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Rain was pouring fully as Toriel ushered the children into the car, vainly wishing that Papyrus hadn't taken his own vehicle. She rapidly fumbled with the keys as she struggled to start the engine, hearing it whine again and again as it turned and failed every time. Toriel wanted to pound on the steering wheel in the hopes that it would start, desperately trying again as a tightness clenched her chest.

"Having some problems, Tori?"

Toriel jumped at the sound of Asgore's voice outside of the car, and she rolled down the window to see him standing beneath an umbrella. He was wearing a painfully bright pink sweater and a large, dopey grin, his yellow hair a little matted from the water.

"Asgore?" she frowned, looking through him. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he jabbed a thumb at the house behind him. "I moved in with Helen."

"God help us all," Toriel pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a quiet sigh. "What do you want Asgore? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"That car of yours is pretty loud. Couldn't help but notice that you're having a bit of trouble," he nodded toward the engine that refused to start. "With the car. In the rain. In the middle of the night. I could give you a lift, if you'd like."

Toriel looked back and forth between the engine and Asgore suspiciously, her eyes narrowed.

"We need to get to Alphys's house," Toriel explained hurriedly. "And quickly; Sans and the others might be in trouble."

"Oh," he noticed the children sitting silently in the back seat. "Don't worry, room for everyone. Hello, Frisk. Hello, Asriel."

"Hello, Mister Dreemur."

"Hi Dad."

"So are we gonna get this show on the road?" Asgore smiled. "I haven't seen Alphys in... in... uh..."

Asgore slowly, silently turned his head until he was looking Asriel square in the eyes, all of the color draining out of his face.

"... Oh my god."

"I'll explain on the way," Toriel was out of the car and dragging him along in mere moments. "We haven't any time to lose!"

"Oh my god," Asgore was shaking as she dragged him to his shining black car, the children following close behind in the rain. "Oh my god, Asriel!"

"It's okay, Dad," Asriel said sheepishly as they filed into Asgore's long black car, glad for the extra roomy seats as they buckled in with Toriel behind the wheel. "What's up with you moving in with Miss Helen though? That's weird."

"Weird," Asgore was turned around completely in the front seat, staring at his lost son. "Weird. You're-you're alive and that's what you're concerned with? Tori," he choked. "When-when were you planning on telling me this?"

Toriel shifted uncomfortably as she tore out of the driveway, unused to using a stick shift but quickly adapting.

"Eventually," she said at last with a hint of guilt, peering out through the pouring rain. "I... I was going to tell you eventually."

"Eventually," he repeated quietly, turning to sit and crossing his large arms. "My son – our son – is back from the dead, and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't exactly consider it 'top priority', Asgore," Toriel turned a tight corner so fast that they nearly went off the road.

"How?" he breathed, looking back at the kids in the rear view window. "How is this even possible? Is... is this real?"

"Alphys," Toriel said softly as she picked up speed, kicking up another gear. "Doctor Alphys and Sans saved him with an artificial body and replacement soul. I... I was going to tell you," she finished guiltily, her features softening as she glanced over at her ex. "I just... couldn't think of the right time, what with the potential end of the world coming. I was going to tell you, Asgore. I just... couldn't bring myself to do it."

"This... this is really happening," Asgore slowly ran a hand through his hair, staring back at Asriel. "Asriel is... god, I've had this dream so many times I can't believe it's happening."

It was silent in the car for a while before Asgore finally tore his eyes away, looking back to Toriel.

"So..." he said as they sped down the road. "How exactly has the whole 'not telling me my son is alive' thing been going for you?"

"I don't know, Asgore," Toriel replied coldly. "How exactly has the whole 'murdered six children' thing been going for you?"

Asgore hung his head in shame and looked away, and Toriel cringed.

"... I'm sorry," he didn't look up, head in his hands. "God, Tori, I-"

"Let's just drop it," Toriel said through her teeth as they tore down the road, rainwater blasting behind them. "Focus on saving Sans first."

"So..." he coughed into his hand. "What, um... exactly did you mean by that little 'end of the world' bit?"

"You'll find out in a few minutes," Toriel said darkly without looking at him. "If we live that long."

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"Greetings. My name is Chara."

Chara stood with her hand outstretched, and for a long few moments Sans didn't move at all. He simply stared at the child in the tattered green sweater. In the brief time it took him to move he spotted a glimpse of what appeared to be cuts beneath and over the arms, but the sweater quickly covered the marks. Sans carefully, slowly held out his hand to meet hers, ready to move in case something should occur.

Much to his surprise, something did occur.

Pffffffft.

Sans blinked at the familiar sound of the small whoopie cushion, watching as Chara expressionlessly held up the airbag to show him. The other Sans snickered, hiding a grin.

"... Seriously?" Sans asked, trying not to smile.

"Sorry," Chara said without a hint of remorse as she tucked the toy away in the front pocket. "Couldn't help myself."

"You've been a terrible influence," Sans said to his copy, who only shook his head. "You're supposed to pull that one on people who haven't seen it a hundred times. I'm hardly prime whoopie material here."

"What can I say?" the other Sans shrugged with a small smirk. "Spend enough time with somebody and they start to rub off on ya."

"Ew," Chara frowned. "The less I know about you rubbing off, the better."

Sans actually snorted at that one, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, alright," Sans took a seat opposite his copy, folding his hands in his lap. "Enough jokin' around. I want the full story before I send you two back."

The other Sans and Chara shared an uncomfortable look for a moment.

"We... don't really have much to go back to," the other Sans said, shaking his head. "Why do you think we jumped in the first place?"

"That's something else I want elaboration on," Sans crossed his arms sternly. "And you'd better make sure that your explanation is either highly detailed or damned extraordinary, or I'm going to turn unpleasant, you, uh... you. What do I even call you?" Sans blinked. "Other Sans? Alt Sans?"

"How 'bout Void Sans?" Void shrugged again. "Since that's where you found us?"

"Brilliant," Sans nodded, folding his hands and placing his chin in his thumbs as he watched them. "Continue."

Void sighed, his shoulders slumped.

"You actually want the full story?" he asked, looking very, very tired. "Well, uh, I guess the best place to start would be with the kid."

"That's something else I've gotta know," Sans glanced back to Chara, who had resumed her standing position beside the phase distorter. "What's up with her looking just like Frisk?"

"They."
"What?"

"They," Void Sans said flatly. "They prefer they, them and their. Not her. Not he. They."

Sans stared at his duplicate for a long moment before finally shrugging.

"Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

"I guess the kid should start," Void looked back to her, but she was staring at a spot on the floor. "I mean, that's how this all technically started. Was with them."

Chara did not speak for a few minutes, standing in awkward silence instead.

"It... we weren't always like this..." Chara explained quietly, arms wrapped tightly. "I'm... technically dead."

"I've had experience bringing dead kids back to life," Sans deadpanned. "But continue."

"I... awoke," Chara started slowly, not looking up at him. "When Frisk landed on my grave, my spirit was awoken by their determination. I was bound to them from that point on."

"... You have my complete attention." Sans leaned forward slightly to hear her soft voice, and caught a gleam of her bright red eyes behind her hair.

"It was fine, at first. I helped them along, taught them about the Underground," Chara stumbled on her words, as if she wanted to get them all out at once. "I helped them find their way around the Ruins, I translated monster speech for them. I gave them everything I could. And then..."

Chara froze, eyes narrowing.

"Frisk..." Chara's voice tightened. "Changed. She wasn't the same every time she came back to one of those 'save points'. With every change, with every reset, Frisk grew... darker. More vile, more... profane."

Sans felt a chill at the nape of his neck, but fought it off and leaned in a little closer, watching as Void did the same.

"At first, it-it wasn't so bad..." Chara cleared her throat, her grip on her arms growing tighter. "It was just some no name Froggits cluttering the Ruins that nobody would miss. That's what she told me. At first. After that, she-she wanted more. It wasn't just enough to turn a few monsters to dust, sh-she did it to everyone, everything that she met. After that it wasn't even just the poor unfortunate souls that crossed her path, Frisk would actively seek out monsters to kill. Everything was coated in dust. And at first, that's how I thought things were supposed to be."

Chara grew silent once again, her head hanging as she gradually began speaking again.

"I-I couldn't stop her," Chara slowly sat cross legged. "It was like watching a movie. Watching all those monsters turn to dust was just some sick horror flick that just wouldn't stop for anything. Like it-it wasn't really happening, I-I mean it couldn't have been, I was dead."

"So..." Sans motioned for her to continue when she fell quiet again. "How are you alive now?"

"She... Frisk made me watch," Chara's arms were visibly shaking. "Again. And again. And again. Mom. Dad. Asriel. Undyne. Papyrus. Nobody was spared," her voice softened again, and Void Sans was looking away. "Not until forty-nine resets later. Exactly forty-nine. That's when I gained control. When I finally gained enough strength to take over this frail body and make it mine."

Sans suddenly felt like being sick.

"You're... a ghost," it clicked at last. "A ghost possessing the body of a murder-hungry Frisk."

"Pretty much," Void shrugged.

"And-and you're just okay with this?" Sans looked back and forth between them.

"Okay?" Void Sans laughed bitterly as he stood. "I'm not okay with anything anymore. Everything I worked for is gone. Everyone that I knew and loved is gone. You think I'm actually okay with this?!"

Chara's shoulders were shaking as they quietly cried in the corner, and Void Sans gently put a hand on their shoulder before pulling her into a hug.

"Hey, hey there," Void said with a soft tone as he let the child cry on his shoulders. "Hang in there, buddy. Everything's gonna work out fine. Just you wait and see."

Sans collapsed into his own chair, the guilt of making a child cry suddenly weighing on his shoulders, but everything that they said was still ringing in his head.

"Why?" Sans asked at last, and they both looked up. "Why didn't you just reset after you took over?"

"... I was afraid," Chara sniffed miserably. "I was a-afraid of w-what would happen. That I would lose control. I c-couldn't watch it happen anymore. Not again."

"So," Sans rubbed his eyes wearily, one hand over his face as he spoke. "So I've got the ghost of a dead child possessing a murderous Frisk from an alternate timeline and a suicidal Sans-"

"Hey, hey, whoa," Void interrupted him angrily. "Nobody said I'm suicidal, 'buddy'. We just tried something kinda crazy is all. And it worked, dinnit?"

"Let me guess," Sans looked him dead in the eye. "You tried teleporting further than you ever had before. Jumping through your own timeline wasn't enough to escape; you had to find a way out of your own timeline."

"That's... a pretty spot on guess," Void Sans said uncomforably.

"I'm you," Sans stated flatly. "Or at least, a version of you. I know how you think. 'Buddy'."

It was silent in the basement for a long while aside from the few sniffles from Chara, who Sans slowly helped to stand.

"... So," Void said without looking at him. "I guess this is the part where you send us back, huh."

Sans looked at the miserable pair, between the bloodshot eyes of Chara to the sagging shoulders of his duplicate.

"... No," he said at last, watching as the weight was lifted off their shoulders. "I'm not gonna send you back. I mean, jeez, what do you take me for, some kind of beast?"

"Good to hear it, buddy," Void grinned as he looked up at him, and for a moment Sans could have sworn he saw tears in his eyesockets.

"So-so what are we going to do now?" Chara asked, rubbing her nose with the edge of her sleeve.

"Pffft, I dunno," Sans shrugged, pulling out a pair of spectacles and inspecting them closely. "I guess you can stick around our place until we figure out what to do with you two."

"Our place?" Void Sans blinked. "You live with Alphys?"

"Nah, that's Undyne's job. I live with Tori."

"... Who?"

A loud bang of a door being kicked open was heard not too far away, swiftly followed by "Where the hell is my boyfriend?!"

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A/N

Heyyo! Thanks for sticking around for so long everybody, it really has been fun writing Undertale for you guys. I'm super grateful for all of the comments and advice on the story. I can't believe that I've written over a novel's worth of OverTale already, it feels like I was just starting this story a week ago. More chapters are on the way!