Chapter One

Sans sighed and glanced at the clock on his phone. His brother was a stickler for punctuality, so being ten minutes late was incredibly odd for him. But ten minutes late was indeed what his brother was right now, and he was starting to get concerned.

[bro, everything ok?]

He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket and leaned against the wall. 'if paps isn't out here in five minutes, i'm going in'

Sans looked towards the door as he heard his brother's voice. 'good. but who is he talking to?' Papyrus and his conversation partner rounded the corner as they walked out the door, and sans stiffened. 'a human in a yoga class taught by and for monsters?'

"AH, YES. HUMAN, THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS. FORGIVE MY TARDINESS, BROTHER, THE HUMAN AND I WERE SPEAKING WITH THE INSTRUCTOR FOR A MOMENT AND LOST TRACK OF TIME."

Lori blinked and looked at the smaller skeleton, sizing him up for a moment before smiling. "So you're the brother I keep hearing about? Cool."

Sans stiffened a bit and forced a smile. "yeah, you could say 'm pretty...chill? so you're the new friend paps keeps talking about?"

"Probably." A noncommittal shrug, despite cutting off Papyrus. "Paps does sure seem to make a hell of a lot of friends though, so that might not be accurate."

"how does a human get into a monsters yoga class?"

"I asked? And paid the fee, of course. For Paps too, even, so that may have helped my case."

"oh?"

"Plus, I helped tutor the instructor's kid for a while. And I helped her out with her garden. Things apparently don't grow quite the same here as they did underground. Not much of a surprise there, really."

"welp, you're the helpful one, ain'tchya, kid?"

Another shrug. "I do what I can, yeah. Hey Paps, you hungry? Sorry I'd cut you off. "

"IT IS NO PROBLEM, HUMAN. I SUPPOSE I COULD EAT SOMETHING. WHY? ARE YOU HUNGRY? OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING?"

Lori laughed and shook her head. "Nah, not right now. I'm too hungry to wait to eat. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to stop by Muffet's with me. You and your brother maybe? My treat."

"eh, i can tag along if paps wants to go, but i had something from grillby's not too long ago"

Lori looked at Papyrus and pouted playfully. "We can stop at the store to pick up what I would need to teach you how to make something new for dinner afterwards?"

Papyrus didn't have anything further to consider after that remark. "COME ALONG BROTHER, LET US FOLLOW THE HUMAN TO THE CAFE AND THEN GO TO HER PLACE FOR SUPPER."

Sans forced a smile. "yeah, ok paps"

0-0-0-0-0

"Papyrus, dear, would you go get that out of the oven? Don't forget to use oven mitts this time!"

Lori turned to Sans once she was sure that Papyrus was using mitts and smiled softly at him. "'Sup?"

He looked at her for a moment before smirking slightly. "ceiling, of course"

She rolled her eyes. "The sky is even more 'up' than that. So is space. Smart ass." His perpetual smile fell some at getting less of a reaction than he was expecting.

"HUMAN, IS IT SUPPOSED TO BE BROWN NOW?"

"Golden brown to tan, yeah. Give it a bit to let the sauce thicken."

She paused for a moment before heading towards the dining room and the sliding glass door to her back yard. "Say, would you two like to eat out on the patio?"

"CERTAINLY, HUMAN! WOULD YOU LIKE FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO TAKE THE DISH OUT TO THE TABLE?"

"Nah, lemme go out and light the candles I have out there and give it a bit. We still have to make the salad, right? Just keep the potatoes and such covered, and I'll help you with the salad when I get back in. Would you get out a few of the big mixing bowls while I'm outside?"

Papyrus set to work as she slipped outside to light the citronella candles to ward off the abundance of mosquitoes that came with the muggy weather during this time of year. It wasn't so bad right now, especially not in the shade that her home provided on the patio, but the mosquitoes were still more than happy to flock to her for their meal.

She glanced over at the pot at the edge of her patio, still in the last rays of sun that would peek over her roof until the next day. "Having fun?"

"Humph. I'll admit that the sun is nice, and so is your compost, and so is the break from my idiots, but I wouldn't exactly say that sitting around outside on your patio is fun, you moron."

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Ass-riel."

The small flower glared daggers at her. "Frick you."

She snorted with laughter as she continued lighting candles and the like. "Still too intimidated by Toriel to legitimately swear? She isn't even here yet, Puddin' Pop."

She perked up at the sound of someone pulling into her driveway. "I may stand corrected." Toriel calling after Frisk telling them to slow down only confirmed her suspicions.

The gate to her yard creaked open and she smiled at the small child barreling towards her, then at the motherly monster walking quickly behind. "Yo Tori. How's the kid been?"

"Asking after Flowey all week." The tall goat monster brought Lori into a firm hug.

"Well, I think it may have just been a nitrogen deficiency in his soil. He was starting to get a titch too big for his pot too, so I replanted him with some nice compost mixed into the soil and such. I've been letting him get his tan on, and he's perked up quite a bit. Quite a lot, actually. Look at his stem!"

Frisk glanced over and clapped in excitement, pointing wildly before signing rapidly to Toriel.

"Why, you're right, my child! Flowey has sprouted leaves."

Papyrus peeked his head out the back door and gasped. "HUMAN! WHY DID YOU NOT TELL US THAT THE QUEEN HAD ARRIVED WITH THE SMALLER HUMAN? And that you had that annoying houseplant in your possession…"

Lori grinned at his after thought and shrugged. "I knew Tori and the kid were coming over to pick up the Floweypot since I told them earlier that he was doing better and that they could come pick him up, so I made sure to get enough ingredients so that everyone could stay for dinner."

Sans peeped around his brother and gave a short wave. "yo, tori. 'sup, kiddo?"

Frisk smiled excitedly and immediately began signing to Sans and Papyrus, and Toriel smiled before placing a paw on Lori's shoulder. "Thank you for helping Asriel for Frisk and I. I know he can be difficult to get along with."

Lori smiled and shrugged. "Iunno, he and I came to an agreement, I think. Plus, he's rather docile when he's photosynthesizing after a nice big pot of compost. Not that I've told him what compost is, mind you." Toriel looked at her funnily, and she laughed. "I can teach you and Frisk to make compost later. You'll want to keep giving some to Asriel to keep his soil nutritious."

Toriel smiled and gestured towards the brothers. "I am pleased to see that you get along so well with these two. They are good, reliable friends."

Lori smiled and lit the last candle. "Well, I trust Blooks with my life, and if he considers you all friends, then it's pretty safe to say that I would too. He's never introduced me to someone I didn't end up considering a friend."

Toriel smiled before pausing briefly to sniff at the air. "What is that smell? I recognize your candles by now, but there is something else that smells simply wonderful."

Lori gave a toothy grin and gestured towards the door. "Why don't you come inside and sit for a few while Paps and I throw that salad together."

0-0-0-0-0

She and Papyrus had the salad together in short order, though it would have taken even less time if she hadn't taken the time to explain what everything that was going into the salad was right then and there. His curiosity was endearing and adorable, but often a bit time consuming, though she rarely minded.

Between the adults present, the food, plates, serving utensils, and knives made their way to the large patio table. Insisting upon helping, Frisk had been given the task of picking out five forks from the drawer and bringing them to the table, a task that they performed admirably.

"Ok, Papyrus, would you like to do the honors of explaining what's on the menu for tonight?"

He posed valiantly and grinned widely. "CERTAINLY, TALLER HUMAN! FOR TONIGHT'S LATEST CULINARY MASTERPIECE, THE HUMAN AND I HAVE CREATED SEVERAL MEATLOAVES, AN EXTRA LARGE AND EXTRA CHEESY DISH OF SCALLOPED POTATOES, AND A SALAD WITH ROMAINE LETTUCE, KALE, CUCUMBERS, CARROTS, AND MICRO-GREENS! THE MICRO-GREENS MAKE IT EXTRA NUTRITIOUS!"

"And we have honey mustard, blue cheese dressing, ranch, and a few other dressings in the fridge. I also threw together a balsamic vinaigrette with some sesame seeds that I like to use for myself, but there's plenty to go around if that's what peeps wanna use."

Sans stared curiously at the meatloaf. "eh, kid? what's that red stuff on the meatloaf? and why is there ketchup on the table?"

Lori pointed with the end of the serving spoon for the potatoes, having gone for the starch immediately. "Chili sauce, which is pretty much just ketchup with chili powder in it, and the bottles are for you. Surprisingly, when people tell me things, I tend to remember them. And your brother has mentioned your affinity for ketchup repeatedly. There's more in the fridge, all I ask is that you don't get into the EZ-squeeze bottle, since that one is for my use on like...grilled cheese an' whatnot. The rest are strictly for you."

He nodded, and got a few slices of the meatloaf before passing the dish off to his right and accepting the potatoes. He turned down the salad, passing it on without taking any.

Lori looked around and smiled. "Getting kinda dark, but it's nice. Look at the lightning bugs."

Everyone looked out and saw the small bioluminescent insects, but Sans was the only one to speak. "kind of a big yard. where's your, uh...property line?"

Lori flushed crimson. "About a tenth of a mile beyond the tree line. This house is sitting on about 30 acres of property, a lot of it woods and such. Unfortunately, the house is so close to the town that some of the delinquents think it's funny to come all the way out here while I'm in town and spray graffiti or whatever. Once, they hopped my fence and shredded my garden to bits." She spoke quietly and poked at her meatloaf with her fork. "I don't exactly fit in around here, and ever since my dad moved with his new wife clear across the country after she poisoned him against me, I've been all alone out here for the most part.."

She cleared her throat, adjusted how she was sitting and smiled, looking around at everyone else seated at the table. "I was lucky, and got to meet Blooky, and he introduced me to all of you. So, really, I'm kinda thankful I didn't just sell the property and move on. I'm sure that if you want, since it's not a school night, I could rustle up a jar for you to go catching lightning bugs, if you wanted to, Frisk. There's obviously enough room for it."

"why don't you just report them to the cops or whatever?"

Lori looked over at Sans with shock evident on her face. "Huh?"

"the jerks that keep breaking your stuff. why not call the cops on them?"

"Because I can't get proof of who it is that does it. Tried hiding cameras once, and they just stole the damn cameras. Besides, I don't really think the cops would do much about it, and even then, it'd just be like a fine or something. not exactly going to deter those...those...ugh. Anyway, let's eat, shall we? I made cheesecake for dessert."

The rest of the meal went rather uneventfully, which Lori was thankful for. Sans had cracked a few puns, terrible ones at that, one of which sent Toriel into a fit of giggles so bad that she nearly choked on her drink. Lori had smiled at his jokes, but managed to avoid choking, since she was inevitably actively eating or drinking every time he cracked a pun.

Dessert was brought out eventually, and was enjoyed whole-heartedly by everyone present. Lori slipped inside and found a mason jar and brought it back outside for Frisk to use to catch the fireflies. It was now dark enough that it was becoming a bit hard to see, so the lanterns hanging from various stakes around the patio were lit, and a few more brought to the table. They all watched Frisk skip and jump around the back yard for a few moments in companionable silence.

"Thank you for allowing Frisk free run of your yard to chase insects. They really do enjoy those ones, and there isn't much room for them to run like this in the city."

Lori waved her hand and smiled. "No biggie. Really, bring them out whenever they want. I have a pool too, so that will be nice for them during the summers. I don't mind having company at a-"

She whipped her head to the direction Frisk was in, and her smile fell immediately. "Fuck."

Frisk was running back towards the patio at full speed, mason jar abandoned, a dark form behind them. Lori took off running towards Frisk, leading the others to jolt upright from their chairs immediately and yell after her questioningly. A single, breathless word was their only response; "coywolf."

Lori reached Frisk and scooped the child up and around in a single motion, holding them close and away from the predator in question, expecting the claws and fangs to come moments after.

But nothing came.

Hesitantly, she turned around,not knowing what to expect. She gasped lightly at seeing Sans there, eye and hand ablaze, holding the coywolf in place. "whaddaya want me to do with it, kid?"

Lori put Frisk down and slowly approached the immobilized beast and looked it over. "It's rabid. Can you kill it? Or should I go get-"

Sans had put it out of its misery before she could finish, his magic fading once the deed was done. Lori swallowed hard. "Thanks."

"dun mention it."

Lori looked down at Frisk, who had gotten her attention by tugging on the leg of her shorts. "Yeah?"

*I'm sorry I lost your jar.

"they said they're sorry 'bout the jar."

Lori shook her head. "It's ok. That was a dollar, tops, and we can find it in the morning. You're irreplaceable. Ok? Let's just...go back to the patio. And maybe inside."

*Inside sounds good.

Lori laughed. "I might not know much sign, but I recognize 'good', and that facial expression says it all. C'mon."

0-0-0-0-0

Toriel exhaled sharply, shocked at news of exactly what had happened. "Oh my. I am terribly sorry that happened, my child. Are you alright?"

Frisk nodded, cuddled up to Lori, who had insisted that hot chocolate was what the doctor ordered.

"I'm really sorry about that. My best guess is that the coywolf was prowling around out there, out of its mind because of the rabies, and Frisk got close enough for it to pick up on them. Had I known it was that close, we wouldn't have even eaten outside unless I'd brought the gun."

Everyone else in the room froze. "you have a gun?"

Lori blinked. "I live alone on property surrounded by woods. There's coyotes, coywolves, and other predators. And, like you just saw, some of them have rabies. It would take animal control way too long to get here. So yes, I have a gun for 'oh lordy loo, there's a wild animal that I have to put down or kill in self-defense'. The last time I had to use it was on a coyote that decided that, even though there's about 27 acres of woods around my house, it needed to have its babies under my porch. It kept attacking me, and I couldn't leave my house. Animal control had refused to come out before, which is why I had bought the gun in the first place. And so there you have it. It's been used once. I may as well not own it. I eventually gave up and bought a thumbprint scanning lock, because I kept forgetting the combination on the gun safe."

Papyrus and Toriel relaxed considerably at the explanation, but Sans remained fairly tense.

*What's wrong?

Sans caught notice and forced himself to relax. "nothin', kiddo. just still a bit shocked from your close encounter earlier."

They nodded and gave a small noise of acceptance, giving a pronounced yawn that caused Lori to look down at them and smooth their hair down. "Tired?" Frisk didn't respond, their breathing evening out into the slow, measured breaths of sleep.

"Looks like Frisk is out for the night." Lori looked over at Flowey, finally peeking out from around the book she had loaned him. She nodded.

"Probably. Enjoying the book?"

Flowey scoffed and looked to the side. "Hardly. But...just in case...do you...happen to have the second book?"

Lori laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I have the whole series. I'm sure that took a lot of effort to say."

He sighed. "You have no idea."

Lori looked over at Toriel and noted the faint circles under her eyes. "Y'all wanna stay here tonight? I have enough spare bedrooms for everyone, and you look kinda bushed."

Toriel smiled sheepishly and smoothed out her skirt. "I am fine, my child. Truly. I would not want to impose upon you like that."

Lori frowned and arched an eyebrow as she stared at Toriel. "Honey...I know what it's like on that side of town now, and the bags under your eyes could carry groceries. It's ok to take a night off. You won't be imposing or anything, I promise."

Papyrus gawked at the bluntness of Lori's statement, and saw that Sans was doing the same. "H-HUMAN, YOU RE-"

Toriel held up a hand to stop Papyrus. "No, Papyrus. She is right. I have been sleeping poorly of late, and both you and Sans are just as familiar as she is with the 'why' of it," Toriel sighed. "if you are certain that it will not be a bother, my child, I will accept your offer."

Lori smiled softly. "If it'll make you feel better, you can cook breakfast as payment. If Sans and Papyrus wanted to spend the night too, I'm sure it would be simply…" She paused, looking at Sans with a stupid, lopsided grin. "...font-tastic?"

Papyrus groaned and buried his face in his hands. "BETWEEN YOU AND MY BROTHER...HONESTLY, HUMAN."

Sans stared open mouthed. 'maybe she isn't all bad'

Lori giggled at Sans' expression and silence. "Sorry, was that too bold for you?"

"HUMAN!"

Sans snapped out of his silence with a grin. "nah, kiddo. those were pretty striking, though."

"SANS!"

Lori scoffed. "Weak. Anyway, Paps, you wanna carry Frisk to their bed for the night, since they're already out?"

"CERTAINLY, HUMAN. WHERE-"

"End of the hall, immediate left. Tori, you're to the right, right across the hall. The spare rooms are always ready to go, so...you know...mi casa, su casa and whatnot."

Toriel nodded. "Thank you, my child. You are so very, very sweet. I think I shall head to bed shortly."

Papyrus scooped up Frisk and carried them down the hall to the room Lori had mentioned, and tucked them in gently before sneaking out of the room and closing the door. Lori gave a questioning thumbs up to Papyrus, who smiled and returned the gesture twofold.

"hey paps, you gettin' sleepy yet?"

Papyrus sat back down in the recliner that he had been sitting in prior to taking Frisk to bed, and frowned. "PERHAPS, BROTHER, BUT I DO NOT WISH TO INSULT OUR FRIEND BY GOING TO SLEEP SO EARLY."

Lori waved her hand dismissively. "Dude. If you need to sleep, then you need to sleep. I'm not gonna call you a party pooper or anything. Hells, I'd probably call you sensible, because I'm known to be up at all hours of the night."

He nodded softly, then gasped, bringing his hands to his mouth. "OH NO, BROTHER! WE DO NOT HAVE MY STORY BOOK!"

Lori paused and held out a hand. "Wait, like bedtime story?"

Papyrus nodded tearily. "Paps...you know how much of a bibliophibian I am. If I didn't have bookshelves, I'd have to be able to breathe paper. You could borrow one of my books for tonight, maybe? Shoot, I could even read it to you if you wanted."

Sans arched a browbone. "you have kid books?"

She pouted and looked away. "Not 'kid', per se...but I do have a lot of the cooler young adult series. They're quality literature."

Sans laughed. "'m not gonna question your tastes. up to you paps."

Papyrus paused for a moment, thinking, before he softly gave his answer. "I-if it's alright with you and the human...I'd like for her to do my story tonight. What would you recommend, human?"

Lori blinked, not having expected Papyrus to take her up on her offer. "Shit, really? You're even letting me pick?" Papyrus nodded quietly, a faint orange tint lighting his cheek bones.

'Holy shit, that is adorable.'

"Wellllll...what would you like to hear about? Wizards? Demi-gods? Elves and dwarves? Valiant quests? There's a whole lot."

Papyrus shrugged sheepishly. "Well, that's helpful. Guess I'll just go ahead and pick on my own." She walked over to a shelf on the wall of that room and pulled and older, well-worn book off of the shelf. "C'mon. I'll only read you the first chapter or two. Don't want to keep you up all night."

Sans' eye lights followed the human and his brother down the stairs. 'at least she isn't entirely untrustworthy.'

He winced in pain and flexed his right hand gingerly inside the pocket of his jacket. 'seems like we're in for a storm tonight.'

0-0-0-0-0

Pain, blinding and white, seared through his bones. The face, which he never could remember, not really, loomed above him, instruments shining white in the overly bright and sterile light.

He struggled to get free, the restraints holding him fast to the cold metal table. "Hold still," the same deep, familiar voice said. He continued to struggle anyway, the sound of the drill coming closer and gaining intensity as he struggled, making the restraints dig into him further, holding him fast to the cold metal table.

"I said hold still," reiterated the voice as the drill came into view, the bit entering his eye socket as he screamed.

0-0-0-0-0

Lori gasped and lurched forward, fear coursing hot through her veins. She hastily looked around, surveying her surroundings. 'Nothing? What the hell? Why am I-'

Realization dawned on her as she heard someone close a door in the hallway quietly, and then shuffle towards the stairs to go up to the main floor. 'That didn't sound like Paps...maybe Sans…?'

She slipped out of bed and grabbed whatever loose clothes she could find close at hand. Deeming herself decent enough, she slipped out of her room and padded silently down the hall and up the stairs. As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw a figure coming out of the kitchen and entering the living room, leaving the lights off.

She frowned slightly, still feeling the fear coming off him in waves. She moved to the living room and turned on a small lamp in the corner without speaking before heading to the kitchen to put on a kettle of water. Pulling out a vacuum-sealed enameled ceramic jar, a few mugs, and some other necessities, she began portioning out two bags of loose tea leaves.

She heard little movement from the other room as she finished prepping the mugs of tea, and sighed. Carrying the mugs out of the kitchen and into the living room, she offered one to Sans, who was slouched into the love seat with an open bottle of ketchup in one hand, the other in his shorts pocket. She noted the blank stare on his face and frowned even deeper.

She sat the two mugs down on the floor, took the bottle from his hand and screwed the cap back on, then handed him the mug of tea. The warmth shook him from his reverie, and she smiled softly at him. "That bad, huh?"

He watched her quietly as she picked her mug up and moved silently across the room to plop down into the recliner she had been in earlier. Her hands wove together around the mug as she used it to warm her hands. Sans hesitated for a moment before sighing inwardly, taking his other hand out of his pocket, and imitating her.

She nodded in approval. "A cold drink might help you wake up and shake off sleep, but a warm one will help soothe frayed nerves and try to bring you back to a good, calm state. Didn't know what you'd like best so I just made a second cup of oolong." She paused, tracing circles on her mug with one of her index fingers. "You...you wanna talk about it?"

He glared at her as she took a sip, her eyes still on him. "why?"

She frowned and looked off to the side, her index fingers still fidgeting with her mug. "Because talking can help. Nobody is ever around when I have my nightmares, and...well...I know that I'd appreciate it if someone offered an ear after I've had a particularly bad dream."

"how the hell did you even know that I had had a nightmare? how did you even know I was awake?"

She bit her lip quietly.

He stopped, and the lights faded from his eyes as realization dawned on him. "how did you know frisk was being chased, earlier? you weren't looking that way, and there was no way you could have heard them. you had better start explaining. now."

She winced and stared intently at her mug. "Look. I know you don't trust humans, but why would I hurt people that I consider friends? I'm closer with Paps, Frisk, and Tori than I am with my own family. I am legitimately closer with you and your friends...your family...than I am with literally any of my own kind, save for Frisk. So I understand your concern. Really. Humans are awful, and I don't blame you a single bit if you hate me just because of my species. I'm way ahead of you on hating me, though, so you're a bit late to the party,"

"Not all humans were ignorant to magic before monsters started coming out of the woods surrounding Mount Ebott. Some people knew that magic existed, and claimed to 'practice' it, with most not really getting any results. Others, like myself, know it exists. And we have some shred of it in our some of us actually own up to that fact, and accept that it's a part of us. Nothing flashy or fancy like monsters have, usually...but magic nonetheless." She readjusted herself in her seat, clearing her throat gently.

"I'm an empath. I felt Frisk's fear. I knew something was wrong, but not what, not really. That's why I just took off running. I didn't know whether the fear was merited or not. I...I also felt your fear, Sans. I can 'tune out' or whatever you want to call it, but only if I'm awake. When I'm asleep, it's different. For starters, there's normally nobody close enough that I'd be able to pick up on anything. I do live alone, after all."

Sans nodded, still staring at her, though with a kinder, more approachable face. His eye lights had returned as he listened, nodding softly when she stopped for breath.

She looked at him warily. "Monsters...monsters are different, though. If human emotions are given off like breezes, then monsters...monsters give off their emotions in gales. They're so raw, and unobstructed. It's taken some getting used to. It's been like I've been getting slapped with bold face text, instead of blurry, unclear crap that takes time to get used to reading. So when you had your nightmare, it was like a hurricane of raw, unadulterated fear that punched straight through the ignorance of sleep. I woke up with a fight or flight response. I knew it was bad. So I...I thought you might not mind some company. I wanted to try to help."

She sighed and took a long drink of her tea before setting her mug down on the table next to her. "If you'd like me to leave...then I will."

Sans exhaled sharply and rubbed the back of his neck. "look...i...would rather not talk about it. but if you wanted to...I wouldn't mind the company."

Lori blushed and smiled softly. "Ok. Want me to join you over there so we can watch a movie or something? Wait...what time is it?" She glanced around, her eyes settling on the antique analogue clock in the corner, the light reflecting gently off the glass dome and the golden balls of the swirling pendulum that kept time with the seconds that passed. 'Five thirty-three?'

She nodded. "Sorry, I hadn't taken time to look at a clock or grab my phone or anything when I was getting up. You wanna see something cool?"

He shrugged. "why not?"

She grinned and grabbed the throw blankets off the back of the couch. "Follow me."

She padded quickly yet gracefully to the sliding glass door at the back of the house and unlocked it hastily before stepping outside onto the patio in her bare feet. Sans followed lazily, shutting the door behind him halfway slowly as to not make much noise. He looked around to find her, finally finding her halfway up a ladder on the side of the house that he hadn't noticed before. She looked down at him. "You comin"?"

He followed carefully, trying his best to not slip on the rungs built carefully into the house with, thankfully, flat, textured stepping areas. Lori crouched down and offered him a hand as he reached the top, helping him pull himself up onto the roof carefully. She walked across the slightly slanted area with practiced ease, leading him by the hand carefully to their destination,a flat section of the roof pointed at an area of the tree line surrounding her house that was short enough to give a clear view of the mountains off in the east. A few lawn chairs were already up there, and she handed him the second throw blanket before wrapping the first around her shoulders and settling into one of the chairs.

He looked at her questioningly, and she smiled. "Give it a few minutes. You'll see." He shrugged and followed suit, staring off over the tree line. His mouth opened slightly as the first golden-pink rays of light peeked out from over the mountain top.

"'s...wow."

Lori looked at him and smiled, watching him more than the sunrise. His eye lights had enlarged somewhat at the view, and she was relieved to find no traces of fear left in his current emotions. She turned her attention back to the sunrise, enjoying the view herself. "Feeling better?"

He looked over at her, his smile genuine. "thanks. really."

She nodded. "No prob, man."