Chapter 37: Reunited

"I think I know just the place."

After I was able to get my magic and strength up, I had immediately teleported to the house, to pop in and grab some things.

We weren't going to be there long, only long enough to get some clothes and food before we were on our way again, but I got sort of…. sidetracked, I guess you could say. I had spent a lot of time looking at all of the pictures adorning the walls. Most of the pictures were of Melody and the others; only a few pictures had me in them, since I really wasn't around, even before I went to the compound. Most of the pictures on the walls showed Melody in recent months, the months where I've been gone. Mel looked healthy, but…. she looked terribly sad, even when she had her perfect little smile.

I shook my head, as if to clear a thought, and turned away from the photo. Instead, I raced down to my room, grabbing my old school bag, along with my old satchel and throwing some clothes in. I mostly had tank tops, t-shirts and leggings, so I grabbed some light and heavy sweaters as well. I also grabbed a few outfits for Selena, knowing that she'd need some, and stuffed all of it into my school bag. Besides clothes, the only other thing I grabbed and put gently into my satchel, was a picture of me and Melody, practically glowing as we had the biggest smiles on our faces. For at that time, everything was… perfect.

I quickly left my room, racing back upstairs and to Melody's room. When we had first saw the house, it looked like everyone must've left in a hurry, because things were knocked over, and doors were left unlocked. So because they left in a hurry, I wanted to see if Melody had forgotten to grab…. yep, her favorite stuffed animal, which she holds very close to her heart. I picked up her soft pink bunny, pulling the tail of it just to hear the soothing lullaby it played. When the lullaby was over, I gently put the bunny in my satchel, alongside the picture.

Exiting the room, I made my way to the Selena, Liam and Zach, who were waiting in the kitchen. "We need to be quick, I have a bad feeling. Selena, help grab any snacks and drinks; apples, oranges, crackers, granola bars, water, gatorade, anything. Liam, go find any medical supplies, hygiene products, and grab them. And Zach, grab some books, or some form of entertainment," I briefly explained, before grabbing things from the pantry.

Selena helped me grab food and drinks, but also had her questions, "If you think you know where your family is, then why are we grabbing all of this? Won't they have all of these supplies already?"

I stuffed my school bag to the brim, stuffing everything down and trying to make room for more with the clothes and everything, "Look around the house. Why would it be a mess, if they had time to leave? They rushed out of here, probably fearing that danger was coming soon. If they left that quickly, then they probably didn't have time to grab much."

Selena nodded in understanding, "Okay, then we should probably get a lot of food and drinks. Do you happen to have anymore bags around here that I could use?"

I put one more can into my bag, before closing it up and throwing it onto my back, "Yeah, we probably have a duffle bag in the closet by the stairs. You can grab that and stuff it to the brim, while I grab a few extra things. Okay?" Selena gave me a nod in response, so I left her to her task.

I went up to the pictures on the walls, grabbing a good few of them and putting them into my satchel. I know Toriel would like to have some photos of everyone. After that, I grabbed a majority of Alphys' notes from her room, all of them on souls and stats, a good few about LV specifically.

I didn't have much time to grab anything else, because the bad feeling in my stomach increased tenfold. "Selena! Liam! Zach! Get in the living room now, we've gotta go!" I yelled as I raced down the hall, meeting everyone in the living room.

At once, I had everyone grab on to each other, and began to teleport.

We had left just as the front door was blasted open.

When we were in the location I had in mind, I immediately had to take a knee, because my head was spinning and I felt incredibly nauseous.

Liam held a hand to my head with concerned eyes, before slowly pulling away, "You really need to stop, before you get really sick. Using this much magic in just one day… when we get to where we need to be, you're going on bed rest, immediately."

Selena chimed in then, "Speaking of where we need to be: Where exactly are we?" She slowly spun around, her gaze upward as she took in the gaping hole up above, and then the bed of buttercups that we were resting on, "It's beautiful, I've never seen anything like it."

I smiled, standing up with difficulty, "Yeah, it's a real sight to see, isn't it? Just wait 'til you see the rest of the Underground." I glanced upwards at the chasm from which I had fallen from what seemed years ago, and I frowned. "But if we want to ensure that nobody comes down here…." I trailed off, my hands beginning to glow with magic.

But before I could do anything, Liam stopped me, "Frisk, seriously, you need to stop using magic. If you want to close off this entrance, then why not have me or Selena do it? You're too frail right now."

Selena put a hand on mine, her eyes concerned and her voice gentle, "Let me close off the entrance. With my telepathy, I could take a chunk out of this wall and create a boulder to close off the entrance, because my powers are enhanced since I'm a mage."

I slowly let my magic die out, reluctant to listen to the teens, "Okay. You're right, I should… not put myself at risk. Go ahead Selena, close off the entrance."

Selena gave me a small smile, before using both her mind and hands to practically scoop a chunk of solid rock from the wall, before she sent the boulder upwards, using enough force to lodge the boulder firmly into the Underground entrance. Selena gave me a curious look when the job was done, "That was really weird, I felt like I was using a lot more power than I usually would. I was actually scared that I'd send the boulder flying up too hard. Does the Underground enhance magic, by any chance?"

I shrugged, unsure if it actually did, "Well, monsters were trapped down here for…. quite a long time. Maybe the Underground was infused with magic already, or maybe the monsters infused it with magic after being down here for so long. Maybe there's magic here that enhances all of our abilities. I don't know, I was only down here for four months, and in those months I didn't learn much about what the Underground itself was before monsters came." I stood up fully, taking a few steps towards the entrance to the ruins, "We should get going though, okay? If they're actually down here, I want to get to them as quickly as possible."

Selena nodded, understanding that I wanted to see my family after these few months. I led the way, while Zach followed, then Selena and then Liam. Going through the Ruins felt… strange, without all of the monsters that would usually be wandering around. And it was eerily quiet, making me feel extremely uneasy. It reminded me too much of the Genocide runs.

I was snapped out of reliving some horrific memories, when Selena called my name, "Frisk? Can I ask you something?" I hummed an m-hm in response, prompting her to go on. "It's pretty warm in these Ruins, so I was wondering, why are you wearing long sleeves?"

I was calm as I pushed all thoughts of what I did out of my mind, lying easily, "Well after the Ruins, there's Snowdin, which, if you can't tell from it's name already, is a pretty snowy and cold area. So why change my shirt if I'll be going out into the cold anyways?"

Selena was quiet for a moment, before asking, "Well if it's going to be cold, do you have a jacket I can use when the time comes?"

I nodded in response, before we continued walking in silence.

When we got to Toriel's little home, I heard voices inside. So instead of barging in, I raised my hand up, ready to knock. But I didn't. Was it really a good idea to rejoin my family with my LV being as high as it is? What if I hurt them, with words or without? If I got LV from hurting myself, would I just be rude to myself, or would I still be rude and snappy to others? Even with these questions ringing loud and clear in my mind, my longing and eagerness to see everyone I loved was just too strong.

I knocked on the door, getting a sudden silence from inside.

After a moment, I heard someone's voice calling out from inside, "Just a moment please, I'll be right there!" After the sounds of shuffling and running feet had subsided, that someone had slowly opened the door. "Hello there, can I help…." Toriel's voice trailed off as her eyes filled with tears and she opened the door fully, putting her hands to her mouth, before quickly pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

I teared up a bit as well, returning the hug, "Hi, mom."

Another voice called out from inside, getting closer as the person spoke, "Mom, is everything okay? What's taking so long? Who-" Asriel broke off, tearing up as well when he saw me. When Toriel let go of me, she stepped back, allowing room for Asriel to run up and engulf me into a bone-crushing hug as well. Asriel pulled away quickly, taking in my face, before hugging me tight again. "Oh my God, Frisk… you're here, you're actually here!"

Tears stung my eyes anew, a lump in my throat, "I'm here… I'm actually here." I pulled away from Asriel, smiling, "And I'm not going away anytime soon. Even if someone tries to steal me away, they'll have to go through me first."

Asriel was practically beaming, "I'm so glad you're back, it's been miserable without you….. Anyways, it's only me, mom, Melody, and Pandora who are here. The others just left a few minutes ago, they were going to go back up to the house on the Surface to grab some more things."

My heart dropped, and the smile was wiped off of my face. "What? No, no no no, we need to go get them back here, right now." I threw my backpack off my back, putting my satchel on top of it, "We were just there, we barely got out of there when they- we just need to go get the others, right now."

I threw my hair up into a ponytail as I began to run, Asriel scrambling to catch up and follow. "Frisk, what do you mean? Why-"

"They're not teleporting, are they? Please, please tell me they aren't using teleportation to get there," I asked Asriel as I began to sprint.

Asriel shook his head, catching up to my faster speed. "No, they aren't using teleportation. Sans has been too worn out to teleport, and no one else has that ability…. Frisk, what's going on?" Asriel asked, my panic starting to wear off on him.

I shook my head, "I can't explain yet, there's too much to tell. But Az, just how long ago did they leave? You said a few minutes ago, but I have a feeling…"

Asriel picked up his pace, my panic fully wearing off on him, "They left a little over an hour ago. How are we supposed to catch up with them? Our energy is going to wear off soon and we'll be too worn out to continue running."

I skidded to a stop right as we reached the exit to Snowdin, "I'm really really not supposed to do this, but…. we need to make sure that they don't leave." I closed my eyes, concentrating on where their souls and energy were. When I was able to pinpoint them, I opened my eyes, grabbing Asriel's hand. "Hold on tight Azzy, we're gonna teleport." I closed my eyes once more, ignoring Asriel's questions, and using what magic I had.

I felt the ground beneath us leave and felt ourselves fading out of the Ruins. Then I felt grassy ground underneath our feet, and felt the cool temperature of Waterfall.

I opened my eyes, dizzy, but spotting a blue jacket disappear just around a corner. I took in a deep breath, yelling as loud as I could, "SANS!"

Immediately, I saw as someone came sprinting around the corner, running too fast and having to skid to a stop.

"Frisk," Sans breathed. He didn't even hesitate before running up to me and lifting me off my feet, spinning me around as he hugged me tight. When he pulled away, he took my face in his hands, white pinpricks taking their time as he studied my face. Then he hugged me tight again, his voice low and full of relief, "you're back. and you're safe."

I gave Sans a wobbly smile, my voice breaking, "I'm back. I'm safe. And I'm staying right here with you." I so badly wanted to give this bonehead a kiss right then, but I remembered the actual reason I was there. I pulled away from Sans' arms, my tone once again full of concern and worry, "The others, are they-" I looked over Sans' shoulder, seeing the rest of the group approaching us. I breathed easy again, relieved that they hadn't continued on, "Good, you're all here and safe."

Sans put his hands on my shoulders, getting my attention again, "frisk, I can tell that there's something wrong. are you okay?"

I smiled, "I stopped you before you got to the house on the surface, you guys are safe. Yeah, I'm fine."

As soon as those words left my mouth, everything went dark and I could feel myself falling.

The only thing I could remember were Sans' bony arms catching me, and shouting.

My entire body felt like it was on fire.

And believe me, it isn't a pleasant feeling. I know from experience.

I opened my eyes slowly, seeing two figures standing to the side of the room. I couldn't make out who it was though, my vision was too blurry and the light in the room was too bright. But I could tell who was who by their voices.

"tori, please, tell me she's okay, and that she'll wake up soon. the kid out there hasn't said jack on anything." Sans asked, his voice tight with fear and worry.

Toriel , "Well, she's doing okay right now, she should wake up in a day or so. That Liam boy helped me heal her injuries. He explained how Frisk isn't supposed to be using magic, due to her low magic levels? I shall have to ask him to elaborate, for I don't really understand what he meant by that. Right now she's just running a fever, which we will have to ride out." Toriel was quiet for a moment, and hesitant, "But… I don't believe that Liam has told me the full extent of her injuries. He ushered me out of the room after checking her body for injuries, said there was something that only he as a mage could heal."

Sans crossed his arms, "well did you check her for anymore injuries?" Toriel seemed to nod, so Sans continued on, "did you find anything?"

Toriel was hesitant, her voice quiet, "I didn't find any wounds that seemed recent but…. I did find scars."

I decided to alert them to my consciousness then, slowly sitting up, "….How long have I been out?"

Toriel rushed to my side immediately, gently pushing me back down onto my back, "Almost a week, because of your concerningly low magic energy. But my child, please do not get up. You need to rest, you're running quite the fever, and you need your energy."

I sat up fully, looking at the worried expressions on both Sans and Toriel, "Why, what happened?"

Toriel sat down on my bed, taking my hands in hers, "Well, you and Asriel rushed out of the house quite suddenly, saying something about making sure the others were safe. And Asriel tells us that after you teleported and found the others, you just… collapsed. The boy, Liam, said he had told you quite firmly that you weren't supposed to be using magic at that time." Toriel's eyes sparkled with unshed tears, "We were all very concerned…. we had just gotten you back, and it seemed as if you were going to be leaving us again."

I gave Toriel a small reassuring smile, "I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to worry you guys." My smile disappeared soon and I threw off the bed covers, standing up, "But we need to put my well being aside right now, we have more concerning matters at hand."

Toriel put a strong hand around my arm, "Frisk, nothing is more important than your well being right now, please, get back in bed."

I pulled my arm from Toriel's grasp quite easily, surprising the monster, "Actually, there is something more concerning. So I suggest that we get everyone together to discuss it." I reached for my satchel, pulling out some leggings and a sweater, "Well, maybe some of the others should sit this meeting out."

A cool, bony hand grabbed my hand, "frisk, please, listen to tori. i don't want you to push yourself and get sicker than you are. let's just put this meeting on hold-"

I threw on the sweater, dropping my night shorts to put on the leggings, "You guys don't understand, we need to get everyone together to discuss what we're going to do. We need to make sure that we're safe, at least for now. And I need to play my role as Ambassador of the Monsters, I've been gone for so long, and there's so much that needs to be taken care of. So please, let's go and figure this out."

Sans raised his voice slightly, "frisk, we're not kidding, get back in bed, now. this discussion you want to have with everyone, can be put on hold." Sans grabbed my hand again, pulling me a bit closer to him, "please, we want to make sure you're okay. we all care about-"

"Oh my God you guys, I don't care!" I exclaimed as I yanked my hand away. I ignored the hurt look on Sans' face, "I don't care about what happens to me, I only care about ensuring that you guys are okay and safe from harm. After we figure things out, yes, I'll go ahead and rest or whatever."

I left the room then, leaving Sans and Toriel to talk if they wanted. Gabriel, Selena, gather up everyone but Melody, we all need to have a discussion.

I heard Selena's concerned voice enter my head, Frisk, shouldn't you be in bed? Liam said you weren't doing so well, and seriously needed to take it easy for the next week.

Gabriel's voice was equally concerned, but he decided not to question me, Look Selena, if Frisk says we need to have a discussion, then we need to have a discussion. She wouldn't be up and out of bed if it wasn't serious.

I entered the living room, finding that a few of the others were already there, while Gabe and Selena were off to get the others.

Asriel was one of the ones in the living room, and he got up and came over to me, "Frisk, what are you doing? You're supposed to be in bed, resting."

Liam came up behind Asriel, his voice low, "Frisk, we are safe right now, there is no reason to over exert yourself and be up, when you should be in bed. Like Asriel said: what are you doing?"

I looked Liam right in the eye, "How much food do we have?"

Liam responded immediately, "Enough, we have about two bags full of food."

"How much water do we have? Hygiene products? What about the monsters left on the surface? What about the affairs that I have to take care of with the Human Ambassadors?" I challenged, my voice razor blade sharp.

"Well then you shouldn't have winged it and caused all of this in the first place!" Liam snapped.

"And if I hadn't winged it, then Selena would be dead right now!" I shouted at him, eyes widening as I realized what I had just said.

"What?" Liam's voice was unnaturally quiet.

I put my hands up to my mouth, taking in a breath, "I- well- I wasn't going to tell you guys..."

Selena's voice was shaky, as she came up behind me, "Tell us, Frisk. What was going to happen if you didn't do what you did?"

My hands were shaking slightly, my chest seemingly heavy, "You would have been killed. 'Terminated', is what I heard. If I hadn't been reckless and idiotic and escaped so rashly, they would have killed you the same day that we escaped."

Liam tugged Selena back towards him, stepping slightly in front of her, as if that would keep her safe from everything. "No, you're lying. They wouldn't have dared to touch her, she's powerful, she's the most powerful telepath that-"

"Well they didn't know that! They didn't know that she was telepathic! They only knew that she was falling behind quickly, because she was unable to use her magic," I cried out. I took a breath to calm myself, before continuing, "That's why I'm always so on edge. That's why I've been pushing myself, why I don't care about what happens to me." My voice started to break, "I'm desperately trying to protect you guys. I'm trying to fix everything, I'm trying to take down Alexandra. That's why I'm doing everything that I've been doing... I care about you guys."

Liam's gaze softened, and in that moment, I felt like we had an understanding pass between us. Liam's voice was quiet, "...Thank you."

I gave Liam a meaningful look, before nodding my head slightly.

As soon as the moment was over, my features hardened and I turned to everyone else in the room, who had been watching our interaction silently, "We have a lot to discuss, so everyone should get comfortable."

"I hear what you guys are saying, but you aren't hearing what I'm saying," I said to the others in the room.

We had gone in circles in our debate, trying to figure things out. Half of the household was on my side of the matter, while the other half were against us. Undyne, Alphys, Chara, Pandora, Gabe, Liam, and surprisingly, Papyrus.

The other half consisted of Toriel, Asgore, Asriel, Sans, Selena, and Mettaton.

And the topic of the discussion at the moment, was both Ambassador's affairs, and who would make supply runs to the surface when needed.

"kid, we hear what you're saying, we just don't agree, or care about what you're sayin'," Sans responded rather forcefully.

Toriel intervened, her voice motherly, but authoritative, "Frisk, we're just concerned. You shouldn't be going out when you're this weak, and if those people are out there looking for us, then you shouldn't even be going out."

Undyne cut in, her arms crossed and a frown on her face, "But like Frisk has said, what happens when we run out of supplies? I mean, us monsters will be fine, we have monster food to sustain us. But the humans here? They can't live off of monster food."

Chara got a word in too, "And I'm sorry, but I completely agree with Frisk. We need to take care of our affairs with the Ambassadors. How is it going to look when they find out that we've disappeared? What about the monsters left on the surface? The other Ambassadors can help us, but they also need to see that Frisk is alive and well. That way they're not suspicious and unwilling to help us."

Selena put a hand on her hip, her brows furrowed, "But we cannot take the risk of being found. I mean, I understand why you would have to go to the surface for a few things, but Alexandra is out there, hunting for us. I just don't think we should leave. And Frisk, if Alexandra finds you, just what do you think she's gonna do to you? You don't have the strength right now to ward off any attacks."

I crossed my arms, my eyes narrowed, "So you're all saying that I'm weak, and the damsel in distress?" I looked at Selena, my eyes boring into her, "You know the extent of my powers as a mage; I am most definitely, not weak."

Mettaton spoke for the first time in the conversation, his voice full of sympathy, "Frisk, why can't you just let us help you for once? You've done so much for us-"

I scoffed, subconsciously digging my nails into my arms, "Oh, yeah, I've done a lot. I've completely fucked everything up for you guys!" I let go of my arms, instead clenching my hands into fists, "You're all in hiding, in the Underground, because of me. People have died, some have almost died, because of me! Who knows what's gonna happen in the future because of me. For all I know, you could all end up in an alleyway, crumbling into dust, because of me!"

I slammed a fist down onto the wooden table in front of me, my hand going completely through the table. My breathing was heavy, and tears stung my eyes, but I took a moment to breathe. When I calmed down, I gingerly lifted my hand from the table, ignoring everyone's shocked reactions.

My voice was flat, and I wondered if anyone noticed how my eyes had dulled, "A group will go up with me tomorrow to make a supply run. After the supply run, Chara and I will stop by to see the Ambassadors."

I quickly got up to leave the room, a destination in mind.

"Now, this discussion is over."

I had teleported, ignoring everyone's protests.

Now I was in Temmie Village, one of the only places no one would suspect to check for me.

I needed time to myself...

I thought maybe, if I refused to hurt others, my anger and such wouldn't be directed towards the people I love.

Seems like I was wrong.

I don't know how long it's been since I posted, but it feels like forever!

Anyways, I'm sorry if it's been a while, school started on Thursday, and I've been completely drained from it. I'll try my best to post on weekends, so you guys aren't deprived of more chapters.

I hope everyone's doing wonderfully, and that everything is going good for you guys right now.

Until Next Time~