"You're sure about this?"

Alphys watched as Sans packed his shirts and shorts into a plastic garbage bag. She had to admit, for how long he had stayed, and how much of a mess he had made, he really hadn't brought much of his own.

"Yeah, I mean, I've been bumming off of ya for like, what, a month now?" Sans asked as he pulled a bottle of ketchup out of the fridge and shoved it in the bag too.

Alphys snorted. "Three."

Sans nodded, pulling a whoopee cushion out of one of her desk drawers. "Yeah, I should head home."

It had been about a month since the funeral. Sans had slowly stopped watching Alphys' recordings, but it had still come as a surprise to her when he had told her he was planning to go.

"You're sure you'll be alright...?" she wanted to add 'alone' but she just couldn't bring herself to.

"I'll manage. I can't just leave the place collecting dust, you know?" He pulled a trombone from under his bedsheets and stuffed it into the bag as well. "He wouldn't want that."

"Yeah," Alphys hummed. "But if you need any help cleaning up just call, okay?"

"Sure," He replied, slinging the bag over his shoulder. Endogeny and Toby jumped up, both whining. "Do you want to come with me?" Sans asked. They looked indecisively between Sans and Alphys.

"It's okay you two. Go ahead." Alphys smiled, grateful that Sans would have some company. The dogs wagged their tails enthusiastically.

The four of them walk towards the door in silence. Alphys hadn't felt this awkward since Sans had first moved in. Endogeny broke the tension for just a moment, giving Alphys one last lick on the forehead before they and Toby headed out.

Sans waved slightly and made a move toward the door, but Alphys grabbed his wrist just before he could leave. She stared him dead in the eyes, desperately needing to ask one last question. "How much time do we have left?"

He looked at her, then the ground, then back up at her. He shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe forever, maybe a few more minutes. It's best not to worry about it."

But Alphys was worried. For all she knew, everything that had been accomplished, everything she had accomplished, could all be erased at any second. She was starting to understand why Sans didn't tell anyone about this.

"Look, don't beat yourself up about it." Sans could see the worry in her eyes. "I don't let it get under my skin!"

Alphys chuckled. "Right. You're right." She let go of his wrist. "Call me if you're feeling bonely, alright?" she hoped the pun landed, she had looked it up last night.

Sans seemed to stiffen for a moment, but he quickly relaxed and laughed. "Good one." He patted her gently on the back and walked out the door, his bag letting out a fart noise as the whoopee cushion got caught under the trombone. Alphys and Sans both doubled over from laughter. When she opened her eyes again, he and the dogs were gone.

Undyne released Alphys from the kiss she had caught her in when she had come through the door. Alphys' face was red. "Wow…" she exhaled.

"I was just following the instructions on the sign!" Undyne grinned.

"Sign?"

Undyne laughed and pulled a sticky note off of Alphys' back. The note said 'kiss me'.

"Wonder who put that there?" Undyne asked coyly.

Alphys' face was in her hands. "Three guesses and the first two don't count."

Alphys sighed, and then she laughed.

A few minutes later the two of them were snuggled together under a blanket, watching anime. Alphys had been a bit antsy at first, slightly freaking out about the fact that time could start over at any moment. She should be working, down in the lab trying to find a way to stop whatever force was resetting time and ruining everything. She had such little time and so much science to do!

And she reveled in that thought. She wanted to do science again! She actually wanted to be back down in the lab, mixing and prodding and experimenting over and over. Being careful, making mistakes (just not on such a big scale this time), and finding new and exciting discoveries. She hadn't realized how much she had missed that.

Undyne paused the DVD. "Alphys, are you all right? You're shake-" She was cut off by the goofy grin she saw on Alphys' face. It was positively the cutest thing. "Fuhuhu! You ready to get sciencing already? I just barely got here!"

Alphys' excitement softened. Undyne was right. Alphys didn't know how much time they had left, but they couldn't spend it all at work. Right here, right now, they were together. It was what Alphys had always dreamed of. Science would hopefully get done later, but for now, for this moment, she would pretend she didn't know about the potential end. She snuggled up to Undyne, who kissed her on the cheek. This moment was what mattered to her right now, so Alphys decided that, for now, they were beyond time. This moment would last for as long as they wanted, this moment was forever.

It seems to you that the events of your vision are winding down.

The cutscene is still splayed out in front of you. You can see them, Alphys and Undyne, little pixelated characters under a pixelated blanket giving each other pixelated smooches.

Perhaps you are impressed. Perhaps you never thought they would get together without your assistance.

Perhaps, for the first time in a long time, you remember that these are more than characters in a story that you play again and again. Perhaps, for the first time in a long time, you think of them as real people.

If you had hands, you would spread your fingers across the surface in front of you. Perhaps you are amazed at the bitter-sweetness of the ending that they have found for themselves, all on their own. You know that there is a happier possibility for them, of course. You've lived it, you've loved it.

It could be that way again. You could grant them that ending.

But you would need to take theirs away first.

The vision before you reflects the choices that you currently have turned your back on.

Continue or Reset?

"Get on with it!" says the Red Voice. The Red Voice is always so impatient.

You turn toward your options. You don't have hands, but you lightly brush them anyway. You touch the Continue button, and the Red Voice gets happy. You touch the Reset button, and the Red Voice gets angry.

But the choice is only yours to make.

Author's Note: Aaaand there you have it! Thank you so much for reading!