Thanks to coincidencless for editing.

Remember when this was about Chara and Frisk planning to have their first time together? I miss that. ;)

Chara saw Frisk standing in the living room of Toriel's home. He turned his head, staring at her with his beautiful garnet eyes. His expression was ice cold. Chara gulped. How was she going to explain what had happened? Slowly, she stepped closer. "Frisk…"

He furrowed his brow. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

She frowned. "I…"

"Tell me, Chara," Frisk said. "Did you not say that you were done playing the hero? Didn't you say that you were going to live a normal life?"

Chara nodded. "Y-yes, that's what I said."

"Then what were you doing in Gaster's lab?" Frisk asked.

That was a good question, and difficult to explain. She'd known that Frisk wouldn't approve of her actions, but that hadn't stopped her from doing it. She just hoped that he'd understand. "I just couldn't trust him," she said. "After what he did to you, how could I? Accident or not, Gaster is responsible for the erasure of Goner Kid as well as his own followers. I had to ensure that he was acting in their best interests."

"So, let me get this straight," Frisk said. "Dr. Gaster, a world-class scientist, refused to reveal confidential information, and you took it upon yourself to expose his secrets? You're nothing more than a college freshman. What makes you entitled to Gaster's research?"

Chara grimaced. "I… I was concerned."

"You were curious," Frisk said. "Gaster wouldn't tell you what he was working on, but you just had to know. You just had to stick your nose where it didn't belong."

She shook her head. "N-no! Well, I was curious, but it wasn't about that! I swear!"

Frisk threw up his hands. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were the expert in theoretical physics. Hey, everyone! Why is Gaster in charge? All he ever did was revolutionize the entire Underground with his brilliant inventions. Let Chara take the wheel! She knows what she's doing! Dr. Buttercups won't let us down!"

Chara gasped. "Frisk!"

"Oh, it gets better," Frisk said. "It's bad enough that you broke into Gaster's lab, but that just wasn't enough for you, was it? No, by some herculean leap of logic, your genius brain decided that it'd be a fantastic idea to assault the headmaster. If he weren't so strong, you might have killed him, just because he was in your way."

Chara clenched her teeth. "Th-they were going to…"

Frisk's hands balled up into fists. "Alpin was doing what any sane person would have done in his situation. Cade accused you of a serious crime, with compelling evidence to back it up. He had no reason not to take you in. If you wanted to prove your innocence, you should have gone quietly and made your case peacefully, but your violent actions have made you look all the more like the villain. Great. Fucking. Job."

Chara winced. Every word that Frisk spoke was a stab to her heart. His voice was seething with venomous ire. Chara hadn't thought that he'd be this upset, but she understood why. She gave him an apologetic look. "Frisk, I'm sorry that I put myself in danger. I know that I promised -"

Chara wailed in shock as she felt Frisk strike her with a hard punch to her eye. The force of the blow knocked her a step back while she grasped her injury. Her heart pounded. Wh… what had just happened? Had Frisk…? N-no… Frisk would never… she looked up with her other eye and saw Frisk glaring at her as if she were the most disgusting creature that he'd ever seen. "You arrogant bitch!" he screamed. "I am so sick of putting up with you and your stab-happy ass! I thought you had changed, but even after all this time, you're nothing more than an endless parade of fuck-ups! Enough is enough! I've had it with you!"

Tears welled up in Chara's crimson eyes. This couldn't be happening! It wasn't happening! Frisk wouldn't… but why wouldn't he? Who wouldn't have been sick of her at this point? Any reasonable person would have washed their hands of her long ago, so why not Frisk? Perhaps these had been his true feelings all along, and she had just driven him beyond the breaking point. Chara looked at the boy that she had been in love with until mere moments ago. She sobbed, tears pouring down her face. "F-Frisk, I loved -"

Another fist struck her face, but it wasn't Frisk. Chara opened her eyes and saw Toriel staring at her with the same disgusted look. "You miserable creature," she snarled. "I cannot believe you attacked that innocent man. You will never learn, will you? Ironic, is it not? You manipulated my son into following your vile scheme, and now Cade has lured you into his own trap. I cannot conceive of a more suitable punishment."

Chara sniffled. "I'm s-sorry, Mother! It was not my intent to…"

She received another punch to the face, by Asgore. "You are a disgrace to our family!" he boomed. "You think you can solve every problem with violence? Kill whoever you please? We never should have brought you into our home!"

She whimpered. "Father, I…"

"Chara…"

She turned around and saw Asriel. No, not him… Chara spoke with a desperate, trembling whisper. "B-Brother…?"

He clenched his fists. "I'll go get the flowers."

Chara's soul sank into the abyss. What was Asriel saying? He couldn't possibly have meant…?

Toriel grabbed her left arm while Asgore seized the other. Chara screamed, struggling to break free. "What are you doing?! Stop! Please!"

Asriel pulled out a bouquet of flowers, buttercups. He slowly stepped towards her. "I changed my mind," he said. "I think your plan is a wonderful idea, Chara. I just want to change one little thing. Instead of absorbing your soul, why don't I just let it shatter? How does that sound?"

Chara gaped at him. "You cannot be serious." She glanced back at Asgore and Toriel as they kept restraining her. "Mother! Father! You cannot go through with this! I'm your daughter!"

Toriel struck her again. "Do not dare call yourself that!"

Asgore growled though his teeth. "You are no daughter of mine!"

As her heart thumped in terror, Chara looked back at Asriel. "Brother, please! I'm sorry that I screwed up, but it's still me! I love you, Brother!"

Asriel scowled at her. "We've given you more than enough chances."

Chara darted her eyes around. Where had Frisk gone? There! Standing behind Asriel. "Frisk, don't do this!" she pleaded. "I understand that you hate me, but are you truly going to kill me?"

Frisk folded his arms. "There will be no mercy for you, psychopath. You love consequences, don't you? It's about time you've had yours."

Chara kept struggling to break free of Asgore and Toriel's grasp, but they were too strong. This wasn't right! Something was wrong with them; they weren't themselves! She couldn't let them kill her! Asriel brought the flowers closer to her mouth. "Wait!" she cried. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have attacked him! I know what I did was wrong, please don't kill me!"

Asriel brought the flowers within an inch of Chara's face. She turned away from them. "No, no! Please! I -"

Frisk grabbed her neck and forced her to face the flowers. "How pathetic," he hissed. "Would you have cared if all those people you tried to make Asriel kill had begged for their lives? Fucking hypocrite. I can't believe I thought you could ever become a good person."

I have! Chara wanted to say. You've shown me that I was wrong about humanity, and I've grown so much as a person since then! I can change for the better!

But she couldn't say anything, because Asriel was pressing the flowers against her mouth. She shut it tight, still desperately trying to break free, but Asriel grabbed her jaw and forced her mouth open. "Goodbye, Chara."

NO! STOP!

The flowers passed through her lips…

"AAAAAAHHH!"

Chara opened her eyes and woke up in a cold sweat. She sat up and held her chest, heaving as she panted uncontrollably. Her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings. Where was…? She was in a small bed with white sheets. Sunlight poured into the clean room. There was a rack of metal tools and a monitor net to her bed, displaying a jagged line. She heard an electronic sound beeping rapidly, gradually calming down along with her panting breaths, a heartbeat monitor. She must have been in the campus hospital.

Once her heart rate had returned to normal, Chara sighed. There was nothing like the feeling of waking up from a horrible nightmare. To think that Frisk or her family would ever hurt her like that… how could her subconscious even suggest such a thing? Damn subconscious. If only last night had been a nightmare as well.

Still, her stupid subconscious had made a good point. She really shouldn't have lashed out at Alpin. Like her projection of Frisk had said, Alpin had only done what any reasonable person would have done, and Chara had gone full demon on him. It was the most shameful sin she had committed in a long time, and she had to apologize for it. She did not regret attacking Cade in the slightest, but Alpin - as far as she knew - was innocent.

Oh, what a fine mess she had gotten herself into.

Chara laid back down in her bed. Eventually, one of the nurses saw that she was awake and left. A few minutes later, Alpin himself came into the room. Good, just the person Chara wanted to see. She sat back up. "Professor," she said, "I apologize for my behavior. I allowed my anger to get the better of me, and I could have severely injured you were it not for the impressive power and skill that you possess. There is no excuse for my actions. However, I am innocent of the crime that Cade has accused me of."

Alpin looked at her with a calm gaze. "Do not concern yourself with attacking me," he said. "Think of it as a supplemental sparring lesson. As for the theft of the KARMA weapons, your innocence or guilt has yet to be determined."

Chara clenched her teeth. "It wasn't…!" She took a deep breath. "I know that the evidence against me is damning, but I swear on my family's name that I am innocent. Cade is trying to frame me. I don't know why, but there's no other explanation."

"How did the weapons end up in your dimensional box?" Alpin asked.

"I don't know," Chara answered. "Cade must have hacked into it somehow." She frowned. "Gaster did say they weren't secure."

"And why were you in that laboratory?" Alpin questioned.

Chara paused. She could have tried to explain it herself, but perhaps it would have been advisable to seek some help first. "I want my lawyer," she said.

Alpin cracked a smile. "Wise decision."

Chara was grateful. It seemed that Alpin was giving her a fair chance to defend herself. With all the animosity towards demons and herself in particular, a fair trial was difficult to imagine. President Clovis and half of the World Government congress would have jumped on the chance to incarcerate her, but at least Alpin was being reasonable. He seemed like a decent person, except…

"By the way," Chara said, "I was unaware that you were Cade's father."

Alpin's smile quickly disappeared. "I am."

"Not by blood, I imagine," Chara said. "You adopted him? What's the story there?"

Alpin held up his hand. "Please don't ask about Cade's past. It is a difficult subject."

She laughed bitterly. "Oh? Poor little Cade has a sensitive spot?"

Alpin gave her a stern look. "Don't joke. The hardship that Cade has suffered through is unspeakable. He has seen the darkest depravities that humanity is capable of."

"And that's why he's such an asshole?" Chara asked. "If his past was so abusive, then why is he taking it out on me? What did I ever do to him?"

"Assuming you are telling the truth," Alpin said, "I have no idea. On the contrary, I was certain that you'd get along very…" He sighed. "Well, that obviously wasn't the case."

"Is that so?" Chara asked. "Why is that? Because we've both suffered? Does Cade hate humanity as I did?"

He shook his head. "Forget it, I was clearly mistaken. A lapse in judgement, nothing more."

"Just what are these depravities you speak of?" Chara pressed.

"I will talk of it no further," Alpin said. "Look it up if you must, but that's all you're getting out of me."

Hmm, this really was a touchy subject for him, wasn't it? Chara would have to look into it later. In the meantime, perhaps she could try to squeeze some other information out of him. There was one more thing that she was curious about. "What were you doing in the lab?" she asked.

"Dr. Gaster called for me," Alpin said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Gaster? What for?"

"Sorry, that's confidential," Alpin answered. "Not that you care much for that, do you?"

Ouch, Chara could feel the passive-aggression in his voice. Poor Alpin. He must have been so upset as a teacher and a father. Chara looked into his mismatched eyes and asked her next question. "What are they going to do with me?"

"That depends," Alpin said. "For now, I've convinced the police that there is no need for any arrests, but that could change as investigations proceed. You will be going to court, so you better contact that lawyer of yours as soon as possible."

Chara was shocked. "Truly?" she asked. "You did that for me? I'm not going to jail?"

"However," Alpin said, "regardless of your involvement in the theft of the KARMA weapons, there is no doubt that you have trespassed in a top-secret research laboratory. For this offense, you are hereby suspended from Alpin University until further notice. Mr. Felwinter, of course, has received the same punishment. If you are exonerated of the theft, then we may talk about lifting your suspension, but until then, you will not be taking classes here."

Chara's heart sank deep. Suspended? Well, she supposed that she should have been grateful. At least Alpin hadn't expelled her, but Chara found it curious how calmly he was taking Cade's actions. Alpin had mentioned his punishment as if he were just another student, not showing the slightest hint of fatherly concern. Was Alpin that good at bottling his emotions? Or was their relationship not so healthy?

Well, in any case, Chara was glad that Alpin was being reasonable. She nodded respectfully. "Understood. Given your relationship with Cade, I know it must be difficult to remain unbiased on this matter, so thank you for your professionalism."

"Don't mention it," Alpin said. "Now, I know you've asked for your lawyer, but there's one more urgent question that I must ask you. I counted the weapons stored in your dimensional box. There were only four inside, but nine were taken. Five weapons remain unaccounted for. Do you have any idea where they are?"

A chill ran down Chara's spine. Five KARMA blasters, five weapons that could erase Chara's SAVE file, were missing? She shivered. "I… I don't know. Have you searched Cade?"

"Of course," Alpin said. "We found nothing inside's Cade's pockets, room, or dimensional storage."

Again, he had talked about a search on his own son like it was nothing. Strange, but Chara had a more pressing concern. If the police hadn't found the weapons, then where were they? Cade must have hidden them somewhere, or perhaps he had passed them off to other people. This could only mean one thing. Chara looked at Alpin with wide eyes. "He's trying to kill me," she said.

"Kill you?" Alpin asked incredulously. "Why on Earth would he want to kill you?"

She clicked her tongue. "Are you kidding me? Do you realize how many people want me dead?"

"I-I know," Alpin stammered. "It's just…"

Hmm? Now Alpin was losing his nerve? Well, attempted murder was a considerably more serious crime, so perhaps that was enough to break him. "Right," Chara said. "I suppose it is difficult to accept that your son is a murderer. I'm sorry to tell you, but that's the truth. Cade wants me dead."

"… we'll get to the bottom of this," Alpin muttered.

Chara stretched her arms. "Wonderful, may I be excused now?"

Alpin shook his head. "Sorry, the doctors insist that you should rest here for at least one more day while they run some checks, just to ensure that there is no lingering trauma. We still do not fully understand how magic sustains your body, so they want to be safe."

Chara sniggered. "Aww, they do care." She cracked a wry smile. "You did give me a good thrashing."

"I had to," Alpin said. "Your EN was below two percent. Any more magic, and you would have killed yourself."

She frowned. "Oh, I… I hadn't realized… thank you for beating the crap out of me, I suppose." She suddenly gasped. "Wait, I haven't been out long, have I?"

"Just for the night," Alpin said.

"Oh, good," Chara said. She laughed. "I know it sounds trivial given my situation, but I have a date with Frisk this weekend and I don't want to miss it."

Alpin hummed. "Not necessarily. Even in the darkest times, it is important to appreciate the simple pleasures in life, or else you may drive yourself to madness."

Chara smiled. "Well-said."

Alpin raised his arm. "One more thing." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Chara's phone. "Please unlock this and return the rest of our assets."

She smirked. "What's wrong? Can't hack into it?" She took her phone and did as Alpin asked, opening her dimensional box and removing the remaining three guns. Alpin grabbed them.

"Thank you," Alpin said. He started walking away, but he stopped and glanced back at her. "I don't think you took them," he said. "Rest easy, Dreemurr."

As he left the room, Chara sighed and laid back down. Well, wasn't Alpin such a nice guy? He really believed her? How curious. If Chara was telling the truth, then that could only mean that Cade, Alpin's supposed son, was guilty. By saying that Chara was innocent, Alpin was essentially accusing his own son of the crime, unless he somehow believed that they were both innocent. If Alpin cared about Cade, it was strange that he wasn't using Chara as an obvious scapegoat. Why wasn't he? Was he just that honorable? He was half of a justice soul, and half patience too. Even so, denial was usually strong. Chara chalked it up to another mystery that she had yet to make sense of.

In the meantime, she wasn't too excited about lying in bed all day, especially knowing that Cade and God-knew-who-else were out to get her. She looked at her phone and checked her message history.

Mother, Yesterday, 6:12 PM

Greetings, my child. I hope everything is well at the university. I know you can take care of yourself, but if you require my assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. That being said, I am certain that you will do fine. Good luck, Chara. I love you dearly.

Chara's throat tightened. Oh, Mother… Chara didn't have the heart to tell her what was happening.

Undyne, Yesterday, 7:23 PM

Hey punk! Heard you're settling in at alpin university. THAT'S GREAT! You BETTER be kicking ass! You were trained by the best after all! Don't let me down!

She frowned. It hadn't even been a week, and she had already earned an indefinite suspension. She couldn't blame Cade for that, either. She may not have stolen anything, but she had still committed a crime, and she had received her rightful punishment for it. "Sorry, Undyne."

Unknown, Yesterday, 7:50 PM

you fucking murderer why are you still breathing? i'll spread your legs and fuck your whore cunt to the ground before i gut your throat and cut your cuck boyfriend's balls off (if "he" has any) i'll make you both fucking scream

Business as usual. There was no telling if it was related to Cade or just one of many random threats. Chara added it to her heaping pile of blocked numbers.

Napstablook, Yesterday, 8:47 PM

hey… hope everything is alright at college… wishing you the best…

Ah, Blooky. They were so gloomy, yet so sweet.

Frisk, Yesterday, 9:16 PM

Goodnight, Chara. Can't wait to see you again ;)

Chara grimaced. She badly wanted to hear Frisk's voice, but at the same time, she was terrified. How would Frisk react when she inevitably explained what she had done? She knew that it wouldn't be nearly as bad as her nightmare, but it wasn't going to be good, either. Even his forgiveness must have had its limits. Could she really tell him?

… her love for him outweighed her fear. She clicked on his name and called him. After a couple rings, he picked up with a cheerful tone. "Hey, Chara! What's up?"

His voice was sweet music to her ears. "G-greetings, Frisk," she stuttered. "How are you doing?"

"Very good," Frisk said. "Classes are going well, Asriel and I are having fun, nothing to complain about. And no, I haven't had any more trouble with people like Jeff or Paula. How about you?"

"I…" She froze.

Frisk's cheerfulness turned to concern. "Chara? Is something wrong?"

She grimaced shamefully. Her nerves were screaming at her to remain silent, but she couldn't keep it all secret forever. She had to be honest with him. Y-you can do this, Chara, she encouraged herself. Like ripping off a bandage, just blurt it out. Let him know how much of a miserable failure you are.

"Chara?" Frisk called. "Are you still there?"

"Y-yes," she whimpered.

Frisk's voice grew more urgent. "What's wrong?"

She could barely put words out. "I… I made a mistake, Frisk."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She shut her eyes. Why had she called him? She felt like she was back in her nightmare, except this one was real. She couldn't wake up from this one. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Chara, you can tell me anything," Frisk soothed. "I'm sure you didn't do anything that bad."

… right, how could she be so scared of him? She knew Frisk. It would have taken so much more than this to make him hate her. With a deep breath, she began telling her story. "Frisk, you know how you warned me not to let my guard down around Cade?"

She could feel the fear in Frisk's voice. "What did he do?"

"He used me," Chara said. "You warned me, and I still fell for it. I can't believe I was so stupid."

"Hey, what's done is done," Frisk said. "Just tell me what happened."

She told him everything that she could. Her encounter with Goner Kid, how Cade convinced her to infiltrate Gaster's lab, her deal with Sans, her battle with Grandpa Semi, the disappearance of the KARMA weapons, and Cade's ultimate betrayal. She didn't say much about Gaster's machine in case someone overheard them, but aside from that, she recounted every relevant event in detail.

"So that's it," Chara finished. "Five weapons that can kill a World Master are out there somewhere, and I am a suspect for it."

Frisk spoke in a hushed whisper. "Oh my God, Chara… are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I'm alive, am I not? No permanent injuries, didn't even lose any limbs. I would say that I am in excellent health."

"Well, that's good," Frisk said, "but how do you feel? Psychologically speaking?"

"Eh, it wasn't my first near-death experience." Chara said. "Hell, it wouldn't have been my first death. I am perfectly fine, Frisk."

Frisk sighed. "You are strong, but I'm so sorry that you had to go through that."

Sorry? He was sorry? Chara grimaced. "Frisk, do you not understand? Everything that happened was my own doing. It's my fault that I went inside that lab. Cade may have given me a push, but it was still my choice. I chose to break the law, and now I'm suffering the consequences. I brought all of this upon myself."

"Chara, you didn't know what would happen!" Frisk protested. "Yes, going inside that lab might not have been your greatest decision, but I can't blame you for not trusting Gaster. It also doesn't help that Sans basically gave you an all-clear. If he had just told you what was going on instead of handing you his badge, he could have prevented all of this. It doesn't make sense."

"His motives are unclear to me as well," Chara said. "I have my suspicions, but I would rather tell you in person, somewhere safe."

"Ah, yeah," Frisk said. "For all we know, this call is being monitored right now."

"Precisely," Chara said. "I promise to tell you more when we meet up."

"Alright," Frisk said, "but don't be so ashamed of yourself. I'm glad you're able to admit when you've made a mistake, but you can't blame yourself for everything, either. There's a balance to these things."

Ah, the wisdom of Frisk. Chara managed a slight laugh. "Balance, huh? I suppose you have a point." She gave a sad smile. "Truthfully, I'm not entirely ashamed of myself. I do regret attacking Alpin, and I definitely shouldn't have fallen for Cade's deception. However, I do not regret my decision to infiltrate Gaster's lab. Call me arrogant for it, but I deserved to know what Gaster was doing."

"Oh, well, I'm glad," Frisk said, "but if that's true, then why were you so afraid to tell me?"

"Well, that's just it," Chara said. "As irrational as it may have been, I was terrified that you would be angry with me."

"Aww, Chara… I'm not upset with you."

She frowned. "You're too nice. Do you not realize that I broke my promise to you? I swore that I was done putting myself at risk for the greater good, but despite this promise, I embarked on a dangerous mission because I feared - with little evidence - that Gaster might have been a threat. I could have died yesterday, and I have no idea what's going to happen next. So much for not playing the hero, huh?"

There was a brief pause before Frisk spoke again. "I guess you did," he admitted. "You did promise to keep yourself out of danger, and part of me wishes you had kept your promise. Still, as much as I don't want you to get hurt, another part of me is cheering you on. I know it's not in your nature to sit back and watch while your friends are in trouble. You've always been willing to endure so much pain for the people you care about. It's one of the things I love most about you, so don't feel like you have to change that. You don't have to change anything for me."

Chara's lips parted in awe. Frisk's words had gone straight to her heart. To think that she had been afraid of his reaction. Frisk was as kind and understanding as ever. She smiled gratefully. "Frisk… thank you. I'm astounded by your ability to lift my spirits."

"Hey, you'd do the same for me," Frisk said. "Just promise that you'll be careful. I don't know what I'll do if that Cade jerk hurts you."

"Of course," Chara said. "I can always promise that much. Perhaps I shouldn't change for your sake, but I'll always strive to be the best person that I can be, for my own sake."

"You are," Frisk said warmly. "I couldn't be more proud of you, Chara."

She was so happy to hear that. She did want to make Frisk proud, but she needed to make herself proud first. Frisk may have helped bring out the best in her, but she was still her own person. She was the person that she wanted to be, and she just so happened to be someone who shared a mutual love with Frisk. As cruel as reality could be, there were also times where it allowed for wonderful things, like the pleasant aroma of Mother's butterscotch pie, or the sight of Frisk's handsome smile…

She felt her face turn red. "By the way, I still want to do what we were planning this Saturday."

"All of it?" Frisk asked.

"All of it."

He laughed nervously. "Umm, shouldn't we be more worried about Cade?"

Chara snickered. "Worried that he'll walk in on us? We could always rent a hotel room. Cade can't kill me if he doesn't know where I am, can he? You can keep me safe and make love to me. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"But isn't the mood kind of spoiled?" Frisk asked. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this until Cade is dealt with. Let's wait for a better time."

A better time? But what if…? Chara's tone darkened. "Frisk, there might not be another time. Do you understand? If something happens to one of us, this could be our last chance. I know this is the part where you'll swear that everything will be okay, but I'm a realist. I will fight with all my determination to survive, but we must be prepared in case -"

"Don't say that!" Frisk exclaimed. "We will get through this, Chara."

"I'll try," Chara said, "but regardless, we must embrace the possibility of failure. I'm not trying to be a cynic. I'm not saying that we're doomed to lose, but I cannot guarantee that we'll win, either. Did you not just say that there is a balance to these things?"

Frisk fell silent, filling Chara with anxiety. She held her phone tighter. "Forgive me, it was not my intention to pressure you. It is your decision, Frisk. I will respect it."

"I'm sorry," Frisk whispered. "I understand how you feel. If our time together really is ending, I know you want to make the most of it, but I can't accept it. I can't accept the slightest chance that someone like Cade will end your life, so I can't act like these could be our last moments with each other. I won't let him kill you, no matter what. I swear it."

Oh, Frisk… Chara felt a warmth in her heart. She nodded. "Very well, Frisk. We'll deal with Cade first."

He let out a relived sigh. "Thank you. Honestly, I am tempted, but I just can't, not like this."

"It's alright," Chara said. "Like I said, I won't pressure you. I would be devastated if you regretted our first time together."

Frisk paused. "Do you still want to do the other thing we were planning?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Heh, alright," Frisk said. "I do look forward to seeing you again."

"And I, you," Chara said. It suddenly dawned on her how long they had been talking. She gave an embarrassed smile. "I haven't kept you from anything important, have I?"

"Well, I am supposed to be in class right now," Frisk said, "but I think an attempt on my girlfriend's life qualifies as an excused absence."

"Even so, I apologize," Chara said. "I'll let you go now. Take care of yourself, Frisk. You mean the world to me."

"You're precious to me as well," Frisk said. "See you this weekend, Chara."

"Until then, my love."

"Oh, and Chara?" Frisk called. "You can be my hero anytime."

She beamed. "I shall keep that in mind."

He laughed. "Alright, bye, Chara."

"Farewell, Frisk."

Frisk hung up. Chara closed her eyes and smiled. He was such a sweetheart. Chara was so lucky to have him. He was truly someone worth fighting for.

She scrolled through her phone's contact list. She had to call Asriel, too, and even though it pained her, she also had to call Mother and Father. They had a right to know what was happening. Chara couldn't leave them in the dark; she had to tell them.

After that, she had an important call with Selena Miller.