A/N: Hello everyone, I am sorry that this took a month to write up. I hope you are all doing well. Thank you Carpe-Plectrum for favoriting and following this fic. And also thank you for your kind comments.


Kendall sat at the table picking at the distasteful pastry in front of her. "Do you not like snail pie?" Toriel asked causing the girl to pause her movements. "I do apologize. I wasn't expecting guest. If I had known that you would be joining me, I would have baked a butterscotch pie," the boss monster continued trying to start a conversation.

Kendall didn't reply even after a quiet sigh from the monster. "I'll go check my refrigerator. Maybe I can find something you would like to eat instead," the boss monster said getting to her feet and walking to the kitchen. The girl didn't waste a second as she ran right out of the room and out of the house. "Flowey," she called out.

"Howdy," the flower responded as quickly as ever. He bounced on his stem with a frown. "What are you doing out here? The Ruins's exit is in the basement," he said as if it was the most obvious answer.

"Will you be ahead?" Kendall asked not wanting to admit that it sounded a little desperate to rely on a tiny flower. Part of her squirmed on the thought of trusting anyone down here, but the flower had yet to steer her wrong.

"I wouldn't be your best friend if I just abandon you, Chara," the flower stated cheerfully.

"My name isn't Chara," Kendall stated backing away from the flower feeling a little dread at the sound of the name.

"Whoops, my mistake," Flowey said shrugging his leaves. "Don't worry about it and let's get out of here." Kendall couldn't even continue the conversation as the flower burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

The girl exhaled sharply through her teeth before re-entering the small house. She closed the door as quietly as she could as she entered. "Thank the stars, I was afraid something had happened to you, child," Toriel's voice said as the boss monster put a hand over her heart (if monsters had such things). Kendall narrowed her eyes at the tall monster as her grip on her stick tightened. "I managed to find a couple of chocolate bars if you like to have some," the motherly monster said softly.

Kendall could feel her stomach rumble minutely at the thought of food. She looked at the offered candy. The two bars were still wrapped which was a good sign that they weren't tampered with; Kendall could practically hear her mother's voice warning against taking candy from strangers. "Thanks," she mumbled taking the offered food. The tall boss monster smiled sweetly straightening her purple robes.

"You seem to be really tired. There's a guest room if you would like to rest," the monster continued.

"Thanks," Kendall replied once again opening one of the chocolate bars and taking a bite. She finished the chocolate bar and put the other in her pocket. Toriel led the teen down the hall.

"You can stay here, young one," Toriel said looking at the room fondly. "I will have to get more supplies for your stay here, so please make yourself at home." With that the white furred monster walked back the way the pair came from. Kendall watched the monster leave a little surprise that the boss monster had yet to attack or harm her.
The teen held her hand on the knob of the door. She debated whether to enter or not. Flowey had warned her that monsters were dangerous and even her grandparents would tell old legends of man-eating monsters. She looked back at where Toriel had retreated and honestly had a hard time imagining the kind almost maternal monster harming anyone.

Kendall opened the door to the bedroom to see what may lie inside. She smiled softly at the room that was obvious decorated for a child or two. Two twin bed stood on either side of the room. She passed the toy chest without a glance as she walked to the dresser. She opened it to see various stripe shirts...they were all different sizes. "Where are the kids who wear this?" she asked in a horrified whisper. She shuddered as she thought of the most logical reason: the monster baked them into a pie, just like Hansel and Gretel. Kendall shut the doors roughly. Her eyes caught sight of the chest of shoes which were also many different sizes.

The teen had seen enough; she backed slowly away from the shoes as if they would attack her. Her back bumped the door lightly before she turned and hurriedly turned the knob. She could feel fear making her footsteps faster as she ran back to the entrance and headed down the staircase.

She focused as best she could as she ran. Her footsteps echoed down the impossibly long hallway. "My child wait," Toriel's voice called from behind. Kendall ran faster slamming into the end of the hallway. "They'll kill you. Please don't leave," the boss monster's voice called out.

Kendall couldn't hear the concern in the other's voice, her mind was filled with panic and with images of children pie. She took a deep breath and rammed the door again. The loud sound of stone grinding against stone drowned out the monster's voice. Kendall stepped into the dark of the next room. The sound of shifting dirt alerted her to Flowey's appearance. "Did she eat the other kids that fell down here?" Kendall asked forgoing a proper greeting.

The flower frowned and huffed in annoyance. "How am I suppose to know? I can't see into her house," the flower stated grumpily. "If you were so scared, why didn't you kill her?"

Kendall shuddered at the callous response. "She is a boss monster. I can't win a fight against her," she answered.

Flowey groaned loudly, "Whatever let's just continue." Kendall walked cautiously past the seething flower.

She shut her eyes against the bright white of light. Blue eyes opened slowly. Her breath caught in her throat at the beautiful sight. White glistening snow covered the ground and clung to tall evergreens. Kendall allowed herself to continue down the cleared path. Snow continue falling silently. She walked slowly, her feet crunching the newly fallen snow. She looked at the dense forest realizing that she couldn't slip through the trees. Her feet continued down the dirt path that was slowly turning white. Her path took her to a bridge with a wooden gate. The bars were far too wide to stop anything, so she continued through without a single thought.

Kendall walked by a small lamp that would have been a great hiding spot if she was shorter. "Looks like the smiley trashbag isn't here," Flowey's voice said as he appeared bouncing beside a small wooden structure. "Not surprising considering how lazy he is. He probably isn't even awake yet," the flower continued his tone barely concealing distain.

"He sounds horrible," she said trying to start a conversation with her odd companion.

"He's the worst," Flowey said with a wolfish grin. "But we should get moving before the Royal Guard catches us. Wouldn't that be fun," he said with a giggle. Kendall shuddered from the cold or from the thought of the guards catching her. She hurried down the path following the occasional flash of yellow petals that remained ahead of her.
Kendall passed what appeared to be a cardboard box without a glance. Flowey chuckled a little at the note on the box before darting underground. The girl hurried her pace and paused as she caught sight of another sentry post. Her eyes caught sight of a small dog head on the top. "You can't be this slow. The guard aren't here yet, but they'll be on your scent if you don't hurry up," Flowey's child-like voice called irritation barely concealed. The plant dove underground and Kendall hurried to catch up. She followed the path only to stop at an intersection. The blonde waited for a couple of seconds for her guide to appear.

"Halt," a gruff voice called. Kendall tightened her grip on the stick in her hand as the monster came into view. The monster was a dog walking on its hind legs; Kendall wasn't great with dog breeds, but she guessed he was some sort of Husky mix. The dog's face twisted into a snarl.

Kendall prepared herself for a fight as her SOUL floated in front of her. "Human, your kind has kept us trapped long enough. Your SOUL is a small price for our freedom," the dog growled. Kendall flinched at the cold tone; the guard didn't have any doubt he would kill her. The blonde wouldn't let that happen. The girl struck first slaming her weapon across the guard's face. She smirked at his shocked expression.

The sound of metal sliding caused a reflexive flinch. Kendall braced herself as the dog unsheathed two daggers. He swung and the girl jumped back as the blades passed where her SOUL had just been. She shuddered at the thought of the blow actually making contact. The dog stepped forward to balance himself and Kendall brought down her stick on his skull. The blow was so hard the wooden weapon shattered. The dog hit the snow with a puff of the frozen water. Kendall struck again and again until only dust blew around her.

"A little overkill, don't you think?" a giggling voice asked. Kendall turned to Flowey who sprouted at her feet. The being looked a little too pleased. Kendall didn't have time to ponder this as the sound of baying dogs echoed through the cavern. "That sounds like the rest of the guard," the flower stated almost unfazed. "Are you going to dust them too?"

Kendall looked at her empty dusty hands as fear chilled her more than the air that nipped at her. She was unarmed and more guards were coming. Letting fear guide her, Kendall chose a direction and ran. The snow picked up becoming too thick to see, but fear and panic didn't allow her steps to slow. The dogs baying seemed to be coming from everywhere making her heart leap in her throat. It was soon joined with her stomach as her foot met nothing but air.

She closed her eyes as she bumped off something hard and stony and landed with a thud. Her body screaming at her that something was terribly wrong while the snow continued to silently fall.

UT~UT~UT~

Searifa walked through Snowden with her camera hanging from her neck. She walked lightly on the snow. With the restaurant closed for the day and her father back in New Home, she had time to really see the small cozy town. The locals watched her as she walked past; they were studying the newcomer with curious eyes. The reptilian monster knew that it was to be expected from a small down, but she still didn't like the feeling of eyes following her every move. She snapped a photo of the tree in the middle of town that would undoubtingly be lit up during Gyftmas in the next several months. The photo developed nicely.

Searifa's boots crunched into the snow as she made her way to the Riverman's port. She smiled at the calm quiet that permeated the area. Lowering herself to the cold ground, the monster pulled out a journal from her inventory. She always found writing down the day's events relaxing and it proved doubly so at the calming location. "GREETINGS, SEARIFA," a loud cheery voice broke the stillness. Searifa squeaked in the most undignified manner tripping over her own feet as she started. Her snout slammed into the cold snow. "I AM SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO STARTLE YOU," Papyrus continued as a pair of hands picked up the fallen monster.

"There isn't any need to apologize. There was no harm done," Searifa said a little embarrassed that she had face-planted into the snow. She brushed snow off of her jacket. "A little snow never hurt anyone."

"HOW ABOUT YOUR NOTEBOOK? IS IT OKAY?" Papyrus asked pointing to the book in her hands. The reptilian monster looked at said book turning its pages to inspect for any water damage.

"It appears to be alright. Please don't worry about it. After all, it was my clumsiness that caused me to fall," Searifa said putting the notebook back into her inventory.
"HOW CAN I NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. YOUR JOURNAL MUST BE VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU AND THE SNOW WOULD JUST RUIN THE PAGES AND YOU'LL LOSE ALL YOUR WRITING," Papyrus said concern on his face.

"Papyrus, I didn't see any damage and my life isn't that exciting that a couple days missing wouldn't matter," Searifa stated keeping her patience. "More important than my undamaged notebook, is the fact that you are a lot more stealthy than I thought," she said with a smile.

"OF COURSE, STEALTH IS IMMENSELY IMPORTANT TO A ROYAL GUARDSMAN, SO NATURALLY I AM WELL-VERSE IN THE ART OF STEALTHINESS," Papyrus said putting a hand to his chest.

"I am rather surprised that you are not already a guardsman. I am positive you can ambush any human foolish enough to fall," Searifa praised. Papyrus seemed to really glow with the compliment.

YEH-HEH-HEH," the tall skeleton laughed which was only silenced by a rumbling noise. Searifa wrapped her arms around her stomach which had decided to betray her. She could feel her face starting to burn.

"I haven't eaten anything since this morning. I probably should remedy that now. It was nice talking to you, Papyrus," Searifa stated trying to hide her blush in her coat. She was going to walk around the skeleton to return to her home.

"WAIT, YOU SHOULD COME OVER AND I'LL COOK. YOU CAN TRY MY SPEGHETTI RECIPE," Papyrus stated looking so proud at his suggestion that the reptilian monster couldn't find it in her heart to refuse.

"That sounds like a plan," she responded, "Are you sure it wouldn't interfere with your evening?"

"ANY EVENING SPENT WITH FRIENDS IS A EVENING WELL SPENT," Papyrus responded as the two walked into town. The skeleton's stride was longer than the other so she had to hurry her steps to match pace. The two stopped in front of a cozy two-story house. "THIS IS MY HOME. I SUPPOSE IT IS ALSO SANS'S AS WELL. BUT LET'S NOT DISCUSS HIS PART IN IT."

Searifa responded politely that it was a beautiful home before following the skeleton to the door. He wiped his boots on the welcome mat and Searifa mimicked the motion. "SANS, I'M HOME. I ALSO BROUGHT A GUEST," he shouted out.

"sounds good, bro," Sans voice said from a lump on the couch. "heya, seari."

"Good Evening, Sans. You look like you are doing well," the female monster responded. "Papyrus, would you like me to leave my boots at the door. I don't want to track any mess into your house. "

"THAT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. TAKE A SEAT, SEARIFA. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL HAVE DINNER SOON. PREPARE TO BE AMASED. NYEH-HEH-HEH." The skeleton marched to the kitchen as the reptilian monster slipped off her slushy boots.

She padded into the living room slowly feeling Sans watching her. "I hope I am not intruding," she said to the reclined skeleton.

"nah, pap is probably happy that someone else will eat his cooking," Sans continued his eye-lights looking at her as if he was judging her.

"I am also ecstatic about having someone else's cooking. As soon as I could I was cooking for my father," Searifa stated looking around for a place to sit. The shorter skeleton didn't seem in a hurry to offer up a space on the couch. "I'm going to see if Papyrus needs any assistance," she finally spoke after a couple of moments of silence.

She walked to the doorway to the kitchen to watch the taller skeleton cook. The reptilian monster took a deep breath to calm herself. She focused her green eyes on the jubilant skeleton and not on the red mess that was begging her to clean it. "Papyrus, are you in need of assistance?" she asked cautiously.

"NO, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE OFFER. PLEASE HAVE A SEAT AND MAKE SURE THAT MY LAZY-BONES OF A BROTHER STAYS AWAKE," the guard hopeful said looking over his shoulder. Searifa gave him a tense smile as her fingers twitched, her desire to take control of the cooking situation a little hard to overcome. She nodded her head and went back into the living room with Sans.

"you look a little tense," Sans noted his eye sockets narrowed a bit.

"I'm not accustomed to having others cook for me; I didn't even realize that I would feel the need to hover," she said with a sigh as she sat on the armrest of the couch furthest from the skeleton. "Out of curiosity, who is giving your brother his lessons?" she asked as she plotted on how to correct the clear problem.

"you have a bone to pick with her?" Sans asks with a smirk. Searifa gave a polite chuckle, but nodded her head in the slightest of motions. "well, since you asked nicely. It's Undyne," he said his grin widening.

"As the Captain of the Royal Guard?" Searifa asked. Sans nodded clearly amused at the reptilian monsters defeated posture. "I suppose I really can't correct her teaching method," she admitted softly.

"heh, heh, you can say that," the shorter skeleton chuckled. "tibia honest he is getting better."

She gave a polite chuckle. "I will take your word for it," Searifa said defeated. A loud beeping noise broke the quiet moment causing the reptilian monster to jump startled the frills on her head standing on end.

"sounds like dinner's ready," Sans said amused as Searifa jumped over the back of the couch to hurry to the kitchen which was now spewing out black smoke. Papyrus stood in front of a small fire as he tried to put it out.

"NOW WHICH WAS IT FLOUR OR BAKING SODA," Papyrus thought out loud.

"Baking-" Searifa started before the skeleton had chosen and threw a handful of flour onto the small fire causing it to roar larger. The reptilian monster took matters into her own hands grabbing an empty pot from the counter and slamming it down on the blaze.

"DON'T WORRY, SEARIFA. I HAD EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL," the skeleton chef boasted. The reptilian monster sighed in relief before turning to the taller monster.

"You're not burned, are you?" she asked concerned reaching out for his gloved hands. Her own clawed ones wrapped gently around his wrists. She turned them over looking for any sign of damage.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS WON'T BE FELL BY A MEASY COOKING FIRE," Papyrus responded as the shorter monster continued to double-check and triple-check his hands and arms.

"How about smoke inhalation? How is your breathing?" she asked looking up at the skeleton.

"I'M A SKELETON. I DON'T REALLY HAVE LUNGS," he responded again with a laugh. Searifa sighed in relief letting go of the skeleton's hands finally.

"That's right. I'm sorry I forgot," she replied taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"THANK YOU FOR PUTTING OUT THE FIRE. SANS, DINNER IS READY," Papyrus called out to his brother who had shuffled his way to the door. Searifa managed to stop herself before she asked about the other skeleton's well-being; he was too far from the fire to have been harmed.

The taller skeleton was quick to partition out a serving for each of them as Sans and Searifa sat at the table. The reptilian monster stared at the plate in front of her looking up once to see the two skeletons eating away. She took a deep breath before putting a forkful of the burnt/undercook noodles into her mouth. Her face scrunched reflexively before she could school her face into a neutral one.

"SO WHAT IS THE VERDICT?" Papyrus asked looking at the female monster in anticipation.

Searifa cleared her throat as she thought of what to say, " I believe that you are worthy of knowing my secret noodle recipe."

"WOWIE, I HAVE NEVER MADE HOME-MADE NOODLES BEFORE," Papyrus said his hands clasps in front of him.

"It isn't too difficult, but you have to follow my directions exactly or else the noodles will ruin your dish," Searifa continued. "Do you have paper so I can write it down?"

"I'LL BE RIGHT BACK," Papyrus called out excitedly as he left the room. Searifa sighed in relief as she continued to eat the pasta, unhinging her jaw so she could just swallow her food without tasting it.

"hey, thanks for that. my bro looks really happy," Sans said speaking up.

Searifa shrugged, "It was nothing. I have eaten worst." She swallowed another forkful of noodles. "My father used to bake muffins for me when I was younger. They were more like rocks than anything."

"sounds hard to swallow considering you're a cook," Sans replied.

"Sans, I had to survive somehow," she said with a chuckle, "Too many calls to the fire department was my motivation."

"sounds seari-ous," he said with a widening grin.

The reptile didn't even give that pun a polite laugh. "Don't use my nickname for puns, Sans," she said with a sigh.

"SANS, THAT JOKE WAS HORRIBLE AND SHOULDN'T JOKE ABOUT OUR GUEST'S STRANGE SKELETON NAME," Papyrus stated as he returned with a pad of paper and a pen.

"My name isn't strange," Searifa mumbled to herself as Sans chuckled slightly. "Thank you Papyrus for the paper," she said louder as she took the offered items. She wrote the recipe down as Papyrus talked about how he was learning from Captain Undyne about cooking and how the skill would be useful when he became a royal guardsmen. He then continued to talk about how he was going to capture a human and prove himself to Undyne. Searifa and Sans provided encouragement while the chef continued to write. "This looks like everything," Searifa said looking over her neat print, "Make sure to follow the cooking directions exactly. These noodles tend to fall apart if cooked incorrectly."

She slid the paper to the taller skeleton who looked like he would die from excitement. "I SHALL TREAT THEM LIKE THE MOST PRECIOUS THINGS IN THE WORLD," he said pulling the paper close to him.

The female monster smiled widely at the statement. "That's the most I can ask for. Though I should return home. It is already dark," Searifa said getting to her feet.

"YOU COULD ALWAYS STAY THE NIGHT. IT WOULD BE LIKE A SLEEP-OVER," Papyrus suggested. Searifa could feel her face heating up.

"I don't think that would be very appropriate," she replied quickly. The skeleton tilted his head confused and Searifa looked to Sans to explain. The shorter skeleton decidedly was avoiding her gaze. "I misspoke. I intended to say that I have a lot to prepare for tomorrow so I really need to leave," she clarified the skeleton seemed to slump a little disappointed. "But perhaps we can reschedule," she added hating the small frown.

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. MAYBE WE CAN COOK MORE AND WATCH METTATON AND DO PUZZLES. LET ME GIVE YOU MY NUMBER SO WE CAN CONTINUE PLANNING," the skeleton stated loudly reciting the number while Searifa typed it quickly into her phone.

" seems like everything is in order. i'll walk you to your house," Sans offered getting to his feet as well. "i'll give you a break pap."

The taller skeleton praised the shorter for taking initiative. The pair were in the snow moments later after a well-placed pun. Searifa took the lead her boots sinking into the deep snow. She lowered her head to protect it from the billowing winds. "so thanks for appeasing my bro. you really didn't have to eat all of the spaghetti or offer your recipe," the shorter skeleton began.

"It was my pleasure to share what I know with him. And the spaghetti wasn't that bad," she said. Sans gave her a disbelieving look and Searifa laughed hiding her mouth behind her hand. "I'm being honest. I gave him the recipe knowing that it would result in perfectly cooked noodles...as long as he follows it. He honestly could be a great cook if he proper instruction. Even you can..." The calm moment was broken by the sound of loud howls. "What is that?" she asked looking at Sans whose eye-lights went out.

"stay here," he replied his voice suddenly serious flickering out of existence with a small pop of air. Searifa crinkled her snout at the scent of spent magic. She held her arms close around her shivering in the falling snow. It weather was turning for the worse and she knew she couldn't stay out for too much longer.

Sighing to herself, she continued her way home. She walked to the edge of town and climbed the well hidden staircase that led to the bottom of the valley. The snow and wind was creating an almost blinding sheet of white. Searifa hurried her pace to reach her home before she froze out in the cold. "help," a thin whisper whipped by. Searifa froze trying to figure out whether it was the wind. "please," the whisper sounded again.

The reptile couldn't deny that the voice was someone in need. She cocked her head as she tried to listen for another whisper, but nothing came. She grit her teeth as she dreaded her next choice. She held her nose in the air and flicked her forked tongue in the air. The scent was easy enough to find; it was strange and not something she had smelled before.

She kept her head in the air as she tried to track down the source of the smell. Searifa narrowed her eyes as a small patch of scarlet broke the monotony of the white snow. She sped her pace as much as the soft snow allowed. She knelt into the snow ignoring the chill that spread from the contact. She brushed the snow that had fallen on the lump revealing a thin red blazer and blonde hair. Searifa withdrew her hands as she saw pale flesh and a human face.

Her clawed hand shook as she took in the human in front of her; the silver dust that coated the girl's blazer now in her own claws. Everything froze as her mind race. She told herself that she should call the guard or Papyrus; if he captured the human, he could be in the guard. The monsters would only need one more soul if this human was turned over. Everyone would be happier. The train of thought was derailed by a cough that hurt just to listen to. Searifa looked at the human again. The human's lips were blue and she was quivering uncontrollably. This wasn't the humans from the stories about the war; she was helpless and dying. Then again the human had clearly killed monsters.

Searifa flinched as another cough punctuated the thought. The reptilian monster acted quickly unzipping her coat and peeling off herself. She put the coat around the fallen human before picking up the teen herself.

She hissed through her teeth as the chilly air nipped at her. She curled herself as much as she could over the human blocking the wind with her own body as she ran back to her home. She opened the door with some difficulty and shut the door behind her.

The severity of her choice hit her like a ton of bricks. She just saved a killer; she was protecting an enemy of her people. But she couldn't just leave the teen in the cold. The human would have died. What sort of creature would she be if she had turned in the helpless human? Searifa's doubts were silenced by another cough and her mind was made up.


A/N: Hi again. In case you are wondering, yes, baking soda can put out grease fires. Flour on the other hand would make it flare up. Not that I know from personal experience or anything...I'm a good cook. *looks away nervously* Anyway, hopefully, I'll finish the next chapter soon.