I want to thank FioFionavar! You're such a sweetheart. The fact that you reviewed at all is enough for me, so thank you!

Also i'll try to update as much as possible. Maybe not everyday, and since school is about to start for me, maybe not every week, but i'll try my darnedest c:

You search the mountain until it turns night.

Frisk and your Mom never come home.

You search the mountain and your house until the night of the next day.

Frisk and your Mom are still gone.

You search the mountain, your house, and the entire city until the end of your break.

Frisk is still missing, your mom was found, dead in a hotel overdosed, your dad's will and check arrived hidden under a stack of unpaid bills, and your project was never finished.

You search the mountain, the entire city, and neighboring cities for the rest of the month.

Frisk is still missing, you didn't go to your mom's funeral, you lost the house, you were fired from all three jobs, and your college dropped you for not showing up for your final exams or remakes.

You continue to search.

So easily, you had lost everything you remotely cared about.

You now sat on a fallen tree, staring at your worn boots, trying to mend a broken finger after going too high on the mountain and slipping. You didn't have anything proper to splint it, but you were sure trigs and the fabric from your shirt would work for the meantime.

In the afternoon light, a camp was set up next to you in the glow of a miniature campfire, your makeshift home in the cold while you continued to search for Frisk.

The police never tried to hard to look for the lost 3rd grader. Every claim you made they brushed off as your mother finally snapping, losing Frisk somewhere in the city on purpose, before killing herself.

You knew that wasn't it… because you lost Frisk. You should've gone outside with them… but instead you sat thinking. You sat for 6 damn hours thinking, and during that time Frisk disappeared off of the face of the Earth and your mother decided it would be better without her.

You still searched. Searched for Frisk, for answers, for a reason not to go against yourself. You were so… so close to losing it.

Your dad was happier without you. Your mom was happier without you. Frisk was happier without you. Your boss's, and your college was happier without you.

You...You were happier without you.

But you couldn't think like that for long, because as soon as the depressing thoughts seeped in, your mind went to Frisk and once again you busied yourself with searching.

You were determined to find them. You were determined… to stay kind. You knew as soon as you began to lose your kindness and start hating yourself or others, you'd fall apart.

As you wrapped yourself up in the same quilt that used to lay in your room, your eyes fluttering shut and your conscious leaving, you wish you could restart that first day over.

Just...once.

Maybe then you could get rid of the hurt and guilt you wallowed in. The… bleakness that clouded your vision, the panic you felt when you thought about your future, the heart wrenching pain that stabbed at you whenever you let your mind wander too much, which led to degrading yourself. Fill the hole that seared itself into you and made you feel empty.

Let you do something other than wander endlessly.

One minute, you were lazily relaxing on a fluffy blue cloud in a green sky, talking to a smiling red ceramic mug about why phones should be made of cabbage and mildly spicy tartar sauce, and the next you're staring at your real life quilt covered lap, looking at your hands in hazy wonder in the darkness of your real room.

You were… awake now? You were still trying to clear your clouded mind, watching your hands curl and uncurl over and over. One second you were in a deep sleep, and then another second you're sitting bolt right in your bed. It was like you stood up too quickly and blood rushed to your head and you refused to sit down to recover.

To ground yourself, you took in the navy blue walls around you, the large window that overlooked the trashy alley between you and the apartment complex, the curtains that were a dingy white and probably needed to be changed a long time ago, and the patterned quilt wrapped around you, made up of different colorful patches. There was the soft humming of the air condition, your heavy breathing, the ticking of the clock next to you, crickets outside, and the couple cars zooming down the main road that ran through town.

Feeling a bit more awake, your eyes drifted to your bedside clock. You woke up long before your alarm set off.

Which was new and unsettling.

You were the type of person that could sleep for hours unhindered, why you needed said alarm to wake you up at a humane hour. Yet, here you were looking around your sunrise colored room, still a bit dazed from suddenly sitting up. Checking to make sure it was early morning and not late evening, you watch the sun slowly crawl up the sky behind a couple of dark clouds.

What.. was going on? You felt like your thought process had already happened. You were having major deja-vu, like you could almost hear what you were supposed to be thinking about- what you were supposed to be doing so early in the morning- instead of noticing how similar this was. ...That might be because it's your own mind and you thinking out what your saying beforehand. But it still felt odd and wrong.

Just as you're about to think of what you're supposed to do at 4 a.m., a hesitant knock bounces on your door.

Untangling yourself from your quilt, and making sure you're decent underneath, you slowly creep to the door.

A tiny bit of you worried it was going to be either a robber, or worse, a confused drunkard -wow that was a familiar phrase. Had you thought of it before?-, was knocking on your door. You almost grab for your bat, hidden under your bed, but the knock happens again and you immediately realize who it is.

"Fri-" Before the door is even completely open, before the name is out of your mouth, a small body crashes hard into yours. It shakes as it holds your waist for dear life. You move to laugh softly and bend down to ask what's gotten into them so early in the morning-

But you're crying.

Fat tears are running down your cheeks and so much relief and happiness washes through you, your knees buckle from below. You fall into the child, holding them just as tightly, just as scared they'll disappear.

"Frisk," You force out, shaking hard. Just like the waves of emotions rushing through you, waves of memories that shouldn't be yours hit you.

Waking up just like you had today. Your mother drunk in the kitchen, Frisk scared, you being hit. A silly breakfast, a letter from your dad. You let Frisk outside and you bubbled yourself up in thought long enough for your mother to become sober and decide to end her life, long enough for Frisk to decide to disappear. Days, weeks, an entire month of searching for them. Losing everything, letting it all slip through your fingers.

… And then waking up the same way, but having a hazy remembrance.

"Frisk what… what happened?" The kid is unable to respond, their hands tightly balled in the fabric of your oversized night shirt. Their answer is suddenly not as important as holding on.

You pick up their still shaking body, their sobs muffled just barely on your shoulder, and leave your room. You walk past the kitchen, that you hear crashing in that can only be your mother, and instead make your way quickly to the living room.

Pulling over a folded fluffy blanket, you bundle both you and Frisk up, curling in on them on the couch and holding them in the warmth.

When they were ready to explain, they would tell you. For now, you needed to be there for the child.

For an hour, you two sat. Your mother at some point walked in. She was obviously very drunk still, but any cursing on her tongue was swallowed when she saw your bundled form. With something familiar in her eyes, she turned away and headed to her room.

Finally Frisk pulled themselves up, still sniffling and rubbing stray tears from their closed eyes. You set a hand on their cheek before moving it up and running it through their hair, a gesture that calmed them.

"You… remember?" Their hand shakes and you almost can't make out the signs.

"I remember… a lot." You confess slowly. "I remember today going a whole lot differently and I remember how the rest of this month played out." You twirl a lock of their brown hair. "Frisk, what happened?"

They go silent. Well, they stay silent, but their hands lower. It takes them more drawn out minutes to respond.

"I have to go and save my friends." Your brows furrowed as you sit straighter.

"Friends?"

"The monsters, in the underground." Frisk pauses, searching your face, but you wait for them to continue. "I want… No i'm determined to help them escape! I fall down there, today, just after I go outside. I have to go back."

They weren't telling you something. That couldn't be the entire story if they were trembling to the bone. Something had terrified them out of their mind. You would say the monsters but… Frisk said they were their friends. There was something else down there that scared them, something that made them almost look ready to sink into your hug instead of going back.

But Frisk was always the determined, and stubborn, kid.

"So the day you- well, today, you go to the mountain and end up in the Underground? And you go through there alone for an entire month while i'm up here? And-" You give a look. "Why are you so surprised I remember?" The kid purses their lips and ducks their head down in a small nod that ends with them hiding their face.

"I.. Can't really explain it, but no one remembers when I restart."

"...Restart?"

"I can start over if… if something happens to me. I've never been able to restart back here, before I fall in, though. I don't know why that happened." Frisk then hugs you again and you can tell that they are just as happy as you are to be together once more.

Maybe your sibling reliance was a little unhealthy.

….Nah.

You run your hand over the kids back.

"So you leave for a month, and as soon as your back you want to leave again?" The kid doesn't move. "...Do you plan to go without me?" They still make no move to sign. They were trying to put all the weight on themselves, too scared to ask you to come, because they didn't want to drag you into it.

For anyone else, you wouldn't believe them. That the legend of Mt. Ebott was real, that monsters and magic existed. You would tell them that it was a bad dream, ignoring your own memory.

But this was Frisk.

Frisk would never lie to you. Frisk wouldn't make up some story. Even- even with the slimmest chance this was a hoax, it was better to go along then chance the future to repeat. You remembered vividly the pain you felt losing the kid, and your mom and… and everything. It was a choice between the unknown, and the very painful and real known.

For you? Nothing could be worse than the known. You had already lost Frisk once, why would you chance losing them again without even trying to stop it?

"Before either of us do anything, we should eat." You watched Frisk grin as they lifted their head. They remembered that breakfast today meant an unholy amount of candy from your stash.

Instead of you leading them there, they all but dragged you, tripping over themselves and almost falling if not for your hand, to the kitchen, sitting themselves down at the island as you went to get the treats.

"Hey," You say as you reached into the cabinet for the dummy cereal boxes. "Whats a monster's favorite snack food?" You pulled the boxes down and set them before Frisk with a grin. "Ghoul scout cookies." You flipped the boxes over, expecting a rain of colorful candy to sweetly end your bad joke-

But that's not at all what happened.

Sure, it was colorful, and it was related to candy, but it was not your stash- not how you left it, anyways.

The colorful wrappers of your beloved candy haul fluttered to the table. Neither of you moved, both of you only able to stare at the remains. It took you a moment, actually, it took the box to fall from your slack grip, to snap back.

"Wha… But… I thought everything was reset…?" You raise a brow to Frisk, who looks utterly confused and crestfallen.

The answer hits you suddenly and you feel yourself deflate.

"This is why mom was rooting around in the kitchen so early. Looking for snack food and she found my stuff…"

"The first time around she heard us and came out but this time…" Frisk and you frowned heavily at each other at this conclusion. By habit, you turned to go check the fridge, as if it was magically restocked, but it was still empty. Along with all the number of cabinets you checked. You turn to Frisk.

"If… we go out and eat, and shop, first, would it mess up.. I don't know, a timeline or something?" Fris blinks slowly, letting your words sink in before giving an educated shrug.

"I don't know. Every time I reset i'm still in the Underground, so nothing is too different." You nodded, picking up what the kid was setting down. If they didn't go into the Underground at the same time Frisk did the first time, you couldn't be sure what could change. You had never been there, but Frisk seemed to have done multiple 'resets', meaning they knew more than you would.

"Hey," You, with one last ditch effort to find some food for the kid, check the freezer. Inside you almost cry at the sight at the breakfast hot pockets. You remember stuffing them in there when you had those long late night college studies and needed something in your stomach other than the dozen energy drinks. "Looky what I found." Pulling the box out, and after showing it off to the excited Frisk, you empty the four onto a plate. Ripping the plastic off, you set them into the microwave.

To match time, you decide to copy as much as you did the first time today happened. So, Maybe mom didn't yell and hit you, but that took up about the same amount of time snuggling with Frisk this go around had. Breakfast time is now a check as well.

"I'll get the mail." Frisk nodded, practically vibrating in their seat as they hopped around in front of the microwave.

Tugging on your boots and sweater, you lean out of the doorway to reach into the mailbox. The wind racks through you, chilling you to the bone even when you immediately duck back into the warmth of your home.

Taking your place next to Frisk, who now had the pockets of molten lava in front of them. The kid poked them once in a while, hissing when it hurt to even touch the outer layer. You rolled your eyes, grinning at the cutie.

"Think those are hot?" Frisk nodded. "I don't know. They can't be as hot as you." They snorted loudly, making you crack a large smile.

It fell quickly though when you looked to the envelopes in your hands. Already knowing what letter was hidden inside, you decide to throw the whole bundle away. You weren't up to reading what your dad had said again. Just seeing the letter peek at you at the bottom of the trash made your heart sink and your mind want to wander. Your brain was up to another 6 hours of sitting and thinking, but you couldn't put Frisk or your Mom through that. You had to stay clear headed.

"Mn." Your (e/c) eyes went to Frisk, who had scarfed down three of the hot pockets as soon as they had cooled. "Wanna go play outside?" Before you could answer, just like last time, Frisk was already running off to change into their complete outfit. You took this time to officially get ready as well.

Making it back to your room, you quickly pull out the bag you used for college. Turning it upside down on your bed you watch everything you needed for classes fall out and scatter. Quickly, you toss in a pair of shorts, and then a couple shirts. The sturdy jeans you were about to throw on could last you days. Plus, who only wears jeans once? On top of your clothes you threw any class snacks back in from the pile of discarded school supplies. A few cheez-itz packets and granola bars. The good bars chocked full of sweets that is. The rest was free space. Wasn't like you were planning on staying for long.

Maybe Frisk took a month, restarting multiple times below, but you were keen on saving their friends in a single week. You were going to go in and get out in the time of a week, no matter who got in your way. You weren't super rehearsed in the ways of the Underground, since it had been a legend to you until today, but for all you know some monsters could be, well, monsters. You didn't know if all monsters were hostile, if they all were but Frisk's friends, or if they were all cuddly fluffy butts. Whichever one it was, you weren't going to just walk in without some way to protect Frisk. Look, the monsters had to have been sealed up for some good reason, right? So, after changing into jeans and a thick long sleeve, you slipped on your backpack and pulled out your old metal baseball bat. It was a trophy you never left home without.

…

Okay well, you left it at home all the time since you started college. College baseball just wasn't for you, not with how much you had to be there for Frisk and your mother. Plus, maybe you missed playing, but you had really messed up your shoulder at your last game at highschool and couldn't play as well since. Your mini dream died there.

You strut out of your room with the bat slipped into a pocket on your bag. Instead of immediately going back to the kitchen, you pause at your mother's room.

You… couldn't just leave without saying something. In the original way today played out, your mom decided that the world would be better without her in it and took her life. Maybe eating your candy was a big enough switch to fix it, or maybe seeing you and Frisk snuggling was what helped, but you couldn't be sure. You had to say something, something that maybe could change her mind.

Your knuckles tap softly on her door.

"Mom," You pause. "I know you can hear me." There was rustling, but the noises stopped just in front of the door. She was standing there, probably nursing the beginning of her turning sober for the day, wrapped in her giant quilt, just staring at the door knob. "Mom….Me and, and Frisk are going to go out. We'll be gone for the rest of the week… and if worse comes to worst, for the rest of the month. We're just going on a little… Vay'kay is all. We'll be back, I promise." You pause again, hoping it didn't sound like a shitty excuse for you and Frisk running off. "I swear to you we'll come back. Okay? So...Stay strong, and safe, while we're gone. We… We love you so much mom. I-I know sometimes me and you don't show it as much as we should towards each other but I love you, and I know you love me." You wait longer this time for a reply, hoping she'll give you… something. Just a noise or a 'go away', was enough. It meant she listened. Other than telling her how you felt there was nothing else you could do for her. If you suddenly barged into her room yelling about how much she was worth she'd knock you out cold. Plus, getting to your mom was different than others. Big speeches and rants weren't her cups of tea. The little things, the small 'i love you's, and 'good morning', is what got her. Hopefully your mini speech was more on the small 'i love you' side than the preachy one.

"I...Love you too." The words, which you weren't expecting, were quiet but warm. They surprised you so much you almost forgot you were supposed to be traveling to a legendary underground full of monsters that were supposed to be sealed in with magic. Almost When you snapped out of it, you could faintly hear your mom climbing into bed and Frisk making noises from the room over. You left with your heart swelling and a smile on your lips.

Reaching the living room you find Frisk at the door, struggling with their boots. Kneeling in one swift step, you help pull their boots on, and then your own matching pair.

"You ready, kid?" You ask as you stand back up. Frisk looked down at themselves, pat's their pockets, and then looks up with a big grin.

For a moment, it wavers.

"What's that for?" Frisk asked, pointing to the bat after signing.

"For protection, if we need it." Their frown makes you scramble for a better explanation, one that the kid would like. "M-More of..a.. A good luck charm! You saw me beat all those games with this bat, it's good luck for me." Frisk pouted, staying at the stained bat for a moment longer before nodding and smiling up at you. Reaching out, they silently ask for your hand, which you happily slip into theirs. Or, well, your hand consumed Frisk's. Unsure if it was because you had big hands, or you had small ones and Frisk's were tiny. Maybe you just had normal hands compared to a 3rd grader, you weren't quite sure. It wasn't like you spent time around others enough to see if you had large, medium, or small hands.

"Follow the yellow brick road," You say, stepping out into the cold with Frisk in tow, headed towards Mt. Ebott.

"Yellow road?"

"...Remind me to buy us some classic movies when we get back."

It didn't take long to find the giant ass hole in the mountain that Frisk fell into the first day. Seriously, you were surprised that the kid fell in "by accident". It was pitch black, like a void sucking in all life. There was no way to miss it...Which sadly backed up the idea that Frisk had stumbled into it with purpose.

"So… We… Do what now?" You wonder out loud, kicking in a rock by your foot into the pit, trying to use that old movie trick to see how deep the thing was.

"We fall." You give Frisk a look. "I'm serious."

"I know. That's what freaks me out. We literally just… just jump in? Did you get hurt from the fall?" Frisk shook their head, pulling on your hand towards the pit.

You just now heard the rock clatter below.

"Yeah. No. You know, why don't we just get a rope or somet-" Your words are cut off as you suddenly feel the world tip.

Except it's not the world, but you. Looking up, you watch Frisk fall in just behind, smiling cheekily from having just pushed you themself.

Your vision went black.