3 Months Later

"Kiddo?! Hey, Frisk! This ain't funny anymore!" Sans called, his hand cuped around his mouth as he walked around the garden. "Frisk! Asriel?! Seriously, kids, Toriel's gonna have my head if you don't come back! Literally…"

Sans kicked the snow as he walked aimlessly around the back garden, searching for Frisk and Asriel. The kids had gone outside for a while to play and Sans had fallen asleep inside. Now they were nowhere to be seen.

"Kids!" Sans yelled, glancing around the garden. "Fris-"

"GET HIM!"

Sans went down in a tangle of limbs as Asriel tackled him from some bushes, laughing hysterically as Sans tried to get up. "Whoa, kid!" He said, coughing as snow got into his nose. "That's pretty cold of you." He sniggered as he turned and grabbed Asriel, heaving him high. "Hey, heard about blue attacks?"

Asriel laughed as Sans grabbed his soul, half red and half white, heaving him above his head. Asriel laughed and struggled as Sans finally got up, his eye flickering and shining as Asriel was levitated above him. "Alright, kid. Now, where's your partner in crime hidin'?"

"Frisk, get him!"

Sans yelped as someone very small and very fast tackled him to the ground, causing him to drop Asriel in a snow poff. Frisk giggled as they grabbed Sans' jacket and wrenched it off him.

"Hey, that's Sans property!" Sans said as he got up from the snow. Frisk danced away, yanking Asriel to his feet. The two of them bolted away, laughing hysterically as Sans stood and gave chase. "Kids, Toriel is gonna kill me! Get back here!"

"Can't kill a skeleton, numbskull!" Asriel giggled, his scarf fluttering as Frisk raced away with Sans' jacket. Sans laughed and grabbed Asriel's soul.

"Gotcha, goat boy!" He yelled triumphantly.

"Run, Frisk!" Asriel yelled as Sans dragged the prince toward him. "Go on without me!"

"You two are so grounded, coffee will envy you." Sans snickered as he grabbed Asriel by his collar and tucked him under his arm. "C'mon, Mr Dreemurr; let's go catch your accomplice."

It took a matter of seconds to catch Frisk. They had tried to hide behind a car and soon Sans had both children tucked under his arms, carrying them home. "No fair!" Asriel insisted, kicking his feet. "C'mon, Sans, it's no fun when you're faster than us. We should take your legs off, then make you chase us."

Frisk nodded in agreement as Sans shook his head. "Wow. You kids are warped in the head."

"You smell funny." Asriel shot back, giggling as Sans glowered down at him.

"Hey, you might be the prince of the monsters, but I'm still taller than you."

"For now." Asriel said as Sans reached the door to his and Papyrus' house. Inside there was the smell of cooking spaghetti and butterscotch cinnamon pie. Sans kicked open the door and dumped the kids on the carpet.

"I got the kids!" He said as Asriel and Frisk scrambled to their feet. "Go wash up, kiddos. Punkle Sans needs a drink."

"We'll get our revenge!" Asriel yelled as he grabbed Frisk and raced up the stairs with them, both laughing hysterically and sending snow onto the carpet. He rubbed his skull as he strode into the kitchen, where Papyrus was standing at the stove.

"Hey bro." Sans said, dusting snow off his shirt and shorts. "That smells edible for once."

Sans. Be nice to your brother.

Sans glanced over at Gaster, who was sitting quite calmly in the living room with a blanket draped over his legs. He was wearing his glasses, too, secured with cello tape.

"I'm just saying. It doesn't smell like any impastas."

"OH MY GOD, SANS!" Papyrus yelled, the spoon snapping in his hand. Sans howled with laughter as Papyrus tossed the ruined spoon over his shoulder and slammed open a cupboard door. "SANS THAT WAS MY BEST SPOON! TORIEL GAVE IT TO ME!"

Sans was howling with laughter and covered his eye sockets with his hands. "Oh god, I'm sorry, bro." He wheezed through his laughter. "Pft… Just don't forget-"

"FORGETTI THE TOMETTI?!" Papyrus shouted, snapping yet another spoon in his hand.

Sans held his giggles and stuffed his hands in his shorts. "Forget to feed Frisk?"

Papyrus gave Sans a long hard stare, the broken spoon in his hand shaking. "BROTHER. GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN! LEAVE! YOU'RE SO LUCKY YOU HAVE ONE HP OR YOU'D BE DEAD!"

"You're hilarious, Pap." Sans sniggered as Papyrus shoved him out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Gaster was reading his newspaper and shaking his head.

You haven't changed much, have you, Sans?

"Welp, what can I say?" Sans said as he flopped down onto the couch. "I'm bone to be wild."

Gaster gave a small smile. Always my little comedian. Gaster folded his newspaper and winced, rubbing his chest. Sans watched him carefully, aware that the wounds he had suffered during the fight with Chara had left their mark on him. "You ok, pops?"

Fine, Sans. Thank you. How is Frisk?

Sans reclined in the sofa, kicking his feet up on the table. "Uh… considering? They seem fine. Having their soul split in two seems to tire 'em out more than usual, but… Toriel's happy. Never seen her so happy before."

Gaster nodded, adjusting his glasses. Indeed. I would've thought that bringing just me back was an impossible feat, but to bring Asriel back? That's quite impressive. The child is very special. Gaster gave Sans a look. Yet you still fear them.

Sans didn't respond and instead leaned his skull back and rested it on the sofa. Gaster heaved a sigh. I thought as much.

"Hey, I didn't say anything." Sans said, clenching his fists in his pocket.

Exactly my point. You were never really one to speak, Sans. You always hide behind jokes and laughs. Always my little comedian. Always there to make us smile. Gaster removed his glasses. But I can tell, Sans, that you are scared the child will go back on their promise. You're scared they'll reset.

"Really. It's fine." Sans said, burrowing deeper into the couch. "I believe 'em."

Gaster gave him a look, rubbing his glasses against his turtleneck. Mhmm. I told you to work on your lying. It appears you've only gotten worse. Gaster looked as if he wanted to say something before he clenched his jaw shut and shook his head sadly.

"Oh, come on." Sans mumbled, shuffling to get more comfortable. "Now you're just being ridiculous."

There was an abrupt knock on the door and Sans stood, cracking his knuckles.

Gaster gave him a look and replaced his glasses, which he secured with cello tape on the sides of his skull. Sans gave him a little wave before waltzing to the door. Standing outside, freezing in the cold, was Merida and Zhèngyì. The kid was all bundled up again against the snow and he bounced excitedly on his feet as he helped Merida to the door.

"Hello, Sans." She said happily. She looked much nicer with her hair down and she no longer had tired bags under her eyes. "I hope you don't mind, but Zhèngyì brought a present for you."

"Aw, that's nice." Sans said, smiling. "Sup, kiddo?"

"Hi, uncle Sans!" Zhèngyì said excitedly, bouncing on his feet before throwing himself at Sans in a tackle. "I missed you!"

Sans laughed and rubbed the child's head. "Yeah, yeah. Me too, squirt."

"I got you something!" Zhèngyì said as Merida chuckled and handed him a brightly-wrapped package. Sans blushed a bright blue as the kid handed it to him; getting gifts from other people was kind of still a new thing for him. He and Papyrus usually just gave each other things when it came to holiday season, but now they had… well, a bigger family.

"Aw, thanks, bro. You shouldn't have."

"Open it!" Zhèngyì said excitedly, his face alight with a large smile. Sans complied and opened the package. Inside were a pair of bright, brand new slippers. They were shaped like skulls, designed to look as if they were eating your feet.

"Wow. This is pretty cool, kiddo. Thanks." Sans grinned as the kid hugged him once more. Merida smiled and limped into the house.

"I hope we're not too late."

"Nah; Paps is still cooking dinner and Toriel had to rush to fetch Undyne and Alphys."

"Ah, I remember Undyne." Merida said as Zhèngyì helped her sit in a chair. She was still suffering from the battle a few months ago, but remarkably she didn't blame Sans. She didn't even pin it on him. Now she and Toriel were practically inseparable and Zhèngyì called Sans his 'Uncle'.

It was weird how things changed.

"Tea?" Sans offered as Merida glanced at Gaster and Zhèngyì sprinted up the stairs to Frisk and Asriel's room.

"Yes please." She said, smiling. "Sans, am I doing this right?"

She held up her hands and signed, very slowly. Hello. My name is Merida. How are you?

"Spot on." Sans held up a bony thumb. "Who knows? You might even be on Frisk's level soon."

"I doubt that. Frisk is more skilled than I." Merida gave a soft smile. "Odd to think that a few months ago you wouldn't catch me dead in a house full of monsters."

"Well, you know what they say." Sans said, striding toward the kitchen, where Papyrus was still struggling to find a spoon. "Thyme heals all wounds." He sniggered as Papyrus bumped his skull on the spice rack.

"SANS! I SWEAR TO ASGORE I WILL IMPALE YOU WITH-"

"Hello, Papyrus!" Merida called happily from her chair.

Papyrus gasped and rushed into the room, still wearing his 'kiss the cook' apron that Frisk had bought for him. "HELLO, HUMAN! HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

"Even better at seeing the Great Papyrus." Merida giggled, smiling warmly.

"YOU ARE OFFICIALLY MY FAVOURITE HUMAN! WELL, THIRD FAVOURITE."

"Well, you're my favourite skeleton." Merida chuckled. "You must teach me how to heal like you do. It was quite something."

Papyrus beamed with pride. Sans smiled. Papyrus had always been better at healing than he was and he had proved as much when he literally brought Merida back from the brink of death. Sans had never been so proud of his brother. Merida was still recovering, as well as everybody else… but Sans was just happy that no one had died. Save for Chara.

But they deserved it.

"SANS! TORIEL NEEDS HELP WITH THE GROCERIES!" Papyrus yelled as he glanced out the window. "FRISK! ASRIEL! HELP!"

Sans sniggered and strode outside, Where Toriel was exiting the car with Grillby, Undyne and Alphys. Mettaton would be arriving shortly. Toriel smiled widely and her eyes shone. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Sans said, smiling back and taking the groceries.

Dinner that night was the best that Sans had ever had. Papyrus had made some spaghetti and Toriel had baked her butterscotch cinnamon pie. Mettaton had arrived in a flurry of sparkles and glitter, bearing some glamburgers. Undyne brought some of her own spaghetti, which resembled a melted lump of what used to be a pot. Even Alphys brought something, although it was an Anime that Sans had to confiscate before Frisk could see it.

Dinner was boisterous and Frisk was smiling, which was more than what Sans had hoped for. Sans' sides were hurting from all the laughter and the puns that Toriel had managed to spout.

"Sans, check what Frisk can do!" Asriel snorted around his plate of spaghetti.

Frisk giggled, then held up both their hands. Sans took a swig of his ketchup and watched. "What's so OH MY GOD FRISK!"

Sans choked on his ketchup and Papyrus began to scream. Frisk had, somehow, removed their thumb from their hand.

"PUT IT BACK, HUMAN!" Papyrus screamed, his plate sailing from the table and crashing on the sofa. Gaster was snickering wildly as Sans tried to stop choking on his drink. He failed miserably and ended falling back over his chair as Papyrus continued to scream. "HUMAN! PUT IT BACK! SANS, THE HUMAN HAS BROKEN THEIR THUMB OH MY GOD WE'LL HAVE TO FEED THEM-"

"P-Papyrus." Merida sniggered. "I can do that too."

She did the same trick and Papyrus screamed even louder. "OH MY GOD, SANS!"

Gaster looked as if he would never stop laughing and Sans finally surfaced, breathing heavily with ketchup trailing from his mouth. "Holy crap, kid." He coughed as he returned to his seat and reached for his ketchup. "Don't do that again. Stop laughing at me!"

But nobody could. Frisk had tears streaming down their face and Toriel was howling with laughter. Mettaton had his head on the table and was snickering so hard that he was sparking. Zhèngyì was huffing with laughter and Grillby was trying to hide his laughter behind his hot chocolate. Gaster had a sad smile on his face and he let out a loud chortle, slapping the table as he did so.

"Hey, Sans, wanna see what I can do?" Zhèngyì sniggered.

"Uh… will it make me queasy?"

It did. Sans rushed to the bathroom as Zhèngyì cracked his knuckles, his neck, his freaking spine. When Sans returned, the table had dissolved into pure laughter. Papyrus had fainted off to the side and Undyne was clutching her stomach.

"Humans are so freaking cool!" She rasped, pounding the table so hard that it snapped right in half. This caused even more laughter. Sans glowered at Frisk. "You're dead, kiddo!"

Frisk squealed and raced away, Sans chasing them up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen and then around the table.

"Hey Sans, check what I can do!" Asriel yelled as he joined the chase.

"No!" Sans grabbed Asriel and Frisk, collapsing with them on the couch. "You sick kids ain't gonna break any more of your bones on my watch. Wait." He looked up in shock. "I forgot one! Undyne, catch him!"

Needless to say, it was a very good evening.

"Alright. Time for your bath, kiddo."

Frisk nodded and removed their shirt and sweater, dumping it in the wash basket. Sans tried not to stare at their back, but the scars were like headlights, just begging for him to ask what happened. Asriel seemed to already know and did not ask questions.

As Sans washed Frisk's hair, they glanced up at him and signed. Sans, can you take me somewhere tonight?

"Uh… sure?" He said as Asriel sneezed, sending bubbles spilling over onto the floor.

Promise you won't tell Toriel?

Now Sans was weary. He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep. Frisk had already disappeared once and he didn't want it to happen again. He scratched his skull before shrugging and sighing. "Fine… I guess… But if it gets you into trouble, then I'll have to tell her. We care about you, kiddo, and we don't want you to get hurt again."

Asriel glanced over at Frisk, a soap beard in his fur. When Sans dried them off and Asriel went off to bed, Frisk returned to the bathroom, dressed in some warm clothes. Sans led them outside into the cold, the snow even thicker than it had been a few months before.

"So, where we off to, kiddo?"

My old house. Frisk signed.

Sans paused, then glanced at them. "Is this still… about your parents?"

Frisk didn't answer and instead pulled out a scrap of worn, old paper. They held it out wordlessly to Sans, who read it in the dull light from a streetlamp.

"Rookwood Road?" He asked, scratching his skull. "Huh… Sounds familiar, but I can't say I know where it is-"

Need to take the number 3 bus, all the way to Ebott, then a small walk. Frisk signed, looking at their feet. Sans could tell they were embarrassed. He didn't like the idea of going to Mount Ebott again; he didn't really want to return, but Frisk looked so… determined. They had a gleam in their eye that was nearly impossible to mistaken for anything else.

"Uh… alright… kid. I could just take the 'ole shortcut, though. I think I can muster up some juice to get us there." He shrugged. "Eh… It'd be quicker-"

Frisk threw their arms around Sans, hugging him tightly. They didn't sign, but it was enough. Sans smiled and held up his hand. "Alright, kiddo. Hold tight."

He snapped his fingers and a small tear in the air appeared, shining bright blue. Sans stepped through it, hand firmly clutching Frisk's own. Teleporting was always a weird feeling; his bones felt as if they had invisible pines prickling them, which actually tickled more than it hurt. There was complete blackness for a while before his feet hit a large snow poff. Mount Ebott loomed a few feet away, the craggy slopes covered in snow.

"Hey, we made it first try." He said proudly, dusting snow off his jacket. Then he realised that Frisk was nowhere near him. "Uh… kiddo?"

He heard a giggle. Above him.

"Kid?!" He yelled, glancing up. "Oh… my god."

Frisk waved happily from the top of a pine tree, having been teleported there instead of the ground. Their jacket had caught on one of the boughs, saving them from a fall, but stopping them from getting down.

"Oh… crap." Sans muttered, rubbing his skull. "Uh… Don't move?"

The branch broke.

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Sans yelled as he dove to catch them. Frisk landed firmly in his arms and, to his dismay, both arms snapped off. The two of them landed in a large snow poff, Sans landed with his face in the snow whilst Frisk lay on top of his two dislocated arms, which waggled their fingers.

"Welp…" Sans sighed, lifting his head and grinning widely. "It looks like you unarmed me."

Frisk giggled, then helped Sans stand. Thankfully his one arm reattached fine, but the other one was still giving him trouble. Eventually Frisk offered to carry it until they got back home, where Papyrus or Gaster would fix it for him.

"So… uh… where to, kid?"

Frisk tugged at his jacket and he strode after them, his slippers crunching in the snow. They were at the foot of Mount Ebott and it brought back many memories. He'd been stuck under it for most of his life and it felt odd to be walking once more on top of it. Sans looked around, seeing that Frisk looked quite worried.

He patted their shoulders comfortingly and they leaned against him as they made their way through the snow. "Know where you're going?"

It's been a while, but I know where to go.

Sans nodded, rubbing their shoulders. They walked in silence for a while, walking through a heavily wooded area. The trees were dead and Sans felt as if something was going to jump out and attack them. It was also bitterly cold, so he was happy the kid was bundled up. They walked for what seemed like hours before Sans found a small, out of the way trail. It was hidden by the snow, but Frisk followed it immediately, as if they had walked it many, many times before.

A few minutes later, Frisk froze in their tracks.

Sitting alone and quite abandoned was a house, covered in snow. Frisk clutched Sans even tighter and Sans glanced at the destroyed mailbox that stood on a small pole. Rookwood Road.

"So… this is it…" Sans muttered, glancing at the house. "Uh… do you want me to-?"

Frisk held onto Sans, small sniffling noises that sounded like crying. Sans knelt and hugged them, glancing at the house with something akin to rage. He stood and ventured forward, Frisk reluctantly following him. They reached the door and Sans raised his hand to knock, but as soon as his hand touched the door it simply crashed to the floor. He winced and peered inside the dilapidated house.

It could've been a nice house, but it looked as if it had been abandoned in a hurry. There were still paintings of flowers and trees on the walls and the carpets had massive holes in them. Frisk finally stepped forward, glancing around with a very confused expression on their face. They glanced around before finally stepping into the house.

There were dead flowers in vases and in the dining room, there was an ancient guitar. Sans bent down and picked it up, strumming the strings. Frisk walked straight past him and into another passageway, where there were two doors. They hesitated at the first one before finally shoving it open. Sans followed, clutching the guitar and peeking into the room Frisk had entered.

It was a very bare room; the walls were painted a dull red and there was a large bed in the corner. There was a desk, which had an old box and a pad of ruined paper sitting on top of it.

Sans walked toward it, setting the guitar to one side and flipping open the paper. There was a very bad drawing with three people standing outside a house. They were clearly labelled; Mommy, Daddy and Me. They looked happy. Frisk was standing in front of an old chest of drawers and they yanked it open, looking into it. Inside were several pairs of pants, shirts and a single striped sweater. They picked it up and held it close to their chest, looking up at Sans.

They're gone.

"Yeah… It looks like it. Sorry, kiddo."

Frisk looked down at their hands, then around at the room. Their hands shook as they hugged the sweater and Sans walked over to them, picking them up and heaving a sigh. "Kid… I know that I can't really help you with this… but… would you-"

Frisk leaned over as they passed the desk and picked up the pad of paper and the box. The pressed a finger to Sans' teeth in a gesture for silence. Sans blinked, then grinned. It took a moment, but Sans flipped open the sketchpad and scratched on the picture, crossing out their names and beginning to draw something different. Sans set Frisk at the chair and let them work whilst he sat on the bed, picking up the guitar. And strumming at the strings. He tuned it before beginning to play a light, sweet melody. Being made entirely of bone had its benefits; you didn't need a plectrum and it took very little effort to press the strings.

After a while, Frisk stood and sat with Sans on the bed as he strummed a sad, yet hopeful song. Frisk leaned their head on his shoulder as they finished their new picture. There were new people in the picture and Frisk was smiling in it. There were new people, all of them smiling. All of them holding hands.

Gaster. Undyne. Alphys. Mettaton. Asriel. Toriel. Asgore. Sans. Papyrus. In the corner, sitting alone and with a heart locket around their neck, was Chara.

They too, were smiling.

And for once…

They looked happy.