Author's Note: So, this has been uploaded for about a month yet, something was wrong and it was unable to be read even though it looked normal to me when I posted it. I hope you enjoy this little fic that I originally wrote for a contest.

"The birds were singing,

The flowers were blooming,

On days like this,

kids like you,

should be burning in hell."

He had lost count on how many times he had to say such a phrase to it. Playing with a stray string that had nestled itself between the fleece fibers of his inner pockets brought back memories of the first time he had met her.

It had been under that arch right before Snowdin and it was the first time that someone new had entered the Underground in a long time. Partially because he had been curious and partially because he did want to play a prank he had found himself approaching her. When she had shaken his hand and the sound of the whoopee cushion erupted from his palm, he had been worried about how the human would react. He would never forget her face; confusion before her lips had spread and smiled and then laughter had ensued. The first words that had entered his cranium had surprised him:

i will protect her. i have to.

Honestly, his time with her was probably the most active he had ever been in his life. He had smiled, talked to her, ate at Grillby's with her, walked around, told her jokes and puns, and genuinely enjoyed her company which was more than he could say for a lot of his own kind. When he had heard her name for the first time, it had been music to his non-existent ears.

Frisk.

Hearing such a word caused his SOUL to react in a way that he never thought it would. More shockingly was the emotion that he had at that moment; DETERMINATION. It was something that he never thought he would be able to feel. However, he had been determined to make sure that she made it through the Underground like she so desperately wanted and let her go home.

When she had broken the barrier and they were all free, he was sure it had been the end. They were all free to be who they were and do what they really wanted. Toriel had become a teacher, Asgore was making topiary works of many shapes and sizes, indulging Papyrus in creating a piece of his head. Mettaton had been able to make a break in show business, Muffet owned her own bakery, Undyne had been trying to become part of the police force, and Alphys had been recently hired to be a scientist. Everything was going perfect, right, happy even. Being on the surface had changed them all and was really a dream come true.

Over the ten years they had been on the surface, his feelings had grown. He had become a friend, graduated to a guardian, then to a best friend; having a deeper friendship than he had ever thought possible with her. To be honest, he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it had happened; but she had been seen in a different light. Her brown hair had grown longer, her blue eyes seemed only to deepen in color to where even the ocean was having a hard time keeping up. Her body had grown and flourished in all the right places and Asgore-being the protective father he was-had opted to carrying around a bat at his side so that he could whack any man, human or monster, that was making moves on his daughter.

Yet, it had happened despite his desires to the contrary. His puns and jokes grew from innocent fun to more on the suggestive side. The looks he gave her lingered longer than usual, his embraces had lasted just a little too long. Before he knew it, the feelings had grown from like into love. It was rather funny; a guardian falling in love with their savior. A human savior.

The punny skeleton had really wanted to take things to the next level; to admit the feelings he had for her. When he had just found the courage to tell her, the mental image of Asgore and his bat, coined Lucille, entered his head instantly deterring him. Maybe other monsters and humans would be able to take a few hits from the bat, but he wasn't one. One hit and he would be done for. So for months, he had watched her blossom into a young woman. Whenever she would give him a smile, a blue tint would dust his cheeks and he would have to come up with an excuse to why it looked like he was blushing.

Asking Asgore and Toriel a question had never been so terrifying in his whole life. All he wanted was permission to take her on a date. Just one. Surprisingly, he had been granted permission. Even more surprising, she had been wanting him to ask her for months and their unspoken flirtation had been more an invitation to progressing a relationship than initially thought. The date had been amazing, she had been even more amazing; wearing a nice top and shorts. The date at Grillby's had been wonderful, fries, burgers, and the occasional crackle of relief from Grillby set the scene for something more.

Their first night together would be something he would never forget; in that timeline or any other one. After a date, he had dropped her off at her home which was a small place further in the back of the acres of property her parents owned. He had held her close in his arms, tucking her where she was meant to be. He had rested his cheek on her head, the floral scent of her shampoo enveloping him. Before he could even realize what he was doing, the words had come out.

"i love you."

Fear had engulfed him. Saying that was an affirmation. There was no going back. Clearing his throat, he had been ready to apologize when she had pulled him down to her and her soft lips met his mouth. There had been no need for words. It had felt like they were the only two people in the whole world. Monster, Human; it didn't matter. All that was there was love. Pure love. Soul resonating with soul. He had thought he found it, the meaning for his existence. They were meant to be together. That's why she had fallen into the Underground. That's why he was born, was to meet each other and live their lives side by side, forever...

Looking back on it now... he should've just killed her when he met her under that archway. Just ended it there before she had learned of her ability to reset and save both of them.

Familiar footsteps echoed down the hallway. His eyes opened, not remembering when they had closed. It would be here soon...

The perpetual smile remained on his face. The sun was shining through the series of stained glass windows along the walls of the Hall. It made it difficult to differentiate the details of her face and body, but he had been here before so many times, it was engraved into his memory. It haunted him, and he wished that he had been able to forget what it looked like. As if it was hiding as well as desiring to be a spectator, the sun moved away to where the light had waned just enough to see its details and the space between them that would soon become the too-familiar battlefield.

"Here we are again, just me and you Comedian, right? With your blasters, your flashing eye. You should better be prepared because soon, your last hour strikes." She had been the first one to break the silence between them. As if proving her point, a bell chimed through the Hall, striking the imaginary hour of 13.

"i have all the time in all the worlds, kid." He replied, his eye flashing a bright blue, surrounding himself with bones and his Gaster Blasters.

Flawlessly, that creature swerved through the blasts and bones. Two could play that game. With two swipes of her knife, he moved out of her lethal attack. Teleporting behind it and throwing bones, watching as they hit their mark, blood covering her once pristine sweater. If he had have had the ability, he would have puked from the look in her eyes. As blue as the ocean. As blue as the sky. As blue as the river...

As red as the sunset. As red as the blood that dripped on the floor.

Sweat began to bead against his ivory dome, her attacks began to become swifter. He moved out of her way. If this had've been a lighter situation, he would've held it akin to a dance. Only this dance led to the loss of a partner."why not let me win?" She yelled, that creepy smile coming up to her lips again. Her heaving breaths came to a stop and elevated to a laugh; demented... Demonic even. "You can't dodge forever."

"i can tell you're getting real sick of trying." He said, shrugging his shoulders and moving from a close call of her knife against his bones. She shrieked and came after him again, the only thing sliced was the sound of air. "but i think you're just mad you keep dying."

She huffed; a humorless laugh, flipping the knife between her fingers not seeming to care or possibly even notice when the sharp blade slit her skin. He had stopped counting her deaths after thirteen.

"Go ahead!" She yelled and threw her arms apart. "Kill me again! I know... I know you're able, but keep in mind you know this can't be evaded."

All he did was stare into those blue eyes that were once his sun, the red eyes that reflected the blood spilled onto the floor, the blue eyes that held the answer to every question he ever could ask. The red just as bright as her SOUL.

"You think I'll stop?"

"Do you just like the feeling of your sins crawling on your back?"

Another bone thrown at her, each one faster and sharper than the previous. A loud crack emitted from her body and watched as her right arm fell limp.

"You think I'll decide to stop if you stay patient." She laughed and threw her knife at him, the sound of metal against bone threw the small instrument far away from them.

He surrounded himself with bones and blasters all aimed at her. Her demonic smile didn't falter even a fraction of an inch. "I can tell you're getting tired of the fighting..."

A sound that he had grown to know too well for comfort once again the Hall bore witness to it; a bone pierced her heart and a burgled cry of pain left her parted lips. The holy yellow walls were decorated red with the blood splattered from her body.

Once again, he was staring at her oncoming frame. That smile that he had once loved was gone; never to return. He felt that he was never going to remember what it was like before this.

"I even come back after dying... I am going to get you with my determination." Her words held no room for argument.

It would fall on deaf ears, he knew, but a part of him had to try anyway.

"don't step over that line, kid." He warned. "or you'll have a bad time."

"Is that so? Let me see what you're made of, Comedian. Try to kill me again with them fancy tools." A strange look crossed her face, and he couldn't but wonder what was going through her head. Pillars were knocked over from the force of his attacks. New found fury guided his hand in attacking her. All his friends were by his side in spirit. He was their justice. He was their revenge. His life didn't matter anymore, he was doing this for them. Undyne, Mettaton, Muffet, Toriel, and all the monsters that she had betrayed on her journey through the Underground.

His body wanted to give out, every fiber of his being was in pain; emotionally, psychological, and physically. Something in him switched to a new tactic.

"... somewhere in there, i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you still, the memory of someone who wanted to do the right thing... the same memory that, in another time, meant something to me more than anything... c'mon kid... no, frisk. please, if you can somehow hear this... let's forget all this, okay? just lay down your weapon and... we'll figure this out."

"Want to hear something hilarious?" She asked, laughter bouncing off the walls. "Your brother... He believed in me even when I killed him He said the exact same thing! He said he believed I could be a better person!" Her laughter was more screaming than actual laughter. "How pathetic!" Despite her words, she flinched and didn't take a step towards him. Her laughter cut off immediately. Taking the opportunity, he threw some bones at her sides, but she merely twitched; almost like a doll that needed to be wound up. Her movements were jerky, and she looked back up at him.

"what we had... it was really great, right? c'mon, let's just... let's just stop."

Her movements jerked more, her thumb resting on the blade of her knife painting it a thick red from the blood of her slit skin. This was a face that he had never seen before, her eyes kept twitching almost like she was fighting something. He held his arms wide open and watched completely fascinated when her jerking steps came forward with no apparent malicious intent.

"you're sparing me? finally, kid, frisk... i know how hard that decision was... how hard it was to make that choice. i want you to know... it won't go to waste. c'mere..."

Those blood red eyes changed to the blue that he knew so well. The knife was dropped and he watched, his SOUL hurting when she walked towards him with her own arms open; tears gathering in her eyes. Just before their embrace, the blue began to change and the bones he had placed behind her pierced through her heart, arms, and head; crucifying her with the bones of vengeance fueled by his own pain. Her limp body fell into his arms, the light that was in those eyes was blue.

"i'm sorry..." He whispered into her hair, tears falling against the shining brown locks. "... if you really love me, please... please don't come back... don't let it use you."

His eyes closed and a tear ran down his face just before the sun moved. The girl in front of him simply stared at him with her knife twirling around her fingers, dripping blood on the floor.

"Clever, Comedian... very clever. You almost got me." She said. "Nothing you can do now... but simply die."

Blood splattered along the floors, the ceiling, the pillars. The windows were busted, shards of glass scattered along the floor. Discarded bones both of blue and white colors were sticking out from the internal architecture of the hall. Part of the floor was blown out from a missed blaster attack.

Once more.

Twice.

Thrice.

Four.

Every time was more vicious and carnal than the last.

"With every try I'm coming closer to ending your pitiful existence." She had warned him, the rage practically seeping from her pores.

"you're just angry... and empty, your lack of soul is pathetic."

"Stop your accusations! You don't know anything!"

"i'll always be here to stop you..."

She scoffed, dodging a blast, sliding against the floor. He noticed that she was moving unlike anything he had ever seen from her. All finesse was out the window and he knew that look. She was acting on pure rage and emotion. Her attacks were fast, but without strategy.

"heh... didja really think you'd be able to-" A pain unlike anything he had known spread through his bones and even seeped into his marrow. He collapsed to the floor on his knees. He brought his hand from the wound in his chest and saw blood staining his white bones.

"... … … heh so, that's it, huh?"

He could only watch as she passed him, not even looking at him. Tears fell to the floor beneath him.

"No!" A soul crushing scream sounded behind him and the footsteps stopped replaced by maniacal laughter which turned into sobs that were enough to kill someone. The movements that she made were just like the jerking that she had done previously when he was trying to reach the inner parts of her soul.

His vision faded and dust scattered to the four winds.

His eyes opened. That form, the sun, and he was face to face with her again. He didn't understand. Why reset? That soul shattering scream had come from her. Had come from Frisk. He knew her emotions, he could feel them in his own soul; like they were one. Was she the one that reset?

"Why not let her watch again, Comedian?"

" … that expression … " He began, his eyes trailing over her face. Was it the sunlight that was making it look as demented as it did. The edges of her smile were black along with the edges of her eyes. " … well, I won't grace it with a description."

The smile that she gave him, didn't even seem to be possible in human anatomy. It was almost like... it was dripping from the spot where her mouth had been.

"i'm gonna break you to pieces, Comedian, just like you were your brother."

Whatever was happening to her wasn't normal, even in the Underground where magic ran rampant. Was this something with SOULs, DETERMINATION? What he needed to do was stop her again... forever. She held all the cards though, and he knew it. So why? Why reset again?

"i'm gonna kill you again, kid, just like you killed your own mother."

"you're a fool." She said, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "thinking you can stop me."

Yet again, he found himself on the ground with his hand over the bleeding wound that she had given him. The screams again were the last thing he heard before he was face to face with her again. The blackness of her face increased, distorting the face almost completely into something different from what it had looked like.

"Say goodbye to your future, Comedian."

" … "

"I've got all of eternity."

"Sans!" The voice of the woman that he loved came from in front of him when he had fallen to his knees in yet another defeat. The horrid truth came to full realization. There was nothing that he could do. Nothing. He was at the mercy of the demon wearing his future lover's skin. "I'm so sorry! I-I... I-"

The tears that fell to the floor beneath him only seemed to increase. It was doing this on purpose. They were never allowed to rest since the day that she had fallen. He laughed and coughed, looking up at the demon. Her eyes and mouth were completely enveloped. The face of his future lover was nowhere in sight.

"what are ya apologizing for, frisk? … none of this is your fault. i love ya kid, remember that. i always will..."

All he had wanted to do was marry the woman he loved and have kids. A simple, domestic life. One free of the bonds and shackles of timelines. The demon wearing his lover's skin never explained why Frisk had reset in the first place. He wasn't sure he would ever know, nor was he sure of how many times he had died... how many times it had died. The days, weeks, months, and years blended together. It had been centuries-perhaps even millennium-that he was in the Hall across from her; fighting. There was no point to this except for torture.

Sans had to accept his fate:

Neither of them were even fighting to win anymore. This was his punishment for not keeping her safer. He would be forced to be in this Hall under the auspice of time; so close and yet so far from Frisk. He would never be able to touch his love anymore, he would never be able to have the dream they both wanted. All he could do was open his eyes just to have them be forced closed from its wrath; eternally watching the two lovers' souls begging for peace and reprieve.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it and would leave a review if you did.