Chapter XIX

The lady who only wanted them to stay

Jeff didn't know why he was telling them all of this, neither did he know why it felt so relieving. All he could be sure of was that it seemed to be his only way out of the don't-do-anything-wrong-or-I'll-make-sure-you'll-regret-it list Sans had put him on without second thoughts. Perhaps, he had first thought it would a more convenient way to gain the other human's trust than making awfully bad puns in order to stay alive. Indeed, Sans would easily forget he had some kind of undeniable grudge against the other teenager as soon as they would start to joke around, but it was no lasting solution. Jeff didn't know whether it was due to a lack of maturity — although he wasn't very sure of what was supposed to be maturity himself, or to an act Sans had put on. Or maybe was it because he felt like he had to be honest with them?

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'So, you're saying that there's a single lady who lives alone in ruins?'

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It was a rhetorical question. However, it was also the first thing Sans said since Jeff started his story. Although Papyrus had been asking for clarification thousand times, his "brother" or whatever he was had remained in a deadly silence.

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'A lady who takes the fallen children in, and take care of 'em? Sorry, but it kinda sounds creepy!'

'But Sans, she is only being nice! She saved them and gave them a home!'

'Sure she did, Paps.'

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He sighed, and gave Jeff a fierce glare which sent shivers up and down his spine. For the first time, he could really see Sans's cold cyan eyes. They contrasted with the few bangs of soft brown hair which partially hid them, and he felt like his soul had been completely exposed. But then, something changed in those cold eyes. They became… Almost friendly? However, Jeff never got the chance to get what the other boy saw, or why it affected him like it did: Sans had already twisted his head round so he could no longer see his face.

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'Hey Jeff, if she really did help all those kids, where are they now?'

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The answer was said with a brutality neither Sans nor Papyrus were prepared for.

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'They're dead.'

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oOo

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For centuries, children kept falling in the pit of the Mount Ebott. For centuries, the mysterious lady kept taking care of them. For centuries, they kept leaving her protection. For centuries, they kept dying in the underground.

Jeff remembered when he left her, with Sahana. How they had to promise to never come back. How she tried to dissuade them from going past that door. She knew what awaited them and, by asking them to not come back, she could still hold on to the fragile hope that they were still alive somewhere out of the Ruins. And she could keep believing, because she had forbidden them to ever come back. Because there was no way for their deaths to ever reach her. Or so she wanted it to be…

When she found him, she thought Jeff would stay with her, because he was older than the others. She thought he would understand how dangerous it was outside. She thought one of those children would eventually survive. She hoped one of those children would eventually survive. And he stayed. And he understood. Until Sahana fell.

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They were both wandering in the Ruins, as they used to, when they found that little girl. She had taken her in, like she did with all the others. Jeff was like a brother for her, and she did her best for both of them to be happy. But the little girl never stopped missing her home, and soon her nostalgia became their nostalgia. Sahana would cry in her sleep, Jeff would sit silently while looking at the cowboy hat of his brother. Both wanted to go back on the surface.

And the day when they left was a mere repetition of what had already happened almost a dozen times.

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However, Jeff had a look in his eyes that she couldn't forget: determination. She knew she couldn't hold them back, but it didn't keep that simple sentence from breaking her heart.

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'Farewell, Toriel.'

Toriel wasn't even supposed to be in this story ^^" I replaced the part where Jeff explains what happened to him after he fell by the one with Toriel because I wanted to show the reason why she asked the children to not come back when they left.

Anyway, see ya!

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UrSa DreAmWeAvEr: Your review really cheered me up while my morale was kinda down! I'm truly happy to know you like this story despite its numerous flaws :)