Since your car had broken down again Shawn had offered his assistance. You 'willingly' agreed to accompany him into town the next day. So here you were sitting in his car going down a dirt path till you managed to get to the highway. The drive had been pretty quite. You had refused to talk to him about the newspaper article. Mostly cause you think he might be trying to pull a fast one on you. Eventually he gave up trying to talk to you. You had sat in the passenger seat with your arms crossed looking out the window, ignoring him.

You kept watching outside the car watching the scenery go by and relax you. Your house was on the other side of the mountain and it took a while to even get to the city. It was almost noon now. Only about half an hour to go till you reached the city.

Or it would have been till Shawn pulled a right on the highway.

"What the hell Shawn? Are you trying to make the ride longer?"

"Firs't off, you refused to believe 'in me bout the newspaper, then ya go and gives me the silent treatmen't? Beside's not doing this' fer eh company. Looks down there."

At first you didn't see anything but an unusually increase in traffic on a highway that takes longer to get to the city. Till a trunk passed you and then you noticed. Few miles away but still there was an area of forest that looked like it had been cleared out by a bulldozer. White refugee tents had been set up and you could just barely make out inhuman creatures walking around the area.

You took in a breath of air and pulled your face closer to the window. There looked like an overgrown blue bunny standing near a metal box pulling something red out of it. You squinted to see what but another truck passed in front of the window blocking your view.

Dam, you really didn't want to owe Shawn an apology.

"So, sees anything's good?"

"I saw bunny rabbit."

"Not talk'in bout the road kill, Stubborn."

"It was blue and the size of a man."

"Ah, is' that whys you talkin to me again?"

"Yep."

Shawn didn't even ask for an apology or about the rabbit man. Neither of you even spoke again till you reached the city again. Shawn pulled up to the Pharmacy you usually went to gather your medicine. Just as you were reaching for the door the lock suddenly click into place. You turned to look at Shawn and see he had his hand on the auto lock.

"We needs to talk." He put his hands up defiantly not really looking like he cared, and pulled out a cigarette placing it between his teeth. He rolled down the window a little and you relaxed back into your set waiting for him to get on with it. He pulled out his lighter and lit it. A soft warm glow ignited the end of his cancer stick.

"Looks I still thinks you should stay with yer brother. I knows you can'ts gets a hold of him right's now but, i gots a room available, temporarily."

"No."

"Oy, now's you just being stubborn."

"I prefer the word Defiant. Thank you."

"S'not any better, stubborn, though I won't even charge ya. Just wanna knows ya be safe."

You went back to crossing your arms again and looking at the window while he continued to talk. The sky was a little gray with bits of sunlight trying to fight there way threw the clouds. What light did enter would shine off the city's taller buildings making it look more ethereal than it actually was. Until, you saw all the people walking around like they owned everything and reminded you why you hate the city so fucking much.

The human race was just so polluted, yourself included.

"I knows you ignoring me now." You snapped out of your train of thought.

"No, I wasn't."

He took a drag of his cigarette and shook his head. "So's what's the last things i saids?"

"Uh, erm available room, that i might add i'm still refusing."

"Heh, No's. Was' talkin bouts the monsters getin alloweds in da city."

"Huh, What are you talking about? Were they not allowed in the city before?"

"Tch, no's. Tat newspaper's was two weeks old's."

"Two weeks? Why the hell did you bring me a paper that's two weeks old?"

"Eh, it hads a pic on it. I know youd's no believes me." He stammered out and flushed embarrassed knowing how well he knew you by now. Despite that you couldn't claim the same. While there were matters you trusted him with, friendship wasn't really one of them. You kept your guard up around him never really relaxing all the way.

"Could've been photoshopped." you grumbled and clutched your purse. You didn't wait for his response and unlocked the car before he could reach for the button and stepped out. The moment you stepped out of the car and closed it you felt guilt. You knew you shouldn't be angry at him it was your own fault for not believing about the monsters. Now, here you were standing outside his car, trying not be afraid, that you were suddenly alone, and surrounded by the crowded streets of the city filled with people you generally didn't like.

To your relief he stepped out of his car and gave you a sullen look that changed wistful when he saw you standing there next to the car, a pensive look on your face most likely.

He gave you a worried smirk and cleared his throat before he dropped his cigarette and mushed it out with his shoe. "S'okay ya know. Yer a tough cookie en' all that. De's peoples just don't expect yous."

They most certainly didn't. That's what worried you. You didn't want to have to sit in a jail cell cause you back handed some passerby because he decided not to look where he was going. You could handle Shawn cause he learned the first rule about you. DO NOT TOUCH. Even if someone tripped you would probably still kick them just in case they actually did it on purpose, just to be safe that they learned the rule early on.

"Well's come ons. Your medicine awaits." He stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the pharmacy and held out a hand to you. He always did so even when he knew you weren't going to take it. You glared at it the offending appendage and side stepped him. He gave you a soft sullen expression before shrugging his shoulders and sticking his hand in his pocket. You hate to admit it but you were grateful for the kindness and his ability to put up with you and your attitude.

Then again, you probably wouldn't admit it, ever.

Once Shawn and you entered the store you instantly regretted doing this on a Sunday. If you had to accidentally touch someone you hoped it would be Shawn. At least he could take you if you had a violent urge to kick someone. You didn't think the grouchy old woman with a permanent scowl standing by the counter would take kindly to you kicking out her shins. Her scowl hardened as she noticed you staring at her. She probably wouldn't like it if you punched her dentures down her throat either. You scowled back at her and gave you a surprised look. She sneered and seemed to try to pull you into a scowling match before Shawn got your attention by blocking your view of the woman. He nodded to the back of the Pharmacy where they kept the over the counter medicine.

You walked carefully threw the aisles trying to avoid touching anyone with Shawn following just behind you. You manged to weave in and about other people without touching anyone, Shawn had a harder time just staying behind you. You could hear him muttering forms of apology's to the passerby's before he finally manged to catch up to you at h\the counter and wait with you in line. He kept people off your back and as long as you kept your distance from the man in front of you waiting on his prescriptions you didn't think there would be any problems with touching any body.

Except the Hispanic lady, who wasn't paying any attention to her child in the cart who was ripping out paper from a coloring book and attempting to throw paper balls at you. It was only when one of the balls landed near your feet did you even notice. You picked up the ball and examined it. Shawn gave a worried look not knowing what to expect from you. You thought about throwing the ball at the mother and pretending that you had nothing to do with it, but instead you just glared at the child getting ready to try and rip out another page. It was only when he finished crumpling it that he looked up to see you staring at him. The paper ball from his grasp and he decided to begin the orchestra of crying while looking at his mother. You refused to get involved pocketing the paper ball and ignoring the crying wails while the woman, confused, tried to shush her baby. You could hear Shawn let out sigh of relief as the man in front of you gathered his medications and left the counter.

You greeted the woman with a nod.

"Prescription for Annette Gore."

The woman nodded and began typing on her computer before disappearing into the back. She came out holding a large white bag and a smaller white bag that she stapled together.

"Okay, mam. That's insulin thirty day supply with needles. Do you have any questions for the pharmacist?"

"Nope."

"Good." She squints at the computer for a moment. "Do you not have insurance mam?"

"Not covered by any." You already knew where this was going. They get flustered afraid to tell you the price of your medicine without insurance. They were afraid you were going to get anger or do something to them because of ticker shock. The sticker shock wore away from you and now you were just used to the overly high priced drugs. Made sense, wasn't just doctors who were trying to make money out of people besides, making insulin was expensive and hard to do.

"Er, well uh, that be three eighty nine and sixty four cents." She edged away from the counter away from you waiting for retaliation but you shrugged if off and handed her your card from your purse. Nervously she took the card and swiped it. An approved beep came from the machine and she handed the card back to you. You stuck it back in your purse and she handed you your bags of medicine. Shawn offered to carry them for you but you just stuck the whole package in your bag. You had to pull the strap off your shoulder to get it inside well enough you were comfortable. The larger package sticking out a bit since you couldn't zip up your purse all the way.

"It's getting mores expensive?" Shawn stated behind you.

"No, just getting less of it." It was getting more expensive but it didn't really matter did it. You didn't control how much you get paid for looking after a historical mansion even if no body cared about it and you couldn't control how much they medicine they gave you. It was simply out of your hands.

You'd have to be careful when getting groceries though. Nothing high in carbs. The less carbs you had the less medication you would have to take, salads and meats. No breads, pastas, potatoes, or anything sugary...if you could resistant the temptation of ice cream your medicine could go a lot farther.

You maneuvered your way out of the store leaving Shawn behind apologizing to people trying to catch up to you. You were already outside waiting for him to come back and unlock the car door for you. Something caught your attention down the street. Someone was yelling at a man who had suddenly blown by a woman and shoved her into a crowd of people next to her.

The man was rapidly approaching you. You stepped back to allow him past you into the rest of the waiting crowd but instead he seemed to turn in your direction. Was he trying to hit you?

His pace was constant and his arm reached out to you. You froze up just as his hand wrapped around the string of your purse and he yanked it out of your grip. You had never readjusted the strap back onto your opposing shoulder and it had just made it easier for the purse thief to grip and run off.

That purse had your medicine in it.

The government wasn't gonna replace that.

It had the card in it as well, the only way you were gonna get paid.

All irrelevant things to you except...

It had a very worn picture of you and your brother when you were younger!

This man has no idea what was about to happen to him.

In a split second you were darting in between people chasing after the thief. Your sights staying on him as if red clouded your vision. You could barley hear Shawn yelling at you to stop. He knew what was gonna happen too, if you caught that man. Fuck possible jail time that was your property! If he thought he could take advantage of you he had another thing coming.

Right now that thing was you!

Most of the people on the side walk were already standing to the side of you. Most of them shoved out of the way by the purse thief. Part of you happy that you were definitely going to catch him at this rate and another part of you was pissed off that nobody was attempting to stop him.

The thief made a sharp turn down an open ally way. You followed right behind him but without people in the way he proved to be much faster than you. You weren't meant to go long distance's like this your endurance wavering behind. It seemed only your anger and the picture he had was what kept you going after him. You used it to push your self a till you were only a yard at best behind him. If he manged to get back out onto the street in front of the ally way you were going to lose him in the crowd and he knew it!

Your weren't expecting the crash of the thief.

It seemed he was doing just fine stealing your shit, when something came out of the corner of the ally way. You could make out a pink slipper and one really white looking leg.

The thief didn't notice at all till he went flying over it and head first into a light pole.

Good that he was stopped.

...but not by you.

Didn't matter right?

It shouldn't, but that leg had bothered you for some reason. You slowed your pace a bit and avoided the the side of the ally the leg had come from.

You felt like you should look at where the leg came from but the groaning thief on the ground held your attention more. You came out of the ally way and stood next to the unconscious man. You wrangled the purse out of his hand and pulled it away from him. He groaned in protest and must have woken up as he was now clutching his head in one hand. His other hand moved around your feet looking for his recently stolen purse but instead he found your shoe.

He touched you.

Before you knew it you lifted the back of the same shoe and you brought it down hard on the back of his hand. You hard a small crack as he sat up and screamed barely managing to yank his hand away from the sole of your foot. He rolled over clutching his hand to him self and bolted back down the street. The people stared after him not wanting to get involved. Some eyes seemed to drift your way before getting wide and turning away completely.

Odd normally people are drawn to the drama.

You didn't need to chase the thief now. You had what you wanted. You looked at the purse in your hands, white pharmacy bag still sticking out where it had been before. The thief hadn't gone threw it then. You examined that bag a little more before putting the strap over the opposing shoulder in case anyone else decided to try the same thing and take off with it.

Now the hard part. Thanking who ever tripped him.

You turned to look at the spot the white leg had been before but nobody was there. Lucky you. If no ones there than you don't have to thank anyone. There was a shuffle of movement behind you, Shawn must have finally caught up to you. He be so happy that you only broke one bone in the guys hand. How did he know what ally way you had gone down?

"It's about time you-" As you turned to him you realized quite quickly that wasn't Shawn.

"-OH, SHIT!"

You jumped from the surprise and fell back towards the same pole the thief had head butted early. There in front of you stood a skeleton with pink fuzzy slippers and a blue fury parka on. His face had a large wide grin on it and black out eye sockets. A white t-shirt on underneath covered in what looked like really deep ketchup might have thought of it as another prank but the darkness in his eye sockets seemed to pull you in. You almost felt as if there was something inside trying to scream at you trapped in the dark. There was a massive hole in his skull that seemed to crack and chip here and there. It was as if the darkness in his eyes was trying to escape out the hole in his head.

"Heh, the old sneaking up and scaring them shitless trick. It's always funny."

The hell it talked! You didn't see it's mouth move but it talked.

The skeleton held out it's hand to you. "You need a hand, pal?"

You looked at the bones with it's hand cupped away from you acting like a leverage you could pull yourself up with.

"Im...good." You don't like it when people touch you and that rule was going to apply to the monster species too. You kept your eyes on him as you stood up. Trusting a random stranger was one thing but this guy seemed to scream more trouble than the thief. His smile stretched further across his face making you think of the Cheshire cat from Alice in wonderland. As he took his hand away a red light appeared in his right socket the left one remained that ominous dark.

"Names Sans, Sans the skeleton." His giant smile never left his face. You weren't sure how to respond to him. He just tripped a guy into a solid metal pole and then offered to help you up. Then again you may have just beaten the shit out of the the thief if he hadn't tripped him.

"My names...Annete. Thanks for, er, tripping that guy." You shouldn't be too rude to him for the help. You still couldn't trust him so you decided not to share your last name with him. Plus now you thanked him, which means you could go now. Right?

"Heh, s'now problem. He had a nice trip. I'll probably see him next fall."

What? Was this guy making jokes? Not even good jokes on top of that.

"Right...later." Hopefully not ever later but you wanted to go home and pretend this day didn't even happen. You went to pass him and return to the ally. Before you knew it he was reaching out to try and grab your sleeve. You were ready this time and manged to side step him unlike the thief earlier. His smile and red in his eye seemed to both shrink at the same time. His arm remained held out to grab you.

"You got something against monsters, sweetheart?" Well that sounded insulting. You could care less if he was a monster, although intimidating as he was, you still didn't like to be touched.

"Personally? Not the species. I just don't like to be touched, in general."

Sans tilted his head his eye rolled up as if he was thinking deeply about something. He lowered his arm and put both hands back in his coat pockets.

"Guess I'll have to keep my hands to myself, for now." His smile returned looking more wolfish than before.

"What's that suppose to-"

"Annette!" You and the skeleton both turn to see Shawn in the Alleyway you were about to return too. He's leaning on a wall and seems to be clutching his lungs and huffing. Maybe you had better endurance than you thought if you were able to track down the thief this far without ending up like Shawn.

"Bought time you got here."

"Whats the hells you run off fores?" He looked up at you scowling from his wall he was using to keep standing as he gulped in breaths of air. He really must have been trying to find you or he had run a marathon around the city.

"Well, sorry guardsman, I was trying to catch the thief who made off with my purse. Thank you very much."

"What thie'f? Dat guys you was chasin?"

"Yeah that guy."

Shawn looked at you wide eyed and sullen. His gaze began to look around at your surroundings. "Wheres is' hes?" His eyes went back to look at you as if praying you would tell him the man got away without a scratch.

"The bone guy tripped him, and...uh look he got off mostly okay."

"B'one guy?" You turned to point to Sans but as you went to look all you could see where normal looking people walking around as if nothing happened. "I swear he was right here." You looked around the area more. No signs of a white skull, blue parka, or pink slippers. You didn't make him up. You've been crazy before but...nothing where you've literally seen things not in a crowd of people before. Plus that guy had spoken to you. If he had been a hallucination he would have been gone in less than a minute. Plus your not the one who had tripped the thief.

Imagination doesn't trip people for you.