((A/N: ATTENTION! "Take a Recount" is a sequel to "Tally Up Your Sins" and "Count Your blessings." Please read TUYS and CYB before this!

Welcome to the third and final fic in this series! I would recommend reading on AO3 (my username there is "BlueTwilight") because I post there first and I am able to link to fanart, of which there is a surprising amount!

If you want to follow me on tumblr, my url is "bluewuf" and the tag for this fic is "TAR."

Please leave reviews if you have a second! They're very fun to read and they motivate me to write.

Lastly and most importantly, this fic contains more disturbing content than either of the previous. If you have any questions/concerns, please shoot me a private message.))

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PART 1 - INTEGRITY

"Are you sure you'll do a good job?"

"'Course I'm sure… frankly, I'm offended you'd ever doubt me."

"But you're… y'know… a skeleton. It's not like you've ever done this before."

"How hard could it be?"

"That's not the most reassuring thing you've ever said to me."

You fidgeted in your seat, twisting to look over your shoulder at Sans. He stood behind you, one hand on the back of the kitchen chair you were sitting in, and the other wielding an electric razor. He looked down at you and gave you a mischievous grin.

Yeah, not reassuring at all.

"Aw, c'mon, stop squirming. You're the one who wanted me to do it… if I do a bad job, we can just ask Tori to clean it up for ya." You pondered the offer, then nodded determinedly.

"Okay… just cut it off. I can't stand watching it fall out anymore." You turned away from Sans and closed your eyes tightly, clutching the bottom of your seat. You hated this, but… it had to be done. Ever since you'd been brought back into your body, your hair just refused to stay on your head. You thought it'd stop falling out after you'd been alive for a couple days, but it'd been a week now and you still couldn't run your fingers through it without pulling out big clumps. It just looked sickly; you couldn't go outside looking like that.

There were a lot of things about you that made you look like you were… well… recently dead. You were as thin as a rail, your fingernails were black and blue, as though they'd fall out at any moment, and then the hair. At least that last one, you could change.

The buzz of the electric razor brought you out of your thoughts. You flinched as you felt it press up against the back of your neck, then again when you felt the tickle of hair falling onto your shoulders. Sans' free hand came up to rub your shoulder, and you relaxed instinctively at his touch.

It'd be fine… it was just hair, after all.

You sat as still as you could for the rest of the shave, staring glumly at the hair as it fell onto the towel you'd laid out on the floor. Sans actually did a pretty good job, as far as you could tell from where you sat. He was careful, and only nicked you once as he was maneuvering around your ear.

When it was all over, he clicked the razor off and swiped a hand over your now-smooth head.

"Pretty good, if I do say so myself," He boasted, and you brought an anxious hand up to feel for yourself. Yup, the hair was definitely gone. The strange sensation of cold air touching your bare scalp caused you to shiver. Sans leaned over your shoulder so he could look at your nervous expression, "Wanna go look in the mirror?" Your face scrunched up reflexively. You generally avoided mirrors at all costs nowadays. But, at the same time, you did want to make sure Sans hadn't left any stray tufts of hair, or anything.

"I guess." You grabbed your cane from where it was leaning against the table, and Sans took a small step back. Close enough to catch you if need be, but not close enough to be considered hovering. You noticed this, but it didn't bother you as much as it might've under different circumstances. The possibility of you falling while trying to get up from a chair was much greater now than it had been before, so you appreciated having Sans nearby.

Carefully, you used the table to push yourself up. You made a face as your hips cracked and popped painfully, the artificial joints groaning in protest. The sensation was not unfamiliar, though it happened a lot more often and to a greater extreme now than before you'd died. This was the case for many of your physical ailments. Not for the first time, you wondered if you wouldn't be struggling this much if you hadn't been disabled to begin with.

It made you feel strangely guilty, at least when your other monster friends were around. For the most part, they hadn't known that your human body was, for lack of a better word, dysfunctional from the start. It just hadn't seemed important, back when you were Orion. Now, though, it was just another barrier to your healing; a process which everyone had become heavily invested in. You didn't often feel like you had to apologize for being disabled, but this was an exception.

You tried to put it from your mind as you focused on limping to the bathroom, doing your best to ignore the twinges in your ankles. Sans didn't follow you, at least not at first. You had a feeling he'd come to check on you if you took too long.

Even though you knew intellectually that your hair was gone, it was still a shock to see it. Your bald head didn't look terrible; you had a mole on your scalp, but at least you didn't have any other weird lumps or bumps. You reached up with your free hand to touch it again, and shivered. It felt extra sensitive, but not bad, necessarily. Just different.

Inevitably, your focus shifted from your baldness to other unsavory parts of your body. You frowned at your sunken-in cheeks, the dark bags under your eyes, and your flaking skin. You brought your hand down from your head and brushed it over your ribs instead. You could feel every bone, even through your hoodie. Your stomach, which had been bloated for a couple of days at the beginning, was now concave. You'd been trying to eat, if for no other reason than to stave off your friends' incessant nagging, but you couldn't get anything down other than broth. You'd only just started being able to handle the occasional cracker or two.

It didn't even feel like you anymore. You still caught yourself thinking of it as the body, not yours, even though you now lived in it again. The worst part, worse than the pain and the starvation, was feeling the echoes of Orion, even though they were long gone. You felt pain - actual pain - in your wings. Which you didn't have. You kept ducking under doorways when it was no longer necessary, and you caught Sans doing the same. You would have an interesting or funny thought, and would expect Sans to respond in your mind. When he didn't, there'd always be that sharp jolt of panic; fear that he'd left you again, that he wasn't coming back this time... until you remembered.

Just as you'd predicted, Sans poked his head into the bathroom after a couple of minutes. You didn't try to patronize him by lying; he may have done a good job, but you hated the haircut. And he knew it, you were sure.

After a moment of silence, he walked up behind you and slipped his hands around your waist. You watched him from the mirror, and couldn't help but to smile at the sight of him craning his neck so he could place his chin on your shoulder.

"Welcome to the club, baldie." He looked up and sighed, as though lamenting his own bare head. You tried to picture him with a full head of hair, and laughed at how ridiculous the image was.

"Wow, thanks." Your sarcasm earned you a pout and then, with a glint of mischief in his eye, he pulled one hand away from your waist and used it to yank your hood up over your head.

You yelped indignantly and spent a good few minutes trying in vain to bat him off. In the midst of your play-fighting, you accidentally dropped your cane. But Sans supported you enough that you wouldn't have even noticed its absence if it weren't for the loud clattering sound it made against the linoleum.

A loud, rhythmic knock on the front door broke the two of you from your scuffle. Sans gave you time to lean against the vanity before bending down to pick up your cane for you. He silently motioned for you to stay before darting out into the living room. You leaned against the bathroom doorframe and listened nervously.

"Who's there?" Sans asked gruffly. It was as good of an Orion impression as he could manage. From the other side of the door, you heard a muffled, but familiar voice.

"Relax, Sans, it is only I." You heard the click of a lock and Sans telling the guest to "come in." Even so, you didn't come out of your hiding spot until the door had closed again.

"I thought we agreed to use the secret knock?" You rounded the corner in time to see Sans' strained smile in the dim light of the living room. Dim, because all of the shades in the house were drawn, and he hadn't taken the time to turn on the light.

"Was that not it?" The giant monster, who was shrugging off his coat, frowned in thought, "I am sorry, I must have forgotten. I did not mean to cause you undue stress."

"It's okay, Asgore," You said as you flipped on the light switch, "No harm done." The King's eyes widened a little upon seeing your new haircut, but he didn't comment.

"It is good to see you both," He said with a gentle smile, "Sans, I have come to give you this. Doctor Alphys finished it for you late last night," Asgore pulled something out of his pants pocket, which you recognized to be a cell phone. One of the bulky, cumbersome kinds that monsters tended to carry around.

One of many unanticipated problems you'd faced after separating was who would get all of Orion's things. Not that they'd had much in the way of material possessions, but the phone was a big one. It was made even more valuable considering it still, to this day, held all of Gaster's entries. Or, at least, the ones the three of you had managed to find. As soon as the problem became known, Sans had immediately offered the device to you. You weren't sure what that said about him, and not knowing what he was thinking during that moment was maddening. You hadn't pressed him to tell you, though, and simply took the phone for yourself without further comment.

Other than that, most everything else just stayed in Orion's old room, while you and Sans shared the smaller one. The computer, the framed picture, Orion's robe… even Sans' original, ripped up jacket still hung in the closet. The two of you just didn't have the heart to move anything.

Sans reached out and took the new phone, flipping it on before flopping heavily onto the couch.

"Thanks," He said to Asgore as he shot you a knowing look. Both of you knew that the King wouldn't have come here just to give Sans his phone; he would've left that to Alphys, who already comes to visit you daily. There had to be some other reason he was here.

"So…" Asgore began, right on cue, "I do not mean to rush you, but I have been wondering when the two of you planned to make your presence known to the public." You grimaced and shuffled your weight between your two sore feet. Sans immediately stood back up and walked over to stand closer to you.

"Haven't thought about it, why?" Sans lied. The truth was that both of you had thought about it extensively, to the point where you came up with secret knocks so that you'd know it was your friends at the door and not the guards. Asgore sighed deeply,

"I understand that the two of you have been taking a well-deserved rest, but I believe it would be in your best interests not to put this off much longer. The humans are growing more suspicious by the day, and it would be best to reveal yourselves to them before it becomes a problem," Asgore addressed you both, but looked mainly at you as he talked. You didn't imagine that Sans' presence would be questioned much, but your sudden appearance was guaranteed to cause a stir.

You'd been wanting to wait until you looked halfway alive before talking to any humans, but that seemed like it was going to take more time than you had available. Enduring questions about your physical condition as well as your disappearance would be exhausting, but impossible to avoid.

You glanced over at Sans, who gave you a lazy nod. At least the two of you had a plan; and a rather good one, you thought. Sans wouldn't let you do this alone, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

"Alright… maybe this afternoon. It's good that it's a weekday, because at least we don't have to deal with those stupid weekend guards…"

"Actually, I was thinking that you may want to go out there right now," Asgore cut off your rambling, and you and Sans both gave him a questioning look, "It is just that I heard word from Undyne that the protesters are back at the border… the same group that gave you the poster on your front door."

It took you a moment to figure out what he was implying. When you finally did, you turned and reflexively grabbed Sans' arm.

"Sans, my parents! They might be there!" His eyes widened as he caught on a little later than you. He guessed what you were going to ask before you could get the words out.

"You sure you wanna go? You don't have to meet them right now; there'll be other opportunities, we don't have to rush…" He searched your expression, then nodded, "Alright, I'll open a shortcut."

You felt a tiny spark of his magic in the air, then sensed the too-familiar feeling of a shortcut opening to your right. You could've probably found your way to it on your own, but Sans took ahold of your free hand to pull you toward it anyway.

"I expect I will be summoned to the border shortly," There was a glint of humor in Asgore's eyes as he spoke, "Good luck, both of you."

"Thanks," You and Sans said at the same time, though it had happened often enough in the past week that no one present was too surprised by the phenomenon anymore. With that said, the two of you took a step sideways and disappeared from the living room.

You were startled to hear loud yelling as soon as you emerged among the trees. You let go of Sans' hand and stumbled through the undergrowth, straining to listen for your parents' voices.

"Justice for our children! Justice for our children!" The cluster of devoted protesters shouted over and over, their voices muffled by the tightly-packed trees. You struggled toward the sound, hearing Sans curse loudly behind you as his leg became ensnared in a bramble. You didn't wait up for him.

You gasped as you broke into an artificial clearing. The border made a clear-cut line, several meters thick, straight through the otherwise dense forest. You came to a sudden stop, your cane digging into the slightly damp ground as you grabbed onto a nearby tree for added support. The protesters were there, just on the other side of the border. They seemed more determined than last time, and more organized, too. They were shouting together, holding up signs even though, for all they knew, there was no one there to read them. You weren't sure if it was just your smaller, less intimidating perspective, but it seemed like the atmosphere was much more aggressive this time around. Regardless, there were definitely more of them, as far as sheer numbers went.

All rational thought flew out the window when you caught sight of a familiar figure, lined up shoulder to shoulder with the other protesters.

"Mom!" You cried as loud as you could, your voice straining with the effort. Dozens of heads turned, but only one gave a wordless cry in return.

You stumbled into the clearing, very nearly tripping over your own feet. Before you could fall, strong arms wrapped around you in a hug.

"Oh my god… oh my god…" Your mom sobbed as she squeezed the life out of you. You breathed in shuddering gasps of air, inhaling the scent of her hair. Over her shoulder, you could just make out another figure running towards you. Your vision was blurry, but you knew who it was right away.

"Dad…" You muttered, your voice muffled. You let your cane fall to the ground so that you could wrap both arms around each of your parents, confident in the knowledge that they'd support your weight. For only the third time in your entire life, you saw your dad cry.

Time stopped as you stood there, hugging each other. You felt so smothered in love, but in the best way possible. For the moment, all of those crazy months living in the Underground and being Orion just washed away.

Eventually, your mom pulled away a fraction and let out a wet, tearful laugh.

"Baby, what happened to your hair?" You wiped tears from your eyes as you laughed at the ridiculousness of it. Your dad, however, frowned. He pulled you away from Mom and held you at arm's length, concern written all over his face.

"Why do you… you look…"

"Dead?" You quipped wryly, forgetting that no one here would get the joke. You took your first good look at your parents, and found that they didn't look too great, either. Your mom's curly hair was sticking up wildly in all directions, and your dad looked like he'd lost a lot of weight.

Suddenly, from behind you came the sound of someone crashing through the forest. You and your little family all turned to face the noise, your dad still supporting your thin frame by the shoulders.

Sans burst into the clearing inelegantly; hopping on one foot while he struggled to shake the other free of some clingy ferns. Your dad pulled you toward him sharply, cutting you off balance and causing you to crash hard into his chest.

"Get away!" Your mom yelled shrilly, and the crowd behind you began to murmur angrily as they closed ranks around you. Sans' hopeful smile became strained, and fearful sweat formed on his skull as the human mob surged toward him.

"DON'T HURT HIM!" You shrieked and pushed yourself away from your dad, falling flat on your ass when you succeeded. Everyone stopped and stared at you as you snatched up your cane. Your heart was pounding out of your chest; you wanted nothing more than to stand in front of Sans as a human shield, but you had no hope of getting to your feet by yourself. Still, you struggled to stand and, predictably, you fell back onto your butt. You were so frustrated, you wanted to scream.

While everyone else was frozen in shock, you heard the footsteps of someone approaching behind you. Familiar arms slipped under your own and lifted you easily, setting you on your feet and making sure you were stable before letting go.

You panted hard, as if you'd just run a marathon. You turned your head to glance back at Sans. He was standing just over your shoulder, mostly obscured by your taller frame. That confirmation made you feel a little calmer.

"He's my… he saved me. From the Underground," You forced yourself to face forward, toward your parents and the semicircle of strangers behind them, "I got lost, and he's been looking for me this whole time. He saved my life."

Silence reigned. The expressions on the faces of the parents, siblings, and friends of the other missing people were wildly varied. Many were glaring daggers at Sans, unconvinced by your story. Some were staring at you blankly, still shocked that a human had come out of the Underground. Still others looked hopeful, as though thinking that maybe… just maybe... their loved one might still be alive, too. Those were the most heartbreaking; you already knew that no more humans were ever going to come out of the Underground. Truthfully, the Underground wasn't big enough to get lost in. If there'd ever been a human hiding down there, someone would've found out by now.

"Honey, come here," Your mom was the first to speak up, her voice a mere whisper. She reached out a hand to you, "Let's go home."

Every now and then, a moment would come along that just felt pivotal. The seconds would stretch on forever, and you could almost see how a single word or gesture might alter the course of your life forever. They seemed to be happening to you a lot recently, and here again was one of those moments. Sans tensed up behind you, as though he felt it, too.

"No." It was no contest, if you were being honest. As much as your own refusal hurt your soul, there was just no way you were going to leave Sans. You'd already promised him you'd stay and, even if you hadn't, you couldn't bear the thought of leaving him, anyway.

"Don't be ridiculous… come home with us," Dad spoke with a sort of desperate authority you'd never heard in his voice before. He took a step toward you, and you and Sans took a simultaneous step back. The crowd began to whisper among themselves. Already, you heard the words "brainwashing" and "Stokholm" being thrown around.

"No. I'm staying here, with the monsters," Before anyone could react, you heard heavy, sprinting footsteps approaching. Everyone turned to look at the guard who was running down the border, one hand resting on the holstered gun on his belt.

"Everyone needs to get back to their side of-" Charlie cut himself off when he caught sight of you and Sans. He came to a sudden halt, his eyes flickering between you and the crowd. He sounded almost exasperated when he asked, "Alright, what the hell's going on here?"

"That thing kidnapped my child!" You gasped in surprise when you heard your mom speak. Did she really not believe you?

"Mom! That's not what happened!" You snapped, far more aggressively than you'd meant to. You turned to Charlie, "Sans saved my life, he never kidnapped me!" You were suddenly reminded of that time Sans locked you in his shed, but pushed the thought from your mind. That was different; no one needed to know about that.

"Bullshit!" Your mom yelled back, and you flinched, "Look at yourself! My god, you look starved! Did they starve you? I swear to god…"

"Okay, okay…" Charlie tried to get between you, but you stepped around him.

"I was lost! I already told you-"

"OKAY!" The guardsman yelled and threw a hand out to stop you from advancing further. Silence fell over the crowd again. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Daujatas running toward the group from the other direction. Charlie took a deep breath and continued,

"Here's what's gonna happen. You two," He looked back at you and Sans, and both of you gulped, "Are comin' with me. The rest of you are gonna get your asses back on the other side of the border," There was some murmuring and shuffling feet, but no one moved, "Come on, now! Did I stutter? Get movin'!" Charlie spread his arms out and ushered people back. You couldn't bear to watch your parent's anguished faces as they were forced away from you, so you turned to look at Sans instead.

"You okay?" You asked, even though you knew he was physically fine. He nodded, but said nothing. He had this faraway look in his eyes, and it scared you a little.

Once Daujatas arrived, Charlie whispered something to her and then left her the task of wrangling the humans. He turned back to you and Sans and gestured for you to follow him. He may have said something, but neither of you heard it over the loud, angry protests of the humans being herded away.

With Charlie in the lead, the three of you walked down the middle of the border in silence, toward the guard tower that loomed ominously in the distance.