Muffet awkwardly cradled Gini in her arms. She spent a moment figuring out how to support both their head and their wounded leg, and settled for resting their head against her shoulder while letting one of their arms dangle loosely. It occurred to her that this was quite possibly exactly how she herself had been held by Toriel the night before, and she told herself to concentrate.

Once she was pleased with her arrangement, she rose from her knees, staggering a little. Gini wasn't very heavy, but they were nearly as tall as she was, and she nearly lost her balance. She noticed something slip from the sleeve of their free arm and fall into the dirt, and was tempted to stop and see what it was, but knew she had already wasted too much time. She set off, doing her best to hurry without bumping the sleeping human in her arms.

Muffet listened to the sounds of Gini's breathing as she walked, as a means of reassurance, though she needed to strain her ears. As she made twists and turns through the stone corridors she had grown to know so well, and the scenery turned from earthy greys and browns to drab purple, her thoughts turned again to Toriel. Before taking Gini home, she would check by her cottage to see if she had come back – it was more or less on the way. And she had to admit that Gini's injuries would do much better under Toriel's healing magic than stitches of spider silk, for as much faith as she had in her spiders, they had never operated on a human before.

She remembered why she had gone looking for Toriel in the first place. It seemed like hours ago that she had decided to tell her that she loved her. It had felt like an all-consuming need at the time, but she had something else to think about now. She was afraid that she had lost her courage now that the moment had passed.

So lost in thought was Muffet that she almost didn't notice when Toriel found them first. She had been treading carefully, keeping her eyes on the ground and on Gini, when she heard a familiar voice.

She looked up in time to see Toriel's eyes widen – first in confusion, and then…

She swayed, and shopping bags she held in each hand fell to the ground with a crash. Muffet realised what a frightful sight she might have been. If she hadn't been carrying Gini, she would have rushed forward to steady her. Toriel looked ready to faint.

But she didn't. She walked towards her without a word and, impossibly gently, took Gini into her arms. Held by Toriel, they looked so fragile – a tiny, dirty creature enveloped by purple silk and spotless white fur.

Toriel knelt and passed a hand over Gini's head, and over their heart. She closed her eyes and began to murmur something Muffet couldn't understand, who stood uselessly aside, wishing there was something she could do.

A few minutes went in the same way, with the silence only broken by Toriel's whispered spells, and the shuffling about of monsters who couldn't help but watch the spectacle – at a polite distance, of course. Eventually, after some colour had returned to Gini's cheeks, and their breathing was a little deeper, Toriel finally spoke.

"They will live," she said, and stood. She walked past Muffet without sparing her so much as a glance, gazing at Gini all the while.

Muffet blinked. She had expected something more.

She didn't move, wondering what to do. Should she follow her? It seemed as though Toriel might have wanted to be alone. After a moment, though, she followed her at a few steps behind, pausing to pick up the forgotten shopping, feeling a little hurt.

The two of them walked in silence. As she watched Toriel's back, Muffet wondered what she might be thinking. It hadn't yet been two years since her adopted child had passed away from illness. Toriel surely still missed them greatly, so how what could she be feeling now that another human had fallen down, in just the same way as Chara had?

Muffet wished that Toriel would acknowledge her, would say anything to her, and felt all the guiltier for it. How spoiled must she have been, to be making this about her! She couldn't possibly understand how it felt to be in Toriel's place.

After they had arrived at Toriel's house, and Toriel had disappeared inside, Muffet dithered helplessly on the front porch. Should I just leave her alone? She would feel terribly silly, to simply walk off after accompanying Toriel to her doorstep…

"Why are you waiting outside?" came Toriel's voice. "Is something wrong?"

Feeling reassured, Muffet stepped inside after a courteous attempt at brushing the filth off of her stockings. She left the paper bags full of shopping on the floor and went to quickly scrub her hands free of grime as best she could before looking for Toriel.

She found her in the leftmost spare room of the house, sitting on a chair beside where a sleeping Gini lay dressed in clean nightwear and tucked into bed.

"I did not know you could heal."

Muffet tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"The human's wounds were shut, even before I arrived. They were not bleeding. That was your doing, was it not?"

"I did what I could."

"You did well."

It seemed a peculiar time to be accepting praise, so Muffet said nothing.

"I have splinted their leg," continued Toriel. "Had I simply healed it immediately, they might have never been able to walk again. Improperly mended bones are the most difficult injury to reverse."

Muffet knew this, of course, and didn't know if she ought to respond. She wasn't sure that Toriel was still talking to her.

"I hoped this would never happen again," said Toriel, her voice barely a whisper. "I truly did."

There was nothing for Muffet to say. She found a chair and sat down, pulling it close. After a long pause, Toriel spoke again, never taking her eyes off Gini.

"Not once have I ever regretted the day that Chara came down to us," she said. "Though I wondered about the family they must have left behind, and about the people who might miss them, I loved them with all my heart. But after what happened to them and Asriel, I… I thought…" At last, she turned to face Muffet with weary eyes. "I never wanted to endure that heartache again."

Muffet met her gaze, and touched her on the shoulder. After a little while longer, she felt as though it was time to speak.

"They were awake when I found them," she said. "They told me their name is Gini."

"Gini," repeated Toriel softly. "If you had not found them when you did… I do not think there would have been anything that I could have done."

"I already feared the worst. I feared that what I had done wasn't enough."

"It appears that you found them just in time to save their life… Muffet, not that I am ungrateful, but what were you doing at my flowerbed?"

"I – I was looking for you," said Muffet. She was nearly panicking. "There was something I wanted to tell you."

"Is that so? What is it?"

"I'm – afraid that I've forgotten."

Toriel laughed quietly. "Well, in that case, you may tell me when you remember."

"I'll be sure to." Muffet turned away, hoping Toriel wouldn't be able to see the shame in her face. Coward!

They sat in silence after that. Toriel never suggested that she leave.

In spite of herself, Muffet was just starting to doze off when Gini finally awoke.

They did not demand to know where they were, as she might have expected them to, nor did their eyes fly wildly around the room in fright. Instead, they simply stared dully at the ceiling.

"Are you in pain, little one?" asked Toriel.

Gini didn't respond at all. It was as though they hadn't heard a thing.

"Gini?"

That got their attention. They glanced at Toriel.

"Yeah," they said. A small and scratchy voice.

"I am sorry," said Toriel. "Now that you are awake, I can give you some medicine to lessen the pain."

"I don't want it."

"Little one, are you certain?"

Gini didn't answer straight away. They looked back at the ceiling. "I'm dead, aren't I?" they said. "So what's the point."

"Why do you say that, my child?" asked Toriel, her brow creased.

"I slipped over," said Gini. "I fell down a massive hole."

"But you did not die," said Toriel. "You were saved."

"Then how do you know my name?" insisted Gini. "You couldn't know that if you were real."

Toriel gave Muffet a helpless look, who chose that moment to step in. "You told me your name yourself, before you passed out," she said. "I'm the one who found you."

Gini stared as though they had just noticed she was there. They propped themselves up on one elbow to face her.

"I remember you," they said. "You were talking to me before."

Muffet nodded. "I patched you up, and took you to Toriel. She's the one who saved your life, dearie. We're just as real as you are."

Gini looked between Muffet and Toriel, realisation dawning on their face.

"Then… it's true?" they said, almost to themselves. "There really are monsters under the mountain?"

"Quite," said Toriel. Muffet giggled.

"What's so funny?" asked Gini with a glare. Suddenly, their eyes widened in horror. They patted down on the nightgown Toriel had put them in as though searching for their pockets, then frantically looked around the room for something. "Where is it?"

"Where is what, child? What is wrong?"

"My knife! Where did you put it?"

"My child, you had nothing on you when I found you." At that, Gini looked ready to leap out from the blankets. Toriel gently but firmly put her hands on their shoulders.

"My child, you cannot possibly get out of that bed yet. I am sorry, but please do not think about it for now."

"Let me go! I need to find it, it's important!"

Muffet frowned. She remembered the object that had fallen from Gini's dress when she had picked them up – and realised something else.

"I believe I know where it might be," said Muffet. Gini stopped fighting with Toriel, and both turned to look at her. "I'll fetch it for you. I appear to have misplaced something of my own, too. Don't fret, I shan't be an hour."

Muffet retraced her steps to the garden and crouched among the flowers, searching for what she had seen Gini drop. Her suspicions were proven correct. A toy knife lay hidden beneath the petals, wooden and broad-edged. Its paint was chipped and cracked in places, but a vibrant red ribbon was wound around the handle.

"There you are," murmured Muffet. She tucked the toy knife under her arm, but didn't rise from her place. "And there you are." She picked up her diary, which had sat forgotten by the flowerbed, and carefully brushed it free of dirt. She had taken it with her when she had gone running to find Toriel, she remembered, perhaps to read from in case her words failed her. In the excitement of finding Gini, she had left it behind.

Just when was she planning on telling her?

Later, she thought. There were more important things to worry about now. She carried both items back to Toriel's, wondering how to explain the diary.

Gini craned their neck to see what Muffet was carrying as soon as they heard her approach their bed, and held out their hands wordlessly. Muffet was tempted to ask them to say 'please' first, but one look at their face told her that that wouldn't go very well.

"This is my brother's," they said importantly, once the wooden knife was in their hands. "And papa gave me the ribbon."

"You're very welcome," said Muffet, trying not to sound chiding as she was with young spiders who had forgotten their manners.

"Thank you, Muffet," said Toriel. "Gini was afraid that they had lost it forever. Is that your diary you have there? Is that what you had left behind?"

"What, this?" Muffet looked foolishly at the book in her hands. "Why, yes, it is. I found it."

Toriel gave her a smile, and watched Gini inspect their toy knife for damage. Muffet silently thanked her mother's ghost that she hadn't been asked to explain why she had been carrying her diary around.

"Anyway," said Gini. "When can I go? I have to get home."

The mood that had just begun to feel light-hearted instantly grew sombre. Muffet looked at Toriel, and knew that she had been dreading such a question.

"My child," said Toriel, choosing her words cautiously, "I will not ask what you were doing on Mount Ebott, but the fact remains that you have had a tremendous fall. You have sustained many injuries. I am afraid I cannot let you leave."

"What? But I feel fine!" Gini tried to rise, and immediately winced. They allowed Toriel to guide them back to their pillow.

"Your leg has been broken, Gini," said Toriel. "I am doing the best that I can with my magic, but you will not be able to stand for many days, let alone walk."

"My brother gave me his toy knife to play with," said Gini, frowning. "But he said I could only have it for a couple of days, so I have to give it back. How long until I'm better?"

"I should say you will be able to walk again in two weeks. But that does not mean you will be well enough to travel a long distance. I would rather keep you here for two months, until you are fully healed. Perhaps more. That way, I will know you are safe."

Disbelief flooded Gini's face. They folded their arms obstinately.

"Please do listen to Toriel, sweeting," said Muffet. "She knows best, truly. We only don't want you to hurt yourself."

Gini seemed ready to start a fight. They waited to see if Muffet or Toriel were joking. But when nobody spoke, they deflated, and the energy faded from their expression.

"Papa is going to be worried sick," they said in a small voice. "I can really go home in a few weeks?"

"Of course, child." Toriel smiled reassuringly. But to Muffet, she looked as though her heart might break.

They both knew that Gini would never be able to leave the Underground. Gini would never see their family again. Toriel hadn't been able to say it. Neither of them had. How could they?

Gini squinted suspiciously at their solemn faces for a moment. Were they figuring out they were being lied to?

A change of subject came just in time, and in the form of a rumble coming from Gini's stomach.

"Oh!" said Toriel, trying to hide her relief. "Would you like something to eat, my child?"

"It's okay," said Gini, looking embarrassed. "I'm not that hungry."

"That may be," said Toriel, "but it is be best for you to keep up your strength. I will fix you something." She rose purposefully from her chair and bustled to the kitchen.

Now that the two of them were alone, Muffet didn't know what to talk about.

"Has Toriel told you where you are?" she asked after a while.

"This is her house," said Gini. "You found me, then brought me here." They thought for a moment. "The last thing I remember was falling down a hole, and I was so scared… then I saw you. I really thought I was dead, or seeing things."

"Well, I'm glad you're not," smiled Muffet. "Why did you think you were imagining us? Have you not heard of monsters?"

Gini made a face. "Everybody knows about Mount Ebott," they said. "But I thought papa and the elders just made up stories about monsters to make us do what we're told. Papa keeps telling me that if I'm not in bed when the sun's down, monsters will come and turn me into stew."

Muffet couldn't help but laugh at that. "You don't need to worry," she giggled. "We certainly don't eat humans. Well, Toriel doesn't. I'd like to try." Gini said nothing, and Muffet realised they were staring at her dainty fangs. She turned her laughter into a cough for an excuse to cover them up with her hand. Perhaps her joke hadn't worked quite as she'd hoped.

A couple of awkward minutes passed. Gini seemed to be studying her from the corner of their eye, and Muffet decided to let them do so in silence, and pretended not to notice. They seemed as though they were planning on asking something, and Muffet readied herself.

"Are you… a spider?" they eventually asked.

Whatever Muffet might have been expecting, that was certainly not it.

"Why, I am," she said. "Though I'm also a monster just like Toriel. Why do you ask?"

"I hate spiders."

Muffet opened her mouth, and then closed it. "Oh," she said.

Toriel swept into the room, carrying a tray with a steaming bowl and some slices of bread. Muffet had never been so relieved to see her.

"I have heated you up some soup," said Toriel, setting it in front of Gini, who examined it doubtfully. They looked to Toriel, as if uncertain that it was really for them. "I do hope you'll eat something," she gently added.

Either that convinced them, or Gini couldn't resist the wonderful smell that filled the room. They picked up the spoon and started to eat – slowly at first, politely. But after a few mouthfuls, their eyes widened, and they moved faster and faster, eating bread with their other hand and almost spilling the soup.

"Not too quickly!" said Toriel. "You'll get a stomach ache." But her heart wasn't in it. Gini polished off the bowl, mopping up the last bit of soup with the last piece of bread, and Toriel was pleased.

"That was so good," said Gini. "We don't get anything that nice at home."

Toriel laughed. "I am glad you enjoyed it," she said. "I have some pie in the fridge that you may have tomorrow, if you are feeling well enough."

"Pie?" Gini immediately sat up straighter. "I'm well enough now!"

Toriel tried to protest that it would be far too rich, and that Gini ought to stick to softer stuff until they were a bit better, but they were unwavering. Muffet knew that Toriel was happy.

"It is cold, I am afraid," she said, but Gini didn't seem to mind. The slice she fetched was thinner than what she'd ordinarily serve, but they didn't seem to mind that either, and they devoured it in a heartbeat. They sank bank into their pillow, eyes closed in ecstasy.

"I've only had pie once," they said. "And it wasn't as good as this."

"Thank you," said Toriel. "Now, will you please take some medicine? It is best to do so after a meal."

Gini made a face. Evidently, they didn't like medicine. But they were also determined to get better. They nodded, and let Toriel feed them two teaspoons of syrup – one green, and the other clear. Soon, they were yawning, and blinking drowsily. Toriel told them that they needed rest.

"I'm not tired," they mumbled. They started to say something about being allowed some more pie the next day, and were already snoring gently. Toriel's eyes sparkled. Quietly, carefully, she gathered the plate and cutlery up from the bed, and backed out of the room.

Muffet followed her, and found her standing still in middle of the kitchen, still holding Gini's tray.

"Toriel?"

Toriel's hands shook, and the tray rattled. "I don't know what to do," she said. "I don't know what to do."

Darting forward, Muffet took the tray from her hands and set it aside. Toriel sank to the floor.

"If they leave this place, they… they will have no chance," she choked. "They will die. What can I do? Oh, Muffet, what can I do?"

Muffet joined her and took her in her arms. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know." Toriel sobbed into her shoulder, and Muffet wept for both of them.