A/N: I am seriously unhappy with the state of this story right now, which is why I haven't updated in several months. I think the last, like, three chapters were extremely poorly written and weren't paced very well and I was dragging plot points on way too long and I basically wrote myself into a corner.

So here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna re-work things. At the end of this little arc, I'm gonna shift focus and move things in a new direction. I'm sorry if people don't like some of the cop-outs I made in resolving the conflicts from the last chapter, but I needed to move on to something else. I'll revisit some of these themes at some point down the road but it's time to move on to more interesting storylines.

Chara, please head back, Frisk pleaded. She couldn't take control back from him. For the first time, his emotions were too much. He overpowered her determination… simply through sheer anger. Frisk thought that was total bullshit. It was unfair. It was cheating. It was… scary. It was honestly, legitimately scary.

They'd gotten to Waterfall by this point. Chara was sitting on a bench they'd found on an earlier adventure. Just underneath them was an abandoned quiche, and in Chara's arms was Flowey, who was thoroughly annoyed at the situation.

"What's your problem?" Flowey asked Chara, glaring up at him—technically her, as the ghost was still confined to Frisk's female body for the time being. Chara didn't even look that angry anymore. He just looked sad.

"I'm sorry," he responded, voice breaking.

Flowey rolled his eyes. "You better be. You've made a real mess." He smirked. "I bet Alphys and Undyne hate you now. How far you've fallen in such a short amount of time, human."

Chara shook his head. "Not that. I'm talking about before."

Flowey blinked. "Before?"

"When we crossed the barrier together," Chara responded. "Remember? And those humans..."

"Yes, those humans taught me the true meaning of this world," Flowey said grimly. "In this world, it's kill or be killed." He was interrupted from his cynical worldview by a stray thought. "By the way, we were very much on the 'be killed' side of that spectrum," the flower clarified. "How are you here? What happened to you, Chara?" he asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, Az, there's something different about me now," Chara responded. He glanced down at Frisk's chest. "Well, two somethings."

Pervert.

Chara ignored Frisk. "This isn't my body, I'm hijacking someone else's body right now." He glared at nothing in particular. "Hey, Frisk, your body sucks, I want my old one back."

Gee, thanks.

"Oh, don't act all offended," Chara retorted. "There is nothing practical about the female form. Nothing."

Frisk mentally scoffed. You're lucky I'm forced to share this body with you. This is the most awkward developmental period of a woman's life and I have no privacy because of you.

"Well, don't worry about it, because there ain't much to look at."

I'm 14!

"Well, so am I, but I can also grow a mustache." Chara corrected himself. "Could also grow a mustache. Before I died. I guess you better pray you're a late bloomer."

Flowey blinked. "Who are you talking to?"

"I share a consciousness with the human I'm sharing this body with," Chara responded flatly. "We can hear each other's thoughts. It's the worst."

"But HOW," Flowey questioned, still not getting it, "did that HAPPEN?"

Chara sighed. "I don't know. You think I know? What was left of my soul just latched onto Frisk when she fell," he said. "Why did it latch onto her specifically, and not any of the other humans? Who knows. Maybe it has to do with Determination. Maybe it's because the other ones were already pre-determined to die down here." Chara crossed Frisk's arms. "Maybe I'm actually in hell, and this is my punishment."

Hey!

"So… How come you haven't loaded, yet?" Flowey asked.

Chara blinked. "Frisk?"

I want to avoid messing with timelines for right now. We're going to figure out how much damage control we have to do once we get back to the lab and decide if we want to load from there.

"Alright," Chara said. He glanced at Flowey, who looked confused. "She said something about messing with timelines or something. She wants to stop loading, saving, or resetting altogether."

Which is a really hard thing to decide when you keep messing things up.

Chara scowled. "She disrespected my little bro. I had to do SOMETHING."

No, you didn't. Can I have my body back now?

"Nah, this is pretty relaxing, I'm gonna wait until I'm not pissed off."

You know that once you're calm enough I could probably just overpower you and take control myself.

"Yeah, you could," Chara said. "But you won't," he added.

What makes you so sure?

"I think you understand that everyone needs a bit of time to just forget about everything that's going on and relax for a few hours," Chara replied. "I don't think you'd take that away from me."

Well, you're right, but…

Flowey interrupted their conversation. "Why did you bring ME?" he asked. "Why do I need to be here?"

"I need somebody to talk to," Chara replied. "I mean, you know, besides Ms. Nagsalot here." He looked down at Flowey, sadly. "I miss my brother."

Flowey looked away. "I'm not who I used to be, Chara. I'm not your brother." He then thought about something Chara said a few moments ago. "Also, no, Chara, you could not grow a mustache, you grew three hairs below your nose and refused to shave them."

Hah!

"Oh, shut up," Chara said, now embarrassed.

Undyne was sitting next to Alphys, who was curled up in a ball on the couch, trying not to think about all of the things that just went wrong, and that could still go wrong. Of course, she was still thinking about them. Trying never hurt, though. "It's not your fault, Al," Undyne tried to comfort her friend.

Alphys sniffed. "Yes, it is. I said something that made Char- Frisk really mad. And now she's out there all alone, and she hates me, and what if she gets hurt or kidnapped or killed?" Panic was setting in once again. "I should have just kept my mouth shut, but instead I-"

"Stop," Undyne said sternly. She grabbed Alphys' chin and turned her head, forcing her to make eye contact. "A few things. First of all, she doesn't hate you. She's just really, really, really, really…" Undyne took a deep breath. "Really, really, really pissed off. Second of all, she's a weenie—at least, I thought so," Undyne said, thinking back to the knife the human wielded. "But she's a tough weenie. And it's not like she hasn't gone walking through the underground alone before. She'll be fine. Nobody's gonna hurt her. Third of all, she's not alone. She's got Flowey."

Alphys groaned. "That's the part I'm worried about, Undyne," she whined.

Undyne waved off Alphys' concerns. "You know, I'm surprised YOU aren't more pissed off. She could have really hurt you with that knife," she said, glancing at the mark that was left on Alphys' throat. It wouldn't scar, and thankfully it stopped bleeding rather quickly, but... "...what made her flip out like that?"

"It was… something I said," Alphys repeated, intentionally leaving the actual cause vague.

Undyne wasn't buying it. "Alphys. I'm not stupid. I know sometimes you might think I am-"

"I-I don't think you're stupid!" Alphys immediately denied. "W-why on earth would-?!"

Undyne cut her off. "Frisk is one of the nicest people I've met. Some monsters aren't as kind as her," she said. "Myself included. So I find it a little hard to believe that she'd just SNAP like that. Something else is going on. What-?"

"She has bipolar disorder, Undyne!" Alphys lied, cutting her friend off. I should not have said that. "It's… she was medicated for it on the surface, and she just ran out a few days ago." Lying was like second nature to Alphys. "That's why she was like that. So she needs to be medicated, somehow. I'm going to figure something out in the morning."

Undyne just stared and tilted her head. "She's… Sick?" she asked, confused.

"I-in a way, yes." Stop lying, Alphys berated herself. At the moment, she was just being offensive. "So we need to be supportive. And… stuff."

Undyne frowned. "But that doesn't excuse-!"

"Of course it doesn't. I will talk to her about how we're going to proceed. Until then… it's late, Undyne. Get some sleep. I'm going to look at the cameras and see if I can find Frisk. Okay?"

"O...kay…" Undyne sighed. "I guess. You're way more qualified than I am to deal with this. So… I guess I'll head home, then." Undyne started to walk towards the exit as Alphys pulled out her phone.

Alphys waved goodbye as Undyne did the same. When the fish monster was out of the lab, Alphys let out a very loud scream.

"WHY CAN'T THESE THINGS EVER BE EASY?!" she asked nobody in particular. She started dialing a number. "Come on, Frisk, pick up."

Chara, completely relaxed now, dozed off on the bench, after playing with Frisk's phone until its battery died. He wished they had iPhones back when he was still alive, that Flappy Bird game was hella addictive.

Truthfully, at this point, Frisk could have taken control back very easily, but she decided not to. She decided it would be best to wait until Chara felt like heading back; like he said earlier, he needed to relax for a few hours, and who was she to deny him that right?

She also wondered if she could talk using her body without disturbing Chara's rest. It would simply be a matter of only taking control of certain muscles...

Flowey was still nearby, despite having been released from his coffee mug prison. He was using his roots to carve markings in the wall; like his adoptive brother, he seemed to enjoy art, although Flowey's markings were a little more primitive due to the lack of dexterity afforded by his roots. It appeared to be some sort of rotund demon of death and destruction, killing and destroying everyone and everything using its powerful death rays, all the while sporting a satisfied, evil grin on its face.

Or perhaps it was simply a happy sun shining its rays on the happy monsters of the underground, now living happily on the surface. Honestly, who could tell at this point? Art is subjective, fuck you.

"Psst! Yo!" Flowey looked up from his carving, then around in the cavern. Chara was still asleep. Confused, he tilted his head, and looked around for the source of the noise. "Flowey!" the voice whispered. Flowey glanced again at the snoozing child. The noise was definitely coming from them. Suddenly, although they still appeared asleep, their lips moved. "We need to talk."

Flowey recoiled. "Chara?"

"What? No, Flowey, the other one! Frisk!"

"Can you not do that?" Flowey requested, slightly disgusted. "It's unnerving. It looks like you're sleep-talking, or… something," he said.

"Well, too bad," Frisk replied. "This is the only way I can talk without taking full control of the body."

"Isn't it your body?"

"Yeah, but Chara needs his beauty sleep," the child responded. "He gets cranky otherwise. Plus, his beauty sleep is my beauty sleep." Flowey rolled his eyes as the human continued. "So like, he rests the body, and I just, like, borrow the mouth."

"What do you want?" Flowey asked, glaring.

"How come you haven't killed me yet?"

"Hello, genius," Flowey immediately snapped. "Chara's in there! Believe me, I would LOVE to strangle you right now. I'd be happy to see the life leave your eyes as you struggle to take your last breath. I'd probably leave you hanging and make it look like a suicide." Flowey smirked, adopting a darker tone. "Your friends'd probably believe it, too. I'm sure that's how they all already think you're gonna go. Alphys. Undyne. That smiling trash bag, hell, even Papyrus would see it coming. That is, supposing his useless brother ever explains the concept of death to him. The point is that they're all convinced you're going to off yourself, eventually." He then frowned and glared at the human. "But Chara's in there. And hurting you would hurt him. So I won't do it."

"And here I thought you were incapable of caring about people."

"I can pretend all I want."

Frisk continued questioning. "So, what's the REAL reason you came to Alphys' lab?"

"You wanna know the real reason?" Flowey retorted. "Undyne dragged me along. I don't want to be anywhere near that pathetic excuse for a scientist." Flowey sunk a little. "She is, after all, the reason I'm like this."

"So I gathered. God, you're so gloomy, you know that?" Flowey glared. "Seriously, like, I hate myself and all, but at least I know how to have fun. If we ever break that barrier, I'm taking you to the beach and teaching you how to not be such a Debbie-freaking-downer."

"The beach."

"Yeah, I bet Alphys and Undyne would LOVE it in Delmarva. Maybe we could get a vacation home..."

Flowey rolled his eyes. "You'd be a 'Debbie Downer' too if your entire existence lost all meaning."

"Aw, you think my existence has meaning?"

"Besides which," Flowey continued, growing impatient with the human's sarcastic attitude, "if you break the barrier, I'm not joining you up there."

Silence.

"Alright, Debbie."

"Stop it!"

"Stop what, Debbie?"

"Calling me 'Debbie!' My name's not Debbie, it's As- agh, dammit, Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" Flowey raised his voice. "Also, news flash, idiot, Alphys and Undyne want nothing to do with you now! Chara ruined that, remember?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Frisk responded, chuckling. "Debbie."

Chara slowly opened one eye. "Frisk, knock it off. I'm trying to sleep," he yawned.

"Thank you!" Flowey exclaimed, exasperated.

"You know as well as I do that it's not Asriel's fault that he's such a Debbie Downer," Chara groggily continued. Flowey covered his face with a vine in frustration.

Heh. Sorry, Sleeping Beauty. You ready to head back? Frisk asked.

Chara yawned once more. "I guess," he said, sitting up. "You wanna take over?"

"Gladly," Frisk responded, once again taking control of her own body. "Come on, Debbie, we gotta get back."

"Yeah, no," Flowey responded, glaring. "I'd rather be buried alive than spend one more moment in Alphys' company."

Frisk glanced around the cavern. "We HAVE been buried alive." Flowey groaned. "Heh. Alright. Keep being a recluse." Frisk stretched her arms a bit before standing up. "I imagine we'll see each other again soon. Don't be a stranger," Frisk remarked.

Flowey was gone. Chara internally sighed.

Hey, we'll figure something out, Frisk assured him.

I'm sorry I screwed us over, Chara said sadly.

It's… Whatever. Nobody got hurt, and that's what matters. We'll find some way to explain it to them.

Frisk walked through Waterfall, alone, with each step dreading the conversation she'll likely have with the others once she was at the lab. Alphys will be easy to explain to, definitely, but what would Undyne think? She considered turning back and just… Finding a new home in the Underground, she supposed. It might be the easiest thing. Couchsurfing was starting to sound more and more like a viable living plan. But that was cowardly. And Frisk didn't do cowardly.

Not anymore.

Perhaps, if Undyne and Alphys truly hated her, she'd go back and give her soul to Asgore after all… but then he'd kill a shitload of humans. And that was a little less than desirable. Alphys and Undyne would be decidedly unable to enjoy the beaches of Delmarva if bodies were strewn about.

Frisk was so deep in thought that she nearly failed to notice that this hallway was unusually long. Nearly. Upon realizing she'd been walking down the hall for an extraordinarily long time, Frisk blinked and stopped.

Why are we stopping? Chara asked. Frisk looked around for a bit, trying to figure out just where the hell she was. Had she taken the wrong path? No, impossible. She always took this route home. So then, where…?

It was then that Frisk noticed the tall, grey door on the wall to her left. She raised an eyebrow and stared. She hadn't seen this door before. Frisk studied the door's features. At a glance, she saw that the door itself was featureless, without a single imperfection in its wooden material, the knob a perfectly polished orb. The frame, however, was adorned with some of the same symbols she and the others found on Asgore's note, back in New Home. She couldn't read it.

"How did I miss this…?" she asked herself. Cautiously, she stepped forward, slowly raising her hand towards the doorknob, intending to enter whatever room lie up ahead. Eventually, her palm came to rest on the polished metal. She slowly began to turn the knob…

...only to find that the door was locked. "Well, I guess that's the end of that adventure," she shrugged, turning to continue walking back to Hotland.

Lame, Chara complained.

Right? I was so stoked on doing a thing.

...Frisk?

Yeah?

Speaking of mystery doors…

You want to figure out what's behind the bathroom door.

Yeah.

Frisk sighed. Alright.

Wait, seriously? No fight?

No fight. You wanna do it, we're gonna do it. We're gonna sneak in tonight.

Is that really a good idea? They're already pissed off at us.

All the more incentive to not get caught.

Frisk arrived at the lab. Glancing under the crack between the automatic door and the floor, she saw that the lights were off. Alright. She's asleep. Not wanting to make any noise, she entered the manual override code Alphys had given to her on a nearby keypad (0913, Alphys' birthday) and slid the door open slowly. Every light was off, but she knew her way around the room.

"Ow! Dammit!" she yelled as she stubbed her toe on Alphys' desk. She heard something fall to the floor with a loud crash; she cringed, and guessed by the splash that followed that she just smashed one of Alphys' bowls, noodles still inside. "Uh. I'll clean that up later." She tiptoed further into the room, feeling along the wall for the bathroom door. She smirked. "Bingo."

Just then, every light in the lab came to life. Shit.

"Going somewhere?" Alphys asked, legs crossed as she sat atop a nearby table. She hopped off the table and approached Frisk.

"Were you waiting all night?" Frisk asked. She was caught by surprise, however, when Alphys gripped her in a tight hug.

"I-I couldn't sleep knowing you were still out there," Alphys said softly. Tears streamed down her face. "Frisk, don't you EVER do that again. I mean it. Do you have any idea how worried I was? I-I thought-!"

"Honestly, I thought you'd hate me by now," Frisk said, glancing at the mark on Alphys' neck.

"Hate you?! Why would I- L-look…" Alphys released the hug and sighed. "Can I talk to Chara? Please?"

Frisk blinked. When she reopened her eyes, Chara was there. "Alphys, I'm-"

"No, Chara, I'M sorry," Alphys interrupted. "What I said was totally uncalled for. And mean. I shouldn't have assumed anything about you, I shouldn't have insulted Asriel, I shouldn't have-"

"YOU'RE the one who's sorry?" Chara scoffed. "Christ, Alphys. Listen to me, okay? I overreacted. I was a brat. I'M the one who should be sorry."

"Well, too bad. It's me."

"I literally threatened your life."

Alphys looked Chara in the eyes, seemingly gazing at his soul with hers. She'd been told by Frisk that Chara lacked a complete soul, but she didn't think that was true. "I don't think you'd have done it." She hugged him again. "You scared me. And we're going to need to work this out. But I don't hate Frisk, and I don't hate you. Things just… got a little heated back there. The important thing is we're all calm now."

Chara slowly grabbed the knife, which was stowed away in Frisk's pocket. How she never accidentally sat on it and bled to death from some kind of butt artery rupture was beyond him, but nonetheless, he pulled it out. Alphys saw, and followed with her eyes, but didn't move otherwise. Finally, Chara held the knife an arm's length away and dropped it on the floor. It landed with a loud clang, and Chara sighed in relief. "Fuck that thing," he muttered. "Just causes problems."

The two (three?) stood there for some time, embracing. Finally, Alphys looked up at the bathroom door and sighed. "You want to know what's behind that door, don't you?" Chara nodded. "Let me grab a flashlight," she said as she walked over to the desk, and began digging in the drawers for a flashlight.

"Alphys?"

"I've been holding onto this secret for too long. Besides… don't you want to see the tapes?"

Chara raised an eyebrow. "So they are in there?"

"That and so… so much more. Catch." Alphys tossed a flashlight at Chara, and he caught it as directed. She then retrieved her own from the drawer. "The power goes out down there a lot. Faulty wiring. Hasn't been maintained in years."

"'Down there?' Where are we going?"

Alphys opened the bathroom door, revealing that the room on the other side was not, in fact, a bathroom, but rather an elevator. She looked at Chara. "Hell," she replied. "C-come on. Let's get this over with."

Taking control once again, Frisk stepped into the elevator, and the doors slowly shut. "Hey, Alphys? What are the odds we can get Chara his own body?"

Alphys sighed. "One issue at a time, Frisk. I promise I'll try to figure something out, but without the original body, it's going to be hard to do anything." Alphys didn't even mention the fact that she suspected Frisk was either already in or about to enter the teenage stage of life, and having two hormonal teenage humans with opposite sets of chromosomes running around the lab was not something she wanted any time soon.

Because if hormonal teenage humans even thought about doing half the stuff Alphys thought about doing but never could when she was a hormonal teenager, then a third human might show up, and she didn't think she could handle that.

"...you know, it feels like this day started months ago," Frisk said.

Alphys glanced at her watch as the elevator began to descend. "3:36. AM. It's a new day."

"Thank god," the human muttered.

Yesterday was just the worst.