A/N: Sorry, sorry! I know, it's been a LONG time, but this is my secondary story, and my other fanfic has priority over this one. I'm sorry, but that's just how it works. Also, disclaimer: I don't own Undertale. Now that we have those out of the way, let's get on with the story.

Chapter Three

Janet's tutu rustled as she followed the others around a bend in the path. So far, the exploring part wasn't all that exciting, and they hadn't found anything except a spider bake sale and some candy, which they shared.

Suddenly, Janet's phone rang. Janet called for a halt as she accepted the call, putting the phone to her ear. At first, there was nothing on the other end except heavy breathing, and then she heard the screams.

"Janet! Somebody! HELLLP MEEE!" The phone vibrated with the sheer volume of the screams and their desperate terror. Janet's eyes widened.

"Bree? Is that you? Is everything okay?" Sam and the others glanced at her worriedly as Janet's tone rose. "What's going on?"

Nothing responded except a wordless scream that made Janet jump, and then an eerie silence. Janet looked at the phone, snapped it shut, and turned to the others. "Bree's in trouble. Come with me or not; I don't care. I'm going back." She turned and ran back the way they came. The others exchanged scared looks before following, their feet pounding on the purple trails as they rushed back with Janet.

What took half an hour to explore at a leisurely pace took ten minutes to retrace at a searing sprint. Soon, Janet and the group were skidding around the last corner. Janet ran a few steps more, and, upon seeing the scene before her, came screeching to a halt, making the rest tumble to a stop behind her. Janet's eyes widened and her whole body froze for a few agonizing moments, and then she ran wailing over to the scene.

Bree lay not far away, her eyes frozen in terror. Blood blossomed from her chest, a puddle forming on the floor. Toriel knelt next to the child's body, her head bowed and her hands bloody. Janet rushed over, her eyes wide with shock, and pushed the goat lady away. She collapsed next to Bree, and held her broken body in her arms, giant sobs and little hiccups wracking her body. "Bree… No… No…." She wailed her grief, her voice cracking.

The others formed a somber circle around the body. Janet ignored them, focusing on her grief and the fact that the innocent, sweet little Bree she had been responsible for was no more, her life gone in an instant.

Janet heard a click, and looked up in surprise to see Cindy pointing her gun at Toriel, who looked shocked and saddened. "You," Cindy breathed in a tearful voice. "You killed her. You killed Bree. You're nothing but a murderer, you goat monster." She took a deep breath, her hands shaking. Her accent was deeply Southern, fueled by the rage and grief that held the whole group.

Cindy hesitated. "Where we come from, murderers are either killed or locked up. But… there's always a trial first, and I want to do this the right way." She gestured with her gun to the others. "What do you guys think? Is the goat lady innocent or guilty, and, if she's guilty, what should we do with her? Should we lock her up, or should I pull the trigger?" Her voice shook as she said those last words.

Zach stepped forward, standing by Cindy's side. "She's guilty, alright. Look at all the blood on her hands. And there's only one thing we can do, to keep her from following her bloody killing spree. We have to kill her, and prevent anyone else from falling prey to her motherly antics." He glared at Toriel. "I never bought your attitude anyways, lady. You're too nice."

Sam's eyes widened, and he walked forward. "Woah, woah, woah. Let's not be too hasty, here. Sure, she's probably guilty, but there's no reason to kill her over it. Why don't we find a nice cage and lock her up in that? Besides, Cindy's got handcuffs, right?" Cindy nodded, keeping her eyes on Toriel, who looked very worried. "Right, then. We should cuff her and lock her up. There's no need for anyone else to die, here."

Martin silently walked over to where Janet knelt with Bree. He gestured to Bree's body. "Can… can I?" Janet nodded, and allowed Martin to approach. He adjusted his glasses and knelt, studying the cadaver. He wrote something down in his notebook, twisted Bree this way and that, and ran his fingers along a gash on her chest. He then stood, facing the group as he finished his notes.

"I… I don't think Toriel did it, actually," Martin claimed. The others turned to regard Martin with surprise and disappointment. "I… I mean," he added hastily, "Look at the… the body. It's not burnt, suggesting that she wasn't killed with fire, while Toriel seems to use fire magic as her primary attack. Also, the gashes on her chest indicate that some sort of clawed creature about her height killed her. Toriel doesn't have claws, and she's easily twice Bree's size. I think Toriel is innocent."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Okay, you nerd," he retorted, "if you're so smart, how about you tell us who killed her, exactly, and why the goat lady has Bree's blood all over her."

Martin hesitated. "I cannot tell who killed Bree, as I have not seen anything that fits the description I have given. And… I do not know why Toriel has Bree's blood on her hands, but it may be that she was just investigating the… the body, before we got here."

Cindy sighed. "Before we get you two in a fight, let's move on. Martin's voted, so who's left?"

Janet hesitated, then carefully stood, letting Bree's head fall slowly to the floor. "I know it was Toriel who killed Bree," she began, "but I don't think it's right to kill her over it. Bree had taken a liking to her, you know, and I don't think she would have wanted her to die. Besides, hate begets more hate, and death should not do the same. One death has already happened. Let's not have another on our consciences. So, I agree with Sam. Let's lock her up."

Cindy breathed deeply. "Well said, Janet. I, too, know that this goat lady killed Bree. But I don't think it's right to kill her. I've got cuffs. Let's use them and lock her up."

Sam stepped forward. "It's decided, then. Toriel, you are hereby found guilty of murdering Bree Summers, and you have been sentenced to imprisonment."

Cindy smirked. "You stole my line, Chef." She sobered, and holstered her gun. Toriel's head fell in resignation as Cindy reached into her pockets and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Put your hands out in front of you, miss. You are under arrest."

Cindy cuffed the goat lady, then, keeping a hand on her elbow, the apprentice cop turned to regard the others. "Uh… where are we locking her up, by chance? I have no idea."

Martin chirped up. "I saw a cage not far from here, in one of the niches that we fell down into. With some help, I could drag it up to our level." Sam offered to help get the cage, and the group, now including Toriel, marched off. Janet held Bree's body in her arms during the procession, and no-one said a word.

A few minutes passed in somber silence, but then the procession came to a screeching halt when a large frog-like creature hopped out in front of the group with a belch-like croak. The children stared in surprise at the creature, and Zach was the first to point out the obvious.

"What the hell is that thing? It's the largest frog I've ever seen!" Toriel gave him a hard look, before stepping forward fearlessly.

"That, my friend, is a Froggit." She turned to the Froggit. "Hello, Mr. Froggit. You look very nice today." The Froggit blushed, croaked, and hopped away. Toriel turned back to the children. "As you saw, it is easy to deal with most of the inhabitants of the Ruins. All you have to do is compliment them and generally be a nice, caring person." She glared at Zach. "Although for some of you this could pose a challenge, I have high expectations for all of you."

Sam stepped forward, putting a protective hand on Zach's shoulder. "It's okay, ma'am. I'll keep the others in check, even if it's sometimes really difficult." He dug his nails into Zach's shoulder momentarily for effect. Zach winced as Sam let go. "But, for right now, I think it won't be too hard, right?" Sam glanced meaningfully at Zach.

Zach rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, I got the hint already. Yeah, yeah, I won't go punching anything and everything that moves. Okay?" He crossed his arms impatiently. "Now, are we going to continue, or are we just going to stand here all day like idiots?"

Cindy nodded at Zach. "Right, let's go." And on they went, Janet the most silent and somber of their party.

Presently, they came upon the room where the cage was stored below. The main group waited while Sam and Martin retrieved the cage. Janet heard the distant sounds of metal scraping the floor, as well as the grunts of the two boys as they tried to move the heavy metal cage up to the ground level.

Soon, the cage was dragged up, and Sam and Martin appeared with it, sweaty and panting with the effort. Martin gulped. "This… this thing is heavier… than it looks." Cindy just rolled her eyes, escorting Toriel over to the cage, which the boys pulled open before stepping back.

Janet watched in silence as Cindy turned Toriel around until she was facing the children. "Do you have anything to say in your defense, before we lock you up?" Cindy's voice was quieter than usual, but it carried throughout the room. Toriel lowered her head, sighing.

"I know you all think I killed that child. But, I assure you, I did not. I, myself, have lost a child, a long time ago. I would not wish that feeling upon anyone, not even a human. No, I was just coming back from some errands, and heard the scream." Toriel looked up. "I ran, scared that something had happened. But when I got there, it was already too late." She hung her head again.

"I tried t examine the body, like the darker child did." Martin, who'd been writing all this down in his notebook, looked up sharply. His eyes glinted with a sudden rush of anger.

"Don't ever call me that," he snapped. "I'm on your side, for now, but don't ever, ever call me that again. Or else." He blushed as the others turned to regard him with surprise. He looked down at his notebook. "Um… continue, please."

Toriel nodded to him. "Very well. As I was saying, I examined the body. I am familiar with this place and its inhabitants, and thus I know which monsters have claws and which don't. I… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it was the Loox that killed the child." She breathed in deeply. "May her spirit rest in peace, like my little Asriel." Unshed tears sparkled in Toriel's eyes.

Martin continued writing for a moment, then said, "Did you see any… anyone fleeing the scene?" Toriel shook her head sadly. "I thought so." He wrote something down in his notebook and closed it. "Thank you." Toriel nodded, respect in her eyes.

Cindy sighed. "If that is all…?" Toriel nodded, and Cindy gestured to the others. No-one stepped forward, and Cindy bowed her head. "Very well. If you would, then, miss, step into the cage and face your sentence." Toriel turned, silently shedding her tears, and the cage closed behind her. Cindy locked it, a frown on her face.

Toriel took a deep, shuddering breath as the children prepared to leave. "Be safe, my children," she muttered. Janet looked back, her heart heavy, and looked Toriel dead in the eye. For a moment, they just looked at each other, monster and human, and then Janet walked away, the rest of the kids following her silently as they continued their journey.

A/N: Again, sorry for the long delay, but... I can't help it. I was going to make this chapter longer, but that last paragraph felt like a REALLY good place to end it. So, for now, the chapters are going to be a little shorter, but hopefully, as the story develops, the chapters will get longer. Anyways, Review Time!

dream1990: Sorry, but I can't do Bree's perspective anymore. Not only is it difficult and frustrating, but I needed her to die here, so that can't work out. It's good that you like the character, though. Maybe, near the end of the story, I could do a chapter detailing what it's like to be dead as the human Souls. But, until then, you're not going to see Bree anymore. Sorry.

JaedDragon777: yeah, Bree IS kinda cute, isn't she? Must be that youth in her... Anyways, I just thought the long hallway was a good place because that's where Toriel (aka protection against monsters) leaves you, and she wants you to wait for her to come back. Being the Soul of Patience, Bree's perfect for that role. Also, about her things...The killer took them, and then lost them on the way out of the Ruins. Janet was too obsessed with Bree's death to notice, but her toy knife and hair ribbon are already gone.

Insert a Catchy Penname Here: Thank you! Yeah, I really didn't see the resemblance between Grouptale and this one until you pointed it out. Fun fact: I've never actually read the Grouptale fanfic. I was just inspired by a video on Youtube called "The Thought Movie". Also, I am really bad at subtlety, so that's why I'm outright stating a bunch of stuff. But, I can still try to be subtle... I just fail miserably, like in this chapter. But, again, thank you for the praise. I did try to give the Souls some actual character and life, and I'm glad you can see that. At least I'm good at SOMETHING, then.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a great day (or night)!