To Toriel's surprise, it did not take Asgore long to answer the door. Indeed, it only felt like a few moments later when she heard his heavy footfalls approaching from inside and then his fumbling with the lock due to his large paws. She did not have any real time to wonder as to why that was before the door was pulled open with a low creak, revealing the full form of her ex-husband in the doorway. The sight of him did not trigger the usual terrible unease in her that it usually did, unable to penetrate her lingering bliss or the numbing veil of intoxication, but it still manage to make her tense up slightly.

As she took in his appearance though, a good deal of that tension began to dissipate. Undyne was right, he really did look awful. His golden mane was a tangled, frayed mess, his eyes were dull and baggy and the shabby excuse for a robe he was wearing certainly did not speak to his royal status. The emotions that the sorry sight of him stirred in her were… conflicting. But she did not allow her thoughts to drift as she drew herself up to greet him.

"Dre-... Asgore." She said, changing her method of referring to him at the last moment.

The other boss monster's eyes widened and he blinked a few times, as though it had taken him a moment to realize who she was. Now that he did though, the shock was written all over his face.

"Toriel? Wh-what… what are you doing here?" He asked, stammering a bit.

Whatever haze had been enveloping his mind receded further then, as he seemed to take in the sight of her, looking increasingly nervous.

"It's pouring out, and… oh goodness, your dress is soaked." He noted, quickly stepping aside. "P-please… come inside… I-I can m-make some tea or... "

"Thank you, but that will not be necessary." She cut him off as she stepped inside, expression still held firm and silently hoping he wouldn't ask why she was avoiding tea.

She took a few steps further into the house, closing and stashing her umbrella while briefly rubbing her sodden feet on the doormat. While she did, she couldn't help but glance around at the home's interior. It had been a while since she'd last been over, but it all still looked to be the same.

Same large living room with an equally large television flanked by two towering shelves full and overflowing with anime, cartoons, manga and video games. Same cute, tidy kitchen off to the right, with pale pink and yellow tiles and faint burn marks on the wall from Undyne's many failed cooking attempts. Same plush, oversized couch covered in odd pillows depicting cat eared human girls. Same escalator-like staircase installed by Alphys leading upstairs. And the same vases full of beautiful flowers just about everywhere they could reasonably be placed.

It was certainly not a congruous home by any means, but it had its own charm and matched well the residents who lived there. It was easy to tell why Frisk enjoyed their stays here the last week of each month, especially in regards to the shelves stuffed with human media. Toriel couldn't help but be concerned for the potential content held in all those odd shows and books, but she couldn't dwell on that at the moment, even if the alcohol in her system made spacing out far easier than usual. No, she needed to focus, what was happening now was far too important for her to be distracted. She took a deep breath, turning towards Asgore once more with the same stiff expression.

"Asgore, I have come here because you and I need to talk." She said, pleased with how she was holding her composure so far.

Asgore flinched slightly, his back still to her from his task of closing and locking up the door. But he faced her quickly afterwards, trying in vain to smooth down his disheveled mane a bit and forcing a weak smile.

"O-of course! What… about exactly?" He asked, a terrible dread creeping into the edge of his voice, one that seemed to drain his already dwindling vitality from him.

The sensation was mirrored in her own soul somewhat. But she wouldn't let it win over her. She'd come too far to turn back now. Too much rode on this discussion finally taking place. This had to be done, for everyone's sake, her own fears and pains be damned.

"Many things." She replied, simply, in that same flat tone. "Could we go somewhere to sit down? Or have I caught you at a bad time?"

It was somewhat of a cruel question to ask, given that his state clearly told her the answer, but that realization only came once the question had already left her mouth. Regardless, Asgore shook his head, eyes heavy but tinged with a bitter kind of acceptance. Toriel did her best to ignore the prickling of guilt that the expression brought to her soul.

"Oh no, i-it is fine Toriel, now is fine… I wasn't..." He trailed off, curling his claws into the edge of his messy robe somewhat. After a beat, he shook himself and managed to get that feigned smile back on his face. "Please, uh… follow me."

With that, he began towards the door near the back of the living room. Toriel expected that might be where he'd take her, and followed without comment, willing herself to remain as calm as possible. The alcohol was quite useful in aiding that task, and some part of her was quite grateful she wasn't tackling this sober. Maybe it would prove to be for the best, allowing the pain and rage that would surely come out at some point during this to be dulled, not making her face all the tragedy and misery of their past in full clarity. She would take that in a heartbeat. Anything to make this more bearable.

He led her into the room, a sizeable indoor porch framed on three sides with windows that nearly took up each wall and positively filled with all manner of flowers, herbs and other plants growing in pots and hanging baskets. Most notably perhaps, there were an abundance of those painfully familiar golden flowers. Beyond that, an impressive skylight offered dreary light from above, and allowed a clear view of the rain pounding down on the world below. There was a door leading to the backyard, where Toriel could vaguely see Asgore's beloved gardens through the drenched glass, covered with protective tarps to shield them from the worst of the ceaseless downpour. It seemed even with the dire state her ex-husband was in, he hadn't dared neglect his dear plants.

He gestured then to a table and set of chairs in the back corner, sitting amongst some of the most colorful and impressive flowers the room had to offer. On a nicer day, it would probably be a lovely little place to sit and enjoy the sunshine with a cup of tea, or to read a good book. Now though, it had the unfortunate honor of hosting the harrowing discussion that was about to unfold, what very well may be one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult talk either of them would ever have in their lives. A talk that held no chance of them escaping it unscathed.

She suppressed a shudder and did what she could to distract herself from that thought as she moved to sit in the chair nearest to her. Instead she focused on the sound of the rain, letting her alcohol addled thoughts drift just enough to distance herself. Asgore may have given her a concerned look, but she didn't really notice it, waiting with her head low for him to sit across from her. But he remained standing, stiff with indecision, and after a few more seconds he spoke up again.

"Excuse me just a moment, I should go uh... fetch you a towel." He said trying to sound somewhat casual and avoiding eye contact. "W-would you uh… like anything else while I'm at it?"

Toriel blinked, she had nearly forgotten how the front of her dress was soaked, only now noticing with a somewhat clearer head how the cold, damp material was clinging uncomfortably to her legs. The circumstances of how it had gotten so wet more than made up for it though, bringing a pulse of warmth to her soul and faintest flicker of a smile to her face. It took a moment then to remember she had been asked a question and started a little before giving a quick nod.

"No, just the towel is fine, thank you." She replied, face quickly returning to a emotionless mask.

He gave a small nod of acknowledgment, wringing his large paws together. After another brief moment of hesitation, he bowed his head and left the room, leaving Toriel alone with her thoughts, and the dull roar of the rain against the glass. She took in the brief semblance of calm that the pleasant sight and scent of the vibrant plants around her offered, doing all she could to keep her thoughts away from the ticking time bomb of the impending conversation. So she focused instead one a nearby pot of flowers, bright blue cornflowers to be exact, all lovingly raised to their full vibrancy.

They reminded her of the only thing she truly wanted to think about at the moment, her dear skeleton. Of how he might be taking her bold act, perhaps struggling to appear unfazed back with their friends, or lying about at home alone with those heart shaped eyelights of his still dancing merrily in his sockets. Those musings at least gave her the assurance there was light of the end of this truly dark tunnel, that once she'd seen this through, she could look forward to a infinitely more desirable conversation at home. But for now, she had to push that all aside, as Asgore's rather quick re-entry into the room promptly reminded her.

He approached cautiously and handed her the towel in silence. She laid it over her lap and used it to dry off as much as she could manage. As she did, Asgore remained standing, worrying his lip with his fangs and rubbing the back of his neck.

"So tense... ha ha…" He noted, finally breaking the silence with a poor attempt at levity. "A-are you sure you do not want anything? Not even just some water or…"

"No Asgore." Toriel cut him off, her patience beginning to wane. "Please, sit."

He obeyed without any further resistance, sliding into the chair across from her and crossing his shaky paws on the table. For a moment, neither spoke, or looked directly at each other. But then Asgore again found his voice, drumming his claws lightly on the table in a nervous little motion.

"So… you came over to talk…" He said, the words not being a question, but a resigned statement. "Does that mean… you... feel ready to discuss…?"

He trailed off, and Toriel could feel his eyes on her. Her unease must have been plain to see, for his tone gained a sympathetic edge as he went on.

"It is okay if you're not Toriel… in truth… as much as I wish for us to be on better terms again. I hardly feel ready either…" He admitted, and she saw him lower his heavy gaze to the table out of the corner of her eye.

There was a beat, then her soul was gripped with determination again, frustrations with herself and everything else flaring up once more. She straightened up and faced him with a steely gaze, mouth drawn into a thin, hard line.

"It needs to be done. I feel I have avoided it long enough." She said firmly, curling her claws into her lap. "But I did not come just for that. There is something else I must ask you before we… get into anything else."

Asgore blinked in surprise, bi-colored eyes seeming to brighten a bit in attentiveness. He looked at her expectantly, waiting, so Toriel went on. She hoped she could get the words out without any of her personal pain leaking into them.

"Undyne has been just about mad with worry for you." She said, finishing up with the towel and folding it by instinct in her lap. "She says you have been terribly distraught the past two days and that you will not tell her the reason as to why. And judging from your appearance, it seems she was indeed telling the truth."

He deflated a bit at that, eyes flashing with a mixture of fear and anguish. Toriel felt a pang in her soul, but the reason for it escaped her, perhaps lost to the alcohol in her system. She went on, allowing her voice to soften just a bit.

"She blew up at me at Grillby's today, she thought I had done something to you to cause this. I told her that I would come here and find out what was wrong. So... will you tell me what has been troubling you?"

The question hung in the air like a mist, and the rain continued to pound down around them. The streams of it swirled and carved paths down the glass windows in erratic, mystifying patterns. From somewhere deep in his throat, Asgore gave a weak rumble of a laugh, running shaky claws through his mess of a mane.

"Ha ha… I should have known she wouldn't leave it be." He rasped, fatigue evident in his tone. "I dearly apologize Toriel, she should never accused you of such a thing. I didn't consider the idea that she would blame you at the first sign of my distress…"

Toriel blinked at the apology, but then hardened her gaze again, silently demanding a true answer from him. He heaved a deep sigh, great shoulders slumping in defeat. It seemed Toriel's instincts had been right after all. Asgore may be able to brush off Undyne's attempts to get through to him, but he could not muster up the same sort of defiance in the presence of his former queen. The thought brought another uneasy churn to her soul, but she paid it little mind, giving her full attention to the other boss monster as he replied.

"There was… an incident at the capitol building on Wednesday." He admitted at last, eyes glazing over further. "It hasn't gotten out yet because the other officials insisted upon covering it up as much as possible… to avoid furthering tensions."

He paused again, but only briefly, just long enough that Toriel could catch a dark shame pass through his eyes.

"Gloria Porter…" He spoke the name as if it carried a truly terrible weight, and Toriel knew all too well why.

An icy chill ran through her, making her soul seize up and her eyes widen. Gloria Porter was the name of one of the relatives of the fallen humans. Specifically, she was the mother to Dante, the last human to fall before Frisk. Toriel remembered him well, he had been dark skinned with a lovely poof of curly black hair on his head. He had often wore the apron he had fallen down with, along with his beloved frying pan for a hat. He had been an incredibly compassionate and talented child, who had spent more than a week with her, likely just because he could sense her incredible loneliness. He had been a green souled child, a soul of kindness.

His mother had been among the sparse few living relatives of the fallen humans who had been contacted shortly after monsterkind had been freed, among those who still lived. Many of the children had been orphans or had fallen decades ago, leaving the actual group of relatives small. Nonetheless, they had gathered for a trial, to help decide what Asgore's punishment should be for the slayings of the human children. Toriel had been shocked at how many of them were willing to forgive Asgore, or at least openly state they did not wish to see him executed or locked away forever for his crimes. After hearing the monster king's testimony, many of them even seemed sympathetic towards him, though not without some deep pain and anger still lingering in their eyes.

Toriel herself had spoken at the trial as well, stating humanity should be allowed to decide Asgore's punishment, but that she herself believed he should be shown mercy in the end. She had been told through letters afterward that her testimony on her experiences with the human children helped many of the aging relatives find closure in their family member's deaths. It had also been enough, it seemed, for many of them not to press for a full conviction.

Rather, the majority voted for Asgore's potential punishment to be postponed for at least a decade, so that monsterkind could rely on their king during the arduous process of acclimating and integrating monsters into a new life on the surface. And that even when that punishment came, it would not be with death or an inordinately long prison sentence. That was the decision that had let Asgore walk free and continue to guide his people as he did now.

It was a show of mercy and compassion that was beyond anything Asgore, or any monster, could have ever hoped for, and it had dominated the headlines for weeks afterward. The relatives had come out of it fairly pleased with the results, many of them content in just finally being able to know what became of their lost older sister, older step brother, cousin, niece and so on. All except one, Gloria Porter.

No matter what was said by any of the parties involved, she could not let go of the hatred she felt for Asgore for even a moment. It was like a fire that only burned hotter, no matter what measures were taken to extinguish it. She demanded from the beginning that Asgore's blood be spilt, and body be dusted for taking her beloved son from her, making her thoughts on the matter loud and clear any chance she got.

The poor woman had been wracked with grief for decades, having endured a life marked not only by the loss of her son, but also countless other deaths, addictions, and other terrible misfortunes. Misfortunes that had been part of the reason Dante had run away to the mountain in the first place. She'd eventually ended up in long term mental care by necessity for the trauma, and finally hearing the truth of the events surrounding her son's death had not brought her any peace. Indeed, only the opposite.

When the decision had been announced, there had not been a soul in the place that was not chilled by her hysterical rage, wishing death upon Asgore and all of monsterkind. The last any of them had seen of her had been when she'd been forced to leave the premises, likely taken back to the facility that had been doing what it could to help her.

But for Asgore to speak her name now… Toriel could only continue to stare at him, eyes widening in ever worsening dread.

"She… showed up at the meeting I was attending with Ebott City's district officials." He croaked, claws curling slightly into the tabletop. "No one could seem to figure out how she got past the guard, but... When I got up to speak… she jumped the divider and... she... pulled a gun on me…"

Toriel's soul leapt into her throat, unable to breathe momentarily. Now she truly cursed her intoxication, as the terrible implications and near disaster of the situation Asgore was describing was taking far too long to sink in. And he kept right on talking, heedless of this, letting out a hollow sort of chuckle.

"I guess she was unaware that I wear armor beneath my robes during political functions… ha ha…"

Any trace of even that incredibly false humor disappeared then, and she could see how badly he was beginning to tremble, enough that his claws lightly scratched at the wood of the table.

"The human police that were there. They jumped her immediately… tased her over and over… n-no matter how much I begged them to st-stop… they were utterly… merciless towards her, even though they must have known h-her reasons as to why she'd... "

The shame and guilt momentarily overwhelmed him then, and he sunk his head into his paws, breathing heavily. Toriel took his actions as an indicator of the the worst possible thing, laying a paw over her soul and feeling horror steal the breath further from her lungs.

"Oh stars…" She breathed, voice trembling. "D-did they… kill her?"

Some semblance of relief gripped her as his shook his heavy head, causing more of his disheveled mane to fall over his eyes. He hardly even made an effort to brush it away before croaking out a response.

"No... No… B-but I fear it was only because I f-finally lost my nerve and shoved them off. They just… wouldn't stop... I did what I could to heal her, ensured she was stable at least. Eventually an ambulance came… and they left her in h-handcuffs on the stretcher… as if she could have p-possibly have done anything further in her condition..."

She couls tell he was weeping weakly now with the way his shoulders shook, but her soul remained distant from the scene before her. She was too caught up in imagining that poor aging woman being set upon by those officers. Asgore was right, they must have known the pain and grief she suffered that triggered her to do such a thing. How could they be so cruel? Though if Gloria had succeeded in her efforts… the idea of that outcome summoned an equally cold shiver down Toriel's spine. Across from her, Asgore gained the strength to finish his recount, voice now openly trembling.

"Th-they said she'd probably end up back in a m-mental care facility, a more s-secure one out of state this time, d-depending on how she recovers…"

After those words had left him, he kept his head in his hands, looking far smaller to Toriel than the monster king ever had, or should for that matter. The guilt she could faintly feel from him was bitter and cloying, like a biting winter wind on an already freezing night. Her own emotions remained tight and conflicted within her as she watched him shudder. She couldn't reasonably say he didn't deserve to feel this way, given what he had done to spark all this pain and hatred. But something light and akin to pity did stir in her, even if it was only a flicker.

"I see…" She said at last, once she trusted her voice to be even again. "Well… There was nothing you could have done, Gloria has proved impossible to reason with. I cannot blame her at all for feeling the way she does, but killing you would have solved nothing, it only would have driven more humans and monsters to hatred and violence. We will simply have to see what we can do for her once she has been treated, if anything."

Asgore lifted his head in surprise, exposing his pained, tearful eyes. He blinked a few times, as though unable to fully understand her words and causing the tears to spill down into the golden fur of his beard. Then his expression softened, though more for resignation than anything else.

"I... I… suppose… you are r-right Toriel…" He rasped, wiping at his eyes with ever shaking paws. "I couldn't bear to tell Undyne or Alphys a-about what had happened... I informed that them I had c-called in sick, but in truth I was told to take some leave… m-my staff are… quite worried for my health… Rightly so, I suppose. I… c-cannot seem to get the sound of that poor woman's screaming out of my head… i-it was so much like her son's..."

The terrible regret he felt upon speaking those last few words was immediately evident on his face, as his eyes snapped back up to her, wide and brimming with despair. Toriel couldn't move, her mind and soul suddenly flooding with her old anguish again, her old vehement rage. Dante's young face appeared in her mind, covered in flour and giggling gleefully after helping her with a pie. Then his expression morphed to agony, and her imagined version of his desperate screams filled her ears, piercing them until she feared she'd go deaf. Her red eyes burned like two wickedly hot embers as she glared her ex-husband down, digging her extended claws into the table. Smoke curled from her nostrils, flames burned within her throat, and her lips pulled back into a barely restrained snarl.

"T-Toriel… I…" Asgore stammered, cowering back from her as though he truly expected her to attack him on the spot.

His broken eyes carried a century of regret and self-loathing. Something no bitter diatribe or hatred of her own could ever hope to add too. As much as the more broken parts of her inflamed the urge to tear into him, make him pay for his actions, what remained of her rational side, her true, compassionate self, forced the inferno back. So though her soul despised her for it, and the alcohol made it a more difficult task, she drew in a few shuddering, steadying breaths in an effort to calm down.

The rain continued with it ceaseless symphony all around them, and the now almost comforting roar of it did help her continue to ground herself. After a few moments more, she was able to dissipate much of the tension within her, willing her claws back in and swallowing the hot flames. Her snarl withered only into a hard, clenched grimace and her eyes still carried a deep fire to them. But in the end, she was able to steady herself just enough to speak without the words carrying any of the bite her rage wished them to.

"Go clean yourself up…" She murmured in a low, dull tone. "And clear your head… Come back when you have calmed down... and are ready to talk about this."

Again, she was faced with his surprise at her actions, her self control. Though she only saw his reaction faintly in her peripheral vision, as she had decidedly turned to face the rain drenched windows, head held low. She knew that he understood her true meaning, even from just the faintest glimpse of his expression. Though the fact was not one that set well with her, she still knew him well enough to read his small tells with confidence.

He had lingered for a while longer, mouth opening and closing again as though he were trying to summon words that just wouldn't come. Then he deflated with resignation again, and she vaguely noticed the faint glimmers of a few more magic tinged tears rolling down his face. He shakily stood from the chair and trudged out of the room in silence, each one of his heavy footfalls lightly vibrating the array of colorful plants around them and causing their leaves and flowers to tremble just as he did.

Once the door closed behind him, It was Toriel's turn to sink in her chair and bury her face in her paws. Pain lanced its way through her, as her anger could only unleash its assault on her own soul rather than her ex-husband's. When the tears began to burn at her eyes, she didn't fight them, letting them escape her as she choked out muffled sobs against her paw pads. Maybe it was because of the alcohol, maybe it was just because it simply hurt too much to be reminded so viciously of the children she failed, but it mattered not. Better to let herself give into it now, rather than potentially break down in front of Asgore when he returned. She knew that if he saw her in tears like this, any hope of a constructive conversation would be lost.

So she wept along with the skies above, both releasing their burdensome weight through heavy drops of moisture. But while the rain outside continued on without any sign of stopping, Toriel eventually was able to get the tears to cease. It took a while, and she was thankful Asgore was requiring an equally long time to face her again. By the time he did return, she had found her composure again, willing her mind to drift in the space between detachment and proper attentiveness. Her expression was blank, empty even, with the only signs of her brief slip of emotion being her red rimmed eyes, and the damp, matted fur on her cheeks. Asgore showed a similar sort of resolve in his posture, though far less confident, as his now dry eyes still carried a fierce pain within them.

He took his place across from her again without a word, keeping his head low just as she did. There was a beat where their silence continued, then Toriel drew in a long, deep breath and let it out just as slowly. After that, she finally began to ask the questions, and speak the words she'd wished to direct at her ex-husband for more than a century.

"Tell me why." She demanded, still in that cold, dull voice. "Why did you make that choice after our children died? Why did you betray everything we had previously stood for, spit on the name of our human child and declare genocidal war on their entire species. I want to hear your explanation."

Only the rain answered her back for a short time, the only sound coming from Asgore being his shallow, shaky breathing. Then he mirrored her efforts to steady himself and forced out a reply.

"I have no good explanation Toriel…" He relented, weakly. "I was blinded by rage and grief, a pain I could not even fathom. I… felt monsterkind had suffered long enough, and that I had reached my breaking point. And I felt they had to pay for it all at long last… I craved justice… and I didn't stop to think through what I was doing. I couldn't. All I could think of were all the friends and family that humanity had stolen from me."

She caught the faintest hint of anger in his ancient eyes, an anger that had never truly left him, even with all the regret he carried for his actions. But it was gone again in a moment, replaced only with fatigued despair.

"After that initial fire had burned out, once you had gone, and I was left to face what I had done alone... I should have realized just how wrong I was. I should have come after you… For I knew where you must have gone. But I didn't… I just couldn't... Despite my remorse, I saw my words had brought hope back to the eyes of my people… And I couldn't… take that from them again."

He stopped, and she could feel him looking at her, waiting for a reply. When she continued to refused to meet his gaze, he dropped his eyes again with another hard shudder. Toriel felt as though her efforts to keep her mind in a somewhat of a fog was working, as if she were listening to all this play out from far away. Though it was surely worrisome, it helped her maintain her air of controlled calm in her response.

"Hope means little if it requires hatred and malice to accomplish it." She declared, the words heavy. "Your plans were to pay humanity back in blood, leave not one human alive on the surface by the time your vengeance was fulfilled. To show them no mercy, as you so eloquently declared that day. You wished to deliver to them a fate far worse than even what they had done to us."

Her scarlet eyes darkened at that, and her breathing faltered momentarily before she was able to get it even again.

"You spoke like some demon drunk with bloodlust, I saw nothing of the monster I onced loved in your eyes, in your words. Even your soul look like that of a dark stranger to me. And worse, our people looked the same, as though they had simply been waiting for the opportunity to show their true colors, the true depths of their hatred."

Her head rose then to meet his eyes as a newfound strength was instilled in her from her words. She held his gaze, knowing and no longer caring that some of her pain was no doubt showing through.

"I remember standing on the balcony above you, seeing how the monsters celebrated your declaration. Not one voice was willing to speak up for Chara… or their species. You denounced them, after everything you built them up to be, after putting that massive burden of importance on their young shoulders, the very burden that certainly pushed them to such extremes to try and save our people. You had the audacity to put the blame on them for this, to act as though they were never our child, to declare their entire species as deserving of death, when Chara was all the proof we needed that humans were capable of love and deserved mercy just as we did!"

Her voice rose on that last sentence, a mere fraction of her true anger leaking into the words. Asgore took her outburst without a word, silently letting her harsh words strike him deep within his soul. Toriel knew she was losing her cool, so she focused on letting her anger seep down into her claws, allowing them to extend and curl harshly into her lap. They dug so deeply into her legs through her dress that they hurt, but she kept it up, heedless of the pain as she continued.

"I could not stand to leave them there, in the clutches of monsters who were so quick to turn on them, despise them, after they had given their very life for them. I felt as though I were looking into nothing but a sea of hatred, of which I could not bear to call myself the queen of. So when you came back down to our room, and refused to go back on your declaration, I took my child's body and left. I wanted them to at least be able to rest peacefully in a place they were loved."

Despite all her efforts to restrain them, tears welled in her eyes again burning hot with a century's worth of tormented emotions.

"Did you ever love them Asgore? Or were they just a pawn to you? An end to satisfy your means? You called them the future of humans and monsters, but did you ever truly believe that?"

She pinned him with her gaze, demanding an answer. One tear broke through her attempts of repression and spilled down into her fur. Asgore was smart not to comment on it, simply obeying her silent demands.

"I did love Chara, Toriel. I still do. But... you are right in all you've said." He admitted, voice hollow and small. "I… betrayed them. There were times where I selfishly saw them more for what they could be rather than what they were. I… feared them deep down, all those years they lived with us. Their outbursts of violence, their instability, and especially after their reaction when they accidentally poisoned me…"

He shuddered again, but certainly not just with the fear he was speaking of.

"I was a coward, I took the easy way out and blamed them and their kind for it all. I c-cut them from my soul as well as my life, just as you said. And even when I realized that and saw the beast I had become, I still made myself kill every human who fell, clinging to that v-vile hope I had instilled in my people. And I fear that if Chara and the others are still looking down at us from somewhere, then there is no apology I could give that could p-possibly be enough for how deeply I have wronged them."

Now his eyes were filling with tears again too, though he may not have even realized it, looking so very lost in his memories. Something in his words was able to get past her haze of pain and anger enough to dull the fire inside her. Why that was, she couldn't be sure, but she accepted it and willed her emotions under her control again. Meanwhile, Asgore leaned a little closer, his eyes imploring and broken to the point it made her soul seize up a bit inside her.

"That goes for you as well T-Toriel…" He insisted, voice breaking as he spoke her name. "I am s-so unbelievably sorry, for hurting you so badly, for b-betraying our family, for giving into my hatred and cowardice, for everything I've done. I know the w-words can do nothing now, b-but I feel they must be said."

He crumpled again after that, covering his face with a paw and weeping softly, plaintively. Toriel could only watch, letting his words settle on her soul. They were words that were warranted and that she'd honestly wanted to hear for all these decades she'd been apart from him. For that, there was something of an easing inside her, perhaps a release of some sort. But it came with a painful reminder of Undyne's outburst towards her and the fish monster's harsh, biting words were suddenly echoing in her ears.

Words of her own gathered at the back of her throat, words that her pride and indignation did not wish her to say. But she knew they were necessary, and the only way this pain between them could ever hoped to be assuaged going forward.

"Well… I am sorry too, Asgore." She forced out, just over the sound of his weak sniveling.

The impact of that, made him freeze and dare to face her again. His wide eyes bore into her own, and though it was difficult, Toriel willed herself to not turn away. She watched as his expression slowly shifted from shock, to disbelief, to guilt, to finally desperate confusion.

"What? Wh-what could you possibly…?" He stammered, seemingly lost for words. "Toriel, you have done nothin-"

"Asgore, stop." She interrupted him, voice elevated.

He did, still unable to keep his wide, bewildered eyes off of her. She closed her own eyes briefly and released a deep, drawn out breath through her nose. Her selfish, dark, angry side once again screamed for her silence, but she dutifully ignored it.

"We shall never settle any of this if either of us pretends my soul is guiltless in what unfolded back then. Just… please, let me speak. Listen to me."

He blinked, still quite stunned, but then he slowly nodded, relaxing back into his chair by degrees. Toriel had to take another few moments to gather herself again before continuing. She knew what she was about to say would not come easily. Her eyes briefly drifted to the flowers behind him and she was once again struck with their vibrancy, the clear love and hard work that had gone into raising them. Perhaps all his pain was part of what drove him to so lovingly care for his gardens, to have the chance to nurture life again rather than steal it as he had in the past. It was a fleeting, somewhat silly thought, but it helped give her the will to keep speaking regardless.

"I should not have left as quickly as I did." She said, in a stronger tone. "I should have tried harder to convince you that what you were doing was wrong. I should not have turned my back on my subjects so quickly. I too, was blinded by my grief and my anger. I saw what my shattered soul willed me to see, and I was hurt too deeply to be reasonable."

Just as he had done before, she leaned a little closer on the table, willing him not to break from her gaze, just as much as she was willing it for herself. The words came easier now, spurred on by a new sort of fire in her soul.

"I too eventually found fault in what I was doing, after being in the Ruins for some time. I knew deep down that your soul was too soft to keep up the hateful rage you had displayed before. I could have come back and talked you out of it then, I could have tried harder, done more to ensure those children would survive. But I did not. For I was so hurt and embittered towards you and my former subjects that I could never bring myself to set one foot outside that place again. I was… broken, Asgore. And beneath my nobler intentions… I was just as consumed by my cowardice as you."

The admittance was painful, and she felt some of her strength be sapped from her soul as the words left her. But as the guilt twisted inside her like an angry snake, there was also something cathartic about finally being able to face her misgivings. It was easy to allow herself to blame Asgore for everything, to see him as the source of all of their shared suffering. And she had, regrettably, fallen into that mindset before. Especially during her decades of languishing in the ruins, slowly losing sight of reality and falling deeper into the fantasies of her tormented mind. The truth hurt, as the saying went. But it was still the truth, and it felt better to hurt for it than continue to lie to herself.

Asgore's shock hadn't wavered at all during her little speech, and she could hardly blame him. Her ex-husband likely never expected her to do something like this. If not for the alcohol buffering some of her own emotions, she lightly would be far more shocked by it as well. Eventually though, the truth of her words sank in enough that he did not try to claim her innocence anymore. She knew he likely didn't fully accept her role in all this, and no doubt didn't see it as measurable to his own sins, but he was willing at least to take it in. And that made the air clear, just a little.

After that, the words of admittance, of guilt, of long festering pain, came easier for both of them. They spoke of that terrible day, finally properly discussing it for the very first time. They spoke of their grief for Asriel and Chara, the horrific sin that was the killing of the six fallen humans, the loneliness they'd both faced, how the crushing isolation had damaged Toriel, how the stress of ruling an increasingly hopeless, withering kingdom had damaged Asgore, how their once loving marriage and general relationship had fell to ruin so very fast. They spoke of all that, and so much more, more than Toriel ever thought she'd be able to manage. And during it all, both managed to stay dry eyed and fairly calm.

By the time they had run out of things to say, or perhaps just out of energy to keep up such a trying conversation, the rain outside had finally dwindled to a light sprinkle, as the coolness of night swept over the world below. The faint pattering of the rain was the only sound in the quiet following their long talk. Eventually though, a silent sort of agreement was had that the conversation was best ended now, before any potential dark feelings could poison the atmosphere again. Toriel lifted her weary scarlet eyes to her ex-husband, willing him to look at her.

"Thank you, Asgore…" She rasped, voice far weaker now than when they'd began. "For agreeing to speak with me."

He blinked, and a sort of sad, tired smile formed on his face. It was the closest to a real smile Toriel had seen from him the entire time she'd been there.

"It is I that must thank you, Toriel." He replied, but quickly faltered and corrected himself when she narrowed her eyes at him. "A-ah, or uh rather… I... thank you as well, ha ha…"

Fairly satisfied, she began to gather her things up in preparation to leave. Her limbs felt heavy and her mind was foggy in a way she couldn't blame on alcohol. She felt... strange. But it wasn't a wholly bad sort of strange she supposed. It was a bit too confusing to make proper sense of at the moment.

"I should probably go. The others will begin to worry." She reasoned, straightening up with her purse slipped over her shoulder.

She paused briefly, debating with herself momentarily before letting another question slip.

"Will you… be alright?" She asked.

It took him off guard again, but then softened his weak little smile a bit more. Gratitude welled from his soul enough that she could feel it from across the table. She tried not to give it much focus, still unsure how to feel about it.

"I'll… get by." He replied softly, absently running his claws through his messy beard. "I think I will feel better once the others get back. I promise... that I will speak with them about what happened, in the morning."

Toriel nodded, but still hesitated. In all honesty, she still wasn't convinced he was in a safe state to be left alone in. But Asgore noticed her look and gave his paw a weary little wave of dismissal, eyes brightening just enough to be noticed.

"Do not worry about me, Toriel. Go on and head home, I know you must be exhausted, this has certainly been... taxing for the both of us." He rasped, before, oddly, an almost teasing smile crossed his features. "And at any rate, are you not eager to get back for… other reasons?"

His tone was suspect, and she realized it was the same tone he'd used that other rainy night they'd spent in each other's company. There was something knowing in it, but the meaning was taking a bit to sink in after everything she'd just went through. All she could manage was a confused quirk of her brow and questioning sound in her throat. She was almost startled when a hoarse rumble of a chuckle escaped him, and a tiny bit of mischievousness shone in his bi-colored eyes.

"Earlier, I was not in the best state of mind…" He said, still maintaining that odd grin. "So I thought I must only be hallucinating, but… I saw something quite interesting unfold from the window."

A moment passed, then another, then realization hit like a punch to the gut. She fought with what little composure she had left to not let her embarrassment show on her face too much, but her face was positively burning beneath her fur. Stars above, have mercy.

"You… saw…" She croaked out, unable to finish and unknowingly shrinking down a bit in her chair.

Another one of those deep laughs escaped him, and it sounded even lighter than the last. Perhaps if she weren't ablaze with embarrassment and other concerning emotions at that moment, she would have recognized the true significance of that. As it was though, she could only remain rigid in place and resist the urge to bolt as he answered her.

"I've known for a while now, you are not the best at... hiding your affections, after all." He said, with a tone that implied he knew from experience. "For what it is worth, I am happy for you Toriel. I think you have made a good choice, I can see he makes you happy."

Toriel blinked, utterly dumbfounded. Her mouth wouldn't cooperate with her and her mind was in something of a whirl. The inevitable question rose up in her, and she let it escape her as soon as she could manage it.

"Y-You are… okay with this?" She asked, as though it were inconceivable.

He did not laugh this time, the subtle darkening of his eyes showing that deep down, it was an idea that still cut him deeply, still made his soul ache for things long past. But his soft smile remained and the warmth he was able to summon back to his eyes after a moment was genuine. They reflected a kind of quiet resignation, and it was mirrored in his tone as he answered her.

"My last memory of you was seeing your tearful eyes burning with rage and grief, just before you ran away with Chara. That was the image of you that haunted me all those years. But he has brought back your laughter, your joy, and for that, I must commend him. You deserve to be happy again Toriel, you truly do."

His words banished that last bit of hot embarrassment she felt to the back of her mind, feeling the sincerity of his declaration. She did not reply right away, trying to figure out a response and sort through the confused tempest of emotions swirling about within her. Eventually though, she found the words, coming to her almost subconsciously.

"Well… I am not sure what it is that monsters like us deserve." She replied, meeting his eyes again. "But… the past is behind us now. Nothing can change it, it is done, and we must live on with the consequences of our actions. We must move towards bettering the future, making amends, rather than losing ourselves endlessly to the guilt and pain of our past. We both owe that to those we have hurt."

She closed her eyes briefly, as a fresh wave of pain rolled through her soul. After enduring so much of it today, she was able to ride it out with little reaction, but it made her tone grow more heavy as she went on.

"I see now, that there is nothing more to gain from holding on to this pain. Those children… though I only knew most of them for a short time. I know they would not have wanted me to continue to suffer this way. Despite me failing them in the end, they all showed me nothing but kindness and love. I am sure they would want their memory to be honored and used as a source of change, not to spur on endless cycles of hatred."

With that, she re-opened her eyes, and felt something in her soul shift along with them. There was still something she felt needed to be said before she left. The final bit of closure she could offer. She straightened up and then and, hesitantly, reached over and laid a paw on top of Asgore's. She waited for the terrible chill to consume her, for the blood to fill up her vision, for screams to echo once more in her ears. But none of that came, only a vague, perhaps expected sense of unease. She didn't dare question it, and lightly tightened her grip on his paw.

"So… while I fear I cannot ever fully forgive you Asgore, at least not for what you did to those children… I am willing to move on past this, as much as I can manage, so that we may begin to properly heal and start over… as… friends... If of course… you can also do the same for me, that is."

His eyes widened again, before flooding with a warmth she had not seen from him in over a century. Tears followed suit, but they were not the tears of anguished regret he'd been shedding all evening. Rather, they seemed to be born of pure joy. It was not a feeling she herself could mirror, nor could she offer any sort of smile in return, but she did find… some relief in his reaction, and even more in his reply.

"O-of course Toriel…" He stammered, wiping at his damp eyes with his free paw. "I… fear even th-this is more than I deserve..."

She blinked, considering that. After a moment, some warmth returned to her own soul, surprising her. She let it run its course through her magic, working its way up to her mouth. As it did, a small, tired smile slowly appeared on her face. She let it sit there, allowing herself to ignore her fretful thoughts and be content, if only for the moment.

"Perhaps…" She murmured in reply, turning her eyes up at the skylight above them. "But even monsters like us deserve mercy, Asgore…"

The rain outside had stopped, leaving her vision full of nothing but bright, brilliant stars.

A few minutes later, Toriel found herself at the front door, bidding her ex husband farewell. Before she could leave though, Asgore had insisted on giving her something to take back with her. She had paused, puzzled, but nonetheless waited for him there in the doorway. He returned with two small sets of potted flowers, offering them to her with a smile.

"Take these, for your home, as a token of my gratitude." He insisted, handing her a small pot full of bright purple hyacinths.

She took them, realizing with a beat that he must have remembered after all this time that they were one of her favorite flowers. He was also a big believer in the concept of "the language of flowers" so there was a possibility the choice had some deeper meaning as well. Nonetheless, she did feel a small bit of gratitude for the gift and pressed her muzzle into them for a quick sniff. They carried the same comforting fragrance that she remembered. Asgore's voice brought her gaze back to him then.

"And take these, for… for him." He said, handing her the other pot.

She blinked, accepting it in her other paw and looking down at the lovely blue forget-me-nots it contained. She recalled that first day beneath the willow tree again, how Sans' gaze had been drawn to a patch of those very same flowers many times over. They were a soft blue with a yellow center, matching the colors of his magic. The name also carried a certain kind of irony to it, given Sans' situation with the resets. Asgore couldn't have known Sans' full connection to these flowers, but had chosen them anyway, perhaps recognizing something about them that reminded even him of the skeleton. She met his eyes again with a questioning look.

"It is... always good luck to begin a courtship with flowers, yes?" He asked, offering a weak, somewhat sheepish little smile.

It was such a silly thing, yet also so very considerate, that she couldn't help but return his small smile. She cradled both flower pots gently in her arms as though they were precious treasures, and bowed her head a bit in a small gesture of gratitude

"Thank you, Asgore." She said, a hint of warmth to her voice. "I hope to see you next week on Monday. The school gardens are… not the same without your care."

The statement was enough to again surprise him and bring a happy shimmer to his eyes. After a moment where he seemed a bit lost in his emotions, he offered a nod in reply.

"I'll be there." He assured her, in a tone that made her believe him. "Thank you again, Toriel… Thank you..."

The light had been restored to his eyes, and perhaps even to his soul itself. And unlike before, Toriel could feel peace in the fact that she'd brought him that happiness, with no trace of that bitter, sick feeling in her gut. It was… nice, and her smile brightened a little more for it.

He asked if she needed a ride back, but she politely declined, informing him that she preferred to walk back home. It wasn't far, and it really was a beautiful night now that the rain had finally cleared. It would also give her some time to clear her head further, and let everything that had happened sink in. He accepted that with another soft smile and then finally bid her goodnight, stepping back into the house and shutting the door behind him.

Toriel turned and took the first few steps down off the porch, pausing briefly in the same spot she had before entering the house. Her eyes were drawn up to the stars above, and she took a moment to appreciate their brilliant radiance, as she had often made an effort to do since returning to the surface. As she traced the patterns of white lights up in the cosmos with her eyes, her enduring smile grew wider.

She hoped with a small welling of tears in her eyes, that wherever her children were, be that her son, Chara and all of the humans she'd once cared for, that they were smiling too. Perhaps now… they could finally be at peace. She allowed herself to hold on to that idea, if only for her own sake.

With that, she set off down the path towards home, drawing in a purposefully deep breath in order to take in the pleasant scent of the night air left freshened by the rain, as well as the even more pleasant scent of the flowers in her arms. Those forget-me-nots in particular reminded her with a great swell of warmth within her soul of the far happier events of the day, the bright spot in all these re-emergences of the darkness of the past. She quickened her pace a little, letting it match the stirred pulsing of her soul. Each beat of it and step she took allowed her to leave a little bit more of that darkness behind her, giving way to the light of her soul just as the rain clouds had given way to the light of the stars.

Soon enough, her thoughts had focused back on what she'd been wanting to think about more than anything since she'd finally acted on her long growing feelings earlier that day, and her pace increased just a bit more.

After all, there was a certain skeleton back home that she was quite eager to see again.