Toriel opened her eyes to find herself back in the Ruins.

She was standing by the door that led out into the rest of the underground, facing down the long, dark hallway that stretched to the stairs of her home. For a moment, she could only stare, utterly dumbfounded. Then her mind began to panic.

No…

It couldn't be…

The more her thoughts raced however, the more the panic began to subside by degrees. No, there was no way. If the world had been reset, she would not still remember everything, her memories would have been wiped. Then… what was happening? Was this… a dream?

She so rarely dreamed like this, everything felt so real… She could feel the cool tile beneath her paws, the slight heaviness of the underground air, even smell the scent of the damp soil and stone that lay just behind the brickwork of the walls. Something compelled her to turn and face the Ruins door, looking up at the insignia that brought back so many conflicting emotions. She wanted to move again, but found she was locked in place, as though she had no control of her own body. It stayed that way a few moments as she internally struggled and fought to move somehow, until suddenly, a sound met her ears.

Someone was walking up behind her.

Her head turned of its own accord, looking back over her shoulder. Emerging from the purple gloom of the hallway, was Frisk. Suddenly she realized what was happening, she remembered this.

"You want to leave so badly?" She heard herself say, voice heavy. "Hmph… You are just like the others…"

Her body turned and she faced the human child, expression stern and full of sorrow. Internally, she could only watch, a helpless witness to the memory as it unfolded.

"There is only one solution to this… Prove yourself… Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

Those familiar words rang out, echoing slightly off the walls. She felt herself begin to summon controlled flame attacks in each of her paws. But as her physical body did one thing, the Toriel who was stuck inside could only stare at her child. Something about them was… off.

When she had fought Frisk in an attempt to keep them in the Ruins, the child had looked at her with a determined yet still saddened expression. But the look on their face now… it was cold and unnerving. Frisk wasn't very expressive to begin with, but the utter emptiness and detachment in their usually gentle eyes was so… wrong. And not to mention… oh stars above… was that… dust on their hands and sleeves?

She had little time to think about it further, as without warning, Frisk slid a small toy knife into their hand from within their sleeve and lunged at her.

The attack came far too fast for her to even think of dodging, whether she had control of her body or not. In one motion, the child slashed her twice, across her cheek and her stomach.

The force of the hit sent her staggering back and her whole body shook from the strength behind it. The shock and pain that erupted forth was so unbearable that she could only freeze in place and stare, jaw hanging open and the flame attacks she'd created dissipating in moments. Blood and her own magical essence seeped from the wounds and out of her mouth. Beyond the agony of it all though, the cruelty and power behind the attack had been so great, she somehow knew it had taken all her HP in one fell swoop… She could feel her soul beginning to lose its connection with the magic making up her body.

She was… dying.

She could hardly think through the pain, so devastating it was. But somehow, her physical self managed to speak again without her input, voice weak and trembling.

"Y… you… really hate me… that much?"

The question was met with silence from the child, as they hung their head low so that shadows covered their face.

"Now I see… who I was protecting… by keeping you here…" She went on, voice becoming more strained by the moment.

"Not you…" She felt her lips twist upwards into a broken smile. "…but them!"

With that her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed to one knee, blood and magical residue spattering the ground in front of her. Her head lifted towards the child, tears welling in quickly dulling eyes. Even beyond the agony, the Toriel inside wanted to scream, beg Frisk to explain why they were doing this. She wanted to say something… anything.

But her physical self could only utter a hopeless, empty laugh.

She felt her awareness fading, her body losing it solidity, her grasp on rational thought falling away. The last thing she saw through her dying eyes was Frisk's expression as they regarded her crumpled form. And as before, their eyes were just… wrong. Her child's eyes were normally a soft brown color and their human race gave them a naturally narrow shape, but in that moment, they were stretched open in a truly unnatural fashion, and their irises flashed a dark, chilling crimson.

Then her body fell away, crumbling into dust.

But that itself wasn't the end, for a brief few moments afterward, her soul floated, trembling, in front of Frisk. Beyond the still searing pain and only vague sense of awareness, she felt so small and exposed… utterly helpless before the child. But they made no move to strike her further, only watched with the same cold expression until the agony consuming her reached a fever pitch.

Then everything shattered.

Toriel woke with a start, eyes flying open to reveal she was lying on her bed, in her room, on the surface. She gasped for air, vague panic still gripping her mind, and she pushed herself up a bit just to ensure that she could move again and was indeed… whole… alive.

"h-hey… easy…." a voice at her side broke through her thoughts, causing her to flinch a bit.

She whipped her head around to see Sans sitting beside her, resting a hand lightly on her side. The sight of him looking up at her, eyelights hazy with concern, helped pull her back to reality.

A dream…. It had just been a dream…

Or had it? That did not feel like any ordinary nightmare…

Her claws curled into the bedsheets under her as she worked to calm her breathing and reign in her frantic thoughts enough to speak. All the while he kept his hand in place, in a vain effort to try and support her.

"Sans…?" She said when she had sufficiently composed herself. "O-oh goodness… I am sorry… I do not know what… d-did I wake you?"

He shook his head, looking vaguely perplexed by the question, perhaps at her priorities with the situation.

"nah, i was… already up… been up all night pretty much." He replied, in a somewhat dull voice. "but what just happened? you were kinda mumbling in your sleep and then you jumped up like that…"

He paused, seeming to put the pieces together, the worry in his eyelights intensified by degrees.

"did you… have a nightmare?" he asked, quietly.

Toriel furthered worked to steady her breathing, sitting down with her back against the pillows before replying.

"I… I suppose I did." She managed after a moment, paw unconsciously going to her cheek where she'd been slashed in the dream.

She could still faintly feel the pain of it, and couldn't suppress a light shudder. The images from this dream didn't fade quickly like they usually did, and she had to really focus as to not let them overwhelm her. Internally, she forced herself to latch onto the idea that it was just a nightmare, even though something in her soul told her otherwise.

Sans noticed her reaction, eyelights shrinking slightly.

"oh geez… don't tell me it's contagious…"

It was probably meant to be a joke of some sort, but he sounded just a bit too legitimately distraught for it to have any real humor behind it. Even if it had been more convincing, she didn't think she could have laughed regardless. She did her best to direct her attention towards the skeleton, as she still was able to feel faintly surprised to see him acting the way he was. His change in behavior brought back everything that had happened over the past few hours, pushing back her lingering chaotic thoughts for the moment.

Sans had essentially shut down after what had happened following his panic attack. He'd spent the rest of the day doing nothing but sleeping on and off, not ever getting up from her bed. When he did wake from time to time, he was unwilling to speak to her much, aside from an occasional one word answer. Part of what drove this was clearly shame born from breaking down in front of her the way he had. Though, perhaps a bit more worryingly, she felt that the situation had left him in a terribly emotionally vulnerable state, and the only way he knew to deal with it was to retreat into that dreadful apathy that was oh so common with him.

Toriel had stayed by his side through it though, deciding not to press him on how he was acting and just letting her presence be her display of support and comfort. Even though in many ways, seeing him so withdrawn and impassive was even more upsetting than seeing him cry. She could handle emotional outbursts, but there was little she could do for him or anyone when they seemed so utterly… numb.

In the end, she had let him be, sensing that while he didn't want to be alone per se, he wouldn't be keen on interacting much any time soon. She had spent the time adding to the notes in her diary, a task that had required her to fill nearly six more pages to accommodate all the new information, as well as just thinking over it all. Everything. In all honestly, she had needed that time to clear her head and sort through what she could.

She had only left him twice, once to fetch them both some late dinner, which he barely touched, and to go do what she could to clean up the mess in the bathroom. She had managed to pick up all the glass and hang the shower fixtures back up, but there was little that could be done for the obviously broken door and medicine cabinet. No way she was getting out of having to come up with an explanation for that.

But Sans seemed to have recovered a bit while she slept, or at least was driven enough by concern on her behalf to break out of his funk. It was a small thing, but like every expression of care on his part, it helped soothe her soul as well as bring it a bit of warmth. Still, now that her head had cleared enough to really take in the sight of him again, it tempered those feelings a bit.

His expression was still so… dull, almost lifeless beyond the small indications of concern. He just looked so tired, despite doing little but sleeping all those hours after the incident. The scar on his skull only added to his dismaying appearance, making him look like some battle worn monster, rather than someone who'd suffered an emotional breakdown.

She must have been staring a little too much though, because he seemed to snap back into his state of detachment and avoid her gaze again. He did still ask her the inevitable question though.

"are you… alright?" he asked quietly, idly fiddling with one of the drawstrings of his hoodie.

Toriel rubbed her forehead and heaved a sigh, his words drawing back some of the terrible images from her dream.

"I… I suppose… Just a bit… shaken…" She admitted, now pressing a paw to her stomach, the other spot she'd been struck in the dream. She could still vaguely feel the pain thrumming beneath her fingertips.

The details of her dream were about to leave her lips, but she stopped short, realizing how quickly they could send him spiraling back into despair. Looking to change the subject instead, she glanced at the window. The darkness outside made her soul twinge lightly with guilt before she shot Sans her own question.

"What time is it…? How long have I been asleep?" She asked, sounding faintly distressed.

Sans pulled his phone from his hoodie pocket, glancing down at it in a listless manner.

"it's like… five in the morning." He said, tapping the screen a few times. "you've been out since about ten thirty."

Goodness, it was worse than she thought. She really hadn't meant to sleep so long, she'd wanted to stay up and keep an eye on him, or at least be awake should he need something. Not to mention she had meant to reply to Frisk's latest message before falling asleep, she was usually never this neglectful of such things. Usually her chronic insomnia would have made these tasks easy, but for whatever reason, she'd been finding so much easier to fall asleep with Sans beside her.

That intrusive thought made her face heat up a bit as she hurriedly reached over to grab her purse.

"I am sorry Sans, I did not intend to fall asleep. I hope you are okay..." She said as she quickly opened the flap.

She saw him wave his hand dismissively in response out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to say more on the matter, but something else was pressing on her thoughts as well.

"And oh dear… I forgot to text Frisk back, I hope they are not too upset…" She fretted as she dug through her purse for her phone.

Try as she might though, she just couldn't find it, and her worrying continued to build until Sans spoke up again.

"looking for this?" He asked absently, prompting her to look back at him.

Sure enough, he had her phone in his other hand, cutesy snail themed cover and all. He didn't look up from his own phone, but when met with her confused silence, he went on.

"i figured you meant to text the kiddo back. i took care of it." He said, voice still quite dull.

She blinked at him, a little dumbfounded.

"You… You did?" She asked, tilting her head a bit.

"yup." He answered in turn, popping the p sound of the word.

That brought her more than a little surprise. With how terribly drained he'd been, the idea of him going out of his way to do something like that was quite unexpected. Plus, he had been directly communicating with the child who'd been a big part of why he'd broken down so badly before. Wouldn't he be doing all he could to avoid thinking about Frisk? Hell, after what had just happened in her dream, though it brought her shame, she wasn't eager to think about them either. His actions made her feel a mix of things, but she decided to take on a somewhat humorous tone with her response, if only to attempt to cheer him up a little.

She managed a small smile and playfully quirked a brow at him, even though he still wasn't looking at her.

"What exactly did you send them in my place?" She asked. "You did not tell them that I just "baked a million pies" again did you?"

That seemed to get him a bit, as his listless grin perked up slightly at the edges and something like a soft snort of amusement escaped him. It only lasted a few moments though and he still didn't look up from his phone, but he shook his head in response to the question.

"nah… wasn't really in the mood. just told them goodnight like you would've." He paused momentarily, holding out her phone to her. "here, see for yourself."

She gently took the phone from him and held it up to her face. Sure enough, she found that it was still open to hers and Frisk's conversation from earlier. The last thing she'd sent was an inquiry about their day and they had replied back with a few pictures of the festivities and some enthusiastic recounting of it all. But then she had fallen asleep without replying, leaving the words below not her own, but Sans'. She read on, taking in their conversation.

Sent to Frisk: -_-

(hey kiddo. its sans. tori fell asleep. she says goodnight. looks like you guys are having a good time)

(Oh! :o Hi Sans! That's okay, it is pretty late. Me and MK had a lot of cookie cake and soda so we can't sleep lol)

(cool)

(How did you know Mom was asleep? Are you with her right now? Hmmmm~? ;3)

(kid)

(Okay okay sorry. ;P Geez you seem grouchy. Why aren't you asleep?"

(had to call pap, they didn't get back to their hotel until late either.)

(Oh yah! I texted them earlier too. We should all go on a beach trip together sometime! :D You and Mom haven't been yet and we could even visit Onion San!)

(sure)

(Saaans - o - are you okay?)

(yah, just tired)

(Did you have another nightmare?)

(no. anyway its late. go to bed kiddo)

(Fine - 3 - but can I at least have a goodnight joke pls?)

(alright… just let me think of one)

(:D)

(k here goes, why are you going to get sent to jail?)

(whyy? :o)

(because you keep resisting a-rest)

(X'D GOOD ONE!)

(okay, really tho, get some sleep kiddo. and brush your teeth.)

(Hmm… are you sure you didn't give the phone back to Mom? :P)

(kid)

(lol okay okay :3 I'll go to bed now. Tell mom goodnight and i love you for me.)

(k)

(Goodnight Sans, love you 3 See you tomorrow night!)

(night kiddo, see ya then)

And with that, the conversation had ended. It all seemed so normal, but even just through texts, Frisk had detected that Sans was acting off. It didn't bode well for their desire to keep what had transpired this weekend a secret from the human. She didn't like the chill that ran through her as she read over her child's words again, trying to connect the amiable messages on the screen from her dear, sweet Frisk to the cold-eyed killer in her dream. Eventually she had to just set it down back in her lap, lest she let the panicked emotions from her nightmare overtake her again. Instead, she again distracted herself by focusing on Sans.

She decided not to mention any of the issues regarding Frisk, too wary of potentially driving him to shut down in full again. Instead, she turned her thoughts to a milder, though still notable point brought up in the conversation he'd had with the child. Given his current behavior though, getting him to talk about it may still prove to be a bit of a challenge.

"Thank you for doing that Sans. I really appreciate it." She began, voice warm.

"mmhmm… 's fine." He replied stiffly, gaze still firmly focused on his phone screen.

She didn't let his dismissive response keep her from pressing on. What she intended to say next though could be a bit risky. She worried her lip with her fangs before letting the words escape her.

"It… It is good to hear you talking again…" She noted, tone faintly hesitant.

Even though her statement caused him to visibly stiffen, it was enough to draw his attention back to her at last. She met those dull eyelights with what she hoped was a gentle, rather than nervous, expression. Within those little lights, she could see the indecision gripping him.

"...yah… sure…" He mumbled in reply, turning away again.

Though he did slip his phone back into his hoodie pocket rather than returning to look at it, and he seemed to relax just a bit. It prompted her to continue.

"You mentioned here that you spoke with Papyrus? Did that… go okay?" She asked, with a bit more confidence.

He tapped the phalanges of one hand against his patella, sockets narrowing a bit as he seemed to carefully consider his response.

"he didn't catch on to anything that happened if that's what you're asking… just chatted bout his day, more "beach training" and all that…" He trailed off and she was surprised to see a hint of a blush form on his face. "though uh… he does have a um… a different idea about what's been going on."

The meaning was not lost on her, and a light, amused, giggle escaped her, only seeming to intensify the soft blue glow on his cheekbones. It was a welcome show of some level of emotion from him, but he was quick to redirect the conversation again before she could say anything more on that note.

"you're avoiding the subject here t." He said flatly, willing himself to look at her again. "you just had a nightmare and woke up in a panic, and you're still shaking…"

She blinked at that, and took a moment to realize he was right. She was still shaking. Her paws trembled perhaps the most noticeably, but the shivers faintly affected her whole body. It was a terribly unsettling sensation, to be essentially calm but still having the lingering fear and panic affect her in this way. She swallowed hard.

"I… suppose you are right." She replied uncertainly, holding her paws against her chest in an attempt to stop the shaking. "I am guessing you wish to hear about it… do you not?"

In truth, she really didn't want to tell him. Not now, not when he was already in such a vulnerable state. Plus, she hadn't been on the other end of recounting one's nightmares to the other. It definitely gave her perspective and further sympathy towards the many times she'd put him through the same thing so far. Stars above, how could she put something so horrible into words? Frisk had killed her… Frisk had killed her…

She was so wrapped up in the sudden pain of those thoughts that even the skeleton's quiet reply nearly made her flinch.

"well… you don't really look like you wanna tell me." He said, tone almost sounding a bit dejected. "and i guess you don't have to… but…"

He trailed off briefly and then scooted a little closer on the bed, until he was sitting directly in front of her. His eyelights were just a bit more bright and sincere. Getting them that way clearly took a lot of willpower on his part.

"i… i do want to be able to help you with stuff too, y'know?" He said, and she could feel how genuine the words were, even as subdued as they were. "but i get if you don't think i can… especially after…"

His jaw tightened and his eyelights dulled again, falling away from her gaze. Through the returning chills of fear that had gripped her, she couldn't help but re-focus as best she could in response. She, more hesitantly than usual, reached out a still shaky paw and rested it lightly on his shoulder. It was the first time she'd touched him since he had so thoroughly shut down earlier. He accepted it, but still tensed a bit, though from what emotion she could not tell.

"It is not that, I promise dear, I am incredibly grateful that you care so much." She assured him, voice wavering a bit. "I just feel… you have been through enough for a while. You are still… recovering from what happened. I do not wish to upset you further."

He tensed up a little more at that, and she could detect the feelings of shame intensify within his soul. Still, he looked up at her again, furrowing his brow ridges a bit.

"did your nightmare… have something to do with me?" He asked, a touch nervously.

Toriel shook her head, giving his shoulder a small involuntary squeeze as the violent images resurfaced within her mind once more with a vengeance.

"No… but I… I feel that it was related to the things you told me. The… resets."

Those words prompted a slow blink from him, and she watched as true surprise forced its way past the numbness there. But there was also a warring of curiosity and concern, and she knew he would not be satisfied without knowing the truth, no matter how painful.

"tori…" He said her name quietly, full of trepidation. "did… did it seem like a memory?"

She grit her teeth a bit, the words hitting hard. That was the exact idea she'd been trying to avoid considering… that her nightmare was not just some horrible result of her strained mental state, but a vision of something that had truly happened. A vision from another timeline… perhaps the same one where Sans had been given that terrible scar. But now that he'd voice that possibility into words… she felt it must be at least somewhat true. After another deep breath, she gave an uneasy nod.

The skeleton's eyelights wavered anxiously, the implications working through the veil of apathy he still attempted to cling to. Seeing that reaction from him brought back her reservations about revealing this to him. But before she could voice them and try again to derail the conversation, he went on.

"what did you see?" he asked, suddenly eerily calm.

She wasn't getting out of this. And fair enough, she had encouraged him to be honest with her regarding his nightmares, it was only right she do the same. Given Sans' vulnerable state though, she would just need to be sure to handle this… carefully.

"Well…" She began, slowly pulling her paws back against her chest. "I fear that…"

She trailed off, thinking of a better way to phrase this. Though the words seem to burn as they left her.

"Sans, wh-when you that got that scar… did Frisk…. did they… kill anyone else? D-did… did they kill… me?"

The question didn't prompt much of a reaction from him, beyond causing his eyelights to shrink a bit and briefly dart away from her. But he nodded, grimly.

As had been the case with many other things, the answer was not shocking, she had already pieced it together herself. But that didn't dull the spike of pain it brought to have these suspicions confirmed. She closed her eyes briefly until it relented its renewed assault on her soul and she could think clearly again. Sans seemed to wait for her to open her re-open her eyes before he spoke.

"i never… saw it happen of course." He said, weakly. "it wasn't hard to figure out though. They left the ruins during that run with… dust all over their hands…"

He shivered lightly, and that same bitter guilt from before radiated from his soul, though she didn't fully understand why. What had happened to her and… stars above… likely everyone else… was certainly not his fault. Any despair in his expression was quickly, willfully, banished though and left him looking rather dull again, only his eyelights still carrying a hint of the inner turmoil he was feeling.

"that's what you dreamed about… huh? when frisk…"

Something compelled him not to finish that statement and he fell into silence again. Toriel looked down at him, scarlet eyes shining with sympathy. She was able to push away her own troubles for the moment, as his behavior reminded her of the poor state he was in. Not wanting to risk him ruminating in whatever old negative emotions had been dredged up, she did her best to make the discussion of that topic end there.

"T-try not to worry about it too much…" She insisted. "I will be alright dear. For better or worse, these things… as truly terrible as they are… they are not affecting me quite as intensely as before."

It was… somewhat of a lie. There was no way she'd ever just be able to face these details of her new twisted reality without any pain coming to her. But she no longer feared they'd send her reeling as they did before. She could endure it, surely…

Though Sans looked more than vaguely skeptical, he no longer seemed to hold the conviction to further push the subject, and any trace of potential defiance in his eyelights withered. But a faint curiosity stayed and she could tell his thoughts were still racing. She'd surely be facing some more questions from him about this later on. The silence between them lasted a while longer before she summoned up enough strength in her voice for what she knew she had to ask.

"How… How are you faring now? Are you feeling any… better?" She asked.

She immediately felt regret at the clumsiness of her words, but she didn't know how else to say it. With how truly detached and closed off he'd been acting, she found it far harder to read how he was feeling. Even the emotions from his soul felt somewhat muted, as if he were attempting to hold back his natural flow of magic to avoid dealing with them. Asking was the only way she could find out the full truth at this stage, if there was indeed some part of him still willing to be honest with her.

The question was one he clearly expected, and she could tell he was trying to find some way to avoid answering. Something in her eyes must have gotten to him though, because after meeting them again he remained where he was and begrudgingly forced out a weary reply.

"i… i don't really know…" He admitted, words coming out slow and controlled. "i… just feel so… empty…"

Toriel soul panged with concern, not at all liking the implication of the word he'd chosen there. With a bit of thought though, it did make a bit more sense. In a way, he had purged himself of a great deal of pain that had been continually building up and weighing down on his soul for so very long, both from his breakdown and just willingly speaking about his terrible burdens at last. If he had truly not let himself do either of those things in full before, it could only be expected that he would feel… "empty" without that weight there, as he put it, among other things. Still, she wished to question him about it, searching for any further clarification he would offer.

"Empty?" She repeated back, keeping any lingering anxiety from her voice as best she could.

A few moments passed and he stayed silent, to the point she began to wonder if he'd even heard her. He crossed his arms a bit and kneaded the material of his hoodie between his phalanges, expression still uncomfortably dull. His voice speaking up again almost came as a surprise.

"i don't know how else to put it…" He said, sockets drooping a bit. "my soul… feels… i dunno… lighter? which is… good i guess… but it's also like… i can't… control my thoughts and everything else like i used to… everything is so much more… intense? i can't… focus. and i just… i dunno if i'll be able to act… normal when pap and everyone else gets back."

Her eyes softened at that and she felt a bit of relief to hear his explanation. She thanked the stars that his use of that word had not meant something worse. Still, she laid her paw palm up on her knee, offering it to him in what now felt like a natural routine for them. The relief she felt only grew as he, after a few moments of hesitation, reached out and took it, curling his phalanges tightly around her fingers. After how much he'd shut her out after his breakdown, she couldn't be more grateful to see this small sign of continued trust between them.

"I understand." She murmured, tenderly running her thumb over his knuckle bones. "I have dealt with this before myself. I promise you, it is normal to feel this way. When we build up walls to shut out our sorrows, in time, we grow use to having them there as a kind of… crutch. Once they inevitably come crashing down though… it leaves one feeling quite unstable. It will pass dear, just give it time."

She paused momentarily, realizing her words might have been a bit too… abstract for the topic at hand.

"Sorry, that may have been a little too metaphorical…" She apologized with a small, weak smile.

But he shook his head, gripping her paw a little tighter.

"nah… i getcha…" He replied quietly.

His expression stayed listless after that, but he seemed to be listening intently. When he made no effort to reply further, she went on.

"We will figure out something to tell the others." She assured him. "If you are still not feeling like yourself when Frisk gets home tomorrow er… later tonight, perhaps we could just claim you have fallen ill overnight? And maybe had a fall… because of that? That should not be too hard to convince them of, right? It worked on Asgore at least…"

Part of her felt truly terrible for conspiring to lie to her family this way, but it had to be done. She saw no other way out of it unless Sans wished to tell them everything he'd told her, and in his current condition and with his sentiments towards that idea quite clear, it wasn't happening.

Sans seemed to consider her proposition, brow ridges furrowing slightly. There wasn't much of the same remorse for the idea from him, probably used to coming up with such ruses. That in itself brought her another pang of sadness and perhaps a touch of disappointment, but she knew it wouldn't be right to chastise him for it. He eventually gave a small nod, eyelights sharpening slightly with resolve.

"i can probably manage that…" He said stiffly, before his false grin widened a bit. "already feel pretty damn shitty, shouldn' be too difficult to act like it too."

Her soul clenched up at that, and she desperately wanted to just give him a hug. She resisted, knowing he was probably still not at the point where'd he'd be okay with that again. But she still gave his small hand a light squeeze, moving to hold it with both of her paws and willing him to look at her.

"I am sorry Sans…" She said, voice wavering slightly with emotion. "Perhaps we should take a break from discussing all these things for now… I think we both need to just… relax for a while. Maybe do something to take our minds off of it all for the time being… I am sure that will help with this."

Sans blinked up at her before replying with a soft "sure…" and a small shrug, expression just a bit less guarded then before. Her gesture also brought back the hint of light blue color to his face, and the warm feelings that were conjured in her soul helped banish any further stress over her nightmare to the back of her mind for the moment. A glance at the window and the dark, starry sky above gave her the inspiration she needed, and an idea of what to do.

Her eyes sparkled a bit with anticipation and a small grin appeared on her face. She lowered their clasped hands back down and freed one of her paws, holding it up.

"Hey Sans, knock knock…" She said warmly, miming a knocking motion as she did so.

Realization set in quickly and he was unable to keep his grin from softening up a bit, and his expression shifted from dullness to a faint, weary amusement.

"heh… w-who's there?" Came the expected reply, though his voice shook a bit now that he wasn't being as careful with his words.

"Ya" She went on simply.

"ya… who?" His tone then indicated he was catching on to the joke.

"Oh, I am excited to see you too!" She finished with a grin, relishing in the familiarity of it all.

He didn't quite laugh, but his face did scrunch up a bit in amusement and his eyelights brightened noticeably. She went on without question, happy to see the results of her efforts. Helping Sans with his darker emotions may still be something she was in the process of learning, but if there was one thing she was good at, it was cheering up her dear skeleton with bad jokes.

"Knock Knock" She began again, smile widening.

"who's there?"

"From"

"from who…?"

"Actually, the proper way to say it is "from whom." Do you need a grammar lesson?"

This time, the joke prompted a small wheezy chuckle from him and she could hardly imagine a more wonderful sound. He met her gaze more confidently. It seemed that even in his poor state, he wasn't about to let her have all the fun.

"heh heh heh… knock knock." He started this time, weak grin growing stronger as he did so.

"Who is there?" She replied in turn.

"deja"

"Deja who?"

"knock knock."

The punchline, delivered expertly, sent her into a fit of giggles. The heaviness of everything still weighing on her soul kept it from devolving into her usual raucous laughter. But it was still so nice, if felt so good to laugh again.

Sans seemed quite pleased at her reaction too, eyelights brightening further. He gave her hand a little squeeze before firing off another joke, which she then countered in the usual fashion once she could speak through her laughter. They continued on this way, drawn into their old beloved routine with surprising ease. It went on and on like that, the silliness of it all building until they both were giggling so much they could barely speak.

When she could talk again without snorting with laughter, she offered one final joke, letting it also finally be the method through which she delivered her original idea.

"K-Knock Knock." She managed through a restrained chuckle, weakly miming the motion again.

It took Sans a bit to reply, equally consumed by quiet chortling. He was still a little more subdued than usual, but it was a lovely sight regardless. Seeing and feeling true happiness from him again was enough to bring tears to her eyes, if the fits of laughter hadn't already accomplished that. Eventually he got out his response, trying his best to even out his voice a bit.

"wh-who's there?"

"Wanda"

"w-anda -heh- who?"

She met his gaze before finishing the joke, scarlet eyes shining with fondness.

"Wanda go and watch the sunrise with me?"

The answer still brought out a few more chuckles from him, but he quickly caught onto the fact she was asking the question for real. He took a few seconds to fully compose himself before giving her a small nod.

"yah… sure tori. i'd like that." He answered, voice sobering up a little, but his warm expression remained.

Toriel shot back a delighted smile in response, unable to hide how happy she was to hear him agree.

"want me to uh… zap us out to the porch?" He offered, and she could feel the tingle of his magic through her paw as he prepared to execute the shortcut.

She shook her head though, genial expression remaining.

"No… I have a better idea. Do you think you could take us to the roof instead?"

Her proposition made him blink in surprise, but his grin then widened in response. She had come to realize over the course of the weekend just how different his true smile was from the stiff, unnatural one he so often wore. Maybe to most people the difference would not be as noticeable, but if one payed attention, they'd see how his true smile met his eye sockets and made the little lights there shine like the stars he loved so much. They twinkled up at her as he nodded his agreement.

She took a moment to prepare herself before it felt as though the world tilted and stuttered around her. In less than a second she was on the roof of the house, staring out at the expanse of open fields, the lights of Newer Home shining in the distance, the further lights of Ebott City, and the great, looming shape of Mt. Ebott itself beyond. They were on the top with their backs resting against the chimney. She had to get her bearings for a second to keep herself steady. Sans had "shortcutted" them both before but not enough times where the process didn't leave her feeling a bit disoriented.

"you okay? sorry, shoulda given ya more of a warning." He asked, as she rubbed her forehead against the lingering dizziness.

"Do not worry dear, I am fine." She assured him, before realizing he was not beside her.

She was faintly surprised to look down and find him sitting in her lap, looking quite comfortable at that.

His expression as she looked down at him with a, no doubt, questioning look on her face, quickly turned sheepish. To her, it looked like the kind of face Frisk made when she caught them sneaking monster candy or other sweets past bedtime.

"eheheh… guess i uh… miscalculated the positioning a bit. s-shortcuts sure can be goofy sometimes…" He stuttered, eyelights darting away as he was seemingly unable to keep a light blush from forming on his face again.

She blinked slowly, feeling a knowing grin spread across her face. Another soft giggle escaped her and she carefully wrapped her arms around him from behind, ensuring he seemed okay with it before pulling him close with a small squeeze. He laid his arms over hers as he settled into the embrace, and she could feel a grateful pulse from his soul. She was perhaps even more grateful, to see this other sign that all that had happened had not damaged the trust between them.

"Why yes, quite goofy indeed…" She teased, shifting back a bit to lean comfortably against the chimney behind her.

She continued in a softer voice, rubbing his arm gently with a paw.

"If you wanted a hug dear, you needed only to ask."

His only response to that was to sink low into his hood with an awkward chuckle, the color spreading further on his face. They both drifted into silence again afterwards, doing what they could to relax and taking in the beautiful sight before them. The clear night gave them a full view of the dazzling collection of stars above them, all shining down like billions of tiny white flames in a sea of blackness. The crescent moon also shared its radiance from behind them as it continued its descent to make way for the oncoming day.

"you were right tori… this is a much better view." Sans said eventually, breaking the silence as the first hints of sunlight began to show on the horizon.

She watched him lift a hand to point towards a particular cluster of stars.

"Cancer is much easier to spot, you can really see the shape better." He said before moving his hand to point at another shape in the stars.

"Leo too, though it will much be brighter as spring goes on... oh, and that bright spot there, closer to the horizon? that's actually the planet venus, it's pretty visible this time of year too, but only right around sunrise and sunset."

He went on talking about astronomy for a bit, and Toriel watched and listened with a deeply fond smile on her face. Stuff like this was one of the few things he showed genuine passion for, and it was always such a delight to hear him talk about it. She may not know nearly as much about such things herself, but she was more than happy to learn from him. Perhaps she would include the things he told her in one of her lesson plans, or better yet, even ask him to teach a lesson to her students himself. He would probably be hesitant, but she knew he'd do a fantastic job. Maybe someday.

At some point, he must have become a little self-conscious about his spark of enthusiasm because he eventually trailed off and sank back against her, huddling into his hood again.

"ah geez, i really rambled there, huh? sorry t, you've goat to be bored out of your skull by now…" He said, a touch meekly.

She was sure to shake her head in a deliberate manner, and gave him another gentle squeeze.

"Not at all, I love when you talk about these things." She assured him. "Even with all my centuries of life, I never properly learned about all the stars and planets above us. Back when I first lived beneath them, I am afraid we took them for granted. I appreciate hearing all about it now from someone so knowledgeable on the subject."

The compliment was purposely said as sweetly as possible and it certainly succeeded in the effect she desired. If she made him blush any more though, she wondered if his cheekbones would remain that bright cyan color for good. He didn't really have it in him in that moment to formulate a proper reply it seemed, so she went on, tone just a touch more hesitant.

"Honestly dear, just hearing you talk in general is such a joy. Especially after…"

She cut herself off, realizing what she was about to say would betray her own statement earlier. Sans clearly knew what she meant though, and he stiffened just a bit. She was surprised though to feel him grip her tighter and reply without much of a pause.

"yah… i know." He said with a weary sigh, dragging a hand down his face. "i'm… ugh… i know you said not to… apologize for uh… that. so… i guess i won't. but still, can i at least say sorry for acting so shitty to you all day after that?"

His words furthered the surprise she felt, though she was grateful to hear that her slip up had not sent him back into despair. She considered his question for a short while before answering.

"Well… I suppose you can, and I am more than happy to forgive you." She said, giving his arm another gentle rub. "But please, do not be too hard on yourself for that… okay? I understand dear. You know I would never think less of you for struggling with this."

That seemed to be the right thing to say, as she felt the small bit of tension in his body dissipate. A soft chuckle escaped him, and he dropped his hand to rest back on top of her arm. His laugh was not really for any humor, but it also didn't carry the same hopelessness as before. The exact emotion behind it wasn't clear to her, as he was once again making an effort to keep his emotions somewhat muted, but what he said next felt like enough of an answer.

"tori… how does someone as great as you even exist?" He asked with a small, fond grin, curling his phalanges into the fabric of her sleeve.

The question was clearly rhetorical, though it still made her soul stir with confusing emotions. But most prominent was the strong reemergence of that feeling… that feeling that she now admitted to herself to be… love. She gulped as it brought back that now all too familiar heat to her cheeks, thoughts suddenly racing along with the surging feelings in her soul.

Should she… tell him? Surely the moment was opportune, almost comically so. They were here alone watching the sunrise together, it almost seemed a little too perfect. But her own doubts were quick to choke her again, making her thoughts spin in a hopeless circle.

Telling him could be what gave him the hope for the future he so clearly needed, but it could also prove to be far too much for him to process with everything else going on. He clearly returned her feelings on some level, she'd have to be truly blind to not see that, but it could just be a simple infatuation that didn't match what she felt.

"Well you will never know if you never tell him…" Her mind prodded her. She promptly ordered it to shut up.

No, she just couldn't do it. Even if Sans did feel the same, with the way things were now, she doubted he was in the right state of mind to be able to consider something like a romantic relationship. And if she were being honest, she probably wasn't really either. Not to mention all the other potential issues with the idea that continued to inundate her, snuffing out any further focus on the matter. Now was just… not the time. She really needed to stop letting her thoughts turn to her own selfishness so quickly.

She still felt she had to answer his question with something though.

"Well… I am flattered, but I could easily ask the same of you." She murmured, eyes softening. "I have my own struggles and deep flaws that shape me. I know my previous status as royalty makes some see me differently, but I am just a monster, like you."

He chuckled lightly again, that warm smile only growing fonder.

"yah, i know, but still, you're the best tori… i know said it before, but i really suck at showing it… i just… really do appreciate everything you've… put up with for my sake…"

There was clearly more he wanted to say, but bringing any focus to his many displays of vulnerability over the past few days was understandably difficult. She gave him another hug from behind to communicate her understanding, leaning down and pressing her cheek against the side of his skull.

"You are most welcome, dear. And I must thank you too, for being there for me when I needed it."

He offered no words in reply, only sent a muted pulse of mutual gratitude to her soul from his own. She could tell her words had stirred a lot of feelings in his soul, thrumming through it like an elevated heartbeat. And with his emotional state still being quite fragile, he seemed unwilling to speak for the moment lest his emotions get the better of him. As before though, she felt it again, piercing through his weak attempts of repression. That feeling of love flowing from his soul.

It brought out the words from her that, like with her declaration to him regarding the resets, she knew she could not ensure, but felt they both needed to hear.

"We are going to be okay." She said simply, keeping him in that tight embrace.

His silence continued, but it mattered not. Their souls carried on any further communication from there. They stayed that way a long time, before eventually turning their eyes back to the horizon, to the brilliant spectacle signaling the oncoming day.

Later that day, they'd both have to face their family again with all these new terrible revelations and incidents weighing down on them. They'd have to lie to cover for what had happened, and try and return to some degree of normalcy. On top of that, Toriel knew that her nightmare likely signaled the start of something equally as worrying, and would need to be addressed with proper seriousness at some point. There was so much they could be and perhaps even should be stressing over right now.

But for the moment, they just watched the sunrise together in comfortable silence as it crested the horizon and painted the world below in brilliant hues, all the while holding on to that shared warmth between their souls. It was a new day, and whatever it would bring, at least now they were both assured they would face it together.