Hello! Gee, it's been a long time! Sorry. Busy, busy, busy. BUT! Here it is the next chapter. Thanks again so much to Pipann, my awesome betareader!

Undyne, like most of those living at Redemption, did not have a driver's license. She had tried. Memorized the whole manual, taken practice tests; everything. She had added it on to her routine as though it were a part of her training. But, in the end, it had been all for nothing. Her driver's test had been, without a doubt, a disaster. It had taken two men to get her instructor to pull his nails out of the dashboard. Later, on his official license denial report, the guy had said she was a terror to all things with and without wheels, and that even if the world was inhabited by only one living thing, he wouldn't have granted her the privilege to drive. His list of reasons had included such words as reckless, speed demon, careless, hysteria, and had that been something about 'just asking for manslaughter'? Needless to say, Undyne had not passed.

She really hadn't been all that upset, surprisingly. In fact, she had taken it rather well. She merely shrugged, calling the instructor a sissy, and settled with buying a bus pass. Driving was overrated anyway, Papyrus could have told her that. He had his license, and nothing to drive. Of course, that had been his choice. This way, with the bus pass, she could still come and go as she pleased, but not terrorize the people of Ebott City by threatening their lives on a daily bases.

Win win.

Only that meant, much to Sans' annoyance, that they had to walk quite a distance of the dirty, sand road leading away from Redemption for over a mile before reaching the main route to the city. The bus stop wasn't far from where the dirt of their street met asphalt, which meant, in all, the two monsters had a one and a half mile walk before they could even catch the bus to Ebott City. And that was seriously not something Sans felt like doing today.

"You're going too slow, bonehead!" Undyne called from up ahead. Her gait was quick and filled with purpose, while Sans lagged behind by several feet. He was sweating and looking genuinely tired, rather than just lazy. When he didn't answer, Undyne looked back, frowning at his obvious condition. "Ahh, shoot!"

Sans blinked as the captain was all at once crouched in front of him, a hand against his chest to keep him from taking any more steps.

"You can't make this, can you?"

Sans gave a shrug, trying not to channel his exhaustion into the motion. "What does it matter? I haven't got much of a choice."

At that, Sans thought he detected the smallest of twinges of guilt in Undyne's face. She stood up straight, looking down at him before looking around them, scratching her neck. Sans waited for her to come to the same conclusion he had; that he simply wasn't up for a mile and a half hike. He was still pretty badly drained. At this rate, he wouldn't even be able to answer questions at the police station when he got there. He'd probably be catatonic.

Not realizing he had zoned out a bit, Sans startled when he found himself being picked up off the ground. He gave a grunt of surprise, and maybe annoyance, not really sure what was going on until Undyne settled his slight weight onto her back.

Sans blinked, latching on instinctively. "You're...carrying me?"

"Well, it's the only way to get your lazy butt to the station on time," the fish-monster snapped, obviously irritated. "Otherwise it'll be winter before we even set foot in the police chief's office!" She gave a huff, starting off at a jog, with Sans clinging to her far harder than she would have liked. "Besides. Papyrus would never forgive me if you passed out from exhaustion."

Right. Papyrus. Sans' brother had not been thrilled about the trip in the first place. As the duo had started out of the door, Papyrus had come barreling out after them, declaring to the world that he did not approve of the humans 'interrogating' his brother. Heh. Pap watched way too many of those old, human cop movies. He had this set impression that being called down to the station would be extremely taxing and unpleasant. Which, in all honesty, it probably would be. But that was beside the point. Sans wasn't going to dwell on the bad stuff of the future as long as he could get away with it. That was how he had always done it. Take it in stride; that was all he could do.

Too bad it didn't even come close to enough.

At least he didn't have to walk anymore...

The police station was everything Hollywood had made it out to be. Papyrus had watched enough old 'cop' and 'detective' movies, Sans keeping him company, for the small skeleton to appreciate how true the portrayal had been. Though, he had to admit it was a little more modern.

The minute he and Undyne walked through the heavy, glass doors the word of the day seemed to be pristine. Everything was spotless, cleaned to the point that everything looked brand new, even though the post outside the building had designated the buildings age to be far greater. It was filled with humans, men and women, dressed in uniform and bustling about all looking very serious and hurried. It gave Sans a sense of being an impostor; a wayward stranger who was in the way of every set of legs that moved past, around, and toward him. The skeleton instinctively followed at Undyne's heels, knowing from experience that she would clear a safe path for him. No one would dare stand in the way of the ex-captain of the Royal Guard.

Most of the humans didn't give them a second glance, going about there business as though there was't a pair of monsters walking through their midst. But a few, some of the younger cops and desk-men, gave smirks or glares in their direction. Mocking or spiteful; Sans knew either was dangerous. Those were the types of people who went out of their way to cause him and the other monsters trouble.

Undyne led them right up to a thick looking oak door on the far side of what appeared to be the main work area. It had a glass window on its upper half, the kind that is made so you can't really see through it, other than a bit of blobby movement from the other side. Undyne's fist pounded against the wood, not angry or violent, but certainly firm.

"Hey!" she called, and several humans looked up from their desks disaprovingly. "You in there or what, Frank?!"

There was a bit of shuffling and muttering from within the room, and then a shifting of dark color through the warped glass, before a voice called a loud, clear, "Come in."

Without a second of hesitation, Undyne grabbed the knob and pushed through, leading Sans by gripping the edge of his sleeve. It was as though she could sense his anxiety, and was afraid he'd disappear like he sometimes tended to. Sans, truthfully, hadn't even considered it; though the knowledge that even Undyne gripping him would not be able to stop him from doing so was strangely satisfying.

The room was warm and comfortable. The kind of office that you know the inhabitant has occupied for many years. Little touches of personal life dotted every corner of the place; pictures hung on the walls, some of a very lovely woman and others of a little boy, progressively getting older. Sans could only assume this was the man's family. A framed photograph on the desk before them showed that the little boy, obviously 'Frank''s son, had recently graduated from college.

Frank Delbenn himself was a lean, but short man. Not quite as tall as Undyne, but certainly taller than Sans. His hair was greying, especially on his sideburns and the upper part of his closely trimmed beard. His eyes were a warm brown, matching the color that his hair might have been in his younger years. He wore a policeman's uniform, decorated with a badge and a marking of his rank.

"Undyne," the man growled, but only half threateningly, "I thought I told you to treat that door a little more gently. I nearly spilled my cup of coffee all over my front!"

The fish-monster gave a grin, fully amused. "Sorry, Frank." though she obviously wasn't.

Frank stood, brushing down his uniform, despite the fact that there didn't appear to be anything on it. "Yes. Well..." His eyes suddenly landed on Sans, who had managed up until that point to remain almost invisible. He had always been good at that.

The human police chief cocked his head, all humor leaving his eyes as an air of seriousness replaced it. "Ah. I almost forgot. Thank you for bringing him." He stepped forward, out from behind his desk, coming to stand before Sans and offering his hand. "Mr. Sans, I assume?"

"Um...just Sans. Sans the skeleton." Sans readily shook the man's hand. The sooner he got on this guy's good side the better. The human's grip was firm, giving a solid shake before letting go. To his credit, he didn't shiver or recoil at the texture of the small, skeletal hand.

Frank nodded, stepping back to enable him to half sit on his back, arms crossed. "I appreciate you coming down here; especially so early in the morning."

Sans shrugged. "S'alright. I want to try and get this all cleared up."

"Mm. As do I." Frank pointed to a coffee machine on a counter in the corner of the room. "Can I get you anything? Coffee maybe?"

Sans shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. That stuff goes right through me."

There was a brief moment, and then Frank gave a very soft chuckle. Not quite the reaction Sans had been hoping for, but better than most others he got at his puns. He was also vaguely aware of the death glare Undyne was giving him.

"Heheh. You're a funny little guy, aren't you?"

"I try."

"Yes, well," Frank's demeanor changed a bit. "I hope you will take this meeting seriously. This is no joking matter."

Sans knew that. Why the heck did they think he was cracking jokes in the first place? It was the only way he knew of that relieved him of some of that tension coiling inside him. Of course, not everyone handles stress the same way. But he would have thought Undyne at least would understand.

Or not.

"I know that," the skeleton responded, and even Undyne was caught surprised by the pure sincerity and seriousness in that one, small statement. "I just want to fix what happened."

Frank shook his head, a hint of bitterness and disapproval creeping into his tone. "I'm not sure 'fix' is a word that applies here. But we certainly mean to understand. Are you willing to comply to an interrogation? It's more of an official talk, rather than a casual one here in my office."

That was what they were here for. Sans nodded.

Frank stood up from leaning against his desk. "Good. then we'll start. Come with me, please?"

The two monsters followed the human out of his office, Undyne looking decidedly more nervous than Sans liked. They walked further into the police station building, taking several halls and corridors until they came to yet another room, this one filled with many desks. All of which were occupied with busy humans all working on computers. Frank Delbenn walked by these, coming to a heavy looking door, which he paused at.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay out here, Undyne."

That did not go over well. Sans felt very much in the middle as his friend and the police chief argued briefly, until Frank somehow managed to convince Undyne to comply, albeit grudgingly. She sent Sans a somewhat apologetic glance, doing little to help the skeleton's nerves. Frank opened the door, motioning for Sans to step through. It was not at all inviting. But Sans stepped inside the secluded room, sending a somewhat distressed look over his shoulder at Undyne as the door was shut, separating them. Sans couldn't help but notice that the fish-like monster had shared a similar expression.

Since when had he come to put so much reassurance in Undyne's presence?

Either way, now there was nothing standing between him and the human police chief. Other than a boring, decoration-less table in the center of a completely bare room. It was cold in there, feeling like a cellar or attic. And there was no sound. That was the most unsettling part. Not a noise, not a single note of the normal din that assaults one's ears on a daily basis, was heard. All the little things he had never really noticed were suddenly frighteningly absent; the sound of birds, or traffic, or the low murmuring of voices.

Here, it was absolutely silent.

Chief Delbenn moved to stand in front of the small, heavy-looking table. He crossed his arms, nodding with his head to the single chair. "Won't you take a seat?"

Sans knew this game. This game that everyone who had ever tried to make him do things he didn't want to always played. Flowey had played it. Chara had played it. The game of intimidation. Sans had even used it himself once or twice. Okay, maybe a thousand times, if one counted the resets; but it really had never suited him. In order to reach so low as to frighten someone on purpose, he had to be pretty stink'n mad.

He wasn't about to give in to the police chief, however. Yes, he was there, shut up in a room with a dude who towered over him in height...alone...in a heck of a lot of trouble. But he was stressed enough without letting this guy get to him. And so, pasting on his easiest, go-lucky grins, Sans shuffled over the chair and climbed into it.

His feet didn't even reach the floor.

"Alright," Delbenn began slowly, taking out a notepad and fetching a pencil from his pocket. "I'm going to ask you a few questions to start off, and I want you to be completely truthful."

Sans' grin stayed in place. "What? No lie detector?"

The human did not look amused. "As a skeleton it is known that you have no pulse of any kind; no blood pressure or heart beat to speak of whatsoever. A lie detector would be, in short, absolutely useless."

Gee. Tough crowd.

Delbenn cleared his throat, turning his disapproving eyes back down to his scribbling. "You are a monster, sub-species skeleton, correct?"

"Yes."

"Male?"

"Yes."

"Age?"

"...Um. There's really no easy answer for that one."

"Do your best."

"...A hundred and twenty-seven."

Chief Delbenn blinked, lowering his notepad and pausing in his writing.

"Human years," Sans supplied, as though that explained it all. Delbenn stared at him a moment longer before he seemed to simply shrug it off and move on.

"You are a friend of the human child, Frisk. Is that correct?"

Sans instantly became more guarded. He narrowed his sockets at the officer, the lights of his eyes becoming just a little bit dimmer. "What does that have anything to do with-"

"Just answer the question please."

He answered, just as he had told Undyne he would. Though he wasn't enjoying it. Questions about him he could understand, but he didn't see why they had to drag Frisk into anything. "...Yes."

"You all live in the same place."

"Yes."

"Redemption."

"Yes." The questions were getting faster. Sans sat up a little straighter, looking slightly braced.

"How far is that from here?"

"About twenty miles."

"In the country?"

"Yes."

"There are others there as well?"

"Yes."

"The King and Queen?"

"Yes."

"Alphys the scientist?"

"Yes."

"Undyne?"

"Yes."

"Do you hate humans?"

The question was so unexpected, and so out of line with what they were talking about, that Sans very nearly kept with his streak of 'yes's. That wouldn't have been good. But he caught himself, blinking blankly as though the man had spoken in another language. This was a tactic Flowey and Chara had never used; this misguiding leading of questions. Sans distinctly decided that he didn't like it.

The skeleton managed to gather what little remained of his mental footing and answered with a deep frown. "No."

Chief Delbenn nodded slowly, not looking up from his notes until he had finished writing out something a good deal longer than Sans' answer. Then he lowered the pad and pencil altogether, tucking them into his pocket. He folded his arms over his chest, giving the skeleton a firm, but not entirely threatening gaze.

"I understand that you were at the Negotiations yesterday. There are many reports on what happened, none of which favor your case in the least. In your own words, can you please describe what happened?"

Sans nodded, shifting a little uncomfortably. "Um, yeah, sure." He took a breath. "Me, Frisk, my brother, and Tori, um, I mean, Lady Toriel, were invited to go to the Negotiations by Professor Hornbern the evening before they were going to take place. We went, and everything was going fine until..." He tried to push away the sense of overwhelming panic trying to claw its way into his mind. "I-I don't really know how it happened...but I just...sort of lost it. You know? I...don't really remember any of it. I just remember kind of snapping out of it and finding the whole Institute in shambles..."

He lowered his gaze, for the first time slipping into what he had convinced himself he wouldn't feel. Intimidated.

"I lost control."

The police chief hummed a low note, taking special notice of the skeleton's choice of words. Trained in interrogation, Delbenn was able to make assumptions about someone's character based off of what they said, and also what they didn't say. This monster's sense of internal locus, the belief that he was a factor that effected the world around him, was strong. It meant that he took responsibility for his actions, rather than blaming them on others or the situation. Very interesting. And useful. The monster's generality was specific, meaning that he was not connecting the incident to any other event or person. Again, very interesting. This skeleton was what might be considered an individual with a balanced control-identity, taking leadership when it was necessary, even if that meant taking the blame. He defined himself, and didn't allow himself to be defined by others.

"When you 'lost control'," the chief asked slowly, "were you aware of what you were doing?"

Sans winced, his skull starting to ache. "I...was sort of aware? But it was like I couldn't...It was like I wasn't really there anymore...Like I was watching but couldn't do anything to stop it." He was being a lot more open about all of this than he normally would be, and he made a conscious decision right then and there to be more guarded. He was starting to get a little too worked up for comfort.

"Do you know what triggered the reaction?"

"...No." At least, he didn't think he did. Or, did he? "No."

"Mm. You said that Professor Hornbern invited you along to the Negotiations."

"Yes. Him, Asgore, and Alphys."

"Tell me, when you were invited, were you eager to go?"

Sans made sure to think through his answer carefully. He had the worst kind of feeling deep inside himself, like he was slowly being cornered. "I...guess. I mean, any chance to get out of the house, right?"

Delbenn ignored the question. "You also said that your loss of control happened during the meeting."

"Yes."

"Around what time?"

Sans blinked. It wasn't like he was much for keeping time in the first place. He never even wore a watch. "Um...three-ish? Not sure. I wasn't exactly checking."

"Are you sure?"

The skeleton frowned. "Yeah."

The chief hummed again, taking out his notepad and scribbling furiously. And then, quite suddenly, his eyes snapped back up to meet the skeleton's own gaze, mouth moving at a rate Sans had not expected.

"If things are as you say, then you admit as to being at fault. The powers of which you possess are harmful and a danger to the human race, and could be used according to a well-founded hate."

"I-"

"Therefore, it could be assumed that your actions might not have been an accident, and the damage and harm you caused could have been deliberate. Do you deny that?"

Sans frowned, his hands having moved out of his pockets to grip rather shakily at the edge of the table. "Yeah. I deny that. I just told you that I don't hate h-"

"Mr. Sans, you are in no position to lie. At this point, a complete confession would serve you far better than continuing and prolonging the inevitable."

Despite himself, Sans started to shake, just a little. He wasn't sure if it was from fear or rage. His hold on the table tightened. "I told you that that isn't the case. I just lost control. That has nothing to do with me hating humans. I-"

Delbenn moved closer suddenly, cutting the skeleton off once more as he startled Sans be leaning on the table threateningly. "'Lost control', 'lost control'; you keep saying that! And when I ask you why or how, you can't answer me! That leaves me to assume only two possible things; one, that you are lying, or two, that you are a danger simply because you cannot control your monster tendencies! Either one is not favorable to your case!"

Sans stood abruptly, matching the human's stance by digging his fingers into the wood of the table. "Don't you think I know that?!" he declared, smiling deep inside when Delbenn seemed both surprised and startled. Outwardly, though, Sans looked like something out of all those black and white courtroom dramas. "I don't understand any of this! No more than anyone else! And I can't-" He broke of, the voice choked right out of him before he recovered. When he started up again, he seemed slightly more calm. At least outwardly.

"I can't explain something I don't understand myself."

The police chief backed away a step, standing up straight and looking very disappointed. "Then you are in far more trouble than I think you realize. This investigation is not over. Accident or no, a great deal of damage has been done. Charges have been made by the Board of the Institute-"

Sans groaned.

"- and their cases will be brought to court within a few weeks' time. You will be notified then." His gaze pierced down into Sans' own. "Is that clear?"

The skeleton gave a shrug, but it seemed far less careless and more uneasy than normal, and he didn't look away from the police chief's face. "Perfectly. Can I go now?"

Police chief Frank Delbenn paused, then nodded.

It was only a few minutes after Sans left the interogation room and Frank Delbeen had returned to his office that Undyne came charging in. Her eyes held a light of rage the human was very used to, and, unlike many people, was not fazed by in the least.

The fish-like monster stomped across the carpet, somehow producing a heavy thump with each step despite the thickness of the material. She came to a stiff halt in front of his desk, glaring as though she might be able to incinerate him by simply doing so. He held her gaze calmly, waiting for the woman to start what he knew was coming.

He didn't have long to wait.

"Frank, listen-!"

"No, you listen, Undyne," the policeman interrupted. "I did what I had to do. You know that. Interrogations are never fun, and follow a very strict format."

"The heck with formats!" Undyne growled. "That doesn't mean you have to try and scare the living daylights out of someone!"

Delbenn matched her words with a growl of his own. "Fear is one of many tactics used in this line of work. You know that."

Undyne couldn't argue with that. She had had her fair share of 'convincing' suspects to open up and tell the truth, back in her days as Captain of the Royal Guard. But it was one thing to be the one doing the talking, and quite another to have to stand by and watch it happen. Especially to a friend. Undyne almost wished that she hadn't insisted on standing on the other side of that two-way mirror, watching as Sans quite visibly, at least to her, struggled to keep from tearing down under Frank Delbenn's questioning and assumptions.

"He. Isn't. Guilty," she intoned darkly. "Sans isn't even capable of premeditated violence."

A look of indignation flitted into the police chief's face. He stood once more from his desk and gave her a grave expression before pointing a stiff finger toward the door. "Undyne, that monster could have caused a lot of deaths!"

"But he didn't!"

"THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT!"

Undyne closed her mouth tight like a box, blinking in surprise at the raising of his voice. Frank held her gaze for a moment, before he sighed, bringing a hand up to message his forehead.

"That is beside the point," he said again, quieter. "I know he's one of your own. And I understand that, up until now, he has never done anything to harm a single human life. But, Undyne, this is bigger than just you, or him, or even me. I have to do my job."

The fish-like monster gritted her teeth. "Which is?"

"To make sure that he isn't a danger. Even if that means getting him out of the picture."

Undyne's eyes narrowed, her soul beating fast and anger beginning to heat up her face. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

Frank lowered his gaze, having the gall to speak at all in front of the raging monster. He sighed again, choosing his words carefully. "It means that if he isn't proved exempt from all charges, we'll have no other choice but to do whatever it takes to ensure he will never harm anyone. Whether that means locking him up or somehow disabling his magic, that all depends on what measures we'll have to take to reach a level of safety."

"Disable his magic!" Undyne nearly roared, her expression a mix of horror and an even greater rage. "Are you insane?! Even if that was possible, doing that to Sans would dust him!"

"Dust him?"

"Kill him! Monsters are kept alive by their magic, skeletons most of all! Take that from him, and he'll die!"

Frank held up his hands defensively, motioning for her to lower her voice as he sent a nervous glance toward the closed door. "Alright; alright, I'm sorry. I was just trying to warn you of the pressure the higher ups are putting down on me. Don't get so worked up over it."

His words did little to calm Undyne however. "Get worked up?! You just told me plan B was killing my friend's brother! When exactly do you want me to get worked up, Frank? Just seconds before Sans' magic is cut and I'm standing there watching him breathe his last stupid pun!"

"Undyne this is no joking matter-"

SLAM!

Undyne's fist came down to smash into Frank Delbenn's desk, hard enough to cause his paperwork to scatter and leave a visible mark in the woodwork. Undyne's eyes were blazing, and, for perhaps the first time since he had first met her, Frank was afraid.

The fish-woman's voice was sizzling with fury. "Does this," she pointed to her face, "look like the expression of someone who's joking?!"

Frank held her gaze for several moments before looking away. "No."

With a huff of anger, Undyne turned on her heel, marching for the door, each step resounding with all the rage she felt. "Sans isn't to blame for this. I'm sure of it. And we'll prove it to you," she warned, her voice now low and dangerous. "And you can take me off your consultants list, Frank. I'm not coming back."

"Undyne; wait."

Even though she didn't want to, Undyne turned, pausing. Her glare brought to mind the saying 'if looks could kill'. "What?!"

"We really could use your help in this case," the human began, looking down at his desk and the scattered papers instead of looking at her. "I know you're mad about all this, but I promise you I'm not out for your friend's blood...Magic. Whatever. I don't want this thing to be drawn out any more than you do, and I will say that I hope he isn't guilty. But if he is-"

"He. Isn't."

"-If he is, Undyne; then he's going to need you here to defend him. You're the only monster on the Legal Board right now. If you step out, how does he even have a prayer of making it out of this?"

Undyne stilled, all the anger draining away from her. As much as she hated to admit it, Frank was right. In fact, that was the very reason she had teamed up with the police in the first place; to make sure that relations between monsters and humans remained fair and safe. So far, there really hadn't been any major problems, other than a few fist fights and protests. But now, here she was facing a real monster-human problem. Not only facing it, but stuck right in the middle of it. And as much as she would have loved to simply step back and disassociate herself with the human department completely, she realized that she couldn't. Otherwise there would be no one to speak for Sans' defense. None of the humans would, of that Undyne was certain. And while she believed Frank was being sincere about not wanting Sans to get punished for something he couldn't even control, she also knew that Frank would do nothing personally to stop it from happening. He was just too biased.

That left her as the only friend in the legal system Sans had.

Undyne sighed, her posture bending as though beneath a terrible weight. But her face gained a resolved look; an almost determined look. "Fine. I'll stay on the board."

Frank seemed pleased. "You won't regret it!" he called after her as she walked out the door of his office, shutting the door roughly behind her.

"I already do."

Sans was waiting out in the hall, grinning like an idiot as Undyne made her way toward him. He was flanked by two officers, both of which were watching him intently. It made Undyne's anger all the more palpable. Especially when she noticed that their hands were resting dangerously close to the holsters of their guns. Sans hadn't noticed, at least not that Undyne could tell, but, of course, he wasn't trained to notice something like that.

Though, in Undyne's experience, Sans was usually more aware of what was happening around him than he let on. She could sense he was tense the closer she got, his soul weak but perfectly capable of broadcasting its unease.

Outwardly, he didn't look fazed at all, and, if Undyne hadn't known him better, she might have believed he wasn't even bothered by all that had happened. His lazy grin and half-lidded eye sockets made him look calm and laid back. But the slightest tremble from within the pockets of his jacket told Undyne that his hands were shaking. And that made the fish-like monster all the more upset. Sans shouldn't have to be bothered by something like this. He was never meant to carry any more pain and suffering. He had suffered enough.

When he saw her coming, Sans stood up from his seat on the bench, slowing his motions considerably when the two officers at his back flinched. Yep. He knew what they were doing. Sans wasn't as dumb as he looked.

Undyne came to a stiff halt in front of the three, not looking to Sans, but to the policemen themselves. "We're leaving," she stated, her voice nothing short of a growl. "So you can relax, before I give you something to feel anxious about!" She reached for Sans wrist, grabbing hold and marching him toward the exit. "Come on, short-stack. Let's get out of this stupid place."

Sans nearly stumbled as he struggled to adjust his pace to match Undyne's own. He gave a uneasy chuckle, something that just sort of slipped out as he managed to come up alongside her, rather than being dragged. "What's the hurry? Chief wasn't policed to see you?" He gave another chuckle that was quickly cut off by Undyne's growl.

"Shut. Up."

"But I-"

"SHUT UP!"

Sans fell silent immediately, his trademark smile dimmed to a concerned grimace. However, he waited until the fish-like monster had marched them outside the police station and out onto the street before trying again.

"...Undyne?"

Undyne turned on him like a feral beast, her one eye raging and pointed teeth bared. "WHAT?! Isn't it enough that you've made all our lives a living...heck!" A year of living with a child was starting to show. Her swearing vocabulary was shrinking, whether she realized it or not. "Can't you just...just be quiet?! For two seconds?!"

She glared at him, breathing heavily before the look of wrath slowly melted to one of horrified realization. She released the skeletons wrist, running a hand through her red hair in agitation. "Shoot. Shoot! Sans, man, I'm..." She still wasn't going to say it. "I didn't mean it, I was just-"

Sans gave a sigh, lowering his gaze to the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, Undyne."

The small voice, and the defeat in it, nearly choked her back to anger. Almost. He wasn't the one who needed to apologize. He was scared; she could sense it. Scared, confused, and everything that Undyne felt herself. But that didn't change their situation any.

She released a half frustrated sigh. "Sorry isn't going to fix it this time, Sans. You've messed up; we all have. Do you have any idea what could happen, Sans? Do you?" Her tone wasn't so much angry now as it was strained

Sans blanched. "The Negotiations could be disconti-"

"THE HECK WITH THE NEGOTIATIONS!"

Undyne lurched forward, grabbing him by the front of his jacket and heaving him, dangling, to her level. She wasn't even concerned by the glances of fear some human passerbys sent their way. Again her anger quickly snuffed out as she gave him a half-hearted shake.

"I MEAN...I mean, yeah, the Negotiations could be shot, but that's not what I'm trying to say, Sans. You could be taken away. Frank has the power to do it, and he didn't really like you in the first place. He's not as prejudice as some, but he certainly isn't all on our side, even if he's sorta friends with me. Now he thinks you're a jerk, and you are," she added heatedly. "He could have you taken to Asgore-knows-where! What do you think would happen then, huh? What would Papyrus do? Or Toriel, or Frisk? What do you think would happen to us if you were taken away?!"

Sans was slowly coming to the conclusion that Undyne was truly concerned about him. Even more so than the Negotiations. She was truly, and genuinely, worried.

"That won't happen," he replied weakly.

Undyne hissed, a little too close for comfort. "How do you know?"

"I...just do."

He wouldn't let them take him. Hornbern and he would solve all of it long before that even became a threat. Before he became a threat. If they could just figure out what was wrong with his magic, than maybe it would all work out. The professor seemed to think it would. It was still a shot in the dark, but it was better than this. Anything was better than this.

The fish-like monster gave a final hiss of frustration, setting him down roughly. Her gaze was icy, despite the fire that seemed to burn within her one eye. "Promise me."

Oh, shoot. "W-What?"

"Promise me."

"Undyne, you know I don't-"

"Promise. Me. Or so help me, Sans, I'll punch you so hard, Pap will feel it!"

That was a little extreme. And they both knew she would never do that. Out of respect for Papyrus, not him. Still. Sans felt a strange ill feeling come over him. It was the same feeling that always crept through him whenever he was asked to give his word. Promises were...sacred, somehow. He couldn't even remember why; they just were. And he had made so many, through so many timelines. And what haunted him most, was that he hadn't been able to keep them all. Not even half of them.

"SANS!"

Then again, what was one more lie?

"Fine. Fine, I...promise."

The walk back to Redemption was slow, in that they stopped somewhere for lunch to finally get Sans' magic reserves back up to par. They didn't talk much, unless it was necessary, and, with the skeleton feeling better, Undyne did not offer to carry him again. The space between them was tense and uncomfortable, and when they finally got back home they both went silently off to their own devices. For the next couple of days, everyone could feel the tension, but nobody dared to ask; not Undyne because she looked so irritable, and not Sans because...because Sans was Sans and probably wouldn't talk anyway.

Whether it shows or not, I'd just like to say that I did a ton (skele-ton, heh) of research on interagations and how they are formatted, to try and make this chapter more accurate. Though I didn't understand everything, it made me sound like I did, so, it works. ;)