Strider Notes: So yeah. That happened. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter~ Just so you know, I got really teary-eyed writing this one and the last one. I'm not completely heartless. Heh. Also- like not even an hour of posting, we had 16 anons freaking out in our ask box. Dudes. I love it. Feed me more of your flailing.

Silverwing Notes: Welps... After the violent attack that had occurred in the last chapter, it's time to see how our babies are doing.

Also I pity poor Strides (as of 11-14-2016), first the pain of losing Han last chapter plus her coup de gras on her wisdom tooth today (Which I didn't worry about bc mine came in straight, rekt), she's had a looooong day.

Oh well, Enjoy the chapter.


Toki woke slowly. It was a hard process, like trying to swim through a pool of molasses. Her mind, body, and very soul felt heavy and sluggish, like she wasn't meant to wake up. It was like trying to claw out of a deep, endless hole that kept sucking her back in.

But she did. She pulled herself forth, her mind slowly sliding into awareness with the speed of a slug.

Her shoulder was the first thing she was aware of. It was the right shoulder blade, and laying on it hurt horribly. She felt crusted and gross, her memory foggy. The next she could feel was the bone aching weariness that flooded her. She was exhausted, like she had been drained dry. There was something crusted to the bones of her face, along her teeth, and something that had her shirt stiff over her belly and smelling of iron.

She shifted, and groaned in pain where she lay. Toki struggled to open her sockets, but they soon lit blearily, trying to take in her surroundings and recall the events that lead her to where she was.

It looked like she was back at home. She could see her coffee table, vaguely smell the usual smell of her house over the stench of her clothing, and she could feel the softness of the couch she had been gingerly laid on.

"..." There was pacing behind her, or rather, the back of the couch she was laying on, before there was a panicked calling of her name the moment that she groaned. "TOKIKO!"

Immediately there was a worried Aliquam in front of her, "Toki, oh my god, you're okay...!" he whispered softly.

"N't s' loud, Pap," she groaned softly. His shout rang in her skull, and she nearly lifted her sore arm to cradle her skull. Instead, she hissed softly and clutched at her shoulder with her non-sore hand. "My shoulder hurts…"

He knelt down and pressed his head to hers, sparking off healing magic while keening worriedly. "You were shot..." he murmured softly to her. "I had to dig the bullet out… I was so worried when you didn't wake up from it."

"Shot…?" She blinked slowly, and let the healing magic soothe her. Her shoulder shivered, but the healing magic did soothe her. Some of her exhaustion too, as her body absorbed the magic and put it towards healing herself.

Toki shivered, and nuzzled his face gently. She was quiet for a moment, before her fingers brushed over one of the stiff spots on her shirt. Slowly, she glanced down at it.

Blood. Her belly was coated with dried blood- all of her shirt was. It was on her bones, on her face- it was just… everywhere. And it took her a moment to think of what caused it- and then the lights in her eyes went out.

"… Han's gone…" She murmured softly.

He looked at her, and then hugged her gently, stroking her head. "... He is, yes…"

"I… I…" She shifts and lurches out of his hug, forcing herself upright. She shudders, staring at the blood dried into her bones. "I… It's… His blood is…" It was on her hands, figuratively and literally. Along her palms, the blood was tinted blue from the dust of his soul. Tears bead at her sockets, and her breathing quickens. "I… I need to get it off oh god he's gone and it's on my hands…"

"Toki. Toki. Listen to me." he gripped her head firmly, turning her skull to look at him. "It's okay... We'll get you cleaned up... Just stay with me, okay?"

Her sockets were dark, save for the glow of budding tears. Her hands clenched and unclenched, her shivers making her bones rattle. His touch draws her back enough for slight pinpricks to appear again, and they shiver with grief in her sockets. "H-he's gone, Pap. My baby brother's g-gone. H-he s-s-shattered in my hands…" He was gone, and she was still there. She wasn't going anywhere. But the ache in her soul, the sheer grief that dimmed her glow, made her wish she didn't have to feel any of it. "It's on my h-hands…"

"Toki... I... I know... I'm so sorry." he murmured, before he kissed her head on a patch that was mostly clean. "Let's focus first on cleaning you up." He murmured to her gently. "There's no point in letting this remain to traumatize you further." he told her, before he gently picked her up. "Come on..."

She trembled as he lifted her, her claws scratching faintly at the blood soaked into her palms. It was on her, all over her, and even over her teeth. She could taste where it had leaked into her mouth, but she was too distressed to be nauseated over it. "It's everywhere…" A sob escaped her, and her face turned to tuck against his chest.

"Shh, shh..." he held her tightly as he moved upstairs, going to the large bathtub they had in their personal bathroom. "It's okay." he assured her, before he sighed. "I wish Sans was here. I don't know what happened to him... After he heard about your brother he went pale and disappeared..."

"H-he's probably s-sad." She whispers faintly. Toki is not much help when he gets to the bathroom, but she is able to stand mostly on her own while he gets the tub going. She shivers, magic sputtering as it attempts to warm the chill that has settled in. She doesn't have magic to spare though. Toki manages to strip herself out of her turtleneck. The blood had stained her ribcage and the green flesh of her swollen belly through the shirt, and she shuddered, nearly losing her balance, as she moved to shakily remove her pants. "I d-d-don't b-blame him f-for being away." Getting the button undone from her slacks was proving to be hard. She was trembling hard, and her tears blotted out her vision.

He held her firmly with one arm, making sure she wouldn't fall, and getting her to bare bones with the other. Once she was bare, he started up the hot water and eased her into the tub. He let the hot water rain on her from the showerhead as he grabbed a body sponge and rubbed soap into it to create lather. Keeping it in hand, he reached up to start scrubbing her clean with the utmost gentleness.

Toki was complacent through most of it, and withstood some of the gentle cleaning as she remained shakily in the tub. But it wouldn't get the stains off fast enough- and she didn't feel clean even after the stains came off. She could feel it crusted to her bones even if it was no longer there. Her claws scrubbed roughly at the bones of her hands, trying to clean them more thoroughly while he moved the sponge elsewhere.

"Hey!" Without a second thought his hand lashed out and swatted the back of her hand away from scrubbing. "Hands down." He ordered firmly.

Toki's chin tucked, but her hands separated. She hadn't damaged herself with her claws- but that didn't mean that her bones didn't have tiny scratches. Her fingers curled tightly into her palms for a second, before limply dangling. "I'm s-sorry." She hiccupped softly.

He looked at her, before he sighed and kissed her head, stroking it ever so gently as he hushed her. "It's okay... it's okay..." he murmured, cradling her head with one hand as he scrubbed her clean, running the sponge over her ribs, and her stomach.

The twins were still in her middle, even under the warmth of the spray and the touch of his hands. Her middle was dim- very dim. The attacks the hornets had used had drained her of almost all of her magic- so the twins were being fed with what little she had, and what little she was trying to begin to regenerate.

Her skull tipped slightly into his touch, and she lifted her fingers to gently clean her face. She made sure to go gently- lest she get swatted for that too. The water dripped off of her in a rusty brown color, mingling with faint green from the wound that had been on her shoulder blade.

"I love you." He whispered softly. "I love you so much. I'm sorry." he murmured, rinsing the sponge before he took a moment to just hug her tightly. One hand slid down to her middle, caressing the swell lovingly, before rubbing soothingly over her hip. "I'm so, so sorry about Han.

"I love y-you too." He was getting soaked with her under the spray, but the bare skeleton couldn't find it in her to care. She hesitantly looped her now clean arm bones around him, and tucked her head into his shoulder. The engagement ring on her finger clicked lightly against the back of his neck as she looped one arm about his neck. "H… He's really g-gone… He… He didn't want to die, Pap. It's n-not fair… It's not fair at all."

"I know, I know..." He murmured, kissing her repeatedly to try and soothe her. "It's not fair, Toki..."

"It's not…" Her voice trailed off into a soft whimper, and she began to sob in earnest, crumpling into him as her legs shook and gave out under her. "My baby brother is g-gone! He didn't d-d-deserve to d-die like that." She couldn't help the wail that escaped her as she broke down in his arms, clinging to him like he was her lifeline.

"I know..." he repeated, stroking her head gently. It was a good thing he had his arms around her when she fell, as he was able to easily catch her. "Hey... hey... shhhhh…" he cooed gently, stroking her head as he held her close, "I know... It's not fair." He hummed gently.

She had watched Han grow from a child into an adult, had helped raise him and had watched him grow and change as the events of his life had helped to shape him into the music-loving goober that he was- but she had never, ever, thought she would have been there to watch him bleed to death.

Toki clung to Papyrus and simply sobbed. Her soul hurt- it ached for her brother, her sweet, sweet, music-loving brother. It ached with loss and grief, and there was nothing she could do to ease that pain. Her bones vibrated, a low toned buzz of sorrow flitting off of her.

She was limp in his grasp when her fit of sobs finally died off into shaky hiccups.

He didn't care how long it took, but he held Toki close, letting her get her tears and sobs out of herself. He'd run his hand over her head time and time again, aiming to console her all he could.

Eventually she was left simply sniffling, exhausted as she shifted to cling to him. Her eye lights were dim, magic sparsely detectable within her. With as little magic as she had, she began to shiver against him. "I'm a bit c-cold…" She murmurs softly. Even with the warm steam of the bathroom, she found herself feeling icy. It was almost a numbing balm to the pain in her soul- though she knew it wasn't healthy to think of it that way. She leaned back to scrub at her sockets, wiping away glowing tracks with her fingers.

"I know... We'll get you wrapped up, and into something warm."

She sniffles softly and nods. Toki eases her weight back onto her legs, and finds that she is still very unsteady. Her strength was sapped along with her magic. "I… Is all of the b-b-blood off?" She couldn't see everywhere. "If so, I w-want to get dressed, please."

"In a moment it will be." he murmured, giving her a once-over and removing any spots he had missed prior, before he nodded and picked her up.

She felt lighter in his arms, without her magic making her bones as dense and fortified. Toki's arms came around his neck, and she grimaced as her shoulder twanged. The bone was still sensitive, even without the bullet in it and after healing. "Thank you…" She murmurs softly, and leans a hand down so she can open the bathroom door for him.

He kissed her neck and let her open the door before he walked through and back into their room. "I love you." he murmured.

"I love you too," She murmured back. Her thumb idly played with the ring on her finger, swirling it slightly around the bones of her ring finger. "I love you so much…" She whispered again. "I… I'm going to need you a lot for a while." Toki said quietly. "For H-Han's funeral. A-and after." Her little brother had wanted to be cremated, she knew, and he wanted his ashes spread out in his favorite places. "It f-falls upon the clan head to prepare any funerals within the main family…"

"I know, I know. It's okay," he purred gently to her. "I'll stay with you as long as it takes."

"Thank you." She whispers gently. She shifts in his arms, another shiver rippling over her, and then grunts as one of the twin babybones nails her hard in one of her lower ribs. "I think I can stand if you'll s-set me down."

"We'll find out." he murmured, slowly setting her down.

Her feet touched down on the tile, damp bones making a muted sound. Her legs shook for a moment, but she took a breath and forcibly steadied them. She stayed standing on her own merit, and gave him a small smile. "I'm steady enough…" She murmurs. Once she's certain she's good, Toki steps from his side and slowly makes her way to the dresser. A turtleneck- green in color- is selected, and she eases it onto herself, before fishing for one of her pairs of sweat pants. "… Hey, Pap? Is… Everyone else okay? No one else… d-died, did they?"

He couldn't answer her. He just looked at her, sorrow in his eyes.

Toki swallowed as she got herself into her pants. She took a deep breath, steadied herself on the dresser, and then turned herself to face him once more. His silence answered a lot of things. She reached out and took his hands in hers, leaning against the dresser to keep herself balanced. The ring on her finger clicked slightly against his bones, and she rubbed his hands gently with her own, offering him reassurance and love in turn. "Who did we lose?" She asked quietly.

"We identified the dust piles of Mister and Mrs. Hopperton. We were unable to locate Thumper, however..." he started, "We lost few more guards... And..." the last one made him clench his fists.

When he fell silent, hands clamping tightly over hers almost to a painful degree, Toki felt her own hands clench gently in his. Her bones groaned with the strain of his grip, her magic not there to fortify her defenses naturally. "Oh no…" Thumper was orphaned then. Poor boy… He was missing too. That was just… terrible. Penelope had been an amazing mother, and an amazing woman to know. Toki swallowed roughly, and soothed her thumbs gently over his knuckles. "Who else, Pap?"

"Father…" He whispered softly.

"Not him," she whispered back in turn, horror stretching her face. "He's… gone? Or… Or missing like Thumper?"

"He's missing... We don't know what happened... We just... never found him."

"He… He might have been taken then. It's… The only thing I can think of. HAM has been taking HTM's… it… They might have taken him too. Both of them." She swallowed, and closed her sockets roughly. Her hands tightened over his, and her bones audibly groaned. "I'm so sorry, Pap…"

"..." He was silent for a time as he looked at her. Then, slowly, he released her hands to bring them up to cover his face. "Oh Toki..."

She wobbled forth and reached up to cup his skull gently in her fingers. She stroked his cheekbones, and guided him down to tuck his face into her shoulder. "We'll get them back," she whispered for him. "We'll get them back, Pap. I promise. We'll find them somehow…"

He nodded slowly and hugged her gently. Papyrus took a long moment to compose himself- because his father was possibly still alive, and he had hope that they could save him- and then simply pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder and sighed against her.

Toki held him close and nuzzled nearer to him. She sighed softly, and then gently nudged him with her chin. "C'mon. Lets go b-back down stairs. I… If I don't keep busy, I'll start crying again, and I don't have much more magic to spare for tears." She murmurs softly.

He nodded and slowly leaned back to let her go.

Toki kept her arm linked with his, and guided him back out of their room. She leaned heavily on him, her legs still a bit unsteady. "I… I think everyone could use something hot to drink," She murmurs, though she has no appetite for anything.

"Papyrus?" Asgore's voice rings out as he steps through the front door without knocking. The king is dusty and bloody, and his royal garb is mussed. "I need your help. One of the guards has a bad break- bones are your forte, are they not? Neither I nor Toriel can get it to set correctly."

They had made it down the stairs far enough for them to see the king. Papyrus gaped at him in horror. "A-Asgore...! Oh by the stars you're covered in dust... and blood..."

"Some of the monsters were covered in human blood." The king explains- though there was blood that glowed in the way that monster blood seemed to do. "And I had to dig out a lot of bullets. We still haven't gotten them all out- but that is beside the point. We need your help. One of the wolves broke his leg roundabouts the knee joint." The dust was from one of the guards he hadn't been able to save. She'd crumbled to dust as he was extracting a bullet, and he had gotten covered in it.

All of the wolf guards had the double knee joint, like Tenebris did, with their digitigrade legs. Those were hard to heal, she knew, unless you knew the structure intimately. Toki nudged Pap gently and leaned against the railing of the stairs. "Go," she said softly. "Help them, okay? I'll be here when you get back."

"Frisk can stay with you, if you'd like." The king offered gently, motioning a hand back behind him where the kid had followed him. "They have grown much and learned a lot from Tori. I'm sure they can help keep an eye on your mate, Papyrus."

"Thank you, Frisk. Toki, I'll be back in a little bit." Aliquam looked at Toki with a small nod, kissing her head gently before he followed Asgore out, giving Frisk a pat on the head as he passed by.

The child smiled lightly as they were patted before they approached Toki, offering a hand to shake.

Toki might not have been in the best mindset to baby sit, but she had the feeling she was going to end up being the one being watched. Still, she accepted the hand, gently grasping the child's hand with the rapidly cooling bones of her palm. "It's nice to finally meet you, Frisk." She says softly. "You've been very busy making headway across the lands for the monsters, haven't you?"

They smiled and gave a nod. Busy indeed.

Toki smiled back hesitantly, and drew her hand back to make it down the last couple of steps. She was weak kneed, but managed to stay upright well enough. "That's good… So, would you… like some tea?" Again, she wasn't up to food, but something warm… Though tea reminded her of Tenebris, and Tenebris reminded her of other things. Toki stubbornly blinked. She couldn't be crying anymore.

They did, but smiled gently and shook their head instead of saying so. They would rather Toki sit down to calm herself.

"Alright, that's a no on the tea then." She mumbles quietly. Toki heaves a deep sigh, scrubs a palm down her face, and then motions for Frisk to follow. She makes her way for the living room. "You're welcome to a blanket if you get cold, Frisk. Normally the house is quite warm, but I can't sustain the heat right now." She snags one of her quilts, and it's draped over her legs as she curls up on one end of the couch, propped against the arm.

They climbed up onto the couch, and smiled at her gently. They weren't too cold really, and Toriel had made sure they were dressed warm.

Toki tilted her head back against the couch with a soft sigh, and shifted slightly. Her fingers dropped to rub over her belly, the motion more to comfort herself than anything as she tried to keep her mind away from things. It didn't really work entirely all that well, even with the twins kicking her once more. Despite the dim color of her ecto flesh, they were still healthy, though not entirely happy with her. "If you want to, you can turn on the television. I'm afraid I'm not the best company right now. I'm sorry about that."

They continued smiling, gently shaking their head.

Frisk was a very quiet child, Toki noted. Toki tilted her head quietly, fingers massaging lightly over a foot that kept shoving outwards from within her. "Is there anything you want to do, Frisk? It is… easier to keep my mind occupied than to… to linger on what's happened. You are, uh, aware of… what happened tonight, right?" She wasn't sure if they knew what all had transpired or not.

Their smile faded and they nodded slowly. Frisk then proceeded to shake their head. They then tucked their legs under themselves, folded their hands in their lap, and took a slow, deep breath in and let it slowly out.

Frisk did this a few times, and then looked to her, silently encouraging her to do the same.

Breathing exercises were a lot like what Grillby had her do when she had panicked over finding out she was a mother by accident. Though now, it wasn't panic that had her stressed. It was grief, pure and simple. But Toki suspected Frisk wouldn't let up until she at least tried it.

So, valiantly, the skeleton took up a similar pose, though not nearly the same, and then settled her hands on the blanket over her lap, and took a deep breath in. She matched the child's breaths easily, keeping an eye light on them to keep track of their actions.

It did, ultimately, help a little bit. The repetitious behavior gave her something to focus on, though her soul still felt woefully heavy in her chest. Still, some of the tension visibly bled from her face, replaced only by visible tiredness and general melancholy.

They smiled in satisfaction and came a little closer, before gesturing lightly to her stomach.

The gesture caught her eye, and she tilted her skull. "Hm?" She took a moment to consider what the child must have silently been asking, before nodding slowly and lifting an arm to welcome them closer to her side. "They're active right now if you want to feel them move, Frisk. I don't mind." Frisk was just a kid, after all. The whole process must have been fascinating to them. After all, how often was it that one got to see a pregnant skeleton?

They smiled and nodded in thanks, before moving closer and slowly reaching to touch her stomach.

Her middle was the warmest spot on her at this point, the magic thick and heated under Frisk's touch. The surface of her middle was calm for a time, before one of the twins pressed a leg out against their fingers in a slow stretch.

Toki relaxed as best she could, teeth tilting upwards in a tired but tender smile.

Frisk smiled and rested their cheek against her belly for a moment, looking up at Toki and letting their smile grow once they caught her eye. They were hoping it'd be infectious.

Infectious it was. Frisk grinning up at her from where they had their face pressed to her belly was absolutely adorable, and reminded her of when she must have done the very same thing to her mother. Toki smiled back, a soft laugh escaping from her chest as the twins tapped Frisk's cheek. "It's a pretty cool feeling, isn't it? I wouldn't give it up for the world."

They looked at her after she said that, and their smile faded... this time, it didn't come back.

They knew what she said... but at the same time, they wanted to offer her something. Something that would get her brother back for her.

They would RESET.

Toki saw their smile fade, and slid a hand down to gently rub her finger bones through the short brown locks of hair that fell messily from Frisk's scalp. She rubbed gently, and her own smile faded even as the twins wiggled and squirmed against Frisk's touch. "What's wrong, Frisk?" She asked softly.

They looked down, and then looked up again, smiling again weakly. "I... can reset." They offered in a near-whisper of a voice.

Toki almost couldn't hear them, even with how quiet the house was. She blinked slowly, digesting Frisk's words. "You could… reset? But… why would you break your promise to Sans- oh."

Frisk had reset whenever Toki had died. Frisk was offering her a reset.

A reset to bring back Han.

Toki swallowed roughly, and glanced away for a moment. Part of her soul leapt at the chance to see her brother- to be able to right the mistakes that had been made through out the course of the monster's time on the surface. But…

Frisk had promised no more resets. And… it was a horrible, horrible selfish thought for Toki to want to reset just to bring her brother back. There was no telling if something wouldn't happen later and he would die then, or if someone else would take his place. There was simply no way of knowing- and Toki knew Han.

Han would be so, so upset with her for giving up everything just to bring him back.

Tears beaded at her sockets again, and drizzled just faintly down her cheeks as she silently sighed. "I… I want to say yes. I want to say yes so badly just to be able to see and hug my baby brother again… But I have to say no. Please. Don't reset. If you had a way to jump back a day or two, then maybe, but… No. You and I- we can't do that to Sans. We can't do that to ourselves. We've all come so far…" She swallowed thickly, tears dripping down onto her sweater. "Han… H-Han wouldn't want me to do that to everyone…"

They looked at her, and lowered their head for a moment, before they had an idea and took a second to focus and they lifted a hand.

A diamond shaped star appeared in their palm.

A SAVE point.

"I can SAVE." they mentioned quietly.

"I… see." The SAVE star glimmered and glowed just faintly. Toki swallowed, and looked down to Frisk. "I don't see how a SAVE can help though. If it's like a game, wouldn't it just… save our position right now?"

They nodded slowly, and lowered the star again.

Toki swallowed quietly. There might be hope, however. "If you can save, you can… Load a save, right? Do you know when your last save was?"

Opening their mouth, Frisk thought about it, before looking at her again... It... has been a while, they muse, closing their mouth again.

Toki took their silence for what it was. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She whispered softly, hope rapidly being smothered out.

It was a moment, and then they nodded.

Toki's sockets closed with a soft click of her bone-lids, and she sighed softly through her nasal canal. "I… I see… Then no. There… There is nothing to be done. People die all the time. It… it hurts, knowing I will never see him again." But she wasn't cruel enough to do that to Sans. To demand a reset just so her brother could live again. She… She wasn't that type of person.

"But maybe… we can prevent something like this from happening again." She murmurs softly.

And they look back up at her. What did she have in mind?

Toki swallowed again, and glanced back down to Frisk as she scrubbed her cheeks clear. So much for not crying and depleting more magic from her systems- she had failed hard core at that. "You can save. Maybe not every day, because I understand how tedious that would be, but maybe every couple of days instead. That way if something bad happens, you can load back and warn everyone about it and we can go at things differently."

They blinked, then smiled and nodded, that worked. They then lifted the star again and reached out to it. Did she want them to save now, for example?

Understanding some of Frisk's actions wasn't all that hard, truly. Toki nodded slowly, and slumped slightly back into the couch. Tired eye lights watched the star for a moment, before she nodded. "Yeah. Go ahead and save, Frisk. Try and make a habit of it, okay?"

Frisk nodded and the star was touched. It glimmered brightly for a moment, and then disappeared.

Toki sighed softly. "Then that's that…" She whispers softly. She gently ruffled the kid's hair. "Thank you for offering that, Frisk. But… don't offer a reset again, okay? Promise me that. This is the final one. Small loads are okay, but nothing big. Playing with time is probably not something you want to do too much with." The greater powers that be probably didn't much like it either.

They nodded and smiled under her hair ruffling.

The gravid skeleton heaved a soft sigh, and felt her sockets drift closed for a short moment. She was so tired… and that little flash of hope had hurt really, really bad when it had been squashed flat. But… There was nothing to be done. She had to roll with it, and recover as best as she could. Slowly her fingers detangled from Frisk's hair, and she brought her hands up to scrub her face with her hands.

Her ring clicked noisily on her face, glinting a shiny gold color in the dim lighting.

"It's late," she finally murmurs. "And I think I need some t-tea to help myself relax. Do you want to help me in the kitchen? I have some honey tarts I can make for a snack for us." She needed to eat something to kick-start the regeneration of her magic.

Having helped Toriel in the past, Frisk smiled and gave a nod. They stood first, stretching a short moment before offering her a hand to get onto her feet.

Toki disengaged from her blanket for a moment, and then graciously used Frisk's help to get onto her feet. She wobbled where she stood, nearly dropping if not for the stubborn streak she had, and then reclaimed her blanket. It was draped over her shoulders, creating a shawl of sorts for her to huddle in. "Thank you, Frisk. C'mon."

Toki heads for the kitchen, using the wall as a brace to keep upright. She was truly, truly too drained of magic to be up and doing things, but sitting around tearfully wasn't going to be good for her either.

The child stayed close on her heels, looking around the kitchen with an unheard hum.

It looked like someone had been in here earlier attempting to make something- but they had left a mess on her counter, and a broken pile of glass in another cup. Toki sighed. She would dispose of that later. She padded for her kettle, collecting it and filling it from the tap.

Once it was set on the stove to heat, Toki wobbled back over to where she kept her honey and her tarts. "Did you ever get to try any of the honey I sent up to the Castle last summer?" She inquired quietly as she began to prepare tarts for Frisk to nibble on. The poor kid was probably hungry given how late it was. It wasn't a proper meal, but it would do well enough to perhaps lull them towards sleep.

"Cae was supposed to make sure that everyone got some." She murmurs softly. "Speaking of, do you happen to know where he went? Pap said he disappeared."

They nodded happily in reply, but at the question, Frisk shook their head.

"Hm…" She closed her sockets, and sighed quietly. "I have an inkling as to where he's gone." She murmured softly. "But I don't have the strength in me to go find him." She sighs.

Toki shifts and continues fixing up honey tarts. "Frisk? Can you get my cell phone from the living room please?"

They nodded and went back to the living room, coming back with the phone in hand shortly.

Toki took the phone once she finished the small plate of tarts, and then carefully dialed San's phone number. She cradled it to her ear, and brought the plate of tarts over to the small side table and chairs for Frisk to get comfortable on. "Go ahead and eat while I wait for him to answer." She murmurs softly to Frisk.

They nodded gently and began to nibble on one of the tarts.

The phone rings in her ear, and she waits patiently.

It didn't take very long for Sans to answer.

"H'llo?" It was Cae, but he sounded horrible.

"Sans," she murmured tiredly. Hell, he sounded worse than she did. But she was putting up a decent farce and keeping herself distracted. "Where are you?"

"... H-Hey Tokes..." he murmured, "I... I'm at home..."

"Why don't you come here? I'm in the kitchen." She murmurs softly into the receiver of the phone. "It's just me and Frisk… We… would really like it if you were here too. Being… Being alone isn't a good thing right now."

"... F-Frisk is there?"

"Yeah… I'm as weak as a newborn lamb right now. Standing is hard… But Asgore needed Papyrus to help set someone's leg, so they left Frisk to keep an eye on me so I didn't fall and hurt myself or something while I was alone." She murmurs tiredly. "It… Would be nice to have everyone close tonight." Her voice is thick, and she fights another wave of tears. Blast it all, she can't cry. Not now, not in front of a kid. She takes a deep steadying breath, and totters over to the stove.

"... I'll be right over" and he hung up.

The sudden click of the line going dead was a start, and she glanced at her phone in time to see that it said he'd disconnected from his end.

Toki heaves a soft sigh, and leans quietly against the counter. She is cold, and her shivers are increasing, bones rattling noisily in the cool summer night. "Looks like he's coming over," She says to Frisk.

The kettle on the stove finally begins to shriek, and the loud noise nearly startles Toki into falling.

They nodded and watched the door, but were surprised when he came downstairs instead.

"Hey kid... I was hopin' t' talk to you."

Toki was less surprised. He tended to teleport wherever, and walk the rest of the way. "Do you want me to give you a minute or two in the kitchen alone?" She got three cups of tea poured, and left the rest of the pot of water to stay warm on the stove. The tea needed to steep anyways.

"I wont make you move out for our sake, we'll go talk in the living room."

Toki rolls her eyes. "That's where I was going to go and take my tea." She explains quietly. "I'm pretty dea- I'm pretty tired." Her choice of words was almost poor, and her visible flinch mid sentence showed it. "I was going to go try and warm up under a blanket."

Sans winced. Oh yeah, he caught the gist of what she'd almost said, and he understood her flinch quite well. "Oh... Then don't let us stop you... we'll stay here."

"Mkay. Come join me when you're done, if you want." She collects her mug carefully, and makes her way out of the kitchen. Toki doesn't bother with the tarts. She has no taste for anything solid, even if she knows she needs it. She cradles the warm mug to her chest, and heads for the couch to get settled.

"Thanks..." he then leaned against the counter, looking at Frisk. "Hey, kid... Long time no see, huh?"

Frisk swallowed their mouthful of honey tart, and signed with one hand. 'It's good to see you again, Dunkle Sans.' They offered him a soft smile. 'I wish it was under better circumstances though.'

He smiled. "Glad you remembered I can read your hands." he chuckled quietly, before he laughed. "Dunkle, you still calling me that? Not that there's anything wrong with it."

'Forever my favorite Dunkle.' Frisk nodded slightly. They licked a drop of honey off of their fingers, a happy smile tugging at their lips. Even with such sad times, such a sweet treat was hard not to be happy with. 'Of course I remember you can read hands. Not everyone can though. It makes it hard to communicate sometimes. I had to speak to Miss Toki earlier.' It was no secret that Frisk was selectively mute- and chose not to speak for various reasons. They could do it when they needed to- but it was easier simply not to speak.

"Yeah... I'm sure Pap can teach her a little sign language." he chuckled before he shook his head, "Look, I wanted to ask you something..."

'From what I've heard from Dad, she's been super busy. I bet she hasn't had time to learn. I barely managed to keep up with all of Mom's paperwork. I dunno how she managed all of yours. But now that you're free, she probably will have lots more time.' Once she got past her grief, that is. Frisk tilted their head and finished the tart, nodding for him to continue. 'Ask away, Sans.'

"So... you know she just lost her brother..."

'I know.' Frisk nods softly. 'It is very sad. I never got to meet Han, but Todd talked about him all the time when I saw him at the castle. He seemed really nice.'

"Yeah... look... I know... we talked about this before... but..."

'The resets?' Frisk prompted gently.

"... Yeah..."

'You don't have to worry. I'm not going to reset. I promised, didn't I?' They offer him a gentle smile, and clamor out of their chair to go get their mug of tea. It smelled really good, and they ended up burning their lips slightly as they took the first sip.

He chuckled quietly. "Careful, we skeletons don't really have many nerves to burn."

Frisk stuck their tongue out at him and made a rude noise, before setting their mug down to cool. 'I'll be okay, Dunkle Sans. Anyways, you don't have to worry about the resets anymore.'

"I know I shouldn't be... But... You know how many times I lost my brother... I can't imagine letting her endure this... there's gotta be something we can do..."

Frisk shook their head sharply. 'No.' They said firmly. 'There isn't.'

His fists clenched lightly, irritation flitting across his face. So the one time that he would be okay with one, they wouldn't do it? "How long do you and Asgore plan on sticking around?" he asked.

Frisk noted the tightening of his fists, and swallowed slightly. For as many times as Papyrus had died, Frisk had taken a beating for it. They loved Sans- but some small part of them knew what he was capable of, and feared that. 'Don't get upset with me, Sans. It wasn't my choice not to reset.' They left it vague and at that. 'Mom's going to take me home with her once everyone is healed.' They say softly. 'Dad… Dad was going to stay and help start looking for your dad and the missing child.'

"I'm not mad at you, kid... trust me..." He smiled at them just slightly. "Just some personal stuff running through my mind... I'm glad you came anyhow... You're a good face to see in a time like this."

He then hesitated, "Wait... What did you say? Not your choice?"

'I'm glad you think so.' They nod slightly. A yawn tugs at their lips, and they sip at their tea again. It was very relaxing to drink and smell. 'Don't be afraid to share what burdens you, Dunkle Sans. Sharing is caring, except for in STD's.' They say sagely. 'I did say not my choice. I was told no.' And there was only one person they had been around during the past while- so it was easy to connect the dots.

"Oh my god kid, you're too young to know that crap." he face palmed for a moment, and then he looked at them again. "Did... Tokes tell you not to reset?"

'You do realize that I practically live on the Internet when I'm at home alone, right?' They had also been through a lot. Years and years had passed Underground via the resets- Frisk was a lot older in their head than they were in their body. 'I offered. She told me she really wanted to say yes, but ultimately no.' Frisk responded softly.

"... Well jeez..." he rubbed his face, then sighed and smiled at them, "I guess you can see now just how wonderful she is... she's almost as wonderful as you are." he chuckled softly.

Frisk flushed and grinned at him. 'She's nicer than I am, Dunkle Sans. She's really, really selfless. She told me it wasn't fair to you or everyone else if it all got reset. But… she does need someone. She's really, really hurting inside, even if she's trying to keep it from overwhelming her. You understand the pain. Maybe you can help her with it.'

"Yeah... I kinda hope I can make myself look like less of a mess before I do though..." He sighed. "I don't want to join the pity party and have her worry about me."

'I think you're a little late on the draw with that one. She's plenty worried about a lot of things.' Frisk finishes their cup of tea, and a yawn tugs from them. 'Looking like a mess probably won't matter. What she needs is someone with her- and someone who doesn't look like a kid. She's tried not to cry around me.' Frisk was observant. 'She's had to try quite a lot, actually. I was thinking I'd go flop in one of the spare rooms and sleep until Mom came for me.'

"Haha... Well alright, you go ahead and rest, I'll clean up a bit and go and talk to her."

'Mkay. I will. Also, drink your tea. It'll help you relax too.' Frisk smiles faintly, and goes to put their mug and the half-empty plate of tarts up on the counter. 'You could use something to help you relax.' With that said, Frisk gave him a jolly wave, and bounced off to go up to the second floor. The spare rooms were easily marked- and they found one that was completely bare to flop in for the night.

"Heh... yeah... see you kid." he took a long drink of his tea and sighed, before going to splash his face with cold water from the sink.


Toki was on the couch, her mug held quietly in her hands. She kept her attention elsewhere as she slowly sipped at the hot drink, letting it warm her bones as she visibly shivered and shook under her chills.

She was miserably cold, and feeling alone- but there was nothing to be done but wait and try not to think about Han or Tenebris or Thumper- or all of the lives that were lost. Toki wasn't doing the best of jobs admittedly, and her eye lights glowed a lackluster green to show it.

After a moment, Cae had come out of the kitchen, a little more energy in his eye sockets than there was when he had went in. "Hey, Tokes..." he greeted gently.

She heard him on the tile long before she saw him. Toki tilted her skull, dull eye lights flicking tiredly over to him. "Hey Cae." She greeted softly in response. She slid a hand away from her mostly empty mug and patted the seat next to her as she finished the last of her tea. Her mug is disposed of on the coffee table soon after she finishes it. "Join me?" She murmurs softly. "Ah- did Frisk go up to one of the spare rooms?" She'd heard the child's feet padding over the tile, and the soft squeak of the stairs as they bound upwards. But they hadn't come back down.

Toki just hoped they hadn't chosen Han's room. The skeleton wasn't sure how she was going to manage it, but… She definitely needed to clean it out. But… Not today. That was for another day. Another couple of days, even. There were things that Toki had to get done first, including getting Han cremated- and calling her family.

She would do that in the morning.

"Sure, and yeah, they wanted a nap." he replied, sitting by her with a small smile.

"I can imagine so. It's nearly… three in the morning? It's past everyone's usual bedtimes." She murmurs softly. She shifts as he settles by her, and then proceeds to squish into his side with a shiver and a soft sigh. Her bones are cold against his own, even through his clothes. "… Are you okay?" Toki asks softly, gently taking his hand in hers and playing with his visible fingertips.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he wrapped his arms around her gently, smiling softly at her.

Toki leaned into him further with a shiver and tucked her blanket better around herself. "Are you sure?" She inquires gently. "I… Know about your dad and Thumper. You have every r-right to be upset."

"I... Try not to let it bother me..." he admitted, nuzzling her.

"You remember what I said all those months back when you took me to Snowdin? Crying is okay. Being… Being upset is okay. Today is… today is a sad, sad day." She whispers softly. Toki leans into him, and quietly loops her arms around his plush middle as she curls fully against him. Her belly presses against his side. "We'll get Tenebris back, Cae. We'll find him somehow…" Thumper too. No child deserved whatever was likely happening to him.

He nuzzled her gently and sighed. "I... I know... I just... He's my dad, you know...?"

"I know." She nuzzles him back and sighs shakily. "We think our parents are invincible," she muses quietly, "when they're simply as mortal as we are. Pap and I are here for you, Cae. You're not alone, you know. You're basically my b-brother in all but law- and that will be soon enough anyways. J… Just like with H-Han, you have a place here, if you want to stay here un-until we find your dad." She wasn't sure if he would, or if he would to stay with Grillby. Grillby was an entirely plausible chance.

Toki glanced up at him. "Is Grillby okay? I know he was t-there. I… I recall the glow of his fires just faintly. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine." he replied, before he wrapped an arm around her more firmly and tucked her squarely into his grasp. "You're really something, Tokes."

"How so?" She blinks up at him tiredly.

"You're a sister to me, you're a best friend, and sometimes you act like a mother..." he purred.

The last part made her laugh quietly. "I helped raise my brothers, Sans. Raising eight boys alongside Mom gave me a bit of the mom-mode, y'know? Plus these two." She drops a hand from his side down to her middle, where his nieces or nephews were kicking away grumpily. Toki's eyes glimmered warmly, though the underlying sadness was there. She'd helped raise Han.

He nuzzled her gently and hugged her belly carefully. "Yeah, yeah..."

The twins twitched under his touch, and Toki sighed softly. "They're upset." She murmurs idly to their uncle, rubbing a tender spot.

"I know..." he murmured, sighing. "I wish I could help as well as Pap does."

"They haven't gotten to know you as well as they have him, or Tenebris." Their grandfather always took time to greet them or give them affection- it was adorable, really. Cae wasn't around as often- he spent a lot of time with Grillby, which was understandable. Toki takes his hand, and gently presses his fingers over where an angrily jabbing foot was. She slowly had his fingers rub, and the kicking turned less aggressive. She smiles at him tiredly. "They'll definitely love their uncle Cae if given the chance to get to know you."

"Yeah..." he smiled and sighed quietly. "Pap won't get jealous will he? Me paying this much attention to you?"

"I highly doubt it." She nestles closer. "He's my mate. You're his brother- and my brother. I am a naturally affectionate person. Pregnancy makes me even more snuggly. He'd probably be happy that I'm not alone right now." She mutters quietly. A grunt escapes her, and she leans up to press her fingers near the tops of her ribs. "As much as the kicks can sting sometimes, I'm glad of it right now. I… don't really know what I did. I summoned… things. And they drained my magic. I am very empty- and they are not happy that they don't have the extra to snack on. Greedy little jellybeans." Her words are affectionate regardless.

"Those things... Heh.. Those were hornet familiars." he told her, "We called 'em 'Hell Hornets'." His fingers hesitated for half a second, before curling over her belly and rubbing gently. "Will it hurt if I share some of my magic?"

"It won't hurt." She shakes her head slightly. "Tenebris had to do it once when Pap was running himself ragged." Under his hand, the twins kick grumpily, and she sighs at the beating to her fragile ribs. Without her magic to reinforce them, the kicks were bordering painful when they didn't relent. "Hornet familiars? Well… I guess I can understand that, considering I summon fire bees. So I have two types of familiars?"

"Well they're both insects, so you may be able to summon familiars within a family instead of a species." He suggested. "We Gaster's kinda do the same thing... I tend to stick stick to a canine family, Pap summons cats, and I think Pops summons drake heads." He explained.

After a moment he eased his hand higher on her middle and gently rested it over the top of Toki's swell. A soft pulse of magic later and he's feeding the twins with his spare magic.

"And I summon giant hell hornets." She murmurs softly. She shifts, and the twins ease some of their fussing as his magic floods into her. Like the aftertaste in the food he makes, his magic is cool and refreshingly minty feeling. Though the chill of his magic doesn't do anything to help her shivers. In fact, they increase, making her rattle against him like a leaf in the wind. "The twins thank you." Toki murmurs softly, her sockets fluttering closed. His spare magic gives the twins a little bit to fall back on, and her middle brightens visibly under her shirt, highlighting the spaces between his fingers like small candle. Her turtleneck, she realizes, is one of the thinner ones, designed for summer ware. No wonder she was so cold.

He nodded gently and carefully slipped off his hoodie, bringing it around to cover her up more. "There." he murmured, "You're shivering."

"I'm cold." she admits softly, and casually burrows into his jacket. "Mild Magi-drain, I think. It feels a lot like last time. And, ah, your magic is cold feeling. Sort of like spearmint?" Where Papyrus was sunshine on a summer day, Sans was more like cool mint on a winter morning. Refreshing and nice- but very bone chilling. The twins at least seemed happy, and as the worst of their tantrum ended, Toki found her sockets drooping tiredly. She had all intentions of staying awake until Papyrus returned, however.

"I'd've thought Dad's magic was more minty, hehehe..." he chuckled quietly, tucking her back against his side with a gentle motion. "Get some rest, okay? I don't want Pap thinking I kept you awake."

"Your dad's is intense." She murmurs softly. Her head is settled against his side, careful not to jab him with her horns. "Deep and dark, like an ocean. Yours is brighter, more minty and… I dunno. Just you." Toki shakes her head slightly and closes her sockets. "I'm tired, but… Going to sleep… I am scared." She admits quietly. "Because I know what I'm going to see when I sleep. I don't… I don't want to have to relive him dying again, Sans."

He chuckled gently, before he reached up and touched her head to release more of his 'cool' magic directly into her skull. "I know... I know... But Pap would tell you to do the same. He hates that you'd have to relive it, but he doesn't want you passing out and being forced to suffer while he's not there to support you. The least I can do is be there when he can't."

The touch of his magic over her bones makes her shiver, and she flicks her eye lights up to him with a huff as she does a magnificent attempt at becoming a turtle between the blanket and his jacket. The twins had enjoyed the cool magic- that did not mean that the mommy enjoyed the cold. "If I can get tired enough, I'll sleep a dreamless sleep though. Or most likely, anyways." She mutters. "I… know he would want me resting. But… I don't know if I can. Even with you here- it… it scares me to sleep." Her voice trails off into a quiet whisper.

He stroked her head gently and nuzzled her. "I'll stay with you, okay, doll?" he murmured. "I'll keep my magic going, make sure your mind has something else to focus on. Liiike, see if you can pick up a minty smell to go with the sensation you speak of." he cackled softly.

Toki snorted slightly, and chuffed at him. "I suppose that's fine. I can… try to sleep, I guess. If I can't, then I can't." She rolls her eye lights and shifts. "Mind if I change positions first? If I sleep sitting like this, I'll wake up unable to feel my legs." She needed to settle on her side. She could probably pillow her skull in his lap, which would work just fine. He was padded enough, after all. "Ah… Will you wake me when Pap gets home?"

"Sure thing." he nodded gently to both requests, "No problem at all, Tokes." he purred.

Toki smiled softly and nodded. She shifted, easing herself down onto the couch. Her sore shoulder was pressed into the seat, which didn't hurt all that bad, and she eased her head into his lap. His coat was kept, and she draped it around herself as she nestled under her quilt. Toki's teeth chattered slightly, sending out harmless sparks, before she forced her jaw still, and curled up. "Alright. Thanks, Cae." She murmurs softly.

Her sockets drift closed, but she stubbornly clings to consciousness.

Caeruelus smiled gently and held her close as she dozed off, stroking her head lightly.


Aliquam had finally been able to come home, and was happy to see Tokiko asleep on the couch... what made it better was that Sans was asleep too, his hand on the other's forehead. Coming over, he knelt for only long enough to press a smooth kiss to both his fiancé and his brother on the head, before he went off to shower so that he may join in on the cuddle pile.