Chapter 17: Consequences

"This just in; at 9:48 PM this evening, police received reports of multiple gunshots near the south bank of the Copper Grove district. Officers arrived at the scene as members of the Chupacabra and Spectre gangs were locked in a shootout on an open road. The violence has been disrupted, with multiple arrests and a search underway for those who fled the scene. The Ebott City Police Department is warning all residents and business owners in the area to stay inside and report any suspicious activity."

Chara pressed her head against the cold glass as the radio then blasted another song as though the announcement never happened. A wretched illness tainted her soul. She wanted it to kill her quickly, yet it saw fit to let her suffer. It made her see the faces of the people she had just let down, who would never forgive her in a thousand years. Tears ran down her cheek. She made no effort to wipe them away.

"Everything okay, Chara?" Asgore asked gently. His eyes focused on the dark road ahead, though he stole an occasional glance at her in the passenger seat of his truck.

"I'm fine," she answered in a cracked voice that betrayed her lie.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen."

Chara did not want to. Her thoughts played back to that moment at the apartment; that last moment that she spoke to Mew Mew.

"I can't do this," she shuddered.

"What?" Mew reacted. "Char, I know this is bloody dangerous, but Neckrow's serious about it! He needs the whole crew together in case the Chups call in reinforcements! If we don't do what he says, it'll be our asses on the line anyway!"

Chara shook her head. She backed away from Mew Mew. "I can't... I can't! What would Frisk and Kris think if I did this?"

"What about them? They don't need to find out! We just go in, take what we're after and get out before trouble arrives. It's simple."

"And what if this whole thing goes wrong?!" Chara demanded. "What if I kill someone and get caught; or I get killed and never see my brother and sister again?! They'd think I'm nothing but a murderer then…"

Mew Mew closed the gap between them and held Chara's hands. "Hey… Hey… I get what you're saying. I know you're thinking about your siblings, but you really need to be more concerned about yourself right now. If the gang goes up against the Chupacabras and we don't show up, Neckrow's going to be pissed as hell with us. We might as well join the Chups and paint big, red targets onto our backs."

Chara knew this already. She hated this whole situation. Damn that short-fused ghost turkey! "Only if I stay…" she murmured.

"Come again?"

"If I stay, they'd just beat the shit out of me and toss me out of the gang anyway." Chara pulled out her phone and searched for Asgore's number. Mew Mew grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"You're seriously going to up and leave?" she exclaimed. "Again?!"

Chara almost cried. "I have to, Mew. I can't do this thing and expect to ever have a life with my family again!"

"What about the family we have here? What about me?!" Mew Mew pleaded.

"Then come with me." If they both left, they'd still have each other. That was all either of them had before they joined the Spectres. It could be that way again but better in Hometown.

Alas, Mew Mew backed away. Her eyes were wide with anguish as she slowly shook her head. "Chara… please don't do this. I know it's not the most glamourous life out there, but we built what we have together. I can't just throw it all away. I lost everything I loved once already! I don't want to go through that again!"

"You won't lose everything!" Chara reached for Mew Mew and brought their foreheads into contact. "You'd still have me. And I'd still have you. That's all I'd want to keep from this life. So, please… Come with me."

But Mew Mew broke away once more. Tears ran down her face as she fed the distance between them. "I'm sorry, Chara. I really am. But I don't know if I can do this… I'm sorry."

With a heavy heart, Chara watched Mew Mew retreat to her bedroom. "Well, I'm leaving," she declared. "If you want to stay or not, that's your choice. But I can't wait around, Mew. There's too much on the line for me if I don't go now."

All Mew Mew did was nod slowly. Chara could not see her expression. Then, Mew Mew closed the door behind her. Chara called Asgore and hurried to gather what effects she didn't want to leave behind.

"Am I a bad person?" Chara asked aloud.

"What's that?" Asgore started. "No, I wouldn't say you're a bad person. Not at all."

"But I ran away," Chara whimpered. "I ran away from you. I ran away from my family. I ran away from my friends. And I ran away from Mew Mew. All I do is just run away when things get hard."

"I see…" Asgore concentrated on navigating a winding stretch of the road. "Perhaps it wasn't the best decision you could have made sometimes. But I do believe it was the right one in this case. You chose to return home to your brother and sister instead of doing something that you knew you would regret. I think that makes you a good person, Chara."

She appreciated the kind words but still did not believe them. Chara stewed in silence until the lights of Hometown passed her window. It was quiet on the streets. Everyone was likely at home, watching TV or getting ready for bed. Chara doubted any of them realised that two gangs of monsters had tried to shoot each other into swiss cheese in the big city.

If Asgore hadn't been at the wheel, Chara didn't think she could have made it to Kris's driveway. The engine cut off. Chara felt frozen in her seat. Asgore's hand touched hers atop her knee. She looked up to his gentle smile. "Shall we go?"

Each step felt like a feat of its own. Chara unbuckled her seatbelt. She opened the truck door. It slammed behind her. One foot forward. Then the next. Asgore walked by her side slowly until they reached the door. Chara hoped that he would knock, but he gestured for her to do it instead. Her throat was dry as the muscles in her arm seized together.

Chara raised her fist to the door. She tapped once. It barely made a sound. She knocked a little harder. Then Chara stood back and waited with her heart bouncing around her chest. The door clicked, unlocked, and opened slowly. Light washed over Toriel.

Her hand rose to her mouth. "Chara," she breathed in, what surprised Chara, relief.

Before Chara could respond, Frisk appeared behind Toriel. She shoved past her and threw her arms around Chara. Her grip crushed Chara's ribs. "Chara!" Frisk cried. "You came back!"

"I'm sorry!" The painful sob tore from Chara. She hugged her sister back as tightly as she could. They cried together. "I'm sorry I said those horrid things! I'm sorry that I left! God… I'm so sorry!"

"I don't care about all that stuff you did," Frisk hiccupped. "I'm just so glad you came back."

Chara looked up and saw Kris standing in the doorway. Tears fell down his cheek as he ran up and hugged Chara and Frisk both at once. Chara pulled an arm around him, pressing her forehead against his crown.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him. Kris squeezed her momentarily.

"When we heard the news from Ebott, we thought…" Frisk struggled with her tears. "Thank God you weren't involved."

"It's okay," Chara hushed her. "I'm done with the gang. I'm never going back."

Even though Asgore called before the shootout started, that 'what if' scenario hurt her siblings more than Chara could stand. Thank God for smacking the good sense into her at the right moment. She held Frisk and Kris until they all cried themselves dry. Toriel approached them slowly.

"Let's all get out of the cold, shall we?" she said gently. Chara nodded and followed her siblings inside. She passed by Asriel and stopped as he smiled.

"Welcome home," he said.

"Thanks," she mumbled, managing a small smile in return. "Glad to be home."

With the children gone, Asgore turned towards his truck. "Asgore, wait." He looked back in surprise at Toriel.

"Thank you," she said, "for bringing Chara home."

Asgore gave a soft smile. "It was no trouble. I'll… leave you to it."

"Please wait." Asgore stopped mid-step again. "I… I mean it, Asgore. Thank you. This means a great deal to us."

Asgore looked at Toriel for a brief time. She smiled at him, like she had not in many years. "Thank you, Tori." Astonishingly, she did not scowl at his slip of the tabooed nickname. He cleared his throat. "Toriel… I just want you to know I care very much about our family. I understand that you and I will never have what we once did again, and I will always be sorry for the mistakes I've made. But no matter what, I love our children and will do everything in my power to make them happy; even the ones we didn't raise ourselves. I might not always get it right, but I will always try my best."

Toriel's smile remained as she nodded graciously. She glanced behind her into the house. "Would you… like to come inside for a bit? We have leftovers from supper if you haven't eaten yet."

Asgore looked away, scratching his nose. "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Asgore… It's okay."

He looked into her eyes. Despite all the heartache and harsh words that had been shared between them, Asgore still loved Toriel. He had made peace with the knowledge that their marriage was beyond salvation. However, Asgore still wished they could be some small part of each other's lives again; and decided that one meal with a dear friend wouldn't hurt them.

"I'd like that… Thank you, Toriel."

It was almost midnight when Chara's phone rang. She glanced at the screen, believing her tired eyes were playing tricks on her. It was Mew Mew. With a fearful breath caught in her chest, Chara answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chara… Where are you?"

Chara pondered if it was safe to tell her. That information in the Spectres' hands could be dangerous, especially to her family. But another voice reasoned: this was Mew Mew. She had a wild temper at times, sure, but she wasn't vindictive. She'd never rat her out.

"In Hometown."

"Yeah, I gathered that, you moron. I mean where exactly? What address are you crashing at?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Chara asked. Her nerves drove further on edge.

"Because I'm at the bloody bus station and I've got no clue where I'm supposed to go from here! Where the heck am I going to stay?"

Chara's brain reset. "Wait… You're out here? What about the gang?"

"Wasn't your plan for us to leave town together?" Mew Mew groaned loudly. "Can you just tell me where to find you? It's freezing out here."

Fortunately, Asgore had not yet gone to bed. At Chara's urgent request, they drove to the bus station. There, on a metallic bench, Mew Mew was curled in a ball next to a large, black duffel bag. She looked up towards the approaching truck.

Chara stepped out of the cabin. It was abnormally cold for a summer night and the wind cut through the jacket over her pyjamas. She rubbed her arms, shivering. Mew Mew stood to meet her. She stared at Chara with hands clasped in front of her skirt and her tail curled behind her.

"Hey…"

"Hey…" Chara replied. "What are you doing out here?"

"Following you, of course!" Mew said hotly. "I thought you'd be happier to see me! That was the last freaking bus running tonight, and I almost missed it! Some appreciation would be nice!"

"What about the gang?!"

"Ditched them." Mew Mew's ears flattened. "When you said you couldn't go through with Neckrow's plan, I couldn't go through with it, either. It just took me a little longer to make my mind up, is all. Sorry for making a fuss earlier."

"So, you didn't…?"

"Go and shoot up some Chups? Nah. I packed what I could carry and bailed not long after you left. Jerzee pinged me all night until I told him you and I wanted out. He's probably pulling his antlers out right now if the cops haven't nabbed him already."

Chara felt relieved. "I'm sorry I did this to you. You cared more about the gang than I ever did."

"Don't worry about it. Look, when it came down to it, the choice was to either stay with the crew… or stay with you." Mew Mew closed the distance and pulled Chara into a hug. She kissed her cheek. "And I'm choosing you."

Chara unleashed all her strength as she hugged Mew Mew. She kissed her, crying while Mew stroked her back. There they were, Coldheart Chara and Mad Mew Mew; once two of the toughest women in the Spectres street gang; pashing, hugging, and sobbing in a dark, lonely bus shelter in the remote countryside. Chara could have laughed at the absurdity.

She stared into Mew Mew's eyes, both smiling tenderly to each other. "So," Mew started, "do you think your family will mind if I crash with you? Neither of us can show our faces on Spectre turf again, so no chance of going back to the apartment."

"I'm sure Asgore won't."

Still, they wouldn't know for certain until they asked. Taking Mew Mew's hand into hers, Chara walked with her back to Asgore's truck. They rode together in the cargo bed. As she rested her head on Mew Mew's shoulder, Chara watched the last route to Ebott City shrink into the night. That part of their lives was now over. Tomorrow, she and Mew could work out what came next.