Let's start with the reviews!

Thank you DIKR1229 for another review. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you've enjoyed Jack thus far, he was never meant to be an SI, so I'm glad you feel he isn't one. I hope you stick around 'til the end.

Onto the chapter.

My eyes slowly opened, I could hear faint breathing come from next to me. I almost shot up, but then I realized it was just Frisk. I looked over at her, she was facing me and was significantly closer than I remembered. Thinking that I had moved closer, I tried to scoot over but almost fell off the bed, I was already at the edge. I also just realized the hand across my chest, it was Frisk's. This situation had happened a few times with Comet, but my cheeks never lit up as bright as they did then. Trying my best to move as little as possible, I grabbed her arm and slowly lifted it off of me before gently putting it on the bed. Frisk shifted a bit and mumbled something before rolling over and starting to hold the blanket like a person. I sighed from relief before gently taking the covers off and getting out of bed. I didn't know what to do but stand there. Then, after a while of staring at Frisk, Sans's words replayed through my head.

I put my shoes on, even though I had no idea where Grillby's was, I felt like it would be easy to find. After putting back on my jacket and grabbing a spare key from the table, I walked out of the room. The sound of snoring still echoed through the hallway. I walked through it and down the stairs, the innkeeper waved at me as I left the building. The nice heat I had slept in quickly left me, I somehow forgot how cold this place was. Lights that had been illuminating the place before had been turned off and the monsters that filled the place were missing, it seemed like this is what people here considered "night." The only light sources were the dim, glowing crystal above and the light coming from the buildings.

I walked past the Christmas tree, despite the fact that it was lit up nothing had really changed. I kept walking, after passing a library with a misspelled sign and a few houses, my destination was to my right. A big sign that read "Grillby's" sat at the top, the light pouring through the windows was much stronger compared to the other buildings. I could hear chatter come from inside. Before I could walk in, a voice I didn't want to hear came from behind me. "Is that you, Jack?" it echoed. I turned to face it, the thing from my nightmare stared me in the eye, a smile planted across it's face. I didn't give it a chance to do anything as I rushed into Griiby's.

After my eyes adjusted, a cheerfull sight thankfully greeted me. Monsters varying in size, shape, and appearance sat at tables or were leaning against the walls. Even a few members of the Royal Guard were at a table, they were playing some card game. A jukebox sat in the corner, at the moment it was playing "All-Star" by Smashmouth at a low volume. I began to let my guard down as I started to feel safe. Moody lighting filled the place and a being of fire stood behind a counter, a familiar skeleton in a blue jacket sat in a stool in front of them. Sans was looking down when the fire being poked his shoulder and pointed at me. He looked back at me, his smile wasn't as wide as I was used too, "Took ya long enough," he said. He patted the empty stool next to him, "Go ahead and take a seat, make yourself comfortable."

I followed his orders and walked up to the stool. I felt a few eyes on me, but their stares didn't feel like bad ones. Sans's smile became a lot less wide as I sat down, I shortly found out why. The sound of farting came from below me. He ripped the woopie cushion off, "Gotta be more careful," he handed the rubber to the fire being, "Some weirdos like to put whoopie cushions on seats." The fire being grabbed it and threw it in a trashcan. Sans stared at my face for a bit, "You're a bit late." He looked away from me and his smile became wide, "I knew someone who was always late, that is until his doctor recommended him to sleep in a herb garden." I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Sounds strange, I know, but now he always wakes up on Thyme," he said with a wink.

It took me a second to realize, but I chuckled once I did. A good chunk of the other people in Grillby's did as well. "Good one," I said.

"Glad it made you smile." He tapped a few times on the bar, "Grillby, one burg, extra ketchup." The fire being nodded before walking into a door, I could only see fire on the other side. Sans looked back over at me, "Seriously though, it did take you a while," he did the skeletal equivalent of raising his eyebrows and his smile became even wider, "Did you and Frisk do anything... frisky?"

A bit of heat rose to my cheeks, "W-what? No! Of course not," I said, almost shielding my face.

Sans laughed before slapping my shoulder, "Nah. I'm just pullin' your leg, kid. I get that humans need more sleep than monsters." The fire monster, which I assumed was Grillby, came back out with a burger and a bottle of ketchup. He placed the two of them in front of Sans, "Thanks Grillbs," Sans said before pouring a gallon of ketchup on the burger. I can't explain how, but he somehow, without opening his mouth, took a bite of the burger. He looked over at me, "If you want anything, just ask Grillby. It'll be put on my tab," he said, I could hear that his mouth was full.

I shook my head, "No thanks, I'm not really hungry right now."

San shrugged before facing his burger, "Suit yourself," he said as he took another bite. After a while of him just eating, Sans finally said something, "So, I've been meaning to ask ya..." he put his burger down. The jukebox stopped and my surroundings dimmed. I thought it was just Grillby closing down shop at first, but after seeing that everyone around me had froze, I realized that wasn't the case. "Why'd you climb Mt. Ebott?" Sans finished his sentence.

I was slightly confused at first, but then I realized he was talking about the mountain. "Well..." my voice trailed off as I tried to put into words what happened. Then it hit me, I didn't know why I climbed the mountain. Sure, I knew me chasing after Frisk lead to me falling down, but I had no idea why I followed her. Nothing was coming to my mind, so I told him the truth. I looked over at him, "I-I don't know."

He looked at me with a blank stare before turning back to his burger. He looked down at it, his eyes never moving, "That happens to me sometimes." He paused before continuing, "I'll be doin' something or sayin' something, but I'll have no idea why. In those moments, it feels like I'm an actor reading a script or somethin'." A small chuckle escaped his mouth before he turned to me, "If I'm being honest kid, I thought you me weren't gonna get along. I just had this bad feeling about ya. But after seein' how kind you've been to Frisk and everyone else," he smiled a genuine smile, "I think we'll get along just fine." I didn't know what to say so I just sat there. Sans stood up and stretched despite his lack of muscles, "Welp, my lunch break's up." He walked over to the door, everything but me and him were still frozen. He looked back at me "I'll be seein' ya, Jack," he said before leaving the building.

The moment the door shut behind him, everything returned to normal. The jukebox resumed playing All-Star, people began to talk once more, and the lights were back to being bright. Instead of wasting my time wondering how he knew my name or why time froze, I rubbed my face and stood up. Still feeling confused, I walked out of the building and began to walk to the Inn. A few of the lights flickered on while I was walking so I assumed people would begin to wake up. "Jack," something whispered my name from behind me. I turned around, no one was there. I began to pick up my pace as the sound of giggling began to surround me. Thankfully, the Inn greeted me. I walked in, the innkeeper smiled at me as I went up the stairs. Nothing about the hallway had changed. I unlocked my room's door and went in, Frisk was sitting up on the bed staring at me. She had the expression your mom would make when you had been gone all day without telling her, "Where were you?" she asked.

I flipped the lights on, "Sans wanted to talk to me," I said as I started to calm down.

She tilted her head, "He wanted to talk to you? Why?"

I kicked off my shoes and shook my head a few times, "I didn't know when I walked in, and I'm still not 100% sure now," I said as I plopped down on the bed.

She looked off in the distance, "Yeah, most of my conversations with him were like that. I think it's just how he is."

It took me a second to remember the entire "Reset" thing. I nodded a few times before staring off in space. I wanted to continue the conversation, but my mind blanked. Silence began to creep into the room, it wasn't a bad one. That's what I liked about Frisk, we didn't have to say anything to each other and we would still feel comfortable. Nothing more had been said when the giggling I had heard outside began to surround me again. I sat up and looked around, nothing was out of the ordinary. I noticed Frisk was staring at me as the giggling began to fade. I had to know her if she knew about it, "Hey Frisk?" I asked without looking at her. "Have you been experiencing... hallucinations... since you fell down here?"

She squinted at me, "Hallucinations?" she said. I nodded slightly. "No, not really," she said while shaking her head. "Why? Are you?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure."

She got up and stood in front of me, "Well, what are you experiencing?"

I decided not to include the balcony hallucination, "I'll just randomly start hearing giggling, or see this little girl. They'll say a few ominous words, or they'll just stare at me. It really freaks me out."

Frisk's eyes dimmed slightly, "Has the little girl said their name?"

I thought for a second, "They called themself you once, but that's about it."

She frowned, "Do they... wear a striped sweater?" I nodded. Nothing was said for a few seconds, "Great," Frisk said under her breath. She walked over, took a seat on the bed, and began to rub her face.

"So you know what I'm talking about?"

She stared off in space, "Yeah, but I hope I'm wrong."

"Why?"

She looked down and clenched her fists. It took her a few seconds to say anything, "The thing you're seeing isn't human, and it isn't monster. It's..." her voice trailed off, but she brought it back, "... It's the leftovers of a timeline. Something that a Reset can't even erase."

I don't think Frisk knew just how much questions she put into my mind. "What brought it to life?" was the only question I could put into words.

"I..." she stopped herself and looked up at me, I saw terror on her face for the first time. I tried my best to give a comforting smile, but it probably looked more like a constipated one. Frisk stared at me for a few more seconds before looking back down, "I did," she finally let out. "I thought it was this spirit that had been accompanying me because it looks just like them, but no, it was just what I had become in that timeline. Every bad thing I had ever done put into one being."

"Wait, there's a spirt that looks like them... and they follow you? Why aren't they with you now?"

She shook her head, "They just disappeared one day. I didn't know why for a little bit, but I found out. They were so disgusted with what I did that they left." She looked up at me, a little bit of water sat on her eye, "They hate me." She glanced away from me, the water began to leak down her cheek, "I don't blame them. Everyone would hate me if they knew what I did," she said. Her eyes told me she needed comfort, but I didn't know how to give it.

Seeing Frisk like this was... it was... I don't know. The only way I could really put it into words is that feeling you get when you see a loved one cry. She looked so defeated, like the world had come and stomped on her. I was ridden with grief like this was my fault, but I knew it wasn't. I didn't blame myself for what was happening, but I still felt terrible. I had no idea what to do, so I listened to my soul. I felt a strong pull towards Frisk, almost like she was a magnet to me. It wasn't like what I felt with Grace, no, it was much stronger. It took too much energy to keep myself away from her, so I just let it happen.

Almost like someone else was in control of my body, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around her. I let my thoughts pour out of my mouth. "Don't say that! I don't care how bad your deed was, there is no way people could stay mad at an amazing person like you."

She sat there in my arms, motionless, making me have second doubts about the hug. Thankfully, she eventually spoke. "How could you say that after how bad I've-"

I didn't let her finish her sentence, "Stop saying you've treated me bad. You haven't. You've been my only friend through the Underground, and I couldn't be more thankful that I got you." I took a deep breath, "Maybe you see things differently, but you are a great person in my eyes. Nothing you say will change that."

Not a single word was said back to me, none were needed. She slowly returned the hug, placing her head on my shoulder. "You're too nice to me," she whispered, my shoulder becoming a bit damp as she did. Instead of saying anything, I gently patted her back. And we sat there, her crying into my shoulder, and me being a sponge for her tears.

A knock at the door interrupted this... interesting... moment. "My children?" Toriel's voice seeped in from under the door, "Are you awake?"

Frisk jolted out of my arms and faced the door. I was expecting her to say something, but she just stared at it. Not wanting to leave Toriel in suspense, I took the lead. "Yeah, we're up," I shouted at the door.

I didn't need to see Toriel to know she was smiling, "Good. Go ahead and get changed then meet me downstairs. Papyrus made us something" There were a few moments of silence before I heard her footsteps echo down the hallway.

Once I couldn't hear her anymore, I turned to Frisk. She was still looking at the door, "You going to be okay?" I asked.

She slowly turned her head to me. An almost unnoticeable smile appeared on her lips, "Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. Her voice was significantly quieter than normal. "Just need a few minutes to clean up."

"Okay." Seeing as I was already changed, I stood up and put my shoes on, "I'll be with Toriel." She nodded a few times as I walked to the door. I thought about saying goodbye, but I would see her shortly so I didn't. I looked back at her one last time before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Downstairs, Sans and Toriel were sitting on the couch talking to each other. I could hear the occasional pun be thrown in every once and a while and, while a lot less than she normally did, Toriel would die of laughter. They hadn't seemed to notice me when I took a step forward, the floorboard groaned underneath my weight, that seemed to be pretty common down here. Sans turned his head and stared at me for a few seconds before waving. I awkwardly waved back. He leaned over like he saw something behind me and wanted to get a better look at it before sitting straight again, "Where's Frisk?" he asked.

"She's uh..." I paused, not entirely sure what to say. I decided not to mention that she had just broken out into tears. "... changing," I said, finishing my sentence. Sans nodded before turning back to Toriel and continuing their conversation. I glance around the room for a place to sit but they were taking up the only seat. The innkeeper, like they could read my mind, pulled out a stool from behind the counter and handed it to me. "Thanks," I said before taking it and putting it down not too far away from the couch. The innkeeper gave me a smile and nodded.

I sat down, it wasn't comfortable but it was better than the ground. I thought back on the day, so much had happened in such a short amount of time. First, there was the entire conversation with Sans, which I was still confused about, then there was what happened with Frisk. How much has she done that I don't know about? Does she have depression? Who's the spirit that followed her around? Questions like these filled my mind. One thing was for sure, she was not feeling well. I was glad I helped her feel better, even if it was only a little bit.

Almost like she knew I was thinking about her, Frisk appeared from the staircase. Apart from her hair now being in a low, messy bun, she was wearing the same outfit from yesterday. Sans must have been staring at the staircase because he stood up the moment she walked in. "That's everyone," he said. Toriel realized Frisk had entered and stood up, "Let's go," Sans said as he walked through the door. I handed the innkeeper her stool as Frisk and Toriel headed to the door. Toriel went through but Frisk stopped and looked back at me. Frisk let me go first before following behind me.

My assumption from earlier was correct, Snowdin had seemed to wake up. Monsters sat here and there in the streets, their conversations echoed into my ears. We walked by the Christmas tree, a bear-like monster sat underneath it. They were humming a Christmas-esque tune. We walked past Grillby's and the "Librarby" to the outskirts of town. A house I had yet to see sat in front of me, it was lit up with Christmas decoration and a small, wooden shed sat not too far from it. The wood it was made out of was much darker compared to the rest of the buildings around it. Smoke came out of it as well, although it wasn't from a chimney... it was from a window. "This is it," Sans said as he walked up to the door. He jiggled at the doorknob for a few moments before sighing and leaning over to the window that had smoke coming from it. "Bro," he said into it.

Papyrus stuck his head out, he was wearing a chef hat. "What Is It Sans?" the skeleton shouted. "If You Couldn't Tell, I'm In The Middle Of Making The Humans Their Meal!"

Sans pointed at the door, "You didn't unlock the door."

"Where Is Your Key?"

"In the house."

Papyrus furrowed his "eyebrows," "Why Didn't You Bring It With You?"

"Because you said you'd leave the door unlocked."

Papyrus sighed, "Fine. Give Me A Moment." He stuck his head back in before I could hear his footsteps walk off. His footsteps reappeared from behind the door. The doorknob jiggled a few times before I heard struggling from behind the door. It eventually stopped and was replaced by deep breaths. "Sans?" Papyrus's voice eventually came from behind the door.

"Yeah?" Sans responded.

"The Door Is Jammed."

Sans shrugged, "That's fine. We can just climb through the window."

"Yeah, I Guess You..." Papyrus's voice trailed off. It eventually came back in an explosive manner, "Wait! I Have An Idea!" He shouted as his footsteps left the door.

Sans stuck his head up to the door, "Papyrus?" he asked. I could hear a few things being thrown around from inside the house. Sans's eyes became wide, "Please don't do what I think you're about to do."

Papyrus's footsteps came back, "I'd Take A Few Steps Back, Sans."

He didn't move, "Seriously Papyrus, we can just go through the window. It's not that-"

"Nonsense Sans!," Papyrus interrupted him. "I Can't Have My Guests Climbing Through Windows!"

Sans took a few steps back, "Papyrus, please don't-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the door came flying off. It landed in the snow behind me. Papyrus stood where the door once was, a battering hammer in the shape of a bone was in his hands. Along with his chef hat, He had an apron covered in a red sauce and oven mittens on."There We Go!" he said as he dropped the bone. He wiped off his mittens before gaining his heroic pose, "Humans!" he shouted. He looked over and saw Toriel, "...And Toriel. I, The Great Papyrus, Welcome You To The Greatest Home In All Of Snowdin!" The wind that was somehow underground howled. A few moments passed, "Well? Don't Just Stand There! Come In!" Papyrus said as he stepped into the house.

I couldn't help but smile. I turned around expecting to see Frisk doing the same... she wasn't. She was staring off in a direction we hadn't gone yet, her eyes were empty. I don't even think she saw what Papyrus did. Her body was stiff, the only sign that she wasn't frozen in place was the slight raising and lowering of her chest. I could have been wrong, but it didn't look like she was blinking. Somehow, her skin was pale. "Frisk?" I said low enough so the rest of the group wouldn't hear. Her fingers and lips began to twitch, I had a feeling I didn't cause that. I grabbed her shoulder and shook it slightly, "Frisk?" I said slightly louder than before.

The color returned to her cheeks, "Huh?" She turned her head to me, her eyes regaining her soul as she did. I waited for her to say something... she never opened her mouth. Instead, she just stared into my eyes.

I felt a bit weird so I decided to speak up. "Are you feeling alright?" I asked.

She blinked a few times before a small smile appeared on her face. Without warning, she did something that completely caught me off guard... she pulled me into an embrace. "Yeah..." she said, adjusting herself. "Yeah, I'm just fine." Not wanting to make the situation awkward, I wrapped my arms around her. If I'm being honest, it felt nice. A lot nicer than any other hugs I had received. Her hug lasted longer than mine, but it did eventually end. She let go of me, looked up at me, and smiled... I couldn't help but smile back.

I turned around, Sans was leaning against the now empty door frame. I could see Toriel inside, "You two coming or what?" Sans asked. "I know my brother's cooking isn't the best, but he's improved," He said even though neither of us had tried it.

Frisk walked past me, "Yep! Just had to do something," she said as she walked inside.

Sans looked over at me and shrugged before he walked inside. The cold began to make me shiver, so I walked in after them.

A/N

And that's it! A lot more drama in this chapter, huh? It felt needed, so I wrote it. I hope Jack and Frisk are convincing friends because that's what I intend for them to be. While we're on the topic of Jack and Frisk, if you'd be so kind, tell me if I'm shoving too much of their relationship down your throat. Every chapter but the first has had a scene involving only them, so I'm concerned if I'm boring you guys. Anyways, sorry for taking so long to update, just got over pneumonia. Enjoy your day, see you in the next chapter.