AMS

AWKWARD REUNION

A month has passed, and it's now July, the hottest month of the Summer. Candy is now comfortable around Franley, his mom, and the monsters in the household. She still struggles to act normal around other monsters since she doesn't live with them or know them as well, but slowly, she's getting better and she is beginning to love herself as she now sees others are capable of loving her. Her, Franley, Kent, and Paul are at Red Soul Park, laying down on the grass underneath a willow tree, chatting away.

"Candy, we heard a brand new video game is coming out next week. It's a little girly, so we thought you might like it," Paul said, wiping the magic sweat off his forehead.

Monsters don't have to sweat, but they like making it since it's fun to pretend.

"Oh yeah? I'm not much of a girly girl, but if it sounds and ends up looking cool, I might check it out," answered Candy as she tried to swallow spit, but there was none. She hoisted herself up on an elbow and poked Franley's cheek. He opened one eye and looked at her before smirking. She looked so beautiful in his eyes. Her long, dark hair stuck to her face, shoulders, and back, and her glistening skin looked so angelic with the way the sunlight radiated off her.

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"Hehe. Do you have any more bottles of water on you?" sheepishly asked Candy.

"Just two left. One for me, and one for you," answered Franley who closed his eyes again. He lifted up the bag and brought it to her so she could rummage through and grab a bottle of water. They were larger than your usual bottle of water in length and width. She was surprised with how cold it was.

"How is it still so cold?" she asked incredulously.

"Several ice packs are in the bag, silly," yawned Franley.

"Man, humans sure are weird. They're so much stronger than monsters but at the same time, their bodies are so fragile and needy," laughed Kent.

"You're just jealous you're made of fire instead of water," teased Candy.

"Ooooh burn! Pun intended," laughed Franley.

"Man, you really are your father's son," grinned Paul.

Franley shrugged. "What can I say? My dad and I are extremely punny. But I guess today I'm on fire."

Candy and the others laughed, and then Candy had an idea, a smirk running across her face.

"Can I tell you all about this crazy dream I had?" asked Candy who then took another sip of water before putting it back in the bag to help it stay cool.

"Sure, I'm down."

"Lay it on us!"

"Got my attention."

She almost burst out laughing before saying anything. That would have been embarrassing.

"Well, I had a dream last night that I was swimming in soda. I guess it's what you could call a Fanta sea," Candy said, doing her best to hold back the laughter.

The boys smiled and smacked their foreheads while Candy grinned so huge, she was sure her face would fall off.

"C'mere you!" said Franley as he tackled her. But because of her amazing strength, she was able to pin him.

"Ha! Got you!" she chuckled as she pinned his arms down. His face went from surprised to cocky, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Did you really get me?" he asked.

"Uuhh, yeah?" she replied before smiling again.

He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, both eyes were glowing blue. She looked down as she could see her soul be turned blue. Franley lifted her off him with ease because of his magic.

"Hey! No fair! You have magic and I don't!" cried Candy.

Slowly moving her around through the air he chuckled light heartedly.

"Since when did I say I would ever be fair?" he asked.

Candy just pouted and stuck her tongue out at him, but quickly put it back in her mouth as Franley brought her just inches away from his face. She could swear that with the way he was smirking, he looked just like a human version of Sans.

"You know, you're pretty cute when you act like that," he said, making the blood rush to her face.

She tried to play it off.

"Like what?" she huffed.

"Like a mischievous little girl," replied Franley.

He sat her down and released his magic hold on her. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress when she noticed something.

"Hey, you're not having a hard time breathing!" she pointed out.

"Huh. I guess that means I'm finally getting a better hold of my powers," shrugged Franley.

This wasn't new to him. He had been through it all before, but no one remembers except for him and his father.

"Hey Candy? Can I ask you something important? You two guys?" asked Franley.

Kent and Paul wiped the smiles off their faces to show Franley that they're ready to listen, Candy doing the same as she sat next to them.

"Uh...well, you all know I have the power to save, load, and reset," began Franley, eliciting nods from his friends. "Well... I had mastered my powers to their full extent one time. It took months, but before my thirteenth birthday."

Candy and the guys' eyes widened with surprise.

"Really?! Then, why did you load back?" asked Kent.

"Yeah. If you really mastered your powers, why bring it back all the way before those months?" asked Candy.

"Because I mastered my powers underground. My dad wanted to give me a tour of the place my mom and him grew up in, but upon arriving, an evil being snuck up on my dad and killed him. He didn't kill me because he mistook me for my uncle, Chara. I wanted to know everything I could about where my parents and friends came from so bad, that I chanced staying there for a long time just to learn. I figured, why not since I can load and the only ones who will remember that time passed would be me? But then, as I continued, I found out through a memory of my mother that loading while being a teenager can permanently alter things in the timeline," Franley paused, allowing his friends to take in everything so far.

They nodded, gesturing for him to continue. Franley took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well, before I learned that, I had learned that time passes more quickly underground than it does on the surface. A minute down there is an hour up here."

"Whoa," they murmured.

"Right. For some reason, my phone started to display the amount of time I had left to return before it was too late. Guys, I ended up making some friends, and I promised them all that I would find a way to save them. There are still monsters down there simply because they're afraid of humanity. None of them remember me, but I already knew that they'd forget," paused Franley before getting back on track.

"A-anyway, when I finally mastered my powers, my whole left half of my body...looked just like how my dad looks. Not only was I half human and half monster on the inside anymore, but it also showed on the outside. It's going to happen again when I re master my powers. When it does, will you all still accept me as your friend?" asked Franley.

Before starting this conversation, he had made sure to save without them noticing. Candy tried picturing Franley as a half skeleton monster, seemingly not hearing the last part. Kent and Paul were imagining it too. All of a sudden, Candy, Kent and Paul shot upwards.

"That would look so cool!" they all shouted.

"So I take that as a yes then?" nervously chuckled Franley.

"Duh! Even if it doesn't look cool, we'll be your friends no matter what," said Candy as she punched his arm.

"Candy?"

Suddenly, all the blood drained from her face and she took a step backwards. Franley and the boys turned to look at who called her name. Kent and Paul were shocked simply because it was a human. Franley was shocked because he recognizes who it is. Mentally cursing at himself, he knows he has to act like he doesn't know who it is.

"Candy? Who is that human boy?" asked Franley in a hushed voice.

"M-my brother," answered Candy, her voice low and angry. She wasn't angry with Franley. She was angry at her brother for finding her.

"Ya know, I never would have thought you to run so far away," said her brother as he shook his head and smirked.

Candy then noticed that not all smirks were the same. Franley's smirks from earlier were playful and caring and loving. Her brother's smirks are evil and they make her blood turn cold in her veins. Gritting her teeth, she jumped forward in front of her new friends.

"Don't piss me off! Just because I hadn't done household chores in a while doesn't mean I don't regularly exercise! I'm stronger now than I ever was before since I'm being fed properly and allowed proper sleep and a healthy dose of fun!" shouted Candy, fire raging in her eyes.

Franley put a firm but calm hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and his gaze told her "you don't have to fight him. If it comes down to it, I'll handle him". She lowered her fists slowly and nodded.

"Affirmative," she whispered.

"Oh! So you think you're the only one who's gotten stronger. Well, thanks to me being a boy and getting into a workout routine, I've gotten plenty stronger than you! Also, that day, you had me worried I had lost my eye sight for good! But mom and dad took me to the best doctor ever and now I can see. A lot clearer than I ever have in fact! But I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to tell you to leave these creatures alone and come back home where you belong," retorted her brother.

"James, I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't belong there. Mom and that man hate me. And even if they don't hate me, they have hurt me every single day I was there. They left me rags for clothes for crying out loud!" responded Candy.

Kent and Paul just gaped at her and then back at the boy she called brother.

"If you agree to come back home with me, I can make living there a lot more bearable. Mom has already agreed to let you go to school, and she'll give you more desirable meals. Dad is actually proud of you for being so cunning with how you escaped. He's willing to give you allowance once a week," said James.

Candy had to admit. All those changes did sound tempting. But one look at her new friends and family, and she suddenly couldn't decide.

I have to know. This is going to be the tie breaker.

"Do they...love me?" asked Candy, her voice still strong and her eyes still determined.

"Yes," lied James. "They do now. As do I. Please, come back home with me. Sister."

He opened his arms and smiled warmly. Candy furrowed her brows.

"You're a terrible liar, James. I've seen too many genuine smiles to know a bullshit smile when I see one," Candy calmly said, crossing her arms.

"Okay fine! So I am lying. But one way or another, you're coming with me, even if it's by force! You're no longer stronger than me, so come willingly and you won't be hurt."

Franley took a step forward, and held out an arm to shield her as Kent and Paul stood in front of her and crossed their arms.

"You'll have to get through us first. We're her new family here, and we don't take kindly to bullies," glared Franley.

James cocked his head quizzically, his demented smile never fading as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, I haven't heard of a human with white hair since old Gideon. Though he had white hair because he was exposed to magic and weirdness at birth. So, how'd you get your white hair?" asked James, ignoring the blatant threat.

Franley smirked and stood straighter.

"You're looking at the only half human half monster hybrid in existence. I have magic and determination on my side. All you've got are your muscles, which are no big deal considering the kind of magic I have. So, listen, I don't want to hurt you. Either leave willingly, or I'll have no choice but to protect my new sister," smiled Franley, cracking his knuckles.

"Tch! So you're a freak of nature huh? It's only fitting my weird half sister would become friends with things like you all! Look at yourselves! You're all behind this barrier thing because humanity can't accept you. You're all outcasts with no place in this world!" shouted James.

Franley shrugged, his smile still plastered on his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It doesn't matter if you think we're freaks or not. As for having no place in this world? Well, I beg to differ. But buddy, if you take one more step, you're really not going to like what happens next. You will. Have. A bad time," threatened Franley as one eye glowed blue in preparation for a fight.

Sweat started to form on James' temple and he unconsciously took a step back before he realized he had just shown a moment of weakness.

"Why am I scared? This kid...that's all he is! It doesn't matter if he's half monster. I know that humans are a heck of a lot stronger than monsters anyway! I'll be fine. Just gotta stay determined to bring Candy back home. Where she belongs," James told himself.

Kent got ready for a fight, as did Paul when he let his claws come loose, and his fangs grew. They stopped though when Franley used one hand to motion for them to stay behind.

"But Franley! He's an extremely strong human!" warned Kent. "Humans are a lot stronger than monsters."

"You forget. I'm half human, and the kind of magic I have. I got this. Just look after Candy."

"But-" started Paul.

"Dang it, I am the Prince! I've been through things much scarier than this guy before and survived. I know what I'm doing!" shouted Franley, causing his friends to shrink back. Candy had an all new respect for Franley. She had never seen or hear him be so serious before. He's always been light hearted and friendly.

"He really cares about me," wistfully thought Candy.

Suddenly, a much bigger man came running behind James.

"Son! Did you find her? Who are these guys?" asked the man.

Franley recognized the man from Candy's dream memory, and his anger and determination spiked.

"You!" Franley yelled before remembering not to make it obvious he knows him in front of Candy.

The man looked at Franley and slowly pointed to himself in question. Franley nodded.

"Who are you?! This is a fight between me and this jerk! If you have any intentions of hurting Candy as well, I will defeat you both," swiftly declared Franley. He was glad he was able to pull that off since he almost slipped.

"Dad, don't interfere. I can handle this kid," smirked James.

"Haha! I don't think you can," chuckled the man, surprising both James and Franley.

"What do you mean?!" James yelled back.

"You allowed your little half sister to beat you til you were almost dead. Now you're about to fight a boy and...wait why does he have white hair and why is his one eye glowing blue?" he asked.

"Half monster, half human. I got magic," hastily responded Franley.

The man just nodded as he continued lecturing his son.

"So, in that case, let me handle this pup," said the man, cracking his neck.

James scoffed and stood off to the side.

"You know, I could just freeze time and drop you over a cliff. That barrier may block monsters from leaving the forest, but I'm half human. I've already left it plenty of times before," smirked Franley.

"Oh? But where's the sportsmanship in that? You're a coward if that's how you fight," shot back the much older man.

"Call it what you will. I call it a strategy, and being smart considering your height and weight. I could easily call you a coward for picking a fight with someone much younger and seemingly helpless against you," said Franley.

"But you're not helpless. Are you," lowly asked the man.

Franley smiled and felt his adrenaline pumping. He figures this must be his human instinct. To love a challenge.

"No sir. I am not helpless. I honestly can say that I feel bad for you. I'm not exactly a true pacifist. If I have to, I will beat you to the point where you are paralyzed forever. Don't think I won't," said Franley.

"Enough talking!" shouted the man as he started running forward.

Franley narrowly dodged his oncoming fist, cartwheeling to the side. All his friends were shocked to see how well Franley dodged that attack.

He did say he's been through things a lot worse than this. Even though he loaded, he remembers how to fight. He can do this!

For a big man though, he sure was fast as he caught Franley off guard and pounced on him. Slightly freaking out, Franley paused time and caught his breath.

"Darn, this guy is heavy!" grunted Franley as he tried to get out from under the guy.

He struggled over and over, breathing heavily.

"I wonder if I can.." he thought as his eyes glowed a blue color and lifted the man off while time was still frozen. His nose started to bleed a little from using two powers at once. He lifted the man high into the sky, and unfroze time.

"What the?! Dad? How'd you get from on top of him to all the way up there?!" asked James.

"He said something about being able to freeze time! Attack him for me!" yelled the man.

"But if I do, won't he let go of you and die?!" asked James.

"Whether you attack him or not, he might let go of me anyway! Go!"

Franley was planning on doing just that, but he was trying to let his lightheadedness fade, then he felt a punch to the jaw and stumbled back. The punch made him lose control of the man in the sky for a moment, but hearing his screaming, he suddenly felt guilty and knew he couldn't kill someone and live with himself. He managed to stop the man from falling to his death while James punched him in the gut over and over and over.

"Franley!" shrieked Candy. She tried to run forward to him, but Kent and paul held her back.

"No! Stop! Why must you two ruin everything?!" cried Candy.

"Hold her for me," ordered Kent.

Paul took out his claws and held them against her in a way that made her stop squirming unless she wants to get cut.

"Hahaha! You talked a big game, and you had us worried for a second! But, you're just a softy aren't you? You love my sister, don't you? Well that's too bad. Once we get rid of you and your precious monsters, no one will love her. Then she'll have to come back home," laughed James.

During Franley's grunts of pain, he lowered the man onto the ground, holding him down with one hand.

"Gaaaahh!" shouted Franley as James took and twisted his hand backwards, causing Franley's grip on his magic to go away.

"Oh I'm sorry. Were you using that to hold my dear old man down? Well, our little playdate was fun, but it's my dad's turn now," smirked James.

Sudden flames caused James to jump back.

"Kent?" wheezed Franley, his vision blurring.

"It's going to be okay, Prince! I'll protect you!" shouted Kent as he shot flames at the boy and man.

"Paul! You should be using your claws to kill my brother and step father! They're going to destroy everything and everyone!" yelled Candy.

"It's going to be fine, now that Kent is helping. There's no need for me to help," said Paul.

Candy looked over at Franley who was doubling over and losing his lunch on the ground. She saw the bruises forming on his skin, and felt the tears spilling from her face.

"Franley!" she called out to get his attention.

Franley weakly looked up at her, eyes widening at her scared face. She willed a smile to cross her features.

"You have to stay determined, Franley! I care about you! So whatever you do! Don't die!" she yelled out.

He looked over at Kent. Kent was shooting his magic fire everywhere, but James and the man were dodging the fire with ease, though they couldn't get close to him. At this rate, all Kent is doing is delaying the inevitable.

"Franley! I still have some food left over in the basket over there! Get healthy again quick!" shouted Paul.

Franley nodded his head, and floated over to the basket since his legs felt so weak. Groaning in pain, Franley opened the basket, took out a sandwich and ate it. His HP was maxed out again, his bruises healing.

He flew back over next to Kent, and started conjuring up bones towards James and his father. They were still able to dodge both attacks, but just barely.

"Shit! If only I had more control over my powers, then I could add more bones and then they wouldn't be able to dodge," hissed Franley.

"You can do it, Franley! I believe in you!" shouted Candy and Paul.

Franley narrowed his eyes.

Come on, Franley. You have to stop these two humans! If you don't, they'll kill you. They'll kill all the monsters and no one will be able to stop them! You're the only one capable of preventing that. You have to stop them!

James got through the barrage of attacks and stabbed Kent with a pocket knife.

"Shit! Kent!" cried Paul.

Franley stopped his attacks and opened his menu, causing James to jump back out of confusion.

"Whoa, what is that?" asked Candy.

"I think that's what he calls his menu," answered Paul. "This is my first time seeing it."

"Look! He's reaching for something that says rewind. Wait. Can he rewind time?" asked Candy.

"I guess so," replied Paul.

Franley pressed the button and didn't stop it until James had just arrived.

"Candy?"

Candy lost all color in her face. Turning around in an instant, Franley stopped time, walked up to James, and broke his arms and legs. He then searched him for any weapons. Once he found the pocket knife, he took it in his hands and broke it before burying it in the ground. He picked up James and brought him over to the group, and resumed time.

"Ahhh!" yelled Candy.

"Wait, what just happened?" asked Paul.

Kent crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. It wasn't like Franley to just attack someone out of random.

"In a few moments, her step father is going to show up. I'll explain everything after I stop him as well," said Franley, holding up his hand.

"Darn you! I didn't even see you coming! What did you do?" asked James, startling Candy and the two monsters who thought Franley had killed him.

"I paused time, broke your limbs, and got rid of your concealed weapon. Kent and I fought against you and your father, but were no match. You killed Kent with your weapon, so I rewinded time to take care of you in the window of time you're here alone so I can properly deal with your father," explained Franley.

Kent looked up and back at James, shocked.

"Tch. So, together, my father and I are unstoppable," smirked James.

"Correct. But you won't be able to fight alongside your father now since you're out of commission," replied Franley, his gaze not looking away from the barrier.

"Just you wait, boy! You might have been able to defeat me, but even if you do stop time again, you won't be able to really hurt my dad since he's a lot bigger than me and heavier. He'll wipe the ground with you, and take me to the best healer the world has to offer, and he'll get me straightened out!" yelled James.

"While it's true I won't be able to do to him what I've done to you, I got more tricks up my sleeve," smirked Franley.

Candy wondered what he meant, then thought about his ability to lift people and objects.

"Are you going to lift him into the sky and drop him?" asked Candy.

"What?! He won't be able to lift him!" shouted James.

"Heh, my magic allows me to lift anything and anyone up with ease. It'd be as easy as lifting a feather. But, no. If I do that, I would only kill him, and I don't want to kill anyone. I have another way. A way that none of you have ever seen before," responded Franley.

"What do you mean?" asked Paul.

"I can summon bones and Gaster Blasters. The blasters have been upgraded by Alphys, so they look cooler and pack more punch in them. However, there's a chance that I may have to rewind time. I may accidentally kill him a few times before I become aware of how many bones and blasters to use before his health depletes completely," answered Franley, sweat forming at his temples at the thought of accidentally killing someone more than once.

Candy, Kent, and Paul just stared at Franley. They were wondering if by the end of it all, he would still be light hearted and joyful.

He had obviously seen some crazy crap underground to be so confident in his abilities, right? Hopefully. He's nervous, but not from the fear of that man beating him. No. He's afraid of accidentally killing him!

The man came through the barrier, cracking his knuckles.

"What did you do to my son?" asked the man.

"I had to rewind time to decommission him before you two could fight together. So now it's a one on one battle, and sorry to say in advance, but I might kill you a few times before I find out how to hold back. This is the first time I'll be using such powerful attacks on a human, so I'm gonna be rusty," said Franley.

The man's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"You? Kill me?! Hahahaha! Let's see it then! You're so called power that you can't control! By the way, you're a human too! So, why did you refer to me like we're completely different species?"

"Because I'm only half human!" shouted Franley, his eyes glowing blue.

He thrusted his hand forward causing bones to fly towards the man. His eyes widening in shock, dodged the bones. There weren't too many, but each one vibrated with power. Cursing, Franley decided to take a risk, and hold the man in place to let some bones hit him. Stretching out his other hand, he turned the man's soul blue and held him in place.

"What the heck? I can't move!" shouted the man.

"That's right. You're dodging my attacks easily, so I have to endure my body weakening to hold you in place to let my attacks hit you," grunted Franley uncomfortably.

Yelling in fear, the man was struck bone after bone. Silently thanking God, Franley could see the man's HP bar. He nearly gawked at how big it was.

"100 HP!?" he thought to himself.

He ceased the bone attacks to catch his breath while still holding the man in place, and he walked forward.

"Why is your HP so big? What's your LOVE at?!" demanded Franley, his glowing eyes staring right into the man's shaking, caramel brown eyes.

"LOVE? I-I don't know what you mean!" answered the man.

Narrowing his eyes, Franley touched the man's forehead and summoned his menu to look at his stats.

"Your LOVE right here. It says you're at LOVE 50. How many people did you kill to get this?" asked Franley, his voice low and venomous.

"I never killed out of malice! When I was a kid, there were gang members constantly terrorizing me and my family. They tried to kill my sister and mother, so I killed them first! I lost count on how many people I had killed just to save my weak sis and ma. Candy!" he shouted, getting Candy's attention.

"Even though you're not my real daughter, I only acted like I hated you, always beat you, so you wouldn't be weak like them! I wanted you to be able to take care of yourself one day! I was looking forward to the day you would kill me, freeing yourself. But I'm disappointed in you! You only tricked me to escape! If your friend here didn't have his magic, you would have been dragged back to the house!" yelled the man.

Candy blinked back tears.

"There are different ways you could have prepared me! You didn't have to abuse me! You could have trained me, made me lift iron, and encouraged me to never give up without a fight! You could have still had me do household chores, I never cared about all that! All I ever wanted, was to feel loved and cared for! I would have rather killed myself before I killed you!" shouted Candy.

Franley knelt down so he was eye level with the broken man. The man looked down, but Franley grabbed his chin and forced him to look him in the eye.

"I get it now. You wanted to ensure no one would be able to hurt her. But you...you hurt her. You hurt her on the inside and on the outside. You see how you're the one being hurt now? Karma's a bitch," stated Franley. "Candy is my family now. And when we're older, I'm gonna propose to her. I love her. And she will never be vulnerable to attacks. Because if anyone ever kills her, all I have to do is rewind time and prevent it."

The man didn't say anything more. Franley looked at his HP. He was at 67 out of 100 HP. Sighing, Franley knew he wouldn't be able to keep summoning bones with him in place without fainting first.

Physical attacks will work just as good.

He curled his hand into a fist, and punched the man in the face over and over. Each punch dealed about two damage, but at least it was working. He stopped punching when his HP was at 2 left. The man was knocked out, his whole face was purple and blue with red from his broken nose.

"I didn't realize how much HP you actually had. Well, I'm glad that's over with," muttered Franley.