Chapter 40: Tragedy

"It's not fair..."

"Melody! What are you doing?" I laughed as my sister wiggled her butt and 'danced' to her imaginary music.

Melody grabbed my hands, pulling me out in front of the entire book store, "Dance with me Frisk!"

I giggled, doing some slight movements, "What kind of dance though?"

"Any kind!" Melody exclaimed happily.

In the end, I just imitated Melody's hysterical movements, laughing as we danced in front of the entire book store, earning funny looks and smiles.

Sans had also recorded the entire thing on his phone, to look back on later.

"Nooooo, I don't want to get out of bed!" My muffled voice sounded out as I buried my face into Sans' chest.

Sans ran his cool fingers through my hair, before twisting a few strands around his finger, playing with my hair, "i know sweetheart, i know. but you have to go to that meeting and i have to take melody to school."

I entangled my legs with Sans' wrapping my arms around his torso, "No. We're staying in... Please? Can we?"

Sans rolled away from me, that stupid grin on his face, "sorry kid, no can do."

I huffed, before getting up and smirking, "Okay. Fine. I'll get ready."

I faced away from Sans, grabbing my shirt from the bottom and lifting it up over my head, and then stripped from my shorts, leaving me in my bra and panties. After that, I threw off my sports bra and grabbed one of the nicer bras I owned, throwing it on. As I held the back of my bra together, I turned my head to look at Sans, "Hey Sans? Can you help me really quick?"

Sans' face was the bluest I had ever seen it, and he cleared his throat as he crossed over, "um, yeah, sure."

As Sans hooked my bra together, I got goosebumps from his cool fingers brushing across my skin. I took a breath before turning around to face Sans, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself against him, "Hey Sans?"

Sans inhaled sharply, "yes, frisk?"

I gave the skeleton a quick peck on the mouth, then let go of him and threw some clothes on, "Have a good day and have fun taking Melody to school! Love you~"

Sans was silent as I turned to go, before letting out a chuckle, "you, woman, are evil."

I gave Sans an innocent smile as I stepped out of the room, "Who, me? Couldn't be."

"Hey, Frisk?" My eyelids fluttered open at the sound of Melody's voice.

I sat up in bed to see Melody standing in my doorway, "Yeah Mel, what is it?"

Melody flipped my light switch to turn the light on, and crossed over to me, "Can I talk to you about something?"

I pulled Melody onto my lap, holding her close, "Yeah baby girl, what is it?"

Melody climbed out of my lap, facing me with a sober look on her face, "When I leave soon, will you promise me to not beat yourself up about it? And promise me that you won't hurt anyone? Even if they're really bad people?"

Any sleepiness that had been left in me was completely gone now, "What? Melody, why are you asking me about this? You're not like, running away or getting kidnapped, and you're certainly not dying anytime soon."

Melody was absolutely genuine as she spoke, "I had a dream. In the dream I forgot my math book on your bed, and I went to school. When I got to school and went to Miss Thompson's classroom, some guy came in and said he was there to pick me up for a dentist appointment, but I would be back soon. But he lied, Frisk. He took me to a closet all the way on the top floor and hurt me really badly. And then... I died. And I was there for a really long time before someone found me."

I put a comforting hand on my sister's shoulder, "Melody, that was just a dream. It wasn't real. Okay?"

Melody nodded, smiling, "I know. I was just scared about it, so I came in here to see you."

I gave Melody a small smile, "Okay, well let's get to bed. We're going to the parade in the morning, remember?"

Melody giggled excitedly before crawling under the covers with me, curling up into my side.

Melody was worried about me being around to see her die.

But I wouldn't be.

"Go Mettaton! Work those heels!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, standing at the barricade before the stage Mettaton was on.

Mettaton flashed a smile at me, grinning as he worked those heels like I told him to, finishing up the song he was on.

As Mettaton looked out at his fans, he teared up, "I never thought I would be fortunate enough to gain fans in the Underground, let alone up here on the Surface. And having all of you here supporting me, loving me like you do... it's so heartwarming to have a family as big enough as the one here within my fan-base." The crowd of people let out an 'awwww', but hushed once Mettaton continued on, "But none of this would be possible if it weren't for one person. Now this person is a very special friend of mine who I hold close to my heart, and I would very much like if you guys could give her a round of applause. Please welcome to the stage, Frisk Saunders!"

My eyes widened as Mettaton motioned for me to hop up on stage, and the crowd went wild for me to make Mettaton happy.

I was anxious as I got on stage, but I smiled and waved to the crowd as Mettaton handed me the microphone, "Uh, Mettaton, what are you doing?"

Mettaton stepped away from me, grinning like crazy, "Darling, I can't be the only one singing all the time. Go ahead Frisk, sing something for them!"

I looked out into the cheering crowd, and took a deep breath, "...Water and light, this is us, history falling down, hope rising up. We're the here and now, all that came before, can not stay asleep, we're not children anymore. Oh oh oh..."

Mettaton immediately instructed the rest of his band to play Open Your Eyes by Bea Miller, so I wouldn't be stuck singing without music. And let me tell you... the crowd went berserk.

My face erupted into a huge smile, and I put more passion into the lyrics, "We can fight the dark, this is who we are, there's a new light coming! Finally had enough, finally waking up, to who we are becoming. Open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh oh, open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh oh oh." I took a breath, transitioning back into the quieter part, "Will you be my love, will you go with me, are you who I dreamed, or just a memory. Will you understand, what I have to do, will you be the man, the one I thought I knew. Oh oh oh..."

I erupted into passionate song again, "We can fight the dark, this is who we are, there's a new light coming! Finally had enough, finally waking up, to who we are becoming. Open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh oh, open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh oh oh. Into the deep blue we'll do this together, water and fire reach higher, there's no turning back. Oh oh oh, open your eyes... We can fight the dark, this is who we are, there's a new light coming! Finally had enough, finally waking up, to who we are becoming. Open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh oh, open your eyes! Oh oh oh oh-oh oh, oh oh-oh oh oh oh."

I stood there panting, my throat itching to cough, but I beamed, "Thank you all for letting me perform! Now, I'll hand the microphone back to the one you came here to see."

I quickly handed Mettaton the microphone, hurrying back stage to see if there were any restrooms or empty rooms close by. A lady directed me towards Mettaton's dressing room, which was the closest destination.

I hurried into the room, grabbing a tissue and finally going into a coughing fit. My whole body shook and my throat ached as I coughed, spitting up copper tasting blood.

It felt like an eternity until I finally stopped coughing and spitting up crimson.

As I wiped some blood from my lips, I looked up to see a petrified Mettaton standing by the door.

I whirled around, the color draining from my skin, "Oh, Mettaton, what are you doing here?"

Mettaton slowly came towards me, his eyes teary, "The show has come to an end... Frisk, please be honest with me. Are you sick?"

Crap... I slowly showed Mettaton the bloody tissue, "I'm dying. I have a few months left. No one was supposed to know, not until it was almost time. I didn't want to ruin things, I just wanted everyone to be happy and oblivious."

Mettaton closed his eyes in pain, his tears rolling down his cheeks. Mettaton quickly crossed over to me, embracing me in a hug, "Oh darling... no one knows?"

I shook my head, "No one besides you and Grillby. Please don't tell anyone?"

Mettaton's eyes showed me he was distressed, "Okay. I'll just... have to make your last few months, absolutely fabulous." As soon as Mettaton said those words out loud, the robot broke down in tears.

I immediately hugged the robot, trying to comfort him, "Shhhh, it's okay Mettaton. It's okay. Everything will be alright..."

"Frisk, sweetheart, can you get the eggs out for me really quick?" Toriel called from the kitchen.

I hopped off of the couch, going into the kitchen, "Sure thing mom."

As I handed the carton of eggs to Toriel, I took the opportunity to dip a finger into the chocolate frosting she had out.

Toriel whacked my hand with her paw, smiling as she continued on to the next step of her baking, "Frisk, don't be naughty, this frosting is not for you."

A mischievous smile made its way onto my lips, "Oh really? You know mom, it'd be such a shame if someone were to..." I snatched the frosting off of the counter, "take it!"

As Toriel realized what I was doing, she chased after me with a wooden spoon, tailing me through the house hallways.

I ran into Melody's room, squealing as Toriel was right behind me, "Mom, I just want some frosting! Let me live my life!"

I slammed the door on Toriel, looking for an escape, my eyes landing on the window.

Toriel's voice was muffled but I could hear the smile in her voice, "I am letting you live your life, but you need to open this door right this instant and give me my frosting!"

I opened the window, tucking the frosting in my bra as I started to climb out of the window, "Okay mom, I'll open the door in a minute!"

Toriel's voice was suspicious now, "Frisk, just what are you doing in there?"

I squealed as Toriel burst into the room, ready to get her frosting, "Sorry mom, but I've gotta go!"

Toriel burst out laughing as I slid down the gutter, almost breaking the damn thing, "Nooo, Frisk, my frosting!"

I landed on my feet and took off running, going around the back of the house to get back in. I slowly opened the back door as quietly as I could, poking my head in to see if the coast was clear. When I didn't see anyone, I went inside, shutting the door behind me. As I turned to go down to my room, a pair arms emerged from behind me and snatched me up, throwing me over their shoulder.

I screamed, dropping the frosting, and then laughing, "Mom, put me down!"

Toriel carried me to the couch, before putting me down and whacking my hand with a spoon, a smile on her face, "If you want some dark chocolate raspberry cakes, then behave yourself!"

I smiled, "Yes ma'am!"

"Hey Alphys?" My heart was pounding. If I was going to tell them all, I wanted to tell the people who already knew I wasn't doing so good first.

Alphys spun around in her swivel chair, smiling, "Yes, Frisk?"

It felt like I couldn't breathe, but I continued on sincerely, "Can I tell you something?"

Alphys lost her smile, noticing how serious I sounded, "Y-yeah, what is it?"

I took a breath to try and calm myself, my voice coming out a bit fast, "I'm dying. For good this time. I only have about a month or so left, and I found out three months ago that I was dying."

Alphys covered her mouth with a hand, turning her head away.

I approached the small dinosaur woman, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Hey, you guys will be okay. I'll be okay. I've already accepted it. That's why I had Liam and Selena take over my role as Ambassador of the Monsters, so those intelligent and skilled kids can take care of things when I go. And that's why I've been laughing more, smiling more, doing more with you guys, before I leave this world. I've been relishing my time with you guys."

Alphys wrapped her arms around me, holding on tightly as she cried, "I-I don't want you to g-go... I'll m-miss you t-too m-much..."

My eyes stung, my voice quiet, "I know, Alphys, I know. But you'll be okay. You'll mend. Can you promise me that you'll move on? That you'll look back at our memories together and be happy that you got time with me?"

Alphys nodded, her voice choked, "I p-promise."

I hugged Alphys a little tighter, "Shhh, it's okay. You're okay."

"Sans seriously, I can't ice skate!" I held onto Sans for dear life as he dragged me onto the ice.

Sans laughed as I clutched onto his arms, "kid, then how in the world did you get to snowdin?"

"I walked around the ice and stayed on the snowy ground, like any other sane person!" I shouted.

Sans let go of my arms, "welp, guess you gotta learn then."

I screamed, my arms flailing, "Sans, if you don't grab me, I swear to the lord above that I will murder you!" As Sans began to skate over to me with that huge grin on his face, I lost my balance and fell backwards, hitting my head on the ice. When Sans' sheepish expression came into my line of sight, I glared at him, "You whore."

Sans' looked confused for a moment, before realizing what I had called him, and he burst into laughter.

As Sans was bent over laughing, I took the moment to hook my foot around his and pull him down. As Sans fell down beside me, I let out a victorious laugh, "Sucker, never let your guard down!"

Sans laughed with me, before rolling over on top of me and giving me a gentle kiss.

Chara skated past, pretending to vomit, "Groooossssss. Get a room you guys!"

Sans and I smiled into our kiss, before getting up and continuing to skate.

I held onto Sans' hand, quickly getting the hang of skating. I relished the feeling of our entwined hands and the presence of the love of my life right next to me. I looked over to the skeleton next to me, smiling at his content expression, "Hey, Sans?"

Sans looked over at me, smiling, "yeah angel?"

I looked over at everyone else who was skating, all of our family and friends, before looking back to Sans, "We should get married. I-I mean, when we're ready, you know? We obviously can't get married when we're so young, but I want to get married someday."

Sans was silent, and I couldn't read his expression as I looked over at him.

I let go of his hand, covering my face in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, that was too much wasn't it? Ugh, I'm so stupid. I should have known that you wouldn't want to get married. Marriage is like one big promise that you have to make and it impacts the rest of your life and I just-"

Sans grabbed me by the waist, lifting me up and spinning me in the air, "frisk, i want to get married." The skeleton smiled at my dumbfounded expression, "why wouldn't i want to marry you? you're the most exquisite, loving, incredible woman i've ever known, and you're my best friend. let's get married. who cares about our age?"

I was thunderstruck, and grinning like crazy, "You mean it? You want to get married?"

Sans' eyes were full of affection and glee, "yes, i mean it with every ounce of my heart."

I couldn't seem to stop smiling, and my voice was quiet, "We're going to get married."

Sans' grin widened, "we're going to get married."

"We're gonna get married!" I exclaimed, hugging Sans.

Sans hugged me tighter, "we're gonna get married!"

I let out a delighted squeal, and shouted for the whole world to hear, "We're gonna get married!"

Sans gave me a tender kiss, and joined in with my shouting, "we're going to get married!"

Sans and I laughed and giggled in disbelief all around the ice rink, going to our loved ones and telling them what had just happened.

"So, Frisk, you and Sansy, huh?" Chara grinned as she sat down on my bed.

Asriel sat down next to Chara, "It's a happy ending for you after all, like a dream come true."

I smiled, but my heart ached, "Yeah, it's exactly like a dream come true..."

Chara sighed, losing her smile, "Okay Frisky-Bits, what's up. Both me and Azzy have noticed that you're... different. It's a good different, but you have your moments when something seems off. So, spill the beans."

I sat down in between Asriel and Chara, grabbing each of their hands in both of mine, "You're right. It's been a good different, but something is up." I took a moment, wondering if I should really tell them all before my time's even here, "I'm... not going to be here much longer. I'm... I'm- I'm dying, for good this time."

Chara's grip loosened on my hand, while Asriel's tightened. Both had tears in their eyes, Asriel's were purely miserable and anguished, while Chara's were anguished and resentful.

Asriel's eyes shined with unshed tears, "But- But you're supposed to be getting married. The violence between humans and monsters is at the minimal, the Human Ambassadors are on our side; things are finally getting better! Things are finally good... this is- this is just... cruel."

Chara slipped her hand out of mine, holding her hand close to her chest while her features remained shadowed, "How long have you known."

I looked over to the girl beside me, "I've known for the last three months. I know, I should have told you guys sooner. But I just- I wouldn't have been able to bear it if everyone was heartbroken and scared to lose me all the time. I didn't want to tell you guys until it was almost my time."

Chara's features were finally out of the shadows and visible, tears making their way down her face, "Damn, guess I can't spend any time being angry at you for not telling us sooner then."

Asriel held his tears back, trying to be strong, "So you're time's almost up? You'll be... dying soon?"

I nodded, throwing my arms around the pair, "But you guys will be okay. You can make it without me. I know you can."

Chara's voice was quiet, "How do you know you'll be gone soon? It's possible you can be wrong, right?"

A wobbly smile made it's way onto my lips, "Believe me, I wish I were wrong. It's just... something I can feel. Deep in my soul."

Chara and Asriel wrapped their arms around me as tightly as possible, their tears dropping onto my grey sweatpants.

After a moment, Asriel broke the silence, "Sans doesn't know yet, does he."

I shook my head, "No. I've only told you two, Alphys, Mettaton, and Grillby. Everyone else doesn't know yet... I'll have to tell them soon though."

Chara and Asriel wiped their tears, grabbing my hands and dragging me outside to have some fun.

"Selena, Liam, Gabriel, can I talk to you?" I stood in the doorway to the Judgement Hall, interrupting their training.

Selena smiled, her arms crossed as she stopped kicking the boys' butts in training, "Sure thing! The boys probably need a moment to nurse their broken egos and pride anyways."

Liam laughed, crossing over to me, "Don't listen to a word she says, you never know who you can trust."

Selena gasped, putting a hand over her heart, "I honestly feel so attacked right now, and I feel hurt about this."

Selena and Gabriel crossed over to me and joined Liam, ready to listen to what I had to say.

My heart ached thinking about the bomb I was about to drop on them, "Do you guys- Do you wanna go somewhere where we can sit?"

Liam's smile dropped, and he immediately realized that this meant bad news, "Um, yeah, sure. Where were you thinking to go?"

I led the other three to the MTT Resort, Selena and Gabriel chatting the whole way while Liam and I remained silent. When we finally got to the resort, I led them to the restaurant area, having them sit at a table with me. Selena and Liam sat on one side of the table, while Gabriel sat on the other side with me.

I took a breath, not wanting to do this to these amazing kids, "I- I have some bad news. And I haven't wanted to tell you guys, but I know I should, to prepare you..." I trailed off, really not wanting to do this, "...I'm dying. I have been, for the past three months. And this time, I won't come back; I won't be able to reset. That's why I gave you two the roles as Ambassadors for the Monsters, Selena, Liam. I know you're both incredibly intelligent kids who want to be involved with things and make a difference. And that's also why I'm telling you. My health has been deteriorating, and I just wanted to tell you guys, before you figured it out... I thought if I told you, it'd be better than you finding out when it's too late."

Selena was deathly pale, her posture rigid. Liam was tense, his eyes showing that he was troubled with this information. And Gabriel had his head between his legs, trying to calm himself.

After several moments of silence, Selena's shoulders started shaking as she cried, her breathing shaky as she tried to be quiet. Liam immediately threw his arms around the young girl, pulling her into his chest, not even flinching as her nails dug into his skin.

Liam smoothed Selena's hair down, his voice tender, "Little Blue Bird, please don't cry... You're going to make me cry if you keep going on like this." I watched as Liam closed his eyes, a few droplets of tears falling into Selena's hair, "Selena, don't cry. It's going to be okay..."

Selena looked up at Liam with a tear streaked face, "Don't cry, please don't cry because I'm crying."

Liam chuckled, "It's impossible not to cry if you're crying... C'mon, give me a smile?" Selena tried her best, managing a wavering smile. Liam smiled at that, "Well, you tried."

Selena playfully smacked Liam's chest, "C'mon, don't belittle my smile. That was my best one yet!" Selena eventually lost her smile, turning to me, "Does anyone else know?"

I recited everyone's names again, "Grillby, Alphys, Mettaton, Chara, Asriel, and now you three."

Liam furrowed his eyebrows, "Sans doesn't know yet?" When I shook my head, Liam frowned, "But you're supposed to be getting married. How can you be getting married when you're not even going to be around soon?" Selena smacked Liam, frowning, making Liam reword what he said, "I'm sorry. It's just... It feels like you've gotten him all happy and everything, but you're going to destroy that happiness soon."

I looked at my fingers, digging my thumb nails into each finger, "I just... I had a moment. Where everything seemed perfect. Where I was content and peaceful, and forgot about everything bad. When I brought up the topic of marriage, and Sans practically... proposed, I just... I forgot that I was dying. I forgot that I wouldn't be here much longer. I had a moment."

We all sat in silence. No one wanting to make a move.

I screamed, clutching onto Sans and Melody's arms as the roller coaster practically went straight down.

Sans held onto my arm just as tightly, and all the while, Melody was laughing and giggling.

As soon as the ride was over, we went to check out the picture taken as the roller coaster went down, and I doubled over laughing. Sans' eyes were shut as tight as possible, and his mouth was wide open in a silent scream. On the other hand, Melody had her eyes wide open, laughing with her hands up in the air.

Sans grimaced, before turning to my picture and smiling, "hey frisk, i'm not the only one who was a big baby."

I stopped laughing as soon as I looked up at my photo, I was red-faced and screaming, holding onto Sans for dear life. I smiled after a moment, going up to the person working the picture stand, "I'll take three copies of the fourth picture please." As soon as I got the copies of the picture, I tucked them away safely in my satchel, "Okay you guys, which ride next?"

Melody grabbed onto Sans' hand and then mine, dragging us to the ride she wanted next, "The silly silo! You stick to the walls on that one!"

I laughed as Melody excitedly dragged us to the ride, hopping in line. And though my laughter died out, a smile remained on my face. My heart sort of... ached, as I looked at Sans and Melody. Melody was holding our hands, and as I looked at the scene before me, it felt like I already had a family of my own. Like I had already gotten married and had a kid. And I admired that loving feeling, but I was disheartened by the fact that I wouldn't be around for much longer to cherish it.

A grating voice interrupted my thoughts, "Hey heartthrob, what are ya doin' with a bag of bones and midget like that?"

I froze, before turning around to see the ordinary moron of a teen guy who thought he was just all that. I gave the guy an innocent smile, eyes wide but burning with anger, "Who, me? Well these are my friends. Should I... not be friends with them?"

The guy smirked, thinking I was just another dumb girl he could take advantage of, "No, you shouldn't be friends with them. First off, monsters are dangerous. So that bag of bones will probably spit venom at you or somethin'. How about you cozy up to ol' Cameron here?"

I lost my innocent smile, giving the guy a piercing glare as I gave him a malicious smile, "Look Cameron, I don't know who you think you are, but I think it's safe to say that you have no idea what the hell you're talking about. You're wrong about monsters being dangerous." I grabbed the boy by his shirt with both hands and shoved him up against the side of the ride, "Do you wanna know why you're wrong?" The boy lost his smirk and confidence, becoming pale as I bore holes into his skull with my deadly glare, "Because I am far more dangerous and deadly than all of them combined."

"H-hey you crazy chick, put me down, o-or else!" Cameron whimpered, trying to sink away from my glare.

I let go of the boy, but not before giving him a good knee where the sun doesn't shine. As I turned to rejoin Sans and Melody in line, I looked back at the crumpled boy, "And for your information, that 'midget' is my little sister, that 'bag of bones' is my fiance, and I'm Frisk Saunders, the Ambassador of the Monsters. So I'd think before you open that trap of yours and blab on about things that you have no knowledge about."

As soon as we were next in line, Melody told me that I was awesome, and Sans leaned in to say that I'd done amazing at handling that a lot more calmly than he would've.

I enjoyed the rest of the day with Sans and Melody, going on every single ride in the amusement park and having the time of our lives.

"Undyne, Papyrus, can I steal you guys away for a moment? I have something I want to talk to you about," I interrupted Papyrus' training with Undyne, noting how Undyne was out of breath and sweating, whereas Papyrus was breathing normally and not even breaking a sweat.

Papyrus dismissed his magic, crossing over to me and giving me a big hug, "Oh Frisk, I feel as if it's been forever since I last saw you! And the last time I saw you, is when we went looking for a wedding dress for you! Have you found a wedding dress yet, Human?"

I gave Papyrus a small smile, "Um, no, I haven't. Actually, Papyrus, Undyne, I have some pretty lousy news. Will you come sit with me for a moment?"

Papyrus and Undyne followed me to a bench in the training room, sitting down with me.

Undyne gave me a playful punch in the arm, "Okay punk, out with this bad news, let's get it over with!"

I bit the inside of my cheek, my chest feeling tight from my sorrow, "I'm... not going to be around much longer. I'm dying. I have been, for the past few months. But I just- I wanted you guys to have some happiness before I passed. So I didn't tell you. Lately I've been going around, telling everyone. Grillby, Alphys, Mettaton, Liam, Selena, Gabriel, Chara, Asriel, and now you two know. I'm telling Toriel and Asgore next. Sans and Melody last because... I just... it's already arduous enough telling you guys. I can't even imagine how they'll react when I tell them."

Undyne and Papyrus' expressions were frozen and blank, neither of them making a move.

Papyrus finally broke the silence, wrapping his arms around me, "Well... you've been an admirable friend, Human Frisk. I will miss you greatly... Come on Undyne, let's get back to training."

Undyne finally snapped out of her trance, wrapping her arms around be in a bone crushing hug, "I'm going to miss you punk... more than anything in this world. But Paps is right, we need to get back to training. It's not that we don't want to spend time with you or aren't greatly affected by this news, so don't take it the wrong way! But it's... probably best that we get our strength up so we can train the younger members of the Royal Guard, so we know that we'll be safe and protected once you're... once you leave us. Papyrus has already surpassed me, so I have no doubts about the Royal Guard's strength. I just want to be prepared for anything."

I smiled, feeling better to know that they would be fine with this loss, "Okay, then you go ahead and get to training. Those guards aren't going to train themselves you know!"

Undyne put me into a headlock and gave me a noogie, " Fuhuhuhuhu! You get it punk!" Undyne let go of me, before turning to Papyrus, "Okay Papyrus, let's get busy!"

I took a deep breath, swallowing loudly like those people in the movies, "Mom, Dad, can I talk to you about something quick?"

Asgore gave me a smile, holding his hand out for Toriel to take as she walked toward him, "Of course dear one, you can talk to us about anything. Now, what do you wish to speak about?"

I led the pair to quiet area in the house, even though we were the only ones home. I sat Toriel and Asgore down, sitting in front of them, clearing my throat slightly, "I- I- This is going to be difficult to say..."

Toriel's motherly hand enveloped mine, "Frisk, sweetie, we're right here to support you. And we will always be here."

I gave Toriel and Asgore a feeble smile, before looking down to my shoes and speaking in a soft voice, "...I'm dying, and I don't have much longer before I'll be gone. I wanted to tell you guys beforehand. To prepare yourselves for what's going to happen... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

After several long moments of silence, I lifted my head, seeing wide eyes and horrified expressions.

Several more moments of silence passed us by before Toriel cleared her throat, getting up from her seat, "Well, uh, I have some... chores, to attend to."

Asgore's eyebrows furrowed in pain and confusion, "Toriel, please, sit back down."

Toriel continued on, not hearing Asgore, mumbling something about the laundry.

Asgore got up from his seat, quickly crossing over to Toriel and grabbing her by the hand, leading her back to the couch, "Now is not the time to worry about chores, honey. We must take care of this issue."

Toriel froze, before turning and looking up at Asgore with her anguished and pained eyes, her voice trembling and breaking,"Our child is- has been fading right in front of us for- God knows how long! Frisk is dying!" As soon as those words left her mouth, Toriel crumpled, forcing Asgore to catch her, "I can't do this, not again. I can't- I can't. I can't lose another child; not again!" Toriel's words dissolved into whimpers and sobs, the boss monster becoming the most broken thing in the world.

I teared up and sniffled; I had never seen Toriel break down like this.

I smiled as I looked over everyone in the establishment. Everyone was together, and having fun. We had all decided to go to Grillby's to hang out and get dinner, wanting to do something together as a family.

I sat down at the bar with Grillby as everyone else sat in a booth, "Heya Grillbs. Can you give me some more of the Spirytus? Just pretend you're giving me water."

Grillby's flames flickered out for a moment, before going back to normal. He poured the drink behind the bar and gave it to me in a water glass, "Who all have you told?"

I sipped at the alcohol, making sure I didn't look suspicious, "Almost everyone. Sans and Melody still don't know... I just... I don't want to ruin things for them just yet."

Grillby rolled up his sleeves, "Yeah, I can understand that. Especially since you and Sans are supposed to get married... What about Pandora? Has she even been around lately?"

I took a drink of my 'water', "No, no one's seen her since we came out of hiding. Anyways," I chugged what was left of the alcohol, setting the glass down gently when I was done, "I should get back over to the group."

As Grillby looked out towards the group, a confused expression crossed his face, "Where's Melody? Since this was a group outing, I would have thought that she'd be here."

I sighed, "Yeah, well, she had school today, and she wanted to know if she could go over to Monster Kid's house for a sleepover. So, I let her go."

Just then, my cell phone rang, "Oh look, it's Dahlia, MK's mom. Here, let me take this quick."

I left the bar, heading outside with my phone. When Sans gave me a questioning look as I passed the booth, I wiggled my phone for him to see, smiling as he understood immediately that I had a call to take.

I stepped out into the bitter winter air, wrapping my jacket around me tighter as I answered my phone, "Hello, Dahlia! Are the kids having fun?" As I listened to Dahlia over the small device, I lost my smile and furrowed my eyebrows, "But I- She was supposed to head over to your house right after school. Are you sure Kid's not with her in his room or something?" I looked up and down the street, thinking that I'd see Melody, listening as Dahlia explained that kid was right next to her asking about Melody. I forced a smile on my face and made my voice laid-back, "Oh wait, I think she meant tomorrow. She's probably at home right now. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. She'll be by some other time, okay?"

I hung up my phone, shoving it into my pocket as I went back inside Grillby's. I slipped past my family and friends, heading up to the bar to speak with Grillby.

I took Grillby's hand in mine and led him to the back room, my anxiety starting to get worse each second, "Okay Grillbs, we have a problem. Melody never made it to Monster Kid's house after school. Now I don't want to freak anyone out, so I'm going to go check the house quick, and then head to the school to see if she's still there. Can you make sure everyone stays here? Keep them distracted? Have a karaoke time or something?"

Grillby looked deeply concerned, but nodded, "Okay. But if they start to catch on, or ask questions, I won't be able to keep them occupied for long."

I gave Grillby a quick hug, "Thank you. You've done so much for me and I could never repay you."

I took another look at the flame monster, before turning around and teleporting to the house.

As soon as I got home, I went up the stairs to Melody's room, "Melody? Are you in the house somewhere?"

Eerie silence was my answer.

I checked every single room, then double checking, and then triple checking. When it was evident that Melody was not here, I sat down on my bed, running my hands through my frizzy and tangled hair. As soon as I had sat on my bed, I felt something poking the side of my thigh, and lifted my blanket to see what it was.

I saw the corner of a hard-cover book, and pulled it out from under my blanket to find that it was Melody's math book.

My blood felt like ice as it ran through my veins, and I could feel a chill begin to seep into my bones.

I dropped the book back onto the bed and got ready to teleport, but my phone rang for the second time that day.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see that the caller ID showed the school, and I felt a little bit of relief as I realized I could be wrong. I answered the call, "Hello?" The person on the phone asked if I was Frisk Saunders. "Yes, this is she. Who's asking?" The principal. She asked if I could come to the school as quickly as possible.

I hung up, teleporting to the school in an instant, walking right up to the principal as soon as the ground was solid beneath my feet.

The principal paled slightly at how quickly I had gotten there, but her voice showed no signs of fear, "Ms. Saunders, we're extremely concerned right now. Someone had come to pick Melody up for a dentist's appointment, but they said that she'd be right back to class as soon as possible. Now we think that Melody did indeed come back, but it seems as though she has locked herself in the upstairs storage closet."

I followed the principal upstairs, where another staff member was trying to get a door open and calling Melody's name. As we got closer to the closet, I desperately prayed that I wasn't right. That Melody's dream had been just that. A dream.

I stood for a few moments and watched as the principal and staff member tried to coax Melody out, before interfering, "Is there a lock on the inside that could be turned to unlock the door? If so, I could just use my magic to teleport into the closet and unlock the door, and take Melody home with me."

The principal and staff member looked at each other for a moment, before backing away from the door.

I teleported for the third time that day, finding myself in a medium sized, pitch black, musty room. As I felt the door for the lock, I heard the groaning of wood from above, and pain shot throughout my body as something tumbled down on top of me. I struggled for a moment, before throwing whatever had fallen off of me, freezing as I realized that the something that had fallen on top of me had skin.

My heart clutched in fear, and my breathing got a bit shaky. My hand shook as I lifted it up in front of me, "Please God, please don't let it be her. Please, please, please." I let my magic engulf my hand and light up the entirety of the room.

I scrambled backward, putting my hand to my mouth to try and stop the keening sound that had come out of it's own free will.

I got on my hands and knees, elbows feeling as if they were going to buckle once I started crawling towards the figure, scalding tears cascading down my face. I sat down and crossed my legs, picking the limp and bending body of my sister up from the floor. As I held her, and looked her over, I was keening loud enough for everyone to hear, filling the air with cries of grief and sorrow.

Someone finally got the door open, light filling the closet.

My throat burned as I screamed and wailed, "Not her, please not her, anybody but her!" Sobs wracked my body as I held her tightly, "Please... anybody but her!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The principal looked at the sight of me holding my sister, paling. The other staff member turned away, throwing up whatever he had eaten that day. And the person who opened the door, grabbed his phone out, dialing 911.

As the person talked to 911, I sobbed, the image of my sister's body forever haunting my mind.

Her eyes were wide open, devoid of life. Her skin was deathly pale, marred with inky bruises and crimson cuts. Red markings showed where she had been slapped or strangled, her blood stained her clothes, deep stab wounds littering her body, her abdomen completely eviscerated.

I moved my sister in a way so her head was resting on my chest, and I held her in place, one hand on her head and the other on her back. I rocked back and forth as I trembled and sobbed, my voice a hoarse whisper, "You're okay, you're okay. It's okay. You're just a little bit hu-hurt, the doctors are going to fix you all up. It's okay, it's okay. You're okay."

I felt hands pulling my sister away from me, and I screamed, "Get away! Don't touch her! Don't touch her!"

A patient voice came from in front of me, "Ms. Saunders, please, we need to take her away to examine her. If you give her to us, we can figure out who or what did this to your sister."

I looked up through my tangled hair and wet eyelashes, my voice trembling, "Where do you want to take her?"

The police officer gave me a sympathetic and looked back at her partners, giving them a look that said 'back off', "We were planning on transporting your sister to the coroner's office, so we could find out more about her... cause of death. Is that okay, Ms. Saunders?"

I stood up, holding Melody's head to my chest to keep it from lolling around, "It's quite obvious that my baby sister was murdered. Now, if you want to transport her, I come with."

The police officer's partners began to protest before she held a hand up to cut them off, "Okay. You seem more composed now, so I'll allow it. But you must be prepared, there will be a crowd of civilians outside, along with reporters and news stations. Will you be able to move quickly and remain composed while we move past them?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "How? How did they find out, how did they get here so quickly?"

The police officer's partner stepped up then, "They saw as we rushed here and ran inside. There were already a few civilians outside when we arrived, but they probably called others and word got out that something happened. But if we could get going, the sooner, the better."

I nodded, holding my sister's body close to mine to try and hide her features and such, "Okay, let's get out there then. Is there any way to cover her up though? I don't want anyone seeing her like this, and I certainly don't want anyone finding out who she is."

The police officer I had been talking to was hesitant, "Well, it's protocol to put the deceased into a body bag. So, Ms. Saunders, if you could allow us to do our jobs?"

I took a breath, before nodding, "Okay." The police brought the body bag to me, opening it up. I carefully and gently lay my sister down inside it, closing her eyes with my hands as I took a shaky breath, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Melody, I'm sorry baby girl."

As the police zipped the bag up, I took a few breaths, trying to calm myself. My hands shook as I wiped as much blood as possible off of them, so I could wipe my eyes.

Once I took a moment, my resolve strengthened and I was more business-like, "You guys are supposed to fill out a form for pronouncement of death, correct? Well, take some notes. The victim is an 11 year old female, name is Melody Rose Saunders, date of birth is 6/15/2007. The victim weighs around 86 pounds, she's 4 ft 7 inches. Date of death, 11/17/20018. And since rigor mortis has just begun to set in, I'm assuming the victim died around 4 hours ago, around 16:00... ish. The victim is most certainly and unfortunately deceased... The family has been notified."

The police seemed unnerved by my sudden change in attitude and emotion, but went with it, jotting everything down. As soon as they had everything they needed, they were ready to move.

I was in the middle of the police, keeping a hand on the gurney they were wheeling my sister out. As soon as we left the safety of the school, screams and shouting met my ears, the snapping of camera shutters and reporters shouting questions accompanying the civilians' screams. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I looked up and made eye contact with a woman I knew. My heart pounding in my chest was all I could hear as I watched Pandora mouth the words 'I had to'.

I froze in my tracks like a deer caught in headlights, and I could feel more hatred than I had ever felt in my life bubble up inside of me, "How could you..." I started towards Pandora at a lightning fast pace, my glare deadly as I set my sights on her, "How could you."

Pandora backed away from me, holding her hands up, "I had to. A-and it wasn't just me who did it, there were anti-monster members too... Frisk, now don't do anything rash, you know that I love you, you're like a sister-"

I didn't let Pandora finish her sentence, throwing my hand up to throw her in the air, before slamming my hand downwards, to make her crash into the concrete, just like Sans did to me in the past run. I made my way up to her, ignoring the screams of horror, and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her head up before slamming it back down into the concrete. My voice was cold at first, before it became heated and broken, "HOW COULD YOU?! You say you love me and that I'm like a sister to you?! Well guess fucking what Pandora, sisters, do NOT KILL SOMEONE'S LITTLE SISTER!"

Pandora retaliated, sending a kick to my face, "Well guess what Frisk, sisters don't steal someone's true fucking love!"

I entered a fight with Pandora, heated tears entering my eyes as I screamed at her, "It's over Sans?! That was my sister, my little sister who I loved with all of my heart! Melody was the only thing I cared about in this whole wretched fucking world! Without her, I never would have made it out of my abusive home, and into this life! Without her, you wouldn't have even known about Sans!"

Pandora charged at me, ready to send another kick to my abdomen, "Well that didn't happen, now did it?"

I caught Pandora's foot, shocking the woman, and I felt something shift in me. I looked Pandora right in the eyes with the most lethal glare I had, making the girl shrink away as I snarled, "You're right. If it weren't for Melody, you would live past this day. So Pandora, before you die, know that I wholeheartedly mean it when I say: I have never hated anyone more. Whores like you... should be burning in HELL."

I threw Pandora into the air as high as possible, before slamming her into the ground repeatedly, putting as much force behind it as I could. I stepped closer to Pandora, who was barely even breathing, and I summoned my gaster blaster. I crouched down beside Pandora, brushing a piece of hair from her eyes so she could see me before she died, "You killed the wrong girl."

As my gaster blaster's power whined and built up, Pandora managed to choke something out, "You're... doing... exactly... what... she... wants... This... will... mean... war..."

I took Pandora's words in, before smiling, "Good. I've never been more excited."

My rose pink power shot from my gaster blaster's jaws, completely obliterating Pandora, and shattering her soul in seconds. As I looked at the scorch mark on the ground, I never felt more exhausted.

I turned around to face the nearest news reporter, "Are you still recording?" The cameraman and reporter nodded furiously, still horrified by what had just happened right in front of their eyes. I looked right into the camera, addressing every person watching, "Some of you are sitting on your couches. Disgusted. Horrified. Angry. Devastated. I know how you feel, because before I exited the school, I sobbed and screamed and wanted to die as I held the lifeless body of my baby sister in my arms. That woman, who is no longer in our world, is the one who murdered her. Along with a group of our species. Humans. Specifically, humans who were against monsters... Ms. Grey, Mr. Jansen, this is also partly your fault. I told you that we weren't safe, that we desperately needed your help. But you didn't listen. You chose to listen to someone who you didn't even know, over me, someone who you had worked closely with in the months that I was Ambassador. Well now... you need to make your preparations. You have one month."

As I turned to go grab my sister's body from the shocked police officers, I felt a quick poke on my back, "M-Ms. Saunders, what did you mean by that last statement? What are they preparing for?"

I looked at the reporter, before crossing over and unzipping the body bag, picking my sister up, and then going back to talk to the camera, making sure Melody's body was in full view for everyone to see.

I looked into the camera, saying one thing:

"War."

I was sitting on my bed, Melody's head on my lap as I smoothed her hair back, staring off into space.

I didn't register the sound of my door opening until Papyrus' forlorn face came into view, "Frisk... Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

I looked up into Papyrus' eyes, not saying anything, before gently moving Melody's head off of my lap, and getting up.

I stood there, until Papyrus took me by the elbow to guide me up the stairs. I didn't see anything. I was just moving without thinking. I was breathing, but I didn't feel like I was living. I felt dead.

Papyrus led me to the bathroom, starting the bathwater for me. Papyrus went out, letting Sans come in. Sans was saying something. I don't know what. I looked past Sans, my vision blurring him out and focusing on Papyrus and Undyne, who were carrying Melody past the bathroom, to her own room. I got up, moving past Sans, and shut the door. Then I sat back down on the toilet, staring at nothing.

Sans took me by my elbows, making me stand up again. When my arms dropped back to my sides, Sans started unbuttoning my jeans, getting me to step out of the blood stained garment. Then he got me to lift my arms up so he could pull my blood smeared sweater off. After that he took my undergarments off, and helped me into the tub.

We sat in silence, with me staring at the faucet, not really seeing it, while Sans washed me and scrubbed the blood from my body. I became uncomfortably aware of the sound of sobbing from outside the restroom, before focusing on just the dripping of water from the faucet, seeing how clear the water from the faucet was compared to the diluted red of my bath water.

When I was clean, Sans helped me out of the tub, grabbing the bath towel and drying me off, before getting me dressed in a baggy t-shirt and shorts. Then he took me by the hand and led me to the living room, sitting me down on the floor, while he sat on the couch to brush my hair.

As Sans brushed my hair, Selena came into view, tears in her eyes as she sat down in front of me, "Frisk... I understand. I know exactly how you're feeling right now. And you're allowed to shut down for a little while. You're allowed to grieve. So grieve. Take your time." Selena tried reading my thoughts, but sighed when her powers ricocheted back to her immediately. She gave Sans an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, her walls are just... impenetrable right now. I'll try again later, okay?"

Sans sighed, continuing to brush my hair, even though it was already fully brushed, "okay. it's fine, you're trying. i just... i don't know how to help her. i mean, i lost my brother in many different runs and resets, but i'm at a loss here."

Selena gave Sans an encouraging smile, "You're trying. Just be there for her; she's going to need all of us for a while. Well, until she leaves us too..."

Sans set my hairbrush down, giving me a small peck on the forehead as he went to the kitchen to get something to drink, "what do you mean? she's not going to be leaving us for a long while. she's going to get past this hardship, and then i'm going to try and give her the happiest life i can give her. and then she can die, old, and happy, and warm in her bed."

Selena gave me a look of disbelief, before sighing, "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I chose the wording that I did. Anyways, I'm gonna head to bed, I'll need all the sleep I can get before tomorrow."

Sans came back into the living room, kneeling beside me and pushing my hair away from my face, "yeah, tomorrow's going to be the toughest day for her. that's when she'll come to terms and realize that she needs to start getting past this."

Selena shook her head in disagreement, "No, you're wrong. I mean, yeah, she's going to wake up, thinking that this was all just a bad dream, and she'll be expecting Melody at the breakfast table, before realizing that she's gone. But that's not the toughest part. The toughest part is several months later, when you're in the middle of the day, doing paperwork or training, and the grief just hits you like a train. When you realize, once again, that the person you lost is gone, and they're never coming back. And it's tough, because you think you're better, you think you're done grieving. But you're not. I don't think someone ever stops grieving..."

Liam came up behind Selena, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "C'mon little Blue Bird, let's go to bed. We need sleep, not to mention Sans and Frisk need sleep as well."

Selena smiled as she looked up at Liam, "Okay. We'll get up early to help with preparations though, right?"

Liam gave Selena a small nod, before a wide grin crossed his face, and he picked Selena up bridal style, "Of course. But for now: Sleep awaits us, fair maiden!"

Selena giggled as Liam went down the stairs with her in his arms, holding onto him tightly.

Sans chuckled, before sighing and turning to me, "reminds me of us, when things hadn't gone to shit. okay sweetheart," Sans picked me up bridal style as well, being gentle, "let's get ourselves to bed."

Sans carried me down to my room, laying me down on my bed and tucking me in, leaving momentarily to check on everyone else, before coming back and climbing into bed with me. Sans rolled over onto his side, gently putting an arm around my waist, grabbing my hand and rubbing small circles into my palm.

It took about an hour or so for Sans to fall asleep, but once he did, I climbed out of bed, wrapping a small blanket around myself as I went upstairs. The padding of my feet on the hardwood floor seemed like it would wake the whole household up, but everyone was quietly sleeping in their rooms.

I went down the hall, before turning to Melody's room and going in. I blinked in surprise when I saw Chara and Alphys in the room, working on getting Melody's body ready for the funeral.

Chara turned towards me, her gaze softening, "Hey Frisk, what are you doing up so late?"

I unwrapped myself from the blanket, setting it aside as I approached the pair and Melody. With my face and eyes blank and devoid of life, Chara and Alphys seemed unsure about continuing.

Alphys began to explain to me what they were doing, "R-right now we're bathing and disinfecting Melody's were planning on transporting her to m-my lab so we could begin to r-restore her body to what it was before she suffered her injuries. Then we were going to start e-embalming her. By morning, everything should be done."

Chara put a gentle hand on my shoulder, her voice soft, "We were going to ask you if you wanted people to pay their respects over the course of two or three days, or if you just want to have the funeral and burial tomorrow morning."

I closed my eyes, trying to remember the last thing I said to Melody. When I opened them again, Chara and Alphys were looking at me, concerned.

I picked up a washcloth, helping with the bathing process.

Chara gave Alphys a dismal look, realizing that this was going to be a long night.

My heart kind of hurts now. Ouch.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Until Next Time~