For even if I'm far away

I hold you in my heart…

Remember Me – Gael Garcia Bernal, Coco

-o-

Chapter 22: Falling

This human woman was so strange.

He had watched as she deliberately allowed the bone attacks from his brother to hit her. She never dodged, never cast a barrier spell, there was no defense on her part. She simply smiled that sweet, bright smile of hers all the while Papyrus tried his utmost to get her to do something in return.

She had simply refused.

She had allowed Papyrus to win and all the while Sans could only watch in confusion. Confusion and gratefulness.

It was clear that she liked his brother a good deal and didn't want to hurt him in any way.

When the last attack had done a number on her, various bones whacking against her and bringing her to her knees, she continued to smile at Papyrus. It was a sweet smile, one filled with open affection and friendliness. "Good fight," was all she said, even as her body trembled from the near depletion of her health reserves. Even as she fell over in a dead faint to the trampled snow beneath her…

"OH MY GOD! HUMAN! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!" Papyrus had cried out in shock and concern, his bone attacks disappearing from sight as he ran over to the slumped form of the human woman. "DON'T WORRY! YOU MAY BE MY PRISONER BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!"

His brother had picked up the unconscious woman and had brought her to the garage of their home, where a makeshift prison had been built by him which he called the "Capture Zone." The spaces between the bars of the prison were too wide to hold even a human of average size. There was a small dog bed in one corner, a squeaky toy in the shape of a bone in the other, and a dog bowl with dry kibble in it on the opposite side beneath the two cracked windows.

Sans had followed his brother, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his blue hoodie. He wasn't planning on interfering with Papyrus' plans to capture the human. In all honesty, he had been curious to see what the human would do. She completely subverted every expectation he had had. Not only did she refuse to fight any of the monsters that challenged her, she did so with a joy and laughter that Sans had not seen on anyone else but his brother. She seemed to be enjoying herself and, while she blocked and dodged attacks, she spoke with the monsters as if they were old friends. She would crack bad jokes that would have some of them laugh and some of them groan in frustration. For those others would not be deterred, she would manage to run away from the fight with a fond wave in goodbye.

When it came to his brother though, for some reason she had shown particular fondness for his brother. She tackled each of his puzzles without complaint, even stopping and asking for him for hints when it was clear the puzzles were not as challenging as Papyrus would have wanted her to believe. She would even stop and talk with him – Sans – when she spotted him along the way. She would manage to crack a joke that would catch him off guard and cause him to laugh without meaning to. He had been adamant in not falling for her tricks, attempting to remain aloof and making sure she did nothing to hurt his brother. She never did and instead had wound her way through his defenses.

He was beginning to like her.

So, when Papyrus had attempted to lay her down on the too small doggy bed, Sans had taken the initiative to quickly grab a spare, thick, comforter from his bedroom. He returned to find Papyrus leaving the garage.

"BROTHER!" said Papyrus as the tall skeleton came to a stop in front of his older brother. "HOW THOUGHTFUL OF YOU TO BRING THE HUMAN A BLANKET! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GRAB ONE. SILLY ME, FORGETTING THAT A BED NEEDS A BLANKET, EVEN A PRISONER ONE. THE HUMAN IS ALSEEP. I WAS THINKING SHE IS A LITTLE BIGGER THAN I EXPECTED A HUMAN TO BE. SHE MAY NEED MORE TO EAT. I AM GOING TO MAKE HER A DELICIOUS MEAL! MAKE SURE THE BLANKET IS BIG ENOUGH! SHE WAS A WORTHY FIGHTER, EVEN IF SHE DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"All right bro," said Sans, his ever-present grin growing warm as he watched his brother walk off to their house. Once Papyrus had disappeared inside, the warmth in his smile had dimmed and he turned to enter the garage. The garage was slightly chilly and the lights had been dimmed to give the human some semblance of comfort as she rested. As Sans made his way to the bars of the prison, he could see that she was resting on the floor and her head was nestled in the small doggy bed. Some of the dark curls had sprung free from the bun she always kept it in and her picnic basket lay not too far from her. Studying her in the dim light, he could see that the carefree expression that had often been on her face was no where to be found in her sleep. A troubled frown twitched between her brows and it was apparent that nightmares plagued her. He wondered what it was she dreamed of…

As he shifted in between the bars, he moved carefully around her and unfurled the comforter. He threw it around the the human's form, made sure it covered her fully, before he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He studied the human for a few moments, looking as if he were trying to find the answers to his questions within her trembling form. He didn't find out anything of course but it didn't stop the disappointment from welling up as he turned to leave.

-o-

When he returned some hours later, during the twilight hours based on the time, it was to find the human wide awake. She was sitting up against the wall, the thick comforter wrapped around her shoulders as she stared out one of the cracked windows to the sight of the trees. As he stood at the bars studying her, he wondered why it was she hadn't tried to escape. The bars wouldn't hold her back, that much was obvious, yet she remained…

As he shifted around to step in between the bars, the movement had caught her attention and she looked his way. At the sight of him, a welcome smile touched her face, albeit not as bright as it usually was but it was no less warm. "Hey handsome," she said in greeting.

He felt the warmth of magic in his cheekbones at the term of endearment and the pleased feeling that bubbled up in his chest was foreign to him. He didn't say anything in response as he stood by the bars, watching her.

She didn't seem bothered by his lack of response and simply turned her attention back to the window. She wrapped the comforter tighter around her shoulders as she buried her nose within its warmth. She hummed in apparent pleasure as she closed her eyes. "This blanket smells like you… I like it," she murmured into the blanket. He almost didn't catch what she had said but the moment the words registered he felt the warmth in his chest again.

He wasn't sure if she had meant for him to hear that and decided it would be best to ignore it. Instead, he focused his gaze out the window, watching the trees and the darkness beyond it. After a heartbeat, he decided to address the few questions that had been plaguing him. "Why haven't you escaped? My bro made these bars too wide… Not like it could stop you."

A soft laughed escaped her as she glanced at him. "And leave without saying goodbye to him? Oh Sans, I couldn't. It would break his sweet heart…" She looked out the window again as she cuddled herself deeper into the comforter. "Besides, this place isn't so bad. I have a bed, food and walls to keep the snow out… and I really like this blanket… Be a shame to give it up just yet."

Sans glanced at her to catch the amusement sparkling in her eyes and he allowed a reluctant chuckle to escape him. He turned around to face her, the humor dying down as he took a step closer to her. "Why didn't you fight back?"

The amusement faded from her gaze and she looked down at the folds of the comforter. She didn't respond right away, seeming to mull over the question, before she looked at him. "I was curious," she finally said as she focused her gaze back out the window.

"Curious?"

She let out a small hum as she nodded but didn't elaborate.

He studied her as the confusion welled up within him. Finally, after a beat of uncomfortable silence, he shook his head and took another step closer. "Curious for what? What could possibly make you so curious that you would let yourself be nearly killed?"

Silence met these questions and, when it looked like she wouldn't answer, he let out a frustrated breath and turned away from her. He was about to leave when she finally spoke up.

"Papyrus is not like the others," she said. "No matter how far he takes it, he never goes all the way. He never takes the advantage to finish the fight off. Unlike the others, he cares. Even if you're a stranger that could hurt him in turn. I was curious to see if he was given the advantage, would he take it?"

He had glanced back at her this time, confusion and wonder touching him.

"He didn't," she said as she settled herself more comfortably on the floor. "He didn't take the killing blow. The others would… He never does." She sighed as she closed her eyes. "It makes me happy to know that… No matter how many times this happens, I know I can count on him to always care."

Sans frowned at this, his ever present grin trembling as the implications of her words began to hit him.

No matter how many times…

He tried to be nonchalant about it, tried not to let the sudden rise of hope of finding another like him to override his common sense. Someone else who knew what was going on and knew about the resets.

"And uh… how many times would you say it happened?"

She didn't seem surprised by the question as he watched her, waiting for her to answer. She tilted her head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. She studied it, thinking over his question, before she tilted her head his way to look at him. "This makes… the 54th? 55th? I could be losing count by this time…" She let out a soft laugh, one devoid of any humor, as she dropped her head back against the wall. "I'm trying to keep track but it's hard when you're the only one who remembers being friends…" Her face seemed to crumple and the sadness, the true depth of hopelessness that truly plagued her, was seen on her face at that moment. "No matter how close I get to the Capital it always resets and I find myself back at the beginning. It's like something is watching me, toying with me… Tempting me with freedom only to take it away. At this rate, I'm never going to find my son… We're never getting out of this nightmare…" She dropped her head into the folds of the comforter and began to cry.

Hearing this confession, seeing the utter despair that matched his own, he understood. He understood now and better than anyone could think. He didn't hesitate as he moved over to her and settled himself down on the floor beside her. He listened to her sobs before he reached out a hesitant arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. He awkwardly pulled her close against him and was surprised at how easily she tucked herself against his short form. It made him wonder how often they had been this close… How many times had she cried on his shoulder? How many times did he find his soul growing warm at the nearness of her?

He cursed the anomaly and everything to do with it.

He couldn't remember her.

He couldn't remember this.

The rightness of it, the sweetness of her…

Yet, being this close, understanding her better now and realizing the truth, it wasn't hard at all to fall so easily.

It may have felt like the first time but in his soul he knew, it was happening again…

This time much more easily than before…

-o-

"Ok, we need to broaden your horizons," she said as she pulled her smart phone from her picnic basket and unlocked the screen. "Now Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is all great, love it to bits. But…" She looked expectantly at the two female monsters beside her, her eyes growing wide as she paused for dramatic effect. "Have you ever heard… of The Starkeepers?"

"The what?" Undone asked, her single eye narrowing as she looked at the human woman in suspicion.

"OH," was all Alphys could get out in reply as she started to vibrate in her chair, her hands beginning to flay about in her excitement. "Is this a new human anime, Amienne?"

The human could only smile at the two as she pulled up an app on her phone that stored her favorite movies, shows and songs on her smartphone. She worked her way through the list of TV shows before she found the one she was looking for. A second later, music flowed out of the small speaker of her phone as the beginnings of a catchy tune and flashy colors of a magical girl show began to play…

Alphys was instantly in love and she lunged forward to snag the smartphone from the human. She stared at the little screen in rapture before she looked up at the human woman. "Is… is it only one episode?"

Amienne smirked as she gave a single shake of her head. "My phone has a lot of memory. It was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I have the entire five seasons…"

Alphys screamed as she clung to the human's phone close to her chest "CAN I WATCH IT? PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! I CAN FIND A WAY CONNECT IT TO THE LARGE MONITOR! WE CAN DO A SLUMBER PARTY!"

The human laughed as she nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, Alphys! Feel free. You can hold onto my phone, I don't mind. I have other plans for tonight though so I'll need to take a rain check on the slumber party." She gave a sweet smile as she looked at Undyne and gave a quick wink. "You two have fun though."

She laughed as the two monsters looked at each other and then away as blushes filled their faces. It was with fond goodbyes, and quick promises of stopping by the next day, that the human finally left the lab. Once outside in the extreme warmth of Hotland, she had taken a moment to let out a breath in relief.

"Did you have fun, Ami?"

She glanced up to catch the sight of her favorite skeleton waiting for her and the smile on her face was instant. She let out a fond giggle as she gave a nod, not even hesitating to make her way over to him. The moment she was beside him, she leaned down to press a warm kiss against his skull. As usual, the blue heightened his cheekbones and the pricks of his gaze flicked up to look at her.

"As much as I adore those two, I needed break," she said as she quickly reached down to grab his bony left hand and pulled it from his pocket. She intertwined their fingers as she leaned against his short, stocky frame. "The shows I have downloaded on my phone should keep them busy awhile." She laughed and swooped down to press another kiss against his cheekbone. "Now Sans, about our date…"

He chuckled deeply as he squeezed her hand in turn. "No worries, snow angel, got a perfect spot for us…"