Together, everyone walked out of the tunnels to the surface. The monsters left puddles behind them, but determination kept them from giving up and falling down. A team from the laboratory (called by Alphys) was waiting at the giant hole in the mall. They had brought along a large quantity of the chemical that could fix the monsters' melting.

While everyone received injections of the chemical, Frisk and Chara sat with Toriel by a wall. Toriel was using her magic to heal their wounds.

"I am sorry that we had to let you fight someone as savage as Killer," Toriel was saying as she healed Chara's shoulder.

"It's fine, mother," Chara said. "We didn't really do much. It was you and everyone else that destroyed Killer's shadow."

"Still, had we learned to wield the power of determination earlier-"

"Chara's right," Frisk said. "The important thing is that all of us made it out of that battle alive."

Everyone but Killer, of course.

All the monsters seemed to be feeling both remorse and satisfaction from the fact that Killer had offed themselves. There was remorse, because they would rather have that Killer went back to their own timeline and every other timeline that they destroyed to fix things. But there was also satisfaction, because – being such a terrible murderer – it made sense that Killer would end up being the one to kill themselves.

Toriel gave a sigh.

Chara winced as the bright light of Toriel's magic shrouded their wound, like a fog. Their flesh was being mended, severed veins being repaired, and trace amounts of blood being replenished. Frisk had experienced the feeling of being healed already, and it had been on their face, where Killer had punched them nearly a dozen times. The feeling was like a mixture of mild, stinging pain, and also an uncomfortably ticklish sensation.

When Toriel finished, she stood up.

"This is the most I can do," she said. "But I would suggest visiting a doctor, to make sure that your health is well and that there are no other internal injuries that I may have missed."

"We'll do that," Frisk replied, nodding.

Toriel smiled. "Well then, I think-"

"Uh, sorry to interrupt..."

Asgore walked up beside Toriel, glancing nervously back and forth between her and Chara. He stood in front of Chara and gave them a large smile.

The two of them had talked on their way up the tunnels. Asgore had even let Chara sit on his shoulder when they grew tired of walking. Chara thought that it would be fun, but quickly changed their mind when their pants became stained by a puddle of melted Asgore.

"Chara," Asgore said. "I am sorry that I did not come to visit you sooner."

He turned to face Frisk as well. "I am sorry to you too, Frisk."

"It's fine, dad," Chara replied. "Frisk and I get along really well by ourselves."

"...Really well," Frisk said, turning their eyes away.

Asgore nodded. "I'm glad to see that you two have become such good friends. As an ambassador of the monsters, I have to work seven days a week. But, if you ever need help, you can give me a call..."

He took out a giant black smartphone from inside his pockets.

"...and I'll answer with my new phone!" Asgore grinned. "It's a Nexus 5050p! The new phone from Google, specifically for boss monster-sized hands!"

"That is very well and all, Asgore, but I think if my children need help, the first person that they will call is Alphys," Toriel said, giving Asgore an evil eye. "And, if they are in need of parental affection, they are much more likely to call me instead of you."

Asgore lowered his head.

"Don't worry, dad!" Chara spoke up. "I'll call to talk to you if you feel lonely."

"Chara...thank you," Asgore replied, tears welling up in his eyes.

He reached down to give Chara a hug. Chara embraced him back.

"Ah! Is it time for a group hug to celebrate our reunion?" Papyrus said, sauntering up to them. "Will you let me, the Great Papyrus, join in?!"

"Of course!" Frisk answered, extending out their arms.

"Group hug? I'm in!" Undyne yelled, dashing towards them.

"Undyne? Wait f-for me!" Alphys called out.

"What a tearful finale!" Mettaton said, sticking out his legs for no particular reason (he comes for the hug as well). "If I had filmed our entire adventure, this could very well make for a record-shattering movie..."

"Oh, shut up with you and your stage drama," Toriel said.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Ummm...I thought I was just saying what everyone was thinking," she replied, blushing.

"WOWIE!" Papyrus shouted. "Goat monsters can blush?"

"Of...of course we can!" Asgore responded.

"And she's right, you know," Undyne said to Mettaton. "Stick your films and your stage drama somewhere else!"

Mettaton's expression turned corrosive.

"You do not mind...if I hug as well?" Toriel asked.

Frisk smiled. "Mom! You don't even have to ask!"

With a great big goat-mom smile, she joined in.

"...Group hug?" A meek voice suddenly said.

Burgerpants emerged from a nearby store and walked shyly towards them. He looked like he wanted to join in, but was too nervous to ask.

Mettaton smirked. "Well, if it isn't-"

"BURGERPANTS!" Frisk yelled. "Of course you can join in our group hug!"

"Well...ummm, I didn't do anything, but, uh, I guess I could..." He made an exaggerated face. "...IF MY BOSS WOULD STOP MONITORING ALL MY WORK HOURS!"

"Aren't all the stores closed right now?" Alphys said.

Burgerpants' expression became softer. "No one told me...oh. Well. In that case, I guess, I'll join in!"

He came over and hugged everyone, awkwardly.

Napstablook drifted by. "Oh...I guess I'll join...and pretend that I can give hugs..."

Mettaton gave Napstablook a pat on the shoulder (somehow?).

There was only one more person.

"SANS!" Frisk called out to the skeleton. "Come here for our group hu-"

Frisk blinked, but when they opened their eyes, Sans was already beside them.

"What're you talking about, kid?" Sans said, making the largest grin Frisk had ever seen. "I'm already here!"

Chara gave Sans a suspicious glare. Then, they laughed.

"To the humans, and to every monster!" Asgore said. "Let's give everyone a great big hug!"

Frisk turned to face you.

Yes, you. You, behind the screen. Yeah, you're joining in too. What? You thought this story wasn't going to break the fourth wall? Come join the hug!

We're not going to have this group hug without you, you know.

So come join us!

It's a hug with the Undertale cast! (Even Asriel is here...somehow? I guess Sans planted him and he burrowed through the soil to get here)

Even Chara wants to give you a hug!

Let's go.

One, two, three...

GROUP HUG!

"So, where do you w-want to live from here on?"

Frisk and Chara were lying in the laboratory hospital, recovering from their battle. Alphys was sitting beside them.

"We could go back and live with mother," Chara said.

Frisk considered it for a moment, but shook their head.

"Mom's still going to be really busy managing her school," Frisk replied. "Plus, to be honest...I think I enjoyed the freedom of living by ourselves."

"You want to go back to that dingy little apartment?!"

"No, not that! I want to live here, in this apartment. It's close to the university, and I like going to the campus library. And you can continue your piano lessons with Undyne!"

Alphys looked like she was about to cry.

"Out of every place you've lived...you choose to stay w-with me?"

Chara smiled. They looked happy about this idea as well. "Who else am I going to play video games with all day?"

Frisk laughed. "Well, if it's okay with you-"

"Of course it's okay!" Alphys said. "I'm g-going to call Sans and tell him to move everything from your other apartment b-back to the laboratory. We'll have everything s-set up and ready for you, just like it was before, by the time you're well enough to leave!"

"Thank you!"

"And I'll tell Undyne that y-you want to begin your piano lessons again," Alphys said to Chara. "You do, right?"

Chara nodded. "I have a new piece I want to show her!"

"That's great!"

She dashed out of the room.

Frisk laid their head back down on their pillow. Here they were, in hospital, lying in bed. The doctors had told them that it would take a while for the bruises on their faces to recover, but at least they hadn't broken any bones. Chara was the more injured, with their slashed shoulder, and they had needed stitches for that.

"I've been thinking..." Frisk began.

Chara looked up at them. "Yeah?"

"Was it...was it possible for us to save Killer?"

"If you ask me? No."

Frisk was silent for a moment.

"Don't overthink it," Chara continued. "If you do that, you'll just end up thinking about all the 'what if' scenarios that didn't happen. You'll be filled with regret."

"Chara?"

"I know. From experience."

Frisk sighed.

"I thought I could save everyone," Frisk said. "I thought anybody, no matter how horrible or awful they were, could become a better person if they just tried. I thought...I really thought that I could save them."

They turned over, to face Chara. "The worst thing about it is...that person could've been me. Killer WAS me – they were me from an alternate world, after having been dealt an alternate hand of cards."

"Don't say that!" Chara said. "Killer wasn't you in any way or form."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. You are the person that you are right now, Frisk. The things that you could or should have done don't matter, because they're all in the past." Chara closed their eyes. "If I could go back to the past and change things, well, there are so many things that I would've done differently. But, I know I can't. I can never reset back that far, and I wouldn't want to – because, if I did, I'd become a completely different person than who I am now. And I don't know if that'd be for better or for worse."

"You're right," Frisk replied. "Chara...that was an extremely mature thing for you to say."

Chara grinned. "Well, I AM actually over a hundred years old, you know!"

"What?!"

"Just kidding! I don't know or remember ANYTHING that happened while I was dead! As far as I know: one second, I was in Asriel's body, collapsing on the garden floor in the underground kingdom's throne room, and the next, I was inside your body!"

"Oh."

Chara's expression saddened. "Well, I guess, if there's one thing that I really want to do, it's to help Asriel get his body back."

"Yeah."

"But...Alphys is still going to help us do that, isn't she?"

"Right."

Frisk turned over again and looked up at the ceiling.

"There is one thing that's surprised me..." they whispered.

"Huh?"

"When...Killer died, I was expecting to feel, well, sadder. But, for some reason, I didn't. In the past, I would have done something different, even possibly stupid, like resetting and trying to get a better outcome. But, this time, I just didn't want to risk it."

"Frisk-"

"It just makes me feel like I've...well, become lazy. Or maybe even less determined.

"I think that's just called growing up."

Frisk closed their eyes, nodding.

"Yeah. I've come to realize that you can't really save anybody. This world is...too complex. It's impossible to reduce everything down to whom can or can't be saved."

Chara turned over.

"So...you're not going to feel sad over them?"

"No. As you said, the best thing for me to do is to just move on and stop thinking about them."

"Right."

To Chara's surprise, Frisk got out of bed, walking over to them...and climbed into their bed.

"Frisk?!"

"I'm lonely," Frisk said, tugging themselves under Chara's blankets. They put their arm around Chara's back and pushed themselves close. "I'd rather sleep with you."

"Awww, you..."

"I like your eyes so much. And I want to smell your hair again."

"You're still too cute."

"Want to kiss?"

"Okay."

Frisk put their lips on Chara's and began kissing them. They hugged Chara tightly, feeling all their warmth. They breathed in deeply, taking in the pleasant scent of Chara's hair. Chara put a hand on Frisk's shoulder and stroked their neck. Frisk caressed them back. Their closeness, their affection, and their intimacy was the most satisfying sensation in the world.

Their lips started to get wet-

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Frisk and Chara looked up to see Alphys standing at the door. Her face was completely red.

"Sorry! Bad t-time! I'll come back later!"

"No, wait!"

Frisk jumped out of Chara's bed and returned to their own.

"Let's do this later," Chara whispered.

Frisk giggled.

"Yeah."