Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. :) Some spoopy stuff goes down in this chapter and Sans learns what it feels like to be truly defenseless for the first time in in.. well... a long time.

I'm also very open to prompt suggestions and reviews so send some my way if you like.

EDIT: I extended the chapter, since it felt too short. Also moved the original Chapter 2 into Chapter 1 to give first-time readers a little more idea of what the story will entail :) So, uh, if you're returning to the story and feel confused. That's why.


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CHAPTER 2- COLD HANDS

Sans cracked the cap off a bottle of ketchup as he sat back on his lumpy couch with Toriel beside him. He had offered her one but her eyebrows had climbed so high up her forehead they'd lost themselves between her floppy ears. Ah well, it was an acquired taste.

Regardless, the two of them watched as Papyrus took Frisk on a tour of the house, examining each minute detail as if it were some sort of quirky museum.

"ahem... knock knock?" Sans began, not sure how else to, really. He'd never really had the chance to actually get to know the former Queen of Monsters beyond a few moments behind the King's throne room. The sight of her, prim and regal on his grubby couch was making him anxious.
Toriel grinned back at him, "Who is there?" She asked.

"waiter."

"Waiter who?"

"waiter you doing outside the ruins?" Sans finished, not able to keep the edge of fear out of his voice. His inner turmoil must have shown on his face as well as Tori's eyes widened slightly.

Noticing this, Sans quickly drew back into himself, cursing himself for scaring her like that. They'd only just met after all and here he was being a total creep and-

"SANS! GOAT LADY! THE HUMAN AND I WILL NOW. BEGIN OUR DATE! NO INTRUSIONS, PLEASE!" Papyrus all but screeched from upstairs where he was about to enter his room with the human. Frisk had a long-suffering smile plastered on her face but seemed to be enjoying herself.

As Papyrus slammed the door shut behind them Sans turned back to Toriel, about to begin his apology from being such an ass.

He was surprised to discover her staring unblinkingly at her hands, looking terrified and confused.

"I-I'm... not sure." She peeped, looking upset and sheepish. "I... never left them before... not even for the other children. Maybe... I just couldn't take it... anymore?"

Sans set his ketchup bottle down on the floor and twisted awkwardly to face her.

"hey. don't be like that. didn't mean 'ta push ya." He extended a bony hand to her but she practically flinched away from it.

Then, realizing what she'd done, the Queen seemed to snap out of her stupor.

"Oh. I am so sorry. I do not know what came over me just now. Following the human was a good idea, I think. She never would have made it through Papyrus' puzzles and attacks without me." Now that Tori had snapped back to her normal self, it was hard to imagine her with the haunted look she'd had just a few moments earlier.

However, Sans was a hard skeleton to fool.

"it's fine, tori. i need to check on something, alright?" Sans hefted himself out of the cushions and downed the rest of his ketchup on his way to the door.

"Wait! I do not believe I ever told you my-" Toriel was cut off as Sans slammed a door in someone's face for the second time today. Pap was probably on to something about him needing to improve his manners.

Still feeling exhausted from flitting around Snowdin earlier, Sans slogged mundanely to the secret room behind his house and fumbled with the keys in the lock.

"stupid keys..." he muttered, trying the obstinate things in different orientations even though he'd never had any trouble with them before.

...

"{S-A-N-S}"

...!

Sans felt as if cold fingers had laid themselves on his shoulder blades. Which was odd, since he couldn't feel temperatures. He really didn't want to turn around.

Reaching for his ever-simmering magic, he was terrified to feel... nothing? Just the same, cold emptiness that was now settling over him like a shroud. He tried again to summon the blue fire but to no avail.

With a snarl that sounded suspiciously like a squeak he whipped around, brandishing the keys like a mundane weapon and-

Nothing.

Just the empty space between his house and the silent forest. The stillness was palpable. Even the snowflakes didn't seem to want to fall, gently descending in fluffy clumps.

"who's there?" Sans whispered, trying to grasp his magic once again and nearly falling to his knees in relief as it responded. Blue flames licked at the inside of his left eyesocket, comforting and powerful. Despite the sharp pain of keeping his magic concentrated like this, Sans was too worried what would happen if he let it go. Without his magic he was nothing. Defenseless. Useless.

He wouldn't be able to protect Papyrus when the human inevitably...

Sans let his blue light illuminate his way down the stairs to his personal lab (His key had worked as soon as he'd tried it, this time). Swiftly, he pulled the tarp off the rectangular machine sitting in the corner of the room and pored over the readouts in the lurid, blue light.

None of it was making any sense. He had never seen readings like this before. Not since...

oh god.

Sans dropped the papers on the floor and spun towards his save box, unclasping the lid with shaking phalanges. Inside, nestled among his countless notebooks, above an alternate Papyrus' dusty scarf, sat a single square of paper. On it was scrawled only a few words:

'he's back!
(this was then crossed out hastily)

gone. trust the human.'

It was undeniably his own handwriting, and as he rubbed his thumb-bone across the dark ink it smeared across the page. Whatever had happened, it was recent. Probably right before the RESET. Sans was glad his alternate self had had the space of mind to make this note. However, the fact that he'd been in his lab right before the lights went out probably meant he'd been expecting it. How many times had he not? How many times had he run this same path completely unaware?

The blue light in his eyesocket leapt with his fury at being treated like a child's plaything.

'trust the human?' Please. Now that was real funny. But... they did seem like they'd changed emotionally in addition to appearing physically older. No. That freak would never change.

San's magic rumbled in his chest and he felt his GasterBlasters straining at the void where he kept them, waiting.

'wait. gaster.' Sans felt his anger gutter and die along with the light of his eye, plunging the lab into darkness. That's who the note was referring to. Somehow Gaster was back and was fucking with the timeline. Modding it. It made at least a little sense, he thought. But what had he meant by: 'gone'? He supposed he'd just have to figure that part out fast. Before anyone else was put in more danger.

Quickly and by the light of his desk lamp, Sans added his new revelations and notes to his safe box which were far less cryptic. This way, he'd be able to reach the same conclusion in any timeline.

"there." He said when he finished, somewhat satisfied.

Still, as he ascended the steps to the outdoors, he couldn't help but feel those cold hands looming over him, like shadows in the void.

...

As Sans re-entered the house it took a moment to get re-adjusted to the up-beat atmosphere. Papyrus was treating Toriel and Frisk to some spaghetti, probably to let the human down easily now that she'd been friend-zoned.

"SO THE HUMAN AND I ARE DATING NOW." Papyrus announced without preamble.

Sans stopped mid-step.

"huh?" Sans was getting sick and tired of being broadsided like this. In a way it was a little refreshing, but mostly is was just annoying.

"YES! DATING! GOING ON DATES AND DOING DATE THINGS!" Papyrus continued as if nothing were wrong with this situation. Which, Sans rationalized, there wasn't. Except for the fact that his Papyrus was in a blossoming relationship with that dirty brother killer. And that said dirty fucking brother killer was currently doing their best to work their way determinedly through Papyrus' inedible spaghetti.

"you... don't say." Sans passed up the prospect of pasta entirely and pulled another bottle of ketchup out of a cabinet.

"I DO SAY! AND- HEY! HOW MANY OF THOSE HAVE YOU HAD TODAY, SANS?!" Papyrus rattled, standing akimbo in his 'Smooch the Cook' apron. As an answer Sans merely tilted the bottle up and chugged the whole thing down, feeling a little better, but not much. Then he noticed Frisk's spaghetti was garnished with heart-shaped bits of glitter.

He was in the middle of grabbing another bottle when he felt his brother's gloved hand close on his forearm-bones.

"NOT TONIGHT, SANS. PLEASE?" Papyrus gave his best attempt at a whisper.

Everyone was staring at him now, which was not a situation Sans was very comfortable being in. Toriel seemed unsure of what she should do with her hands and settled on holding onto her cutlery so hard it was warping. The human gulped down a noodle with some difficulty and stood up.

Once again, Sans marveled at her developed body and how time had lent her scrunchy, childish features a soulful depth.

"It's okay, Papyrus. I really should get going." She said, already organizing her pockets with the help of her cellphone.

"Are you sure, My Child? Wouldn't you rather stay here for a while?" Toriel practically bleated, rising to her feet herself.

Frisk, determined creature that she was, simply shook her head and picked up her old stick from where it lay beside the door.

"WAIT! HUMAN! DO NOT THINK YOU WILL BE LEAVING THE GREAT PAPYRUS BEHIND! I WILL CATCH UP TO YOU SHORTLY!" Papyrus called after her and Toriel as they left.

...

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, SANS!" Papyrus shouted once they were alone, releasing Sans' arm and gesturing so expansively his long fingers brushed the ceiling. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Sans tried his best to wrangle his usual grin back onto his face but it wasn't cooperating.

"paps, look. I-"

"DON'T YOU PAPS ME!" Papyrus stuck one bony finger at where Sans' nose would have been. He hadn't seen Papyrus this mad in a long, long time and even then his anger hadn't been directed at him.

"just listen, will ya?" Sans snapped back, swiping aside the accusing finger. "that human's no good. no good for you."

Sans balked a little at the hurt expression that flashed across Papyrus' face but he was scared. And perhaps Papyrus should be too... but not of him. Driving Papyrus away would help no one.

"sorry. that came out wrong." Sans backpedaled, running a hand over his suddenly-sweaty skull.

"GOOD FOR ME?" Papyrus spun around and started gathering up the barely-eaten spaghetti, probably so Sans wouldn't be able to see his face. shit. He'd gone too far this time.

There was a stretched silence as Papyrus composed himself, the Tupperware lids clattering as he tried to seal the pasta into its new prison.

"WHO ARE YOU. TO SAY. WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME?" This time Papyrus actually did succeed in whispering, which made only made his words all the more forceful. Sans felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "I LOVE YOU. I REALLY DO. YOU JUST MAKE IT SO HARD SOMETIMES, SANS. EVER SINCE WE LEFT THE CAPITAL. YOU'VE BEEN STRANGE. LAZY. ANGRY."

Papyrus turned his head away from the fridge , his expression in shadow.

"YOU ACT LIKE YOU KNOW SOMETHING OTHER PEOPLE DON'T."

Sans had no response to this. All he wanted was to escape. As usual.

"I AM GOING TO FOLLOW THE HUMAN. AND WE ARE GOING TO DATE. AND YOU-" Papyrus jabbed his finger in Sans' soft belly, making his point. "CAN DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE. AS ALWAYS."

Sans didn't even have a moment to respond as his tall, uncharacteristically angry brother stormed past him and out the door, not even bothering to slam it.

It was dark outside.

Snow was blowing in onto the welcome mat.

Sans slumped to the floor, facing it. He'd really fucked things up this time.