Two Worlds, Two Souls

Chapter 15: Skeletal Hiatus

Angel's Point of View:

I was stuck with that depressing illness all the way up until Wednesday before I could finally stay awake longer than thirty seconds and think more than two.

It was a long battle, much of it I hardly remembered other than Sans and Frisk taking care of me during the times when I was able to escape the haze. It felt like a constant struggle, one where I had no energy to fight and just simply had no hope of waking. It actually was a bit scary when I thought about it, I could have starved if it wasn't for Frisk and Sans shoving soup down my throat from Grillby.

Finally as the end of the week approached did I have the energy to properly wake up, greet them, and clean up. The first day I awoke I didn't leave the bathroom for quite a while… After that, I was alert and quite happy to spend some more time with Sans and my sister, enjoying our normal routine of playing games, watching TV, and exploring Snowdin.

In one of our most recent outings, Sans had pointed out the library only a short walk from Grillby's. It was in a direction that Papyrus and Captain Undyne didn't seem to traverse much so Sans suggested it as a location that he thought would be safe besides the inn while we stayed here. It would be good to get Frisk back into studying and seeing what I could do for work since our cash was beginning to become scarcer with our living at the inn.

And I refused to let Sans pay for me to stay.

If I was going to be staying in the underground like any other person down here, I expected to work or do a job of some sort to pay my way by. The inn, thankfully, didn't change all that much so if I made enough, I could possibly just stay there. The rabbit monster didn't seem to have a problem with Frisk and I staying there for nearly a week and as long as we paid her, she turned a blind eye, even if I knew she seemed to be glaring at the skeleton that came to visits us daily.

So that was how Frisk and I were spending a lazy Saturday, spending our time at the library (which had its name spelled wrong for some reason…) to get Frisk back up to speed on her normal subjects of math, science, English and history (even if that would be difficult since we only had monster history books down in the underground.)

"Sis!" I lifted my head from the book on monster history I had laid out in my lap and was taking notes for to glance at my sister who was at the table, books everywhere around her along with papers as she practiced her math.

"Need help Frisky?"

"Yeah… this problem is really hard with the fractions."

I giggled and hurried over to her with a pencil already in hand. "Here, let me show you how to do these problems again, okay?"

Frisk pouted as she glanced up at me. "Thanks Angel…"

"It's okay Frisk. I might be good at math, but that doesn't mean I like it all that much."

My poor sister dreaded numbers and whatnot as she worked on. Frisk was an expressive person who preferred action. She was a very social person after all and often couldn't find it in her to shut up. It was one of the most endearing things I both loved and dreaded about her (only on certain occasions of course). I hated having to take that away from her when we first ran and she was hardly the age of eight.

I hoped that this would be my chance to change all of that.

"See, that's how you do it Frisk." I carefully showed her how to organize the numbers on her paper so that it made it a lot easier to solve. Once they were organized, my sister's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh!" Frisk hurriedly grabbed the pencil from my fingers and completed the problem in record time. When she pulled back, she flashed a grin to show me just how proud she was that she figured it out after my small intervene of help. "I got it done!"

"Yes, and you got it right." I ruffled her messy locks while she giggled at me. I glanced over her paper and blinked in surprise when she'd finally finished the work I'd given her about an hour prior. "Well it seems your work is done here, little sister."

"Yes!" Frisk pumped her fist into the air before she jumped from her seat. "Does that mean I don't have to study anymore today?"

"Yes, that's right." Frisk hurriedly gathered up her papers and items and threw them into her bag haphazardly. I rolled my eyes at her before I let her throw her bag over her shoulder and she began eagerly pulling on my arm.

"Can we stop at the playground and see if any kids are there? Please?"

I sighed, but somehow it managed to come out like a laugh instead. Sans had been kind enough to show us on the other side of town (away from where Papyrus and Captain Undyne would train) where a local playground was, partly covered in powdery snow. My sister was so thrilled to see it that she leapt at the chance to use the swings or the slide that she hardly listened to me, not being truly able to use anything like that since she was four years younger and still attending school in the human world above.

Even if my sister hadn't made many friends yet or had the chance to play with anyone, I knew she was eager to see if anyone would be there now that we were moving about Snowdin a bit more than before. She and I would travel on occasion to the markets and inspect their produce, even if I couldn't afford to buy much now, at a later date, hopefully I could once we made a home and had a steady flow of money.

I would need a job before that would happen, however… I hoped to see Sans again soon to have him help me with something in Snowdin.

Speaking of the skeleton, I hadn't heard from him the last few days since my symptoms had begun to improve. I was worried that perhaps I'd gotten him sick after taking care of me, but he hadn't seemed ill at the time… I only assumed he was busy taking care of his brother or keeping up his appearance as a guard. Lord knows he hadn't been keeping his job in first place the last two weeks…

"I suppose we could take and stop." I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind to appease my sister and think of something new. "It's far too early to be cooped up in a hotel room."

"Yay!" Frisk latched onto me, nail digging into my unmarked skin and quickly yanked me from where I stood. "Let's go!"

I couldn't stop the laughter that escaped me. I was thankful that the books I borrowed I'd already checked out when I had the chance since I knew my sister would be overly energetic to leave schooling behind her. She wanted to play, and the eagerness to meet other children her own age and actually play was something she was eager for.

Frisk led me down the street, hardly giving me much of a moment to catch my breath before we made it to the playground that she'd been eager to check on. She released me as soon as she entered the space and hurried onto the swings to let herself be carried through the air much like Sans had done with his magical abilities. It was so invigorating to see her acting like a child once more rather than not.

I was also thankful that we weren't anywhere near where Captain Undyne or Papyrus would be.

"Mom! Mom! Look!" I lifted my head from where I watched Frisk to see a set of bears approach, a little girl and a mother along with a strange lizard like kid of yellow coloring and not having arms seemed to follow behind them. "There's another kid here! Can we play?"

"Go on you two." The two small children quickly ran toward Frisk and I watched curiously as they went to greet her. Frisk glanced back at me momentarily with an excited, yet slightly worried look to her eyes. I motioned her off to them and she squealed before the three children hurried over to the slide. I couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped me at seeing her so happy.

"I don't believe I've seen you around here before." I turned from my sister and the other children to see the adult female monster standing before me. Her fluffy fur looked incredibly warm, even while she wore a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and a scarf. Her warm eyes of coal color looked at me in quite the motherly way. "I hope I don't sound rude, but you look a bit young to be a mother of a child."

I couldn't help the scoff that escaped me. "Sister."

"I see. Are you new to Snowdin? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Yes, my sister and just came here in the last week." I held out a hand for her to shake, eager at the possibility of making another monster acquaintance who seemed very pleasant. "I'm Angel, and my little sister playing with your children is Frisk."

"Oh!" The woman held back a laugh. "I've heard of 'Angel' a time or two, but never 'Frisk'. Tell me, is that a foreign name or a nickname?"

"Nickname, Frisk absolutely despises her real name."

"My children are with her then one hundred percent!" The bear laughed. "Oh, forgive me, I never introduced myself! I'm Maria, and my little ones over there are my daughter Milly and my son MK."

"Nicknames as well I assume?"

"Yes, very much so!" The bear gave a good laugh before she spotted a bench. "Perhaps we could sit together while we watch the children?"

"Sure."

The woman led me over to where she had pointed out only moments prior. She sat down first before I took the spot next to her, only a foot or two away. The bench felt cold from the wintery wind, but I had bundled up in the thick jacket Toriel had given me. It kept me warm, even as dry air raced past me, chilling my skin and feeling the shivers in my spine.

"So, Angel? What brings you to Snowdin?"

"Starting my hand at a new life, to be honest." I sighed and let my eyes drift to Frisk who was happily making friends with my watching from a short distance away. She was still nervous about meeting new people. I knew that after her interactions she told me about with Sans when I was ill and wasn't sure what was okay to tell him or not. However, each passing day brought about more trust to the two of us who seemed to lack it for so long. "We... had a rough patch that left me looking after my sister, now I'm trying to find work here in Snowdin so that I can raise her and send her back to school finally."

"Oh dear! That sounds dreadful!" Maria held a hand over her mouth to hide the audible gasp. "Well, many of us understand just how terrible life can be. My family has had its own share of struggles all its own."

I cast a glance to Maria who had her eyes focused in on me. She reminded me of a more social Toriel. She seemed to be more on a friendly level with me rather than feeling like she was a level above me, much like Toriel seemed to be, in my mind anyway.

"I bet," I nodded to her slowly. "Everyone has their own struggles. That's just the way the world works."

"It's good to see a bright young woman like yourself realize that at such a young age." Maria gave me an enticing smile. However, her eagerness faded as a thought past her. "I'm more than willing to guess that you've had a tough upbringing to know that, haven't you?"

I turned away from her, but my silence was more than enough of an answer.

I felt bad not replying to her, but it felt like she understood. Many of the monsters that I could feel around me were kind and gentle, truly only caring about their families rather than the new girls who had wandered into town. I hoped that this would prove true with many of the others I was slowly revealing myself to rather than just Sans, Beatrice and Grillby.

It would be nice to make the circle of friends bigger...

"Sorry about that Angel, I know just how hard it is to open up to those you don't know or that are entire strangers to you." Maria sighed before she then glanced out to the children as well. "My darling MK has had it rough as well, so I even partly understand the pain your going through right now."

"I see…" I didn't want to pry onto the kind woman who'd decided to speak with me. I simply acknowledged her comment and let it sit a bit more stiffly in the air. Not sure how else to respond, I simply focused in on Frisk who had gathered the other children into a snowball fight of sorts. The child without arms, MK, seemed to be struggling with it since he couldn't make any snow balls, so he stuck to my sister's side as she launched rapidly at Milly who hid behind the slide.

"So, how much of town have you seen?" Maria's sudden question had me looking back at her, pulling myself back out from my thoughts.

"Oh… yes my sister and I have been staying at the inn, so Bernie has been very helpful with letting us stay until I get a job. I've seen the library, which is where we just came from after Frisk's lesson today. I've also seen Grillby's where we eat most of our meals and I've seen the market place, but without a place to cook or much money, I can't really buy much from where yet."

"Has anyone been showing you around town?"

"Yes, Sans the skeleton."

"…Truly?"

I blinked at her at her hesitation. "Is something the matter?"

"Not be rude to you, but you… are a human, correct?"

My happier mood instantly flattened. So it seemed she was able to deduce I was a human.

The look on my face seemed to make her press on. "Sans is a good soul, kind and humorous, however, he is a guard that does patrol for humans daily. He also… is very guarded. It's not like him to welcome someone so easily from what I've seen of him since he was young. That's more of a trait of his brother, Papyrus, who sees the good in us all, even some of the worst kinds of monsters."

That comment made me blink. I never knew that Sans was so guarded with his emotions to others around him or that he would be more likely to turn us in. The new information made me quite confused as I sat at the bench with Maria.

Sans… I trusted him. It had been months since I first met him and I couldn't feel anywhere in his soul that he'd betray me. So why was it that this information made me so unsteady? Was it fear that I started to doubt my friend? I didn't want to doubt him. He'd been there and helped us through so much… I couldn't fathom not trusting him.

"Oh dear… I'm sorry Angel." I glanced back up Maria who worriedly held her paws before her mouth. "I didn't mean to upset you, it just seemed so out of character for Sans to do such a thing, especially since he began taking on so many jobs to support his brother."

Curiosity came over me. "What do you mean?"

"Sans used to work a plethora of jobs in order to keep his home and raise his brother when they were young. I can't remember how many he used to do, but in the past I remember him often doing patrol along with working at the local stores in town. When he got older and his comedy seemed to really shine, he began doing some acts at the capital instead in most recent years, but he always seemed to work so many jobs to keep up everything like it was for Papyrus after their father died."

"So they have no father?" A sudden feeling of sadness came over me for Sans. "What of a mother?"

"She died long ago, I'm not sure how she passed, I was only a teen at the time and didn't pay attention when I should have." Maria sighed. "The poor boys have certainly been through a lot, they only have each other… Perhaps that's why Sans has accepted you? Maybe it's because the two of you are quite a bit alike, although, you're a bit more approachable then Sans."

"He's not easy to approach?"

"Many of us in Snowdin remember when his father passed. It was a dark time for them and only Papyrus could get him to come out of his slump. I'm sure he was depressed back then, but none of us know for certain. Sans isn't all that forthcoming about how he feels. He's a very closed off person, only even remotely opening up to Papyrus, but even the younger brother worries for him at times…"

"I see…"

I felt terrible asking all of these questions about the friend of mine when it sounded like he was so guarded. I'd always felt in the back of my mind or that he was very defensive, even if he was such a good friend to me and Frisk. He was careful with what he told us, but apparently we meant enough to him in order for him to give us tips and tricks to avoid capture and pain. He'd helped us find food, shelter, and a town to begin our difficult journey to live in the underground world.

"Speak of the devil...!" Maria gasped as she stood from her seat just as one of the skeleton brothers hurried past, and not the one I was more familiar with.

Papyrus hurried past the playground with paper bags in hand and a worried look to his skull. No brother stood with him, nor the captain of the guard I was trying to avoid. Maria and I shared a look while the worried skeleton seemed to be in a rush as he dashed away.

"Papyrus?" The skeleton stopped for only a moment to glance back as Maria approached him quickly. I hung back just to be careful. I glanced at the children who still played even with the skeleton in the area. Frisk hadn't noticed. "Is everything alright?"

"N-no, I'm afraid not, Maria." Papyrus shook his head and tried to hurry around him. "I must get home to Sans, he's ill and hasn't woken in the last few days…"

That made my heart still in fright.

"Sans is sick?" Against my better judgement, I approached the skeleton who stood with Maria. His eye sockets went wide when he saw me in the town and approach him. "Oh no… he must have gotten it from me…"

"Human?" Papyrus blinked as if he didn't think I was there. "Why are you in town? And why do you say that you made Sans sick?"

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry Papyrus, Sans was showing us around the town and I got sick. He helped my sister take care of me until I got better about three days ago. I had no idea he was ill or I'd of told him to stay away."

It was only then that I recognized that he'd called me 'human' again. I would have corrected him, but he was worried for his brother, so I bit my tongue. Though it did anger me to no end.

"Oh… well… I'm glad he was helpful… but the Great Papyrus must return to him now! I must wake him to eat!"

"…Would you like some help?"

Against my better judgement, I asked if he wanted some help. I could have run into Captain Undyne, he could have captured me, but my worry for Sans simply just wouldn't leave me and I felt the desire to help overtake my ever growing nerves.

"You… you would do that?" Papyrus questioned me hesitantly, though I could understand his confusion from all the stories he most likely heard about humans in the past.

"Sans helped me, it only makes sense to repay that favor." I nodded stiffly to him. "I could run to Grillby's and get some soup? Sans said it was one of the best things to have when anyone got ill. Its Sarada's recipe."

"Well… I suppose…" Papyrus seemed almost like his lower lip would quiver in his worry, if he had skin or lips. "I'm just so worried… not even I, the Great Papyrus, can wake my brother…"

"Then let me help, he knows both my sister and I. I could try to wake him up while you or my sister could get the soup? If he's not well, then even the best plate of spaghetti won't stay down. He'll need something gentler on his stomach."

"Oh…" Papyrus seemed to deflate at hearing those words. After a moment or two of thinking, he seemed to straighten right back up and have quite the determined look to him. "Okay, fine Human, you've won me over!"

Without warning, I was grabbed and thrown over the younger skeleton's shoulder. The screech that escaped me was loud and caught my sister's attention immediately. Papyrus took off without another word, groceries in one hand while I was held like a sack of potatoes in the other.

"Sis!?" Frisk instantly chased after me, hurrying as fast as her little legs could carry her away from the playground and away from the new friends we'd made to keep up with the skeleton that was nearly three times her size.

I watched as Papyrus rushed around town to the side where I tended to avoid since Sans told me Captain Undyne visited often to train with the younger skeleton. The closest I'd gone had been Grillby's, and that was only in the company of Sans normally, rarely on my own until the last day or so when I had no choice.

Papyrus pulled me to a sudden stop and I tried to look over his shoulder to see the massive house that he stopped before. Made out of a darkly stained wooden color, the house sat two stories into the air with what seemed to be a basement below as well from the foundation I saw peeking out from beneath the snow. A balcony seemed to be on the second floor to the further right side out of a room that looked to have not been cleaned off with in some time while bright Christmas lights seemed to be strung, quite early if I remembered that the date was only October still.

Just as the skeleton opened the door did I see my sister catch up with us from the distance. Quite the frightful look was on her face while she leapt to grab me. With her hands latched onto mine, nails digging into skin to keep from being separated, Papyrus hardly noticed as he walked into the house and shut the door.

Once the brisk cold air was gone and the roaring heat of a fireplace took over did I feel Papyrus let me down from his shoulder. Frisk then reached to dig her hands into my clothing to cling as she fearfully watched the skeleton stand much taller than her while he looked us over.

"Oh! I did I grab both of you? I only remember picking up the older human…"

I waved him off. "Never mind that, Papyrus. Where's Sans?"

The worried younger brother quickly walked around us and away from the door to where a couch had been placed before the searing fireplace. I followed after him to where he looked onto said couch to see a large pile of blankets covering the said older brother that had been helping Frisk and I in the last week or so. Sans slept on the couch, looking near dead to the world. His eye sockets seemed to lack their little light when he would see us. I could see his favorite blue jacket was missing from him and his breathing was raspy, much like those with a scratchy throat would do if it was irritated.

I hurried to his side and felt Sans to see if there was a fever of any sort or see if he was overheated from all the blankets or the fire, but he hardly felt all that warm, just comfortable.

"It doesn't seem like he has a fever... but his throat sounds irritated…"

"Sis," Frisk scoffed. "He doesn't have a throat."

"Not a physical one, no, but a magical one, yes." I turned to the younger skeleton. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Sans told me that skeletons don't have physical organs, but their magic, which is invisible to everyone but the skeleton themselves, replaces those functions."

"Y-yes… that's right."

"Even though he doesn't physically have it, doesn't mean he can't feel it through his magic." I glanced up from my friend then to look around the home. Beyond the bland living room space seemed to be a kitchen and dining room that was below the stairs and railing that led up to the second floor. I could see four doors up there, most likely bathrooms and bedrooms.

At the thought of bedrooms did my mind click and turn to Papyrus.

"Why isn't he in his bedroom?"

Papyrus sighed. "Three days ago Sans fell asleep here. I didn't think much of it then since he's always slacking off and sleeping. I don't think he's moved at all or eaten since the food I've left out hasn't been touched! I would normally just put him back in his room and I entirely agree that he should be there, however… his room is far too inadequate for him to be within while he recovers…"

"He should be in his room though, away from where all the traffic is downstairs with people walking by." I walked away from Sans for a moment to try and get him situated elsewhere where he'd be more comfortable then on the couch. "Which room is his, Papyrus?"

"Third down, but I do warn you, Human, I don't know when the last time it was cleaned…"

I held back the retort I had for him simple due to the stress of his older brother's illness…

I carried myself up the stairs quickly to where the room was, past a bathroom door that had been left open and another bedroom that seemed to have caution tape all over it with the words "Papyrus Only" written on it. The third door I tried to open but seemed to be stuck when I pushed. I took a calming breath to keep myself from getting irritated before I shoved my hip into it and the door screeched open on its hinges.

Inside the room, the first thing that I noticed was the smell. It was like the room hadn't been used or opened in a long time. The air was stale and dusty. The room itself was small and bland, nothing special much in it besides an old mattress that looked as if it should have been destroyed long ago from the stains and dirt on it. The sheets were rolled up into a dirty ball on the mattress itself, covered in some sort of gunk that had me flinching at whatever it could be that perhaps ruined them. I did not want to even guess from the puke like color they were…

A random treadmill seemed to be in the middle of his room with a note or two attached to it along with a bureau at the back covered in so thick a layer of dust, it looked grey rather than mahogany. But what surprised me the most was a magical mini tornado that seemed to hold some of Sans' socks that seemed to be sucked up into it.

Papyrus wasn't kidding… it was a pigsty…

I hurried out of the room then, looking about it to think of the supplies I'd need in order to get it back into a better condition. Looking back at the younger skeleton and my sister back below who watched the sick monster below.

"Alright Papyrus, I need your help here and yours too, Frisk." I hurried down the stairs and stopped before them. "Frisky, I need you to run to Grillby's up the road and ask for some soup from him. While you're gone, Papyrus and I will take care of cleaning that room for Sans."

"Okay!"

My sister hurried from the house then. I saw the worried look on her for both my safety and Sans wellness, but from the display of Papyrus' face, she knew she didn't have to fear for my safety for the moment. She took off with little to no hesitation while the younger skeleton was left.

"Okay Papyrus, the first set of things I'll need is a vacuum, duster, and if you have any glass cleaner or wood shine. That room needs an overhaul."

"I'm well aware of that, Sans has never been good about keeping it clean…." Papyrus tried his hardest to keep from looking mad, but the irritation was written all over his face while he grabbed the supplies I asked for from a closet hidden in the kitchen I'd yet to go into.

"And Papyrus? That mattress of his… how long has he had that? It looks like it should have been tossed twenty years ago."

"What?!" Papyrus launched himself up the stairs and I quickly hurried after him after gathering the supplies in hand that I needed. When I catch up with Papyrus, he had thrown his hands up in the air and had an infuriated look about him. "Sans!"

"What is it?" I peeked around the corner as Papyrus roughly grabbed the mattress and yanked it from his brother's bed, only to let loose more dust into the air and carpet.

"I bought him a new one two months ago!" Papyrus stomped his feet while he removed that mattress and was quick to throw it outside into the wintery area outside before brushing himself off as he walked back. When the younger skeleton returned, he sighed. "I should have known he would have gotten rid of it or hid it, Sans is like that…"

I tilted my head at him. "If Sans did hide it, where do you think he put it?"

"Well…" Papyrus seemed to think about it for only a moment before I saw him turn and look down the hallway to the final room. Dust seemed to be peeking out from under the door from where it possibly hadn't been cleaned in a long time. "I wonder…"

Papyrus hurried forward and quickly opened the door only to see the still packaged mattress just behind the door. If Papyrus was enraged before… I didn't want to think of what was going through his mind then…

"Of course he hid it here!" I didn't dare say a word as the skeleton pulled the mattress out and left it in the hallway before quickly closing the door to the room. I didn't want to pry, but from the information that I'd gotten from Maria earlier, I could only assume that was their parent's room when they were alive.

"I'll get started on cleaning then." I hurried back into the dirty room and took a single look at the sheets that Papyrus had haphazardly thrown to the floor in his small fit of rage with removing the old mattress. "Papyrus, do you have any other sheets? I don't believe we should be using these…"

"I believe I do… If not I have a new set we bought a while ago that I'll put in the wash to make sure their clean." Papyrus turned around then, dirty sheets in hand as well as the old pillows that had seemed to be thrown under the bed frame. "Do not fret Human! I will return shortly!"

Oh how hard it was to bite back the retort I wanted to tell him…

I took a calming breath before quickly plugging in the vacuum and going to work, slowly cleaning the room of Sans while waiting for Papyrus to return. The dust quickly was removed from the surfaces and the cobwebs I noticed later on the ceiling and walls I remembered as well. The room was incredibly stuffy, so I cracked the bedroom door open and unlocked the window (after breaking it from where it had been stuck closed for far too long…)

The dirtied room quickly became cleaner by the moment as I continued to work in it, Sans truly had spent little time in his room or it had been too long since it was cleaned. It was a wonder that he was so clean during the days that I was with him and hugged him. He always seemed to be quite the clean monster… I couldn't understand how it was that he was able to be that way with such a dirty room…

When Papyrus returned later, I had finally finished the dusting and only needed to wash everything down before I felt comfortable putting things back together. I would ask him if there was any way to wash the carpet to get out some of the stains on them…

"Human! I have the sheets in the wash!" When Papyrus appeared there in the doorway, I saw him with new pillows under his arm that were wrapped up in bags. "I have also managed to discover some new pillows that I'd given Sans as well that he'd hidden…"

"Good, we'll replace those once I finish up here." I wiped the sweat from my brow, even as the room was incredibly cold, I was still roasting from the hard work I was putting in to clean said room.

"My goodness!" Papyrus chimed. "You clean so well, Human! Perhaps almost as well as the Great Papyrus!"

"Well, I'm not done yet. I'd love to wash the carpet and the walls, but I'm not sure if I have time for that or if you have what I need."

That seemed to cause Papyrus to frown, most likely since he couldn't help me there. "You're right, Human, I've been meaning to buy one of those vacuums that washes the carpets, but I haven't managed to get a hold of one yet. I do apologize."

I waved him off. "Its fine Papyrus, if you could get me some hot, soapy water in a bucket and a rag, I can finish washing most of the rest of this stuff off and we can get his room set up and get Sans up here. After we get him to eat that is. We should let his room air out and dry, and I want to see what it was that made the door stick…"

"The Great Papyrus shall return then!"

While Papyrus set about the task I set him for, I carefully pulled back the door that was keeping most of the heat still in this house while I was airing out Sans' room. The lock itself seemed to be covered in some dust and gunk that I had no idea what it was. It looked like a dark reddish brown color that I couldn't identify by looks alone. I couldn't smell anything from it, but it was sticky and had somehow gotten into the lock.

"Oh, did Sans get ketchup in the door of all places?" Papyrus seemed to shake his head at the site before him. "I do apologize, Human. My brother is quite lazy, but even this is strange for him…"

"Well, regardless, we'll take care of it." I took the items in the monster's hands and began to wipe down the mechanism. Dried material broke away to show a shiny casting for the knob of Sans' door. I also decided to run the rag up and down the edges of the door to make sure it wouldn't stick again, and once I was able to close it seamlessly, I was pleased and moved onto another task.

"Could I perhaps place the mattress inside the room now, Human?"

"Yes, I've already polished the bedframe. You're good to go, Papyrus."

While the much larger living being took care of that, I washed down the windows as well as polished the wood around it. While it wasn't the most 'clean every single little grit' spotless, it was much better then where it started. The room actually looked livable then and much brighter with the window cleaned to let light in. The mattress sat looking stark white compared to the rest of the room, which had a much more off white feel, a tad warmer.

"I've got the soup!" I hurried back over to the door just to see Frisk return with the food I'd requested nearly an hour prior. I breathed out as things were finally starting to look upward as we were finishing up Sans' room so we could move him up there.

"We'll be down there shortly, Frisky." I pulled back from where she was while Papyrus and I finished up with Sans' room. When I wasn't looking, the skeleton had grabbed the sheets he'd both washed and dried in the time my sister had been gone to make the bed behind me.

When Papyrus and I finally pulled back to look over our work, Sans' dirty room was nearly sparkling from how it looked in comparison. Cerulean blue sheets had been placed on his bed with the freshly washed comforter to keep him warm. The newly washed window glowed from the light coming in from the crystals outside and the Christmas lights that hung around his window. The furniture actually looked like they were made of wood rather than dirt and the treadmill had been moved out of the middle of the room to the side for room to walk around, though still shiny from being dusted and washed.

"Alright, now we can clean up and then try to wake up Sans to eat before moving him." I stretched before I followed the others out of the eldest skeleton's room. "You mind making up a plate while I figure out a way to wake him up?"

"Certainly, Human."

While Papyrus handled that task, Frisk and I made our way back over to the skeleton. I felt him over one more time to make sure of no fever before tapping my chin in contemplation.

"Now how in the world do we wake him up and keep him up?"

My sister frowned before her eyes seemed to catch a certain book laying on the coffee table next to Sans. She reached over for it and looked it over briefly before handing it over to me with a wicked grin on her face that normally spelled trouble to all who knew her.

"Maybe this will help? It's on a great page."

I glanced over what it was she was handing me and the snicker that left me was enough to catch the attention of Papyrus.

"Human? The Great Papyrus was wondering what it was that you… were…" Papyrus paused before he seemed to freeze and his face seemed to be blankly upset. "Oh no…"

"Sans…" I whispered too him, but the skeleton hardly made a sound while he slept. "Sans… wanna hear a joke?"

There was a stutter in his breathing. Perhaps we'd said something to interest him and make him stay awake?

"Knock, knock."

"…o… ere…"

My heart leapt. I had a response!

"Honey bee."

The smallest of lights appeared in his eyes and I could see Papyrus was trying so hard not to be upset as his brother woke.

"…honey…bee…who…?"

"Honey bee a dear and open up those eyes, won't you?"

The smallest of snickers seemed to come from the sleepy monster. He glanced around a bit, trying to focus with the sleep still too deeply in his bones.

"My turn!" Frisk dived on top of Sans, startling him as she landed on his legs. "Knock, knock!"

He was starting to wake up more. The sheets feel back from his chest and he sat up a bit. "Who's… there?"

"Razor!"

"Razor who?"

"Razor hands! This is a stick up!" My sister held out her fingers like little guns and then proceeded to rapidly poke the eldest skeleton. A small chuckle escaped him while he sat up entirely. Sans glanced around at all of us before noticing me sitting next to him.
"I'd say good morning, but it's been three days since then."

That forced the skeleton to rub his eyes tiredly and attempt to sit up. "Really? I didn't think I slept that much pasta-bedtime."

His joke had both Frisk and I in giggles while Papyrus groaned.

"Wait a second… are ya two in my house?!"

The moment Sans realized just how much he'd missed, throwing off the blankets on him in an attempt to move if it wasn't for his brother's hand that held him down.

"Sans, why are you trying to run? The Great Papyrus and the humans have been cleaning and getting food for you to feel better. You shouldn't be rude."

"Pap?!" Sans turned around to look about the house. "Undyne isn't here, is she?"

"No, I alerted her that you were ill and that I needed to take care of you." Papyrus shook his head. "And she doesn't know about the humans, they have been safely under my watchful eye, Brother. Nye heh heh!"

"Well damn…" Sans lifted his head up to look at me. "How'd ya get here, Angel?"

"I was carried like a sack of potatoes after agreeing to help." I rolled my eyes, ignoring Papyrus' comeback comment before I pulled over the soup that Frisk had been sent to get. "Now you need to eat up, we've got you a bowl of Grillby's soup. It's been three days since you late ate. You got that illness from me."

"Sorry Precious."

"No!" Frisk snarled as she leapt up from on top of the older monster. "I will not listen to you two flirt with each other! I liked it better when we were all joking!"

"Flirting?" Papyrus questioned as he looked between us.

Frisk hurried away from either Sans or I before we could stop her. "Yeah, they have this weird running gag where they act like a couple and then pretend they don't like each other or something."

"Frisk…" The growl that came from me in irritation left my baby sister's whites of her eyes brighter than normal in fear. She yipped in fear, diving away from the taller skeleton to escape me when she should have stayed and used him as a shield.

Only a moment later had my arm surged forward and grabbed her by the ear. She screeched out in pain as I yanked her away from the brothers who stood dumbfounded in their spots while I went about my sister.

"So sorry to bother you guys. Sans, make sure to eat and then rest upstairs in your clean room. Don't expect me to come over and do that all the time for you. And Papyrus, thanks for having us over. Have a good night!"

"Oww!" Frisk yelled as I dragged her out of the home of the brothers. "Angel! Let go! I'm sorry!"

"Not as sorry as you're about to be…" The tone I used had Frisk trying to escape, even as I pulled on her ear and made her march all the way back to the inn doing the walk of shame.

Witch's Note:

Oh, my goodness! Sans and Angel got sick off each other! Who would have guessed?

But one thing we also got to enjoy was seeing Papyrus! How many of you love the interactions between him and the girls! He's still calling them humans and it looks like there might be an explosion at some point… I hope you all have a spot to duck and cover when that happens…

Now onto our reviewers!

RoseCentury: I hope the action in my chapters doesn't frighten the little guinea pigs too much! There may not be much of it now, but there will be in future chapters! Love hearing from you every week!

Ceoko: How the heck did you know?! How DID you know?! I mean girl, I'm glad to give you the teasing and the love and anything you want, but seriously! HOW DID YOU KNOW!? Even Mystic Girl couldn't guess the next chapter ideas! I'd love to know if you could guess any others!

Love you all and see you next week! Please don't forget to review!

Halloween Witch