Sans looked out at the sunset alone after he made sure Pap was alright and everyone was heading down the mountain. He couldn't shake the feeling that this would all reset again. After all how many resets had it taken for them to be free. How many lives had been lost to the previous resets?
Though he knew those weren't really the kid, not Frisk at least. Sure it may have been her body but someone else was pulling the strings. The same one who had done it will all the humans that had died before Frisk fell into their world. The one that Gaster had theories about along side the idea of the reset. Those children just didn't have the ability like Frisk had and her kind heart easily got over run by Chara each and every time she reset. He was relentless with her soul killing all he faced using her body as his own. Sans knew this very well but when they had faced him every time something made the kid slower then he had seen and he was always able to force a reset.
This time something was different, why was Chara leaving Frisk alone at last? Why had Frisk been able to do what she had wanted to do all along? Free everyone without harming a soul? Sans could see her warmth first hand throughout the journey, Chara's coldness never made an appearance once.
He had to wonder, was it Asriel's true self who protected her this time or was it someone else? He had to thank them whoever it was because thanks to them he got to know her. He could always tell even behind Chara that the warm soul was fighting to be free.
As he was thinking this he slowly felt a soft fleshy hand slide into his boney one. He glanced over to the side seeing the red frizzy hair asking, "Kid?"
Frisk smiled to him as she began to pull on his hand trying to get him to move and go with her.
"Awe kid, you want me to get skeldaddling with you?" Sans asked receiving a short nod in return. His permanent grin just got bigger to that. He let himself get pulled down the mountain path to join the others. As he just hoped as he was pulled along that this kid, Frisk, remained herself and Chara had no leverage anymore. He had to admit he had begun to think of her as a friend even if her body had been used to kill everyone he cared about several times before. He had a duty to protect her and prevent Chara's return he felt.
"It's a beautiful day outside, birds are singing, flowers are blooming,...on days like these, kids like you..." Sans said looking down the judgment hall at Frisk her eyes a dark red instead of being their normal amber., "Should be burning in hell."
He could see the faint gray of her skin having been tainted by the countless monsters dusted by her body. His eyes glowed as his blasters appeared around him and he started to attack.
"Sans!" he heard a soft voice yelled he attacked wanting to force a reset again like he had countless times before.
"Sans!" the voice repeated as his vision became blurry, "W-wake up, please..."
He opened eyes crashes was heard as his furniture fell to the ground and he shook from the nightmare he had again. He sat up looking to where the voice had come from. It was Frisk, older by several years in her late teens. She was careful where she stepped heading toward him. He shivered as he felt her gentle hug. It took a few moments to remember why she was there, but she had been staying with them while Toriel was away with Asgore for meetings with the leaders of the humans. He glanced around as he felt her her hug seeing his things broken on the floor.
"I'm fine, kid," Sans said quietly as he hugged her back gently though needing her warmth. His left eye glowed slightly as a blue stream ran down his cheek.
"W-want to tell me about it?" Frisk asked quietly, even if she talked more nowadays her voice was always quiet and meek, "You kept saying my name, and I couldn't fight your magic to get to you...it worried me."
Sans looked at her as she slowly pulled away his blue eyes meeting her amber ones as he was tired but apart of him wondered did she even remembered. He couldn't fathom how she could of, her soul was so warm and she was strong of person. If she knew of all the resets and the times her body was used as a weapon by Chara, she would have fallen apart so many times.
Though that could explain why she didn't fall this time to Chara's control. Could her memories of the other resets have been erased? Making her soul less worn and used, enough to resist his voice.
Whatever the reason he knew he couldn't shatter her with his nightmares and memories she didn't know. He still didn't know if Chara was still asleep in her or not, he didn't want to risk the first child forcing a reset now after so long.
"I think that leftover spaghetti last night was just pasta it's prime," Sans said jokingly even if his voice was tired he didn't want her worrying.
"S-sans..." she said sounding unsure to him as she looked at him a frown on her lips, "That was a bad one, especially when I know it's not true..."
"Kid it's something no one needs to know, it was something that I don't need to be worried about anymore," Sans said seriously for once as he went to get up so he could clean the mess his powers had created.
As he got up though a fleshy hand found his making him look back to the girl. As he looked at her, he knew if he had a heart it would have skipped a few beats. She was no longer the kid that fell into his and everyones lives. She was almost 18 and the soft sadness in her eyes made his breath catch. She was his best friend, always there for him especially since Pap started being around less and less while he spent time with Mettaton.
When did his feelings toward her change so much from a friendship born from trying to prevent Chara from coming out to the want to keep her safe and be by her side as much as he could.
He barely heard her as a question left her lips, "Is this about Chara?"
His eyes grew wider if that was even possible as his boney grip on her hand squeezed slightly asking coldly, "How do you know that name?"
"Asriel told me at the end, the name of the first human," Frisk said looking at him as she got up pushing him to sit back down so she could talk and pace where she could among the broken things, "Though I knew it long before that, he had been controlling me for so many times prior to that after all."
"So you do remember?" Sans asked surprised looking up at her ready for the red eyes if need be though.
"Yeah but he's also gone," Frisk said looking at him closing her eyes taking a deep breath, "That last reset, a third power who wanted me to be free saved me. As your shot went through my body that last time..."
Sans looked down wishing Frisk didn't have to remember those fights between them at least. It wasn't her he wanted to hurt, it was the one using her he had been trying to destroy.
"The hold of Chara on my soul disappeared, his voice was no more in the back of my mind as I woke up in the golden flowers of the ruins that final time," Frisk said looking at him placing a hand on her heart, "I had a chance to save everyone thanks to whatever that power was. Plus I had a chance to befriend everyone especially you."
Before Sans could say anything her amber eyes found his again as she took both his hands in hers.
"So please Sans, hold no bones about telling me whatever nightmare of the resets you are having. I have them as well after all and we are the only ones that can be their for each other," Frisk said squeezing his bones gently with a bright smile that could warm any heart or soul she met, he knew that.
He pulled her close suddenly, placing his head gently against her forehead saying, "And you said mine was bad."
With that he began to tell her of his dreams and nightmares, of the theories Gaster had and how much it pained him the first time to kill her when he knew it wasn't her doing all that. All the while she sat their and listened his hand in hers. It was comforting to know he had her there for him and he knew he wanted to protect her even more in the future.