AN: Wow this is sad. I almost made myself cry. Oh well, I hope you like it. I've got some pretty cool things planned for later on in this story so I hope you'll stick around to see what I have in store for you all. Don't forget to let me know what you think... it really keeps me motivated.

Disclaimer: Toby Fox = Awesome creator and owner of Undertale. Me = Fanfiction author who loves to write about her favorite characters. See the difference ;)

Papyrus paced the floor, a worried frown upon his face as he continuously glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten o'clock, Sans should have been home by now.

'Where could you be, brother? You said you'd be home by tonight!' He thought to himself, grabbing his phone from a nearby table and flipping it open to reveal a missed call. 'Hmm, this isn't Sans' number, I wonder who it could be?'

Just then, his cell rang out shrilly in the silence, startling the older skeleton so much that he nearly dropped the delicate device in his scramble to answer.

"Hello? This is THE GREAT PAPYRUS speaking." He said, when he realized it was the same number as before. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Hello, My name is Matthew. I'm calling in regard to your brother... Sans?"

Pap let out a shaky breath, there was something in this mans voice that set him on edge.

"Is he okay? What happened? WHERE IS HE!?" He demanded, hoping the twisting fear in his soul was unfounded and that his little brother was safe and sound.

The next words out of the strangers mouth shattered that hope and tore his world to pieces.

"There's been an accident. I was with my wife near the abandoned park down by the old residential district when we witnessed a car hit your brother's motorcycle and then drive off."

'No...' The tall monster thought, sinking onto the couch as his legs gave out. 'Oh god please... don't let him tell me that Sans was killed. I wouldn't be able to take it!'

"My wife called an ambulance while I rushed over to check on him. He was awake and talking when I reached his side so I did my best to keep him that way. He had a terrible head injury, however, and passed out before help arrived. Right now he's being taken to Ebott Community Hospital. My wife and I are heading there as well. We'll know more once the doctors finish examining him."

"Oh, o...of course. Th...thank you for c...contacting me." Papyrus stuttered, stumbling to his feet to grab his keys and jacket. "I'm on my w...way now."

"Hey, it would probably be best if you had someone drive you. If I were in your position I'd probably be pretty shaken up and would feel better if I had someone there to support me when I talk to the doctors."

"Y...you're right. I don't think I'd be able to drive at t...the moment anyway. Thank you." With that he hung up briefly before immediately dialing the number of someone he'd always been able to count on in the past.

He waited, heart aching as he thought of his baby brother lying all alone in a hospital bed. How had this even happened? Sans was always extremely careful when it came to driving, far more so than anyone he knew. But now... No! He refused to let himself think the worst. His bro would probably already be awake by the time he got there, annoying the doctors with his terrible puns as he prepared for the lecture he was going to get. Yes, that's what would happen, he was sure of it.

"Hey dork... why are you calling at this time of night?" A sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts as his mentor answered the phone.

A strangled sob escaped him mouth, it felt as though his throat had constricted and everything he'd just convinced himself of flew out the window. Tears pooled in his eye sockets as he gasped for breath, unable to muster the strength to speak lest it make his fears a reality.

"Papyrus? Come on buddy, what's wrong?" The former leader of the royal guard questioned, concern leaking into her voice as she heard his breathing quicken. "You need to calm down and tell me what happened or I won't be able to help!"

Pap drew in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it in a great whoosh of air. This repeated a couple times more as the female waited patiently. In the end he succeeded in calming himself, even if only slightly, and was able to explain what had happened.

"I...it's Sans!" He exclaimed, still not completely calm. "There was an ac...accident. He's hurt, Undyne, he's h...hurt badly."

"What the heck hap... No, forget it... that isn't important." The fish lady began only to chastise herself. "I'll be right over. Stay there!"

"Okay... thank you." The scarf wearing monster replied, softly.

"Hey, there's no need for that... it's what friends do!" She said before the line went dead.

The spaghetti lover waited on the couch in a daze, barely even noticing the time ticking by. Less than ten minutes later Undyne burst through the door, a concerned expression on her usually fierce face.

"Hey Papyrus, you ready to go?" She asked in a hurry as she entered the living room, pausing when the other monster didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Umm, Papyrus?"

The fish lady moved closer, placing a hand on her friends shoulder as she moved. She could see tear tracks on his face from his earlier crying and his eye lights were tiny pinpricks in his sockets.

"Come on punk, snap out of it." She spoke softly, a worried undertone clearly audible in her voice as she gently shook her protege. "You need to be strong. Sans needs you to be strong! He'd hurting, probably scared, and all alone in a strange place... he needs you to be there for him. Do you think you can do that?"

As Undyne was speaking, Papyrus slowly snapped out of his catatonic state... a few more tears escaping as he listened to her words.

His little brother was usually the stronger of them, whether it be physically or emotionally. At one time it had been difficult to imagine him being so vulnerable but, after the last year, he'd taken a more active role in his duties as the older sibling and had noticed all the miniscule ways Sans hid his pain. He did his best to alleviate the other skeletons troubles and, in doing so, they had become even closer as a family. But now... Sans' life was in peril and what was he doing? Wasting time sitting here when his brother could be dying in the hospital this very instant! Steeling his resolve Pap glanced up at the former leader of the royal guard.

"Let's get going!" He declared, eyes glinting resolutely. "I don't want to keep my baby brother waiting any longer than I already have!"

Undyne grinned as she offered a hand to the younger monster. He took it, rising to his feet before they both headed toward the door in silence.

'I'm coming Sans... just hold on a little longer.' The scarf clad skeleton thought as he took a seat in his mentors car.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

Nearly half an hour later Papyrus rushed into the main entrance at Ebott Community Hospital demanding to know the location of his little brother. Undyne was only a couple of steps behind, glaring at anyone who dared get in their way as she herded her distressed friend toward the reception desk.

"Hello," The receptionist said, glancing up from her paperwork when she heard a loud voice call from across the room. "What can I help you with?"

"HUMAN! CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ROOM MY BROTHER IS LOCATED IN?" The skeleton shouted, causing the poor human girl to cover her ears at the volume.

"Yea, sure." She spoke after the ringing in her head dissipated. "I'll need to know your brother's name, though."

"Sans..." Pap revealed and the human immediately started typing. "He... he was in an accident."

The receptionist glanced up, a sympathizing look on her face. "I'm sure he's getting the best care possible. This hospital has a very good staff on hand and I'm positive that they'll do everything in their power to help your brother."

The spaghetti lover nodded, choking back a sob as Undyne wrapped her arm around the upset skeleton's shoulders. They stayed like that until the human spoke once more.

"Okay, it seems that Sans is still in surgery so you'll have to wait in the waiting room down the hall." She revealed, pointing in the direction they'd need to go. "Once he's out of surgery the doctor will come out to talk to you while your brother is transferred to the room he'll be in for the duration of his stay."

Once again the normally enthusiastic monster nodded listlessly before heading off in the direction the woman had indicated.

"Thanks for the help." Undyne stated, absentmindedly, as she followed the other down the hall.

Papyrus entered the waiting room. Unsure what he should do, the older skelebro looked around for a place to sit and found a secluded corner far away from any of the rooms other inhabitants. The former leader of the royal guard took a seat next to him, taking out her cell in order to update her girlfriend on the situation. Beside her Pap sat in silence, his mind wandering to his brothers condition... it must be pretty bad if he had needed surgery. He was so lost in thought that he failed to notice a pair of humans make their way over until he heard Undyne speak.

"Do you need something?" The fish lady questioned gruffly, narrowing her single eye in annoyance as she took in the man and woman who had stopped a few feet in front of them.

"Uh, yes... my name is Matthew. You're Papyrus aren't you?" The male asked, turning his attention to the tall skeleton.

Papyrus glanced up. The man looked to be in his late forties judging by the few wrinkles the former sentry could see on his face and had blonde, wavy hair that came nearly to his shoulders as well as kind, purple eyes. His voice sounded familiar and it took the worried monster a few moments to realize why.

"You are the human who called to tell me about my brother." He stated, recognition dawning as he thought back to earlier that night.

"Yea, that's me." The man agreed, placing a hand on the other human's shoulder... a redhead with bright, green eyes and freckles covering her nose. "This is my wife, Jeanie. As I said earlier we were there when Sans was hurt."

"Has there been any news from the doctors?" Undyne growled lowly, hesitant to trust people she'd only just met but wanting to know about her friend.

"Not yet." Jeanie answered, glancing back toward the double doors that led into the ICU. "The poor dear was in so much pain. I only wish there was more we could have done for him."

The former sentry choked back a sob as he buried his face in his hands, the female monster pulling him close to her side as she sent the woman a withering look.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that." The human apologized, tears gathering in her eyes. "It's just that he seemed like such a kind monster... I can't believe someone would do something like this."

The warrior's gaze softened at the honest compassion she could see reflected on both of the humans faces but still... something didn't sit right with her.

"What do you mean that you can't believe someone would do something?" She asked, eye narrowed in suspicion as Pap managed to quiet his sobs, listening intently to what the discussion taking place above him. "I thought this was an accident."

The man stepped forward, eyes downcast as he began to explain what had happened since he'd first spoken to Papyrus.

"The police approached us about five minutes after I'd gotten off the phone with you. They had a few questions they wanted to ask us since we were there at the time of the crash." Matt disclosed, catching the older skeletons eyes as he looked up from where he sat. "We told them everything we'd seen; your brother pulling out onto the road, how the car came from nowhere and plowed into him, how whoever it was drove off without even bothering to see if he was okay. We weren't able to get the license plate number but we provided the police with a description of the vehicle including the color and make..."

Here, the man trailed off. Pap's sockets were wide with shock after hearing the details of what had happened but Undyne could see that there was more the couple had to tell.

"So what did the cops say?" She requested impatiently, clenching her claws into fists.

Letting out a sigh, Matthew wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close to his side. In return the woman buried her face in his neck.

"They'll probably want to talk to you later but... they don't think this was an accident." The male human admitted, voice barely louder than a whisper. "They think it was a hate crime."

Papyrus drew in a strangled breath, trying to process exactly what he'd been told. As he thought of what had been revealed he felt a feeling that had rarely even been present within his soul... rage. His younger brother was lying in the hospital badly hurt, maybe even dying, because a few humans didn't like that monsters had managed to break the barrier and start new lives on the surface!? It was all too much to bear and the naturally goodhearted skeleton felt his magic spark to life as his eyes began to glow with a blazing orange light.

"HAVE THE POLICE MANAGED TO TRACK DOWN THE HUMANS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ATROCIOUS ACT?" He demanded as he jumped to his feet, his voice sounding somewhat demonic even to his ears.

The couple had taken several steps back, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the furious monster's wrath.

"N...no, not yet. But they s...said that they had a pretty g...good lead." The blonde man stuttered.

Just as it had manifested, the magical aura all but vanished, leaving no trace it had ever been there as the tired monster sank back down into his seat.

"I am sorry for frightening you, humans." The tall skeleton said, voice thick with concern. "I care for Sans so much and this is a very upsetting development! These past few years have not been easy on any of us, let alone my brother. I just can't understand why people would act in such a way."

Jeanie stepped forward, no sign of fear on her face as she placed a tender hand on the younger beings shoulder. "We understand. It must have been terrible for you to hear that your brother had been injured. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that."

Pap sniffled, drawing his arm across his face in order to wipe the tears away. Just then a doctor emerged from the ICU calling for Sans' family. In the blink of an eye, the would be royal guard was out of his seat and across the room before anyone else had even noticed he had moved.

"My name is Dr. Tennant, are you the family of Sans skeleton?" The middle aged man asked as the concerned monster came to a halt in front of him.

"Yes, he is my brother!" Papyrus exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb anyone. "He's going to be okay... right? Please tell me he's going to be okay!"

By now both Undyne and the human couple had reached them and were waiting intently for the man to reveal any info pertaining to their friend.

The doctor sighed, taking a moment to push his glasses back up on his nose before answering. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid your brother has slipped into a coma."

"What?" The older skeleton asked quietly, bones trembling as he sank to his knees on the floor... his usually optimistic spirit abandoning him in the wake of such terrible news.

"I am not very well versed in monster anatomy so I have been working closely with Dr. Rose, a monster doctor, on this case. She is back with the patient finishing up right now but I'm sure she will come and talk to you later on." Dr. Tennant informed as Undyne managed to get her pupil into a chair. "He had multiple injuries upon admission, the most severe being the wound to his head. As far as we can tell your brother hit the pavement with enough force that, even with the helmet, his skull ended up acquiring a rather large fracture. Due to the blunt force trauma, he sustained an injury to his brain which led to the coma he is presently in. We are currently unable to know what side effects, if any, the brain injury may cause at this time."

The normally rambunctious male sat in his chair, listening in a haze as the doctor continued.

"In addition to the head wound Sans has three broken ribs, a hairline fracture on his right wrist, and a severely broken femur on his left leg." The doctor said, sympathy clear in his eyes as he took in the small group. "If your brother wakes up his odds of surviving will increase exponentially. Until he does however... his chances remain pretty slim. I'll send a nurse out to show you to his room as soon as we have him settled. If you have any further questions you can either ask Dr. Rose or find me after my shift."

Undyne sucked in a deep breath as the human turned to walk away, trying her best to calm herself before she ended up taking her pent up aggression out on the doctor. She knew it wasn't this mans fault that Sans was in such a condition. No, he was doing his best to save the bonehead. It was the people who ran him over who were at fault and, if she had any say in the matter, they would pay dearly for what they'd done. She had no doubt that they would be brought to justice... even if she had to do it herself. The warrior's gaze shifted to her skeletal friend, watching as the information they'd just received finally seemed to sink in.

Papyrus curled in on himself, fresh tears filling his eyes as he buried his face in his arms. Sans was in a coma. He may end up with brain damage. The elder skelebro didn't know what to do with that information. How was he supposed to handle that?

'Brother...' He thought, silent tears streaming down his face. 'I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Please be okay!'

It was nearly twenty minutes more before the nurse appeared to escort the two monsters to the room that held the younger skeleton. Their human companions had taken their leave earlier, asking to be notified if anything happened. Even though they had only known Sans for a short time he had managed to leave quite an impression on the couple and Pap had found himself being drawn in by their compassionate attitudes. They both had spoken so kindly of his brother that it was hard not to like them. There were many people who overlooked Sans due to his comedic attitude... but Matthew and Jeanie seemed to have really seen him for who he is. So, with the promise that he would text them later, the humans had left the monster duo alone to await the nurse. Now that they were standing in front of the room where the younger skeleton resided, the pasta lover felt a lump rise in his throat.

"Hey, don't worry Pap... I'm sure Sans will wake up soon." The female monster tried to comfort, hoping she was right for the sake of her friend. "He can be tough when he wants to be. How else would he have been granted the position of judge by King Asgore? If he lets something like this take him out then..."

She trailed off as Papyrus smiled slightly, though it was tinged with sadness. A few seconds later the slightly taller monster took a deep breath, bracing himself before opening the door and peering inside. He froze, the sight that greeted him nearly causing his soul to shatter as he took in the small, bandaged form of his little brother.

AN: Hope you liked this chapter of 'Light Within The Darkness' :) Thanks so much for taking the time to read it, please remember to leave a review.