"What the hell happened?" Chara cornered her after he, Frisk, and Asriel had been herded into a small parlor near the queen's study. Frisk shrank away from him.

"Chara!" Asriel snapped, pulling on his brother's arm. "Don't say things like that."

Chara shrugged off Asriel's paw and took a step back, but his eyes were still ferocious. She could have sworn his red eyes were flickering like a smoldering fire.

"I-I don't know." She said truthfully.

"You knew that concrete was going to fall on me." He stated, crossing his arms. "Don't tell me you suddenly have the sight my sister did."

"Your sister?" Asriel asked softly, but he was ignored.

"I don't have the sight." Frisk said quickly. "More like a redo."

"Redo?" Chara's voice was losing its edge. He was still high on adrenaline. They all were.

"Yeah…" Frisk frowned and looked at the ground. "The concrete did land on you. And you died."

Chara winced, like he had been pinched in his side.

"Then what?" He asked, his voice softer now that he realized Frisk may have saved him from dying.

"Then I cried. And screamed." Frisk was trying to make sure she noted everything she did. Anything could be important. "Then I wished really hard that it hadn't happened. That I hadn't run after Sans because then… then…" Her eyes welled up as she remembered the scene. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Then everything stopped. It was like someone had pushed a pause button. But I could move. I was fine. And then, a button appeared in front of me. It looks just like… Just like it was straight out of a video game. It even looked pixelated, Chara." She finally looked up at him. "It said, 'Reset.' I-I had no idea what was going to happen but… I pressed it. Then everything rewound."

She paused, her eyebrows creased. They hadn't even sat down. Her feet were aching, but there were more important things to worry about.

"What happened next?" Asriel asked, quietly, his eyes shining with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Everything went back to the way it was a few minutes before. Chara was running after me. The boulder was just about to fall. I grabbed him and tugged him out of the way. Then…" She gestured in front of her. "The rest you know."

Chara was quiet before falling back on the couch.

"How did you know?" Frisk asked, taking a seat across from him. Asriel sat next to her. Chara shook his head.

"I… Don't know for certain. It's my magic. I can tell when something's off. I don't know exactly what is happening, but I know it's wrong. I could feel it then. And you looked so… wild." He sighed. "Thanks, I guess. For resetting everything."

"…" Frisk looked down at her hands. "What do you think it was?"

"Your magic." He said simply. "I think it just… formed in a way you would be able to use it."

"A big, video game button." She frowned, then broke out in laughter. Both of the boys looked at her, shocked.

"Wh-what's wrong, Frisk?" Asriel asked, gripping her shoulders.

"N-nothing, Asriel…" She shook her head. "It's just… I couldn't use my magic until it looked like a fucking video game."

Asriel laughed, and then Chara joined in.

"You really are a nerd." Chara chided.

"I need to tell Sans." She laughed, then stopped and frowned. "Do you think they'll be done with questioning him soon?" Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

The boys frowned and looked at the ground.

"It's… A pretty bad situation. I think it's going to take a while." Chara finally spoke.

"But… He just went into the lab and got Dr. Gaster out… He would just tell him what he knows, right?" Asriel asked.

"Not… really." Chara grimaced. "I think I know what happened. And it's not good."

Both of the creatures on the opposite side of him leaned forward.

"What happened?" Frisk asked, eyes wide.

"Well… Dr. Gaster was… extracting Determination from me and injecting it into other monsters." Chara wasn't looking at them.

"Chara!" Asriel shot up. "Why would you do that?!"

"Gaster told me Determination is the key to breaking the barrier. I wanted to help. So, he started extracting it when I was kid and injecting it into others, trying to make them powerful enough to break the barrier. It never worked… And the monsters… I don't know what happened to them, but I never saw them. Sans was helping Gaster." Chara avoided their eyes. "I guess something went wrong tonight." He looked up.

Frisk was frowning.

"Is that why your eyes changed color?" She asked. He blinked.

"Wha-"

"Your eyes in the picture are brown. Your eyes are red now." Frisk was trying to focus on anything other than Sans helping a mad scientist.

"I guess." Chara shrugged.

"What picture?" Asriel asked. "You two need to explain some things to me." He crossed his arms.

"So, you're related?" Asriel asked tentatively.

"Yes." Chara and Frisk answered at the same time.

"I see the resemblance…" Asriel laughed. "We should tell mom and dad…"

"We're going to." Frisk promised. "I don't really think now is the best time."

"You're right." Asriel nodded. "Why would your aunt send you here to marry her brother?"

"I don't really think that that's what she had in mind." She frowned. "I still don't know what she was thinking… But she kind of played everyone."

Asriel nodded again, deep in thought.

"I guess that makes you kind of like my sister…" He muttered, then smiled brightly. "I've always wanted a sister!" He quickly pulled her into a hug.

"I-I guess so…" Frisk couldn't help the blush spreading over her cheeks. She wasn't ready to admit it out loud, but she had also wished for siblings when she was younger.

"If he's your brother, that means you really are a princess." Chara smirked as he watched her prickle up.

"Don't call me that!" She spat.

"The skeleton does it all the time." He chided, then immediately regretted it as he watched her wilt into herself. He sighed and went over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Sans is fine."

"I know… But I'd still like to talk to him." She stared at the door.

As if summoned, there was a knock.

"Children?"

It was Toriel's voice.

The queen didn't wait for an answer and entered, her husband behind her. When they were both inside, Asgore closed the door.

"Why don't we sit down?" He asked. The children followed his lead and sat together on one of the couches while the two royals sat on the one opposite of them.

"Is everyone alright?" Asriel asked, his face full of concern.

"Everyone is going to be fine. No one was seriously injured. Dr. Gaster has been transported to the town's hospital where they can take better care of him. We would like to talk to all of you about what happened." Toriel tried to smile, but Frisk could tell that it was faltering. Something wasn't right.

"We found that Dr. Gaster was injecting himself with the Determination he got from you, Chara." Asgore frowned at his son. "And we'll talk about that later, alone."

"Dr. Gaster had also injected the Determination into other monsters… Monsters on the verge of death. It helped them to extend their lives but… At a horrible cost. These monsters are not the same, but they're healthy. We are working on sending them home to their families." Toriel continued. "These experiments weren't authorized by us. Dr. Gaster was doing it behind our backs. I know that you know this, Chara." She shot him her famous scowl. He looked away meekly.

"It seems that Sans and Alphys were both working on the project with Dr. Gaster. We're investigating the project further, but until then, both are on leave from the laboratory." She finished.

"What does that mean?" Frisk asked quietly.

"They will not be able to come onto castle grounds, nor will they be able to talk to anyone who is close to the investigation…" Asgore frowned and looked away.

"That… that means you three." Toriel finished for him, her lips trembling as she watched Frisk.

"Oh." Frisk merely mumbled. She was numb. Everything she had been told was making her numb.

Toriel watched her, trying to watch for any signs of distress. She wanted to reach out to the small human girl and pull her into her arms. She wanted to comfort her, just like she would comfort one of her own children. The girl's entire stay with them had been filled with hardship. Just when she had thought that Frisk was finding peace, something like this had to happen.

But Frisk didn't fall apart. She stayed rooted to the sofa cushion, staring emptily at the coffee table sitting between them. She couldn't process everything. She would need time. She looked up. The royal family was staring at her, waiting for her to react. She smiled slightly.

"Is Sans still here? Can I talk to him before he goes home?" She asked. Toriel frowned sadly.

"I'm sorry, Frisk… He was already sent home." She answered. Frisk just nodded. A pressure was building in her stomach.

"I… I think I need to go to my room." She said as she stood, her hand going to her stomach.

"Okay, sweetie. Please call if you need anything." Toriel tried to smile at her. Frisk nodded, trying to summon a smile of her own. It didn't work.

"Thank you." She said softly and left the room.

She only got a few feet before she buckled over, vomiting on the tile.

It had been two weeks since she had last seen or talked to Sans.

She tried to remain her usual self, but everyone saw right through her perky attitude. They try to cheer her up. Asriel invited his friend, MK, over so they could play doubles tennis. He was even able to rope Chara into playing with them. Chara tried to cheer her up in his own way. He painted with her, even joining the Underlook theme. He painted a character he liked – Merciless – but it still didn't help her mood. Toriel taught her how to bake her famous butterscotch pie, and Asgore helped her plant a rare flower into the greenhouse. Nothing brightened her spirit.

She was having nightmares every single night.

It was her recurring dream, only… It ended in flames. She was torn from the skeleton girl with the sunflower paint. Night after night, she watched the monster's expression as she screamed, the sound a piercing, animalistic sound of fury and horror. And then, Frisk burned.

The person she was in the dream was stripped of his clothing down to his under clothes. He was tied to a stake and set aflame. She would scream, and scream, but nothing changed. She could only think about the sunflower girl. How she was leaving her alone. How she had made a promise. As her skin blistered and burned, she screamed a vow. A vow to come for her. To find her wherever she was. Death wasn't going to stop her.

She would jolt awake, covered in a cold sweat and panting like she had just ran a marathon. She would throw the covers off of herself, trying to get away from any source of heat. She was never able to go back to bed after that.

She and Undyne continued to train in the morning. It was less lively without Papyrus, who had taken off time from work to be with his brother while the investigation was ongoing. Undyne hadn't been able to speak to Alphys either. They commiserated, though Undyne did give her a hard time for kissing Sans in front of the entire party.

"If you wanted to shock 'em, you did it perfectly." Undyne had joked, though there was a sadness behind her smile.

Frisk just wanted to be able to kiss the skeleton again.

She texted him, but of course he didn't text back. She sent him silly things about her day, selfies or other pictures she thought he might like. And always, she ended the message with "miss you." She texted Alphys and Papyrus as well, but they were silent as well. For them, she sent short messages of encouragement. She missed her friends terribly.

She had begun visiting Dr. Gaster at the hospital.

"Good morning!" She called as she entered the private hospital room that the doctor had been established in.

Gaster perked up from his bed, a smile on his face. He said something, but she couldn't quite understand. When she had first started visiting, she couldn't understand anything he said. She still couldn't, technically, but she was starting to get meanings out of things. She wasn't sure what he said this morning, but she felt that he was greeting her.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" She asked, taking her usual seat next to the bed. She took off her sunhat, setting it on the table. It was a warm autumn day today, and Toriel forced her to wear the hat.

Gaster nodded and added a word. Yes, he had had breakfast.

"Was it good?" Frisk asked. The doctor frowned. "I can bring you something tomorrow. What do you want?" She prompted.

Gaster looked thoughtful and began to speak. Frisk leaned in, listening intently. When Gaster was done, he paused, and then began to repeat himself. They did this three more times. This was how he was teaching Frisk his own, special language.

"You want…" She furrowed her brow in thought. "Eggs… Bacon… And Toast…"

Gaster nodded and waited.

"And…" She was a bit nervous, but she felt like she had the new word he was trying to say. "Blackberry jam…?"

Gaster's face lit up and he began to laugh. It was his way of confirming that she was right. His laughter was infectious, and she began to laugh along with him.

Frisk had started to visit Gaster with the hopes that she would run into Sans. It was a selfish reason to begin visiting someone who had no one and who had been forever warped by his own experimentation. She had come to enjoy the visits, though. No one else ever came to visit him while she was there, and from what she understood, no one came to visit the other times.

The brilliant scientist had been deformed. He no longer had a real body. For lack of a better word, it was a blob. He had no feet, yet he could walk. The only stable parts of him were his head and his hands… Hands which no longer had to be attached to his body. And there were many hands.

"I brought you something." Frisk smiled happily and reached into her bag, pulling out a small dry erase board and a few markers. "I thought this might help with the boredom." She slid them over to the doctor.

He made a gleeful sound and quickly began to write on the board. Frisk couldn't make sense of it, but it looked like a long equation of some sort. She had speculated that a lot of him was still intact, like his smarts, but this added evidence to that theory. If the equation was actually something, then the scientist was still really in there. And she believed that he was. She continued to watch until he spoke again.

Talk to me.

"Oh, um…" Frisk thought. She wasn't sure what to say. She supposed it didn't matter. "I was hoping to run into Sans one day while visiting you."

I thought you were up to something.

She blushed and laughed.

"You're really smart…" She sighed. "Can I tell you about him and me?"

Yes.

"It's weird. I met him when I lived with the humans. I didn't know he was a monster. We were playing an online game and he got really mad, so I called him 'fuck face' and we became friends."

Gaster let out a happy laugh at that.

"I was always supposed to marry Chara, so I didn't really pay much attention to him that way… But when I came here and met Sans… He was so nice to me. Then, I didn't have to marry Chara, and I figured out my online friend was Sans. Everything just kind of fell into place. I started liking him as more than a friend. Then…" She blushed. "At the party, we finally kissed. I haven't spoken to him since."

Gaster frowned. He seemed to understand that he was at least partly responsible for what had happened.

Sorry.

She smiled sadly.

"You were just trying to free everyone, weren't you?" Frisk looked up to find him watching her. "The queen and king will see that. I just miss him."

Gaster nodded and turned back to his math.

"Can I tell you something else? I've only told Sans, but I think you might be able to help me." Frisk looked down at her hands again.

Yes.

"I've been having really strange dreams. For weeks now! It's always me, but as a man, and I'm at a dance, and a skeleton girl with her face painted in sunflowers dances with me. I've had that dream every night since…" She frowned and shook her head. "I can't remember exactly when. But after the dance, I've been having another dream. It's still the same two people, but something terrible is happening." She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "They're separated. Forcefully. And then I'm burned at the stake. I can barely sleep."

Gaster looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, he spoke.

Human?

"I'm human in the dream." She answered. He looked back to his math, thinking.

Story? Of us?

Frisk had to think on the meaning of this for a moment.

"I read the children's book that Asriel leant me." She answered, remembering the story of the two lovers and the war they started. She put a few pieces together. "Wait… I started having the dreams after I read the story. But why am I having a dream about a story?"

Not a story. To you.

She frowned and shook her head. She didn't understand what he meant. He looked frustrated, then began to furiously wipe away his equation. When the board was clean, he drew. She watched, curious. It was a map. A map that led straight from the castle to a little house in a town called 'Snowdin.'

Sans.

He pointed to the little house. She frowned, still confused. He grumbled.

Go. To him.

She blinked.

"They won't let me." She stated dumbly.

Don't need them.

Need Sans.

She blushed. She liked the idea, but it just wasn't feasible. She didn't know her way around… She looked back to the map.

"Could I?" She asked, reaching out for the board.

Gaster cackled and nodded enthusiastically, placing the board in her hands. She studied it before taking out her phone and snapping a picture of the map. She gave the board back to Gaster.

"Are you sure I should?" She asked. He smiled and rocked back and forth.

Need Sans!

"I won't be able to bring you breakfast tomorrow." She smiled sadly.

Need Sans!

"Okay… Thank you, Dr. Gaster."

The rest of the day she spent getting ready for her journey. She wasn't sure how long it would take her to get to Snowdin, but the skeleton brothers came all the way every single day, so she didn't think it would take too long. There was a feeling in her gut that was telling her that this was a big moment in her life.

She sat down at her vanity mirror and stared herself in the eyes.

"I need Sans." She whispered to herself. She began to repeat it like a mantra, her pulse quickening with every utterance. She wanted to see him. She NEEDED to see him.

She moved to her drawers and pulled out a pair of scissors. She wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to do it, but she grabbed a lock of her long her and cut neatly through it. She was breathing heavily, drunk on adrenaline, when she had finished her entire head. It wasn't a bad cut by any means. Some pieces were a bit longer than others, but on the whole, it was acceptable.

She grinned at herself. She had always wanted shoulder-length hair, and now she had it. She felt empowered. Tomorrow, she was going to leave, and she was going to find Sans.

She really did need him.

A/N: I was very lost when I was beginning to write this. I thought I might have made the story too expansive. That there wasn't enough "action" between Frisk and Sans. I got a bit depressed about the story. It was a bit sad. But I enjoyed this chapter. I was always excited to get to the part where Gaster becomes goop. I feel a bit better now. :)