Core Issues
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is copyright to Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans (our lovely narrator) is the creation of Borurou. Underfell is a community generated AU. Fase is from Technotale. The story is copyright to me.

1. I'm not sure if this is a short story or a vocabulary lessen. I blame the highly intelligent characters.

2. This story is rated T for language and suggestive jokes/themes.

3. My beta reports that the scene in the Core was disturbing, which was the point. But you have been warned.

Ep. 3 - Determination

Papyrus examined the badge under the magnifying glass on his desk. He gently prodded the back with a pair of fine tip tweezers, carefully lifting the back away. Inside was a communication rig and small box. Paps tapped it lightly. He paused and set it down, moving back. He took off his glasses and sat back.

"TAKE THE TWEEZERS AND TAP THE BOX VERY LIGHTLY."

I picked up the tweezers and tapped the box. I put the tweezers down and stepped back. "Someone has figured out how to put a piece of the void in a tiny, tiny box.

Paps nodded. "I BELIEVE THAT IS THE CASE."

"How the hell did they do that?"

Papyrus leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, chin down, eyes closed. "I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT IS WHAT POWERED THEIR TRAVEL BETWEEN WORLDS."

I leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over my chest, chin down, eyes closed. "If we can replicate it, we can figure out all the things those badges are capable of."

"FIGURE OUT WHO MADE THEM."

"One badge would be an oddity. Two is an indication of something bigger."

"SO VERY INTERESTING. AND VERY WORRYING."

"We could open a rift and transfer a piece of the void into a vessel."

"WE WOULD NEED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF POWER TO DO SO."

"We don't have any souls."

"ALpHyS' DETeRMInATIoN MaTRiCEs-"

"WouLD pROVide Us WitH ThE EquATIoNS tO GEnerATE-"

"ThAt KInD Of poWER On OuR Own."

"Yo! Nerds! You're doing it again! Wake the hell up!" Undyne yelled.

I started and looked around. Paps and I stared at each other for a moment before we both looked sheepish.

"Come on. Three rookies challenged Frisk to a three on one in the training room."

I pushed off the wall. "This I gotta see." Before stepping out of the room, I looked over my shoulder at Papyrus. "fINd aN APprOPriAtE VeSseL AnD i'LL Get OuR PieCe Of VOid."

He stood, straightening his coat and adjusting his long scarf. "I SHALL JOIN YOU." He picked up his glasses and put them back on. "I dO EnJOy WaTchINg mY FAvORiTe TeSt SUbjECt aT wORk."

We both froze and then Papyrus blushed brightly. "OH DEAR! WHAT AM I SAYING?!"

"Damn." I ran a boney finger along the crack in the top of my skull. "We really need to figure this out before it gets weird." Several members of the facility's staff ran by Papyrus' workshop door. "And we need to hurry if we want good seats."

We got to the training room's observation area and Undyne had saved us some room up front. Frisk and the rookies were prepping on the training room floor.

Undyne introduced the rookies. "Agent Franklin is the man on the right. He's retired military like Frisk, but with way different training. Agent Tahoma is the short chick in the middle. She's a career archivist with some heavy martial arts training. She applied to the agency to help us archive our work. Agent Niagra is the tall guy on the left. He's retired military too. He's here to study monster biology with Asriel."

"And they want a match with Frisk?" I snorted.

"Someone told them she was the best human agent and they said they wanted to see what that meant."

"And by someone, you mean you."

"YOU ARE VERY TRANSPARENT, UNDYNE."

C's voice came over the loud speaker. "Today's training session pits Agents Tahoma, Niagra, and Franklin against Agent Serif in hand to hand combat. Good luck."

"Thanks. I won't need it," Frisk said.

"I wasn't talking to you, font-sucker."

I snorted and Papyrus blushed deeply. Undyne lost it, howling with laughter while Alphys covered her mouth, face red.

Agent Tahoma looked around. "Is that a monster joke that I just don't get?"

Frisk sighed. "That's one way to put it. And if I ever figure out how to strangle a hologram, C is a dead man."

"Agent Serif will not have the benefit of her A.I."

"You're a jerk, C!"

"Round Start."

Frisk stepped into a defensive stance and waited on the others to move. All three closed and Niagra swung first. Frisk grabbed his arm and moved him directly into Tahoma's path. Tahoma stepped to the left, letting Niagra fall. Frisk stepped on top of him, using her weight to keep him down while dodging Tahoma and Franklin's punches. Niagra pushed himself up and Frisk jumped to the side.

Niagra ran at her. She blocked his first punch, deflected the second, grabbed his leg when he kicked, and kicked him hard in the groin. His shout was cut short when Frisk pulled him toward her and body slammed him off the floor.

"Woah! You're way stronger than you look!" Tahoma exclaimed. You could see the strategy change in her face, moving to quick strikes and staying out of reach, while Franklin came up from behind. Frisk turned from Tahoma and threw a punch at Franklin, telegraphing it. He ducked and she rolled over his back, grabbing his arm, and locking his elbow. She held him in front of her as a shield against Tahoma before shoving him into her.

Niagra jumped to his feet and threw two reckless punches. Frisk dodged both and leg swept him. Franklin grabbed her when she came up, trapping her in a bear hug. She slammed her forehead off his nose, and his hold loosened enough for her to slide out. He grabbed at her again and got a kick to the gut.

Tahoma began another assault with a set of kicks. Frisk pushed them all aside and slammed her palms into Tahoma's stomach, knocking the wind from her. Franklin stepped up and before he could move, Frisk grabbed his shirt, and kneed him hard in the sternum before shoving him into Niagra.

"I wonder if they're regretting this yet," I said.

Undyne punched my shoulder. "Why don't you go down there and give them a hand? Small fry like that don't even make a work out for her."

"No."

"I'll give you the rest of the week off from training."

"It's Thursday! I'd only get one day off!"

She smiled big.

"All right. But you better hold up your end of the deal." I went over to the stairs. "C? Put me in."

"Seriously?" C appeared on the console under Alphys hands. "Alphys! Get the cameras ready!" His voice went to the speakers. "Round Complete. Point Serif. Agents Niagra, Tahoma, and Franklin retire from the floor. Reset floor for foam core scenario versus Agent Aster." The noise level rose immediately as everyone clamored to get a better look.

Agent Franklin was helping Tahoma and Niagra up when I stepped onto the floor. They stopped dead when they saw me.

I gave them a quick salute. "Take a break, guys."

Frisk checked her gun as two sets of tall pillars rose out of the ground, making a long hallway between us. "Been a while, Bones. Who convinced you to come down?"

"Undyne said she'd let me out of training tomorrow if I came down."

She smiled. Specifically the smile she'd picked up from years of hanging around Undyne.

C's voice came over the speakers. "Non-combatants, please leave the floor. Sans, you will not use Blue magic on Frisk's body. Frisk will continue to not have the benefit of an A.I. during battle."

The rookies left the floor and pushed their way to the windows by Undyne to watch. I stretched my neck while Frisk shook herself out.

"Round Start."

She dashed straight for me. My eye activated and I summoned bone walls out of the pillars in front of her. She dodged left and right, avoiding them as they came at her, still going for me. I threw a straight volley and she stopped dead to dodge each bone, before hitting the floor, rolling for cover behind a pillar. Her gun came around the corner and she fired at me one handed and blind. The first shot went wide, but I was forced to dodge the second and third.

Frisk was on me in a flash, throwing several quick strikes. I dodged quick to stay ahead of her before short cutting to the other end of the pillared hall way. She turned and fired one shot that hit me in the foot, locking me to the floor. I summoned a bone strike from the floor and she jumped, climbing a pillar to avoid it. I grabbed one of my bones out of the air and struck the foam with it, cracking it enough to be able to get my foot out just in time dodge Frisk's next strike.

I blocked several punches and knocked her gun from her hand. As it fell she kicked it, knocking it against my rib cage and up into the air. She grabbed my arm, twisted it behind my back, caught the gun, and fired into my groin twice locking my pelvis in foam before tossing me to the floor. She stood over me, gun aimed at my skull.

"Yield."

I smiled. "You might want to consider that yourself."

Frisk looked up at the array of GBs circling her from above, ready to fire. "Son of a- ! Where did you guys even come from?!" She huffed and held up her hands. "I yield."

Raucous applause erupted from the audience. She stood and pulled dissolvent from her pocket, pouring it on the foam encasing my pelvis. I pulled it apart and stood, brushing off my jeans. Undyne and Alphys came onto the floor, the rookies following behind.

Agent Tahoma ran up ahead. "That was amazing! I had know idea that monsters could do that."

"Not every monster can do that. My brother and I specialize in what you just saw."

Frisk sighed. "And he wasn't even using the scary stuff." She smiled at the rookies. "Introduction time! I'm Frisk. This is Sans, but we all call him Bones."

Agent Tahoma held out a hand. "Lily Williams." She shook hands with Frisk. I offered my hand and she took it, but stopped mid shake. "You really are nothing but bones. How does that work?"

I shrugged. "I'm a monster."

Agent Niagra was next. "Larry Rivera." We shook hands, and he didn't look the least bit perturbed. A good thing if he wanted to work with Asriel.

Agent Franklin held out a hand and Frisk knocked it away to hug him. "James! Long time, no see!"

He hugged her back, lifting her a little. "How's it going, Frisk?"

"Pretty good." She turned to me. "This is James Foster. We were in the same class in high school and in the same group in Basic."

He shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Bones." He looked at Frisk. "How's your mom?"

"Enjoying her early retirement. She went to Japan a few months ago with a tourist group. How's the wife and kids?"

"Karen's happy I'm in a less life threatening job. Though I might have to amend that if I have to train with you everyday. Grace just got her license-"

"Lord have mercy."

"I know. And James Jr. starts high school this fall. Do you get to see anyone else from the old squad?"

"Oh yeah! Chris works here in development and I go out with Cindy at least once a month for lunch."

I looked up at the observation windows and saw Paps standing there, studying us, hands behind his back. I fought the urge to mimic him.

"Who's that?" Agent Tahoma asked, indicating Paps.

"My brother, Papyrus."

"Is his right eye always shut?"

I nodded.

"And you always look half asleep?"

"Always."

"And one eyed?"

I cocked my head at her and then pointed at my eye sockets. "I can see out of both eye sockets, but I only have a visible pupil in the left."

"Why?"

Her guileless curiosity pushed the old need to teach my assistants forward. I put my hands behind my back, standing tall, right eye socket closing. "It's the result of an accident many years ago. I'm lucky, most other versions of me did not technically survive."

Undyne punched my shoulder. "You're doing it again!"

I blinked at her and looked up at Papyrus. He was gone. "Yeah. I need to stop that." I turned to Alphys. "Hey Alphys. I need to talk to you. Got a minute?"

The lizard woman nodded and followed me out the door. We headed to her office and I leaned on the edge of her desk, hands in my pockets. "I want to see your papers on the Determination Matrices."

She blinked, opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it. Went to say something else and thought better of that too. She settled for, "Why?"

"The badges we found on the impostor Frisks have a small piece of the void contained within them. Paps and I think that's how they were able to hop dimensions. We want to make one of our own, but getting a piece of the void to put into a vessel will require a lot of power. I'm hoping the matrices will provide the equations I need to build enough power for the experiment."

"Building power off of Determination...? Yeah. I think that'll work." She opened a closet and dug around, tail swishing back and forth. She pulled out a box and handed it to me. "Everything about Determination and the matrices are in here."

I hefted the box up to one shoulder. "Thank you." I looked back at the closet and the boxes and boxes of files. "I'm glad we've picked up an archivist. It looks like you'll need it."

Alphys nodded with a very relieved look on her face. "She starts in here next week."

"Don't nerd out on her too hard."

Embarrassed, she grabbed the sides of her face. "Oh my gosh! Am I that bad?"

I smiled. "Only when it's something you're really interested in. Thanks again." I winked at her and she pushed me out the door, her face flushed with annoyance.

Not willing to walk all the way across the facility to get to my garage, I took a quick look in Frisk's office, found it empty, and camped out at the small table she used for meetings. Digging through the box was a pain. I spread the contents across the table and started reading, absorbing every last detail. Snagging a pen and paper from Frisk's desk, I started calculating, using magic to visualize the equations as I worked through them.

"What is he doing?"

"Whatever it is, he shouldn't be doing it in my office. Come on. The tour goes this way."

A little while later I noticed a bottle of Tabasco sauce set in front of me. The hallway was dark. How long had I been at this? The matrix was breaking. The equation couldn't hold the power I needed. The magic collapsed and I threw the pen across the room. Grabbing the bottle, I ripped the top off and chugged it.

"Did he just chug an entire bottle of hot sauce?"

"Yes. Yes he did."

"And that's normal?"

"For a Sans, yes. They all have their condiment of choice. The original swills ketchup like it's going out of style."

I looked over at Frisk and Agent Tahoma, both behind the desk, looking over paper records. "I need to go to the Core."

Frisk dropped the file in her hand, the paper falling all over the floor. "What?"

"I need to go to the Core."

"Who are you and what have you done with my Sans?"

Tahoma scooped up the papers. "What's the Core?"

"The facility that provides electricity to the Underground," I said.

"Okay. So, why is going to a power plant bad?"

"Remember when I mentioned an accident earlier? That's where it happened. And if I'm going to figure this out, that's where I need to go." I held out the paper full of equations to Frisk. "You're going to need to give that to me when we get there."

Frisk glanced at it before carefully folding it and placing it in the interior pocket of her jacket. "So what am I telling you when we get there?"

"Tell me that I need to replicate the badge we found and the equations on the sheet aren't giving me the necessary power to do it. We'll grab the badge from Papyrus in the morning."

"I'm missing a huge chunk of this conversation, aren't I?" Tahoma asked.

I snorted. "Once upon a time, there was a Dr. Wing Dings Gaster and he created the Core. An experiment gone awry caused him to fall into the Core reactor. And Papyrus and I climbed out. If I go down to the Core reactor levels, I become my 'old self.' Doing that will let me figure out what I'm doing wrong in the equations since Gaster doesn't think the same way I do."

"Can I come along? I've never been to the Underground. Not even as a tourist."

I blinked at her a few times. "Uh, sure. But you won't be able to go into the basement levels of the Core with us. I might become too interested in experimenting on a new human subject to concentrate on the paper if you're there. I'll ask Paps if he wants to come along. He's makes a great tour guide. He might even take you all the way out to the Ruins to see Asriel's old place."

She looked at Frisk. "You aren't worried about him experimenting on you?"

"I'm used to dealing with him when he's 'under the influence.' Usually he picks up where ever he's left off the last time we were in the Core."

"All right then. Meet you here at 0800?"

I nodded and she headed into the dark hall. I looked at the papers on Frisk's desk. "Need a hand?"

She shook her head. "I'm good."

I picked up Alphys records and put them back in the box before putting it on my shoulder and heading out the door. I stopped a little down the hall way and backed up. Leaning backwards, I looked in the office. "Good night, Sunflower."

She smiled at me. "Good night."

The next morning, Papyrus was bouncing with excitement. "I CANNOT WAIT TO GIVE AGENT TAHOMA A TOUR OF THE UNDERGROUND!"

"Really looking forward to it, huh?"

"I WAS HOPING FOR A CHANCE TO GO ANYWAY SINCE I WANT TO VISIT OUR OLD CABIN AND DIG THROUGH MY PUZZLE BOOKS."

I smiled. I loved my brother's enthusiasm. It was like being bathed in sunshine. Agent Tahoma and Agent Niagra were both waiting outside Frisk's office. I pointed at the office door.

"She's on the phone, but, man! It's a weird conversation," Agent Niagra said.

I took a quick listen. "Oh. She's talking to Red's Frisk." I stepped away. "That's not a conversation I should listen too."

"You're not saying that because eavesdropping is rude."

"Nope. If I listen in, I am likely to hear something that will make me portal to Red's place and beat the hell out of a few people."

"THINGS ARE... NOT NICE THERE. ARE YOU COMING WITH US, AGENT NIAGRA?"

"If you don't mind. I've only been to the Underground as a tourist."

"WELCOME ABOARD!"

Frisk hung up the phone and came out. "Ready, everyone?

"Yeah," I said. "Is the kiddo doing all right?"

She rolled her eyes. "She knows how to handle her brothers, Bones. It was just the weekly call in. She's starting to grow a mean, devious streak. She traded out Red's mustard for some super spicy stuff when he wasn't looking."

I snorted. "I can't save her if she's actively trying to commit suicide." I handed Frisk the badge and she stowed it in the same pocket as my notes. "Everyone ready?"

Papyrus drove us over to the path that lead down into the Underground. The crowd for tours was pretty big today and we walked around to the staff entrance. Dogamy and Dogaressa let us in and we descended into the Underground. Papyrus went off with the rookies while Frisk and I took an elevator into the basement levels of the Core.

I could feel it pulling at me and resisted it as we went into my old office. I sat down at my desk and Frisk sat in a chair on the other side. Rather than fighting off the pull, I let it creep up over me. It was a far more pleasant feeling than I expected.

xxx

My desk was dusty. This was expected, but still shocking. I was never sure how long I was going to be away. I deduced a while ago that I became a completely different person when I left the Core and he decided when or if I came back. The amount of dust indicated that this other self avoided being me. It would have been fascinating to study had it been someone else's condition. I found it rather annoying.

I stood, removing my jacket and clucking at the lack of other clothing. Opening the closet, I pulled on one of my black turtlenecks, always very soft, and a lab coat over that. The lab coat was the wrong size, which was expected. I was considerably shorter after the accident. I looked at myself in the small mirror inside the door of the closet. I was unsure if I would ever get used to seeing this face and thinking of it as my own.

A soft rustling of fabric caught my attention and I realized that I was not alone. My embarrassment at having dressed in front of a stranger was quickly replaced with a very personal annoyance. How had I not noticed someone who had been sitting directly in front of me? I looked over. Oh. That was why.

My favorite test subject was waiting, a patient smile on her face. For reasons I never fully understood, I relaxed completely in her presence. It made the small bit of work I could do during these brief moments easier. I walked over and gently touched her face. She leaned her head slightly into my hand, placing her hand over mine. So fascinating. In the years since meeting her, she had not once turned away my skeletal touch. Her face remained the same when I pulled back, but a hint of dolefulness touched her eyes. A thought came sudden and fierce.

"You are why my other self does not like to return here."

She shook her head and that voice of hers wrapped around me. "No. You know that like this, you aren't whole. You spent so long trying to become whole again, that you became someone else. And large portions of those memories pain you."

Another thought occurred to me and I stopped myself from voicing it. It would not have been fair and I did not want that passing sorrow to come to her more fully. I changed topics in order to speed things along and get down to work. "Usually these times happen by accident. We're here intentionally this time, correct?"

"Yes."

I walked around my desk and sat down. "Well then. What am I so incapable of handling outside of the Core that being inside makes a difference?"

She pulled a neatly folded piece of paper and a strange black and green badge out of the interior pocket of her jacket. "This. You found two of these badges on other versions of myself trying to collapse an entire dimension. You need to replicate the badge you found and the equations on the sheet aren't giving you the necessary power to do it."

I looked at the badge. "There is a sliver of the void in this. Very interesting. Likely to produce the ability to travel between dimensions though it would need someone to guide the actual travel." I unfolded the paper and looked at the equations. It was jarring to see my own handwriting and not remember producing it. I lifted my left hand and used magic to summon a model of equation matrix, turning it while I followed the notes. "These are Dr. Alphys Determination models."

"You remember them?"

"Yes. Thank you for showing them to me the last time we were here." I watched the equations collapse. I ran them again, watching the numbers fall. "Ah. That would be the problem."

She leaned forward in the chair. "You found the mistake?"

I smiled. "There is no mistake. The Determination Matrices Dr. Alphys isolated are incapable of producing the necessary power to slice off a piece of the void. That kind of power requires the soul with the most Determination." I stood and held out my hand. "Shall we try it?"

She took my hand, not the least bit hesitant, and a thrum went up my spine. I wonder if she trusts anyone else this much? I led her into the lab behind the office and directed her to lay on the couch.

I looked around, perturbed. "I could really use a lab assistant about now."

"But then you wouldn't have me all to yourself."

That enjoyable thrum went up my spine again and I sighed. "Am I that transparent?"

"You're not afraid of rejection."

That thought came to me again and I shooed it off. I placed a stool next to the couch and took her left hand with my right. "If at any point you feel discomfort or pain, say so immediately. Do not attempt to tough it out."

"Understood."

"Good." I unzipped her jacket and unbuttoned her dress shirt with my left hand. I gently placed a bony finger at the top of her sternum and slowly moved down until I felt her soul. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and I turned her soul blue, lifting it from her body. She shivered, holding tightly to my hand, and then relaxed. I was struck again by how deeply she trusted me and it washed over me in a deeply pleasurable sensation. As much as I wished to do otherwise, I ignored it. Indulging in it might bring a sudden onset of... well. Moving on. I examined the Determination in her soul, building a matrix around it, gently tugging at its power. The equations were very similar to the ones Dr. Alphys had derived. Fascinating!

I turned them faster, speeding the process, building a matrix that would generate enough power to take a piece of the void.

"STOP!"

I let the matrix completely collapse and looked down. Her eyes were heavy lidded and she was only vaguely conscious. A hologram of Prince Chara stood by her shoulder.

"It's too much," the A.I. said. It sat down, cross legged, on her shoulder. "You started pulling on her memories and personality. She lost the ability to tell you she was in danger."

I squeezed her hand and her eyes closed completely, breath evening out. I looked at her soul for a moment, running a boney finger along the edge. Her breath caught and her back arched softly, a light flush coming to her cheeks. I gently placed her soul back inside of her and lifted her into my arms. Shifting to the couch, I tucked her head under my chin, listening to her breath. "I was only half way to the power I would need. Someone killed one or more of the many versions of her in order to make the badges." I looked at the hologram. "I am not pleased at the thought that some version of me has willingly done this." I petted her hair and earned myself a contented sigh as she slept. "Is she all right?"

Chara nodded. "It took a lot out of her. Some sleep and some food will set her to rights. We'll need to head back to the surface soon."

I settled back against the couch. "But not too soon." Using a little magic, I summoned pen, paper, and clipboard from a nearby table to write a letter to myself.

Chara leaned over. "What language is that?"

"The one you understand when I speak, though I believe it is merely a benefit of Frisk's ability to understand me, rather than your own." I folded the letter neatly and set it aside. I looked down at her. Her dress shirt was still open. I reluctantly buttoned it shut. "I suppose I can't delay too much longer." I stroked the side of her neck.

Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at me, putting a hand on my chest. "Did you manage it?"

I shook my head. "There is no way to make it work without destroying your soul in the process."

She moved to stand and I stopped her, holding her hand to my sternum.

"I put you in grave danger and it was only Chara's intervention that kept you safe."

She smiled. "I doubt you would have gone too far. Thank you for being honest with me." She leaned in and kissed my nasal bone.

I let go of her hand and helped her stand. She headed back to the office.

"For a moment there, I thought you were going to put her on her back," Chara said.

"So did I." I looked at the hologram. "But you make for a fabulous third wheel."

He crossed his arms over his chest, nose up. "And thank goodness for that." He looked at me, eyes annoyed. "I just would have gone dark for a bit."

"You should not tell me such things. They are a little too encouraging." I grabbed the letter and followed her. I swapped my lab coat for the leather bomber jacket. I did like it. It suited my current body. Though I wished my other self would feel the need to wear a bit more. I left the turtle neck on. I wasn't sure it would make a point to myself, but I could try. I handed her the letter. "Give that to me when I'm him again."

"Any special instructions?"

"Do not attempt to convince him to try the same thing again."

"I won't." She rubbed her head.

"Headache?"

"Just from hunger."

"Let us go then." I escorted her out the door and to the elevator.

xxx

Three hamburgers, five hot dogs, and a massive basket of fries later, Frisk was finally starting to look full. We were sitting at one of my old hot dog stands, manned now by one of the monsters who still lived in the underground.

"Better?"

She nodded and wiped her face.

"I wasn't too bad this time, was I?"

"You always ask and I always tell you that you were fine. Stop worrying about it." She handed me a letter. "Here. You wrote this for yourself."

I read it twice. "*oh."

The letter was pulled out of my hand.

"Hey!" I turned around to see my brother and Agents Niagra and Tahoma.

Papyrus smiled. "WHAT HAVE WE HERE, MY BROTHER?" He read the letter and his face fell. He re-read it. "SANS! YOU LAZY BONES! I DEMAND YOU FIX THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

I relaxed and smiled. "Okay."

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM!"

"Okay."

"FINE. I'M CHANGING TACTICS."

"Okay."

He turned to Frisk. "I HOPE YOU ARE FEELING BETTER. MY BROTHER IS LESS THAN SKILLED WHEN IT COMES TO SEEING TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS."

I glared at him and got a smug smile in response.

"I'm fine, Papyrus."

"BUT I ONLY KNOW THAT BECAUSE OUR 'FATHER' IS SO GOOD AT TAKING CARE OF HIS FAVORITE TEST SUBJECT." He wagged a finger in the air. "THOUGH THE LAB IS NO PLACE FOR COMFORT. I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE YOU WILL ASK ME TO TAKE YOU TO THE CORE INSTEAD."

I stood up. "That tears it!"

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

Frisk laughed and turned to the Agents. "Did you two enjoy the tour?"

"Yeah!" Tahoma said. "Does everyone down here know you? Seriously. Everyone who saw Papyrus asked about you. That bag he's got on his arm is filled with stuff monsters wanted him to give to you."

"AH YES. IT IS NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE SINCE FRISK DECLINED TO BE OUR AMBASSADOR, BUT SHE IS THE ONE WHO DESTROYED THE BARRIER."

Both Agents stared at her.

She shrugged. "There was a $100K pay check waiting for me on the other side. It was very motivating."

"You were paid to open the barrier?" Niagra asked.

"No. I was paid to investigate the disappearances of several people." She took a quick sip of water.

"Did you find them?" Tahoma asked.

"I found two of them. Their souls were among the ones collected by King Asgore and they helped me open the barrier."

"Just like that?"

"Not really. It was quite an adventure up to that point." She held up a hand and started counting down using her fingers. "First, I had to learn to live with an annoying A.I. in my head after nearly dying from the fall. Then I had to date Papyrus. He dumped me."

"I APOLOGIZE! BUT I CANNOT MATCH THE INTENSITY OF YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME!"

Frisk rolled her eyes. "My heart will go on, Paps. I had to convince Undyne to become besties while she was trying to murder me. I had to pretend that I didn't smell a plot miles away while dodging Mettaton's super villain attempts to kill me on live tv."

"The song and dance number was strange, even for him," I said.

Frisk nodded. "Then I helped Undyne and Papyrus find out what Alphys had hidden in the True Lab." She took another sip of water. "After that, I roughed up Asgore enough that he was willing to let us take the souls and attempt to open the barrier." She shrugged. "And here we are."

"She's really leaving out all the good parts," I said.

"Do you mean when you stacked hot dogs on my head at the stand over there?" She pointed. "Or do you mean when you were pretending to sleep through Undyne chasing me down as I ran past your station?"

I looked at the Agents. "Her record is 30 hot dogs and she totally had Undyne under control."

"Yeah. Because ignoring my training while a homicidal fish woman is trying to kill me is totally easy."

"Tibia-honest, I was worried you would just leave her there after she passed out."

She groaned at my joke and stood. "Ready to head home?"

I nodded and we headed to the surface while the Agents pelted Frisk with questions about her adventure. Papyrus eventually took over the question answering and she fell back to walk with me.

"You look good in black."

I looked down at the turtle neck I was wearing. I must have put it on in the lab. "Thanks. Do you have any plans for tonight?"

She shook her head.

"Would you like to go out to Cherry Springs for some stargazing tonight?"

She smiled. "Sure. Are you driving?"

"Of course."

"I'll meet you in the garage after sun down."

Back at the facility I returned Alphys files to her before getting cleaned up and heading over to the garage. Red's Frisk came shooting by on a scooter, Flowey hanging onto her shoulder for dear life. "Huh. She dyed her hair. Flame red suits her." I whistled, loud and sharp, and she screeched to a stop, turning, and coming back slowly. I ruffled her hair.

Agent Franklin came running up after her and stopped short in front of me. "How did you do that? I've been trying to get her to stop all day! And I know Frisk doesn't have any kids, so why does she look like a miniature version of her?"

The kiddo put an arm around me, resting her hand on my pelvis. I rested my arm on her head. "This is a Frisk from another dimension. And most Frisks will stop when a Sans calls them. Whatcha up to, kiddo? Besides running poor James here ragged."

"Just hanging. G dropped me off. Something about an anomaly back home. My brothers are handling it."

"Oh? He's been feeling a little more put together lately, huh?"

"Yep!"

"How are you holding up, Flowey?"

"Better now that I'm not flying towards my death." He turned to Agent Franklin. "I'm sorry Frisk's been such a terror! She's taking after her older brothers more and more everyday."

I ruffled the kid's hair again. "It's after eight. Go get washed up and into bed."

"Oh come on! I'm twelve years old! Can't I stay up later?"

I let both eye sockets go completely dark. "No arguments."

"Going." She turned and slowly wheeled herself down the hall. "Night, Sans."

"Good night, kiddo."

"That eye thing was scary. Wish I could pull it off with my kids." He looked after Frisk. "So where is she staying for the night?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes she crashes in Paps bed and sometimes she stays on Frisk's couch. Which ever she feels like. Probably Paps since I'm taking Frisk out tonight."

"You two been dating long?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh, it's not like that."

"Really? What are you two doing?"

"Stargazing."

Agent Franklin laughed. "Not dating, huh? Stargazing is what my wife would call romantic." He headed down the hall. "Night, Bones. "

I sighed. "Good Night."

I headed down the hall and unlocked a special door at the end. I flipped on the light and looked around my garage. More than my room, this was my place: my skele-cave filled with muscle cars, classic oldies music, and more neon than the Vegas Strip. I opened a cabinet, pulled out a bottle of Mad Dog 357, and drank it while I perused the cars. Picking a car for a ride was always hard, but there was a process of elimination. The Hornet was cool, but still needed work. It's engine was making that noise again. The Plymouth Road Runner needed new lights. Not good for night driving. The Camaro? Always a good choice. I flipped the jukebox on and gave the Camaro a good wipe down while I waited for the sun to set.

Frisk knocked before coming in, closing the door behind her. She was wearing one of her intensely feminine linen and lace dresses. This one was in a very light lilac with a light sweater over it to cover bare shoulders. Her picnic blanket was folded over her arm. I opened the car door for her with a flourish.

"Ooh. The Camaro! So when am I going to get a ride in the Hornet?"

I smiled. "Once I get the Hornet's engine cleaned up, you'll get the first ride."

She settled in the seat and buckled while I slid into the driver's side and drove us out to Cherry Springs. A few other cars were in the lot, but we didn't have to hike far to find a nice place to ourselves away from the families out camping. Frisk spread her blanket out on the side of a hill and sat down, eyes on the sky. I laid down, hands behind my head, tracking a satellite as it moved across the star field.

"Are you going to tell me what had Papyrus so upset? He passed it off as a joke, but even you were put off by the letter."

I looked over at her, and found her still watching the sky. "Yeah. I guess I wouldn't tell you what the letter said before leaving the Core."

"But I can guess what it said."

I frowned and sat up, putting my right hand over her left. Frisk looked at me and my courage instantly dried up.

I pulled my hand away. "Sorry."

"Bonehead." Frisk lifted her skirt a little to straddle my legs and leaned into me, effectively blocking escape. "I know you have a tendoncy to back off when you're worried I'll shoot you down, but, I'm not going to do this dance forever. So put your backbone into it and ask me."

"Heh." I shrugged into my chest. "Guess I'm not gettin' outta this one." I took a breath and looked at her. "Will you be my girl?"

She gave me a sly smile and backed off. She sat down next to me and went back to looking at the stars.

"Hey!"

Her eyes flicked to me for a second before she went back to stargazing still smiling.

I snorted and lay back, staring up at the stars. Frisk cuddled up to me, putting a hand on my sternum.

"I can't motivate you at all, can I?"

"Tibia-honest, I we've been seeing each other for a while now, whether I want to bone up to it or not. I guess I've just been waiting for you to tell me it was official."

"It's official."

"Good." I pulled her hand from my sternum to my skull and nuzzled her fingers. "Does this mean I get to see you naked?"

She punched me in the shoulder.