As Toriel had predicted, the blessing of sleep came with a heavy price.

Sometime after she'd fallen into the grips of slumber, her eyes opened to find herself in large, open field in late evening, the air thick with… smoke? No, it wasn't smoke, and the realization of what it really was made a terrible chill run down her spine. The substance filling the air all around were clouds and clouds of monster dust, stirred up by a terribly unfortunate wind that was blowing. Her nostrils burned with the acrid stench of spent magic that was mixed in with it, the last embers of the mana that had made up these monsters before they were killed. Now that her eyes were focusing she could make out remnants of bone attacks sticking up from the ground all over like some kind of horrid plant species. Among them were bits of armor, swords, spears, clothing, great stains of blood, and piles of monster dust yet to join the terrible cloud around them.

Realization gripped her soul tight, making it churn with sudden intense emotion. Just like with her previous dream, she remembered this…

That familiarity kept her calm even when she once again found herself unable to move, just a hapless witness to what events were going to unfold before her.

"Stay close to me Toriel." A deep, rumbling voice said from beside her.

The sound of it nearly made her want to cry, if she had been capable of doing such a thing. Thankfully, her physical self turned to look up at the massive monster, who was looking out over the devastation with darkness in his eyes, but still with a royal, reserved calm. Her father, King Manual, then turned to face her as well, gently pulling her closer to his side with one of his massive paws.

"The humans have long left the area… but we cannot be too careful." He said, seeming to force a gentler voice with her. "Just stay here until the guard have finished the search."

Oh stars, hearing his voice again was so wonderful. Centuries of passed time had long robbed her of the memory of it. But now that she was hearing it again, it was like he'd never left. Her physical self began to weep softly as well, but not for any warm emotions, only feeling terribly frightened and exhausted. She cast her eyes down at her feet and the Toriel inside got a glance of her body, her teenage body, dressed in dirtied, dusty robes.

"Yes, Father." She heard herself say, sniffling.

Another voice spoke up at her other side then, far more harsh and unmoved. This one made a faint chill run down her spine and a deep, old sorrow bloom within her soul.

"Stand up straight Toriel, and control yourself, this is no time for you to be acting like a child. Our people will look to you for guidance during this tragedy. Cease this selfish behavior at once."

Her head turned of its own accord to glance up at the other massive boss monster, clothed in robes and face hidden by a large hood. She could still make out the edges of horrible scars and burn marks on the visible portion of their face, as though it had been torn at by a set of red hot, brutally sharp claws. Both Toriels shuddered, internally and externally, as they regarded the regal form of their mother, Queen Guia.

As she remembered doing so many times in those days, she ducked her head and grit her teeth to reign in her emotions, tears burning at her ruby red eyes as she forced them back.

"Yes Mother… Sorry M-mother…" She croaked, earning another icy glare for her undignified shaky tone.

Situations like these, regarding the war, were the only moments that seem to consistently bring her mother out of her ashamed self-isolation due to her disfigurement. How painful it was, to know that the moment they returned to their castle, she'd retreat back into solitude and cease speaking to them. To know that the first time her mother had spoken to her likely in weeks, was just to berate her for her usual failure at upholding the family honor. The Toriel inside nearly forgot herself in that old despair, feeling her mother's cold gaze wither her just as much now as it had back then.

"Stars above… what would she think of me now?" She thought, feeling ill. She could hardly comprehend just how angry and disappointed she would be… at her seemingly endless list of failures.

Those thoughts were halted however as the scene unfolding in the dream demanded her attention again. A Whimsalot guard flew over to them out of the dust cloud, wings buzzing as he hovered before the royal family and bowed to them.

"Your highnesses, we have swept the whole area, there are no signs of any humans… But, we did find one survivor." He said, gripping his spear tightly.

That gave the Toriel inside pause, suddenly very confused. She thought she remembered this event. She was sure this was where she and her family were told of the horrific tragedy of one of the first major battles of the war… and she was almost certain they were told that there had been no survivors. That didn't seem like a detail she'd get wrong, even after all this time. Nonetheless, the dream continued on this way, not stopping to let her sort through her thoughts.

Another guard, a black furred bear monster, emerged from the gloom next, flanked by two imp guards as well. The bear monster carried what looked like a shivering bundle of cloth, and from it, she could hear a distinct, familiar rattling sound. Toriel could feel her physical self perk up at the sight of it, soul burning with a slight spark of… hope? She didn't remember any of this now… But she kept watching all the same.

"Your highnesses." The bear monster said, in a rough but kindly voice. "This youth was the only one we found alive. It seems he was hiding beneath the rubble of his… deceased family's home. He is uninjured apart from a few minor scrapes, but he is… well… shell shocked we believe. Hasn't said a word."

The Queen began to say something in a somewhat dismissive tone, but the King interrupted her, stepping forward.

"Let me see him, I can at least attend to his wounds." He said, voice gentle as he gingerly scooped up the shuddering form from the guard into his massive paws.

As confused as she was by the unfamiliar turn of events, the Toriel inside felt a small spark of warmth at that. Her father had been one of the greatest masters of healing magic to ever live. She had learned everything she knew from him over the course of many lessons during her early years. Seeing him in action again would be a joy even in this dire situation. Her mother clearly thought otherwise though.

"Manual, dearest, must you concern yourself with this? Do you not think that this is a job for the medics?" She asked, sternly.

The King paid her little mind as he knelt on the ground, cradling the rattling bundle in the crook of one arm before summoning a green glow in his free paw.

"Guia, love, please. Now is not the time to worry over such things. I am here now and can tend to him myself. Seeing to it that he survives this is all that matters for the moment." He finally answered back, before carefully beginning to pull back the tangled fabric covering the distressed monster.

When he finally managed to uncover him, Toriel found herself looking upon… nothing. Well, there was certainly someone there, but when she looked upon them, it yielded nothing. It was a familiar sensation, one that she felt she may have experienced in another dream. This odd dulling of her senses as she looked upon this monster, like she was peering off a great cliff into the darkness below, on the brink of unconsciousness. At most she could make out a flash of bony limbs tightly curled into a shaking ball, the obvious source of the rattling, as well as a hint of a rounded white skull. All she could manage to conclude was that this monster that she could hardly perceive… seemed to be a skeleton. A teenage one at that, based on the size.

Despite the disorientation the Toriel inside felt, her physical self clearly was not experiencing the same thing. She heard herself and her father gasp lightly and her feet carried her over to him, despite her mother's protests. Getting close to the monster made the sick confused feelings worse, but she had no say in whether she could look away or not, force to suffer so long as the memory dictated. There was something here she should be realizing, dots she should be connecting, but her mind's lack of focus prevented it. She withdrew as much as she could by instinct, taking in what she could of the scene as it continued to unfold.

"I… I know this youth…" Her father rasped, gently running his paw over the skeleton's skull.

Toriel clearly seemed to recognize him as well, speaking up again in a distressed voice.

"That is Wingdings, father!" She said, gripping at the king's sleeve. "H-he is Gorey's friend! I have met him a few times before… oh stars… is h-he..?"

"Wingdings? Who…?" Her mind attempted to question, but it was lost as the vision carried on.

Her father glanced at her in acknowledgment, eyes grim and serious, before they softened again as he looked back down at the skeleton… Wingdings, apparently.

"Young one… Can you hear me?" The hulking boss monster rumbled soothingly as he made expertly short work of healing the skeleton's wounds. "It is I, King Manual. You are safe now, it is… It is over."

Toriel still couldn't perceive what was happening with the skeleton in her father's arm, but after a few moments, a terrible violent sobbing met her ears. "Wingdings" seemed to have broken out of the shock and fallen straight into fit of hysterics. The sound of it tore at Toriel's soul, finding it just a little too familiar. The king, an endlessly compassionate monster, gently pulled the bawling skeleton close and wrapped him in his great arms.

"I know… I know... I am sorry lad, I am so sorry…" He said softly, and Toriel could feel her eyes beginning to burn with tears again, her physical self's emotions churning within her.

She heard her mother approach from behind, grumbling something to a guard before speaking to her father.

"Manual, please, hand him off to someone else. It is not your responsibility to put up with this. We have other matters to attend to." The queen said, sounding more exasperated than anything.

"Guia, hush." He said, choosing not to face her. "Seeing to this is as important as anything else we could be doing here. If you are so inclined, go organize the guard to search the next settlement. I will join you shortly."

Her mother let out a huff of indignation, but turned and left without another word. Toriel stayed by her father's side, as well as the bear and imp guards from before, getting into practiced position around them to ensure their safety. The two boss monsters turned their attention back to the distressed skeleton cradled in her father's embrace, the only survivor of this… massacre. Wingdings began to choke out broken, strange words where he could between his sobbing. His voice was so… odd and not just because it was slurred from crying. It sounded unnatural, like a foreign language being spoken backwards and underwater. She couldn't make out any of the meaning behind the words. Neither could her father, it seemed.

"Easy… Easy lad… I am sorry… I cannot understand you…" The King said, gently rubbing the skeleton's back.

Toriel gave her father's arm a squeeze to get his attention, and the words that escaped her then left the Toriel inside feeling rather dumbfounded. Apparently she was well aware of why Wingdings sounded the way he did.

"H-he cannot… Father, he does not speak the same as most monsters. H-he usually signs to communicate." She informed him, voice trembling slightly.

As if on cue, both of their attentions were drawn upwards then as two hand shaped magic bullets formed over Wingding's skull and floated up before them. They twitched and began to shakily form words, though they shook so badly as he heaved with sobs beneath them that it was difficult to decipher them. Toriel was baffled to realize her younger self was reading the signs and understanding them. She had only just learned to understand sign language in full recently on the surface for Frisk's sake… how would her younger self understand them then? Again though, that question was forced back with all the others as she directed her attention towards deciphering the signed words.

DEAD

DEAD

DEAD

THEY ARE ALL DEAD

THE HUMANS KILLED THEM

THE HUMANS KILLED THEM

ALL OF THEM ARE DEAD

THEIR DUST MIXED UP AND BLEW AWAY

DEAD

DEAD

THEY ARE ALL DEAD

After that last one, he was just far too distraught to keep up sustaining the bullets, and they dissipated. After that, he collapsed back into hysterics and the King went back to doing his best to console him. Toriel's head turned down to look at her feet, finally freeing the Toriel inside from looking at Wingdings and clearing away the terrible dizzying effect he had on her mind for the moment. She coughed on the dust in the air and felt the faint sparks of magic sting at her eyes and nose again. Only after that did she seem to allow herself to shed a few tears again, perhaps now feeling less self-conscious of it with her mother gone.

It was painful, but the momentary respite allowed Toriel a moment to actually think straight for a bit and try to sort out just what was happening here. There was no way she would have forgotten this. Was this also a vision from another timeline? No… timelines that could be reset only existed, from her understanding, during the period where monsters were trapped underground. Then what was happening? Had her memories been tampered with? Was this all a bizarre false dream? Who was that Wingdings skeleton and why did she have such a strange reaction just from trying to look at him? Why did he seem so familiar?

Could he be…? Oh stars, what had Sans said…? What was his father's full name? Gaster… Doctor Gaster… But did he have a first name…? Had he mentioned it? He hadn't said Wingdings she was sure but... Damn it, If she wasn't stuck in this dream… vision… memory, whatever, she could figure it out. Why was it going on so long? The last one hadn't been this long.

That thought came with a sudden burst of pain at her side, shaking her out of her reverie. Her vision creeped in with darkness at the edges, but her physical self did not seem to notice the pain, simply glancing back up at her father without flinching. The Toriel inside felt panic rising within her, wondering what she had just felt, but she was still a helpless witness to the unfolding scene and she watched on through her distress.

The King was rising to his feet, cradling the now quieter skeleton in his arms. Wait, was he… unconscious? It was hard to tell without being able to actually perceive his appearance when looking at him, but that is what it seemed like. Clearly even more time had passed than she had thought… or… the dream had shifted? What was happening?

"Get him back to our castle guardsman. Take him to Nadia, she will… she will look after him." Her father said quietly, gently handing the skeleton back over to the bear monster.

"I am sure Astelle and Gorius, er… the King and Queen of the eastern kingdom will wish to take him in, he… was serving out an apprenticeship there with their science division until recently. They regard him like family from what I was told and he is very close with their son. Have word sent immediately, he will stay with us until everything can be sorted out."

The bear monster nodded before bowing in farewell. Holding Wingdings close, he disappeared back into the gloom along with the other two imp guards. Once they were gone, Manual ran a paw through his great black mane with a deep sigh before turning back to her. As he settled his paws lightly on her shoulders, the terrible pain at her side flared up again, making the whole world feel like it was stuttering around her. Her physical self and her father did not react this time either though. His words met her ears but they felt far away, drowned out slightly by the ringing in her head.

"...Looks like ending this war quickly really is off the table, sweetie pie." He rasped, great green eyes heavy with sorrow, a rare expression on his face. "I am so sorry love, you deserved to grow up in a better world. Not live through this hateful mess that all us bitter adults have created…Humans and Monsters…"

He paused and another spike of pain wracked her, intense enough this time that her vision flickered. Her father's face went in and out of focus before her.

"Please promise me something sweetie pie, I know it is hard… Especially right now. But it is important if there is ever going to be hope in the future… For everyone." He went on, voice taking on an echoy quality.

"Do not ever let blind hatred consume your heart, my child. Always leave some room in you for forgiveness, for trust, even for those who do bad things, even for the humans. It is so easy for all of us to fall into mindless hatred and be driven to depravity by it during these times of war. But please my child, always be willing to see past prejudices, always keep love in your soul… and above all… please always be willing to show mercy. If you can do that, then there will always be hope, even in the darkest of times. And… you will have succeeded where my generation has failed you…"

Through the wavering haze of her vision, she saw the King hang his head, great shoulders slumping. Regret and despair shone in his eyes. And though Toriel could feel her younger self's soul flare up with disbelief and even anger at her father's words, eventually, right as another great crash of pain washed over her, she hung her head too with a weak nod.

"I promise, Father…"

And with that, everything seemed to shatter.

When she began to regain consciousness again, she felt something ram hard into her side, causing her body to shake with the impact. It jostled her awake fairly quickly and she shot up in bed, gasping lightly for air, air finally free of choking clouds of dust. It didn't take her as long as the previous night to regain back her composure and realize that she had just awoken from a… well perhaps nightmare was not the right word…

But her head was still so foggy and took far longer than her body to take in what was happening around her. It was a loud whining sound and another, lighter, impact at her side that finally snapped her out of it, banishing thoughts of what had just happened for the moment.

She turned and the sight that greeted her was processed one thing at a time. The thing jabbing at her side and whining was… GB, far larger in size than last time, and eyelights bright with distress. The room was faintly lit by a terribly familiar glow of alternating light blue and yellow. The spot on the bed beside her was… empty. It all clicked after a few moments and she felt her soul seize up inside her.

Oh no

Panicked adrenaline gripped her and she was on her knees in seconds, quickly crawling over to the edge of the bed towards where the light was coming from. GB followed alongside her, still whining fretfully all the while. What met her eyes made it clear why the blaster was so worried.

Sans was curled up on his side on the floor, sockets wide, chest heaving and eyelight blazing with magic. Two other GBs hovered anxiously around him, their large forms making the room feel cramped and small. They nervously prodded their wielder in an attempt to rouse him, but their well meaning efforts proved detrimental. Every poke brought with it a violent flinch and another surge of magic from him, and she watched as he curled in tighter with a soft, strangled sound as another blaster appeared in a bright flash above him. This one burst to life with his jaws wide and flaring with blue magic, ready to attack. She flinched back, expecting the blast to be fired her way. But when this GB found himself looking at her, he simply blinked in confusion and turned to look down at his wielder, quickly realizing what was happening and joining in on the concerned whining with the other three.

Oh stars, if she didn't put a stop to this not only were they were likely to send Sans further and further into panic, but the noise they were making could wake the whole house, and that'd be a disaster for a multitude of reasons. She rushed to get off the bed and gently but firmly shooed the GB's away, shushing them all as well. They seemed to pick up on her intentions and obeyed without question, retreating as much as they could to watch from a distance and going mostly silent. Then it was just her and her dear, poor skeleton on the floor, and she tried to think through what to do before she acted on a whim.

A quick CHECK brought with it the relief that he hadn't lost any HP from his fall, and she silently thanked the stars for her convenient love of plush carpet. From the looks of it, he was in a state just about as bad as he had been three nights ago, if not as... vocal. In a way that was even more concerning though, making her wonder what it was he was seeing that drove him into such a terrified silence apart from his heavy breathing and the rattling of his bones. The fear and distress from his soul radiated out from him like heat from a fire, stirring Toriel's own soul with similar emotions.

She was able to keep herself calm though and reached over to gently lay a paw on him, gauging his reaction carefully. He did not flinch like he had from the prodding of his concerned blasters, he didn't seem to react much at all in fact. She would happily take that over a negative reaction at this point, and she moved her paw in a hopefully soothing manner over his side as she leaned in close to speak to him.

"Sans, dear… please… wake up." She said, having to force some strength into her weary voice. "You are having a nightmare, that is all. Can you hear me?."

The silence from him continued, eyelight still flaring with magic that had nowhere to go. It faintly stung her paw as it raced through his bones. His left hand that was gripping at the carpeted floor was ablaze as well, twitching occasionally as a particular violent surge of magic shot through him. His lack of a reaction made panic rise up in her throat again, but she remembered then what she'd done to snap him out of his trance the last time this had happened. She carefully reached out her other paw to rest against his cheekbone, encouraging him to look at her. After a few more tense moments, it seemed to work, as his flashing eyelight shifted a bit to lock on to her. She kept talking, encouraged by that small sign of improvement.

"There you go, look at me Sans." She said, raising her voice a little. "Focus on me… My voice… My face… I am right here…I am real... whatever you are seeing is not. You are okay dear, you are okay..."

The irony of her words burned a bit on her tongue, her own strange "dream" and it's possibly quite real implications making her statements seem a touch disingenuous. It mattered not for the moment though, all her thoughts were focused towards getting her dear skeleton back to himself again, and whatever would help accomplish that. She kept on talking to him and running her paw slowly back and forth over his side, sliding it carefully over every curve of his ribcage. She was fairly certain he wouldn't lash out at her again with how things were going, but she kept her guard up all the same, ready to defend herself if need be. She really didn't wish to get herself flung against something again, the bruise on her side she likely got from GB's method of waking her was more than enough for one night.

It went on that way for another minute or so before her efforts began to pay off. His grip on the carpet below him loosened, and his eyelight's intense glow lessened by degrees as he managed a few blinks up at her. As before, that proved to be a sign he was coming out of it, as his gaze focused on her more clearly. His heaving breaths began to calm as well, enough for him to attempt to speak. What he said though sent a harsh pang through her soul.

"Toriel…" He choked out in a panicked tone, surprisingly her by using her full name again. "g-get out… the k-kid… the kid is..."

He curled in on himself slightly once more, squeezing his sockets shut. Or at least, squeezed them shut as long as he could before the magic surging in the left one forced it back open again with a spray of blue sparks.

"Shhh… easy dear, easy now…" She soothed, letting her voice drop back to its usual gentleness.

Now more confident that he wouldn't lash out at her, she carefully scooped him from the floor and cradled him in her arms, resting him in her lap so that he was looking up at her. He didn't fight her at all as she did so, body concerningly limp. She cupped the side of his skull in her paw again to try and keep his gaze directed at her.

"Look at me okay? Try to focus… breathe." She said, running her clawed thumb slowly over his cheekbone. "You are safe Sans, you are here with me in our home on the surface. Nothing has reset, Frisk has not done anything. It was only a nightmare. You are okay."

There was a comfort in her as she spoke those words, so very glad she could say the right things now. Sharing this burden was proving to be devastating beyond words for many reasons, but it meant she knew now what he needed to hear to recover from this. That made it more than worth it in her eyes. And indeed, her words furthered the calming of his soul.

As the moments ticked on, he kept his gaze glued to hers. He then turned a bit towards her and clutched at her robe with a hand, prompting her to pull him closer and gently nuzzle the top of his skull, letting her cheek remain resting against it for a bit. Another minute pass this way, His breathing slowed to a far more normal rhythm and his eyelight's fervor steadily petered out until it died altogether, leaving both sockets dark. The room went mostly dark along with it, the only light coming from the light in the bathroom she tended to leave on. The disappearance of his eyelight was the signal that seemed to let everyone in the room relax, including all the blasters, who began cautiously drifting towards them both again, eyelights glowing in the renewed darkness.

Even in the low light, she could make out sweat beading down Sans' skull as he was finally able to shut his eye sockets tight with a low moan. He pressed his face against her chest and drew a few more, deep shuddering breaths, seemingly trying to get himself to stop shaking as well. She gathered him in her arms into more of a proper embrace, giving him a few seconds more to collect himself before speaking again.

"Are you with me now dear?" She asked, feeling one of the GB's brush against her side with a purr. "How are you feeling?"

He drew in a wheezy breath through his teeth, tightening his grip on her with another particularly hard shudder before responding.

"y-yah… i… i'm…" His voice came out shaky and hoarse, trailing off at the end as if he didn't know how to answer.

Satisfied and relieved with the confirmation, she let him take as long as needed to figure it out.

"i'll... manage…" He said finally, still trembling harshly all over.

It wasn't the answer she would have preferred, but she accepted it, lapsing into silence again for a short while. During that time, she did what she could to help while he continued fighting the harsh tremors afflicting his body. It took some time, a clear sign of the severity of whatever horror his nightmare had subjected him to. The blasters gathered around them as this went on, pressing close to them and vibrating with their deep, reverberating purrs. It soothed her as well as him it seemed, for once they began with that, it was only a short time later when the soft rattling of his bones ceased.

Still, it also came with the realization that he'd summoned the blasters in his sleep, something that clearly did not sit well with him.

"goddamn it… tori… oh god… i d-didn't… i didn't fire one of them at you, did i?" He asked in a shaky tone, without pulling away.

Toriel shook her head, giving him a little squeeze.

"No dear, no, you did not." She assured him. "GB actually came to wake me when he saw what was happening, none of them did any damage. Do not worry."

She could detect the relief he felt from that statement ease some tension from him, and he let out a long sigh that was followed by a forced, humorless chuckle.

"heh… good… good…" He croaked, before going on in a slightly stronger voice. " i kn-knew training him to be more er… autonomous was a good idea… sp-specially after what happened with pap…"

She raised a brow a bit at that, and thought back to something he'd mentioned previously. As she did, one of the GB's slipped behind her back, letting her lean against him with an encouraging purr. She gave him a small, thankful smile before settling against him and turning back to Sans with another question.

"You fired a blaster at Papyrus before?" She asked softly, running a paw gently down his back. "Was that… when you decided to lock yourself up at night? When you… hurt him?"

A few moments passed before he slowly nodded, and one of the GB's let out a low, remorseful whine, like a dog who had been caught misbehaving. Sans trembled with another weak chuckle before speaking again, in a strained attempt at his usual casual tone, heedless of the heavy subject matter.

"it was a bad time, that's for sure." He wheezed, something about the phrase seeming to bring him a dark amusement. "it wasn't really the blast itself that messed him up, it was the impact. he hit the wall so hard that he lost a good chunk of his HP and the back of his skull cracked. if it wasn't for that damn battle body of his, his ribs probably would have been busted up too… he… he looked at me then like he was s-scared for his life… heh…"

He trailed off then and she decided she should try and change the subject, he was already shaken up enough as it was, he didn't need to get worked up over all these past events too. She squeezed him tighter again before going on.

"Well… you did not hurt me, alright? And I do not think you need to fear something extreme like that happening again. Whatever you did with GB, it clearly helped. Your blasters only sought to help you once they were summoned, nothing more."

In response to hearing his name, all the GB's purred louder and some even pushed closer to nuzzle her. She offered them a smile in response but politely shushed them again until they lowered their voices to a soft rumbling once more. Sans gave little reaction to her words or anything else as she did so, but in the restored quiet she heard him groan softly again and press harder against her. The action reminded her of what had happened last time he'd woken up from a night terror like this, and concern flared up inside her.

"Sans, please be honest with me. How are you feeling? Are you… feeling sick at all?" She asked, speaking the last part a touch hesitantly.

There was a pause, then another quiet sigh, this one barely audible.

"i mean… yah, but… it's fine. it's not like… before. i'll be alright. i won't hurl on ya or anything, promise."

Despite it all, that somehow prompted a soft, somewhat exasperated laugh from her and she gave his back a sympathetic rub.

"That is not why I asked dear. It is not your fault you do not feel well. Building up waste magic like that is hell for anyone's soul. But, I do appreciate your consideration."

That last part was said a touch sarcastically through a weak, amused smile, and she was happy to hear him give a light chuckle in response as well, even if it was more out of awkwardness than anything. Though as silence stretched between them again after that, her smile slowly fell, lost to worry once more. His soul was flaring up noticeably with negative emotions again, spiking with fear and guilt among other things. She was about to say something on the matter, but to her surprise, it was him who broke the silence and addressed the elephant, or in this case, the giant floating skulls, in the room.

"this one was… bad tori…" He admitted, weakly. "i mean… they all suck don't get me wrong… but… i haven't… i haven't summoned GB out in my sleep in a long time… and not just that… it…"

He trailed off again shuddering anew, and Toriel resumed her practiced technique of rubbing small circles into his back, waiting patiently for him to speak again. The GB's shifted a bit around them, eyeing their wielder sadly.

"it was here tori. the kid was killing us here…" He choked out at last, curling his phalanges into her robes tightly. " it felt… so real. they came in here with the knife from the kitchen… all covered in dust. and they started stabbing y-you… you were screaming for them to stop... and i… i couldn't do anything… i couldn't move. i tried… i tried to attack them or grab their soul but nothing happened… i guess gb got summoned out here but in the dream it… it wasn't working…"

His broken words made her feel as though her soul was being twisted inside her. Not only had his nightmare been so horrible, it had involved her directly. All this anguish he was feeling at the moment was due to watching her be killed right in front of him… She would say that she couldn't imagine what that felt like… But that would be a lie.

She remembered when she'd been afflicted with nightmares before insomnia largely took their place as her nightly torment. She remembered reliving the horrific moment where Asriel and Chara's fused form collapsed before her into dust, every time she tried to sleep. Not to mention the dreams where the children she had failed came back to haunt her, screaming for her to save them, and she never could. Nowadays, there had even been rare instances where she dreamed of losing Frisk the same way, watching them be killed or taken from her somehow in a way she could not stop, like every other child she'd ever cared for.

All of it brought tears to her eyes in the moment, and she formulated the words to console him as best she could. But he just went on talking, voice rising by degrees as he did.

"and look this shit is normal for me, i get it, i dream about frisk murdering everyone a lot… but it's… it's never been here though. it's always after a reset, were always in the underground. and it's… it's... never… you."

With that, he fell quiet again, but his soul still churned violently. His trembling worsened as well and she was faintly surprised to feel tears beginning to drip onto her neck. But with how unstable he'd been for the past two days, the surprise lasted little more than a moment. She squeezed him tight, letting a few of her own tears spill from her eyes as well. The GBs whined quietly in response, and cuddled up closer to them.

"I am so sorry Sans…" She croaked, wishing endlessly she had something, anything better to say. "I am so sorry…"

He said nothing in response at first, remaining stiff and just silently weeping there in her arms. Something seemed to click in him then though. Perhaps he remembered the last time they'd been in a situation like this, and the words of reassurance she'd offered him then. Whatever the reason, it seemed to be more than just his instability that led him to let go of the tension in his body and choke out a few, quiet sobs against her. They were so soft that she hardly heard them, more felt them than anything. Of course, it didn't compare at all to his breakdown before, but still, the gravity of it was not lost on her.

He wasn't crying now because of long repressed emotions or old, unresolved traumas. He was letting himself cry over the fear and stress and everything else he was feeling right at this moment, instead of forcing it back to ravage him another day. Whether he knew it or not, that was quite a step forward for him. It seemed to her that, while it still was terribly difficult, he was starting to trust her with these displays of weakness, knowing now how she would react… and would help him recover from them.

It was seeing him succumb to tears again this way that brought back flashes of her "dream." Of her father holding the broken form of another skeleton in his arms. If that skeleton had indeed been Sans' father… well… it was painting a far clearer picture of the circumstances that brought about Sans and Papyrus' creation. Their father had lost everything to humanity, perhaps a sole survivor of an entire species. It was almost certain that his inordinate despair had given way eventually to a equally intemperate hatred and bloodlust. Those were the emotions behind the origins of the skeleton brothers she loved so dearly. And one of them had to remember it all.

Sans was a monster born from another's misery, a vessel for his father's desperate hatred and desire for revenge against humanity, and a failed one at that... And right now, it was hard not to feel that in full force.

But no, she wouldn't let those thoughts take root, not even for a moment. Sans was so, so much more than that. He was funny and kindhearted and so full of love for others. He was not a failure of any kind, and he certainly wasn't defined by any sort of hatred. Where he came from mattered not, he was his own monster and what he chose to do with his life was what would define him, even if this terrible curse from his father wanted so badly to be his only defining trait. He could move past this, he could heal. He deserved it. And she could help him do it. She had to believe that.

It was that resolve that drove her with a newfound energy to comfort him again, bringing stronger, more confident words to her lips.

"Sans dear, it is alright..." She soothed gently over his continued soft sobbing. "It was only a nightmare, a reflection of your fears. It is not our reality, not at all... I am just fine, and Frisk… they would not do that to me, or any of us. Not now… Not again. Remember that. It is going to be okay…"

She kept murmuring things of a similar caliber, content to keep it up as long as was necessary. As one might expect, he was able to regain control of his emotions far quicker than the last time. Still, even after he was reduced to nothing but quiet sniffling, she kept talking to him, saying the words that, in many respects were for both their benefit. Soon enough, she felt his soul calm again, the magic flowing from it far more steady and even. She wiped at her stinging eyes and drew in a deep, steadying breath. He certainly wasn't the only one crying more than usual lately.

"How about we go sit on the bed and we can... discuss this more if you wish, or whatever else you would prefer." She suggested quietly, glancing briefly at the still dark sky out the window. "I… doubt either of us will be sleeping anymore tonight."

Sans mirrored her a bit, taking a shaky breath. She could feel he wanted to apologize for what had just happened, as well as for waking her again. But he resisted, likely due to once again remembering her words on the subject, her assurance that such apologies were not needed. So instead he simply replied to her suggestion in a surprisingly stable voice.

"alright tori… you're… probably right…"

Needing no further agreement from him, she adjusted her hold on him and got to her feet. She set him down on the bed and turned on the bedside lamp, before moving to join him. She paused though, when they both noticed the four pairs of large eyelights looking up at them.

"oh… uh… right." Sans said, rubbing at his eye sockets wearily. "you guys should uh, probably go back to the pocket dimension… sorry for the… rude awakening…"

The GB's looked at him, then looked at eachother, then back to him. In unison they all shook back and forth in a "no" motion defiantly. Sans blinked at them and before he or Toriel could say anything else, all four quickly floated up and began inundating their wielder with nuzzles. The skeleton had little time to react, and the effects of the sudden flood of affection took effect quickly, in a way Toriel wasn't expecting. He started wheezing with laughter for quite an obvious reason as he fell onto his side while trying and failing to squirm away from the blasters. She had not been aware skeletons could be ticklish. It was a realization she was sure to... take note of.

"guys guys stop." He managed between giggles, weakly pushing against their bony muzzles. "geez okay, I'm alright, i'm okay just-"

He attempts at speech were lost again to breathless chuckling. Toriel couldn't help but giggle at the sight too, covering her mouth with a paw as to not allow the sound to be too loud. Thank goodness Sans' laughter was as naturally soft as his voice, she wouldn't want to have to put a stop to this excuse to see him smile for any reason. After a few moments more the blasters finally spared him from their onslaught and retreated back a bit to let him breathe. He wheezed and shook with a few more giggles before he could speak again.

"y-you guys are the worst." He said through a light cough, pulling his hood over his skull. "i've told you a million times not to do that."

His tone betrayed the fact he was only teasing, but probably did feel a deal of legitimate embarrassment, especially with this happening on top of everything else. He purposely avoided her gaze as she tried to control her laughter for his sake.

"Oh Sans, they only wished to help you feel better. Do not be too hard on them." She said once she could manage it.

She earned a flat look from him for that, before he let his face fall against the bed with a grumble. It took a lot to hold back another snort of amusement. The GBs rumbled with a soft sound resembling laughter, looking quite pleased with themselves.

"I was not aware you were ticklish." She teased with a grin, going to sit on the bed beside him.

"don't get any ideas, old lady." Came his muffled reply, not lifting his skull from the blankets.

This time the snort did escape her along with a few more giggles. Oh she did have ideas, but for another time. But he didn't need to know that right now.

"Very well, though I thought my jokes already tickled your funny bone." She retorted, fangs flashing with a smile as she delivered the joke.

There was a pause, then he couldn't seem to help but snicker, prompting him to sit up again.

"alright… that was a good one." He relented, and she was deeply glad to see his true smile remaining on his face.

His expression shifted back to mild or perhaps feigned irritation as he looked back at his blasters. All four GB's gained sheepish looks on their faces, drifting downwards under his gaze.

"you all are definitely going to the pocket dimension now, this is a time out at this point. come here." He ordered, pointing at the spot on the bed in front of him.

All four let out soft, plaintive whines but slowly obeyed. Toriel couldn't help but feel bad for them and laid a paw gently on Sans' shoulder.

"Sans, why not let them stay, so long as they promise to behave themselves? They meant no harm and I think we could both use the company for the rest of the night."

The skeleton looked at her irritably, but when met with hers and all the blaster's entreating looks, he relented with a sigh.

"fine, but i'm shrinking all of you down, and if any of you pulls another stunt like that, it's straight to the pd, no questions."

The GB's all smiled brightly and two of them drifted other to Toriel to give her a thankful nuzzle. She gave them a few friendly pats in return, smile bright. Sans just grumbled again and laid his hand on the GB closest to him. A glow of blue magic enveloped the blaster and it shrunk down before her eyes. All the other GBs, linked it seemed, followed suit, until all of them were no bigger than hamsters.

"there, now no more, heh, funny business." He said, prompting the now tiny blasters to squeak in agreement.

All four followed as Sans and Toriel moved back to the head of the bed, slipping under the blankets again even though neither had any intention of sleeping. Toriel reached over to the side table where her phone was charging to check the time. 4:13 AM. She'd have to get up for work in less than three hours, great. She set the phone back down with a soft sigh, accepting the fact she'd just have to be exhausted through the oncoming school day. No getting around it now. At least she had gotten some sleep. She turned back to Sans and settled against the pillows beside him, working up a small smile.

She watched as two of the GBs settled into the soft material at the neck of Sans' hoodie, peeking out from within it in an endearing manner. The other two drifted over to Toriel and plopped down in the fur of her fluffy ears, purring up at her happily. This brought out another light giggle from her and she gave one of them a friendly tap with a claw.

"I always wondered what I would look like with earrings." She said, smiling as the tiny blaster leaned into her touch.

Sans managed a weary grin back at her, lightly petting one of the GB's on his hood with a phalange as well.

"well, i'm no fashion expert, obviously, but i think they'd make you look ear-resista-"

He cut himself off, eyelights shrinking and face flushing a light cyan color. Toriel blinked, eyes widening a bit as she realized what he'd almost said. Sweat dripped down his skull and his eyelights darted about frantically as he attempted to amend his joke.

"u-uhe-e-ear… ear...ie! y'know, eerie, like f-for... halloween? h-heh heh…"

That was perhaps one of the clumsiest rebounds she'd ever heard and she couldn't help but laugh again, having to cover her mouth hard this time to ensure she didn't burst into bleats of amusement. Even the blasters seemed to chuckle at his expense, but quickly clamped their jaws shut when he shot a glare their way. He tugged his hood over his skull again with a grumble. It made her feel a little bad, so she did her best to stop for his sake. She couldn't resist teasing him a little more though.

"Well... thank you Sans, I suppose." she said with a grin. "I will have to keep that in mind come October, so I can look extra scary with my eerie earrings."

His only response to that was a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh, but then he let go of his hood and let most of his face show again. Though he tried to look indignant, she could see amusement shining in his eyelights. At that moment, she felt the urge once more to tell him of her feelings, but banished the notion just as quickly as it came.

Now was not the time. Not when they had so much, too much to talk about. So instead she simply offered her paw to him as she had many times. And just the same, he reached out to take it, gripping it tight in a grateful gesture and shifting a little closer in the same motion. The seriousness and somberness from before crept back into both of their souls and settled over them like a heavy shroud.

"Is there… anything else about your nightmare you wish to talk about?" She asked, stroking his hand with her thumb.

There was a pause, then he met her question with a slow shake of his head, still lightly stroking the little blaster with his free hand. His eyelights dimmed noticeably as he did so.

"nah…i told ya the… important bits. i'd rather not... think about it anymore right now…" He admitted, weak smile going stiff at the edges.

She hummed faintly in acknowledgement, accepting his answer without question.

"Very well, that is fine…do not worry about it then. I think… there is something that I should tell you though, dear."

Another pause, then he tilted his head a little at her response. A bit of a soft snicker escaped him. She blinked in surprise at that.

"you keep calling me that, is that a nickname you are fawn-ed of tori?" He asked, quirking a brow ridge.

She blinked again, mirroring the gesture a bit, but with confusion in her case. She didn't understand the joke.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

His grin widened a bit more, but his eyelights avoided her gaze in a bit of an anxious gesture.

"y'know… deer… faun. heh, my material is off tonight i know." He said with a bit of a forced chuckle.

It took a second for what he was referencing to sink in, but when it did, she felt her face begin to burn slightly. Oh stars, she had been calling him that hadn't she? Ever since… Oh how embarrassing… She covered her mouth briefly with her free paw.

"Oh… Sans I am sorry… I was not aware that I was… I sincerely apologize if I have made you uncomfortable."

Sans shook his head quickly in response, waving his free hand in a placating gesture as well.

"no no, it's fine tori, really. i don't uh… i don't mind or anything heh heh… it's kinda… nice actually…"

He trailed off briefly, cheekbones flushing a light blue once more. The GBs all chattered with faint laughter again and Toriel just stared back at him. Before any potential implications about what he'd said could sink in, he abruptly went on in a stronger tone.

"a-anyway, you uh, you have something to tell me? w-what's up? you have another… "dream"?"

As he probably wished, the question banished any lingering flustered feelings, flooding her thoughts with images from her dream once more. Her scarlet eyes became a touch hazy as she nodded.

"Yes, I feel that it may have been another... memory of some sort. Though it was...strange."

With that, she had his full attention and she recounted to him the events that had unfolded in her dream. She tried to include all the details she could, anything that might seem relevant. There was a chance Sans may grasp something she'd missed with all his knowledge on the subject of timelines and altered memories, so she spared no expense. The only parts she left out were her more… personal reactions to seeing her parents in the dream again, especially with regards to her mother…

All the time she talked, he listened intently, eyelights tiny and wavering from the shock of it all. Though she knew the knowledge regarding his father may hurt him in some way, she also felt he had a right to know. He confirmed to her that yes, this Wingdings skeleton had certainly been his father. Other than that though, he said nothing, just staying silent until she was finished.

"hoo boy… okay…" He wheezed out after she had said everything, gripping at her paw tighter with a suddenly shaky hand.

He tapped a phalange against his skull, and she could practically see the wave of thoughts surging through him.

"I mean… geez… i knew ol g was the last of the skeletons… and that the humans killed his family in the war… he told me as much to "motivate" me on occasion but…"

A bitter mix of emotions made his eyelights waver and his jaw worked a bit before he continued.

"damn… i guess he really was artificially extending his life all those years… he really was alive… back at the beginning of all this… he probably wanted more than anything to live to see his revenge be carried out…"

That made her blink a bit in surprise, realizing she had not thought of that. Skeletons were not nearly as long lived as boss monsters or even elementals like Grillby. Gaster should have been long dead at the time Sans and Papyrus came into the picture... What had he done to his soul in order to extend his life back then? Just how desperate and deranged had the old royal scientist been at the end? The thought made her shudder. It also brought to mind the things her child had told her about the "strange monster" they'd met in the Underground. As much as she wished to mention it to him, she let it be for now, deciding theorizing over such uncertain things could wait.

"and you and asgore knew him… from back then even… explains why he was always gushing about the king i guess… heh..."

With that, his eyelights flickered, nearly going out for a moment. She gave his hand a little squeeze, concern welling up in her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, quietly.

He seemed to shake himself from his musing, before giving her a small nod.

"yah… none of this is really new or anything… just puts things more in perspective i guess… it does help my theory on what's goin' on with you though."

Her ears perked up slightly at that, and even the tiny blasters all glued their attention on Sans. Meeting her gaze, his expression sobered up again. Even beyond the lingering darker emotions in the lights of his eyes, there was that same spark of energy there, the spark that often appeared when he was discussing things of a scientific nature.

"I think… now that you know the truth about all this, you're… regaining your lost memories. the memories you lost to the resets… or to ol g getting wiped from existence. i could never figure it out before, why everyone still seemed to experience deja vu between timelines when their memories were supposedly wiped. but i get it now, you all don't really lose your memories… they just get locked away somehow. and learning the truth can trigger these memories to begin returning…"

There was a touch of hesitant hopefulness to his tone, and his eyelights brightened a bit as he went on.

"this has never happened before tori… and i think it's happening with you because… you're the first person to actually believe me."

That made her blink in surprise. In all those timelines… no one else had ever believed him? That brought a harsh pang to her soul for his sake, but she did her best to ignore it and kept listening.

"i tried to tell pap a lot early on and he really did try to understand and was always willing to listen, but i think deep down he thought i was just... y'know…. not of sound mind, driven a bit off the edge from all the nightmares. so it never happened with him. and the only other person i told was grillby, but that was more of a drunken ramble than anything else… so he obviously didn't believe it."

He paused, eyelights dulling a bit and displaying an old sadness there before he willed it away. Toriel worried her lips with her fangs slightly before ending her silence with a question of her own.

"Why only in dreams though?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders a bit in response.

"i don't know for sure but… it's probably a similar reason as to why i have to deal with all the shit that i'm trying to forget when i fall asleep. i guess without the distractions of everything else that's there when we are awake, those things aren't... held back anymore."

His words reignited her unease a bit, wondering just how long she'd have to be subjected to these nightly visions… would it last until every last one of her lost memories returned? Stars, that could take a millennia… Or would they eventually lead to a moment where it all came back to her at once? What would that do to her mind…? If Sans' case was any indication… not anything good.

Sans seemed to notice her shift in emotions, averting his gaze from her again. She could feel familiarly harsh guilt begin to flow from his soul, the affected magic meeting her own with a slight chill.

"geez… i'm sorry tori… i-i hope i didn't come off as like… insensitive there. i know that this whole thing has been pretty awful for you… and i'm... really sorry that i was part of causing it." He apologized, voice losing any of that energy that had been present before.

Hearing that dreaded despair return to him banished her own worries for the moment, overpowered by her nurturing instincts. She softened her expression and gave his hand another reassuring squeeze, moving to cover it with her other paw as well.

"Worry not Sans. I understand." She assured him. "I vowed I would go through with helping you with this no matter what, and I intend to honor that. I have been through far, far worse, I will get through this just fine. Plus… I feel that I would much rather know these painful forgotten truths rather than continue to live in ignorance."

Silence met her words, and he only replied with a small nod. The guilt that was there did not recede by much, but she would have to take what she could get at this point. He remained quiet a bit longer, eye sockets nearly falling shut. The GB's all drifted off to sleep in unison during this time, their soft, squeaky snores the only sound that found her ears for a while. She thought perhaps Sans would follow suit, as utterly exhausted as he clearly was. But then he abruptly spoke again, though kept his voice low.

"tori… did i say anything… weird before i fell asleep earlier?"

It caught her off guard a little, as she had slipped into a sort of half dozing herself. She blinked the drowsiness from her eyes and met his gaze again, thinking back on it and recalling that odd statement he'd made that had kept her up all those hours.

"Well… yes, you did say something." She replied, before clearing her throat slightly when she found her voice a bit hoarse. "You said… I had always been a good roommate… or "roomie" as you put it…"

The reaction from the skeleton was a flash of sorrow in his faint eyelights, but he said nothing. Even though the sight cut deep into her soul, she pressed on with another question, too perturbed by the statement to let it go so easily.

"What did you mean by that, dear?" She asked softly, silently willing him to meet her eyes.

He conceded with her wordless request, the lights of his eyes focusing on her with a hint of reluctance.

"sorry, i… i shouldn't have said that…" He said, a touch defensively. "i was… thinking about another timeline… one where you and i, well… i lived with you in the ruins for a while."

That was enough to perk her back up to full attentiveness, trying to imagine how something like that could have possibly come about. He noticed her questioning look though and answered before she asked anything.

"It's... kinda a long story…" He rasped, weariness even more prominent than usual in his voice. "but basically… the kid… they seemed to be going through a normal run, everything was fine… until…"

He trailed off, and that feeling of guilt intensified noticeably, but he forced himself to keep talking regardless.

"it was… an accident, i guess. at least, i don't think they meant for what happened… to happen. that time at least. they collapsed afterwards and… bawled their eyes out…"

He shuddered and Toriel had the urge to tell him he didn't have to go on with this, but her only burning curiosity kept her mouth shut. Eventually the words he'd been holding back escaped him.

"they killed papyrus…"

Her soul sunk within her. She had… guessed that had happened before, as she guessed most of them at some point had ended up victims to her child's past… misdeeds. But it still chilled her, and she squeezed his hand tighter out of intense sympathy. No words escaped her though, feeling as though she should not interrupt him.

"after that… well, a lot happened… the kid eventually went on as usual, spared everyone else… but asgore still bit the dust at the end of it…though how exactly it happened that time was… debatable. and the kid… disappeared. then you came back, took the throne again, tried to enact policies that would ensure that no more humans would die… but… it didn't go over too well…"

Toriel blinked, trying to digest all of this. That… did sound like something she would do, but it still felt so strange to have it told to her second hand. And what did he mean with that comment about Asgore? As before though, she quieted her fretting thoughts and forced herself to pay attention, fully engrossed at this point.

"undyne especially was well... pissed heh. since she and pap were… are… so close and all. she and a bunch of others kinda kicked you out and banished you to the ruins again. you went peacefully though… and afterwards i eventually decided to join you… if you would have me, of course."

His eyelights dulled further like dying candle flames, and she could see some part of him was regretting telling her this at all. Still, he proceeded.

"i... i had nowhere else to go… nothing to do… not without him. i didn't really want to wait in that empty house for the next reset. plus, i felt pretty bad about what happened to you… and i figured you might want some company and... some new books to read. so i went to the door, and this time… you let me in. i lived there with you for a few months while the kid was… i dunno… lost i guess. until the world inevitably reset again. and you definitely were a good roomie during all that time… heh… we had fun."

Those last words carried the faintest spark of warmth, but it was mostly lost to the fatigue in his voice. He seemed utterly drained when he finally stopped talking, as if putting those events into words sapped his vitality straight from his soul. Toriel took some time to process what he'd said, letting it all sort itself out through her mind. Her soul ached terribly for him, as it had so many times since he first began to open up to her. The implied grief and sorrow behind this timeline was obvious. It begged the question of what happened between them during those months… What would she do in... no… what had she done in a situation like that? It was unnerving to be unsure of the answer. Perhaps some memory of that lost timeline would give it to her, in one of these odd dreams she was now prone to.

It was some time before she found the will to reply, and as she did, she moved forward to pull him into a hug, careful to avoid disturbing the sleeping blasters as she did so. He allowed it, but did reciprocate immediately. She spoke anyway.

"Sans, I am so very sorry… You... did not deserve to endure any of that." She began as she, regrettably, always did. "I… hope I was able to provide some comfort to you during that time. I am sure I was incredibly grateful for your company…"

She trailed off, truly not knowing what to say and hoping her intentions were communicated better through her actions and the magic shared from her soul. Sans kept his silence though, and eventually it led to a question bubbling up in her throat.

"What brought this on?... Why tell me all this?" She asked, quietly.

It was a question that had been burning in her mind since he recounted the tale to her. She understood his need to talk about the darker timelines he'd endured in more detail, the ones where most of his traumas were born from. But in comparison to say, the one where'd he'd received that horrible scar… the one where everyone had been killed, this one seemed an odd choice for him to start with. The question hung over the two for a few moments, before he finally returned her hug and managed a weary reply.

"because all i did in that timeline was lie to you, about everything." He said, voice dull. "i think… that's part of why i agreed to any of this… i know it's kind of too little too late but… i don't want to lie to you anymore tori…"

It was an admission and sentiment that brought her pain and warmth all at once. She squeezed him a little tighter, feeling both their souls' magic respond in turn. She eased her eyes shut as she spoke again.

"I am deeply grateful for that Sans..." She murmured. "I thank you for your trust in all this… and I hope that being honest with me has proven to have been for the better… Or at least will in time."

Sans grip on her slowly tightened in response, and his voice was far more close to his usual lightheartedness when he spoke again.

"it already has…"

Somehow, both of them managed to drift off again after that, finally experiencing some level of peaceful sleep while it lasted.

A few hours later, she inevitably had to get up to get ready for the oncoming school day and make breakfast for her child before they woke. Papyrus had no doubt already left for the school, always priding himself with arriving early for his duties and being the one to unlock the doors every morning. Sans had told her that he had convinced him, with some effort, not to skip work to look after his "sick" brother, ensuring him he'd call if he needed anything. It meant that Sans could remain here in her bed to rest without any worry of potentially unwanted questions or suspicions, an ideal scenario in her eyes.

Though, it was more difficult than she thought to force herself out of her warm bed, and even more so to disentangle herself from the sleeping skeleton beside her. She had learned quickly that he had a habit of occasionally clinging to things in his sleep, whether that be a pillow, a ball of rolled up sheets, or in this case, her. With care though, she was able to leave his side without disturbing him and tucked him back under the blanket by instinct. She had gathered all the tiny GBs as well and laid them around him, able to keep from waking them just the same.

It was then, perhaps also by some sort of instinct, that she paused before she turned to leave. It summoned up in her an urge that perhaps she was just too tired to properly banish before she acted upon it. For without really thinking about it, she leaned down and lightly kissed his skull in farewell. The action felt so right, that she didn't mind the voice in her head that inevitably screamed at her as always for her selfishness. And it may have just been her imagination, but she swore she saw the edges of his mouth turn up slightly and soften in his sleep in response. Her soul felt aglow with warmth in that moment, despite all the exhaustion weighing down on her.

"Sleep well dear…" She said softly to him, just above a whisper.

Only then did she turn to leave, taking a deep breath to begin preparing herself for the day ahead. She was going to need a lot of determination indeed to get through it… and a whole lot of coffee.