What had been a children's park full of people staring at you and judging your every action with fear plastered on their faces, was now a cold lab that hadn't been used for many years until that day. You thrashed and kicked the air in the hold of whoever had got you at the park. Their pleading for you to calm down and stop moving went completely ignored as you attempted to twist in their grasp and wring free.

"Gaster!" Sans' voice rang with alarm when you finally managed to turn around and face the small skeleton that was struggling to hold you in place, his left eye ablaze with the surging magic that held you down and made your body feel heavier than it should. But even with that, you still tried to push him away, your own eyes still glowing with the rage that fuelled the voices in your head.

You felt someone else's hands on you and something sting the spot where your shoulder and neck connected, a yelp of pain coming out of you as you continued to kick. Something flowed into your bloodstream and with each passing second your movements became more sluggish, your eyelids starting to droop closed. You struggled to keep your eyes open and yourself awake. Sans held you tight as you kept using your hands to push against his chest, grabbing one arm that was slowly going for his face, your head dropping limply to the side and your eyes finally closing.

"That's it… Go to sleep…" He whispers, painfully reaching for your face with his newly cut hand, brushing his fingers over your cheek gently. "You're gonna be fine, I promise…"

Closing his eyes for a moment his grip on you tightens, basking in the slowing pace of your beating heart and the thrum of your soul inside your chest, his own trembling slightly from the desperate need to be close. When he opens his eyes again, his gaze falls on the scientist's cracked face, mouth a stern straight line.

"We don't know how long the effects will be in place." Gaster warns.

"I know. Just please… give me a couple of seconds." The small skeleton returns, brow ridges pulling closer together as his agonised expression softens slightly when he nuzzles his face to your chest, listening to the steadying heartbeat.

He pulls back and lifts you completely off the ground, holding you close against his body as he steps closer to the taller skeleton patiently awaiting what comes next. He had gotten himself clothed before Sans left to get you, and now he adjusted his black suit jacket methodically, straightening out any wrinkles from years of being folded in some drawer at the back of the lab.

"We're taking her to Alphys, the more heads on this matter the better." Sans repeats what he'd said after getting the magic enhancer injected into his energy depleted soul.

"Understood." The other nods solemnly, placing a hand on his shoulder and preparing for the jump in reality, straight to the lizard monster's workplace.

When they suddenly appear in the middle of her lab she nearly drops a test tube she was holding. Alphys squeaks from surprise and carefully, although with shaking hands, sets her things safely down on a counter before turning to the invaders. Her eyes widen to an almost comical size as she takes in the two skeletons, the smaller of which is holding your unconscious body bridal style. The fact that Sans' shirt and jacket were almost completely covered in reddened stains and the shoulder area of yours wasn't faring much better definitely didn't help with the unease that settled into her. It was a good thing today she was working alone because the scene in front of her would've been hard to explain to the humans that worked with her after she inevitably sent them away.

"W-what is- Who's that- Why is she- What h-happened?!" The small yellow monster finally settles on the last question.

"Long story short, Star's not doing so great. Need help." Sans says, his eye flaring up.

The door to the lab slams shut and locks, blinds going over the windows. Several things on one of the counters are suddenly surrounded by a cyan glow and lifted up in the air, which causes Alphys to squeal in horror, begging all the deities she's ever heard of for nothing to break.

The short skeleton sets your body on the newly cleared counter and the things that were previously on it get scattered around the various others, but despite that, still intact. The short scientist silently thanks the stars that she had everything correctly labelled and that nothing would get mixed up by Sans' rearrangement. But even so it would still be a pain to get everything back in order. Without time to wallow over it, she shyly glances at the other presence in the room, dressed in a sharp black suit and a white lab coat similar to her own, but undoubtedly longer. She can't help but notice the large cracks on his skull that creep out of his sockets, finding them somewhat creepy and unsettling especially when the right socket droops slightly beneath it. For some reason she feels like she's seen this skeleton somewhere before, but for the life of her she can't remember where at.

Alphys is brought out of her musings by Sans' voice. "I'm not sure if what's going on is just in her head. I think it's affecting her soul as well. You think you can take a look and maybe figure something out?"

"I-I can try…" The tiny scientist stutters, waddling closer and past the tall skeleton watching her closely. It makes her slightly uncomfortable and very nervous.

She adjusts the glasses on her face over her snout and narrows her eyes at you. She tries to look into your soul but there's something blocking her. She almost can't see the glow of your white heart underneath what looks almost like a fog of black smoke. She blinks a few times and shakes her head, taking off her glasses to clean them before attempting to gaze into your being yet again. And once more she can't see much past the dark haze that surrounds your soul completely.

Behind Alphys, Sans is fidgeting like never before, waiting to hear anything, hoping for it to be something good. But when she keeps squinting at you for what feels like an eternity he can't hold it anymore.

"Anything?" He asks, his voice impatient, a hand going up to rub the back of his skull as he shifts from one foot to another.

"I c-can't see… It looks like it's… C-could you please pull out her soul so I can t-take a better look?" Her request doesn't exactly come as a shock, he can see the darkness encasing your soul just as clearly and he doesn't doubt Gaster has spotted it too.

Sans nods and approaches your body, stroking your cheek gently before moving his good hand to hover over your chest. He pulls out your soul… Wait, no… He tries to pull out your soul… He's calling for it but it's not coming.

"What?" He mumbles in shock, unintentionally pressing harder against your chest, perhaps a little too hard.

He calls out your soul and feels it tug but not budge. His eye sockets are wide and darker than the mist that is engulfing the culmination of your being. There's no sign of the pinpricks of light of his pupils, his eyes as hollow as he suddenly feels.

"What's wrong?" Gaster finally speaks for the first time since the teleportation.

"I can't…" The other mutters, his voice failing him before he can get the rest out.

"You c-can't reach her?" Alphys speaks, her words dipped in pure disbelief.

She figured that would be the case if she tried to pull out your soul herself which is why she asked Sans to do it for her. She never thought that he wouldn't be able to do it either. He's your soulmate, you're connected on a very intimate level. He of all people should be able to reach you under any circumstances.

"No. This can't be happening. Star, you can't shut me out." The skeleton speaks through gritted teeth, trying over and over again to reach for your soul and feeling his attempts bounce back as if you were actually repelling him.

He takes your face between his hands, wincing from the contact to his right hand. The lizard monster gasps loudly at the sight, finally noticing the gaping hole that wasn't there the last time she saw him.

"W-w-what happened to you?!" She asks loudly, her voice going a couple of octaves higher than her already high-pitched voice.

"Long story." Gaster answers for him, his low and scratchy tone diverting her attention to himself. "This is most unfortunate." He says, bringing a hand up over his mouth as he hums in thought.

This action causes Alphys' eyes to focus right on the suspiciously similar hole in this new person's hands. Her eyes dart from one skeleton to the other in quick succession, a few cogs starting to turn in her brain. Deciding that there are more pressing matters at hand she returns her attention to your soul.

"It a-almost looks as if she's blocking everyone out. She's h-hiding within herself to protect herself." Pausing for a moment, she opens her mouth to ask Sans why you'd do something like this but is stopped by Gaster raising a hand to signal her to wait, his gaze turning to your body and seeing your fingers twitching.

"Sans."

The small skeleton turns in the caller's direction to find out what he wants but he's choked before he can get the words out. He doesn't exactly need to breathe what with the lack of organs that would require the oxygen. But the habit was something he was used to and the grip around his neck caught him off guard, causing a similar reaction to actually having his air supply cut off. His iris came to life instinctively, darting to your face, your eyes open and glowing with a burning rage, as if restarting where you left off before passing out. Your tight hold on him only gets stronger until you throw him across the room, snapping up and out of the counter. Several dark spots plague your field of vision and you stumble forwards, grabbing onto the first thing you come across. It just so happens to be a microscope that quickly skids off and comes crashing to the ground.

Alphys shrieks in horror only to have Gaster catching the equipment with his magic before it breaks, immediately directing it somewhere safer. Without the leverage to regain your balance, however, you fall down to your hands and knees, feeling disoriented and like your head's being drilled into mercilessly. The whispers in your head return in full throttle, hissing and spewing hatred filled words at you that you can't focus on but at the same time can't ignore either.

Both you and Sans struggle back up to your feet as the scientists fumble with the priceless research scattered around the lab. You stare at each other as you start heading towards him. Being the last person you'd seen before falling unconscious, all your anger and fear are directed at him exactly. He realises that if you start fighting here it won't end well for anyone and with no time to think things through as soon as you crash into him he teleports to the first place that comes to mind.

The impulse of the magical transportation sends you both rolling across the tiled floor in opposite directions. The yellows of the room surround you and your soulmate, a heavy weight coming down on his soul as he takes in the new environment. Why of all places did he have to think of here?

He crawls onto his knees, cursing under his breath from the pain of putting weight onto his right hand, his breath catching from the memories that come rushing in, like a dam's flood gates have been opened. At the end of the judgement hall he sees you trying to get over the dizziness of the sedative that hasn't completely worn off, somehow your sluggish movements mimicking Frisk's possessed state as Chara attempted to stand back up after a thorough beating. His bones start rattling from the feelings the image resurfaces, magic flaring up in his eye and pouring out of him. His whole body is standing to attention, ready to fight, his soul aching.

In what he can only assume to be a cruel joke that fate has decided to play on him, a magic knife materializes in your right hand. Sans could almost swear that the ire filled red glow of your one eye overpowers the blue in the other. And when you finally get somewhat over the numbing effects of the tranquilizer Gaster had injected you with, you charge at him. Your posture, your unhinged expression of a half-mad smirk, the setting you've found yourselves in… All of a sudden he doesn't know what's real and what isn't. One second he's trying to keep you off while trying to figure out how to help you, and the next he's dodging Chara's relentless attacks, from a timeline long erased. Everyone he loves is dead, turned to dust in the wind by the child in front of him, and they're going to erase his world. He has no choice but to stop them.

You slash at him and he side-steps out of the way, a low growl forming in your throat as you keep attacking and he keeps dodging. Not entirely out of the sedative's grasp you stumble quite a bit, swinging wildly and falling to your knees only to get back up and try to strike again. You don't leave an opening for him to fight back but you can't land a hit either. You slash at your front and suddenly he's at your back, you try to land a kick on his side and out of nowhere he's several feet away.

You grunt with each attempt at his life until you're downright screaming with a mix frustration, anger and resignation to listen to what the voices are telling you. That it's you or him. They're contradicting, constantly telling you that you deserve death but that you should kill anyone who tries to bring it upon you. Telling you to be cruel to those who hurt you and yet that you're worthless and no one really cares so why should you? They're confusing but you can't help but listen when they're so loud and demanding. Logic and reason left you when the suffocating emptiness of The Void finally broke you. And so you keep going.

The flashes of Sans' past are blinding him to the situation in front of him. He dodges each attack effortlessly, Chara's knife taking the place of your own. A particular slash comes dangerously close to his chest and he jumps over you, the child's giggle ringing in the depths of his thoughts. He lands back on his feet, sliding slightly behind you, your hand coming back to try and hit him again and he grabs it with little to no effort, the permanent grin plastered on his face the same way it had been back then. The touch of your skin momentarily brings him back to the present and he pushes you back, disappearing further into the hall with a blip.

You're already getting out of breath, sweat beading at your forehead as you look around for your opponent, your threat, your target. Sans takes a hand to his skull, the memories hitting him like a ton of bricks.

He's tired, slower and predictable. He knows that it'll be the end soon if things continue on this way. Just like before. You finally spot him and he stares into your eyes, seeing Chara's once again. He sees you charge for him once more and the image flips back and forth between past and present as you get closer and closer. He can't fight, he's tired of fighting. Magic running low he doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to hold on.

Chara's getting closer. The knife is raised high, ready to strike the ending blow and he's just ready for it, eyes drooping closed with exhaustion, but at the last second a voice calls him back to his senses. The kid was talking. Frisk had called him and he couldn't ignore their pleas to kill them for the hundredth time that day, swearing this would be the last.

He grabs your arm again before you land the attack and, in a knee jerk reaction much like the one from long before he'd made it to the surface, a bone sprouts from the ground, sharpened edge going straight for the kill at your heart. He stops himself just before it pierces through your chest and out your back, realising that it's you and not Chara or Frisk, that if you die, you're gone forever. Without any hesitation of your own you hit him square in the ribs and he goes rolling off across the floor and against one of the many pillars that decorate the room. A loud crunching noise echoes through the empty hallway followed by a sharp cry of pain. Some of his ribs are broken, there's no doubt about it. The small skeleton doubles over, expecting you to come at him and finish it off.

But when the blow doesn't come, with some effort he opens his eyes and cranks his neck to look in your direction, spotting you at the spot he'd been just a few seconds ago, gasping for air and struggling to stay on your feet. From your face you're in pain too, but he can't tell if it's physical or emotional. Perhaps both. But in your eyes there's something other than rage and terror. There's doubt.

That sweet and merciful voice is back under the others, begging you to stop fighting.

Sans groans as he pulls himself back up with the help of the pillar he was thrown into. At the sight of movement you snap back to fight mode and start for him again with an angry cry and tears forming at the corners of your eyes. He waits until you're nearly on top of him to teleport straight behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, letting out a yelp of agony from his cracked ribs pressing against your back. He uses his magic to hold you in place, not having the physical strength to actually do it himself. Mostly he's just leaning against you, almost as if for support, his left hand coming up to hover over your chest. He still can't call out your soul.

So instead, he pulls his own out of his chest and into yours.

NOTE: Heya, sorry for the recent delays, been stuck on some parts of this for some reason and also currently on holiday and internet isn't exactly great lol

Even so, I hope that despite that you still enjoyed this chapter, thank you so much for taking the time to read and every piece of feedback is greatly appreciated so as always feel free to leave it ^.^

Once again, sorry for taking so long between updates I really try my best but I've had so many blocks lately :/