Six years ago, the Ruins.

"Claire, are you sure?"

"I have to. Toriel… thank you so much, for everything. But… my daughter needs more than the Ruins to grow up in. There's so much that's crumbling and falling apart here, and it wouldn't be safe. Not to mention how cramped it is. I'm sorry."

"No… no, you're right. This is no place for a human child to grow up." Toriel nodded. "Good luck, Claire. And I hope to see you again someday."

Claire looked down at the infant swaddled in her arms, fast asleep. The baby girl was only six months old—old enough to be weaned, which was why Claire had waited so long to leave the Ruins. She glanced at Toriel again, who had tears in her eyes.

"You'd best hurry. A sentry will be coming by soon." Toriel opened the door and Claire stepped through onto the short pathway that led to the exit. "Goodbye, Claire."

"Bye, Toriel."

The door shut and Claire sighed.

"Well, if it isn't Claire!"

She almost jumped at the sudden voice, looking straight ahead to see Flowey poking out of the dirt in front of her.

"Flowey," she snapped. "Here to gloat? About how it's kill or be killed?"

"No, nothing like that. I want to help you."

"Oh, really? How?"

"By telling you where to take your baby! There's a sentry in the forest—give the brat to him and he'll take care of it."

"Her name is—"

"He's short, kind of tubby, and constantly smiling. He's a skeleton. And as long as you're… nice… he won't hurt you or the little waste of space."

Claire narrowed her eyes and quickly walked past him, making sure not to jostle her daughter too much. And as she stepped into the Underground, she was hit with the sudden chill of Snowdin. She shivered, and then Kristen started to cry. Clutching her baby girl to her chest, Claire continued down the path.

Snowdin was eerie, like something out of one of her nightmares. Dark trees, quiet wind whistling, and other than that, there was no sound but her baby crying. Claire felt like crying herself; she was barely more than a child. She was only sixteen. She shouldn't be caring for one of her own yet. And here she was, walking through the snow with an infant daughter and more than likely going to die within the next couple months. She wasn't angry. She was more sad and upset at the human race for doing this. A gate with bars too wide to stop anyone stood before her and suddenly she couldn't move.

"HUMAN."

She shook at the threatening voice.

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO GREET A NEW PAL? TURN AROUND AND SHAKE MY HAND."

She turned and saw a dark figure holding its right hand out. Of course Claire shook the figure's hand and there was a loud noise, like a fart. The figure turned out to be a short, tubby skeleton with a smiling face.

"Heh heh heh. The old 'whoopee-cushion in the hand' trick. It's always funny. Anyways, I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."

"Claire. Claire Ridgeway, the Human mother, I guess."

"Mother?" He glanced down at Kristen, who stared back at him with deep green eyes. "Aw. Cute kid."

"She is… but I can't take care of her anymore."

"Why not?"

"You and I both know that no Human has ever come back from this mountain. I doubt I'll be the first. And I want my baby to have her best chance."

"Uh-huh…"

"So… so would you take care of her, Sans?"

"T-take your baby?!"

"Please? She needs a chance and I think you could give her that chance. You're the second monster I've met who didn't try to kill me on sight!"

"S-second…"

"Please. I just… I want her to live. She's already weaned and she just needs somebody to look after her until she's old enough to do it on her own. Take care of her. Play with her. Raise her."

Sans took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'll take her."

"Thank you!"

Claire gently slid her baby into Sans's arms, showing him how to cradle her head and to hold her properly.

"This kid have a name?"

"Kristen."

"Heh. That was my grandma's name. This is Kristen Lucida."

"I love that. One more thing: if you ever get out of here, find my parents in Ebott City. They… they deserve to know their granddaughter." Claire kissed her baby on the forehead. "Good luck, Kristen. I love you."

And Sans watched Claire walk away. He knew that Claire would likely be killed and added to the King's collection. But Kristen…

Sans looked at the infant's SOUL. It was tiny, but strong… and half-Monster. Not as if her father were a Monster, but as if magic had attached to it. He figured she'd been born in the Underground. He knew her SOUL would be no use to the king. And he was her best chance to survive. Kristen hiccupped and started to cry and Sans could tell she was freezing. He'd better get her home before she froze to death. He bundled her inside his hoodie and booked it in one of his shortcuts back to his house, where he rearranged one of his drawers to serve as a temporary cradle for her. It only took a moment for her to settle down, and then she was asleep. For a brief second, all he could do was watch this tiny thing that he'd been entrusted with the life of.

"SANS!"

He jumped at the sound of Papyrus's voice.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"I'm in my room!" he called. He could hear Papyrus running up the stairs and the door flew open to reveal the taller of the two.

"Oh, there you are, Sans! I was looking—" Papyrus stopped. "Sans, what is that?"

"What is what?"

"That… thing in your dresser. It's so… tiny."

"Papyrus, I'd like you to meet your niece. Her name is Kristen and she's going to be living with us."

"M-my niece?!"

"Her mother can't take care of her, and so she asked me to take her in. You're okay with it, right?"

"Of course, brother! The Great Papyrus can help take care of a baby. Even if the baby is…" He gasped. "A HUMAN?!"

"Paps, she's a baby." Sans narrowed his eyes in a way that told Papyrus that the baby wasn't to be captured. "Besides, her SOUL isn't any good to us as a means to break the barrier."

Papyrus frowned and looked back at Kristen.

"How can a human be so tiny?"

"She'll grow. As she gets older, that is. Until she's old enough to take care of herself, we've gotta do it."

Papyrus sighed; he hoped Sans was right about this…

"I've gotta do something today. Can you watch Kris for me?"

"No problem, Brother!" Papyrus picked up Kristen and rested her on his hip.

As Sans had predicted, Kristen had grown quickly. It had only been four months since she started living with them and Papyrus had realized that there was no way he was going to let anything happen to her. Sans left the house while Papyrus sat down on the couch to turn on the movie he and Sans had found at the dump. Kristen babbled happily as she tugged on his scarf.

"Puh!" she squealed.

"What was that, darling niece?"

"Pah!" He gasped.

"Are you trying to say Papyrus?!"

"Pap!" Her eyes were lit up and he cheered as he lifted her into the air.

"I knew I was your favorite! You said my name first! Sort of!"

He set her down on the couch—surrounded by pillows and her blanket so she wouldn't fall—and dashed up to his room to grab her baby book that he'd bought a few days after she came to live with them. On the page for her first word, he wrote 'Pap' on the blank space and the day's date. When he got back downstairs, she squealed again and reached for him.

"Pap!"

"Yes, Kristen, it is your Uncle Pap!"

He held her close again and they settled in to watch the movie until Papyrus's phone alarm rang. Checking it, he remembered he had training with Undyne… and Sans wasn't home yet. Nobody else in Snowdin knew about Kristen yet because his brother was afraid they'd try to kill her—a fear that Papyrus shared. Which only left one option—bringing Kristen with him to Undyne's and hope that his teacher didn't try to kill the baby.

"All right, niece of mine. We're going to go on an adventure!"

Kristen clapped her little hands as Papyrus struggled to put her little coat on her. It had a hood that made her look like a Monster to avoid suspicion that Sans had made. The fact that his lazy brother put more effort into hiding Kristen than into his work… it was strange. And so Papyrus headed out of the house and towards Waterfall. Nobody really seemed to be out and about that day and he reached Undyne's with no problem at all. She opened the door.

"Hello, Undyne!"

"Hey, Papyrus. Who's this?"

"Let me in and I'll introduce you before we start training!"

Upon entering the house, Kristen started crying because she was too warm. Papyrus could tell. He took off the little coat and wrapped her much-thinner baby blanket around her.

"Undyne, this is my niece, Kristen."

Undyne made a spear appear.

"Please don't hurt her! She's only a baby!"

"But she's Human!"

"Her SOUL is rather odd. Magic is attached to it, and it's essentially half-Monster. So she won't be any use in bringing down the barrier. Instead, she's been living with Sans and myself for the past four months."

"Unka Pap!"

"And I'm her favorite!"

The Captain of the Royal Guard frowned and looked the baby girl up and down, getting close enough for Kristen and her to make eye contact. Suddenly, Kristen poked Undyne's cheek, giggling. The fish-woman jumped, but she couldn't help but smile back.

"Cute kid."

"Isn't she?! I… I want her to be happy. She's my only niece after all. Do you think you could help me with that?"

"Of course! Everyone will love her! Or they'll have to answer to me!"

Kristen giggled at the two.

Sans was grateful that Undyne had accepted Kristen. Because of that, the rest of the Underground refused to touch her. However it also caught the attention of Asgore, who insisted on meeting the little Human girl. So today, Sans and Papyrus were taking an eighteen-month-old Kristen to meet the King of Monsters. And that included a trek through Hotland and the Core—both of which were places Sans tried to avoid whenever necessary. Asgore had even sent an escort for them in the form of the new Royal Scientist and her pet project—a robotic star named Mettaton.

"Y-you all must be the ones we were sent to get," Alphys stammered, straightening her glasses. "I'm Alphys."

"Alf!" giggled Kristen.

"And my name is Mettaton!" the robot piped up.

"Ton-Ton!"

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest! Why anyone would want to kill something so innocent, I don't know."

Sans snickered. The five headed off towards the castle, Kristen still clinging to Sans as she babbled. Her speech wasn't fully developed yet, which made it difficult to understand what she was saying at times. But according to some of the Human parenting books he'd rescued from the Dump, that was normal.

Upon reaching the castle, they met Asgore in the throne room. He held Kristen and declared that she would be safe for as long as they lived in the Underground, that no Monster was to harm her. That was exactly what Sans had wanted.

A few days later, Mettaton showed up at their house in Snowdin. Kristen was lying on her belly and drawing a picture, and she lit up at the sight of the rectangle.

"Ton-Ton!" she cheered.

"What's up, Metal Crusher?" Sans asked.

"Well, you mentioned that Krismas didn't have many toys, so I figured…" He pulled out a brightly-wrapped package and handed it to Kristen. She clumsily tore the paper and opened the box to find a stuffed toy cat.

"Pretty!"

"That was nice of ya."

"Well, she's so little. And if you ever need a babysitter, call me. I'll do it if I'm not busy."

"Thanks. Always nice to have somebody else on the list. Me and Paps are so busy…"

Kristen was hugging the cat. It was an orange tabby and she seemed to love it.

"It was a purr-fect gift for her."

"SAAAAAAANS!" Papyrus yelled. "DO NOT CORRUPT MY NIECE WITH YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES!"

"I guess that wouldn't be very 'niece' of me."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The youngest member of the family watched her father and uncle with a smile and started giggling again.

"Daddy?"

Sans started upright at the sound of a little voice. He looked to see Kristen standing in the dark. In her arms were her blanket and her favorite stuffed cat. He sighed in relief, then noticed there were dried tearstains and she was clutching her cat like a lifeline. Like a good father, he opened his arms to her.

"C'mere, Princess."

She clambered onto the bed and hugged him tightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Had a nightmare. There was a Human, Daddy, and they were bad. They hurt a buncha Monsters really really bad and then they… they turned Uncle Paps into dust!" She clutched him tighter.

"Aw, kiddo…"

"A-and then, they hurt MK and they made Undyne melt and… and…"

"And what?"

"You stopped them. A lot. But then you got tired and fell asleep. And they got you, too."

"Did they get you?"

"Uh-uh."

"Good." She was quiet for a moment, then sniffed.

"Can I stay here?"

"Of course." She pulled the blanket over her and Sans tucked her in.

Three years old… and already, the old stories are comin' true.

There were stories of before Monsters were locked Underground, back when there was peace with the Humans. Of Halflings, those who were both Monster and Human. Halflings had abilities that neither Humans nor Monsters had—the ability to predict timelines. Events. It was a Halfling who had predicted the Human-Monster war. And they'd been forced into the Underground alongside Monsters. But they'd quickly died out, unable to take the guilt of not being able to free their brethren.

Kristen was the first Halfling in a long, long time.

I really hope that's not the real timeline…

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"What happens when we die?"

"Well, it depends. Some people, like Monsters, turn to dust. Humans—they leave their body behind. But you're special."

"How?"

"You aren't either of those. I dunno what's gonna happen to you. But… I'm always gonna be here."

"Even when you're dust?"

"Even when I'm dust. Because when a Monster dies, you spread their dust on their favorite things. And I want my dust put on my bed, a bottle of ketchup, my favorite spot at Grillby's, and… you."

"Daddy!"

"Hey, I'm serious! Dust take me seriously!"

She started giggling.

"There's that smile. Hey, I ain't goin' anywhere, not for a long time. Not until you're a grown-up, okay?"

"Okay."

"Is this a pajama party?!"

They both turned to see Papyrus in the doorway, wearing his own pajamas and carrying a pillow and blanket.

"Oh, please let me join!"

"Uncle Paps!" Kristen started to bounce on the bed, her nightmare obviously forgotten.

Papyrus dashed and dove onto the bed, all three of them laughing happily.

As soon as Papyrus and Kristen fell asleep, however, Sans found himself unable to do the same. Kristen's nightmare still bothered him.

Why would that Human leave her alive…?

They didn't.

Sans trembled as he forced himself to walk forwards. Kristen was lying face-down on the ground in Waterfall, just outside the entrance to Hotland. Where Undyne had made her last stand and melted. MK had run into Sans and screamed about how Kristen had insisted on helping Undyne rather than running away. And Sans had hurried as fast as he could, using every shortcut he knew to try and get to his daughter in time.

Maybe he wasn't too late.

He knelt by her body and turned her over. There was a slash across her pink sweater, staining the fabric redder than ketchup. But he knew that wasn't what had done it. Her bright green scarf was sliced in half next to her, her throat… He couldn't breathe. Sans pressed his forehead against Kristen's.

Kris…

Too late. She was gone. The little girl he'd protected for so long was dead. He hadn't kept his promise to Claire. And now…

"Daddy?"

He snapped his head up to see Kristen there… a ghost. Like Napstablook, but different.

"Kris?!"

"I'm still here. Don't be sad."

"Kris, you're…"

"A ghost." She nodded. "Go stop the bad Human."

"I'm not leaving you alone!"

Suddenly, Papyrus's scarf floated from his pocket and the pieces of Kristen's came up from the ground. They were tied to the red and then the new scarf dropped into his hands.

"I'm not alone, and neither are you. I'll always be with you, Daddy. Now go kick that Human's butt."

"Heh." He smiled sadly. "You really are my little girl."

"Good luck, Daddy."

And when it happened—he finally fell—it was Kristen and Papyrus who came to get him.

"You're both here…" he mumbled.

"It's gonna be okay," Kristen said, hugging him as he joined them in the After. "We'll all be back to normal, soon."

"She's been saying that since she got here," sighed Papyrus. "I haven't the foggiest what she's talking about."

"Well, then, I guess you must have 'mist' the memo."

"SAAAAAAANS!"

Kristen started giggling, then her eyes glossed over for a moment.

And suddenly, Sans was right back in his bed, the morning the Human came.

So that's what you meant.

Hope we live this time.

So this is a new story I had an idea for.

For those of you who don't know, Kristen is my Undertale OC I came up with back in 2016, shortly after Undertale started making the rounds. She's named after two fonts (Kristen ITC and Lucida) and she's the adopted Halfling daughter of Sans.

This chapter was establishment for how she got into the Underground, her backstory, her relationships with Papyrus and Sans, and how she dies in the genocide run. In case it wasn't obvious, she was knocked down by a strike to her chest and then her throat was cut. Pretty brutal, but our Chara wasn't pulling any punches because this was a six-year-old child.

You also might be confused if you've read my story "Love, LOVE, and Family" as to why Kristen is a young and happy little girl instead of a grumpy and surly teenager. The answer is simple: Grumpy Kris is Underfell and Little Kris is everywhere that isn't Underfell or Underfell-related (such as Flowerfell).

But next time we'll start getting into the True Pacifist run.

Oh, and by the way…

My story, ImmortalTale. My most popular Undertale story to date…

Will be completed this summer.

So long and thanks for all the fish!