Welcome to Chapter Five. I hope you guys enjoy this! (It'll get better eventually...)
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
-mariahills-capsicle
Frankie was given hugs from both Toriel and Frisk, before they hurried back into their car.
"Tell Sans we're sorry we didn't come in." Toriel had said before they had reached their destination, "But it looks like we're going to be late for dinner at… umm…" Toriel trailed off, blushing. Frankie looked over at Frisk with a frown. Frisk grinned, and signed out: A-S-G-O-R-E
Ah. Frankie had sensed that something strange had gone on between the King and Queen of monsters, but it seemed like they were slowly reconciling, which Frisk seemed to think was adorable and hilarious all at once. Frankie lugged his bag of new clothes up the snowy sidewalk to the front door, which… was…. slightly ajar…
Terror clutched at Frankie's heart. He dropped the bag, and flung open the door. "Sans?! SA-"
"Watch out, kid!" A few worker men were just leaving, and nearly crashed into the poor skeleton when he'd yanked the door open.
"S-sorry." Frankie murmured.
"Frankie!" There was utter relief in Sans' voice, but he quickly corrected it to a smile. "Uh… did ya… did ya have a fun time with Tori and Frisk?"
"Yeah." Frankie nodded, but he didn't say much else. Sans seemed nervous and a little distant.
"Look." He said, gesturing towards where the old blanket that blocked out the cold had once hung. "Good as new." A brand new window was in it's place. Frankie nodded approvingly.
"I… I've got to get my bag." He said. He hurried outside, leaving what felt like a ridiculously stuffy room. Something was wrong with Sans. But what? Had Frankie done something, or was Sans just feeling the burden that Frankie would inevitably put on him? I love Sans, and I love his family and friends. I don't want to leave. If… Maybe if I just don't bother him so much.
He was determined not to talk to Sans, not unless Sans addressed him first. He didn't want to bother the older skeleton. Besides, Sans seemed to have enough on his mind anyways. Frankie sat down on Sans' front step and watched as the workmen crossed the street to where they had parked their truck. It was beginning to snow again. But Frankie didn't want to go back inside. Seeing Sans' door ajar nearly gave him a heart attack. He didn't want to relive his parents' death. Maybe it was better to be on his own…
"Heya, kiddo." Sans had stepped out from the house and sat down next to Frankie. They sat there for a long moment in silence. Then Sans sighed. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Frankie shrugged, trying to avoid bothering Sans.
"I'm glad you're home, Frankie." Sans said. "It was getting…. kind of bonely here with you gone." Frankie looked up, with a laugh.
"Your puns are terrible."
"I know…" Sans laughed. "Papyrus hates them." Then suddenly, he was done. His smile was gone, and he sighed, bowing his head. It was as if he didn't want to remember Papyrus at all. Frankie looked away. Despite Sans' terrible puns, he still couldn't erase the fear of that moment- walking up the sidewalk and seeing the door open. What if… whoever did that to my parents just wants to hurt me? What if… what if they'll kill Sans and all my new friends too?
Of course, realistically, he knew it had just been a human who had come and killed his parents to make a point to all Monster supporters. His parents had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. If they hadn't been home, nothing would have happened. Well, maybe their apartment would have been ransacked, but… Frankie couldn't think logically now.
"Hey, Frankie." Sans said, a hand gently rested on Frankie's shoulder blade. "What's wrong?" Tears quickly filled Frankie's eye sockets.
"The door was open!" He whispered. "I thought-" He wasn't ready to tell Sans about his parents yet. "In my nightmare last night… the door was open and someone had come in…." He couldn't talk anymore. He was gasping for breath- almost hyperventilating.
"Hey, hey." Sans said. "It's going to be fine. It was just a dream. Nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I-I'm so-sorry!" Frankie gasped. "I don't- I- I don't want to b-bother you."
"Hey, kiddo. Trust me. I've got plenty of things to worry about, but that doesn't mean I can't worry about you."
"S-sans…." Frankie pulled the skeleton into a tight hug. "You're the best." His breathing had evened out, at last as he on tightly to Sans. He felt Sans stiffen, but the older skeleton returned the hug anyways.
The door was open… Frankie was standing in Sans' living room, the orange couch behind him. Before him was Sans' front door, and it was open.
"H-hello?" Frankie whispered. It was too dark to see very far ahead. "Sans?"
"Franklin." He spun around, expecting to see Sans, but… the shadow… it wasn't Sans. It was taller, thinner… And when it stepped forward Frankie saw that it was human. "You believe I took everything from you." It said.
"Y-you have." Frankie gasped.
"Are you so sure?" The human laughed, and Frankie backed up towards the open door. Would this be his future, on the run from this monster that plagued him? "Monsters still roam the streets, Franklin, and you know there are plenty of humans out there who desire nothing more than to have the earth to themselves- to destroy the monsters. To send them back to where they came from."
"You won't win!"
"What makes you so sure?" The human smiled.
"My-my friends are strong! S-sans, he's going to wake up any moment, and then… then you'll...y-you'll have a b-bad time!"
"Ah, Franklin, it's too bad that it's too late for your friends." What? "That's right, call out for them. Call for help." The human reached forward and grabbed his arm.
"SANS! SANS!" Frankie screamed. But nobody came.
"Do you know why they won't come? Sans is dead. They're all dead. And just like your parents, and it's your fault." The human hissed.
"NO!" The lights flashed and then turned on, and Frankie was alone with what was left of all his new friends. Bold red spray paint was spread across the wall: THIS WORLD IS OURS.
"Sans… Papyrus…" Frankie gasped, tears filling his eyes. "Where are you? Come back!"
But nobody came.
Frankie woke up, and this time it was with a sort of peace. He stared up at the ceiling above him in acceptance. So, this was how it was going to end? Only in pain and hurt, just like his parents. For a few days he had thought that maybe the surface world wasn't going to be the nightmare he had experienced in his first few months there. He thought he'd found someone who would change all that, and he'd made friends already. But it seemed that in this world there was no escaping those humans who would have them all killed. The human in his dream, he didn't know who it was but… but they had said this was his fault. He didn't want to leave Sans, or the others but… he couldn't watch them die. He didn't want the death of the others on his shoulders. He couldn't watch them die because of him. It was time to leave.
He pulled himself out of bed quietly, and quickly changed from his pajamas to his new sweater and pants. He pulled on his new boots, and new jacket and packed his backpack as quietly as he could. The clock on the stove in the kitchen read '2:00'. Sans wouldn't be awake for a long time. Frankie found an old note from Papyrus and a pencil. On the blank side of the note he wrote: 'Please don't follow me. I don't want to hurt anyone.' And then he carefully set it on his pillow.
Within fifteen minutes he was out of the house. In those minutes he wasn't able to think rationally, the little boy could only think of saving his friends, and this was the best way he knew how.
As much as Sans wanted to, he could not sleep. He glanced over at the unused alarm clock on his bedside table. 2:54 AM. He groaned, turning over onto his side, hoping to find some way to get comfortable. The sleep deprived skeleton tossed and turned for a bit. He was still trying to get the nightmare out of his head. Sans shuddered, and sat up. He may as well make himself a cup of coffee, since he wasn't going to be sleeping. Putting on his slippers, Sans slowly opened his door, and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, passing by Frankie's room on the way.
As much as Sans hated to admit it, he had taken quite the shine to the little guy. All the more to be torn away from me,He thinks to himself, but he didn't care this time. It was his choice; and he chose Frankie. So what if the kid won't remember him?
Sans pulls down a mug from the top cupboard, setting it gently on the counter, to avoid making loud noises. As the pot brewed, Sans thought about what he should do until Frankie wakes up. Perhaps he could distract himself with the TV again… that seemed to do the trick earlier that day- or, yesterday, actually.
The coffee had finished brewing, its bitter aroma filling the kitchen. Sans pours the black liquid into his mug. He doesn't much care for coffee, the taste had always been rather putrid to him, but at least it woke him up a bit.
And so he stood there, leaning against the counter, finishing off his cup. He poured himself another, and finished that one as well. Sans tapped the counter with his fingers, the clacking of bone on granite filling the house. He let out a long sigh, glancing over at the clock, it read 3:28 AM. He had barely passed any time at all. Great.
And there was surely no way he could fall asleep now, the coffee had already begun to wake him up. Another sigh. He shuffled over to the couch, sinking into the worn out cushions. He was about to reach for the remote, but then remembered he wasn't alone in the house. He had someone he needed to take care of. With that thought, his nonexistent heart fluttered with pride. He was doing something good for once.
The now smiling skeleton felt compelled to check on Frankie, just to make sure he's alright. It seemed that knowing the kid was okay would put Sans' mind at ease for once. With a smile still on his face, Sans walks down the hall to Frankie's room. Even his steps seem a little more upbeat. For the first time in nearly a year, Sans had a purpose- and everything felt perfect to him. The first thing Sans notices at Frankie's door, is the fact that the light is off.
Strange… He was so worried that I'd turn the light off last night… Sans' happiness turns to dread. With a, now shaking, hand, he reaches for the doorknob. The door creaks open, the darkness of the room seemed to consume him as he stepped inside. Sans felt for the lightswitch on the wall, fumbling a bit before switching it on.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, panic swept over Sans like a wave. With a quick glance, Frankie's bed was empty. Fear gripped Sans as he raced over to the bed, tearing off the covers with a single pull. Nothing. Sans' thoughts swirled in his mind, The kid must've gotten up already. Maybe he went to go find me. Maybe he was looking for me. Sans tried to reassure himself, but nothing happened. As he exits Frankie's room, he doesn't notice the little note on the pillow…
"Frankie?" Sans' voice echoes through the empty house. No response. An icy trickle of fear ran down the short skeleton's spine.
"Frankie!" No response. Sans felt numb, his hand fumbling for his phone in his pocket. without thinking, he dials Toriel, having difficulty doing so, due to the fact that his hands were shaking wildly. Ring…. Ring…. Ring… Finally, a groggy voice on the other side picks up,
"Hello?... Sans?"
Sans attempts to speak, but nothing comes out.
"Sans, it is... 4 AM. What is it?"
After mustering up some courage, Sans speaks, his voice shaky,
"H-have you seen Frankie?"
A pause.
"No. I have not. Sans? What is going on?"
"I- I don't know, Just… Just went to check on h-him and… and… he wasn't there. Tori… Tori I don't know what to do... I I-"
"Sans. Calm down, please. I will be over as soon as I can." Toriel's voice was surprisingly calm.
"Please… hurry…"
Click.
Sans set down his phone on the dining room table, making sure it wasn't on silent. The distressed skeleton shook as he gently eased himself into a chair. He found himself breathing heavily, staring down at his hands with hopeless eyes. Congratulations. You've failed everyone. You thought you could take care of a kid, and look where that got you. Frankie's probably dead now because of you. You goddamn idiot.
That was it. Sans couldn't take it any longer. Tears begin to well in his eyes, and before long, they spill over the edge. Violent sobs shook the skeleton in intervals of sorrowful tremors. It had been so long since he'd last cried. So long since he'd actually let his emotions get the best of him. This was too much.
He had failed. He failed. Sans was a failure. He had one task. And he failed it. He rested his elbows on the table, holding his skull in his hands as the tears flowed freely from his eye sockets. He lost track of time, his quiet weeping resonating through the house. A knock at the door.
Sans stiffly rose from the chair, trying to wipe away his tears as best he could. With each step, he felt more and more dread take hold of him. With a trembling hand, he opened the door to reveal a sleep deprived Toriel. She wore a nightgown with a floral pattern, a long blue coat over top of it. At the sight of Sans, her tired expression grew into a worried one.
Sans looked terrible. His eyes were dark, and underneath them, darker circles were forming. Although Sans had taken care into not letting anyone know he'd been crying, Toriel could tell. He stood there, trembling before her, looking up at her with a pleading expression.
"Sans…" Toriel began, "What has happened?" Toriel places a soft hand on Sans' shoulder. Sans winces.
"T-Tori… I…" But that was all he could say, before tears overtook him once more. All of the times he didn't cry, now pouring out of his eyes like an open faucet. Toriel couldn't think of anything to do but embrace the crying skeleton, her heart aching for him.
"Sans… It is alr-"
"I failed, Tori… I… It's all my fault. I'm s-such an idiot." Sans cut her off, stammering through his tears. Toriel had never seen him like this before, he always seemed so collected and calm and humerous. This was the side of Sans that no one had seen. The side of Sans that he never let anyone see.
"Sans. You are not an idiot… what is your fault, Sans? What are you talking about?"
It was a long while before the short skeleton replied,
"F-Frankie's gone. He's gone,Tori. It's all my fault… I-I went to go check on him… and he was…" Sans trails off, another wave of sobs taking over. Toriel gives him a gentle, reassuring pat on the back.
"It is not your fault Sans. Do you know where he could have gone?" Sans pulled away from Toriel's embrace, unable to look her in the eyes. He shook his head.
Sans collects himself, forcing himself to smile. That was what he always did anyways, smile and pretend nothing bad had happened. It came naturally to him. He needed to check again. He needed to go back to Frankie's room and check one more time. He needed to make sure this was even real. With his luck, this could just be another nightmare. He clears his throat,
"I'm gonna check his room again." Sans is surprised with how steady his voice is, but then again, his experience in acting allows for this sort of thing. Toriel nods, following him as he made his way back down the hall. Despite the window being fixed, Sans could still feel a cold breeze run through the house. As the skeleton walks into the room, he stiffens. He hadn't dreamed this…
The covers of Frankie's bed were still thrown off, just as Sans had left them. Sans' head was a bit clearer than it had been when he first walked in. The first thing he noticed now, was that the little backpack Frankie always kept with him was missing. He dashes over to the dresser. Empty. So Frankie wasn't taken… he'd left. That was it.
"Sans." Toriel's voice was soft. Almost too soft. She's standing over Frankie's bed, something in her hands. Dread. Whatever's about to happen, isn't going to be good. Sans cautiously walks over to her. She was holding a small piece of paper, she handed it over to him.
Please don't follow me. I don't want to hurt anyone. Sans stared down in confusion at the note. If Frankie wanted to be left alone, Sans sure as hell was going to leave him alone. Besides, Isn't this good? Isn't this what Sans needed? He needed to stop caring, this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so.
But Sans couldn't stop caring. As much as he screamed to just leave the kid, he couldn't. The world is a dangerous place for monsters, and Frankie was walking into a battlefield without a weapon. The skeleton looked up at Toriel, who stared down at him with a concerned look in her amber eyes.
"We need to find him, Tori. I don't know why he left, and I'm sure he had a reason… but we need to find him."
Toriel nodded.
"Of course. It is much too dangerous for him to be alone out there…"
Sans let out a weak chuckle,
"Where do we even begin to look?"
Toriel thought about this for a moment.
"We are going to need some help. I'm sure Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys would be happy to. I should probably tell Frisk what's going on… They're not going to be happy…"
Everyone showed up almost immediately, Papyrus in his bright red convertible, which he insisted on keeping the cover off of because it's more 'cool', Alphys and Undyne arrived shortly afterwards, still in their pajamas. Toriel told Asgore to watch Frisk while they were searching, much to Frisk's disappointment. The search party was ready.
Papyrus offered to take Sans, to peruse the city in his car, since Sans had never ridden in it before. Sans refused, deciding he'd better go on foot. The search was underway. Alphys and Undyne, of course, stuck together. Toriel decided to go with Papyrus, but was reluctant to leave Sans by himself.
The short skeleton walked down the icy sidewalk, glancing around for any sign of Frankie. Sans had noticed small boot-prints, but since it had begun to snow again, they were slowly being covered up. It was still dark out, but the dim streetlamps allowed for some visibility. The snow came down in giant white flakes, a wind had picked up as well, sending the flakes spiraling around Sans.
He continued walking. Nothing. He helplessly looked around, his typical smile locked firmly in a frown. He called out,
"Frankie?!"
But nobody came.
He keeps going. His eye sockets firmly glued to the ground as he slowly walks along the darkened sidewalk. The sound of his slippers pressing into the snow is the only sound, it echoes through the sleeping neighborhood. Suddenly something catches Sans' eye.
About 10 feet in front of him, something lay on the ground. He keeps the same pace, approaching the object. He freezes. On the ground…
is a little red scarf...
REVIEWS FOR CHAPTERS THREE AND FOUR:
StarBee24: loving this! Don't see to many stories like update soon. It would be...Sans-sational XD
You might even call it sans-tastic. ;) Thanks so much for reading! We're gonna try and update every three days.
and also for Ch. 4: Bad nightmares! Bad nightmares! Leave them alone!
My cousin would probably like to inform you that it's only gonna get worse. But fear not! I shall be the voice of hope and say: After it gets worse it'll get better. :)
Guest: Wow so much sadness! Try to add a slight bit of happiness to some of these please. Although it is still absolutely amazing. Update soon and Thank you for your time.
Firstly... I'd like to say, I am so sorry. (That is my cousin) Once again I shall be the voice of hope. IT WILL GET BETTER! I PROMISE. *sobs softly* ...after it gets worse...
GenuineGreenTea: I LOVE this fanfiction! It probably the best I've read in a while. (And I've read more than a few.) please keep updating!
Aww! So glad you like it! We'll try our best to update every three days! It might be hard to keep up. :)
ERODE: this is a really good fanfiction :)
Thanks! :D
Thank you all so much for reviewing! It's very encouraging. :)