Chapter 11: Approaching the Rubicon

Asriel had no idea how much time had passed, but he was certain it was far away from making up for lost time. When he and Asgore finally let go of each other, they looked at each other again, the king having never shown a prouder smile than right then. Asgore put his hands on Asriel's face, exclaiming, "I can't believe you're actually here...So it was you I've been seeing in the photos!"

"Photos?" It then made sense to Asriel. He couldn't have traversed the urban landscape without attracting some attention. Tobias himself even took a photo of him and Jenessa.

Tobias...how was Asriel supposed to explain his situation? Of course Asgore would have been happy to know that he was still alive, but it'd kill him to know that Tobias had chosen a much more sinister path.

"The humans took photos of you with a human girl. Who is she? And how long have you been alive? What have you been doing?"

"It'd be easier for me to start at the beginning."

"Yes, of course. Take a seat." He gestured to the table in front of the throne, then raised an eyebrow at the overturned chair. "Where's Sergio?"

Asriel could taste vinegar before saying, "I think he excused himself. He's not exactly fond of me after what happened." He set the chair back on its legs and sat down.

"What did happen?" Asgore sat in his throne, his hands folded on the table.

Asriel closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to that fateful day. "It all started when Tobias fell sick..." He went on to cover everything from that point, from taking Tobias's soul, to his death and rebirth as Flowey, to the conspiracy to take the human souls. He explained how he was resentful about Tobias's convoluted plot to take the souls and felt the only way to right his wrongs was to defeat Tobias. However, it was his discovery when Sergio delivered the coup de grace that the human he'd been fighting that whole time was not Tobias.

He then explained his visions, escaping the underground, and his failed attempts to nab Tobias for his crimes. As expected, Asgore stopped him to say, "Tobias is alive?!"

Asriel sighed. "Sadly, yes. But you have to understand, Dad, he's not the same person that we knew before. I don't know what he's planning now, but it involves manipulation of the mayor. I confronted him at the mayor's house, and Dad...he can wield magic."

Asgore stroked his beard in silent contemplation, no doubt with a mixture of confusion, anxiety, and anticipation. Asriel knew this was a lot to take in for him, but he couldn't stop there.

As he concluded, Asriel said, "None of this would have been possible if Jenessa hadn't helped me. In fact, she's just outside with the Royal Guardsmen."

Asgore's face fell a bit. "You brought her here?"

"Is that a problem?"

"I had my guardsmen stationed there for a reason."

"Dad, if you can trust someone like Sergio, you can trust Jenessa. Why not talk to her and judge for yourself?"

The king sighed. "If you can trust her, I will too. Undyne." The captain straightened her posture, saluted, and went out to bring her in. A moment later, Undyne arrived with Jenessa, who was looking around the throne room in awe.

"Wow," Jenessa whispered. Then she locked eyes with Asgore. "'Sup," she greeted with a wave.

"Jenessa, I understand that you assisted my son here during his time on the surface," Asgore addressed, gesturing to a chair near the throne room table.

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't have survived without me," she shrugged, smirking at the prince as she sat down. He would have laughed it it weren't true.

"I take it he's also brought you up to speed regarding our situation here in the underground." After Jenessa affirmed, Asgore continued, "If you are to be considered an ally to the underground's cause, you must make an oath with me."

Asriel's brows furrowed. "Dad, is that necessary?"

"Yeah, your 'secrets' are safe with me," Jenessa concluded. "I've made it this far. It's not like I'm gonna tell anyone." The side of her mouth twitched. Asriel remembered when she told her father everything earlier that same night.

"If you're aware of our situation, then you know how precarious our position is. Loose lips sink ships. And while I couldn't be happier that my son is still alive and...relatively well," Asgore took a tentative look at Asriel, "I can't imagine what the press is going to do once footage of him circulates. You both know why explaining what happened to Asriel wouldn't exactly be in our best interest."

"Well, the public knows about him now. There's no use in trying to hide him at this point," Jenessa pointed out. "What are you gonna do when someone asks about him?"

"I will worry about that when the time comes. Now, I'm also told that you possess magical abilities as well."

"Yep!" Jenessa flexed her fingers, a small ZAP of electricity flashing above her palm. While Undyne's eyebrow rose in shock, Asgore only stared intently.

"How long were you able to do that?" Asgore asked.

"I think it's been...three weeks now? I honestly started to lose track."

"Three weeks...the Battle of the Barrier," the king muttered. "And what was your purpose in accompanying Asriel here to the underground?"

Jenessa shrugged again. "I'm kinda here to find my purpose, as vague as that sounds. It's not every day humans can zap people without a taser."

"Do you have any affiliations with any of the city council members?"

"Nope."

Asgore stared Jenessa in the eye for a moment, in deep thought. "In order to be granted full security clearance, you swear that anything you see or hear in the underground stays in the underground."

"You kinda make it sound like a cult," Jenessa quipped, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. "Or Vegas."

"It's politics, Jenessa. I wish I didn't have to take such drastic measures. But these are crucial times for both civilizations, and I need to know who I can trust."

"If you can trust Sergio, you can trust me."

"That's what I said!" Asriel pointed out.

Asgore frowned. "Do you really think he's that untrustworthy?"

"He lied about never finding me. He was only going to expose me to spite me. He's still angry about what happened at the barrier. He was ready to kill you while he had a sound mind. It's not so much me having something against him," which was a lie, "it's the other way around."

"Look, it's fine," Jenessa cut in, then turned to Asgore, "Like I said, your secrets are safe with me, and I'll do whatever I can to help. I swear it."

Asgore nodded. "Good. Now, I know you two have traveled a long way. Go ahead and rest here for the night. And Asriel, I say this with the utmost love a father can muster: you need a shower. Badly."

This garnered chuckles from everyone in the throne room. Asriel answered, "Noted. Can't wait to sleep in a bed, too."

"As for you, Jenessa, you have full clearance here in the underground. Continue to keep my son out of trouble," the king spoke. "I have a meeting with the mayor in the morning. Feel free to see the underground as your true self, Asriel. See the kingdom you will one day reign over. And see your mother while you're at it." He took a deep breath, just looking at him. "Welcome back, my son."

Asriel had waited long to hear those exact words, and it was surreal actually hearing them. He had pictured one scenario where there was a fanfare, a feast, maybe even a parade in his honor. Sure, it was a fanciful idea, but he was glad that he got the exact opposite, a more personal, subdued reunion where he got to explain where he was the last century or so.

He doubtlessly wanted to see his mother as well, but he'd be lying if he said that a hot shower and some actual rest didn't sound great at that moment. The thought was bittersweet; it would have been nice to see his mother and father still together. Maybe...maybe his return could mend that broken bridge between them...

After one final hug between father and son and a handshake for Jenessa, Asgore wished everyone a good night and retired to his quarters. Asriel wasted no time in heading toward the bathroom with another set of clothes. He turned the shower on and stepped in, closing his eyes as the hot water hit his fur. It was so refreshing, so relieving to actually bathe, he'd been in the shower for at least 30 minutes. And who could blame him?

He came out the shower with his fur several shades whiter than before. He cleared up a spot in the mirror to look at himself, the first time he'd done so since before Tobias's death. He remembered how in the mornings when one brother would shower, he'd draw or write something, and the other would add onto it. He didn't expect anyone else to follow up this time, but he drew the delta rune on the top right corner for old times' sake.

Now dressed, he came back into his bedroom. It was uncanny how similar Home and New Home were. Everything from the house layout to the beds to the decorations seemed to be an exact replica of his first home. There were even two twin-sized beds on either side of the room, despite there not having been any guests or other heirs to the throne to accompany Asgore. Asriel couldn't blame his father, though; everybody grieved in his or her own way, and there was no deadline for life-changing adjustments.

Jenessa sat down on the left bed, right where Tobias used to sleep, her red sneakers and bag at the foot of the bed and her lying supine, scrolling through her phone. "I'm surprised I still have reception down here," she commented.

"Heh. That's what you have to say about the underground," Asriel responded, hanging his towel up near his bed.

"Well, I've only been in one building so far. And I'm kinda wondering what I signed myself up for. I wonder if your dad's gonna make me drink the Kool-Aid." Asriel raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "Never mind. Your dad's cool. He at least seems more open minded than mine."

"I'm honestly surprised he trusts you as much as he does. I just hope he's not trying to use you as a political pawn."

"You think he'd really do that?"

"He's a great man and was a great father, but he's also a politician, as he said. After Tobias, it's not like him to keep a human around unless there was a specific purpose he had in mind. Sergio was here to direct Dad on the surface and give political pointers. I guess he sees you as some sort of bodyguard for me."

Jenessa had a smug look on her face. "He's not wrong. So what's the plan for tomorrow? Other than saying hi to your mom, of course."

Asriel let out a sigh as he lay down on his own bed, enjoying the reality of a soft, warm place to sleep, staring at the starry decorations on the ceiling. "I think we've earned a break from all the running around we've done."

"No argument here," she replied with a chuckle. "Guess we're gonna go on the grand tour. Kinda feels like..." Her voice trailed off.

Asriel turned his head to her. "Feels like what?"

She hesitated. "N-nothing."

Asriel noticed her face turning a slight shade of red. "What's that look on your face for?"

"What, what look?" Jenessa shifted her body so that she lay on her side, her phone covering up her face from Asriel's view.

"You're blushing."

"No, I'm not, shut up." She turned away from Asriel, who couldn't help but grin at her reaction.

When she didn't say anything else for a solid three minutes, Asriel wondered if there really was something important on her mind. Asriel was more than happy to be back at his home, but Jenessa was largely silent about her new surroundings. Perhaps it was culture shock mixed in with a sense of urgency with the Tobias situation.

He decided he wouldn't push his luck any further, though, and said, "Night," before turning off the lamp beside his bed. The starry decorations glowed in the dark, and he once again felt how heavy his eyes were. he'd nearly fallen asleep on the train and at Mr. Liu's doorstep. Now that he'd reached the underground, there was nothing stopping him from finally just...resting.

The prince had fallen unconscious shortly after turning off the light. Knowing that he was clean, safe, and at home had brought him the best rest he'd gotten since his reawakening.

He saw himself in a Mexican restaurant, his plate littered with bits of ground beef and melted cheese. It was sunny out, and energetic mariachi music played from the overhead speakers. There were a few other patrons in the restaurant; must have been during the slow period.

Asriel soon found that he was not viewing from his perspective, but from the perspective of a human, seeing a dark-skinned hand take out a smartphone. There was another human in front of him, one with slightly lighter skin, olive green eyes, and a bushy mustache. He wore a red flannel shirt and was eating a large burrito.

"Where was he living before the incident?" The voice from Asriel's perspective was none other than Tobias's.

After taking a big bite, the other human spoke with his mouth halfway full, "He lived with his mamá in an apartment close by. I can show you on the map."

Tobias opened his map application and slid the phone to the other human, who wiped his hands before taking it and scrolling through it. After a few seconds, he passed it back and said, "Here it is."

"Excellent," Tobias answered, looking at the pinpointed location, taking a screenshot of it. "Do you happen to know the apartment number?"

"It's been a while. Try 6 or 7. I just know that it's on the first floor."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now," Tobias opened up his photos and turned to the picture he took of Asriel and Jenessa. "Have you seen these two?"

The other teenager's jaw dropped. "Those are the ones who have powers!"

"So you understand my interest in them. I need someone to take care of them."

"You need them gone?"

"And lose your chance to gain powers? Do you really want that?" The question hung in the air with tension, the other teenager clenching his jaw. "No, I don't need them gone. At least, not yet. I just need information on them, and someone who can give them hell if need be."

The other teenager sipped soda from a glass bottle. "What do you suggest?"

Tobias let out a soft chuckle. "I have a couple of ideas."

. . .

Asriel woke up from the dream/vision a lot more gently than the other occurrences. It certainly felt like a vision, but it could just as likely have been an unrelated dream. He hoped it was, at least. It was obvious Tobias had it in for Asriel, but now Jenessa was an official target. His name wasn't stated in the vision, but Sergio was likely to be in Tobias's crosshairs as well.

What was less obvious was Tobias's intentions with Sergio. Asriel had no reason to assume Sergio was on board at all with arresting Tobias, even with the evidence he presented to the hood rat. Perhaps Tobias assumed that Sergio'd be involved at this point. And who was the other human Tobias conversed with? Asriel didn't know whether he was supposed to be Sergio's friend or foe. Tobias asking for Sergio's address was more than enough to raise a red flag.

Asriel needed to warn Sergio about this, whether he wanted to hear it from him or not.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his limbs, yawning. He took a whiff of a warm butterscotch cinnamon pie. He knew his father tried to bake pies after his divorce, but they never smelled this good.

There was only one person who could have been responsible.

He exited the room and powerwalked toward the kitchen. He found Jenessa talking to a female goat with a purple robe on.

"Mom."

The goat turned her head to see that her son had emerged, her expression brightening. "Good morning, Azzy!" Just like before, Asriel immediately ran toward Toriel and hugged her tight, his mother happily reciprocating.

A part of him thought he cried all of his tears after meeting his father. No, it was just the beginning then. Once again, he could feel the hot tears dribbling down his face, his head buried in Toriel's shoulder.

"Oh, how I've missed you..." Toriel lamented, ruffling her son's head fur. After about a minute, she broke from the hug and continued, "You must be starving; you look so pale! You woke up just in time; the pie's still warm!" She gestured to the pie sitting on top of the table, two evenly split quarters still left.

Asriel wiped his eyes and smiled at Toriel, then at the pie. All the walking around New York had left him famished. He took a seat and grabbed a plate, a fork, and half the remaining pie.

"Jenessa here has told me everything," Toriel pointed out. "I'm still in shock to hear and see everything that's happened...and I'm glad you've made a friend along the way," she smiled at Jenessa.

"Eh, consider it my good deed for the day," the girl smirked.

"It's more than that. You helping him for this long brings me hope in the same way that Sergio does. This proves that humans will accept us if we reach out in peace. And Tobias..." Her countenance fell. "I am just as happy that he is alive and well, but I am also deeply concerned. What he's doing, what you've seen...Asriel, please do all you can to bring him home. Tell him that we miss him and that he still has a place in our family...even if some things have changed."

Asriel contemplated this as he took bites out of his pie. "Didn't Jenessa tell you? I tried talking to him. He's determined to reach an unknown end, and he's hurting people to achieve it."

Toriel let out a tense breath, her eyes closed for a second before looking him in the eye. "You cannot give up on him. He's your brother."

"I'm not giving up on him. But persuading him to return home peacefully seems largely unrealistic. If he were to come here and explain what he was doing, he'd have to admit to grievous crimes. He's killed people since coming back."

The former queen clenched her fist. "There is still hope for him. If you two were trapped together as that floral creature, with intent to kill, and came back, anything is possible. And that includes Tobias mending his ways."

Asriel twirled the fork in his hand. At what point did one's transgressions deem him or her irredeemable? There were the three people killed in the alleyway when Tobias first came back from the dead. There was the absolute bloodbath he and Jenessa had just come from the previous night. Though the mayor wasn't dead, Asriel wouldn't have been surprised if he was somewhere on Tobias's hit list. It was also quite damning to Tobias's character for saying that the ideas of good and evil meant nothing to him.

Looking back on it, though, Asriel's tone towards Tobias had been largely accusatory, but he never went into a conversation with him trying to tell him to return home. If Sergio was able to convince Asriel to rid himself of the cloak and see his family again, there had to be a way to talk to Tobias about what he's doing and how he can still change. Whatever hatred Tobias may have had for humans didn't have to fester. Whatever was happening on the surface when he fell wasn't happening now.

"Would you say the same about Dad?"

Toriel recoiled at the question, but before she could answer, the front door opened with force, Sergio barging in. He made eye contact with Asriel briefly before frowning harder at the sight of Toriel. After a short pause, he stormed toward the staircase.

"Sergio!" Toriel's expression brightened. "Come in, we left some pie for you! Sergio?"

Sergio didn't acknowledge her and continued forth, hopping over the guardrail. Wherever he was going seemed to take full priority in his mind. Someone needed to act fast.

"Apartment 6 or 7?" Asriel called out.

The heavy sound of footsteps stopped before Sergio came back up the steps, even angrier than before. "How you know 'bout that?!" he demanded, walking towards the table.

"I told you, I had visions about Tobias. He was asking another teenager about you, one who knew where you lived. Your mother might be in danger."

Sergio's pupils shrunk at the word "mother." "You stay outta this, all a' y'all. You stay outta my bidness and stay the hell out my way! You have a vision a' THIS?!" He pushed Asriel's plate off the table, causing the remaining pie to fall all over his clothes.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy!" Jenessa had her hands up in a you-need-to-calm-down posture.

"Sergio, show some respect!" Toriel scolded.

Sergio quickly turned toward Toriel, bringing his fist up. "Mama, if you don't—" The slip and the gesture caused everyone to jump, including Sergio.

Asriel had summoned one of his blades, inches away from hitting Sergio if he continued to pose a threat. "Sergio. Don't. Hurt. My. Mother."

Realization and regret swept Sergio's face before resignation set in. He lowered his fist, his face scrunching up as if he was trying to fight back tears. "You right. She yo' motha. And that ain't ever gon' change." His voice broke as he spoke, and he about-faced and headed towards the staircase, leaving them.

Everybody sat in shocked silence, Asriel's sword dissipating. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the kitchen clock ticking and uncomfortable adjustments in everyone's seats.

"What a dick," Jenessa commented. "Sorry," she added, lowering her head a little when she saw the disapproving look Toriel gave her.

Asriel added, "But that's exactly what I mean. You divorced Dad before he started killing humans. Tobias has more than crossed that line now. Sergio was about to hurt you again. When do you need to let someone go if they don't want help?"

Toriel frowned. "Asgore was an adult who should have known better. His goals included mass genocide of the human race. As for Sergio...he was especially upset when you mentioned his home. Perhaps something terrible is already happening with his family, or has happened. It's not too late for him to change."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Jenessa.

"The look on his face said it all. He's not in the right mental state, but he still restrained himself." Her expression darkened. "Perhaps he still retains anger towards me for my selfishness when I tried to keep him in the ruins. I told him that staying there was for his own good...but the honest truth was, I couldn't bear to be alone again. The fact that he addressed me as his mother, even accidentally, gives us a glimpse of what he expected out of me. And perhaps I failed to be what he needed at that time."

In Asriel's mind, it still didn't excuse what he'd done, but he was also not in the position to exact judgment too harshly. As far as Asriel could gather, he wasn't this unstable until the prince returned home. He could agree to the notion that Sergio's fury had gone much deeper than just Asriel's existence. At least, a part of him hoped.

One thing he did know was that his patience towards the human was plummeting. Asriel had tried to do everything he could to help Sergio with the new tasks he was assigned by Asgore, yet time and time again Sergio had disbelieved him at best and belittled and demeaned him at worst. At first Asriel thought this was just a petty squabble Sergio had with him, but he'd just shown that he was willing to elevate it to something even more harmful without warning. Sergio hating Asriel wasn't so much of a problem, but collateral damage was inexcusable.

All he wanted to do that day was see his mom and take a break from things. Sergio just had to ruin it, didn't he?

He tried to find it within himself to feel at least somewhat sorry for Sergio; rage like that didn't just spawn overnight. Asriel recalled Sergio's demeanor the moment he fell in the underground, and it was about as sunny as it was now. Whatever had led Sergio to the underground had left him feeling more than a little miffed.

Yet at the moment, he could only feel resentment towards Sergio. If it weren't for Jenessa, he likely would have followed his father's footsteps in a campaign against the humans at that point.

"In any case, I'm not letting him or anyone else hurt you guys," Asriel proclaimed. "If he comes back here, I'm not letting him get past me."

Toriel looked daunted by his sentiments. "You're beginning to sound like your father."

"Think about it, Mom: If we don't stand up to people like him somehow, it's only a matter of time before he does some real damage. I don't like using force at all, but it's the only message some people understand. After being on the surface for weeks, I know that a lot of humans simply won't listen no matter what you try to say to them."

"And that's why we keep trying, for those who will listen." Toriel showed a small smile towards Jenessa.

"...Do you think I should tell Dad?"

"I will let you decide on that."