A/N: Dang, this editing project is taking me so long! With being back in school, my personal writing has to take the backseat. I'm sorry, guys. But, I'm not giving up!

All lives matter, my loves. Be kind and generous to all!

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7:

Safe and Sound

Sans, Asriel

(Third POV)

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Sans the Skeleton hated work with a passion. He was always lazy, but being a few feet from the door leading to his beautiful Frisk made this more challenging.

The skeleton stood at his station as his phalanges tapped impatiently on the wood with a deep scowl placed across his teeth. He watched as monsters laughed and strolled by him; burning hatred scorched his soul. He knew hating the couples for something like that was unfair. But Sans couldn't help it, seeing their happiness as they held onto each other, enjoying their love. It stung deep.

It just reminded the skeleton of what he used to have, joking with Frisk as they made their way to Grillbs'.

So, yeah, Sans hated to work even more now. But he had a job to do, a part to play. This made him miss the time before Frisk fell, hating that feeling. But being able to search for her distracted him from the hole in his chest and kept his mind busy from the searing pain.

This was just torture, watching other lovers and wishing he was them.

Sans growled before taking a gulp of mustard and leaned back on the shelf of the old station. His eyes were trained on the Gate, just hoping to see a glimpse of her:

It had been months now, and even though Asriel gave him reports about her progress, the skeleton just wanted to see her eyes on him again, to have her smile at him once more. He wanted to have her love again, but Sans didn't have much faith left. He only had the dark thoughts, doubts, and loneliness, from the long years without her gentle love.

Again, the skeleton feared that he would never have the proper ending he wanted. He would be alone and without his little one forever.

The endless loop continues, he thought with a dulled amusement while the ancient skeleton popped a cigarette between his sharp teeth. With a exhale of smoke, he turned his sockets to the town's entrance as he smirked harshly. He was so close to getting just a glimpse of his desired end, and then something throws reality back at him. Constantly reminding the now-skeptical skeleton that there might not be a happy ending for them, only the hope of one.

Sans idly wondered if this was his punishment for all his sins. He loved the one he once killed, and now, he was slowly destroyed by the hole she leaves. If the male was honest, it was a fitting punishment:

"BROTHER! ARE YOU BEING A LAZY SACK OF BONES AGAIN?!"

The shout broke the dark spell instantly. Sans turned to see his cinnamon roll of a brother stumbling towards his big brother, a grin stretched over his face. Paps probably sensed his depression before leaving for his own job with Undyne at Asgore's castle, so Papyrus came to check on him.

Their relationship slowly improved, but there were hurt feelings on both sides—Sans, reliving the bullying from Papyrus. And Papyrus, well, hated that his brother pushed him away the first months without Frisk. But, they knew petty fighting wouldn't break their bond so quickly.

After all, they were brothers. No matter how annoyed the brothers would get at each other, it would never stop them from loving each other. Besides, the Angel of Monsters would be sad if she knew they were still distant from together, which helped as well.

No one wanted her sad, especially not now. They wanted Frisk's total return to be happy:

"'Course not, bro, I'm working myself down to the bone."

"G!"

He chuckled around his lit cigarette, enjoying the sight of Pappy rolling his slightly lit sockets, before sighing as the young skeleton came to stand next to him and leaned on the polar of the Snowdin's entrance:

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you; I just was worried about you, brother. How are you doing?" Sans sighed, rubbing his face while he thought of how to phrase it, so Paps wouldn't worry any further.

"I'm fine, Pappy. It's just hitting me hard today. I just miss Frisk so much." The older Skeleton brother whispered lowly, hating that he sounded so weak again, but he couldn't bring himself to care as a few stray tears disobeyed him.

Papyrus sucked on his teeth, not knowing how to soothe his beloved brother. However, at the same time, he knew there was nothing he could say that could stop the pain. How could anyone but Frisk soothe him? All she needed to give his brother a sweet smile, or the human could calm him with a single touch of a hand.

But, she wasn't fully healed from her injuries yet. As days grew on, Papyrus would pray Frisk would rush to his brother, only to be met with an even more broken Sans:

Papyrus asked Asriel once why he couldn't just heal her, and then the wait would end. Sadly, in this world, wounds from the outer world couldn't be healed. So, the monster family couldn't do a thing but wait. All they could do was hope that the older brother wouldn't go insane from the loneliness. Hoping that they wouldn't lose both.

Papyrus breathed a sigh, touching Sans' cheek to force him to meet his sockets, before leaning his forehead against his as he brushed the tears clean. If anyone didn't know them, they could think that the orange cinnamon roll was the older brother in this position:

"G, dear brother, I know I don't understand how deeply her absence hurts you. No one can. But just keep hope, not for me. But for the human. You don't want her sad, don't you? If you give up now, she would be alone; she might have us. But, we both know it wouldn't mean anything to her if you aren't beside her."

The younger skeleton hoped that reminding his brother of how much he means to Frisk would help Sans. Maybe it would strengthen his hold on his hope until she returns to him. Because Pappy had a growing feeling that the human will be there in no time.

And, thankfully, it seemed to work as Sans pulled his little brother into a bear hug, rubbing his head teasingly. G pulled back and rubbed his head, smiling softly while Pappy slapped playfully at Sans' hands.

His brother was right. He couldn't hold back a grin. Sans released a low chuckle as he watched while the innocent skeleton puffed his cheeks in annoyance. Sans just couldn't give up on her. Not after all they went through together, not after her fight to come back to the Kingdom of Monsters.

He will make sure this would be it, the actual ending they were waiting for and looking for. This would be it.

But the peace didn't last long.

"I said let her go! You know the punishment for disobeying me! LET HER GO!" A familiar voice growled, echoing to the playing brothers:

"Is that—"

"Asriel…...yeah, that sounds like…..."

"Oh, come on! Asriel, we can be free with its soul! Think about the monsters for once! You are our Prince, for the Queen's sake!"

Another rougher voice shouted, sounding like whoever it belonged to was struggling with something. And a second later, the brothers knew what as a feminine scream ripped through the air. The cry sent Sans' nonexistent blood to a boil as his aura slowly brightened, barely hearing Papyrus' gasp before his boots hit the pathway.

"Brother, wait!"

That stupid dog will burn, he growled loudly in the halls of his mind as he shouted over his shoulder:

"Paps, go back! She can't see you yet! Go!"

Sans didn't bother to see if his brother obeyed. His attention was on the near figures ahead of him, his anger tinting everything red as the sight came fully into view. Sans saw Asriel trying to keep Drake's greedy paws away from Frisk's shining soul; it flowed high and proud above her chest as she hung unconscious over that stupid dog's arms.

But, the Prince was growing tired; his attacks were faltering as he growled out breathlessly.

"Damn it, Drake! That girl will save us! Now, this is your last chance, stand down and give her to me! That is an order from your Prince!"

"Oh, a human who will save monster kind? That's hilarious! You are insane if you believe that. Gaster was right; your family has gotten soft. Looks like it's up—"

At the mention of Gaster's name, Sans' control broke as he called her soul, fighting the urge to blast his ass all over the path.

However, that strength disappeared when Frisk was safe in his arms. Once the flower was neatly cradled in his hold, he growled loudly, like a wolf protecting its pup.

Asriel shuddered at the sight. Sans looked as if he were about to dust Drake's body and sparked his ashes in Hotland's lava. Erasing any sign that he even lived. And for the first time in his life, Asriel finally realized something terrifying:

They were monsters.

Ready to destroy anything that harmed their dear ones, and they did without mercy. As much as the young Prince loathed the dog creature, Asriel pitied Drake a bit. For there is no monster scarier than Sans when he is angry.

And that pity grew as a low growl fell from the dog's lips. Drake wouldn't be so brave in a few, the Prince gulped while he watched Drake turned to the very angry skeleton. The growl quickly faded into a whimper as a glowing yellow bone stopped inches from Drake's face. The goat's frown deepened while Sans stalked forward, his sole pupil glowed like the sun as a creepy grin spread across his teeth:

"Drakey, Drakey, I thought you learned your lesson last time. Do I have to teach you more manners? And to not listen to Gaster?"

"G, I just wanted to save—" The dog creature stammered out, his hands up in a gesture of surrender while he backed up. But it was too late. He was too deep as the grin on Sans' face grew while he strode closer and closer, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

"Drake, dude, you would know by now," Sans' voice grew deeper with every step.

In a moment of temporary sanity, Sans gently handed his sweetheart to her brother as he pressed a tender kiss to her temple before he turned back to the cowering dog monster. The skeleton's sockets blazed brighter as his dragons stood behind his shoulders, ready for an order, while he spoke once more:

"I won't believe anyone who hurt my loved ones," Sans growled deeply, sending a bone to pin him by his wife-beater to a tree, and he stepped closer to the mutt, him leaning down to the dog's eye level:

"Now, you have one chance. What did Gaster tell you?"

-.-.-.-.-

Asriel flinched, slowly sitting down with Frisk in his lap. The goat creature watched the scene unfold in front of him, hoping Sans wouldn't go too far with that stupid dog.

But, thankfully, Frisk was there; she was his moral compass. Even if Frisk was far in dreamland, her mere presence had an effect on her, almost calming his anger to a point. G would never bloody his hands in her company.

However, Asriel knew he wouldn't let Drake off the hook so quickly. Not with Gaster's name mentioned. No good came from his name.

This was why everyone was so worried for Sans when he first announced the deal. A deal with the mad scientist only meant good for him and only him, no matter what flowery promises his words held. And the family knew the thing Gaster wanted the most was his sons back under his control. But even after Sans agreed to his deal, the skeleton refused to behave like the perfect little child the older monster desired.

The mad scientist wasn't known to give in easily, however. He would try anything to get what the father wanted. If he talked around to the Snowdin monsters, that meant Gaster was attempting to get Sans' attention. And it worked.

"He just said the Royals wouldn't get the last soul we need. We should just take it and save ourselves; I just wanted to be a hero!" The dog whimpered loudly, cowering when the skeleton put another bone against his neck, and a growl escaped from the walls of his throat:

"So, he told you to murder an innocent soul, one that didn't hurt any monster, and YOU listened?"

"How do you know it didn't?! It might have!"

Sans scowled deeply, grabbing him from the tree, and turned to the Prince. Asriel pinned his own glare on the shuddering dog monster now. That statement made the two males angrier than ever before the start of this situation. This mutt didn't have a clue about this precious human:

Because throughout the Ruins, she never once harmed a monster, not even when they wanted to fight her and take her soul. Frisk would just smile tenderly and do whatever she had to calm them down. And that was even more clearer when their mother had to attack her. The goat mother once did it to comfort her worries before letting her daughter go deeper into the Monsters' world.

But now, she was forced to play her part. This was more of a sick play for Error to laugh and mock at. But Frisk just kept on smiling with each blow. How could anyone hate a creature so sweet?

Drake made two enemies at that moment, two powerful enemies. If Asriel wasn't so angry, he would've gotten back gone to feeling bad for him. Almost.

"You see Asriel, alive and well? And, Assy, tell Mr. D and I, did the human kill anyone in the Ruins?" Sans required, gesturing to the sleeping girl in the goat's arms a bit harsh. Asriel growled as he resituated Frisk against the tree. The Prince pressed a kiss to Frisk's head before he turned back to the pair with flames dancing from his ambers and hands:

"Why, no, G. She was so sweet, but she was so fucking scared, and this ass made that worse. Do you know how long it took us to soothe her fears?" The goat sneered.

Sans turned and rose a nonexistent eyebrow; his cutting glare deepened as the sneer on his face became even more animalistic.

"Oh? She didn't kill anyone? My, what do you call that then?" Sans scowled deeper, cocking his head as he tightened his hold on the creature's shirt collar.

"I believe that is what you call innocence, G."

The goat monster watched as the skeleton's false calm attitude melted away as he slammed the beast against the nearest tree and put his face close to his as Sans' growly voice grew even more demonic with every word. If he was honest, Asriel couldn't bring himself to care about the shivering monster anymore. Asriel's anger still burned brightly from the realization that Drake hurt her. This was a fair punishment for what he did.

Popping up when he knew he was with Frisk. And that she was too weak to fight any stronger monsters with the way she faced any fight. Asriel knew that she would have to eventually as they went on, but he thought they had more time to prepare her for it.

However, being the dumb dog Drake is, he didn't think about the effect his actions would have. Not only for him but for the other 'guard' dogs. Because if the dumbest of them attacked them so early, why wouldn't the smarter ones later?

After he got the flower settled with the Skeleton Brothers and she trusted them, which the goat monster wasn't worried about, he would see his father about this. Something must be done, and it must be now:

And apparently, Sans had the same thought as him while he growled out the following words:

"See? She didn't do a thing to anyone! I want you to know that the next time you meet. Better yet, why won't you tell the other monsters that Gaster talked to this warning; if anyone goes hard on her just like you did, they would have a visit from Asriel or me. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes, sir! I'm sorry, I didn't know you knew it."

"HER! She is a female, for stars' sake!" Sans screamed angrily as he threw the dog into the snow. The skeleton watched Drake stumble away with a sneer; an annoyed breath slipped from his mouth. Sans shook his head, turning to his soul brother as he stuffed his hands into his jeans:

"You ok, kiddo?" He asked, feeling weird pinning the nickname on someone else.

But, it felt odd calling her that now, something so causal, so innocent. Sans' love for her might be pure, but Sans knew it wasn't as innocent as it used to be, causing him to cringe at the thought. The name was too innocent for the intense feelings, so Asriel was dubbed kid and kiddo now.

Asriel sighed deeply as he made his way to where the flower laid and gently guided her soul back into her body. After he pressed a soft kiss to Frisk's cheek, Sans rubbed his neck while he shifted his gaze up to the towering skeleton with a guilty expression placed on his face while he moved from his crouched position to meet his sockets:

"Yes, he just surprised me. Poor Frisk, though, she was doing so great, but I think the sudden attack brought back some memories. I'm sorry, G, I tried to protect her, but that mutt didn't want to listen to reason."

Sans frowned in anger. His eyes moved to Drake's fading figure with a soft flame glowing from his eye. He wanted to rip his head off; Asriel could tell as he watched Sans' fists shake slightly. But the skeleton thankfully decided against it as he turned his back on the cowardly monster, a scowl turning into a slight smile before he placed a hand on the younger monster's shoulder:

"As, don't sweat it, we all know there would be dumb asses who would follow the old rules, not the peaceful ones. But, what I'm worried the most about here is my loving 'father.'"

After that truth, the males stood silent as their eyes fell upon the sleeping beauty; fear slowly took hold of them at the thought of Gaster. Rumors and Sans' own words painted the former scientist quite the sadist, using pain to further his experiments' progress. And honestly, it was as much as for his sick entertainment. The thought of him touching the innocent flower turned both of their stomachs, but Asriel had a sad feeling that the skeleton was feeling even worse than the goat did.

He might carry guilt for this, bringing him into their lives. He just wanted to protect Frisk, but instead, he might have caused her more danger:

If he was still the brutally honest plant monster, Asriel would have laid into him and tell him that he led the older skeleton right to Frisk. But he knew that would make things worse; the goat monster didn't want to cause his best friend any more pain. The skeletal beast was beating himself up enough then it is.

With a sigh, Asriel pushed that thought out of his mind. He didn't have time to focus on those doubts. Not when they were so close. So, the goat just smiled as he held his arm as a gesture of comfort and winked playfully.

"Well, right now, don't worry about that. This is finally happening. Frisk is here now."

The skeleton chuckled softly; his mood lightly turned into a happier one. He moved his sockets down to the slightly wiggling girl, a cape protecting her from the bitter cold. Asriel noticed Frisk tied Sans' jacket at her hips before they left:

He had to hide a smile when she asked whose it was. If only she knew.

"It looks like she will wake up soon," Sans noted, shifting his eyes away, calling Asriel's attention back to the other monster. He held a yellow tint danced across his cheeks at the thought of her meeting him, but Asriel sensed other thoughts worried him more.

"Did she remember anything on the way here? About you or your mom?"

The other male sighed, wanting to give him some good news, but he didn't think this would comfort him:

"I think she is remembering some, but only in snippets. I think this will take time."

Sans sucked on his teeth, trying to stay calm. But his friend could tell the idea sent his soul to a stop. He wished, only for a moment, things turned out differently, but this was where they stood now. With the same thoughts housed in their minds:

He had to act as if he didn't love her? Just be like they were before this happened? For stars know how long?

At times like this, the goat prince hated Error. He hated him for putting him and his family through this torture, to interact with the beautiful flower but to know that she didn't remember them; they had to start over. However, he had to remember he did give them an excellent chance to save her and get their happy ending.

It seemed that the skeleton felt the same way. Sans just breathed an annoyed breath in and nodded slowly, giving up on the thought and decided to move on.

"I guess that should be right. Error wouldn't make this that easy." Sans mumbled, scratching his cheek before he gave a slight grin to Asriel as he backed up to his station:

"Anyway, now that Drake is dealt with, I should get into place. It's been a while. It'll be so fun."

He flashed a more enormous grin as his hand came up to reveal a whoopee cushion in his holed hand before he ran back. Asriel chuckled just as Frisk stirred back to consciousness.

Asriel quickly returned his gaze back onto her. With a hum, he knelt to her side, soothing her loose strands as her bright eyes opened. Startled, Frisk gasped, and she jumped up as her eyes darted around him. The goat tried to soothe her as he forced her into a comforting hug with Frisk struggling to run and hide:

"Sweet girl, shh, I got you. That mutt is gone. He's gone. I'm here." He whispered softly, running a paw through her hair.

They stayed like that for a few more moments, but he didn't mind, really. He liked moments like this, him comforting this fragile girl until her fears disappeared. He felt like an actual brother, soothing his own loneliness.

But, soon, the brunette calmed down and pulled back. A small smile appeared on Frisk's face after a moment as she thanked him with her tiny hands. The goat grinned, ruffling the braided brown hair as he stepped back, jerking his head down the path:

"If you feel better, we should probably get into town before its gate closes. You're tired, and I am sure you'll want to sleep in a bed for a while before we continue on."

Frisk grinned suddenly, nodding eagerly. Without any doubt in her eyes, Frisk ran ahead, leaving her brother to stand there in confusion and shock.

What the hell?

He questioned as he ran after the giggling girl. Was she that eager to rest?

"Frisk! Slow down! You are going to trip. Why are you running—"

As he shouted out to her, he saw Sans' shadow slowly loomed closer to her; her feet carried her near to the gate. Asriel's eyes widened, cocking his head to the side. He watched her expression grew more and more eager as she neared Snowdin's entrance:

Something was happening. Frisk knew something.

Asriel just stopped and hid behind a nearby tree, peeking out as Sans neared behind the panting girl, reaching his hand out in a shake before his deep voice echoed throughout the forest:

"Hey, dove, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."