PART 2 - JUSTICE

Life went on. Now that Papyrus was over his cold, you, too, healed quickly. You were back to living in your own house by Sunday afternoon, and feeling like normal by Monday. Sans slept for nearly 24 hours, crashing on the couch the instant the two of you stepped foot into your own home. You didn't need to exchange words with him to know that he'd been keeping himself awake the entire three days you were sick. Despite Papyrus' disapproval, you let him sleep for as long as he wanted.

Something between you and Papyrus felt different. Not necessarily bad-different, just different. You were bound together by this invisible force that no one understood, and you could no longer ignore it. But you didn't talk about it, either. It was in the way your eyes settled on him whenever you were lost in thought. The way he stuck by your side, even when you retreated back to your own house and Sans immediately fell asleep. He stayed, playing video games with the volume off while you rushed to read through that stack of meeting minutes Asgore had given you last week.

If it was anyone… anyone other than Papyrus, you would've been deeply uncomfortable with this. You didn't know how it felt from his end, but you had the feeling that he had more control over you than you would've liked. You didn't even think Papyrus knew what he was capable of. If his health affected you so strongly, what about his will? Could he make you do things that you didn't want to do? Necromancy did not exist to bring people back to life and have them go on their merry ways, after all. Its purpose was to make bodies do the caster's bidding. Was it different for you, since it wasn't just necromancy keeping you alive? Or was it just Papyrus' ignorance and benevolence keeping you from being what was essentially his slave?

You wished you knew if he was thinking the same things as you, but you didn't dare ask. You didn't want to burden him with this if he hadn't yet thought of it on his own. Ironically, you suspected he was thinking the same thing about you. But you couldn't be sure, so you didn't bring it up.

The opportunity passed once Sans finally woke up late Monday afternoon. If you were hesitant to talk to Papyrus about this, then you were even less inclined to worry Sans with it. If he had hair, he'd already be losing it with his constant concern about your health. The fact was that you trusted Papyrus with this wholeheartedly. It was best, then, to just move on with your lives.

The next day was Tuesday, and you were going to go to that meeting with Asgore and the humans come hell or high water. You hadn't had time to read all of the previous meetings… Not even close. But if you didn't go, the humans would ask why. Asgore would have to make something up, and then you'd look even more suspicious than you already did.

Besides, you had things you wanted to say, and you couldn't bear waiting another week to say them.

As you walked purposefully through a worn path in the forest, Sans' arm brushed up against yours. You looked over at him, and he raised his brows at you in a silent question. You grinned reassuringly, then winked for extra emphasis. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Would you two lovebirds hurry it up?" Undyne shouted from up ahead, where she was keeping pace with Asgore despite having significantly shorter legs. You checked your phone for the time anxiously.

"We got time… she can wait." Sans grunted, and he was right. The meeting didn't start for another fifteen minutes; you'd arrive at a perfectly acceptable time. No need to rush yourself and be all flustered and out of breath when you got there.

You went over the main points you wanted to bring up in your head while you walked, reciting them over and over until you were suddenly at the base of the Northwest tower. Sans stopped short of the stairs, and you turned to face him. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, but you could tell that they were clenched into fists.

"I'll just chill here, then." Anyone else would've thought Sans sounded perfectly normal, but you could hear the tension in his voice. You touched his elbow and smiled at him again,

"Sounds good… see you in a bit." The truth was that you and Sans had never been apart since the separation of your souls. Not once. The greatest distance that had ever been between you was when you were in different rooms in the same house. Even then, you always made sure to leave the door between you open. But now, Sans wasn't allowed to go where you were going. It made no sense for him to attend one of these meetings, and you were sure the humans wouldn't allow it.

"Yup," He said, and you let your hand fall back to your side. Your fingers clenched tightly around the handle of your cane before you turned away and began to follow Asgore and Undyne up the stairs.

"What's the deal with you two, anyway?" Undyne fell back to ask once you were out of earshot of Sans. You looked back down at him, getting smaller and smaller the further you climbed. He looked lonely and lost down there by himself.

"Have you ever had your soul fused with someone else's and then ripped apart again?" You asked, tearing your eyes away from Sans. Undyne looked taken aback… a rare expression on her.

"Uh, no."

"Then mind your own business." Undyne's ears flattened, and you could've sworn you heard Asgore stifling a laugh in front of you.

"Alright, alright… jeez." Your friend rolled her eyes and turned back around, taking the steps two at a time until she'd caught back up with the King. You weren't taking any shit today… not from anyone.

"Good morning," You heard Asgore say as he reached the landing ahead of you. Once you finally climbed the last step, you were able to see who he was talking to. It was the usual crowd; Reives, Wolfe, and Charlie. The two agents were sitting next to each other on one side of the table, both dressed in sharp suites. Charlie sat off to the side, a computer open on his lap.

"Good morning, King Asgore…" Reives said with a professional smile. His gaze passed by Undyne and settled on you, "And hello to you, too," You nodded and forced yourself to smile. As you, Asgore, and Undyne took your places at the table, Reives continued to talk, "Feeling better, I hope?"

"Much better, thanks," You replied, knowing that you did look more healthy than the last time Reives had seen you. You hair had grown in enough that you didn't feel the need to wear a hat everywhere you went. Your skin was no longer translucent and, although you were still struggling to put on the weight you'd lost, your unhealthy thinness was easily hidden by the right clothes. Self-consciously, you smoothed a hand over your button-down shirt.

"Good to hear, good to hear…" Reives mused, and you glanced over at Charlie to see if he was writing this down. He was typing something, but you couldn't see what it was from your angle. "Why don't we get started, then?"

"Of course," Asgore spoke, and your nervous feet fiddled with the cane you'd set on the ground,

"First things first… Are there any extra supplies you would like from the next drop?"

"Yes, in fact. We were wondering if we could have some extra produce. The amount we are receiving now would be enough to sustain us if the supply drops arrived on time, but they often do not."

"Right… we could add an extra five pounds without overloading the helicopter. I would only ask for an extra gold piece in exchange."

"An entire gold coin?" Asgore asked skeptically. Reives licked his lips.

"Well, I would ask for less, but you can't exactly cut a gold coin in half."

"Why don't we pay an extra coin every other supply drop? It'd be like paying half a coin each time," Undyne piped up, but she sounded bored with herself. Reives' jaw clenched as he was forced to acknowledge her,

"Good idea… let's agree to that," He looked up at Charlie, as though making sure he was getting all of this down.

You leaned back in your seat, unimpressed by the conversation. Reives had effectively dodged the issue of the supply drops coming late, and Asgore didn't seem inclined to bring it up again. You could sense that he didn't want to step on any toes. You remembered what he had told you before, about how you should try to see things from the other side's perspective. Right now, it just looked like the humans were taking advantage of Asgore's soft heart. You didn't understand how this was the same guy who'd murdered children to escape the Underground. Desperate times called for desperate measures, you supposed, but wasn't this desperate, too?

"Well, if that's all-"

"Actually, I have a question," You interrupted Reives, who looked mildly surprised. He leaned forward to listen to you,

"Yes?" You sat up as straight as you could,

"Moving forward, what are your plans for integrating monsters into human society?" There was a beat of silence before the agent responded smoothly,

"Right now, we are working on maintaining peace between our species. That is of utmost importance."

"So no plans, then?" You asked, your cheeks growing hot from a combination of anxiety and righteous anger. Here was this man who was older, more powerful, and better dressed than you… How could you possibly have the nerve to argue with him? But you knew you had to. Asgore wanted you here for a reason; because you were the only person who could change things. You had to try, even though it terrified you. Even though you barely had the energy for any of this.

"None at the moment," Reives kept that fake smile plastered on his face.

"What about that one trip you took to South Ebott?" You couldn't bear to look at anyone else's reactions, so you just stared at Reives' icy blue eyes, "Why don't we plan another one of those?"

"That endeavor didn't exactly go well."

"Maybe not from your perspective," You said, casually referencing the gold situation. You could tell by his hardened expression that he knew what you were talking about. His smile widened,

"You certainly did your research, didn't you?" Before you could think of an answer, Reives continued, "It's interesting to me that you would choose to stay here to work for King Asgore. Most people would rather go home after going through such an ordeal."

You didn't know what to say. The way he talked make you certain that he was trying to get something out of you. He wanted you to say something incriminating. You chose your words carefully,

"Probably. But I don't think that's relevant to the topic at hand, do you?" Reives tapped his fingers on the table, and you held your breath.

"You're right… Forgive my curiosity. I have a daughter who's around your age, so I just wonder what it must be like on your parents."

Your throat constricted, and you clenched your hands together in your lap. Did he know about the crate? He had to… it was such a sick, low blow. Finally, you could no longer hold eye contact with him. You cast your gaze down to the table between you.

"Perhaps we could do something slightly more structured this time," Thankfully, Asgore jumped in to save you, "The day trip was a good idea in theory. The more the humans see us in person, the less afraid they will be. But walking through the streets may have been too much, too quickly. Instead, maybe we could hold a conference. A town meeting, of sorts." Reives glanced at Wolfe, who hadn't said a word this whole time. Now, she spoke,

"It could be feasible. We'd have to find a location large enough, and we should limit the attendees to citizens of South Ebott. It'll be easier to manage than last time, though." Reives nodded slowly,

"We'll work on planning that. I'm thinking late this month, or early January…"

"Christmas is next week. It might be fitting to have it around that time, if we can get everything in order by then," Wolfe suggested. You couldn't really imagine her getting into the Christmas spirit. The mental image of her wearing a Santa hat improved your mood somewhat.

"How would you feel about letting the humans see the Underground?" You asked, turning to Asgore for the first time, "I'm not saying we have to plan it now, but it'd be good to show them your world, too. Might make humans empathize with the monsters a little more." You knew people had to be curious about the Underground. You would've been, if you hadn't already lived in it. Asgore seemed surprised that you'd suggested it. He took a minute to think,

"Hmm… I suppose it would only be fair," Reives' expression betrayed nothing, but you thought he was sitting up a little straighter than before, "However, I would insist on choosing which humans are allowed on the trip. I would not want anyone to cause trouble."

"Of course," Reives said, his smile having returned in full force, "Why don't we wait until after the town meeting? We can discuss this again at a later date."

"Yes, that seems appropriate," Asgore agreed, and Wolfe nodded sharply. There was a moment of awkward silence before Reives spoke again,

"Well, if that is all…" He looked over at you, but you didn't interrupt this time. You had other things you'd wanted to talk about, but you were quickly losing your confidence. It could wait for next time.

"It was nice meeting with you, agents," Asgore said, with extra emphasis on the word "agents."

"As always," Reives added before standing up and holding out his hand. Asgore shook it carefully. You grabbed your cane and stood. By the time you were on your feet, Reives had turned to you with his outstretched hand. His right hand… you had to switch your cane to your other side to shake it.

"See you next week," You said it like a promise. Wolfe and Reives glanced at each other.

"Indeed." With that, you, Asgore, and Undyne walked out the door. You looked over your shoulder at Charlie, who hadn't said a word during the whole meeting. He gave you a smile and a wink when the agents had their backs turned. You grinned, and felt like there was at least one other human on your side.

It wasn't until you'd hobbled down half the steps that any of you said anything to each other.

"That went quite well, I think," Asgore spoke first, looking back at you with a warm smile, "I am proud that you were able to maintain your professionalism. It would have been very unfortunate if the situation had escalated." You grimaced, but took the compliment with a nod. You hadn't really done anything to deescalate the tension, either, but you supposed it hadn't gone badly.

"Do you think we'll be ready for a town meeting by next week?" You asked absentmindedly, distracted by the sight of Sans waiting at the bottom of the stairs for you.

"I think so, yes. It is not like we are doing much else." You barely heard Asgore's response, too focused as you were on getting down the stairs. You limped down quickly, your cane and feet thudding on every wooden step. Undyne grunted in surprise as you passed her, but Asgore seemed to have expected this and pressed himself against the railing to get out of your way. When you reached the landing, Sans was lying on the ground, his arms crossed under the back of his head. He opened one eye lazily to watch you approach.

"Heya," He greeted you, trying too hard to look casual. You stood over him and grinned,

"Hey, yourself." You reached your free hand down, and Sans took it eagerly. You pulled him to his feet, glad not for the first time that he was as light as a feather. The skin-to-bone contact put your soul at ease. Truth be told, you hadn't realized how much you'd missed him up there during the meeting. You didn't know whether to feel relieved that you'd been able to separate from him without too much of an issue, or guilty that you hadn't thought of him as much as you should've.

Sans let go of you to brush his coat off, though you were sure he'd only been on the ground for a few minutes at most. You saw a suspicious-looking line through the patchy spots of snow on the ground, indicating that someone had been pacing back and forth. Guilt won out.

"How'd it go?" Sans asked, and Asgore and Undyne caught up to you.

"Good," You answered, then looked back at the King for confirmation.

"Yes, I believe we are making progress in the right direction," The four of you started walking back to camp, and Sans sighed almost imperceptibly. He hated walking even more than you did, but he couldn't take a shortcut. Not on the surface, within sight of the guard towers.

As Asgore summarized the meeting for Sans (leaving out the part where Reives mentioned your parents), you began to shiver in the cold. It had been an abnormally warm winter so far, but the weather was starting to catch up with you. The metal in your artificial hips popped, and you winced.

All of the sudden, you felt something warm and heavy drape over your shoulders. You looked at Sans, who was now in only a t-shirt and shorts. You tugged on his coat to keep it from sliding off.

"Thanks," You muttered, your cheeks red. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but you were sharply reminded of that first, fateful date back in Snowdin. You didn't know what to think about that memory. But, either way, it was an unwelcome intrusion.

"No prob. I didn't need it anyway… The cold goes right through me." The two of you smiled at each other stupidly. Behind Sans, Undyne winked at you obnoxiously.

Your group reached camp shortly after, passing by the helicopter that Reives and Wolfe had flown in on. Asgore bid you all farewell before retreating to his house. As soon as he was out of earshot, Undyne punched you in the shoulder.

"That was awesome! Way to stick it to the man!" You blinked,

"Huh?" You'd been expecting her to tease you about the coat thing, but she was grinning at you with genuine excitement,

"Back at the meeting! Man, I wish I could get away with talking like that… But Asgore gets all disappointed whenever I argue with those stuck-up pigs," You shifted your weight between your sore feet uncomfortably. It wasn't fair that you were able to speak your mind without fear while Undyne was forced to keep quiet, but she didn't seem to resent you for it, "Maybe things'll start getting done with a human in our corner."

"Yeah, that's the plan," You said with a tentative smile. You didn't know how much you'd be able to do, but you were determined to try.

"Anyway, I gotta get back to the Underground… I put Papyrus in charge while I was gone, and who knows what kind of things he's got my guards doing," She shook her head, probably remembering the time two weeks ago when Pap had made all of the guards test his word search puzzles for hours on end, "See ya later!"

"See ya," You waved as Undyne ran off, with clumps of dirty snow being kicked up in her wake. You and Sans headed off to your own house without a word, your arms bumping together as you walked.

He held the front door open for you, which you walked through gratefully. You immediately flopped face-down onto the couch, letting your cane fall to the floor. You heard Sans close the door and huff a quiet laugh at the sight of you. He walked up to the couch and carefully removed the two layers of coats from your body. He had to flip you over to unzip the second one, which caused you to groan in protest. You watched him throw the coats into the corner of the room - you really needed to invest in a coat rack. Then, he walked up to your feet to ease off your boats. He was always so much gentler with you than you ever were with yourself, and it gave you a warm feeling in your chest.

Finally, when he decided you were sufficiently comfortable, he propped you up by the shoulders and sat beneath you, resting your head back on his lap once he was settled.

"How's that?" He asked, looking down at you with a rare, soft expression that you only ever saw him give you and Papyrus. You hummed and tapped your chin thoughtfully,

"I dunno… I could use a couple of blankets. And some hot chocolate… with those little marshmallows. And if you could put on a movie…"

"Of course, your royal highness," He joked, and you stuck your tongue out at him, "But you'll have to let me get up, first."

"Then forget it," You sighed dramatically. Sans chuckled and unconsciously raised his hand to run his fingers over your short, tickly hair. You suspected that he liked your hair this short, and you were weighing the pros and cons of leaving it that way when he spoke again,

"I'm proud of you," You blinked up at him, feeling oddly exposed as he hovered over you and caressed your skull, "You're doin' a lot of good… helping a lot of people. I'm proud."

Your heart swelled. After all that you'd done… his support meant the world to you. You remembered him saying that he forgave you as he held you, dying, in his arms. But here, in the calm of your own home, his forgiveness felt more real.

Suddenly, you surged up, simultaneously reaching for the back of Sans' head to pull him down. You pressed your lips, hard, against his teeth. He made a little, surprised noise, but leaned into the kiss once he got over the shock. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around your back. Even once the kiss had broken, you kept holding each other. Time passed around you, but you felt utterly immune to its influence. You could've stayed there forever, with your chest pressed up against Sans' and his face buried in the junction between your neck and shoulder.

You held onto each other, and just breathed.