AN: Wow, I can't believe this story is actually over. I hope I did it justice. Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this roller-coaster ride of a story and I hope you enjoy this ending. I have several more Undertale fanfics planned but, in the meantime, I wanted to try my hand at a new fandom. With that said, I have a poll up on my profile. If you'd like, you can go and vote for which one I should try writing for next. Thanks again, and please remember to review :)
Disclaimer: Undertale is made and owned by the one and the only Toby Fox (suggested by a guest)
They stood there in the castle's courtyard, surrounded by their friends and family as the other inhabitants of the Underground took their leave. The ceremony had just ended but none of the group wanted to part ways just yet, content to spend some time together as they gazed up at the monument that had been erected in honor of Chara and the six who had fallen after her death. There were colored stones set in representation of the seven souls, each one designated by their most prominent trait. A dark red one at the very top, set dead center, served as a reminder of the late princess' determination while the others branched out below in an arch; patience, integrity, kindness, perseverance, justice, and bravery. It was a beautiful memorial to the human children who had perished in the Underground and the words 'Let us never forget the cost of freedom, for, if we do, we are no better than those who once sealed us away.' were written in a looping script upon the polished rock.
"I'm so proud of you, Frisk," Sans said, his voice soft as he wrapped his phalanges around his little girl's and squeezed lightly. "It's thanks to you that the souls can finally know peace. If you hadn't shown up, I doubt Asgore would have thought twice about breaking the barrier and then monsterkind would have been thrust into another war. Thanks to your determination we can all live on in harmony."
"But you're not on the surface." The former human said, regret shadowing her eyes.
"That is true," The older monster acknowledged as he studied the memorial, though his voice held no resentment. "But we're together... and that's all that really matters. One day the humans will realize that we mean them no harm, it is then that we will return to our rightful place in the world above."
In truth, they could break the barrier at any given time. That night so many months ago when Chara disappeared, she left her soul behind as a final gift to her adopted family. Even in it's damaged state, it had somehow managed to remain intact as the king gently placed it inside the final, cylindrical canister. They now had the seven souls needed to break the barrier but the time wasn't right. As her father had said 'one day the time will come' and, when it does, Frisk will be ready to partake in a new adventure... that is, as long as she has her father and the rest of their family at her side.
"You never gave up, kiddo, even when the odds were against you." The skeledad spoke once more, looking at his daughter with eye's that shone with love. "You saved the underground and, not only that, you saved me... and I'm not just talking about that mess with Chara. Even before you fell, I felt like something was missing. I figured, 'what's the point in trying when nothing ever changes...' but you proved me wrong."
Neither spoke as the silence stretched between them but the moment was soon broken by Frisk.
"What do you mean?" The now seventeen-year-old questioned, not sure she completely understood what he'd been trying to say.
She turned her head, glancing down at him with curious eyes as his expression shifted to one of utter peace. The girl smiled softly, it was an expression they'd been seeing a lot more often since the final battle and it proved that Sans had finally moved past the trauma of the timelines.
"What I'm saying, Frisky, is that you made me want to get better. For you, for Papyrus, for the others... I had to try." He declared, drawing her attention to his words rather than his expression. "For once in my life, I had something worth fighting for... and I refused to give that up."
Once again, there was silence, both skeletons merely taking comfort in each other's presence as Frisk glanced around, taking in the sight of her gathered family. She was glad that they were giving her and Sans a moment to themselves. Yes, they were here but they weren't interrupting and that was evidence of the respect they all had for each other. The young girl took another minute to gather her thoughts before speaking.
"It was the same for me." She said, at last, turning to fully face her father. "When I jumped down that hole in the top of Mt. Ebott, I fully believed that I would never wake up."
Sans winced, tightening his grip on his daughter's hand. Even after all this time, he couldn't stand the thought of his child wanting to take her own life. He'd witnessed it once and, although it was different from what she'd originally planned, he knew that it was just as horrible. No one should be pushed to such extremes and he knew that he would never forgive the people who had caused his little girl to think that her only escape from the pain was through her own death.
"Then I met you... and you made life worth living." The teen turned to him with the brightest smile he'd ever seen, drawing him from his darkened thoughts as her soul radiated with the warmth she felt for those around her. "Sans, you gave me the home and family I'd never had. You risked everything to protect me."
She choked up, tears filling her sockets as the slipper-clad monster enveloped her in a warm embrace.
"I love you, daddy, more than all the snowflakes in Snowdin," Frisk whispered, face nestled into the soft fabric of his new hoodie.
"I love you too, baby-bones, I love you so much." They stayed like that for several minutes, only breaking apart when they heard the queen's voice addressing them.
"Sans, Frisk, are you ready to go?" Toriel asked, standing a bit away with the rest of their group. "It's getting late and the others have decided they want to watch a movie before bed so we should probably head home."
While the father and daughter had been talking, the rest of the group had agreed to spend the night at the skeleton's house in Snowdin. Seeing as it was the halfway mark between everyone's homes, it seemed like the most logical choice.
"Yea, we're ready Tori," Sans replied, looking to Frisk for confirmation. She nodded after swiftly wiping the tears from her eyes.
The group peacefully made their way from the capital before boarding the ferry for Snowdin. Within an hour, they were pushing the door open to the house and filing in, taking up their usual seats in the living room as Papyrus grabbed the movie they had previously decided on.
"Why don't I go make us some tea?" The queen questioned, already moving towards the kitchen by the time anyone realized what she'd said.
"Umm, I'll give ya a hand with that." The younger skelebro declared, instantly teleporting ahead of the goat woman.
Tori paused, a startled look on her face as she glanced at the others. They all seemed just as baffled as she did by the younger monster's actions, all, that is, except for Papyrus and Frisk. The two skeletons just shared a knowing smile before turning back to the movie that was about to start. With a quiet huff, Toriel turned and continued into the other room.
Sans was stood by the table, carefully collecting the papers that had been scattered over its wooden surface when she entered the room. As he saw her approach, the comedian swiftly hid the pages behind his back in the hopes that she hadn't noticed. The look she gave him proved otherwise and he chuckled sheepishly, lowering his gaze to the floor as he shuffled his feet.
"What are you hiding, my child?" The woman inquired, a fond lilt to her voice as she moved to try and peek behind her adopted son's back only for him to move with her... effectively blocking her view.
Sans refused to meet her eyes, causing concern to bloom in her soul. It had been quite a while since she'd seen the skeleton this uncertain of himself. It was troubling, to say the least, and the goat mom couldn't help but try and figure out what was wrong. So, reaching forward to place a soothing hand under the smaller being's chin, she gently tilted his face up so he'd meet her worried gaze.
"Sans, dear, there is no reason to be afraid." She stated, watching as the pun-lover relaxed slightly at her tender tone. "No matter what it is you are concealing, I will not judge."
The skeleton's socket's widened as a blue blush lit up his face.
"It's... it's nothing bad." He rushed to assure, using one hand to rub at the back of his skull while the other drew the stack of papers from behind his back, bringing them into full view of the queen. "It's just... I wanted to make sure it was perfect before showing anyone and, well, it's not quite done so..."
He trailed off as Toriel carefully took the pages from his shaking hands. It was clear that her friend was nervous about sharing this and she felt a wave of affection at the trust that he had placed in her. As she took in the first page she felt a smile begin to form on her face and it only got wider the more she read.
"The Undertale: By Sans the Skeleton,"The queen read aloud, chuckling lightly when Sans pulled up his hood to hide his flushed face. "You're writing a book about the timelines?"
"Mmhmm," Came the mumbled reply before he steeled his resolve and continued, "But not just that, everything that happened afterwards as well, right up till the moment Chara was freed. I talked to Grillby about it a while ago. He's known that something was bothering me for a while and I figured it was only right to tell him since he's been offering silent support for years. Grillbz reminded me of how I used to write when I was younger and he thought it would be a good way for me to finally come to terms with everything. That if I put it down on paper I wouldn't have to keep those thoughts locked inside anymore."
"That's very wise of him." She agreed, her gentle eyes gazing at the comedian with sympathy as she asked, "Is it helping?"
"It is," Sans replied, smiling serenely. "I had my doubts at first but after everything that happened with Chara, my PTSD was in overdrive and I needed something to offset it. When I first told you and the others about the timelines, it had helped. But, since you guys knew already, I had to figure out something else. Not that your support hasn't been a lifesaver, it has! It's just that, well, I felt like I had to do this... that it was important, somehow. Does that make sense?"
Tori stood there for a moment, letting her adopted child's words sink in as he gazed at her with pleading eyes... then she nodded. Moving forward, she wrapped her arms around the shorter being's small frame and pulled him close, softly nuzzling his face as she hugged him.
"Yes, my child, it does." She whispered softly, earning a sigh of relief from the skeleton as she closed her eyes and thought back on all they had been through together.
Heartache and pain. Happiness and laughter. Love and determination. They were all different aspects to this glorious thing called life. There can be no good without the bad and, as Sans glanced up at her from under his hood, she knew there were bound to be some difficult times ahead but she also knew that they would get through them together. They would navigate any hardships that came their way, for whenever one of them didn't feel strong enough on their own, all they had to do was reach out their hand and the others would be there in a heartbeat. She gazed down at the monster held securely in her arms, eyes full of love as he smiled contently. Yes, things would work out for the better, Toriel was sure of it. After all, they were still alive and, with their family by their side, they were forging their way to a brighter future.
AN: Thank you so much for sticking with me till the end of this story. It's been a long road and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next time, bye ;)