Chapter 2: New Home

The entire way back to the castle, Asriel tried to engage Chara in conversation. Chara would give monosyllabic answers, or lower their head and not answer at all. Eventually Asriel lapsed into silence, his mind picking up right where his mouth had left off. He had so many questions he wanted to ask of them. How did you end up here? What is your story? Are you going to kill me? That's what humans do, isn't it? Yeah, asking them about their murderous tendencies will definitely make them open right up, Asriel thought. And besides… He glanced once again at Chara, their face impassive. I don't actually believe that they would hurt me. If I did, I wouldn't have helped them out…right?

Chara's steps had become much more steady by the time they turned the last corner, but they remained just as withdrawn. Asriel had hoped to see something—anything, really—that would give him a clue as to what they were thinking. Their silence was unnerving, although not in the sense that Asriel believed Chara posed any threat to him. It was the kind of feeling he supposed Mom must get when he promised he'd be back by three but didn't come back until four; that overwhelming fear of the unknown, that powerful sense of powerlessness. Asriel felt powerless. And even though he didn't owe anything to Chara—they had met less than an hour ago, for goodness sake—he was frustrated that he could not get through to them, worried about their well-being. He sensed that Chara coming here was the start of something big, and he had taken it upon himself to make sure that whatever this big thing was started out in the right direction.

"I thought you lived in a castle."

"What?" Asriel was jolted out of his thoughts. Chara was staring at the quaint little house that had loomed into view in front of them. It was the longest sentence they had said to him so far. "Oh, yeah. The castle is in the basement, actually."

Chara turned to him, confused. Finally, emotion!

"How can you fit a castle in your basement?"

Asriel grinned. "That sounds like a question for Dad. Come on, let's go!"

"Hey Mom! Dad!" Asriel called as he led Chara in through the front door.

"What is it, dear?"

"What's up, kiddo?

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet."

"Be there in a second!"

Asriel squeezed Chara's hand. "Don't worry. My parents are pretty cool."

"I'm not worried," Chara said.

"Uh—oh, all right…" said Asriel, flustered. Everything he said to them felt like it was the wrong thing to say.

"But…" Chara gave him the slightest of smiles, one that you would be unlikely to catch if you weren't looking properly. "Thanks anyway."

Asriel didn't know what to say next, but was spared from having to respond by the arrival of Toriel. It appeared as if she had been doing some reading, for her glasses were perched on the end of her snout.

"Who is it Asriel? Oh!" She did a slight double take. "You're a human, aren't you?" She inquired. Chara nodded.

"Their name is Chara!" Asriel said brightly. "I found them while I was walking in the ruins."

Comprehension dawned in Toriel's eyes. "Ah," she said. "You found them in the surface chamber, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Asriel said. He hadn't heard the name before, but it had to be the same place. "I heard them fall and I just couldn't leave them there." There was a hint of a plea in his voice. He hadn't heard his parents talk much about humans, so he didn't know how they felt about them…but he knew the legacy they had down here in the underground. Even though his and Chara's time together had been short, he did not want to see them treated as the villain just because they were human. Fortunately, Toriel was taking the whole situation in stride.

"No, of course not! In fact, I would be quite disappointed if you had. So," Toriel turned her attention to Chara, fixing them with a reassuring grin. "Chara, was it?"

"Yeah," Chara said. The smile they had given Asriel had vanished, but at least they were actually looking at Toriel and not staring at the floorboards.

"So Chara, how did you end up here in the underground?"

Chara averted their eyes. "I…don't want to talk about it."

Toriel didn't look surprised. "I understand…if you're not ready to talk about it, I'm not going to force anything. But when you are ready, you can always come talk to me, or Asgore…and I'm sure Asriel would be willing to help in any way he can."

"I'm sure he will," Chara said. Their voice was as hard to read as their face, but Asriel believed that Chara was being sincere.

"But…the situation being what it is…" Toriel fiddled with her glasses. Asriel recognized this as one of her nervous tics. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to remain here for a while."

A pregnant silence pervaded the room.

"You mean I can't go back to the surface?" Chara asked slowly.

"No, my child." Toriel said it gently, as only a mother can.

If this was a blow to Chara, they didn't show it. Now Asriel detected a hint of surprise in his mother's expression as she surveyed the human. It was clear that she had been expecting some exclamation of disbelief or grief, but none came. Chara, if anything, looked thoughtful.

"But where will I stay?" Was all they said.

Toriel's genteel smile had returned. "I think we have room to spare right here, don't we, Asriel?"

"Of c—"

"Room for what now?" Asgore strode in from the hallway. He was wearing khaki shorts and an awful Bermuda T-shirt, his usual casual wear. A cup of steaming tea was in his hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't come right away; I was finishing something up—"

His eyes swept the foyer, searching for the reason behind his summons. Finally, they settled on Chara. His apologetic expression morphed into something Asriel couldn't quite decipher; before he could get a second look, however, it had been replaced by polite interest.

"Howdy, there." He said kindly. "Who might you be?"

"Chara."

"And how did you come to be in the underground?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Chara repeated.

"Why not?" Asgore's smile did not extend to his eyes.

"Asgore…" Toriel warned.

"I…didn't mean to come here. I was…" Chara clenched their fists. "I'm sorry. I can't do this right now."

Asgore raised his eyebrows, but didn't push any further.

"Dad, I, uh…I found them when I was walking in the ruins, in the surface chamber. They had fallen down, and I just couldn't leave them there…"

"Of course, the surface chamber…" Asgore brooded for a moment.

"Yes, but nothing can be done about that now," Toriel said, with an air of steering the conversation away from dangerous waters. "As I was just saying before you came in, we have plenty of room here for Chara to stay. In fact, I was thinking that they could share a room with Asriel."

"That works for me! How about you, Chara?" He tried to be upbeat and cheerful in an attempt to dispel the tension in the room.

"Sure," they said. They shoved their fists into their pockets.

"Well…that's that, then. I'll help you get settled in, all right, Chara? We only have one bed at the moment, but I'm sure we can get another soon…and oh, you must be hungry! After I show you to the room I'll whip something up in the kitchen…" Toriel led Chara down the hall. Asriel followed. Asgore stood alone in the foyer for a few minutes more. Eventually, he slid back down the hallway and into his room. The door shut behind him with a small click, and he was once again plunged into the world of his own racing thoughts.

The rest of the day was a blur, not because it went fast, but because Asriel didn't feel fully present. It was as if he were watching his life's proceedings from underwater. So far none of his questions had been answered, none of the burning curiosity quelled. Asgore's behavior had only left him more confused. Why was he being so distant? What had that expression meant? And what did Chara think of all this? His consciousness became submerged in these questions, like a diver in the deep. Thus, before he knew it, it was nighttime. Mom and Dad had retired to their room, and Asriel was sitting in the large reading chair by the fire. The embers smoldered in the fireplace, bathing him in a soft warm glow. It was so comfortable here…it was perhaps the most comfortable he had felt all day. However, one look at the clock told him that he needed to get to bed. Groaning, he lifted himself out of the recliner and padded down the hall to his room. When he entered, he was surprised to find that Chara was still awake. They were perched on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together, feet swinging slowly, idly. They were wearing that same thoughtful expression from before.

The questions returned at full force, ricocheting around the inside of his skull. He could not contain them anymore. Perhaps this time Chara would talk to him…or maybe that was a foolish thought.

Well, only one way to find out.

"So…" He said, announcing his presence. "You're from the surface."

Chara nodded. They didn't look up.

"It must be hard…" Asriel continued tentatively. "Being away from your parents and your friends. Do…do you miss them?"

To his surprise, Chara laughed softly.

"Not at all. In fact, I wanted to leave them." They stared down into their lap, fists clenched on the hem of their shirt. It was striped, just like his. "I wanted to leave everyone. But I didn't lie. I didn't want to come here."

"W-what do you mean, you wanted to leave everyone?"

Chara shook their head, as if to say forget it. Asriel couldn't understand. He'd be devastated if it was he who had been cast into a strange land, separated from his parents. What had happened to Chara, that they felt this way? He didn't ask. He wouldn't get an answer, anyway. Chara obviously did not want to talk about it.

Asriel stood there awkwardly, wanting to cheer them up, but he didn't know what to say. The remaining unasked questions swam through his head, but he could not ask any of them. As the seconds passed, the prolonged silence pressed in on him. He had to say something.

"But, uh…n-none of that really matters now anyway, right? There's no way to get to the surface, so you'll be stuck down here for a while…but hey, at least you'll be with us! Mom and Dad are pretty neat. They'll take good care of you. Hey," he placed his hand on Chara's shoulder. The physical contact seemed to snap them out of a trance. He gazed into the pale face, the dark, unreadable eyes. What good are windows to the soul if the shutters are closed? "As long as you're here, you're family." He smiled. "Okay?"

"Family…" Chara repeated slowly, as though they had never heard the word before and were desperate to remember it.

"Right. And families help each other. So, please…let me help."

Chara tilted their head back, their curtain of hair dancing behind them.

"Well…I could use a glass of water."

That wasn't exactly what I was going for, Asriel thought as he filled up a glass at the sink. Nonetheless, he felt like he had made a small breakthrough. Chara hadn't had the best life so far, of that he was certain. The word "family" had seemed so alien to them. Chara was emotionally wounded, and yet Asriel couldn't help but feel a sense of hope growing in his chest. Wounds heal, especially with the proper treatment. As far as Chara was concerned, Asriel believed that he and his parents—his family—were just what the doctor ordered. As he headed back down the hall, he heard muffled voices issuing from his parents' room. He stopped in his tracks. The voices weren't yelling, but they were definitely far from cordial conversation.

"Honestly, I can't believe you would even consider—" His mother's voice, high and indignant.

"Tori, I'm not saying we should do anything drastic, but we would be idiots not to consider the risks—" His father's low, slow rumble.

"They're just a child, for god's sake, it's not like they're going to go on a killing spree—they're probably scared out of their mind that we're the ones that might kill them!"

"What if they were sent here by the humans? They are being quite secretive about their reasons for coming here. That's reason enough to suspect them, in my book."

"You sound like a conspiracist. Honestly, if the humans were going to send someone to destroy us, do you really think they would send a child?"

"The fact that they are young does not make them any less capable of murder. You've heard of the power of a human soul," Asgore said shortly. "Besides, you've always been soft where humans are concerned. I remember back when we were in History class together, whenever we discussed the barrier's origin you were the only one who stood up for them, who always insisted that humans can't all be bad—"

"I was definitely not the only one. Your prejudice is making you blind, Gorey. Honestly, with that logic, all monsters must be savages too, because we have those among us who have done things just as bad—"

"So, monsters have slaughtered countless innocent humans and locked them away underground with little to no hope of escape, have they?"

Pause.

"Well, no…but still. And anyway, I could never consent to…to…" Toriel's voice dropped off. "They're a person, Gorey, not some demon, not some tool to be manipulated."

Asriel heard heavy, slow shuffling. In his mind's eye he saw Dad drawing nearer to Mom, taking her hand lightly.

"Just think, Tori…freedom is within our grasp. It won't be easy, I know, but just think. This human child coming here must be fate. All monsters will be liberated. We will once again live on the surface."

Another pause. Then he heard an angry, quick sound, as if Mom had torn her hand from Dad's grip. "And what will you do then?" She asked coolly. "Will you have your revenge? Will you slaughter them all? I know what humans have done to us in the past…what some humans have done. I also know that revenge won't solve anything. It'll simply perpetuate this cycle of hatred. I do agree that the child coming here is fate, but not in the way you imagine. This child is our chance to fix things, not to break them further. I may not be able to change your position on this…but I can, and I will, keep you from enforcing it."

"Tori—"

"Goodnight, Asgore."

Asriel scurried to his room and quickly shut the door, his mind full of what he had just heard. Outside in the hall, he heard a door slam and footfalls head towards the kitchen. Dad. He was probably going to make himself a cup of golden flower tea. He usually did that when he was stressed. Asriel couldn't help but wonder what his father had been considering that Mom was so upset about. Something to do with the barrier—and freedom. Asriel had heard rumors about the barrier—how it was the reason that no monster could leave the underground, how it was unbreakable—but from what he could gather from his parents' argument, there was a way to break it, a way that involved Chara…

Asriel blanched. Chara. Mom and Dad hadn't exactly been secretive about their argument…what if Chara had heard? What would they think? Would they do something drastic? Judging from what little he knew of them, Asriel guessed that they would…but all Asriel's fears were quelled in an instant when he turned around and found Chara curled up on the edge of his bed, sound asleep. He let out a long, easy breath and sank onto the bed next to them. He sat the glass of water on the bedside table. Just in case.

"I don't know exactly what's going on," Asriel whispered, watching the gentle rise and fall of Chara's chest, "but it sounds like you are important. Dad and Mom both think so, and they're usually right. I mean, I kind of suspected it as well…I mean, you did fall from the sky and all, like an angel."

He leaned back, resting his hands behind his head and staring up at the shadowy ceiling. A fan hummed there, sending down gentle waves of cool air to ruffle his fur. "All I know is that I agree. You are a chance. A chance for freedom, a chance for reconciliation.

"A chance for a friend."

Hey everybody, I got chapter two done! Woo! This one is a bit of a doozy, but I hope it'll keep you entertained. There's a lot more going on in this one than the last one! I'm going to start work on chapter three as soon as possible, there's some stuff coming up soon in the story that I'm pretty excited for. In the meantime, please let me know what you think! Any reviews or feedback of any kind is appreciated!

Additionally, I am pretty new to writing fanfiction, and I would like to have some of my stuff betaed, but I'm not sure who to ask. If you have any advice, or are interested in maybe betaing some of the future chapters of this story, please find it in your heart to help a newbie out!

Thank you, and enjoy!