Sans watched Riley intently, watching over her like she was a precious gem- which to him, she was. He loved her with all his soul, and he needed to make sure she was safe and comfortable at all the times. Ever since the incident, he never once let her out of his sight, for fear that she gets hurt.
It had been several weeks since then, and her bruises were nearly gone. The doctor told him to keep her off her feet because of her ribs, and he took that to heart immediately. He did everything for her- and was happy doing it. If it wasn't for her, who knows where he'd be now. His episodes have become less frequent and the voice hadn't spoken up in quite some time. But maybe that was because he was so focused on other things.
Where his fear of resets had faded momentarily- the fear for his family grew. He knows everyone he loves is in danger constantly, and he feels as if it's his job to protect them. Red X is still out there, he just took down one of the main branches. Crime against monster-kind had gone down almost overnight with the arrest of their leaders. Though that didn't quell Sans' worry, he was still afraid- and angry. With every new news report pertaining to Red X, he felt a tinge of rage in his soul. But he controls it. For Riley. For Frankie. For Papyrus.
Right now, he was sitting next to Riley on the couch. She had fallen asleep moments ago, watching some sort of anime that Sans took no interest in. He holds her close, gently brushing a lock of red hair out of her face. She had been so broken, and seeing her heal so fast was a relief to him. He never wants anything like that to happen to her ever again. Sans doesn't dare move, allowing her to rest as much as she can.
Frankie and Papyrus were already in bed, and it was getting pretty late. He glances at the clock, it read 1:12AM. He sighs, knowing he should probably get some rest too. As soon as he closes his eyes however, memories of seeing Riley broken and mangled flood through his mind and he forces himself to stay awake. He must have shifted at some point, because his girlfriend blinks awake,
"...Sans…? What time's it…?" She mumbles, yawning.
"S'late, babe… go back to sleep…"
"Aren't you gonna go to sleep too…?"
"I'm fine. You should sleep."
"Sans… You need sleep…" She raises a hand, rubbing her thumb along the dark circles beneath his eye sockets, "I can tell you're tired…"
"I'm fine."
"You keep saying that… and I know you're not…" She frowns, taking his hand in hers. "I'm not going back to sleep until you do."
"Riley-"
"Sans." She shakes her head, "I mean it. You can't force yourself to stay awake like this… it's not healthy."
"You're really stubborn, you know that…?" He chuckles a little. She smiles,
"Yes I do. Now sleep…? Please?" He hesitates, then nods.
"Alright… I'll sleep." She grins, nuzzling him gently,
"Thank you…" As she drifts off to sleep once more, he does too- although his sleep was fitful and full of nightmares, it was much needed.
"And you're sure you don't need anything?" Sans asked Riley, who lay next to him in bed. Riley sighs,
"Sans. Go to sleep."
"You'll wake me if you need anything?" Riley rolls her eyes, a few more weeks had passed and he was still being overprotective. As much as she appreciated it, he was really persistent.
"Yes, Sans." The skeleton mumbles something in reply, letting out a yawn as he wraps an arm around Riley's waist. That's right, Sans. Go to sleep.
Soon, her boyfriend had drifted off, snoring lightly. Alright. Now I just have to- she slowly eases his arm out of its place, he stirs, but doesn't wake up. Riley lets out a sigh of relief.
Just 5 minutes alone- that's all I need. She carefully sits up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stepping lightly on the carpet below. She stands fully, turning back to see Sans still asleep. Thank the stars.
"...where're you goin'?" A sleepy voice asks as she takes a step away from the bed. Crap. She turns slowly,
"Bathroom." She says simply. Sans makes a move to get up, "I. Am. Going. To. The. Bathroom." Riley says through clenched teeth, shooting a glare in Sans' direction. He gestures to her leg, which was wrapped in a thick cast, with a face that says 'in case you didn't notice, your leg is broken'.
The skeleton shrugs, pushing the covers off himself, "I can help jus-"
"No."
"Riley, I-"
"-Sans. The bathroom is 2 feet down the hall." He lets out a sigh,
"I know… Be careful?" Riley has just about had it, it's not like she's meaning to refuse his help- but he's making her feel helpless.
"What am I gonna do!? Fall in?!" She grumbles, crossing her arms. Sans frowns, "No- I just… I'm worried-"
"About what, sans?!"
"Losing you!" He raised his voice, looking up at Riley desperately. Riley gasps, any anger that she'd felt towards him a second ago had now vanished.
"I thought I lost you, Riley. I just… I just need to make sure you're okay…" Riley sits back down on the edge of the bed,
"Sans… I know you're worried, but…" She pauses, trying to find the words, "you're making me feel helpless… Like I can't do anything for myself. I'm sorry I snapped- it's just… Frustrating." Sans nods solemnly, putting a hand on her shoulder,
"I didn't realize… You can uh- go to the bathroom, heh." He chuckles lightly, "just uh- don't fall in, alright? I don't know if I'll be able to save you in time." Riley playfully punches his shoulder,
"Quiet, bonehead. I'll be back in a couple minutes." Sans nods, smiling now. Riley plants a kiss on the top of his skull before getting up to finally have some alone time.
Dear Frankie,
I'm sorry I've been writing less. Things have been so busy here. Dad's trying to put me in this really fancy school and I've had to take all these silly tests. I don't want to go to a private school. I want to go back home. Dad's working on his business. He's very excited. We're both excited by the news on the TV, though. They say all of Red X's leaders have been taken to prison. That's amazing! I'm sure we'll never have a big problem from them again! I'm so so sad to hear about your mom. I hope she gets better real quickly. Do you think your mom and dad will get married someday?! That would be really cool.
I'm sorry this letter is so short, I've been so busy this week.
I miss you. And I hope we can see each other soon.
Love,
Wren
Frankie had been at home the past few weeks helping his dad take care of his mom. He didn't mind it at all. He knew his mom needed help and he was happy to help her. Now, at last, his mom was well enough to move small distances on her own (though dad rarely let her) and she didn't need as much care as she had before. So Frankie decided it would be a good time to go to a friend's house. He called Toriel and asked if he could come over to play with Frisk for an afternoon. He was sure it would be alright with his dad and mom since it was Summer and there wasn't much else to do. So, he grabbed his new chess set (a gift from mom for his grades) and pulled on his shoes, heading towards the door.
"I'M GOING TO FRISK'S HOUSE!"
"WHAT?!" Sans' voice shouted. Frankie knew he had made a mistake when he heard the panic in his father's tone. The older skeleton dashed out from the kitchen, his eyes wide. "Where are you going?!"
"To Frisk's!" Frankie grinned, "Toriel said it was okay… I figured you'd be okay with it too."
"You're not walking there alone." Sans glared.
"Dad! It's like… a ten minute walk!" Frankie gasped, but he could see the terrible worry in his father's expression. Ever since the incident with Riley Sans had been so terrified that something else was going to happen- even though since all the leaders had been arrested there hadn't been a single Red X-claimed event.
"You're not going alone. It's too dangerous, Frankie." Sans frowned. "I can't have… this happen again. Okay?"
"Okay…" Frankie sighed.
"Uh… Paps!"
"YES, SANS?!" The tall skeleton shouted from the kitchen.
"What are you doing right now? Can you walk Frankie to Toriel and Asgore's house?"
"WHAT?! I'M SORRY, I CAN'T! I'M MAKING SPAGHETTI!" Sans' expression was pure panic now. Frankie knew that he felt helplessly torn. He didn't want to leave Riley, but… he didn't want Frankie to walk outside alone.
"I'll go with you." He said. Apparently he decided Riley was safe as long as she was inside. And with her injuries there was no way she would be going outside alone anytime soon.
"Okay! Cool!" Secretly, he was a little relieved his dad was coming with him. The quiet walk to Frisk's was never one he looked forward too. There could be so many things lurking beyond the corners.
Sans wakes up in the morning, feeling well rested. Riley was still asleep, leaning against him, and he smiles. Even though this life is broken and fractured- he feels happy. He feels happy being with her and living on the surface. He feels like he can do more, and live more than before. But a horrible feeling washes over him the second he starts believing he can have a life up here.
You think you can avoid resets, Sans? It always happens. You know this. Why do you lie to yourself? The truth is, he doesn't know why he lies to himself, Why he thinks he deserves a happy life. But there's always that one nagging thought in the back of his mind that says, 'what if it didn't? What if it didn't reset?'. But he has no way of knowing for sure. Hell, it could happen tomorrow- it could happen next year.
He had, during one reset, confronted Frisk about it. But the small human had no idea what he was talking about. He was so sure that Frisk had something to do with it, because the only thing that remained a constant throughout the resets was them. But it wasn't them… or at least, they didn't know about it. The only hint he got after that was the fact that they could remember him. But wouldn't they know of their ability to reset? Could they be doing it without knowing? If that was the case, what could Sans do to stop it?
It was easy enough for Sans to come up with one last solution. One that he'd put off for so many resets- but he was willing to try anything. Anything for Riley. Anything for Frankie. Anything for Papyrus. He knows what he has to do. He has to fix the machine.
REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER FORTY
aduralove: ok, love love LOVED THE DUNKAGE and the "It's not your fault." thing? OMFG THAT KILLED ME. I AM LIKE IN BED CRYING JOYUS TEARS RIGHT NOW ahhh... jeez I'd like to dunk my bullies and friends bullies like that. And I love the ending of the chapter.. suu... CUTEEEE! And the knock knock thing? Ge-ni-ous! and you keep talking about a twist I think? I have an I idea. Chara Red X. Or just Chara. Or some cooky crazy Red X thing. Dunno. 9999999/10 would read again
Oh my gosh! Awesome! We're so glad you loved that chapter! This chapter really is the turning point for Sans, and its extremely important because we see he's turning towards the better not because they're not worth it or whatever, but because he wants to do what's right for the people he loves. He's become extremely attached to this world, to these people, that the voice says he shouldn't be attached to. And that's important. The Knock knock thing was my cousin. She writes all of Sans' povs. It was pretty brilliant. lol. I really can't say anymore about the twist except that it's super super good! Awesome! Read it over and over! :D
DezyBear: I LOVED THIS CHAPTER! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT! PLEASE MAKE IT SOON3
Okay, it's one day later, but that's better than last time! We're getting better! :)
MachUPB: *Sees 'Le Reviews'.
*Light bulb appears above head.
Vous parlez en français? Je parle en français! J'aime beaucoup votre histoire.
Translation:
You speak french? I speak french! I like your story a lot.
(Note: Don't hold me up to speaking french, I'm not very fluent. Also, I didn't use a translator to write that. :) )
Great chapter. That satisfied all of my dunking needs and wants. And now that Sans isn't blaming himself, it's happy time! I think it's sweet how protective Sans is/will be. I look forward to the next chapter.
Oui! Un Petit peu... Merci beaucoup!
I took two quarters of French in 11th grade, so that was... two and a half years ago... I really should touch up. I can read French pretty well and understand it but its hard for me to remember things off the top of my head now. I'm definitely gonna have to look into working on it. I love French it's such a gorgeous language!
Yes! The dunkage was good! :) And I hope you liked this chapter. It definitely had a nice bit of fluff. 3
simba71999: Hey. I'm sans and Riley's hybrid son from the future! I wouldn't be here if Riley died. Also, in the future, red x still exists. but they are very scattered and unorganized.
lol... I don't know about hybrid... i'm not quite sure that's possible. But... Yes. Red X still exists in the future.
DragonCrescent13: Aww Sans. Good job for being the bigger man/monster. I am looking forward to some fluffy family bonding time with Sans, Riley, Frankie, and Papyrus. Maybe the other monsters could show up as well! :)
Yes! This chapter didn't have anyone else unfortunately, but pretty soon you all are going to get to meet Alphys and Undyne's baby boy! :D
Ciderstar LoD: Can't lie, it took a lot of will power no to scream with I saw chapter 40 was out. I thought it was a little short but writing can be hard sometimes. I plan to read some of the eariler chapters while waiting for chapter 41.
lol. that's amazing. Yeah... chapter forty was kind of short. We're going to try and get longer chapters going for you all... That's so amazing that you guys are actually rereading chapters. Of our fanfic! That's brilliant! My goodness, that's like the best compliment ever! :D
Cocoa the Wolf: I hate laws. I hate Red X. I hate villains getting their way. I hate that tHEY WERE RIGHT, OHMYGOD.
Oh, and is Riley based off of that mouse with a green hat and scarf in Snowdin? That was a huge change of subject.
But how did they get their way? The leader wanted nothing more than for Sans to kill them. If Sans had he would be making martyrs out of them. He would be proving that monsters are dangerous and Red X is right in discriminating against them, even hurting and killing them. Sans came out the better because he didn't give them what they wanted. Au contraire he proved to the world that monsters can do good! And, that was the exact opposite of what Red X wanted.
I don't believe we based Riley off of anything except what was in our heads. :) But that's cute. There's a little mouse Riley in Snowdin! Aw!
JustARandomGal: When I saw the chapter name I was like: 0_0 stuffs gunna go down... I was wondering... Is Sans ever going to approach Frisk about the resets?
Anyway thx for updating whenever I see that a new chapter is out im just like: OMGANEWCHAPTERITSGUNNABESOGOOD *clicks next chapter at the speed of light* lol i know I say this all the time but keep up the good work!
Well... you got your answer about that in this chapter. hehe. The twist is coming soon! :D
Yes! We try really hard to stay on schedule. We're getting closer to back into that groove now. We're one day off. Last time it was three days off. I hope next time we're right on time.
trvlsize23: You made me cry...can't tell if that's a good thing. Glad Red X got what they deserved...unless you know...there's more of somewhere...waiting...BUT ANYWAYS! Beautiful as always and full of those feels! Thank you!
Definitely a good thing. lol. Shh... secrets. Awesome! Thank *you*!
Ed's. Curious. Kitten: Yay! The family is back together! Keep it up!
Yas! And fluff times! :D
Guest: I have a feeling this instant the last of the Red-X
Well, it was the last of their leaders, that's for sure.
Harris: All I can say is... THIS WAS AWESOME! I'm glad Sans made the decision he did.
AWww! awesome! Same here. lol
Asriel: *froggy fresh intinsifies* CAUSE HE JUST GOT DUNKED ON AINT EVEN LYING MAN HE JUST GOT DUNKED ON YEP YEP HE WAS STANDING IN THE WAY SO I JUMPED UP IN THE AIR AND DUNKED IT ON HIS FACE. RED X ROLED ON GROUND CRYIŃ BIG POLICE LOOKED AT US AND HE SAID WHY IS RED CRYIŃ? CAUSE HE JUST GOT DUNKED ON...man I love the undernet I just feel nobody gets my asriwl oc... (Timeline jumper asriel made in the void runs from INFINATE sans...don't ask and has 11 forms...)
TRUTH. THEY JUST GOT DUNKED!
The Real ZadZap: I'll admit I was a good deal frustrated when it took forever for them to confess their feelings, I may have almost gone insane lol...anyway, this is a good fic regardless.
lol *everyone* was. Awesome! Thanks so much!
I guest as much: Boom! Red X got SO lucky, they don't even know how close they were to experiencing pain like nothing else.
Absolute Truth. Though i'm sure they're gonna be enjoying a nice long break in prison.
iamdaraptor: Hell yes I'm comparing it to Mockingjay. This scene reminds me of a lot of others in the book. Deal with it.
*Spoilers abound!*
When Peeta was seen on TV. When they were taking refuge in the shelters while the Capitol dropped bombs all over District Thirteen. When Peeta was out of whack and calling Katniss a mutt. When they were hiding in Tigris' basement.
These scenes had a lot of one thing: unbearable tension and anticipation. Heavy and dark foreshadowing. This fic basically gives me pretty much the same mix of dread and hype Mockingjay gave me. So thumbs up,ma bruhs. Ya gotta have some skillz to pull that off.
Also OMFG FINNNAAAALLYYYYYYYYYY. DING DONG THE TERRORISTS ARE BUSTED! Fuck I just realized I made another reference. Ah well. And poor Sans he's pretty messed up. Hope things get better for the skelefam. Can't wait for next update!
This is awesome! Wow. Amazing compliment. Amazing comparison, I can hardly believe it!
Yeah. I hope this chapter cheered you up! Lots of lovely fluffs! :)))
An Peepul: Yay! FINALLY chapter 40! (It's only been around 10 days. It's not that long) IT IS TO ME! Anyways, I'm glad Sans didn't kill Red X because if he did, then... bad stuff will happen.
Shhh! It was six! That's less than ten! That is true. It would not have ended well for any monsters if Sans had done that.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! They're so encouraging and we love to hear from you!
-MH_C