, where rain is still pouring down the glass panes. Two of Muffet's spiders are sitting in the windowsill, watching the downpour together.

Chara winces. "What do you mean? I was horrible to them, I said so many terrible things and I- I tried to control them again, I was awful! They should hate me!"

Sans nods, mostly to himself. It's not that he disagrees. Really, Frisk should hate both of them. This meaningless conflict between them ended up hurting Frisk more than anyone. But he knows that little kid too well to think that's going to be the case.

"true. hell, in a perfect world, they'd give up on both of us. but frisk ... they don't ever run out of second chances to give. no matter how little someone deserves 'em." He remembers the first day he brought them over to visit the resurrected kids. He got angry and scared them. The next day, they would barely accept an apology. "my guess is that come tomorrow, they're gonna pretend that none of it ever happened. they're gonna pick up where they left off."

That makes no sense. Chara can't believe that, why would Frisk do that to themself?

"That's not how you deal with your problems!" they blurt out, expression pulled into an incredulous grimace. "You can't just bottle up your feelings like that, how's that healthy?!"

"it's not." Sans downs some more coffee. "and it's something we're all tryin'a help them unlearn. but that stuff takes time. best thing you can do is be patient with 'em while they sort that stuff out."

That's not fair. Frisk can't just let this slide, no single person should have that much forgiveness in their heart. They need to think more highly of themself, Chara can't bear it if they don't. They can't bear it if they get off that easily, it's not fair-!

"it's the worst kind of punishment there is. having to look at that little kid every day and knowing you're the reason they can't sleep at night. having to watch them smile at you while you know perfectly well that they'll never be able to forget what you did, no matter how hard they try."

Silence presses into the room, heavy in the air, only interrupted by the sound of the rainy night outside. There's empathy, in that silence. Companionship in the emptiness. They've both done terrible things. Things that could have been avoided so, so easily, if only they hadn't been so very scared. Scared of each other, scared for their lives. The memories may be fading, but the feelings remain. And the knowledge that Frisk's will too makes it that much harder to bear.

Finally, Chara dares to ask: "Do you ... think Asriel will remember?"

Sans thinks it over for a second. "i doubt it," he says, then. "are you gonna tell him?"

Chara nods. "Are you going to tell Papyrus?"

He hesitates. Then he nods too.

Chara sets their mug back on the table and pushes it away with their fingertips. They don't think they'd be able to drink any more of it. It's starting to go cold anyway. It takes them a moment to find the words for what they want to say next. It goes against everything they believe in. Everything they've believed in since the first time they fell into the Underground. They realized it before they even hit the ground. That their pain was not their own fault. That they shouldn't be punishing themself, but everyone else, everyone who made them cry, everyone who corrupted this world and made it impossible to survive without losing yourself. They decided they'd never let anyone hurt them ever again. But this is not about them. They've been too caught up in their own misery for too long. They were so busy feeling sorry for themself that they didn't realize how much misery they were causing the ones closest to them.

No more. They get it now. They've made their choice.

"If you still want to remove my determination," they say, "I understand."

Sans' brows shoot up near where his hairline would be if he'd had one.

"I get it. No one should have this much power. Least of all someone like me. I won't run away anymore. And I won't fight you for it, either." They brush a stray lock of hair behind their ear and raise their chin, trying to find strength within themself despite their shallow breathing. "If you think I'm too dangerous to keep around the way I am ... I'll go through with it." They close their hand around the locket hanging around their neck. "For them." Both of them. Both of their little siblings.

For a second, Sans can't find it in himself to reply. He should accept their surrender. It's for the best. It's best for everyone, everyone who's involved in this. He has it right here in front of him, the key to putting a stop to all of this, every reset, every reload, he'd never have to be afraid again, he'd never lose anyone again, at least not to his old enemy.

This is everything he's been working towards. Everything he's been fighting for.

And yet, knowing what he knows now, his resolve wavers.

"you, uh, you sure about that?" They're not a demon anymore. Or at least, they're not just a demon. "you know it's gonna screw you up pretty bad, right? like ... you-might-die-or-something-even-worse-bad."

Chara presses their lips together, steadfast. They were never any good to anyone alive anyway. They don't trust themself not to do something like this again in the future, and they don't trust themself not to reset, either. But maybe if they go through with this, they will at least be able to pay off their sins.

They don't move an inch as Sans stares them down, they don't even try to read his expression. He may have misjudged them in the past, but all the cards are on the table now. Whatever he decides, they'll trust him.

But instead of passing their judgment, he asks them a question.

"if i told you," he says slowly, watching their reaction carefully, "that SAVE, too, is an acronym ... can you guess what it stands for?"

Chara pauses, confused.

They think it over for a moment. But no, they can't.

"it stands for 'Secure A Variable Ending.'" He gestures at them. "and that's what you did today."

He should end them before morning comes. He knows that. It's his duty. If he doesn't, he's letting down everyone who's in danger as long as the person before him exists in the state they do now. He's betraying them. Or, at least that's what he thinks. What he's been assuming all this time.

"as you probably know, there's different kinds of DT. you can have the ... the 'good' kind of determination, the harmless determination. that's ... frisk, undyne, my brother, etcetera. white DT. or you can have the bad kind, the kind living inside you 'n me. that's red DT. and even though it can be really useful, punching holes through reality and coming back from death and everything, it also sucks." He breathes a laugh, even though it's not really funny. "you get 'em too, right? the headaches?"

"Yeah."

"obsessions?"

"I once tried to murder every single Vulkin in Hotland because one of them spilled ketchup on my notebook."

He claps his hands before opening them again, as if to say 'there you go.' "the good news is, it's a sliding scale. the bad news is also that it's a sliding scale. i'm gonna go ahead 'n guess that your determination went darker the more you focused on your task and neglected frisk, am i right?"

"I didn't just neglect them, I abused them," Chara says, disgusted, though only with themself. They recognize the patterns, in hindsight. What they tried to do was so out of line, they can barely wrap their head around it. They were just lucky Frisk could see it coming a mile away. "The more I thought about what would happen if you caught us, the darker my soul grew and the more I treated one of my best friends like garbage, it was sick!"

"yeah, welp." Sans drums his fingers against the tabletop in thought. "that's the corruption setting in. prolly would've killed us if we managed to off each other, too. but guess what."

"What?"

"it didn't."

Chara almost wishes that it would have. At least then they'd have justice for their siblings. The fact that everyone made it out alive, with only the one who suffered the most remembering what they and Sans did, only feels like salt in the wound.

"we're both alive. we're both back to who we used to be."

"I don't really like who I used to be, either."

"welcome to the club, bucko." He stands up from his chair and grabs both of their mugs. "but here's a riddle for ya. if DT is a sliding scale, and getting so caught up in your own bullshit that you end up hurting people you care about makes it go dark ..." He goes to pour the remaining coffee and hot chocolate into the sink and lets the water run for a bit. "... then what do you think is gonna happen if you get your act together and try to be better person?"

Chara ... never actually thought about that before. The answer to the question lingers just beyond their thoughts, but they hardly dare to reach for it. It seems too easy. There must be a catch. "What?" They want to hear it from him. They've been let down and gotten hurt too many times, they won't even let themself guess, if it means they're only going to be disappointed again. "What happens?"

Sans turns off the water again and leaves the mugs by the side of the sink. Then he turns around and leans on the edge of the counter, putting his hands in his pockets.

"dunno." He winks at them. "i never tried."

But he kind of wants to find out.

All this time, he's been convinced there was no other way to save the world. But all this time, he was also convinced that the child sitting right here in front of him was no more than a force of evil masquerading as an actual person. He was wrong about that, at least, wasn't he?

Frisk. Asriel. Papyrus. They all tried to tell him that there was another way. Maybe it's about time he listened to them instead. They're always right in one way or another.

"look. you had the opportunity to reset and take revenge on me for everything i put you through, but instead, you reloaded to your most vulnerable moment just to save your kid sibling from having to go through the underground again. you chose to come back here and turn yourself in, just so you could see them one more time. that doesn't exactly say 'genocidal force of destruction' to me, and frankly, even if it did, i wouldn't be surprised if frisk could befriend a beast like that too. so here's an idea: how about instead of inflicting some kind of dramatic self-punishment to atone for our sins or whatever, we face what we've done and try to fix it? huh? how's that sound?"

Chara pulls a face. "That sounds hard!" The words stumble out before they can stop them.

Sans snorts. "i know you can't see it on my face right now, but i can assure you that i, too, feel a certain sense of existential dread at the prospect of putting effort into something that doesn't involve putting your soul through a meat grinder, but it's obvious that frisk cares about both of us and i know that i, personally, do not feel up to putting that little kid through any more unnecessary drama. so whaddaya say? you wanna bury the hatchet, pal?" He leans away from the counter and extends a hand for them to shake.

Chara instinctively shies away. They're not sure they can trust him. They don't know who they can trust anymore. But it doesn't matter either way. Worst case scenario, Sans is going to come for their soul some other day. And if there's even the slightest chance they can undo just a fraction of the pain they've caused and help Frisk recover ...

They stand up and face him. Take a deep breath. Then they reach out and shake his hand.

Plurhbthbthbthbthbthbleeeuurhp.

Chara yanks their hand back. "Oh. My. God! Oh my god!"

Sans can barely speak through his laughter. "i can't believe you fell for that, this is the best day of my life-!"

"You freak! You're friggin' asking for the end of the world, aren't you!"

"this is your life now! this is your life now, get used to it!"

"I can punch you without murdering you now, you know!"

"why didn't i get that on camera- shit, i shoulda gotten it on camera, this is the best-"

Sans leans on the counter, laughing so hard he can barely keep his balance. Chara muffles a scream of frustration in the towel still slung around their shoulders. So yeah, okay, they've gotten rid of 'trying to drain the life out of them' Sans, but 'relentlessly messes with anyone who dares come within a ten mile radius' Sans is still alive and well, that's great to know! That's just perfect! They almost want the other him back instead.

"Just kill me and get it over with ..." they groan, falling back into their chair.

"welcome to the rest of your mortal life, buddy," Sans wheezes and stuffs the whoopee cushion in his pocket. "far as anyone knows, we're friends now. you chose this."

"And I'm regretting it already." They lean their elbow on the table and put their forehead in their hand. They've got a very, very long eighty years ahead of them.

Slowly, Sans' smug giggling dies down. At the end of it, he looks relieved. "yeah. i'm glad you did, though." In a way, he was right too. He did initially think the demon would stop if only they got what they wanted. Turns out, they really did just need good food, bad laughs, nice friends ... It just took them a little longer to realize it than he thought it would.

They look up at him. They're smiling now. Just a little. Mostly with their eyes.

It's going to be hard. Pretending nothing is wrong. Pretending to be friends. But maybe it's going to be better, too, not having to watch their backs around each other all the time. At least they have a common goal now.

"anyway." Sans brushes off his hands, as if he's just finished the last of his workload for today. "'s gettin' late. i got a deal with a ceiling i gotta stare at for the nexttt -" He looks up at the clock. It's nearing one AM. "- five hours, approximately. i'm gonna hit the hay."

Chara follows him with their eyes as he crosses the kitchen. They still can't help but wonder about the things he said. About selfish single-mindedness turning determination dark. And about how logically, being kind should be able to change it into ... something else. Would they really lose their powers if their determination paled? Is that even possible? Would they finally be safe for the people they love, then? Could they really become a good person if they just ... try?

Maybe striving to be 'good' is a little too big of a goal. They doubt their soul will ever go completely white. But hey. Maybe they don't have to be perfect to be harmless. And pink is Frisk's favorite color.

"would you, uh, turn off the lights when you go to bed?"

"Okay."

"obviously you know how to get out anyway, so i'm not gonna lock you in tonight. don't go smotherin' me in my sleep, alright, chum?"

"Okay."

Sans lingers in the doorway for a moment, looking back at the little demon still watching him from their seat by the kitchen table. He really, really hopes he made the right choice.

... And, well. If he didn't, he can always try again next timeline.

The kid looks up at him, still looking very unsure of themself. "Goodnight, Sans."

He doesn't want to hope for the best. They were right. It really is the only thing more painful than despair.

But he can't help it.

"goodnight, chara."

***

The next morning, Sans and Papyrus go down to the laboratory in the basement to free Asriel from his chamber for the last time. Chara waits by the door, nervously pressing the pad of their thumb against the engravings in their locket. A part of them still hopes that he'll remember. Another part fears it. They don't know how to feel about it. They want him to know anyway. He deserves to know.

Sans presses a button on the console next to the machine. With a loud fwoosh, the mist behind the glass dissipates, and then the machine opens up, revealing the little boss monster curled up tightly around himself.

"GOOD MORNING, YOUR TINY MAJESTY!" Papyrus greets him brightly.

"'sup," Sans adds with a grin, putting his hands in his pockets.

Asriel suppresses a yawn, slowly unfurling from his position and running a hand through the little lock of mane on top of his head. "G'morning, guys!" He scoots forward and gets to the floor, smoothing his PJs a bit.

Then he realizes Chara is there. And for the first time in their life, Chara notices the way his demeanor changes instantly.

"Oh-! G-good morning, Chara!" He tries to sound like he's happy to see them. He tries to smile, but it's strained.

Chara knows that look in his eyes. Not that they've noticed it in him before, but they know it from themself. He's trying to figure out if they're happy. He's trying to figure out if this is a good day, or a bad day, or a sad day, and he's trying to figure it out before he does something they don't like and finds out the hard way.

They can't believe they never noticed before. Has he always looked at them like that? Even in their first life? Is it new? Was it after they hurt him in those other timelines? Or was he always scared of them? How long has he been afraid of saying even a simple 'good morning' to his best friend?

Why did it take so long for them to notice?

Chara makes a decision then. They're never going to give either of their siblings a reason to be scared of them ever again. It's over. They're done playing games. They're done with even pretending to be the demon they used to be. It's not fun anymore.

Frisk was right. Chara has always been unable to accept that other people really care about them, not because they've made others care about them, but because their friends actually like being around them. Chara may not fully understand why anyone would want someone like them as a friend - but it's not up to them to understand.

They send Asriel the brightest smile they can. "Hey bro!" They take a few light steps towards him, hands folded behind their back. "Ready for our big day?"

They can only try to become the kind of person who deserves his friendship.

Asriel instantly livens up, relief making his eyes shine. "Golly, you have no idea!" He closes the last of the distance between them, nearly jumping on the spot in excitement. "I can't wait to get all my old stuff back!"

"Forget about our stuff, we're finally gonna have separate rooms!" Chara laughs and throws an arm over his shoulders. Together, they head for the door leading to the stairway. "By the way, I need to tell you something today and it's kind of important, but dad's gonna come bring us our things any minute now, so it's gonna have to wait. Remind me later?"

"Uhm, sure, I guess? Is it something bad?"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Today's for having fun, okay? I'll tell you later."

"Okay then! Do you think mom is gonna let dad stay for a little while today? I miss him."

"If she doesn't, I'll just start crying. She hates that. Besides, she'll have to get used to us seeing him at some point!"

Sans watches the kids leave for the upstairs, chatting away like nothing happened between yesterday and the present. He supposes that in the reality they live in now, nothing did happen. He doesn't doubt that Chara will tell Asriel everything that happened eventually. He can only hope the little ex-demon will be as willing to accept a truce as Chara was.

Papyrus watches Sans in turn, a little skeptically. "FORGIVE MY SNIDENESS, BROTHER, BUT THIS CHILD DOESN'T EXACTLY SCREAM 'ANGEL OF DEATH' TO ME. ARE YOU COMPLETELY CERTAIN YOU HEARD THE RIVER PERSON CORRECTLY?"

"you ain't seen nothin' yet, bro," Sans says with a grin, though it's a little self-depreciating. He looks up at the other seraph with something he hopes translates to regret in his expression. "i feel like i'm kinda gettin' off easy not remembering most of it."

"YOU ARE," Papyrus says dryly. "I SHALDN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT MY OWN LACK OF MEMORIES, HOWEVER. THAT TIMELINE SOUNDED AWFUL!!"

Sans nods, a little reluctantly. "yeah." Truth be told, he couldn't imagine how things could ever go back to normal. "it was."

Papyrus hisses a sigh through his teeth. Whatever is he going to do with this no-good brother of his?

He starts by giving said no-good brother a little comforting pat on the shoulder.

***

Frisk doesn't dream that night. Not anything they remember, at least. They were too exhausted. It felt as if all those cold, sleepless nights they spent following Chara around caught up to them all at once. They barely had time to shrug out of their soggy clothes and hide them in the back of their closet before they collapsed on their bed.

They wake to the sound of their mother asking them something they can't quite discern. In the soft darkness between sleep and the waking world, just hearing her voice again makes a little tear run down their cheek.

She says something else, something muffled by the covers pulled over their ear. She sounds distressed. Then her voice sounds again right next to them, and then the mattress dips as she sits down. The back of a warm paw brushes against their cheek, brushing away the tear. Finally, Frisk's eyes blink open.

"Dearest? Are you awake?"

They look up. And there she is. All soft, white fur and big worried eyes, enveloped in the scent of baked sweets and gentle warmth, like one of her non-burning fires.

"You were crying in your sleep," she says, voice low, and cups the side of their face with her big paw, careful not to scratch her child with her claws. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Memories push at the surface of their consciousness, demanding to be let in. A few have already taken hold, claiming a place among the many, many other memories they would rather forget. Holding their breath, trying not to cry anymore, Frisk frees their arms from under the covers and holds on to their mother's paw, snuggling into the familiar warmth to escape the ... the bad dreams. That's a good name for them. Things they remember that never happened. They're just like bad dreams.

"Oh, my poor, poor little one ..." Gently, gently in a way Frisk had nearly forgotten anyone was capable of, Toriel scoops her baby up in her arms and holds them close to her heart, brushing them over the head, just like she has done since the first time they met. "It is over now, have no fear. Shh, easy now ..."

Frisk knots their fingers in the fabric of her dress, silent little sobs making their shoulders shake. Nothing can hurt them anymore. Not here. Not when they're with her. Toriel makes all the bad dreams go away. Even the dreams that aren't really dreams.

Little by little, their tears subside.

"You have nothing to fear anymore, my child. I will always be there to protect you." She leans away from them, just a little bit, so she can look at them and make sure they hear her. "Always."

That's not really true. But she tries to always be there. That's all Frisk wants anyway. They offer her a shaky little smile.

It fades when they realize she's looking at their cheek.

"Hm?" With the side of an index finger under their chin, she tilts their head to the side so she can look at the scratches on their face. "Oh goodness, Frisk, what happened? Please, please, sit still for a moment, won't you?"

A little reluctantly, Frisk lets her call a little green flame to her hand. The wounds close under her touch, easily, like it takes her no effort at all. It probably doesn't. Toriel is really strong. In healing, too. She's probably the strongest monster they know, Frisk thinks. And the kindest.

She seals the healed skin with a kiss, making them giggle despite the tear paths still shining on their face. Their laughter makes her smile.

"Frisk, you do not have to put up with wounds like that, you know this," she says, readjusting their position so they're sitting on her arm, high enough to be at eye level with her. "You can always come to me if you get hurt, no matter how lightly. I promise you, I will always want to help you. Alright? Do not be afraid to ask."

Frisk nods. She's told them this many times before, but they don't want to be burden. They play outside a lot. They get scratched up a lot. It's no big deal. Usually.

Still, they take her words to heart, keeping them there, safely locked away. They have a lot of bad memories. If they ever want the good ones to outweigh them, they'll have to hold on to those twice as hard.

"Do you want to tell me where you got those scratches? No one hurt you, did they?"

Their eyes begin to sting again. They shake their head, as much for an answer as to ward off another bout of tears.

"It was an accident?"

They nod.

"One we could prevent happening again?"

They hold their breath as they shake their head again.

No. They can't prevent it happening again. Not for sure. They don't think it would be as scary if they could.

"Alright, then ..."

Toriel doesn't look very happy with the answer, but she accepts it, at least. She doesn't push for a real explanation. Frisk is grateful for that. But maybe a little worried about her, too. Does Toriel ever have nightmares? About losing her kids, both Frisk, Asriel and Chara, and all the ones she couldn't save?

She probably does. She hides it so well, though. She always puts all her own worries aside for her children. She's the best and the most hardworking mom Frisk could ever ask for. They're not sure how they're ever going to become perfect enough to deserve someone like her.

They lean against her again, and she leans her cheek against the top of their head, letting her eyes fall half-shut. Frisk doesn't know that they're right. Toriel does have terrible dreams, sometimes. Including last night. She can't remember what it was about, but ... Oh, it's no matter. They're here now. It takes a little getting used to, still. Waking up and remembering that the children's room in her house is no longer empty. She supposes it's going to be even more difficult now - remembering that there are three of them.

How could she be so miraculously lucky?

There's a knock at the door.

"Oh goodness me, I forgot!" Toriel quickly sets Frisk back down in their bed and kisses them on top of the head before standing up. "I meant to tell you that Sans texted me a minute ago saying he and the others would be over in a minute. It must be them at the door. Please excuse me, dearest."

Before Frisk can process what she just told them, she's at their bedroom door, about to leave. She looks back at them before she does so, giving them a little encouraging nod.

"Come join us when you are ready, okay? Take however much time you need."

Then she's gone.

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, Sans texted her? And he's- they're- all of them? How can that be, that isn't right, they can't all be-

... Chara didn't run away?

Cold dread tears up what's left of the comfortable haze of sleep clouding Frisk's mind. Within seconds, they've pulled on a pair of leggings and snatched a sweater from the pile next to the armchair in the corner, and bolted out of their bedroom.

Out in the front yard, Asriel and Chara run to hug their mother, who stoops down and holds them both close.

"Welcome home, you two."

Out by the road, Asgore hands each of the skeleton brothers a big cardboard box, thanking both of them for their help. He gives a little surprised "Oh" when Sans picks it up with his magic instead of his hands, and Papyrus complains about the other being too lazy for his own good and tells him to be careful not to drop it - the objects inside survived a hundred years before he came along and they better survive another hundred afterwards as well!

A loud crash sounds from inside the house. Everyone pauses in what they're doing, turning to look towards the noise, surprised.

In the next second, Frisk comes to a skidding halt in the open front door, sweater on backwards, hair a mess, clutching the doorframe like they're trying to withstand a hurricane.

Chara is sure they feel their heart stop.

For a long, long moment, Frisk can do nothing but stare at their mirror image frozen to the spot halfway down the path between their home and the open road.

Though they hold each other's gazes, Frisk barely sees the other on the outside. Everything, their mind, their soul, everything they are can only focus on one thing - and that one thing is the soft, familiar heart echoing in their own, as strongly and as brightly and as undeniably, painfully alive as ... as it always has.

Chara's right here. They're not gone. They haven't run away, they haven't died, they're unharmed and they're here.

They're right here. With Frisk. Where they belong. Where they've always belonged.

Frisk doesn't stop to ask themself how it's even possible. If this isn't just another dream - they swear they're never going to question anything ever again.

***

Between Toriel, Asgore, Sans and Papyrus, the cardboard boxes quickly disappear from the van and into the house, to the middle of the floors in Asriel and Chara's new rooms. Asriel's room fills nearly to the edge. Chara's barely need to be stacked in order to fit.

"Mom, do you think you could help me unpack?" Asriel asks, scratching his neck a little nervously as he looks up at the small mountain of old stuff packed into his admittedly-not-very-big-when-there's-more-than-a-bed-and-a-desk-and-a-closet-in-it new room. "There's, uhm. There's a lot." Where's he even going to put all of it?

Toriel laughs and tells him that of course she will, she'll get the big boxes from the top of the pile! Then she looks down at Frisk and nods towards the other room across the hallway. "Frisk, why don't you go help Chara? They have not accumulated quite as many things."

Frisk looks over at Chara, who was in the middle of looking their new place over from the doorway when Toriel mentioned their name, and they look up at her, and then at Frisk. The little humans look at each other for a single, drawn-out heartbeat.

But of course, Frisk agrees. Why wouldn't they? It's just- It's just Chara, right? They don't mind being alone with Chara. They don't.

What happened in that other timeline didn't really happen after all. Chara is back to who they used to be now.

Asgore tries to find a polite way to excuse himself. Papyrus asks him if he's leaving already? He thought everyone was going to hang out today! Undyne and Alphys will be over in a minute too, they could make a get-together out of it!

Toriel can't help but roll her eyes as she listens to her ex-husband trying to stutter his way through some half-baked excuse for why he really should get going, and she nearly knocks over the tower of cardboard boxes instead of taking the first one off the top like she meant to.

She can't explain to herself why, but ... Asgore leaving seems wrong to her. No, she doesn't want to be around him any more than she has to, but she feels like he deserves it, somehow. To get to stay. She can't recall what he possibly could have done to make her think that way. Maybe it's just having her children home with her making her soft. Nostalgic.

Ugh, she doesn't want to think about that. Those memories are poisoned for her, end of story.

Toriel doesn't realize that she has paused with only the first box between her hands before she feels Asriel looking at her. She quickly chases away the gray cloud in her expression and smiles at him. Maybe it looks a little stiff, 'cause it doesn't make him look any less worried.

"It's okay if you want him to stay," her son says, picking his way around the pile of boxes until he's standing next to her and putting a small paw on her arm in understanding. "That doesn't mean you've forgiven him. He's our dad, you used to care about him a lot. That stuff doesn't go away just 'cause things get more complicated."

Her smile softens at that. What did she do to deserve a child like Asriel? She balances the box against her hip, freeing one hand to brush over his head. "Since when did you get so wise, my little one?"

That sentiment makes her nostalgic, too. Or is it ... deja-vu? She gets the feeling she wondered the same thing at another point in time. Under less happy circumstances. It made her worry. No, it scared her.

Her own child scared her.

Maybe it's only that strange nightmare from last night still playing tricks on her. The one she can't quite recall. She lets the thought drift away. She has nothing to be scared of anymore. Everything is as it should be.

Out in the living room, Asgore is about to say his goodbyes to Sans and Papyrus when Toriel appears from the hallway.

"Alright, Dreemurr, you can cease your swan song. Where do you expect me to put thirteen cardboard boxes once we have unpacked? Not everyone lives in a castle like yourself, you know." She gestures to the couch area at the end of the room. "Sit."

"Oh! Oh well, I- I didn't-" Asgore catches sight of Asriel standing just behind his mom, giving him a double-thumbs-up. "Uhm. Thank you! I think?"

He looks down at Sans, trying to confirm that this actually is a positive development. Sans shrugs and shoots the puzzled old king an encouraging grin. Meanwhile, Papyrus exclaims that that settles it(!!), and immediately goes to help himself to some tea in Toriel's kitchen. It's not a real get-together without tea, after all! It's only proper! He wonders what's taking their scaly friends so long? They should've been here by now, shouldn't they?

Toriel can't suppress the slightly smug little half-smile worming its way to her face. She looks down at Asriel, who gives her a big hug as thanks. She supposes the kids don't get to see their father as often as they probably should. Maybe she has been a little overprotective of them. Asgore may have been tragically, fatally incompetent in the past, but at the very least, she knows there is no safer place for Asriel, Chara and Frisk than with him.

Really - she'd hate to see the poor fool who'd try to endanger their children.

***

Frisk leads the way into Chara's new room. Chara closes the door behind themself, a little nervously. Would Frisk prefer it to be open? Maybe they would. Or maybe they don't care and Chara's worrying about nothing. Or maybe they do, but they don't want to admit it. Would they say so if they were uncomfortable? Why is being considerate so godawfully difficult?

"So, uhm, this is ... your new home. It's- It's cool, right?" Gingerly, Frisk edges around the small stack of boxes in the middle of the room and over to the window on the wall across from the door. "You can look out at the backyard from here. It doesn't look very nice right now, but it's gonna be spring soon. After winter, I mean. It's only a few months."

Chara stays by the door. They can't see much beyond Frisk's silhouette in the window. That's okay. After everything that happened, they don't really want to look at anything else anyway. The steady rise and fall of their little sibling's breathing is all they can bring themself to care about right now. The pulse of their soul, soft and steady like a heartbeat, is all they need.

"It's gonna look really nice ..."

Frisk lingers by the window for a moment. Then they move over to the big toy chest at the end of Chara's bed.

"And- and look at this!" They sit on their knees in front of it and push it open. "I remember you told me, when we were, y'know, when we were in the Underground - you said you didn't really own a lot of stuff back in your first life, 'cause you were really depressed and when you're depressed, it's hard to like things a lot of the time, so I, uhm. I put some of my stuff. In here." They try to sound upbeat. Excited, even. They had been yesterday, when they went around their own room finding things they thought Chara might like. But yesterday was a very, very long time ago. "I hope that's okay. You can just ... throw it out if you don't like it. I won't mind." They pick up the small, slightly worse-for-the-wear star cruiser at the bottom of the chest. It's missing a few bits and also they may have spilled pink nail polish on it when they were trying to make one of their plastic dinosaurs a little more flashy, but they actually still really like it. Knowing Chara doesn't would ruin it for them, though. Might as well throw it out, then.

Chara doesn't get it. They just can't understand, how can Frisk even try to act like they're okay after everything Chara did? How can they just ignore everything that happened? They're not okay, Chara can tell they're not okay, this is wrong, why would they do this to themself? They're just a little kid. They shouldn't have to accept what happened to them. They shouldn't have to pretend to be fine. Least of all when they're with the person who caused all of it.

Half-heartedly, Frisk tries to scratch a little bit of the nail polish off the cruiser. It doesn't work. It just looks even uglier.

"You don't have to pretend, you know," Chara says, voice a half-whisper. They can hear the others talking outside the room. They don't want them to hear. "I ... I understand. It's okay not to be okay. You don't have to pretend with me anymore."

Frisk stays quiet, their back turned to Chara as they keep trying to fix the toy. They wanted it to look better, but no matter what they do, it only seems to get worse.

"You- You don't have to say anything, okay? I just want you to know one thing." The image of Asriel's expression when he saw Chara this morning pushes its way into Chara's head again. "You ..." They swallow the lump in their throat. "You don't have to be scared of me anymore. Ever. If you are, I get why. And I get it if you hate me or if you wanna hit me or if you wish I'd never come back to life in the first place or-"

They wait for Frisk to interrupt. They wish they would. But they don't.

Chara hangs their head. This is not the kind of defeat they thought they'd succumb to when they first ran away. Somehow, this is worse than anything they could have died to.

"I still mean what I said yesterday." They mean it even more now. "I ... I'm sorry." They can't believe they've been so ignorant all this time. "I'm so, so sorry." They never wanted this to happen. This was the last thing they could ever want. "You don't have to forgive me. I wouldn't if I were you. But I'm going to get better. That's a promise. Okay? So don't worry about me hurting you ever again, because I won't. I swear I won't, Frisk ..."

Frisk's shoulders fall. They let their hands drop into their lap, clutching the mangled little star cruiser between their fingers. Maybe they're not so sure they'll be able to part with it after all.

At last, they speak up. "When I heard that you were coming over this morning after everything that happened, I thought ..." They can hear the plastic creek in their grip. Carefully, they place the toy back in the chest and shut it in the dark. "I thought you were already gone. I thought you'd already ..."

Yeah. Yeah, Chara gets what they mean. They thought Sans had already put them through the procedure. They thought it was too late.

"He, uhm. He pardoned me, I guess," Chara says, kicking at the floor a little, kind of embarrassed about the whole thing. It was solved so easily. If they'd only talked to each other from the beginning instead of getting scared, none of this would have happened. "He said that if I was fine with turning myself in as long as you were okay, then I probably wasn't so bad after all. At least not bad enough to reset. Also, my LV might have gone back to one anyway, so." They shrug with one shoulder, even though Frisk still isn't looking at them. "I guess he thought I wasn't really a problem anymore."

Frisk isn't sure what they expected from Sans. A part of them almost hoped he'd be angry enough to make Chara disappear forever. The rest of them hated themself for even thinking something like that. They didn't want Chara to get hurt. They didn't. Not for real. They nearly tear up again, as much at their own bad thoughts as at the idea of losing their big sibling forever.

Deep down, they always knew that Chara wasn't completely healed, but they accepted that, they were okay with that, because they love them anyway and they don't ever want to be apart from them again - so how could they even think of wanting something so cruel for someone they care about so much?

"You don't have to keep it in." Chara doesn't realize that the anger and hurt in Frisk's soul is directed at the kid themself and not at Chara. "If you're mad at me, you can say so. I won't be angry, because I'd be mad too if I were you. I'd ... I'd hate me." They wish they would. It would be so much easier if Frisk just hated them. Then maybe they wouldn't have to hate themself so much.

Frisk rubs their eyes, willing away the tears before they even form. Then, finally, they look back at Chara, smiling even though it hurts.

"Hey." It doesn't matter. They shouldn't be upset, because that timeline never came to pass. "Don't be silly." Chara saved them, all of them, they set it all right again. "I could never hate you." Frisk doesn't understand why they still feel so hollow. Why that terrible fear still lingers, even as their memories dissipate bit by bit. "It never really happened anyway. You made sure it didn't." Why can't they just move on and be thankful that Chara is here?

Because it was real, they realize. Maybe not for everyone else, but for them, it was real. Just like all of those bad timelines before this one. And try as they might, they can't just force those feelings to go away.

They survived all the bad timelines before this one. They're going to survive this, too. But it's going to take time.

Chara wants to argue, but it wouldn't help. It's not up to Frisk to hold them accountable for their mistakes. It's up to Chara to make sure they don't commit the same mistakes again. It's all they can do for Frisk now. Get better, and remain steadfast in their decision to become the kind of person Frisk could trust if they chose to.

In the end, Chara nods in response to Frisk's statement, accepting it even though they don't want to. That makes Frisk relax a little bit. They'll do things their way, this time. The peaceful way. It may not be the way that ensures justice - but it is the only way anything will be able to grow afterwards. It is the only way they'll be able to move forward.

Frisk opens the toy chest again, and without needing to be prompted at all, Chara goes to sit next to them.

It's all garbage, of course. All the weird stuff Frisk has put in there. All of it's a little broken, a little messed up, a little mistreated. But Chara never had toys like these before. Real toys, that you can play with without being afraid of breaking them. They can almost feel the joy all these little bits and pieces brought to their previous owner radiating from the plush and plastic.

They'd never throw any of this out. They're going to treasure it for as long as they remember who gave it to them.

***

Soon, Alphys arrives to recalibrate the charger for Asriel's stabilizer. She incorporated it into his bed, so he can recharge while he sleeps, just like he did in his chamber in Sans and Papyrus' lab. Undyne tags along too. She wants to say 'hi' to Asgore while he's in town. Asgore tries to tell her that they see each other every day at work. Undyne gives him a hug that nearly collapses both of his lungs and tells him to quit ruining the moment.

After a few minutes of tinkering, Alphys wipes sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, gives a relieved "phew" and stands back to admire her handiwork.

Asriel, who's been sitting on one of the still-unopened cardboard boxes (one with clothes in it, of course, he'd never sit on his toys) and pretending to watch with rapt attention even though he's mostly listening to what everyone else are talking about in the living room, jumps down from his box and goes over to stand next to her.

"Is it working?"

"It should!" Alphys says, looking proud of her work. "Wanna give it a test drive?"

He does, just to be sure. Alphys quickly shows him how to untangle the cords from the side of the bed and which plugs go where in the stabilizer. He can't really see them while he's wearing it, but he can reach all of them pretty easily, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

"I've, uhm, c-color coded most of them? I think? S-so if you can't tell them apart, just look at the, uhm. The colors. Eheh." Alphys taps her chin with one claw, frowning. "I should make a chart. I should probably do that. To make it easier."

Asriel unfolds the stringy cape of cords attached to the metal in his spine, feeling very cool, but at the same time also maybe a little vulnerable. Magic electricity probably isn't the most stable thing in the world. "What happens if I put it together wrong?" he asks, only a liiittle bit terrified all of a sudden.

"N-nothing!" Alphys reassures him. She still double-checks that she did it right. "Nothing, don't worry, I m-made sure it's safe!"

He feels bad for doubting her. Of course she did. She's done nothing short of her best in trying to help him, he shouldn't expect anything else. Alphys is awesome.

When she's sure the cords are where they're supposed to be, she goes over to the wall by the headboard of his bed, where a big lever is sticking out of the wall, connected to the machinery behind the bed by wires embedded in the wall. "You ready?"

"Ready!"

She pulls the lever. Immediately, the machinery whirs to life, sounding like the rush of an ocean at first, before it quiets down to a soft, whispery hum, nearly inaudible over the sound of the highway in the distance.

"Woah!" Asriel turns, trying to see the machine over his shoulder, but it looks like it always has. He almost expected it to start glowing or something. "Oh man, that feels super weird! It's like there's bees in my spine!"

Alphys cringes a little. "Eheh, yeah, it m-might feel a little weird the first few minutes, but-"

"No, no, it's cool, it's working, that's all that matters!"

Next thing she knows, there's a small, overexcited child hanging around her neck.

"Thank you so much, Alphys, you're the best!"

... He knows just what to say to break her heart, doesn't he?

It's weird. Normally, she wouldn't get that upset at a compliment, even if it was genuine and completely off at the same time, she'd know the person in question meant well, she'd be able to tell herself it's the thought that counts. But for some reason, hearing this from Asriel of all people, makes her tear up. And not for the reasons she thought it would.

He knows how much pain her mistakes caused him, right? So why does she get the feeling that he doesn't know just how wrong he is?

Careful not to touch the cords attached to the machine in his spine, she hugs him back and closes her eyes, trying to block out that strange feeling. Worrying won't make things better. She knows that for sure. And if Asriel has the heart to forgive her for what she did - then who is she to get in the way of his recovery?

An indignant shout sounds from the living room.

"I thought I was the best!" Chara says.

"I'm the best," Frisk says, their little crow voice barely loud enough to be heard, even through the open door.

"UNDYNE IS THE BEST!"

"Aww, Papyruuus ..."

"WAIT, WAIT, NOT THE HEADLOCK OF CAMARADERIE!!"

"C'mere, buddy, you've earned it!"

"BROTHER, AVENGE ME ..!"

***

Even after the cardboard boxes have been folded and stuffed back in Asgore's van, and even after the children's rooms have been set up if not neatly, then in a way they themselves like, and even after the tea has gone cold, none of the monsters can bring themselves to go home, and Toriel can't bring herself to tell them to. They don't spend enough time together all nine of them. Even now, people are missing, people she may not fully count as friends to herself, but then at least as important friends to her friends. It feels right, this way. Getting as many of their own together as they can. Not necessarily to do anything in particular, just ... talk. And cherish the time they have together.

It may still be that nightmare messing with her. She can't quite tell. It already feels like it happened years ago.

As late morning turns to early afternoon, the big group splits up into little groups. Toriel agrees to teach Papyrus how to bake a spaghetti pie ("No, dear, not a quiche, a pie."). Asriel drags his dad over to the tv in the corner, talking maybe a little too loudly about all the great games Frisk owns and about how he wishes he had his own games, and about how it's his birthday soon, not- not mentioning that for any particular reason, but just because! Frisk hovers a little between the adults, who all sense that today is maybe not such a good day for the little human, all of them picking the kid up without a word and trying to include them as best they can. Chara says to Alphys they need to talk to her about something important and the two of them go off to talk in private.

Sans ends up leaned against a wall at the far end of the room, watching his friends and family carry on with their lives like nothing has happened at all. He forgot how jarring it is. How difficult it is not to question his own sanity. He knows he could just go ask one of the humans if he wanted to be sure. But they've never felt really real, either. Neither of them. It feels a little like they and he and Papyrus and everything they've been through belong in another world. Like they all came from somewhere else and intruded on a much happier place.

A subtle "ahem" catches his attention.

Wow. Okay, he didn't notice her showing up next to him. When did Undyne get this stealthy?

"Someone's being suspiciously quiet today," she says, leaning back against the wall, just like he is, and crossing her arms. "'s there something you wanna share with the group, buddy?"

He doesn't like her tone. There's something in there, something that makes his teeth rattle. He forces them to stop, sending her an easy grin.

"no idea what you're talkin' about."

Sans doesn't like the idea of Undyne remembering past timelines. He doesn't like the idea of her learning how to figure out what happened without remembering, either. Could it be possible? She holds immense amounts of determination, that's for sure. It's white DT, though. It's not supposed to break the laws of reality, only bend them. But who knows?

"Y'know, when Alphys came home yesterday, she was pretty upset." Undyne drums her claws against her scales. It makes a clicking noise, like pebbles thrown at glass. "Didn't wanna talk about it, either. But she was over at your place, wasn't she?"

So that's what this is about. Sans feels like he should be relieved. He's not.

It's not that he forgot about Alphys - god knows he owes her one hell of an apology, even if she doesn't remember half the troubles he caused her - but it's easy to forget that everyone else has problems too. Things that have nothing to do with the timelines, or the Fallen child, or remembering or not remembering things.

Toriel and Asgore lived a century thinking their children were gone for good. She lost six more children to the man she once trusted with all her heart. He still sees their blood on his hands when he hears a kid crying on the street.

Undyne spent her entire life training for a war that never came.

Alphys got so caught up in her own fear and lies that she nearly ended her own life to escape it all, and her guilty conscience hasn't given her a break ever since then.

All four of them went through things they never deserved. Some of it self-inflicted, some of it caused by other people, some of it just ... accidents. Happenstance.

And yet they're still here. They fought to be here. They fought to be happy. Thinking of this world, of their world, as something innately happy and pure that him and his brother and the kids are messing up is an insult to everything his friends went through. He needs to stop thinking of everyone else as 'perfect' and of himself as a failure. It's not helping anyone. If he doesn't want to feel left out in everyone else's happy ending, it's about time he did something to earn his place here instead of just feeling sorry for himself.

The first thing he can do is make sure that Alphys doesn't blame herself for the DT-thing.

He holds his hands up in surrender. "say no more. i'll talk to her, alright?"

Undyne looks down at him with a frown, clearly not expecting that. "Really? I don't gotta threaten you with bodily harm at all?"

"nope." He sighs and meets her eye, unapologetic in his, well, in his apology. "i said some preeetty screwed up stuff last night. not gonna try to make excuses for it, to be honest. 's not worth it. she deserves an apology."

"Dude, are you feeling well?"

"better than ever."

"You little freak, you cut that shit out before I call the cops!"

She's laughing now, and he can't help but laugh with her. She seems genuinely relieved, like she was expecting him to brush her off. Was he really that cold before? Just laughing off other people's problems because he had his own things to deal with? He remembers being kind of distant, at least. And maybe a little too busy with things going on inside his own head.

Well. Trust Chara to replace that gray, apathetic haze of depression with crippling anxiety and over-thinking.

He leaves Undyne with a small salute and she gives him an approving, if still slightly perplexed grin in return. As he moves down the hallway leading to the kids' rooms, he can hear voices coming from the second one on the left.

"H-hey come on, you were scared, people d-do weird things when they're scared-"

"I know. But that doesn't excuse the way I treated you. You've done so much for me and my brother, and all I've done is put you down for it. It was out of line and I didn't mean any of it. I'm sorry."

"Eheh. W-well, okay then. Apology accepted."

Sans thinks about maybe coming back later, but in the next second, the door to Chara's room opens and they and Alphys emerge, still looking a bit awkward, but happy too. They both seem happy. Then they notice Sans coming towards them.

"Uhm. Hi?"

Chara lifts a hand. "Yo."

Sans does something resembling very half-hearted finger guns in the kid's direction before turning his attention to Alphys. "hey alph, you got a minute?"

"Not you too." She doesn't realize what she just said before the words are out of her mouth. "Uhh, I- I mean, sure! I guess? P-probably?"

Chara tells the monsters to stay out of their room, 'cause it's theirs now and no one's allowed in without permission, so the two of them stay in the hallway. It's fine, he's gonna keep it brief if Alphys doesn't want to talk. He just wants to make sure she's not worrying over nothing.

Once Chara is out of earshot, Alphys turns on Sans, already rubbing her temples as if to alleviate a migraine. "Look, if this is about your gross DT extraction plan, I am not in the mood-"

"it is, it is, but i just wanted you to know that it's not gonna be a thing and i-" He groans at his own inexperience with this stuff. How can you be inexperienced with just being not an asshole, why is that so hard? "i wanted to apologize for bringing it up at all. in hindsight, it was super creepy and complete overkill." Maybe not so much when dealing with a demon hellbent on bringing about the apocalypse, but when dealing with a terrified little kid just trying to be edgy and scary 'cause it's the only way they know how to feel in control? Yeah, not cool. "i just wanted to say that you don't have to worry about me going on some knight templar quest to vanquish the last threat to our permanent ending or whatever. we're cool now, me 'n chara. so don't get messed up about it."

"W-w-wait. Really?" Alphys looks just as perplexed by his sincerity as Undyne did. "D-did Papyrus yell at you or something?"

Well, he did. But even that couldn't change Sans' mind.

"well, truth be told ..." She deserves to know. She's involved in this, she's been involved ever since he recruited her to help him revive the kids. It's no use keeping secrets if they do more harm than good. Sans chooses his words carefully, keeping his voice low so the people in the living room won't hear. "there was a bad timeline. i tried to go through with it on my own, but it set so much awful stuff into motion that i couldn't set right again and ... in the end, chara reloaded. we lived a month into the future. last night, we came back here."

Alphys puts a hand over her mouth to silence a gasp. "... Chara died?"

Sans nods, looking down, hands clenching to fists at the memory. "and they weren't the only one." He takes a steadying breath and forces himself to look back up at his friend. This isn't about him right now. "do you want to know what happened?"

Alphys mulls over the question for a moment, looking torn. On the one hand, a mix of fear and morbid curiosity makes her want to know. On the other ...

"I ... I don't think I do." She's not sure she'd be able to stomach it. It's bad enough, knowing the very reality she lives in used to be twisted beyond recognition, a plaything to a pair of miserable children grieving their own deaths. Knowing the kinds of horrors that might have taken place had things gone differently sounds like it would only make everything harder to bear. "Are- Are you going to t-tell the others?"

"i don't know," Sans admits. "not sure how much good it'd do." But at the same time, it's hard to face Toriel and Asgore knowing he nearly caused the deaths of all three of their kids.

Alphys doesn't know what to tell him. Coming clean about what happened to those who want to know might be for the best, but ... if it really won't do any good, then wouldn't they be risking a whole lot without anything to gain from it? If Sans ends up telling any of the others and they get sad or scared over what he has to say, then wouldn't he be upsetting someone for no reason? Everyone is here now. Everyone is alright. Should he really risk destroying that? Is the truth really more important?

She doesn't have the answer. Neither of them do.

***

Evening comes early in autumn. Or the darkness does, rather. But it still feels like everyone has collectively decided that darkness means the end of the day, and the end of the day means that night is waiting just beyond the horizon.

Dry gold-and-red leaves scurry across the circular road of the cul-de-sac, and where they go, the streetlights open their glowing yellow eyes, as if woken from sleep by the soft swishing noises across the pavement.

Undyne and Alphys wave back to the rest of the group gathered in front of Toriel's house as they head home hand in hand, shivering in the cold. Undyne looks at Alphys before entering their garden, and Alphys looks back up at Undyne, smiling at her and giving her hand a little squeeze. Undyne flashes a row of sharp, shiny teeth in return, and together, they head inside. Soon, the lights in their house turn on, casting warm light onto the garden and out into the darkness nestling among the houses like a big, soft soot-black cat.

"I should get going too," Asgore says, though he can still barely keep his eyes off the kids flocking around him, Asriel and Frisk holding his hands, and Chara holding on to his jacket, not content with being left out.

Asriel tugs on his hand. "Nooo, come on, it's not even that late! Can't you stay a little while?"

Asgore stoops down and gathers all three of his kids into his arms before standing up again. "I do not think it would be wise of me," he says with a small, secretive smile, and looks over his shoulder at Toriel, who looks a little skeptical, if not outright impatient. "But Friday is only a few days away. Then we'll have all the time in the world." He brushes his nose over Asriel's forehead, a small cloud of smoke billowing out of his draconic nostrils and dyeing his son's white fur gray. Asriel laughs, but Chara immediately takes it upon themself to brush the soot out of his fur.

"Dad, no, you're gonna ruin his look!"

That only makes the kid laugh even more, and he obligingly tilts his head so Chara can fix his 'look' for him. Frisk leans their head on their father's shoulder and brushes their fingers through his beard. They always did love the texture of their boss monster family's fur. They feel like really soft, clean, long-haired dogs, and everyone knows that dogs have the best fur.

"Now, you three have to promise me you'll look after one another until we see each other again, alright?" It's not that he thinks they need to be reminded. It's more that he needs to remind himself that his kids are capable of doing so. "Especially you two." Asgore looks between Asriel and Chara, and carefully readjusts Frisk's position, so it's a little easier for them to lean on him without their neck hurting. "You're both big siblings now. That's a big responsibility."

Asriel straightens his back, looking very serious. "Of course! We'll do our best, right, Chara?"

Chara's eyes linger on the little human half-asleep against Asgore's shoulder. Frisk is looking back at them, but they can't help but wonder just how awake the younger kid really is. They both had a bad time last night. It's no wonder Frisk is tired.

After maybe a second too long, Chara nods in reply. Yes. They will do their best. They didn't deserve to get to see their baby sibling alive and safe once again, but someday, they'll be the kind of person who does. They'll make sure of it. And what Chara sets their mind to, they'll always achieve.

As Asgore says goodbye to his children for the night, Toriel, Sans and Papyrus stay close by. Toriel can't bring herself to hurry the children along. She can tell it's hard for them. Adjusting. Getting used to the lives they've been handed without their consent. She allows herself the comfort of knowing that though she has known them for a hundred years, her children are still children. And as long as she is around, she'll ensure that they have many, many years to learn and get better ahead of them.

She lets her eyes wander across the empty cul-de-sac, the dark clouds above, that one sputtering streetlight in front of Sans and Papyrus' house. Without being quite certain why, her attention is caught by the big windows in Undyne and Alphys' house, the yellow lights pouring through nearly as bright as sunlight, and for a second, she almost thinks she sees-

- a small figure lying in shadow between two beams of light, blood pooling on the floor under them, a hollow shell devoid of life, devoid of soul, green flames dying in her hands-

... but the vision is so brief and so blurry and so far from the edge of her consciousness that she barely even registers it in the fraction of a second where it exists at all.

Still a chill runs down her spine. She blames the cold, hugging herself to retain a bit of warmth.

Sans looks up at her, worried. Papyrus notices it too.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, TORIEL?" he asks, keeping his voice as low as someone who's used to perpetually shouting can muster.

Toriel blinks a few times while processing the question. "Ah- Yes, yes, I am quite fine, don't you worry about me!"

Sans isn't really convinced. She doesn't look alright. "you can always call us if something's up," he says.

"OR ALPHYS!" Papyrus adds, nodding eagerly. "YOU CAN CALL ANY OF US ABOUT ANYTHING AND WE'LL BE OVER AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, PLEASE DON'T WORRY!"

Toriel can't help but light up at her friends' helpfulness. Really, how could she worry about anything with friends like these? She shouldn't. Everything is alright. For the first time in a very long time, everything is alright.

"Thank you," she says to them. "Both of you. I do not deserve friends as kind as you."

A stab of regret pierces the place where Sans' heart would have been if he'd had one. He wishes he knew what she thought when she went to the Underground to look for her kids. Did she know that he was the reason they went down there? Did Undyne and Alphys tell her? How did she feel if they did?

He'll never know for sure now. But he can guess. He can't help but wonder what she'd do if he told her about what happened now. Out of everyone here, he wants her to know the most.

Papyrus reassures her that of course she deserves friends as kind as them! Good people deserve good friends! He seems to be able to cheer her up a little. In the end, she tells him they should go pack up the leftovers from that spaghetti pie they made together so they can have some again tomorrow, and they agree to leave Asgore to say goodbye to his kids in peace.

They ask Sans if he's coming. He tells them he'll be there in a moment.

Asgore sets the children back on the ground and gives them one last hug.

"And remember what I told you," he says to them. "Be good to each other. The three of you are a family now. You must have each other's backs when it truly counts, do you hear me?"

He's smiling, trying to brush it off as fatherly advice, but Chara sees the way his eyes linger on them a second longer than their siblings. He takes their hand for just a moment, a small reminder that he means no ill will by his warning, that he loves them, even though he worries about them. Chara brushes their thumb over his paw, hoping he understands that they're not upset. If nothing had happened between today and yesterday, his words would have been very, very warranted, too. They certainly don't blame him for hating the distance preventing him from keeping a closer eye on his children.

Finally, Asgore stands to his full height, and as he does, he looks back at Sans still lingering just beyond the entrance to the garden.

Sans feels flattened under that look. It is so rare to see the kindly old king look anything but friendly and harmless - but right now, his expression calls to mind the last lingering clouds after a thunderstorm.

And in that moment, Sans is dead certain that Asgore remembers something from that last timeline. Maybe not enough to know exactly what happened, but enough to know that in another time, this person, one of his most trusted friends, could have been his enemy.

"Watch over my children, Sans."

Sans breathes deep, finding courage he didn't know was there. "i'll guard 'em with my life."

Asgore watches him for another moment, as if to make sure that Sans is really going to stand by that promise. Then he smiles again, though it's more thankful than cheerful.

They could have become enemies in another time. But not in this one. In this one, they're on the same side.

They bid each other a good night, and Asgore gets in his car, and soon the taillights of the big gold-and-purple van disappear through the cul-de-sac's exit. All three of his kids stay by the entrance to the garden, watching him leave.

Asriel is the first to leave the group. He looks a little sad, but he also looks like he really wants to get back inside and look at his new room and all his old things again. He manages to get a little fist-bump out of Sans as he passes by and Sans tells him "cheer up, buddy."

He can't help but watch the kid out of the corner of his eye as he disappears into the house. Sans isn't sure Asriel is going to feel quite as positively towards him once he finds out what Sans almost did in another time. What he almost caused. What he would have caused, if Asriel himself hadn't intervened and made Chara reload.

Sans can't help but feel a little disappointed at that. Which is kind of silly, 'cause his priorities should probably ideally be slightly different, but he can't help the fact that he plain likes that little weirdo. Sans ain't made o' stone. It's not his place to judge, though. He did kind of try to murder the shit out of said little weirdo's best friend. If Asriel isn't super fond of Sans once he finds out, that's fair.

Frisk and Chara stay by the sidewalk for a little while, watching night settle in the middle of late afternoon. Then they look at each other in that creepy, synchronized way they always do, seemingly having another full conversation completely silently, expressions completely neutral. Finally, Chara leaves Frisk to the night and heads after their brother, giving Sans an unreadable look as they pass by him.

Sans doesn't know how to feel about the fact that he was right about Frisk. About them choosing to ignore everything that happened instead of being truly angry with Chara like they probably should be. He isn't sure he'll ever fully understand the humans' bond. But if Chara really intends to get better - if they really intend on becoming someone Frisk can trust with their life if need be - then maybe he doesn't need to understand.

He wants to know if Chara's determination can pale. He wants to know if it's possible for them to truly change.

For another minute, Sans leaves Frisk to their silence. Maybe they want to be alone. But there's also a solid chance that they don't. Actually, the child feels lonely more often than not. He goes up to them.

"hey kiddo."

Without a word, Frisk pushes his arm up and slips under his jacket. Sans huffs a laugh and puts his arm around them, holding the jacket in place so it's covering their shoulders. They're shivering, and they feel cold, even in their sweater, which has somehow turned the right way around sometime during the day.

"wanna go back in the house?"

They shake their head.

"wanna yell at me for being a hardheaded jerk with no impulse control?"

They nod.

"let 'er rip."

Frisk frees their arm from his jacket and slaps him limply in the face. It feels like getting gently smacked with a dead fish. He kind of feels like he might deserve a little more karmic justice than that, but he's not gonna push it.

"you feel better now?"

"No." Frisk retracts their hand again. It's cold out. It's better under his jacket. They're just gonna live here now, they decide. "You're a jerk, but I don't even really remember why, so I'm just gonna keep slapping you in the face until I stop being mad. It'll come when you least expect it."

Sans shrugs. "that's fair."

The little kid sighs, leaning their head against his chest. He can feel the way their mood plummets, the way their hands grip his ribs a little too tightly, the way they lean on him, as if the weight on their shoulders is too much for them to carry on their own. Sans knows he can't do much but simply stand a little firmer and be patient. They'll be okay eventually. If there's one person he trusts to be okay, it's Frisk.

"Could you tell me what happened again?" they ask, voice so quiet that he can barely hear them. Fortunately, the night is quiet. "I don't remember all that much ..."

Sans wonders if he should leave some of the details out. He's guilty of doing so before. Just to spare the little one's heart. But he thinks that even though this timeline wasn't very happy, it was still maybe a little too important to forget. At least for the kids and him.

It was a warning. More than anything, it was a warning.

"do you remember the determination extraction plan?" he asks.

"Mhmm." Frisk wishes they didn't. "You were going to hollow out Chara's soul so they couldn't reset anymore."

"yeah." That was the gist of it, wasn't it? "and you wouldn't let me. you cared too much. you couldn't let them get hurt."

"So me and Chara ran away."

"and you were gone for a very long time." He almost tears up at the memory. He doesn't remember when he got this soft. Or when he got so scared that he started caring again. It feels natural now. Like it's always been a part of him. In reality, he thinks this might be the most he's been able to feel since ... well, since the first dozen timelines. He's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "when i found you again, i scared chara really bad. do you remember that?"

Frisk's brows knit in concentration. Then they nod again. They do remember that. It made them really mad. Chara never did tell them what Sans had said to them to make them come along without protest, but they were clinging to Asriel like their life depended on it afterwards, so Frisk can guess. That wasn't fair. It wasn't okay.

"you got away again. and the next time i found you, chara had gotten ... really scared. and really angry and hateful, and i think it might have been my fault. for scaring them that first time."

"They tried to control me again."

"they did, yeah. they ... found out that i really cared about you and they tried to use you against me. to get back at me. it didn't work. you were too tough for them." He gives them a little playful nudge.

Frisk looks up at him, eyes still dull with memories fading. "But you went to fight them anyway, right?"

"i did. i'm sorry i didn't listen to you. it wasn't fair."

That seems to placate them a little. Knowing that their anger isn't over nothing. Maybe knowing that both Chara and Sans regret what they did helps them feel safer, too. At least they can still trust both of their friends. Even though they messed up in another timeline, they're back to the people Frisk used to know.

Better, maybe. Better than the people Frisk used to know.

They close their eyes and pull his jacket a little more tightly around themself. It's all so confusing for them. Their memories are a mess. They know Chara tried to control them and they know Sans fought Chara even though Frisk begged him not to hurt them. They know they died. They died to save Chara. They don't know what happened after that. Their soul never did stick around for long after their death. Even if it had, they're not sure it would be able to sense what happened.

"I don't understand," they say. "We went through so much bad stuff, but none of it mattered in the end. Everything's back to how it was before me and Chara left, and no one but us even remember what happened. What was the point of it all? Did we really go through all that pain for nothing?"

Sans forces himself to meet their gaze, knowing full well that Frisk's eyes are teary again. It hurts so much, seeing them like this, but it would hurt even more to look away and pretend this isn't the reality they ended up with. The ending they got.

"listen, kid ..." He doesn't know how to tell them this in a way that won't make them even more sad. He doesn't know how to make this seem like a happy ending. "sometimes ... bad stuff happens. and it's not always because someone gets angry or greedy or envious, or because someone wants something they can't have. a lot of the time, there is no real bad guy behind it all. just a lot of ... sad people. and scared people. and people who care about others a lot and want to make sure they're safe. and things get complicated. they get so caught up in their own stuff that they don't realize just how badly they're hurting the ones they love. it's not about being right or wrong, 'cause sometimes right and wrong aren't as clear-cut as they are in the underground. it's ... easy to lose sight of what matters the most. sometimes, those sad and scared and caring people end up hurting each other without meaning to. i don't think there's any real lesson to be learned there. except maybe learn to communicate your problems before you chase some 10-year-old across the country hellbent on putting their soul through a paper shredder." He breathes a laugh, but it's not a very happy one.

"And not everything can be resolved by just being nice," Frisk finishes. They follow a few stray leaves with their eyes as the debris dances through the open road on a cold breeze.

"yeah. yeah, that's it exactly." That doesn't mean you can't strive to be a good person. It just doesn't solve everything. Sometimes there is no right option. Sometimes life is more complicated than that. They're all just lucky they got a chance to do it all over again and do it right this time. Most people don't get a chance like that. "you're a smart kid, y'know."

Frisk doesn't bother to give credit where credit is due on that sentiment. They're too caught up in thoughts. They wanted so badly for Chara to trust them of their own volition, but in the end, they had to give up on them. They suppose it was just their luck that it helped Chara to understand where they went wrong more than anything. Frisk would've given them a second chance anyway if they came back, no matter how bad it might have been for themself, because they can't stay mad at Chara, but now they at least won't have to be scared anymore. Chara has finally decided to become a better person all on their own without Frisk pressuring them into it. That's big for them.

Maybe this timeline wasn't so wasted after all. Even if what they gained seems so, so small and inconsequential compared to what they lost.

Who knows. Maybe in time, it'll all make sense.

"anyway," Sans says. "if you ever wanna refresh your memory, i wrote down everything i could remember when i first woke up in this timeline, as per usual, so you can always come over whenever, okay? don't be afraid to ask."

Frisk commits that to memory, at least. They think they'll want to read it themself at some point, just to sort it all out and catch all the little details that Sans might have skipped over.

Not tonight, though.

Tonight, they're going to get a full night's sleep.

***

Asriel hasn't slept in a regular bed since the first night he came back to life. He hasn't been able to dream since then, either. Since his own nightmares nearly took his new life before it even started. He still wonders if any of the things that happened afterwards were really real, sometimes, or if everything that came after that day was only a dream, or a delusion. Sometimes, he wonders if he has even really left the Underground at all.

It's okay, though. If this is just his imagination, he doesn't want to go back to the real world.

Even long after he has said goodnight to his mother and his siblings, he lies awake in his bed in the dark, unable to close his eyes. Though the dark green curtains are pulled, a small slice of the night sky peeks through on one side, as dark and as starless as it has been for the past many, many days. There's a light on the horizon, however, visible between two big houses on the other side of the cul-de-sac. It pulses, slowly, slowly, like a warm, steady heartbeat. Toriel said it was a lighthouse meant to warn ships away from the coast. Asriel wonders if it can ward off bad dreams, too. Or maybe it can summon back the stars. Why are they hiding, anyway? They have nothing to be afraid of. Why are they leaving everyone on the ground all alone?

He watches that heartbeat, syncing his breathing to it, and bit by bit, he lets his eyes fall shut.

There's a small knock at the door. Soft, hesitant, like the person on the other side doesn't want to wake him if he's already asleep. Then, careful not to make the hinges creek, they turn the doorknob and push the door open just a little.

At first, Asriel thinks it's Frisk - but then the low light reflects in the little human's eyes. They're red.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They're clutching a pillow in their arms, tightly, like they're trying to hug it and like they're a little upset it isn't hugging them back. "I'm sorry if I woke you up. I ... h-had a nightmare." They look away, self-conscious. Then they look down the hallway in the direction of Toriel's room, and as they do, the light catches in the lines running down their face. They've been crying. Maybe they feel him looking, 'cause they lower their head, nearly hiding their face behind their pillow. "Could I ... maybe sleep in your room tonight?"

Asriel can't hide the puzzled look on his face. That's not really a very Chara-like thing to ask for, is it? Maybe it would have been back in their first life when they were just a scared, lonely little kid who needed to be comforted and taken care of a lot, but they don't need that anymore as much, do they? Chara's always so tough now. They're the one looking after him and Frisk most of the time, not the other way around.

"Of course ..." He quickly moves over to make room for them. If a nightmare could upset them that much, it must've been bad.

Chara mumbles an embarrassed little "thank you" and quickly comes over to curl up next to him. Still they stay very close to the edge, giving Asriel a lot more space than he's really sure he needs. They look uncomfortable. Nervous. Like they're not sure if they're really supposed to be here.

Asriel can't help but wonder why they didn't go to their mom or Frisk. It's not that he doesn't want them here, of course not! But him and Chara have still been a little tense with each other since their resurrection. Things aren't really back to the way they used to be. It's hard. Getting to know each other again. More than once, he's been a little afraid that him and his best friend just wouldn't really get along anymore, ever.

But maybe he was wrong.

"Do you want to tell me about your dream?"

Chara nods, even though their eyes remain downcast. They knead their pillowcase between their fingers, trying to find a way to begin. It all seems so big in their head. Insurmountable. Making sense of it seems nearly impossible, but he deserves to know. He should know. This was his dream, too. Even if he doesn't remember it. They decide to start from the beginning.

"I dreamed," they say, voice barely above a whisper, "that I was in a lot of danger. I dreamed that the resets could be fixed without me. So you didn't need me around anymore."

"That's not the only reason we need you around," Asriel interrupts without meaning to. He puts his paw over their hand, as if to stop them from disappearing right in front of his eyes. "I don't care about the resets, I just want you here with me."

Chara isn't so sure he will after hearing about the rest of their nightmare.

"There were others who didn't. And I had to run away." They release the pillow to run their fingers over his claws instead. He always did have weirdly sharp little needle claws. They're sharper than either of their parents'. Chara doesn't know why. "I went to a faraway place where I couldn't see you anymore. And I had to survive on my own. For a while ... I almost forgot you ever really existed."

Slowly, slowly, the lighthouse pulses in the distance. Slowly, slowly, the clouds in the sky drift along a gentle wind, heading south. Outside, the town is asleep in the dark. Asriel wonders why nightmares exist at all. If they didn't, night would probably be his favorite time of day. He moves a little closer to Chara, listening, sad that he didn't come wake them up before their dreams got so sad. He knew he couldn't have known, but he still wishes he had.

"I wasn't really alone. Frisk was there. They wanted to help me escape because they were worried about what was going to happen to me, but I couldn't understand that. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to help me." Least of all someone they hurt so, so badly in the past. It didn't seem logical. Chara never would've helped someone who hurt them like that. "It became winter. And it got cold. And we both got very sick." Maybe not in the same way. But both of them did get sick. "I said so many awful things to Frisk I didn't mean. I thought so many bad things too, and I- I don't know where it all came from. I was just ... so scared. I didn't want to die, not for real, not like that. And I was so afraid of being alone again. I thought I could make Frisk stay with me if I was just mean enough. I didn't think they'd dare to leave. I was so horrible to them."

Asriel isn't really sure this was a dream at all. The thought makes his heart feel heavy. This must've been what Chara wanted to talk to him about earlier today. He wonders when it happened. Or when it didn't happen, rather. When Chara saved and when they reloaded to.

"Did I find you?" he asks, moving a little closer and hoping Chara will understand it as an invitation to take up a little more space themself too. "If you disappeared, I must've gone out to look for you. I'd never leave you out there all alone."

He did. He did find them. That memory is even more blurry to Chara than the others are. But they know they were mean to him as well. He tried to save them, but they didn't trust him. Why didn't they? Was it for the same reason they didn't trust Frisk? Or was it something else?

They nod, moving a little bit away from the edge and holding his paw with both hands. "You found us. But I was so out of it that I was bad to you too. I pushed you and I told you that I couldn't trust you, and I said that because of you, I was going to die. You were so sad. You'd been looking for us for so long and you were so desperate to save us, but when you finally did, I just got angry at you."

"It sounds like you had a good reason to be angry, though." This doesn't sound like something they should feel all that guilty over, he doesn't think. No, they shouldn't lash out against him if they were angry, and definitely, definitely not against Frisk, but it seems like they were just really afraid. It would make sense for them to be in a weird mental place with something like that hanging over their head. It's not like Chara's normally very nice on the best of days, Asriel doesn't get why they're so upset over this. No one should have to go through something like that, least of all a little kid, of course they'd be out of it.

Chara shakes their head, their tired, puffy eyes glazing over. "No, no, I took it too far." They release his hand frantically try to wipe away their tears before they spill, but they're not quick enough, and drops of saltwater stain the pillow under their head. "Everything got complicated. I got angrier and angrier, and I forgot why I left at all. Why I didn't just tell mom that- that he was after me-"

Asriel has a terrible feeling he knows exactly who this 'he' is.

"I didn't want him to get in trouble. I didn't want him to tell anyone about what I did back in the past timelines, but I didn't want him to get hurt either, I knew I was the bad guy and he was just trying to set things right, I knew that from the beginning, I didn't want anyone to get hurt, I wanted everyone to get out of this alive and okay, but I forgot and- and I-"

Asriel pushes himself up so he's sitting against the headboard, and though Chara resists at first, he manages to get them to sit up so he can hug them and they can cry into his shoulder, their tears soaking his night shirt.

"I hurt Frisk." They lay their palm flat against their heart, and he instantly knows in which way they mean. "And they ended up dead because of me. You thought I killed them on purpose. So ..." Their voice goes hollow. "... you made me reload." They think they remember Asriel dying too, dying with them, just like that first time, but they're not sure. Maybe it's just their imagination. A really, really bad kind of wishful thinking they didn't think they were even capable of anymore.

Asriel doesn't move. They expected him to, they expected him to get angry, to throw them out, to treat them with all the contempt that Frisk didn't. But he doesn't. He stays with them, holds them, lets them cry, patting them softly on the back, as warm and as gentle and as patient as ever.

Chara once tried to kill that kindness within him. They once tried to ruin the very reason they came to love him in the first place. Just like they did with Frisk. Why? Why do they do they these things to the ones they want the most to be happy? They don't understand themself anymore. They don't understand why they even try.

"That does sound like a really bad dream," Asriel says.

For a second, Chara forgets what he's talking about. Then they remember that they weren't actually going to tell him that all of this really happened. They were just going to tell him it was a nightmare and then tell him the truth some other time. Did he catch on? Did they out themself?

Chara pulls back a little so they can look at him. Yeah. Yeah, it seems they did. The look on his face is a little too harrowed for him to think it was anything but real. But he doesn't look upset, at least. He looks calm.

"Good thing you woke up."

This explains why Chara was so nice today, Asriel thinks. They must have been happy to see their siblings again. And they must have felt guilty.

Chara never really was one for guilt. They always said that they were meant to be bad, that it was who they were, that they couldn't help it, so feeling bad about it wasn't going to do them any favors anyway. But Asriel never really believed that. He was never completely sure if Chara cared, but he knew they were capable of doing so if they let themself. He knew they could be a good person if only they tried.

He didn't want them to be scared into doing so, though. He'd rather Chara be cold and cruel all their life than see them go through any of the things they just said. They were already getting better before this. They didn't need to through so much awfulness to realize what really mattered to them the most, he's sure of it.

"Do you ... remember anything? Anything at all?" Chara asks, sliding back down under the covers and moving their pillow just a few more inches away from the edge of the bed.

Asriel follows them, rolling over on his side and hugging his knees to his chest. "Mh-mh. Sorry." Not one bit. "When did you reload to?"

"Last night. Frisk got really mad at me for everything that happened and ... they went home. I couldn't do it all over again on my own, so I went back to Sans and Papyrus' house. Sans felt really bad about everything too, so we made a truce. It's fine now."

Asriel nods slowly. That's good. Everyone did seem to be doing alright today, even the ones who should remember bits and pieces. Well, everyone except for Frisk. They were a little down. Or maybe mostly shook up, in hindsight. It's no wonder.

"Do you think they're going to be okay?" he asks.

Chara isn't so sure they know the answer to that anymore. Frisk doesn't really know how to cope with this stuff in a conventional way. They internalize all of it, choosing to have nightmares and terrible intrusive thoughts and violent urges they never act on over taking the time they need to be upset with someone. Chara can't help but be worried about the little one's future and how they're going to handle people who don't intend to change for the better. Some people just can't change. Some people don't want to change. Would Frisk be able to leave a person like that? At least they were able to leave Flowey back in the Underground. So perhaps ...

All tangled up in thoughts, the two kids lay on their backs and stare up into the wooden ceiling above. It's covered in little green glow-in-the-dark plastic stars. Frisk must've put them there. Just in case Asriel was afraid of the dark like they used to be once. They wanted him to remember that even if he felt alone, he never was.

Asriel pats the mattress between them and Chara takes his hand again, not so much for comfort this time, but mostly for companionship. Just to feel someone next to them. Just to remind themself that even as the nights grow ever longer and even as winter threatens to come for them once again, promising to be just as bitter and cold as the timeline they just abandoned, they're safe here, in a soft bed in a warm house, with their mother sleeping just at the other end of the house, and with their little almost-twin right on the other side of the hallway, and with him - their lost one, their best friend, their brother by choice - right here by their side.

Little by little, their tears subside.

"Chara?"

"Yeah?" Chara almost thought he'd fallen asleep already. His breathing is so slow and calm and steady. But he hasn't. Not yet.

"I didn't really mean what I said back in the Underground. About wishing I'd been friends with Frisk instead of you."

They had nearly forgotten about that. Usually, remembering that makes them feel all messed up and jealous. But not so much now. Now they know why he said that. Now they understand why he needed to realize that Chara maybe wasn't as amazing as he once thought they were.

"I thought I wished I'd been friends with Frisk instead of you. But that's not true. I think I just wished that you'd been nicer." He smiles despite the tears in his eyes. "You two are really different. I wouldn't want to choose between you. You're both my best friends. Things are better when you're both here with me. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you could ever be replaced, because you can't." It takes someone really strong and really caring to admit when they've done something bad. Chara are both of those things. Asriel doesn't really blame himself for doubting that, because Chara really wasn't very nice in their first life, but they're so much better now, so he can admit to being wrong, too.

Chara doesn't think they should feel as comforted by that as they do. They agree, though. Things are better with all three of them together. "No hard feelings, bro."

"Can you tell if Frisk is asleep?" Frisk does often have trouble sleeping. If they're awake, Asriel doesn't want them to be alone.

Chara's eyes go unfocused for a moment as they reach out to the white soul across the hallway only to find-

They pause. When Asriel looks like he's about to ask what's wrong, they hold a finger to their lips.

As quietly as they can, they slip out from under the covers and tiptoe across the floorboards.

And when they open the door, a little human comes flailing backwards across the doorstep, landing on the ground with a dull thud.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, any further interrogation will be discussed through my lawyer!" they rattle off, pointing up at Chara in defiance.

"Oh my god, just go get your pillow, you little gremlin," Chara laughs despite their words, hiding their face in their hand. They should have seen this coming.

Frisk gives them a completely stoic thumbs-up, rolls back upright and goes off to fetch their pillow. Chara and Asriel exchange a look, unable to keep a straight face at Frisk's shenanigans. They can't help it, either of them. Somewhere along the way, that strange little kid who gave them so much trouble became a friend, and somewhere between then and now, they became family as well. Chara never wanted Asriel to have any other friends in their first lives. Now they can't for the life of them imagine excluding Frisk ever again.

"No, but seriously," Frisk says as they come back with their pillow under their arm. "I couldn't actually hear anything through the door except for Chara being really sad and I don't like that, so would you please tell me what you were talking about?"

"You," Chara says nonchalantly. A little less nonchalantly and a little more awkwardly, they add: "And I guess I was telling Asriel about ... our, uhm ... 'misadventure', a moment ago."

Frisk hums in response. They kind of suspected that was the problem. They think they also heard them talk about something else, but they're going to let it rest for now. It seemed a little too big for them. A little too emotional. They're not really in the mood for any more big, emotional things tonight. They're too tired.

Asriel scoots back against the wall, untangling the cords in his stabilizer and shoving them down the side of the bed. Suddenly, his relatively large bed seems pretty small, and Frisk isn't really a 'personal space' kind of person the way Chara is. True enough, they flop backwards squarely across the middle of the bed, planting the back of their head firmly in Asriel's stomach and prompting a strangled "Ugh" from their brother.

Grinning despite themself, Chara kicks at Frisk's feet with their knee. "Come on, you little anarchist, don't make me sit on your legs!"

Frisk sticks their tongue out at them, but they do end up turning the right way around, and they reach their arms out to Chara in a wordless demand for them to lie down already. It's not a real sleepover if people aren't sleeping!

Chara rolls their eyes and complies, crawling in next to them and letting them hug them in greeting, kind of awkwardly patting the little hug monster on the elbow. Frisk heaves a contented sigh, pressing the side of their face into their big sibling's shoulder. Chara looks over their head at Asriel, who does look a little conflicted. Not nearly as much as they feel, but still.

Frisk is a complicated person. They don't deal well with anger, and they don't hold grudges. Chara supposes they ... prefer to quite literally befriend their demons.

The awkward pat on the kid's elbow turns into a small, actual hug, as a bit of an afterthought. It kind of helps, knowing Asriel isn't sure how he feels about Frisk's coping methods either. Like Sans said, it's probably best to just be patient with them. They need time.

Yawning, Frisk worms one hand under Asriel's elbow so their arms are linked with both of their siblings', and then they wiggle into the mattress until they're comfortable and close their eyes, safe between the other kids. Soon Asriel follows their example, happy to have this one last wish fulfilled. Now things are perfect. With all three of them together.

Maybe he's right, Chara thinks. Maybe things really are just the way they're supposed to be. They wouldn't call this ending 'perfect', but ... all three of them are alive. All of them are safe. And as long as they keep moving forward, they can get better.

As long as they stay alive, they can get better.

They think about Toriel surviving the deaths of both of her children and living another century in the dark, isolated, struggling on until the day when a child fell who brought her and her people back to the sun.

They think about Asgore laying down his weapons and making peace with the very race who chased his people into the dark and took those very same children away from him.

They think about Sans, and about Papyrus, torn from the lives they used to know and thrown into a world they didn't belong in, finding friends and a family, and learning to be happy with what they had left.

They think about Undyne, growing up with the heartfelt, yet impossible wishes of her people whispered into her ear in every corner of Waterfall, training every day of her life to become the kind of person who could grant them all the lives they longed for, only to find that someone else could give the monsters back the surface peacefully.

And finally, they think about Alphys. About a person who messed up so horrifically and caused so many people so much grief - and yet managed to turn it all around and do right by the ones she hurt.

They can feel Frisk's breathing turn deep and slow, steady and mellow. They look over at them.

The little one is asleep. Not dead, but asleep, gentle dreams enveloping that fragile little soul in peace and warmth and rest.

Next to them, Asriel is asleep too, his head drooping onto Frisk's shoulder.

Chara thinks about both of them. About children who were lost. About children who saw so many awful things, yet came out of them softer and kinder and even more deeply caring than they were before. About a child who ended the whole world just for the chance to see his best friend one more time, and about a child who forgave him for everything he did and held him while he cried out the last shards of his broken heart.

Both of these children are smiling in their sleep.

A little stray tear runs down Chara's temple and into their hair - but they're smiling too now.

The fight isn't over. It's only just begun. Death is easy. But being alive ... It's worth the price.

Careful not to wake either of them, Chara curls up on their side, leans their head on Frisk's and reaches over them to hold Asriel's hand. Finally, they dare to close their eyes. They don't even notice how tired they are before they do so.

They best get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day. Another day of fighting, another day of hoping despite everything inside of them telling them not to, another day of things that are ... complicated.

They're not sure how they ever thought they were ready to leave all of this behind. Maybe they were too angry to really think straight. Or maybe they were too scared. They can't tell anymore.

It's becoming harder to remember.