By the time all agreed that it was time to head home for the night, everyone was rather exhausted. Much of it was the good kind of exhaustion that came with a day full of joyful revelations. But everything else had a hand in draining everyone as well. The past few days had been full of emotions of all kinds. So much had changed, so many steps had been taken, making Toriel almost feel as though she were entering a new world again, like when monsterkind had first been freed a year ago. After spending that century alone in the Ruins where nothing changed as the decades crept by, such a barrage of… newness… was almost overwhelming. But if she could endure the revelation of all the terrible truths Sans had shared with her, she could endure this too, no problem. Quite happily in fact.

Her soul still burned so brightly, so full of vivacity and warmth that she dared to believe that flame would remain there for a long, long time. Those sensations fueled her joyful smile as she walked home, carrying her dear sleepy skeleton in her arms. He and Frisk both dozed off as things began to wind down back at the firepit, as the flames themselves within the circle of stones burned low. She had gone to scoop up Frisk and by extension Flowey whose pot was wrapped up in their arms, intending to let Papyrus carry his brother as he usually did. But the younger skeleton seemed oddly insistent on carrying the two children himself. Well, perhaps she shouldn't see such things as "odd" anymore, for the reason behind the act was more than obvious, especially considering the teasing grin that accompanied it. She hadn't put up much of an argument either, just rolled her eyes with an amused and slightly exasperated grin.

Still, she couldn't deny she was happy to have Sans nestled in her arms like this. In the past, she'd only carried him when the situation demanded it, like when he was inebriated or ill. But now, there were no negative connotations hanging over the action. She could hold him in her arms for the simple sake of it, without worrying about his well being. It was another one of those little things she was excited to know would likely become normal for them in a short time. He seemed so at ease too, and she hoped it was a sign he'd sleep well again tonight. Toriel herself may be denied that luxury for quite some time, but if dealing with these nightly visions of timelines and memories long lost to her was the price she had to pay for her dear skeleton to heal, she'd accept it without question.

Thoughts ran through her head though, about how she should consider just how serious her situation was. With the massive headaches and potentially endless stream of memories she could be subjected to for stars knows how long. But she was still too stubborn to let go of her newfound wellspring of happiness yet. Surely she could return to her worrisome self later. Just let her enjoy this bliss for a little while longer… Did she not at least deserve that? He certainly deserved it at least.

With effort, she pushed the thoughts down again, letting the soft pulses from Sans' soul pull her attention back to him instead. She willfully kept her mind focused on that and similarly positive thoughts for the rest of the way home.

When she did finally open the door to the house and step aside to let Papyrus and ever accompanying dog in, she paused briefly in the entryway, pondering what she should do next. It was fairly late, and she should get the children into bed, but what to do with Sans then? He looked so comfortable, the dear, that she would feel bad waking him. But he needed to if he was to properly get prepared for bed. That thought began to stir some realization in her, something she should have realized, but it was interrupted as Papyrus spoke up from beside her.

"COME NOW FRISK, TIME TO WAKE UP." The skeleton twittered, in a voice that was at least attempting to be soft. "YOU CAN SLEEP AGAIN SOON, BUT YOU MUSTN'T NEGLECT YOUR BEDTIME RITUALS!"

Her child began to stir then, mumbling softly before their soft brown eyes opened to blink drowsily up at Papyrus.

"About time you woke up." Flowey chided from his place in their arms, though his voice gave away his own sleepiness.

Even with the rude tone, that still caused Frisk to smile lightly and reach out a hand to lightly boop the flower monster where his nose would be. Flowey hissed and made an over the top terrifying face in retaliation, but everyone seemed to get the idea that it was more out of dramatics than anything else. Frisk and Papyrus both laughed at the display as the skeleton set the child down on their feet.

"OH FLOWERY, YOU ARE SO VERY SILLY." Papyrus said, grinning widely. "I'M SO VERY GLAD WE ARE FRIENDS."

The flower monster glared up at him for a few moments, before shifting his face again to make it resemble Papyrus'.

"Oh Flowery, I'm so very glad we're friends." He repeated back in a mocking, sarcastic tone.

Again though, his performance only brought more amused laughter and Flowey shifted his face back to his usual irritated scowl. As the three continued to banter a bit, Toriel followed Papyrus' example and set about waking Sans up as well. She shifted him in her arms and lightly nuzzled his cheekbone.

"Come now dear, wake up." She said, just loud enough to ensure she'd be heard. "We are home now."

She could tell it was working, but Sans was certainly not someone who woke up easily, dangerous situations notwithstanding. He moved a bit and let out a sleepy sort of groan before turning into her to hide his face more. She found the gesture amusing and endearing, but she would not let him get out of this that easily. She promptly slid both arms under his own and let his legs fall and hang. They swung once and then dangled there. Then sure enough, the rush of gravity was enough to make him open his eye sockets a bit. But just a bit.

"mmm…. wha?" Sans mumbled, giving a few sluggish blinks.

Toriel giggled softly, before brushing her muzzle against the side of his skull again.

"We are home, my dear." She repeated. "You fell asleep down by the firepit, I did not wish to wake you then, so I carried you back."

He blinked a few times, the words seemingly taking a bit to work through his drowsy mind.

"oh…" He replied simply, before letting out an impressive yawn. "thanks t… hope the others aren't sore at me for not… saying goodbye and all."

"It was my pleasure dear." She assured him, keeping her amused tone as she gently set him on his feet. "And do not worry, they certainly seemed to know to expect that with you."

Sans chuckled lightly in response, before letting out another yawn and scratching idly at where his undershirt met his collarbone. He was surprisingly steady on his feet despite his sleepiness, but given that this was the same skeleton that occasionally fell asleep standing up, she supposed that shouldn't be surprising.

"true." He agreed, finally turning to look at Papyrus and the others.

Papyrus regarded his brother with a fond smile rather than his usual dramatized disdain for Sans' lazy behavior. Typically falling asleep and having to be carried home was worthy enough of a Papyrus lecture, but the younger skeleton seemed willing to spare Sans of that for tonight. He simply strut over and leaned down to wrap Sans in a quick, but meaningful hug.

"GOODNIGHT BROTHER, I LOVE YOU." He said, squeezing him tight. "TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY. I HOPE WE CAN HAVE MORE OF THOSE."

Sans seemed a touch surprised by that, the words obviously hitting him hard. But he was happy to return the hug, and held his brother tightly for a few moments before replying.

"yah…" He agreed simply, but that was all that was needed. "night bro, love you too."

With that, the brothers separated with another lingering look. Then both smiled warmly and Papyrus bid Toriel, Frisk and Flowey goodnight before heading for his room. Frisk had walked over to her during the skeleton brothers' exchange and sleepily leaned against her, prompting her to lightly stroke their head with a paw. She wanted nothing more than to pick them up, but that would likely send them right back to sleep again. So instead she gently took their tiny hand in her own large paw, just like she had that day she first met them in the Ruins. Well… what she perceived as their first meeting anyway. She looked over at Sans as she did so.

"Goodnight Sans." She said, giving him a purposeful wink as she did. "Love you."

Sans caught on to the hidden meaning behind her words and light blush rose on his face along to match his flustered grin. He glanced away briefly, a soft chuckle escaping him.

"heh heh, night tori and uh… l-love you too…"

That last part came out as a bit of a stutter, the word still carrying a great weight to it. It was only the second time he'd said it out loud to her, after all. She had felt a similar rush of stirred emotion when she'd spoken it, but clearly she was still better at controlling such emotions than he was. Frisk's pleased giggle and Flowey's subsequent groan certainly did not help things in his case. In an effort to spare him, she began to guide her child towards their room then. She met Sans' gaze one last time over her shoulder as they walked, bidding him only a temporary farewell. He gave an amused little wave and a wink of his own before disappearing in a flash of blue light.

With that, she finally got Frisk and Flowey into their room and had them begin getting ready for bed. In Flowey's case, that required little more that giving him a fresh watering and setting him in place on Frisk's side table. But Frisk themself had a fair few more things to do, all at the expected sluggish pace one would expect of a sleepy child. As they went into the bathroom and Toriel finished up with Flowey's watering can, she heard a sudden clamor come from somewhere else in the house.

"AUGH YOU MEDDLESOME CANINE! BRING THAT BACK THIS INSTANT!" Papyrus' unmistakable and quite angry voice broke the established calm that had settled over the household.

A crashing sound followed, and Toriel winced a bit. She turned back to Flowey with a sheepish smile.

"I will uh… be right back, my child."

Flowey just rolled his eyes and nodded, settling in his pot. She then promptly left the room to ensure Papyrus and the dog didn't potentially cause any more calamity. It took a bit to settle the situation she found. Long story short, the dog had snatched up Papyrus' scarf and had somehow gotten himself up on top of the curtain rods. How that was physically possible… Toriel didn't know, but she had come to expect things like this from the mysterious canine. Eventually they both managed to coax the dog down by way of Papyrus offering him a ladder of bones to walk on. With each bone the dog hopped to, he'd grab the one behind him in his mouth, leading to him having nearly a dozen of them in his jaws by the time he reached the bottom. Papyrus promptly took his scarf back with a huff and Toriel left the dog to joyfully chew on his new collection of bones.

By the time she returned to her childrens' room, she expected with a pang of guilt that they may already be asleep. Instead though, the sound of Flowey talking to Frisk met her ears as she approached. The door was also shut, odd since she definitely didn't do that herself when she left. She listened in by instinct, her powerful ears able to pick up on the words despite the hushed tone of Flowey's voice, but what she heard made her stop in her tracks.

"So… what? You want me to just tell her?" Flowey asked, sounding angry and even a bit… sad? "You know as well as I do she'd be a total broken mess if I did that. She and everyone else are finally happy again, isn't that what you wanted? No one needs to know, it would just make them all miserable."

Her breath caught in her throat and her soul suddenly felt chilled. Stars above, what were they talking about? Was the "she" in question… her? It had to be. She got the feeling then that this was something she was certainly not meant to hear. But she couldn't make herself step away, feeling abruptly rooted to the spot. Sans had mentioned so many times that he couldn't tell her Flowey's background, always with that deeply weighty look full of pain for her sake. Was that what her children were discussing?

She should leave, this wasn't the way it was meant to happen, surely. But she did not. She was sick of all this constant deception towards her. Sick of the pitying looks, the endless lies, and the vague hints of yet another great secret being kept from her. One that no doubt involved her directly somehow. While this might not be the ideal way to find out the truth, it may be the only way. Without even thinking about it she held her breath and listened closely, one ear perked up.

"What… makes you say that?" Flowey asked in response to something Frisk must have signed.

He sounded a bit nervous now, but also rather intrigued. Another pause followed, and she cursed her inability to see through walls.

"Well… maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. Who knows?" Flowey replied after a moment, and she could practically picture the mocking sort of wink with his tongue poking out that he often displayed. "Did you really think she and the others would never figure it out, especially with Sans being the way he is? It wouldn't be that surprising if he eventually cracked and spilled the beans to her or someone else right?"

Anger and distress flared up in Toriel's chest by reactive instinct. She should had known better than to trust he wouldn't tell Frisk about her knowing eventually. Though from the phrasing of his first response, her child seemed to suspect something already. Still, his betrayal of that stung and she was going to have some quite choice words for him when she could get a moment alone with him. Despite the existential fear of the looming threat of the Resets creeping back into her soul, she kept on listening, utterly frozen.

"Are you worried they will all hate you if they find out?" Flowey continued, a hint of cruel curiosity to his tone. "Would that be enough to make you Res-"

"NO!"

The sudden outright shout from Frisk made her flinch somewhat. It wasn't all that loud, given how hoarse and scratchy their voice was from disuse, but the fact they'd spoken at all and raised their voice no less was shocking enough.

"I… w-won't R-reset." Her child declared in a resolute, nearly tearful tone. "N-not ever… again… ever."

To hear that sentiment out loud from them was enough to make Toriel feel vaguely light headed with all the emotion summoned forth. She had yet to hear Frisk actively acknowledge their role in the Resets until now. She had known it was all true, but perhaps there had still been one small part of her that clung to her child's innocence. That part was certainly shattered now. That combated with the immense relief she felt to hear Frisk's undoubtable commitment to not Resetting, leaving her soul sickly churning with conflicting emotion. There was no time to dwell on it now. Flowey was speaking again, she had to listen.

"Fine, fine." The flower monster conceded, tone ever casual. "And I'm not arguing with that. I sure as hell don't want to go back to that dark, boring ol Underground. Especially when things are getting so... interesting."

He paused after speaking that last word, as though not sure of it. But he moved on again quickly enough.

"I'm just saying, if we do tell her about me, and especially if you think she knows something about all our little timeline shenanigans already, it's gonna really mess up everything that you've helped established here. Is that really worth the risk to you?"

Silence met the flower monster's question and Toriel could only assume that Frisk had returned to signing their answers. Eventually, Flowey heaved an irritated sigh.

"You really are an idiot sometimes, Frisk." He grumbled, in a quieter voice she could only just catch. It strengthened as he continued.

"Well, if we did theoretically tell her about me, then we'd have to mention them too, you know that right?"

There was another slip into silence, and Toriel didn't have time to wonder what Frisk was signing when her child suddenly spoke up again.

"I know, and… I am okay with that at this point."

The magic within Toriel's body went ice cold at that. That… wasn't her child's voice. Well it was but, there was another voice layered over it. Frisk's gravelly weak voice was undercut by a far more clear, different voice. It was if two people were speaking at once. And that wasn't the most distressing thing… That voice… she knew that voice… how did she know that voice? It stabbed at her soul and made her head spin all at once. She knew it, she certainly knew it, but it was like her mind was rejecting her attempts to make sense of it. It was familiar but still somehow alien, like hearing a beloved song playing from a busted up radio. It didn't help that the two voices speaking over each other made it a struggle to even differentiate between the two. But by the stars, who the hell was that?!

Then something Sans had told her rose up in her mind again, something he had told her that night he'd finally shared information about the Resets. He'd said…

"there's something in the k-kid's head tori… something that talks to them… i… i… can't explain it but they aren't… alone… i think it's why they had an easier time getting through the underground than the others…"

Was that what was happening here? She hadn't given that bit of info the thought it deserved, lost to everything else that had reshaped her entire worldview. But now that the idea was back in her mind… It took all her strength then not to bust down the door and race into her children's room to find out just what was happening. But somehow, she forced herself to remain in place and keep listening, pupils mere pinpricks in her ruby red eyes.

"Oh!" Flowey reacted in surprise to the strange new dual voice as well, but not nearly as much as she had.

"H-hey… didn't notice you uh… switched haha…" He said, sounding rather nervous. "Do you… really mean that? You know she'll flip out right? I've seen it before, plenty of times. And what about D-"

The strange double voice interrupted whatever Flowey was about to say, not leaving Toriel any time to wonder what he meant by "switched."

"We'll tell everyone else too, including him. But we'll tell her first." The voice said, still chilling in its delivery. "It's worth trying at least once."

Another heavy sigh came from Flowey, carrying with it his obvious irritation and hesitation towards the idea. But for some reason, he seemed unwilling to argue with whoever this other voice belonged to.

"Fine, whatever… How do you want to do this?" He asked, with his usual sour attitude.

The dual voice wasted no time in answering, and though it was very difficult to tell with its discordant quality, Toriel thought it sounded a bit nervous now as well.

"We can figure that out later." It said, sharply. "Now shut up, it's quiet out there now, she'll be coming back soon."

Toriel flinched again at that, immediately holding her breath. She had to move, she had to… do... something. They couldn't know she was listening in, and the silence would surely be suspicious. It took her a moment to get her frozen mind moving again, but she slowly made herself begin stepping backwards to the start of the hallway. It felt like the action was happening on autopilot, but she managed to keep her footsteps soft and gentle enough on the carpeted hallway that they hopefully went undetected. She paused then at the end of the hall, mind in a whirl.

No, she had to calm down. She had to calm down and face them as if nothing had happened. Oh stars, that was easier said than done, especially as panicked thoughts were practically eating away at her more rational ones as they appeared. Eventually her mind drifted to Sans. He did things like this all the time, sad as that may be. He somehow was able to empty his mind and plaster on that fake grin to get through any situation. For this situation, she may just have to betray her personal values and try and emulate that side of him.

So she focused on clearing her mind, pushing all her thoughts and emotions down… down… as deeply as she could manage. It was a bit like trying to shove a vicious animal into a cage though, as her frantic feelings fought and tore at her the whole way. But after some time, it seemed to work. She felt… numb, like she was sleepwalking, or like she was experiencing one of her returned memories, where she was only a detached witness to everything happening around her. Her head was full of nothing but the most basic of thoughts. It was an unnerving thing to do to herself, but she might as well try and sustain it to get through this.

She began back down the hallway, this time purposefully making sure her footfalls had enough force behind them to be heard. Once she reached the door, she pulled it open before any hesitation could set in again and took in the scene before her. Flowey was still curled up in his pot where she'd left him on the side table, and Frisk was sitting on their bed under the blankets, looking over at her with their usual neutral expression. There was no sign of anything off with her child, except for maybe a hint of nervousness. Their eyes were also the usual soft brown color. She wasn't sure… why she felt the urge to check that… Perhaps it had something to do with how Frisk's eyes had looked in that first memory she'd relived… where they'd killed her. But that didn't seem to be the driving reason behind her actions. It was something else… something like what had happened the previous night with Flowey…. something...

No, she couldn't slip back into that. She had to focus and keep up this ruse until she had bid them goodnight. She had managed to get a fake, but hopefully convincing pleasant look on her face, and did her best to maintain it as she finally spoke up.

"Sorry my dears, the dog ran off with Papyrus' scarf. I had to help him out of that ruff situation." She said, adding a pun to potentially make her attempt at normalcy seem more believable.

It seemed moderately successful, as Flowey gave an irritated grumble from his pot and Frisk's face gained a light smile. So far so good… Just like when she'd had to hide her knowledge of the Resets from them before. She just had to keep it up, even if all the lies and deception only made the sick feeling in her soul worsen.

"Are you two all set for bed?" She asked, walking over to her child's bedside.

Frisk nodded, relaxing further at the apparently convincing nature of her performance. Their smile grew more into their usual one, and it made her realize with a pang in her soul just how easily her child had been lying to her all this time. Especially concerning these little chats with Flowey and… whoever or whatever else that was, which she was now sure were not unusual occurrences. It was not a new realization, but it hurt all the same. Just how truly deep and tangled was this inordinate web of lies?

Despite it all, the rest of the usual bedtime ritual went without incident. She simply tucked Frisk into bed and gave them their goodnight kiss before going to Flowey and doing the same. The flower monster oddly took the gesture without much defiance this time. And he gave her a long, vaguely heavy look before curling up as he usually did, one that made it harder than ever to keep a straight face. The confrontational questions had burned in her chest, wanting more than anything to escape her. But she kept them down along with everything else, leaving it all coiling into a hot ball inside her.

She bid them goodnight and then began the arduous journey back to her room. Her limbs felt heavy, as if the weight of all she'd suppressed was pulling down on her. Though her trudge through the house was slow, it somehow felt like mere moments before she was suddenly in front of the door to her room. She blinked, startled by this, before she composed herself with a shake of her head. All that emotion was beginning to rise back inside her. The panic for her children's safety, the fear of whatever was sharing headspace with Frisk that spoke in that strange yet terribly familiar voice, the dread of just what Flowey, Frisk and that other... presence… planned to tell her.

Knowing that they indeed planned to reveal the truth to her was a relief of sorts… But how long would it take for that to happen, and could she really force herself not to confront them about it before they did? By the stars, her child was being… possessed by something?! How could she keep calm about that, how could she not confront them?! Her soul was stirring wildly inside her, when a sudden soft voice quieted her mind's chaos.

"tori…?"

The voice was so soft, it was a wonder she'd heard it at all. Again, whilst in the grip of her thoughts, she'd apparently gone ahead and opened the door. Her eyes fell upon Sans, already all nestled up in her large bed like he'd been sleeping there his whole life. He had lifted his skull a bit to look at her, eye sockets open a mere crack, and the flicker of eyelights within hazy. He was only just barely clinging to wakefulness, the dear, even after all the napping he'd already done. It was something so very him, that it brought back a spark of warmth to her soul. Perhaps in her sort of trance, she had been drawn towards him by instinct, knowing that even the mere sight of him would help to settle her nerves.

She let that impulse direct her, driving her to shut the door behind her, turn off the light, cross the short distance to the bed and climb onto it. Once at his side, her mouth opened to spill out everything in a panicked rush, but then she hesitated and slowly shut it again. Sans looked so… happy, sleepily blinking up at her from under the blankets. She had almost forgotten just how happy he'd been today, all the fantastic signs of improvement he'd displayed. Though her mind fiercely pushed her to get out the words, she found she simply couldn't. She couldn't take away that peaceful joy on his features, not after it had taken so much for him to finally achieve it. Today had been such a good day for him, just like had Papyrus had said. For it to have to end like this, once again being thrust into the sources of his despair, would be...

No... no she wouldn't do it. Not now at least. She couldn't and wouldn't keep this information from him, but she could at least let him go to sleep tonight with all his joyful bliss intact. It was another hypocritical betrayal of her own values, but she was prepared to accept that in this case.

"Just for one more night… Let him have this for just one more night…" She thought, perhaps begging some unknown deity.

"tori?" He murmured her name again and began to weakly try to sit up this time.

Toriel's paw was quickly there to gently stop him, easing him back against the pillows again. Then she laid down beside him, wrapping an arm snugly around his small form.

"Shhh…" She shushed him, glad to hear her tone was remarkably steady. "I am here now, my dear. Just go on to sleep, alright?"

He made a sort of questioning sound, but couldn't resist nuzzling into her and weakly returning her embrace then it seemed. Her natural warmth and soothing presence certainly aided in that. He pressed his face into the fur on her neck, and after a moment, let out a contented sort of hum.

"o…kay…" He mumbled, any signs of suspicion lost to warm bliss and sleepiness. "nigh'… t…"

He paused, and she thought he had already slipped into sleep, before he offered two more words, just above a whisper.

"lov' you…"

Somehow, even though it was far more quiet and slurred with drowsiness, it struck her even harder than when he'd said it before. There were suddenly tears brimming in her eyes, but they seemed to come from no single emotion, or perhaps all of them at once. A single one slipped into the fur on her face as the last of her forced numbness slipped away.

"I love you too, Sans…"

This time, there was no humor to her tone, only the deepest sincerity she could offer.

Sleep claimed her dear skeleton shortly after that. But the same reprieve would not come to her tonight. Even with the comfort of his soul's soothing presence, her mind couldn't stop spinning through ceaseless, panicked thoughts regarding what had happened with her children… and that strange other voice… Her wide eyes stared blankly into the darkness of her room, the only light being supplied by the small night light in the bathroom. The darkness only fueled the further spiral of her thoughts, to the point she wondered if Sans would wake from the internal distress of her soul alone. Eventually she found yet another troubling thing to consider, outside the situation with her children.

Her eyes were drawn to where her purse lay on the end of the bed, right where she'd tossed it in her haste to talk to Sans. Something still dwelled inside it that demanded her attention… the letter Asgore had given her. She had planned to open it as soon as she put the children to bed… but now…

No, she wouldn't do it tonight. It would just be too much. If whatever it contained was something painful or distressing, she honestly wasn't sure she could deal with it on top of all this. Hell, even if it was something good, she was in nowhere near the right state of mind to properly address it. It would continue to keep its contents a secret for now, whatever they may be… If only for her own sake. Stars, she had certainly fallen into a dire state rather quickly, had she not? To think, she'd been so happy today too…

Now here she was, lying in bed still in her day clothes, fangs unbrushed, fur a mess, and filled to the brim with stress. Stars, Papyrus was right. She really was becoming more like Sans had been, wasn't she? It mattered not… She could just make sure to handle those things in the morning… She'd handle everything in the morning. She'd open the letter in the morning, she'd talk to Sans in the morning, he'd know what to do. He had endured things like this… far worse than this even, on a heartbreakingly frequent basis. She couldn't be impulsive, not with something like this. She just couldn't. She would wait until morning, talk to Sans, and everything would be fine… Everything would be fine…

Those words seemed to be fueled by the warm magic that came from Sans' soul and met her own. It quieted her paranoia somewhat once more, and restored another flicker of her own soul's warmth. She supposed that was enough for now, and was more grateful to have someone by her side through this than she could put into words. She didn't sleep, but did at least fall into something of a daze after that, trying to keep herself grounded by focusing on the gentle, peaceful pulses of magic from her dear skeleton's soul. It must of worked somewhat, for when a quiet knock on the door suddenly pierced the still silence of the night, she all but jolted out of her half-dozing.

She perked an ear up, blinking wide eyes and not believing what she heard. But then it came again, three small little knocks. Though the number gave away the fact that these knocks were not coming from the usual source, she looked down at Sans by instinct. He was still fast asleep, softly snoring with a peaceful smile on his face. Her mind took a moment to register what was happening, but when it did, she was struck by panic again, but of a very different sort.

The knocking had to have come from Frisk or Papyrus, and in taking past experiences, as well the softness of the knocking itself… she was willing to bet it was Frisk. On top of all that had happened, if they came in here and witnessed the sight of her and Sans sharing a bed… Stars, it only really occurred to her then how that could be potentially viewed. Sans had only begun to do this in an effort to not have to endure his nightmares alone, and then so that they could both get through the wake of his terrible revelation, and all the pain that came with it. But now, things were different. Sans was finally showing the improvement they'd both been hoping for, sleeping through whole nights without incident. Yet, she never once considered ending their little agreement.

And not only that of course… she and Sans were together now, romantically. She knew it wasn't terribly uncommon for couples to share beds… But she and Sans had just officially taken that step. It was fair to say that at this stage in their relationship, such a thing would be still be seen as… quite scandalous.

She tried to say or do something to stop the inevitable, but it was in vain. Frisk opened the door without knocking again, perhaps thinking Toriel was too deep in sleep to hear them. Quite the contrary, her powerful ears caught each small footfall and shaky breath as they crossed the room towards her bed. The darkness hid their expression, leaving them just a vague, shadowy form approaching her slowly. Her embarrassment at what was potentially going to be said was lost to a momentary spark of fear then. Frisk was alone, so she was fairly sure they weren't here to act on their earlier vow of revealing some secret to her. They wouldn't do so without Flowey. But that spark did bring a flash of the memory of Frisk cutting her down with a knife, and all the agony that came with it. There was one terrible moment where all she could feel upon looking at her child was pure, chilling fear.

"M-mom?" Frisk's terribly hoarse, shaky voice met her ears.

The only emotions it carried were nervousness and fear, not even a hint of malice to be found. All her own fear melted in an instant, burned away by her maternal instinct. She quickly, but gently, disentangled herself from the small skeleton in her arms and sat up on the bed. Sans mumbled softly but did not stir, only rested his skull against her side and gripped lightly at her dress. Frisk did not seem to hear or see any of that, Sans' presence in the bed remaining unnoticed for the moment.

"Yes, my child, I am here." Toriel cooed softly, reaching out a paw to beckon them over. "Come here sweetheart, are you alright?"

Frisk hesitated a moment, and she could hear the soft sound of them sniffling. But then they rushed to her side, reaching their small hands up to grip at her in a silent plea. Toriel wasted no time in gently pulling her child up into her arms, heedless now of any questions regarding Sans it would bring. She held them close and quickly created a small purple flame in one of her paws. With a flick of her wrist, it floated up to hover safely above them, casting the room in a soft, wavering light. Now that they were visible, Toriel took in her child's poor state.

Their eyes were overly bright with the distress she'd heard in their voice, and they were red and puffy as well, a clear sign they'd been crying. Their powerful soul was giving off the same sort of emotions, strong enough to make her shiver slightly. Oh how she desperately wished she was in a better state of mind regarding her children to better address this. No matter what though, she needed to do what she could. Frisk's hands began moving to sign in the newly offered light and she paid close attention, hoping her own unsteady emotions weren't being detected by her child in turn.

(Mom, I had a bad dream… a really bad dream…) They signed shakily, pausing once to give another wet sniffle. (Can I sleep with you tonight?)

Toriel nodded immediately, trying to ignore the pesky bit of embarrassment that wormed its way back through her at the idea.

"Of course you may, my child." She soothed, tenderly wiping the lingering tears from their eyes with the curve of her finger. "You will just have to… um…"

Her words trailed off and her face heat up slightly as the bed's other occupant began to stir from the noise and light. Or perhaps Frisk's presence had been what began to rouse him. Whatever the case, her child inevitably looked over too, and their eyes widened as they spotted Sans pushing himself up a bit with a sleepy groan.

"tori...?" He mumbled, blinking in an effort to wake himself up. "whuz happenin'… you okay?"

Clearly, what he expected was to find her in the grips of another massive headache after awakening from one of her "dreams." What he was certainly not expecting was to find Frisk there in bed with them, a sight that immediately had him wide awake and flinching backwards. For a moment, all three of them were struck silent as Sans and Frisk just stared at each other. The skeleton's eyelights nearly guttered out for a moment for some dark flash of emotion, but he steadied himself quickly. Only to then become visibly overtaken by a quite different sort of emotion. One that made him begin to sweat and summoned a cyan glow to his cheekbones.

"oh... uh… h-hey kiddo…" He managed after a moment, grin strained as he kneaded the blankets a bit in a nervous motion between his phalanges. "what are... you doing here…?

Toriel mirrored much of Sans' blush as Frisk blinked and slowly looked between her and her dear skeleton. Their face carried a faintly confused expression for a bit, before their eyes began to sparkle and a smile crossed their features. Their fears regarding their apparent nightmare were momentarily banished, it seemed.

(I had a bad dream, so I wanted to sleep with Mom.) They signed, trying and failing to suppress their grin. (What are you doing here, Sans?)

That last question was coupled by a quirked eyebrow from Frisk, certainly not making Sans' situation any easier. Toriel wanted to say something to spare him from having to come up with some explanation, but he surprisingly took the initiative himself.

"well... uh..." He began, eyelights darting away to avoid their gaze.

He paused a moment more and then shrugged his shoulders, doing his best to appear casual. It didn't really work, but the attempt did make him seem more calm than he really was.

"it's the uh... same as you kiddo, heh..." He admitted through something of a sigh. "tori's been uh... helping me out with handling my nightmares for a little while. it's just... y'know... easier to deal with, when she's around... trying to take them on solo was uh... not working out too well, heh."

His eyelights dulled a bit at that, and he finally dared to look back at them. Frisk simply stared at him in return without moving their hands again for a while. Toriel could see a lot of emotions running through their eyes in the flickering firelight. No one lingered long enough for her to grasp fully, but she did recognize a sort of sad understanding as the last one to rest in their expression.

(Yeah, I know what you mean.) They replied, the hand motions slow. (That explains a lot actually...)

They paused, and suddenly they were the one to avoid both hers and Sans' gaze. The child looked down at their lap, wringing their hands a bit as they seemed to consider what else they wanted to say. As they did, Toriel could more clearly see guilt and sadness in their eyes. It wasn't hard for her to imagine why.

(Has it... helped?) Frisk asked as last, gaining the will to regain eye contact with Sans.

The skeleton blinked at that, and he shot a glance at Toriel. Then his smile softened up and his eyelights gained a gentle warmth, making them appear to shimmer in the light of her flame. Despite it all, Toriel found herself returning that expression as much as she could manage. Their gazes lingered a moment more before Sans briefly eased his sockets shut.

"yah kiddo... it definitely has..." He confirmed in a soft voice.

Frisk smiled at that, and it was a soft genuine smile, with no hint of their earlier teasing. Sans smiled back, regaining his more full, playful grin. Though it still betrayed his nervous embarrassment as well.

"just uh... don't tell my bro bout this... okay?" He implored, shrinking into his hood a bit as sweat dripped down his skull. "i... don't really know how i'd explain it to him... heh..."

Frisk giggled once, a truly wonderful sound, and nodded in reply while doing the "cross my heart" motion over their chest. Toriel did see a hint of disappointment on their face though, no doubt sad they couldn't share this bit of information with the other person who shared their level of investment in hers and Sans' relationship. When they gave no sign of wishing to speak further, she leaned over and pulled both of them close in a hug. She nuzzled them both individually as well by impulse, a relieved smile on her face. That went far better then she imagined it could. And given the already frayed state of her nerves, she could hardly be more grateful for that.

"Well then, if that is settled... It is rather late you two, we should all try to go back to sleep, should we not?" She asked, before a thought occurred to her and prompted her to look at Frisk with a more sober expression. "Unless... you wish to talk about your nightmare, my child? Would that help you feel better?"

Frisk flinched slightly at that, expression hardening again. For a few moments, they seemed to be considering it. They looked deep into her eyes, and she could practically see the words building up inside them. They wanted to tell her, not just about their apparent nightmare but likely about whatever they'd been discussing with Flowey and that other presence earlier. They swallowed hard and looked at Sans for a moment too, and the pain and guilt she saw in their eyes was answer enough for her, and likely Sans, to know what they'd been dreaming about.

(No... It's okay.) They signed slowly, as they looked down at the bed again. (I would rather just go back to sleep if that's alright...)

Toriel felt her soul give a harsh twinge at that. She wanted nothing more than to reassure her child, tell them that she and Sans knew they weren't that person anymore, that they were loved and trusted. But doing so would blow everything, and be infringing on her promise as well. So her mouth stayed firmly shut, and she settled on gently running her claws through their soft brown hair and pressing a little kiss to their forehead. Conflicted emotions twisted inside her soul, but she kept them down for the moment, for tonight. When the sun came up... She would address all of this with Sans and figure out what to do.

"Very well then, my child." She murmured.

With that, she pulled Frisk into her arm and settled them against her so their head was pillowed on her shoulder. She reached to pull the blankets over them, but a soft blue magical aura did the job for her. She looked to her dear skeleton with a grateful smile. He grinned back at her, and she was so glad to see his lighthearted state was still intact. She looped her other arm more snugly around him and pulled him in to let him settle against her other shoulder. He accepted without question, nuzzling into her neck as his own silent show of gratitude. He also pulled one of her long ears over his eye sockets like a sleeping mask, a little gesture that made a true giggle escape her.

Now she held both her beloved and her child in her arms, all three of their souls sharing and communicating feelings of familiarity. And though concerns and worries regarding both of them continued to swirl about her soul, the warmth their magic offered did help soothe her, more so than before. Having them both here so close to her was wonderful, she couldn't deny that. She closed her eyes as she settled back against the pillows, willing herself to hang onto that bit of calm that had managed to be summoned inside her. She turned to Sans and pressed a small kiss to his forehead, still without opening her eyes. Even without seeing it, she could feel the warm reaction to that from his soul. Then she turned the other way and lightly nuzzled into Frisk's hair.

"Goodnight you two, I hope you both have much sweeter dreams from here on." She said.

Frisk made a soft sound of agreement and Sans chuckled lightly. The humor present in his voice faded a bit as he went on though.

"same to you, t." He murmured.

That brought a pang to her soul, one of gratitude and sadness. Of course he'd feel guilty about her situation because of all this. No matter how unburdened their minds would be in sleep, her own showed no signs of improving any time soon. His care on her behalf stirred her soul and she gave him a little squeeze as a show of thanks. A small thread of fear also wove through her at that thought though. If she did sleep, and have a subsequent vision, how would Frisk react to the aftermath that followed? And more than that... what sort of excuse could she offer for it? They didn't seem to pick up on Sans' somber tone just then, but there was no way they'd miss her wracked with pain from a splitting headache.

Movement from the child in question distracted her from those thoughts. Frisk was reaching over to tap Sans on the shoulder. The skeleton peeked out from beneath her ear to meet the human's gaze. Frisk signed something to him then, but she didn't quite catch the words due to the angle. She did see Sans' reaction though, and his smile stiffened somewhat despite his clear efforts to maintain it.

"uh yah... night kiddo." He replied quietly, before reaching out to ruffle the child's hair.

His hand remained on their head for a few seconds, before he slowly pulled it away. He seemed consumed in thought, but broke out of it with a more genuine smile.

"listen... if you uh... do have any more nightmares... feel free to wake us up y'know? you don't have to deal with it alone... okay?"

That drew both her and her child to look at Sans in surprise. But that surprise only turned to more gratitude from both of them. Especially Frisk, whose powerful soul gave off an unsteady wave that made it seem like they may even begin to cry again. But her child eventually conceded to his words with a weighty nod. Toriel's soul gave another pang though, this time a joyful one. To hear him say something like that, something akin to her own words even, after all of this... It truly showed how far he'd come, and the impact she'd had on him. Her eyes shimmered and she leaned over to give him something of an affectionate headbutt in a wordless show of thanks and overall happiness, a truly traditional boss monster display of affection.

He chuckled fondly at the gesture, and the warm glow in his eyelights told her that he understood the meaning behind it. All of them then settled against her in preparation for a second attempt at sleep for the night. Toriel closed her eyes as well, and snapped two of her fingers. In response, the small flame she'd summoned vanished, returning the room to darkness once more.

Sans fell asleep again with expected quickness, his soft snoring lightly tickling her ear where it laid across his face. Frisk took a little longer to find rest. They tossed and turned for a while, no doubt caught up in a thought spiral of their own. But eventually, especially after Toriel rubbed gentle circles into their back for a while, the child fell asleep. Then she was left alone with her thoughts again. Her opened scarlet eyes stared into the darkness of the room, long enough that she eventually became adjusted to the low light and could see the vague shape of everything around her. With the intrusive worries of her mind rising up again, it made all those shapes look like something sinister lurking in the shadows.

Despite that though, she was better able to relax after a little while. The souls of her loved ones gave off such a peaceful, soothing aura, willing her own soul to follow suit as to harmonize with them. Frisk's especially, given its immense power, overpowered her own magic somewhat. It's warmth steadily eased her own soul into submission and she eventually became convinced she could at least attempt to sleep.

She pushed everything down again, letting it be lost to the magic pulsing around her soul. The incident, the letter, her fears. She let it all flow away, forgotten for the moment, as she eased her eyes shut. She instead cast her thoughts back to all the excitement and joy she'd experienced the past two days. All the precious moments she'd no doubt remember and treasure for the rest of her days. She found that all that warmth was still there in her soul, subdued but not at all destroyed. To access even just a little of it now in her time of stress was more than enough.

So as she lay there, the bottom of quite an unusual, snug pile, wakefulness did slowly began to fade. She just hoped that if she did sleep, her inevitable visions would not involve the child that was sleeping soundly against her. That would not make things any easier upon her inevitable rude awakening, whenever that may be. For all her efforts to ignore the stresses of the day though, one thought did remain within her mind as her subconscious pursued the goal of sleep. Whatever her children had to tell her was something big, something potentially nearly as devastating as what Sans had revealed to her about the Resets, given how they spoke about it. And the letter, while likely not as serious as that, instilled its own sort of dread in the mystery of what it contained. It was as though someone's hand was hovering over a light switch, primed to flick it and cast something previously dark and lurking in a bright light. Toriel's soul gave off a pang of fear and dread before sleep finally claimed her, wondering just what that light would reveal.