Tap. Tap. Tap. ...Tap. Tap. ...Tap. Tap Tap Tap. ...Tap. Frisk's eyelids twitch at each irregular noise sounding on the window over their sleeping place on the couch. It had woken them up maybe five minutes ago, and at first they'd assumed it was melting ice dripping onto the windowsill, so they'd rolled back over to ignore it. It'd grown steadily more insistent since then. That would have been fine too; it had a nice rhythm, and they could have slept to that. Now it's slightly off, in never quite the same way twice. The throttled anticipation is killing them.

At last, they give up and throw the blanket they'd borrowed from Papyrus off, grab the back of the lumpy couch, and pull themself upright. It's still fairly dark out, and they squint through the window to try to see what's making that incredibly annoying sound.

It turns out it's bullets. Little, tiny, seed-shaped bullets, not big or strong enough to crack the window, but capable of making an impact all the same. Three more tap on the glass, then stop. Knowing already what they'll see, Frisk visually traces their trajectory back to its source.

Naturally, it's Flowey.

When their eyes meet, Flowey gives them a bright smile and waves a leaf. They smile weakly and wave back, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

Chara? they call sleepily. You awake?

Their companion stirs in their mind. Bright red flickers like a little candle flame. I am now. What's up?

Me. And you. And Flowey, looks like. Frisk holds up a 'wait one minute' finger for him, then slides off the couch, yawning again. I wonder what he wants?

Let's go see.

They're wearing just an oversized T-shirt as a nightgown. At Chara's suggestion, they grab Sans's coat from the back of one of the dining table chairs, where he'd left it last night and had never bothered to put away like Papyrus had insisted at least five times. He won't mind them borrowing it, they're sure. Plus they won't be outside long, they figure. They shrug it on, push their feet into their shoes, and creep out the door.

Flowey's still there, waiting patiently at the bottom of the porch steps. They trundle down to the bottom step, shivering in the chilly air, and pull Sans's coat tight as they squat down in front of him.

"Morning, Frisk!" he chirps. "Didja have a fun sleepover?"

They smile and nod.

"Great! It's gonna be a big day today. Are you nervous?"

They shake their head.

"Golly! Why not?"

"Because I'm sure everything will turn out okay," they reply. At Chara's prompting, they add, "Is everything okay with you?"

"What? Of course it is! Why would you ask?"

"Chara thinks you're acting kind of unnatural."

Flowey goes silent at that.

Frisk, starting to get a little worried, adds, "Actually, I agree. Are you mad at us? We did tell Toriel the truth, but it turned out fine. And we didn't tell her about you, promise!"

"No. I believe you," he replies. "Sorry; I was trying to ease into the point. I'll just get right to it. You're facing Asgore again today, right?"

They nod.

"I wanted to warn you to be careful. Your SOUL already popped out once. If it comes down to a fight, well... who knows how easily it could slide out again?"

That's true. Frisk hadn't considered that. It's a sobering thought. "I will be. Thanks for worrying about me, Flowey."

He smiles. "You're important to me, after all. I don't want you dying on me." He pauses. "...Hey, Frisk. Let me ask you something."

They tilt their head. "Hm?"

"You said before you don't mind if I can't love you back, but... let's be real. You'd like me better if I could, wouldn't you?"

Their nose scrunches up, and they scratch their head. That was sudden. How do they respond to a question like this? "I don't know... I guess? It would be nice. It's really sad to not be able to feel love. But it's okay," they reassure him. "I like you fine the way you are."

His smile turns bittersweet, and his eyebrows (such as they are) turn up and pull together at the middle. "...Heh... That's such a 'you' thing to say."

"Well, it's true."

His smile turns bright again. "You really have no standards at all, Frisk."

Frisk frowns. Maybe, but the way he says it rubs them the wrong way.

"Oh, don't worry," he adds. "I like you the way you are too. That's why..." He trails off. Then he glances away. "Actually, never mind."

They tilt their head again, confused. What is this all about?

"Anyway," he continues, "can I ask Chara something real quick, too?"

Frisk turns their thoughts in. Well?

Let me talk to him face-to-face. You both deserve that much.

Which is both heartening and discouraging to hear. Nonetheless, Frisk nods and tags out, and Chara purses their lips at Flowey. He stares back at them.

"...Be honest," he says. "You'd like me better if I were Asriel. Right?"

Chara digs their nails into their knees for a second. It's still enough to leave welts when they pull their fingers away. "That's a pointless question. You aren't," they reply, brusque. "Both of us are just going to have to live with it."

He actually looks stung by that. "Haha... Wow... As blunt as ever, Chara." He glances away again. "I don't know what I expected."

Sorry, did I hurt your feelings? But Chara bites that remark back. It'd sound sarcastic, coming from them. It might even be sarcastic. Better not. "What did you want me to say?"

"Mm. I guess after what I told you yesterday, I deserve the cold truth," he admits.

Chara bows their head; their bangs hide their eyes from view. "...To be honest, I don't understand why you don't hate me," they murmur. "You, Flowey, exist because I ruined Asriel's life. Isn't that cause enough to resent me?"

"Golly, Chara. For someone so smart, you sure can be dumb. I told you before, Asriel loved you THAT much." His face falls. "I couldn't ever hate you."

When they look up at him, their eyes shimmer with unshed tears. "That'll have to be good enough, then." They rub their face with the heel of their palm.

Flowey watches them for a few seconds, then affects a new smile. "Hey. I want to do something for you two. How about I help you out with Asgore?"

Chara wipes their face again, then regards him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, we did ignore him after he called for you. He might assume it's because you weren't there after all, like I did," he replies. "It could save us all a lot of grief if I popped over and explained the situation. Just the basics, to make sure he's willing to talk. If you're lucky, maybe you two can avoid a fight entirely and focus on staying here or breaking the barrier or whatever it is you want to do."

"That... that would help a lot, actually. Thank you, Flowey."

"Anything for you, Chara!"

They smile slightly. Then they lean down, pushing their hair out of the way, to press a gentle kiss on top of Flowey's head. "Thank you," they echo, voice low.

His face is blank, if somewhat pinker than usual, when they pull away. Then he smiles, fond and sad, or at least the memory of it. "Anything for you," he echoes back. His smile brightens like the gleaming snow. "Anyway, I'd better get going. See you both later!"

Chara nods, then lets Frisk switch back in to wave good-bye.

Another few hours pass peacefully on the couch, after which Frisk is once again pulled from sleep, this time by Toriel knocking on the front door with trowel and pie and other goodies in tow. It turns out that Papyrus did indeed tip-toe out early in the morning to head on his rounds (impressing both Frisk and Chara; he's not exactly a quiet person), because in the middle of breakfast, he returns and is delighted to see everyone, even Sans, up already. He joins them all for a steaming plate of Toriel's snail casserole, then offers to escort Toriel and Frisk to New Home as part of his rounds. When Sans points out that technically he's only supposed to make rounds in Snowdin since he technically isn't a royal guard yet, Papyrus yells at him to be quiet.

When breakfast is over, Toriel presents Chara with their new trowel. They light up to see it, and hold it up to admire it from all angles. The handle is the same as before, but the scooping, triangular blade is now fully dull: it's meant for nurturing life, not dealing death. They tuck it away and give Toriel a tight hug, and Papyrus swears up and down afterwards that he didn't get at all teary.

Ultimately, the crew agrees that Sans will check on if any humans have fallen into the Ruins, and Papyrus will see Frisk and Toriel (and Chara) to the Riverperson. Undyne has been staying with Alphys at her lab ever since the DT-melted monsters went home, so she can keep an eye out for them if need be once they get to Hotland.

(Toriel asks at this point, with no small amount of alarm, what Papyrus means by "DT-melted monsters." Papyrus responds by, after they all leave his house, introducing her to Snowy's mother. Toriel's pace picks up a certain aggression after that point.)

When the two reach MTT Resort, several monsters mob Frisk, which almost sends Toriel into a literally flaming fury until they both realize that the monsters are gushing about their appearance on Live Love! and their escape from the King.

Apparently, Asgore had made a heartfelt inquiry of the restauranteers on if they truly did not want this human to die for their freedom, and when no one denied it, he stated he would respect the wishes of his people first and foremost and returned to New Home. Frisk knew from Papyrus, who heard from Alphys, about most of this, but this is their first time hearing about the "respect the wishes of his people" part. Hope springs within them, bolstering their already considerable determination. They'd worried that running away had made things worse, but it looks like it might turn out for the best after all.

Once the crowd disperses, Frisk and Toriel have a seat on the other side of the fountain (Toriel looks thoroughly unamused by the statue of MTT in the center, especially at the way it spews water anywhere but inside the fountain).

"Maybe I should go alone," Frisk says.

"I do not know that that is wise," Toriel replies, frowning fretfully. "Statements such as 'I will respect the wishes of the people' are vague for a reason: he may mean that he will respect the monsters here who were so fond of you, or he may respect the wish of the populace to return to the surface. It is a common political trick."

"Do you really think Asgore is a tricky sort of monster?" Frisk wonders.

Toriel opens her mouth, shuts it. She rests a paw on her mouth. "No," she admits.

Chara, inside, requests use of their mouth; Frisk allows it, and Chara says, "If Asgore's in the middle of a change of heart, it might be best if I talk to him first. Then we can bring you in a little later to seal the deal - maybe set him on fire a little if things go south." They grin a bit, a familiar mischievous sparkle in their eyes. "Just the thing from his old flame."

Toriel bursts out laughing. When she calms, she moves her hand to her chin. "There is some merit in your idea." Her smile fades. "But... you know how I worry. Cell reception is unreliable at best near the Core... If you need help, you will likely be unable to call me for it."

Chara frowns. "That's true... I guess we could ask Flowey for help. He said he wanted to help, so he was going to talk to Asgore, let him know that we're coming. He could watch, and if things go sour, come get you."

"My goodness! I had no idea he was doing such a thing. That does help put my mind at ease." Toriel looks around. "But... where is he now?"

"HOWDY!" Flowey shouts cheerfully from Toriel's other side.

She yelps and nearly falls directly into the fountain; Frisk grabs her hand, letting her regain her balance, just in time.

Seemingly delighted, he giggles. "You called for me, and so I appear! Everyone's favorite family-friendly flora: Flowey the Flowerrr!" he trills, winking and sticking out his tongue.

"My word, you gave me a turn!" she utters, clutching her chest. "I had not realized you were here already!"

"Golly! Did I scare ya? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" he chirps sunnily.

"Oh, well, that is all right," Toriel reassures him while Chara mouths YOU BALD-FACED LIAR as hard as they can behind her back. When she turns to them, they fix a smile at her. "This makes things much simpler, do you not think?"

"Right," Chara replies. They flick their eyes down at Flowey, who beams at them. "...How did the talk with Asgore go?"

"Great!" he chirps. "He was real understanding! I think it'll go perfectly!"

Chara feels relief and excitement course through them via Frisk, and they smile faintly, then step back to let Frisk front.

Frisk, now in control, beams right back. "Thank you so much, Flowey! You're the best!"

"Aw, shucks! Aren't I, though?" he declares. "Don't worry! I'll keep an eye on you, and come running for your 'mom' here when I have to!"

"Then it seems we have a plan," Toriel says, smiling. "I feel much better about this now. Please, stay safe, Frisk - Chara."

Frisk nods vigorously. Chara, for some reason, is uneasy, but they keep their concerns to themself for the moment. After waving to the two, they depart. The layout of the Core is familiar to them now, and it takes little time for them to make their way through.

On the elevator ride up, Chara finally remarks, Déjà vu all over again, huh?

We finally became friends for real the last time we rode this up, huh? Frisk reminisces. You told me about your past, and I told you about mine.

Haha. You read my mind. They pause. Can you tell what I'm thinking about now?

Are you worried about Asgore?

Sort of. I'm not so much worried about him as... Flowey.

Why? What's the matter?

I don't know... It's just a feeling I have. He seems kind of... off.

Isn't that just because he's excited to help us?

...Maybe you're right.

Frisk pauses. If you think there's a problem, we could turn back and double-check, they suggest. Now that you mention it, he did seem a little odd to me, too.

For a moment, they feel conflicted via Chara. He... he said he wanted to help. And I wouldn't say everything's okay now, but we've all made up. We can trust him, right?

I want to trust him, Frisk replies.

They consider this. Then they laugh a little. Well, I trust you more than I trust myself. Your way has gone fine for us so far. Let's keep at it.

The final hall, lit through the stained glass, is empty. Of course; Sans has already judged them for this timeline. He's probably back in the Ruins right now. It's a curious feeling for Frisk, though, and especially for Chara, who remembers walking down it far more times.

Asgore awaits them on the other side of the doors, seated on his throne. A small table is set in front of him, and opposite it, an even smaller chair. Frisk slowly walks up. Teacups and saucers are set on either side of the table, and in between them, a colorful teapot, steam drifting lazily from its spout. From the smell alone, Chara can tell them it's full of golden flower tea. A box of sugar, sporting a long silver spoon, stands next to Asgore's left paw.

He looks up with a nervous smile. "Howdy!" he greets them, friendly but somewhat stiff. "It has been a long time, has it not? I am glad you sent your friend Flowey ahead; after the first few days, I thought you had decided not to return."

"Sorry," Frisk replies automatically, slipping into their chair.

"Please, do not be. There are few who would want to fight to the death." He clears his throat. "Now, it is my pleasure to ask... would you like a cup of tea?"

Frisk smiles back. "Yes, please."

His shoulders relax a little. With care, he pours each of them a cup of tea, and stirs in two spoonfuls of sugar each, though he waits until Frisk nods him on to do theirs. They watch him prepare their refreshments, and Chara's feelings give them a lump in their throat. When Asgore finishes, they pick up their teacup with their own hands; when they take a sip, they share taste buds with their companion.

The tears that well up and overflow, however, are all Chara's.

Asgore leans forward, expression fretful. "What is the matter? Is it not to your liking?"

"No. It's delicious," they croak. They smile up at him, blinking more tears down their face. "It's just like how you always used to make it, Mr. Dad Guy."

Concern melts into a soft sort of agony, and Asgore sets the entire table and its contents aside to fall from his throne to one knee and embrace them. Chara abandons their teacup to the arm of their chair and wraps their arms around his neck.

"So it was you," Asgore rumbles.

Chara buries their face in his shirt and tightens their grip.

An eternity passes before Asgore clears his throat. "Thank you," he says, "for coming back. After what I have done, you must have been afraid of me."

"No..." Chara murmurs. "It wasn't that. There's just so much you don't know..."

"What do you mean?"

They pause. They think of Asgore's journal entries, always the same happy lie. They wonder how many of his illusions they'll dash with the truth. They take a deep breath.

And the truth follows: how they share Frisk's body, the way they awakened in them in the old Ruins; how they'd unintentionally poisoned him as a prank, the suicidal plan that followed, their intent to wipe out their old village to gain the SOULs to break the barrier, and Asriel's involvement in their plan. Partway through, Asgore pulls away to gape at them in open shock, but he never once interrupts. Having told Toriel the same story, having received her forgiveness, doesn't make it any easier; at Frisk's insistence, they give them their arms back, and Frisk promptly holds them for reassurance. Were the topic not so serious, Chara would laugh at being hugged by a different person in the same body. At least it makes them feel a little less wretched.

"...and that's why I've come back," they conclude quietly. "Your life and the lives all monsters became twisted because of my mistakes. It's my responsibility to set things right, if I can. I can't let Frisk suffer the entire burden."

Asgore smiles, but it's a mournful gesture. "The look of hope you once had in your eyes... So it was because you were able to escape the humans from the surface." He hunches over, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What a fool I was, to never realize. And to think I had pressured you to lead us back to them... I've done you a great injustice, Chara."

"No... I was broken from the start. I was the one who tricked you into thinking I was a decent person," they mumble, glancing away.

A rueful chuckle rumbles in Asgore's chest. "You are 'broken,' yet you are capable of deceiving a fully grown monster? You have an impressively eclectic set of skills."

Chara feels themself redden. Thinking back, Sans had criticized them for trying to take on all the blame, too - called them egotistical for it. Nonetheless... "I did trick Ree," they insist hoarsely. "He's dead because of me."

A low, mournful noise sounds deep in Asgore's chest. "Chara. Do you think Asriel would blame you for his death?"

They glance away. They know the answer to this for a fact: "No."

"I agree." Asgore gives them a weak smile. "I am certain he still loves you."

How much hotter can their face get? Chara's a little annoyed with themself even as they stammer, "H-how can you know?"

"To answer that, I must ask you a question in kind." His smile fades into a sad solemnity. "That little flower with whom you had your date. Is he... Asriel?"

Shock skewers Chara as thoroughly as if Asgore had run them through with his trident. A faint breeze stirs the golden flowers carpeting the floor. They resist the urge to look around for Flowey - not that they noticed him when they first came in. If he's here, he's done a good job hiding a tree in a forest, as it were.

They square their shoulders, but their gaze only goes as high as the king's beard. "I asked him the same thing, afterwards," they murmur. "He said no."

"I see." Asgore swallows hard. Then, elbows on his knees, he folds his hands and rests his face on top of them, hiding his eyes from view. "I see."

The zephyr feathers through petals, hair, and fur, and the flowers stir again. It sounds like a murmuring crowd, passing judgment. ...Maybe it's just their imagination.

"I'm sorry," they whisper.

"No... I made that assumption on my own. And there is no helping what has passed." Asgore lowers his claws. "I still believe he would not blame you."

Weirdly, it helps to know that he's right. Chara chances a glance around. Did they catch a glimpse of a face among the blossoms? "Why... what made you think Flowey might be Asriel?"

"The way he looked at you when you emerged during that date. The way you looked back at him. For a moment, I felt like I was watching you and Asriel again, happily together." His smile returns, melancholy in tow. "It gave me a small shock."

Chara's chest squeezes hard, and their eyes begin to sting. Rather than reply, they hang their head.

Asgore's arms envelope them and coax them into his chest. They lean against him, seeking warmth and comfort, as he strokes their hair. "I know how it feels to wish so desperately to have someone back that, for a time, it feels as though they actually are," he murmurs. "And I know also how crushing it is to return to a reality without them."

They dig their fingers into his fur. "I'm sorry," they whisper again.

"I am sorry, too. I have been a poor caretaker to you. So... please, do not feel guilty. What happened between Tori and me was the result of our own personalities clashing, and what happened with you and Asriel would not have occurred had we been more attentive."

"Toriel said that, too," they mumble into his fur.

"She is a wise woman. You should listen to her," he says affectionately. "Much as I should have, many years ago."

Chara pulls away slowly and looks up at him. "Then, about the other humans..."

"I deeply regret what I have done. I found no joy in murdering children. How could I? Whatever good was meant to come from it, it is still paedocide." He sags where he sits. "I did what I thought I must to bring hope back to my people, for we cannot survive without it. But declaring war on humanity means that once the barrier is broken, we must fight - and there is no way we can win." He hangs his head. "Gerson and I both knew this truth. He advised me against this as well in the beginning. In my foolishness, I did not listen to him, either. Now blood forever stains my hands. I have no desire to kill your friend, but to spare them means the children before died in vain. Yet if I kill them, I also kill one who has begun to give hope back to my people. No matter what, I am trapped with no way out."

Frisk tugs on Chara's consciousness. They listen, then say, "Um - Mr. Dad?"

"Yes, Chara?"

"Frisk wants to talk to you about that. Are you okay?"

He straightens, blinking in surprise. "I - yes." He offers a weak, wan smile. "I apologize. It was most unseemly for me to bellyache; you both must have been most uncomfortable."

Chara shakes their head. "No... I'm glad I could talk to you again." They pause. "Um, anyway, here's Frisk."

A blink later, and the child slouches a little, head tilted to one side, eyes squinty. "Hi, Mr. King Asgore."

Asgore smiles nervously. "Hello, Frisk. Please let me apologize to you as well."

They shake their head. "It's OK. Um, what you were saying about the war on the humans... Could you decide to cancel it? If you and the other monsters go to the surface, I don't think the humans will attack you."

"Why do you say that?"

"The war you had was a really long time ago, wasn't it? I never heard about it until I came here. I don't think humans still remember it. Anybody who was alive back then is dead now, so I don't think they'd still have the same problem they did back then."

Chara stirs in their mind, wordlessly disagreeing in blood-red silence. Still, by the same token, they don't try to argue the point. Frisk picks their teacup again and takes another sip. It's still warm, mercifully. They pull a longer drink and let Chara savor it.

"That is true... You humans are startlingly short-lived," Asgore muses. "But even if you are right, there is still the problem of the barrier itself. Your friend Flowey mentioned you had an interest in helping set us monsters free, but... I do not see how that is possible without taking your SOUL. We could wait until you have passed on naturally, but that would mean you personally would never see the surface again."

Your SOUL already popped out once. Who knows how easily it could slide out again?

Frisk's eyes fly open. "Oh!" Why hadn't they thought of this before? It's the perfect plan! It's risky, sure, but if it works... "I have an idea, actually!"

Frisk? Chara says warily.

When Asgore asks them what they mean, Frisk gives him a quick explanation of how their SOUL left their body recently, leaving Chara the sole controlling force within, and how while their body hadn't lasted very long after that, it at least lasted the better part of a day and made a full recovery with time and healing magic. They also explain how their SOUL had successfully returned to their body afterwards. In short, it's possible that Asgore could take their SOUL temporarily, then return it after breaking the barrier with it and the other six SOULs.

His expression is somewhere between dubious and intrigued. "I hadn't thought it possible to return a SOUL to a body after removing it," he says. "But if what you say is true, young one..."

"We've done it before," Frisk says. "I think if we're all careful, we could do it again."

But Chara protests within them, and a little confused, Frisk gives way to let them say their piece.

"I disagree," is the first thing out of Chara's mouth. "Just because we've done it before doesn't mean it'll go well this time."

"That is true, too. As powerful as human SOULs are, they are hardly invulnerable," Asgore admits.

Frisk taps in, and Chara steps aside to let them speak: "At the same time, I think this is the best chance we have to save everyone without sacrificing anyone. And I trust Chara, and... well, they trust you," they conclude, knowing it sounds a little lame.

"Are you not afraid, young one?" Asgore wonders.

"I..." They look down to see their hands, trembling. It's a little too late to hide these, they guess. "I am. I don't want to die. I want to live on with my friends. But I also want my friends to be happy. That's worth the risk, isn't it?"

It's more than risky, Chara argues, this time solely on the inside. We haven't seen a SAVE point since the Player left. If it goes wrong, we could lose all our progress. You might even die for real! Do you really want to do that to Sans and everyone?

"I believe I understand what you mean. Your personal well-being is worth sacrificing if it brings hope to the people," Asgore replies. "That is my philosophy as well. But... is this truly what is best for everyone?" A beat. "As odd as this may sound, I urge you to think it over before you commit, Frisk. There are some things you cannot undo."

Frisk falls silent.

"Take your time," he adds gently, then falls silent as well to drink his tea.

Frisk picks up their teacup as well, but rather than drink, they stare down at their murky reflection. Am... am I doing the right thing, Chara? Or am I being stupid?

To their surprise, Chara hesitates. I... Then they take a deep breath. No, you're not stupid. I think what you're trying to do is noble. I don't want you to stop trying to do the right thing even when it's hard or dangerous - that's part of who you are, and I admire that about you. But I'm scared. I'm scared I'll lose you all over again.

Chara... I'm sorry. I didn't think of how you felt.

You don't have to apologize! I ignored Ree's feelings, so it's what I get. I just - I don't know, Frisk. I don't know what the right thing is. I've screwed up so much. When I killed myself, I died believing I was doing the right thing, but I ended up hurting the people I loved. I don't want you to suffer from the same mistakes I made.

Frisk touches their chest with one hand. If it makes you that unhappy, then I won't do it.

But I don't want you to stop just because of my selfishness!

I just want everyone to be happy. That includes you.

Chara pauses. Frisk... You'd give your life up for that, wouldn't you? You always put yourself last. That scares me most of all.

Frisk doesn't respond. They've been together for so long, Chara knows them well.

After a moment, subdued, Chara wonders, Frisk, what do you want? What do you want for YOU? What will make YOU happy?

...I want a nice warm home where I'm surrounded by people who love me no matter what.

Do you really need to break the barrier to get that?

I... no. You're right. But I can't think about just myself. All the monsters have their own lives, their own hopes and dreams. They're all yearning for the surface. How can I refuse to help them just so I can get what I want?

Then why not live out your life down here, and will your SOUL to Asgore when you die naturally? He suggested it himself. For monsters, another few decades won't hurt, especially when they know they'll be free once you die.

But is it really okay to make them wait so long when I could do something to help now? You said another few decades won't hurt, but we don't know that for sure. For all we know, there are monsters on the verge of falling down right now, and learning they've got to wait even longer might push them over the edge.

Then to hell with them! Any monster who wants you to die so they can live isn't worthy of the name!

Frisk's mental voice sharpens: Chara! Don't you dare say that!

Shock rubber-bands through Chara. When the tension crumbles, they fade into tear blue chastisement. Frisk... I'm sorry. You're right. I don't have the right to decide who lives and who dies. They laugh humorlessly. Here I said I'd support you, but right now I'm just dragging you down. I know you said before you wanted to return to the surface; I just ignored it. But you have better judgment than I do, and it's true you've survived having your body and SOUL separated before. Just because I'm scared, that doesn't give me the right to try to control you.

Thanks, Chara. I'm sorry too for snapping at you. And you're not dragging me down! I'm happy you care about me. I just... They pause, revelation dawning. What I REALLY want... is for us to stay together. You and me, and Flowey, and everyone. So, um... can you do something for me?

What is it?

I'm not good at being selfish. So can... can I ask you to be selfish for me?

They pause. Then they start to laugh again, this time with affection. You nerd. You dork. You total goober. They laugh some more, then wrap Frisk up in fragrant layers of strawberry red love. Asking someone else to be selfish for you? How does that even work?

Oh, um, I'm sor -

I'll do it.

- ry - huh? Chara?

If being selfish for you means keeping you alive and safe, I'll do it. Looking back, I should've let Ree do that for me. And when you're ready to be selfish for yourself, let me know and I'll back off.

Frisk glows, all but hugging themself. Okay. Thank you for looking out for me, Chara.

I'm just being selfish. I don't want you going anywhere.

I don't want to go anywhere without you, so we're even.

Hehe. Then let's do this...

After another moment, Frisk lifts their head and regards Asgore. "Um, Your Majesty?"

He blinks down at them. "Hm? And please, call me Asgore, if you like."

"Okay. Um... We talked about it, and we'll do it."

He smiles sadly. "Frisk... You would trust me with your very SOUL?"

They nod. "But Chara has a request first, and so do I."

"What is it?"

Their shoulders straighten, and Chara sets down the teacup. "I'm worried about Frisk," they say. "But I know how important this is for everyone. So I'll work with you both to make it succeed - but if I think something's going wrong and I say to stop, I want you both to stop immediately. Okay?"

"That is very reasonable," Asgore agrees.

Frisk emerges to nod again. "I'm okay with that too. And, um, for my request..." They meet his gaze. "You're not allowed to die, either." The dusty second timeline had been borne from the despair of the end of the first. They know Chara remembers Asgore's suicide well. "So don't. I refuse to take your SOUL. Okay?"

Frisk...

Asgore bows his head, a faint smile on his lips. "...Very well, Frisk. I accept your and Chara's terms," he says. He rises to his feet, and offers them a massive paw. "Now, let us try."

With a deep and slightly shaky breath, Frisk squares their shoulders and accepts it. As hard as their heart is pounding, their fear is no match for their determination.

"He did what?" Toriel demands, fists trembling.

"He's dragging Frisk over to the barrier by the hand! I saw it with my own two eyes!" Flowey simpers. "You've got to go save them before he takes their SOUL!"

He's barely finished his sentence when Toriel has taken off for the Core. Flowey watches her go. His shadow is unusually deep, as if someone who stepped on it would fall into the void.

"Golly. She barely needed any pushing at all," he remarks to the air. He smiles, eyes narrowed. "Good thing we already got the rest of the chumps in motion."

"WHAT?! They're gonna fight?! No way!" Undyne yells into Alphys's phone.

"I KNOW! I said the same thing! But Flowey said His Majesty wouldn't listen!" Papyrus yells back. "We've got to go stop them before someone gets hurt!"

Alphys cringes, caught between the two loudest monsters in the Underground, but leans forward anyway. "U-um, are you sure about this, Papyrus?" she says into her cell phone, which Undyne clutches despite being in her own hand.

"Very sure! Flowey wouldn't lie! He's Frisk's boyfriend, after all!"

"T-true. A-and better safe than sorry," Alphys admits. Mettaton's special was awfully clear about that, and they have a lot of history together. She squashes her bad feeling and adds, "I-I'll give Mettaton a text on the way. I bet he can round up the monsters. If everyone comes and s-says they want him to spare Frisk, th-then Asgore will definitely listen!"

"HELL YEAH! We'll stop this fight yet!" Undyne crows, picking Alphys up by the waist and holding her under one arm. "Race you there, Papyrus! First one gets to be Frisk's and Asgore's official bestie!"

"YOU'RE ON!" Papyrus shouts back.

Hands in his jacket pockets, Sans takes a few minutes to relax near the patch of flowers that serves as Chara's grave marker. There weren't any humans, so instead, he can sate his curiosity on something. Toriel had mentioned that the ground seemed more sunken than usual during their last visit. While Sans hadn't really noticed at the time, it does seem like something worth double-checking. Discreetly.

But a flower patch is a flower patch. He nudges the earth with one slippered foot. Seems normal en -

"What?" he utters, jerking his head up.

Hands gesticulate at the edges of his vision, like seeing something that isn't there when one turns around. He turns, and it vanishes; he turns again, and it creeps up again, signing warnings of danger.

He looks down. The hands appear over the patch. He knows what these hands are, and if he can see them at all, that means there's some kind of reality distortion here letting them seep through. And the only thing he knows of that's capable of causing that is...

His left eye flares blue as he looks down at the grave. He knows in his bones he won't find what's supposed to be here, and when he checks, he finds he's right: no bones about it.

"Thanks, Gaster," he murmurs. "Message received."

He turns and takes a shortcut to New Home, leaving the darkness behind.

"Are you ready, Frisk?" Asgore asks, turning to face them. The twilit barrier pulses around them, sweeping with monochrome power.

Frisk answers by calling forth their SOUL, a little red light between their two hands.

Something's wrong, Chara says suddenly. Something feels off.

What is it?

Asgore takes a deep breath. Three on one side, three on the other, the tubes containing the other human SOULs surface in a line around him. "Well then... Please brace yourself. I fear this may be painful."

I... I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I'm being paranoid.

Should we stop?

Chara doesn't say yes, though they remain unsettled. Frisk waits a moment for an answer. When they don't get one, they hold out their SOUL. Asgore reaches for it, but his paw stills just before claiming it.

"If... anything goes wrong," he rumbles, meeting Frisk's questioning stare, "I wish you to know you have my gratitude... and my deepest apologies."

"Nothing will go wrong," they reply, steely. "We'll make sure of it."

"Yes... You are right. Chara and I both owe that to you." He nods once, as if to convince himself. "Very well -"

They squeeze their eyes shut.

So they don't see it when the fireball strikes Asgore, knocking him away from them and the SOULs.

"ASGORE DREEMURR!" Toriel roars, storming into the barrier room and positioning herself between him and Frisk. "How dare you deceive this child! Had you planned on stealing their SOUL the entire time?!"

"Tori!" he gasps from where he's fallen. Despite the less-than-friendly hello, a genuine smile lights up his face. "You came back!"

"I did not come for YOU!"

"But... but you came!"

She settles a bit. "Of course," she says stiffly. "As despicable a creature as you may be, even you do not deserve to die. And it would be wrong of me to allow Frisk to be forced into a horrible choice." She turns to them then, eyes gentle and worried. "Speaking of which, are you all right, my child? Are you unhurt?"

Frisk laughs. They can't help it; all that tension, and she cut through it so suddenly. "I'm fine," they reply, letting their SOUL settle back inside themself. "But it's not what you think -"

But their explanation cuts short when Undyne sprints into the barrier room with Alphys under one arm, bellowing about how nobody is fighting anybody. She flags when she takes in the scene and sets down her girlfriend, and Frisk opens their mouth to try to cut in and explain the situation, but Toriel, Undyne, and Alphys proceed to introduce themselves to one another. They hang back, feeling a little awkward, while Chara starts to get annoyed.

They scratch their cheek when Asgore also attempts an explanation... by opening with saying he knows she won't forgive him. Papyrus dashes in next, neatly cutting off Toriel retorting that of course she won't forgive him. When Sans arrives a minute later declaring he has something to tell Chara, they wonder if it's better to just watch and wait until everyone's said their piece, but at that point Chara's reached the end of their own patience.

"HEY!" Chara bellows, yanking everyone's attention over to them. "EVERYONE SHUT UP! FRISK HAS SOMETHING TO SAY!"

Everyone gawks. No one interrupts. They nod decisively, then mentally step back, seeping rosy affection Frisk's way as they do. Frisk emerges with a bashful, ruddy smile, accepting it and reflecting it back.

"Um. Hi," they announce. "Um, so you all know, Asgore wasn't trying to steal my SOUL. He was only doing what I asked him to do."

"What?" exclaims half the room.

So Frisk explains the plan in brief, and tries not to feel too bad when Toriel looks increasingly astounded as a result.

"Wow! You were gonna pop your SOUL out to save us?! Hardcore!" Undyne crows.

"No it's not! That's so dangerous! You could've died!" Papyrus argues.

"They've done it before, s-so theoretically, it should be possible," Alphys cuts in.

"Maybe, but I'm more in favor of the kiddo not dying," Sans says with a wink. He meets Frisk's eye and seems about to add something.

"As am I," Toriel remarks before he can, though, clutching her chest as she joins everyone else. "However, it seems I owe you an apology." She turns to Asgore. "You are still a despicable man, but you did not deceive Frisk as I had assumed. I am sorry for that."

"Er... it's all right," Asgore reassures her. "I understand why you would have thought so. Er... Is it possible we could still be friends, though?"

Toriel heaves an aggrieved sigh at the look of hapless hope on his face. "No, Asgore."

Undyne pats Asgore on the back as he weeps with a 'that's rough, buddy.' "Weird, though," she adds. "Didn't we all come here thinkin' a fight was going down? Why'd we think that again?"

"Because Flowey said so!" Papyrus reminds her.

"Flowey said the same to me as well," Toriel admits.

"That is odd," Asgore says. "Perhaps he misunderstood the situation?"

"If he was watching, he should've known we weren't fighting," Frisk counters. "Why would he do that?"

"About that -" Sans starts.

The SOULs, Chara says abruptly. Where are the SOULs?!

Frisk turns around to behold a neat line of empty SOUL tubes.

The next instant, a massive thorned vine sweeps in to capture all the monsters. All but one, anyway.

"Heh," Sans utters, nimbly leaping back out of the way. "I had a feeling that might be coming. Sorry, buddy, but you're gonna have to do better than -"

That's when the second vine snatches him from behind.

"Dang it," Sans mutters as he's hoisted into the air.

"Heeheehee..." a voice rings out from nowhere. "Sorry, trashbag, but your special powers are no match for the force of narrative convenience."

"Chara, head's up: your grave is - nggh!" Sans grunts, cut off when the vine coils tighter around him.

"Shut up. No one cares what you have to say." Flowey sprouts up then between Frisk and the captive monsters. "Howdy!" he chirps up at his best friends. "So, I stole the SOULs again. Surprise!"

"Why?" Frisk cries.

"Hee hee... I have to thank you for being so gullible, Frisk. You took that mention of your SOUL exactly where I thought you would!" he replies, smiling even more brightly than before.

Chara surges forward, and they narrow their eyes at him. "So everything you said on the date was a lie," they state flatly. "Were you planning on this the whole time?"

His smile blinks out like a busted lightbulb filament. "You've got it wrong. I meant what I said. You two really do mean more to me than anything else." His smile revives. "THAT'S why I'm doing this. I can't stand the thought of you two leaving with all your other friends." He glances to one side. "How do you think it feels when I see you both so happy without me?"

Frisk tags back in, pressing a hand to their chest. "You could have come with us! We wanted you to come with us!" they insist.

Chara swaps with them to add coldly, "Enough is enough. Flowey, put everyone down. Now. If you do, we can still overlook this."

"Ha ha. You say that, but you don't really mean it, do you?" Flowey says, smile and laugh fake. "It's just like when you ate that first buttercup. You knew there was no going back."

When Chara can't reply, Frisk does it for them: "No, that's not true. There's always time to fix your mistakes. Please stop this, Flowey! I thought we were all friends now!"

Flowey's smile blinks out again. "Frisk, you said before you like me fine the way I am." It turns back on. "But Chara, you never actually gave me a real response, did you?" He glances away, false cheer still plastered on. "Haha. That's fine. Actually, I realized I don't like me, either. I don't like that I can't love you two back. I don't like knowing, someday, I'll get bored again and end up right back where I started." His smile grows. "That's why I'm bringing back Asriel."

"Asriel?" Toriel gasps as Asgore startles.

"Asriel is dead," Chara shouts. "You said so yourself!"

"Yeah, I thought so too. But, funny thing: someone bet me I was wrong. That just having his memories means I AM Asriel. Double surprise, Mom and Dad!" he asides, turning around to beam at his shocked parents. "It's me, your dead son, resurrected in a SOULless husk of a flower! If you want the details on how, just ask that Royal Scientist over there!"

"Alphys, what does he mean?" Asgore cries as Toriel jerks her head over to her.

Alphys sweats. "Uhhhhhhhhhh..."

"But, right or wrong," Flowey continues, turning back to Frisk-and-Chara, "to do that, I need power. Unimaginable power. More power than I had even with the six SOULs. Funny how a single life isn't equivalent, huh?" He beams at them. "And that brings us to the present moment. So just shut up and watch while I take over everything, okay?" His expression gentles... "Soon we'll all be together forever. All three of us." ...just before a malignant grin engulfs his face. "JUST the three of us."

"Flowey, please stop it! There's no way you won't regret this later!" Frisk begs.

Chara cuts in, "Wait. You said you had a bet with someone. Who?"

Instead of answering, Flowey just laughs. His shadow bubbles and roils on the monochrome floor, a patch of anti-reality darkness against the bright and gloom of the barrier...

Frisk and Chara's throat closes. They both know what - who - that is.

You Called For Me, And So I Appear! cheers the Player as she takes form behind Flowey, one arm draped around his stem. No One's Favorite Family-Friendly Fun-Seeker: The Playerrrrrr!