It was dark.

That was the first thing Frisk noticed, that it was dreadfully dark and extremely cold.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to gather heat to keep herself warm. Her fingers felt as if they were frozen. Even when she tried to use her hot breath to warm her cupped hands, nothing worked. She was still immensely cold.

Maybe she could find shelter somewhere?

She looked around but saw nothing. It was pitch black.

"So cold" she whispered to herself.

"Is someone there?"

Frisk's head shot up, searching the darkness for the source of the voice, yet found nothing. There was no one around. Did she just imagine it?

Then suddenly, there was crying.

Frisk looked around again. Still there was nothing.

"Did you fall down? Are you okay?"

There was a sniff before a reply. "I think so"

"That's good to hear. I'm Asriel. What's your name?"

Asriel? That's Asgore's and Toriel's son. Who was he talking to? Why was he being so pleasant? After being turned into a flower, he lost the ability to love. That's what drove him into madness. The better question would be: why was he calling himself Asriel in the first place? He abandoned that name and became known as Flowey a long time ago. He hated his real name since it only reminded him of his former self. So why was he calling himself Asriel now?

The voice from before took a while to answer, but with another sniff, it finally did. "Chara"

A chill went down Frisk's back. The woman with rosy cheeks came to mind. That was her name, was it not? She had introduced herself as Chara after all.

A light beamed down on a lone figure. The person held their back to Frisk as she stood in the field of golden flowers. Her hair was cut short like Frisk's and was a deep brown. The shirt she wore was green with a yellow stripe. The same shirt Chara wore back in the outskirts. This person did look like the Chara she knew; only this person was just a child. Maybe she was not the same person?

Frisk stood in the cold darkness and slowly approached the child. Fear struck her, but she held firm. This Chara person was just a child. What kind of harm could a child do to her? Children were known for their innocence.

The child said nothing as she walked. There was nothing to fear, she reminded herself. It's just a child. Maybe she knew of a way back to Snowdin. Maybe the child, could help her. Something deep down in Frisk warned her that this child did not want to help; far from it. Frisk ignored her gut feeling though.

Within a fair amount of distance, Frisk reached out and gently grabbed the child's shoulder. "Excuse me, do you-" She never finished her sentence because she was shocked.

Horrified, Frisk watched the child spin around to face her with dull brown eyes. The child's face was covered in blood, and her clothes completely drenched with thick red blood. In her hand, she held a blood soaked kitchen knife.

Frisk fell back in her surprise.

"What's wrong, Frisk? You look scared. Are you scared?" the child asked in an unnerving tone. Her voice had a weird twisted echo to it. As if to sound sweat and innocent but also corrupted into insanity.

The child took a step towards her. She crawled back to keep the distance, never letting her out of her sight. She inched back again in hopes of escaping from this deranged child. Eventually her back hit a wall. Preventing any movement. Only then did she take notice that she was now in a burning building. How did she not notice that before? She was freezing cold earlier but now her own skin felt as if it was on fire from the mere heat.

"Can't take the heat, Frisk?"

The child was now in front of her with her head cocked to the side. Her eyes were no longer visible but her grin was slowly growing with her crazed look. Her cheeks were even rosy. She seemed to be delighted at the chaos.

"You- Are you- …Chara?"

The child's grin grew even wider if that was even possible.

"How nice of you, Frisk, you remembered my name. That makes me so happy"

How was this even possible? She left Chara back in the outskirts. How was she even here... wherever here was. Was it the outskirts? Did she somehow return to that hell hole? She wished that Sans was here with her.

Warm tears fell down her face. She was completely helpless. There was no stopping Chara.

"Aww, are you crying?" Chara laughed in her face at her tears. Taking sheer joy out of her pain. "Do not worry. It will all be over soon." Chara raised her knife, guiding its kill for her.

Frisk shut her eyes tight. Accepting her fate. All she could think was how she wanting to see Sans one more time.

"You will accept me!" she screamed in anger as she lowered the knife.

But the knife never came.

Frisk opened her eyes, nearly blinding herself with the morning light that swept into Sans' room. Skeleton arms were wrapped loosely around her waist, keeping her close to the body that they possessed. Warm breathing fluttered against her ear, tickling her softly. It was Sans. The thought of him next to her warmed her heart. She was not alone in that darkness anymore. She was back home.

It must have all been a dream. It was nothing more than a nightmare.

Frisk slowly turned in the Skeleton's arms to gaze at his face. He was sleeping soundly as always. She admired how peaceful he looked. If only she felt how he looked right now. The sight of that murderous child haunted her dreams more times than she could count. She was thankful that every time she woke it was in Sans arms. If she had woken up alone, like she had that first night, she was unsure if even Sans arms could bring her back to reality.

As if he sensed her stare, Sans' eye sockets fluttered awake. Seeing her first thing in the morning always put him in a good mood, especially whenever he saw her blush when he caught her watching him. "Good morning," he whispered to her.

Frisk blushed harder as she whispered, "Morning" back. She was not sure what it was, but Sans was somehow able to make her heart beat faster with a simple look.

Normally, after their route mornings, they would both get up and head down stairs for breakfast with Papyrus.

Instead, the two just laid in bed while they gazed at each other.

Sans made the first move by lifted his hand to gently cup her cheek. "Frisk, there is something I should tell you." He told her softly as if in a trance. His eyes never left hers, even though she darted her eyes around in embarrassment so that they could find anything but him to focus on.

Frisk's heart was beating faster. "Yes?" she whispered.

Sans did not say anything. He just stared at her face before slowly moving closer. Frisk did not dare move an inch.

Sans' magically formed blue lips were merely an inch away from hers , and right when he was going to crash his lips upon hers in a heat of passion; a sudden loud noise broke them apart.

Sans jumped out of bed to the other side of the room as quickly as possible. Frisk was too stunned to move an inch. There was more crashes followed by shouting before the bedroom door flew open and there stood a furious Undyne.

She stood there huffing and puffing in her casual clothes instead of her armor, and with beads of sweat rolling down her scaly skin. She must have ran all the way here from her house in Waterfall, unless she was at Alphys' lab. Then she would have ran all the way here from Hotlands, an even further distance.

"UNDYNE, PLEASE. CALM DOWN" Papyrus tried to ease the situation from behind the fish woman, just as sweaty as she was, before a quick glare from the said woman shut him right up.

"Geez, Undyne. I know Frisk is a-door-able but did you really have to burst in here?"

Hearing San' pun, Papyrus screamed out in frustration. Even Frisk could not help giving out a small chuckle at the two brothers. Once Undyne heard it though, her glare met Frisk's eyes. Frisk immediately froze up.

"So, it's true then." Undyne growled out. "You really are back."

"Um" Frisk began to fidget with all the attention directed at her. "Yes?" she answered lamely. She tried to make up for it with a smile, but it seemed to only make it worse.

"I see" No one moved for the longest time. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Finally, Undyne flung herself towards Frisk. She quickly shut her eyes waiting for the pain of the blow, but it never happened. Instead, she felt arms wrapped around her head as she was pulled in a tight embrace. "You're such a nerd!" Undyne's voice broke as warm tears fell from her eyes and down her cheeks. "How dare you come back from the dead and not see me first. We're besties, aren't we?"

Frisk felt Undyne hold her tighter as she spoke. Even though she had difficult time breathing, she never wanted the hug to end. Undyne had a hard time showing her feelings in the first place. She would hide them in her tenacious act but in truth, she was a big softy on the inside. To see her so honest with her feelings of missing her, Frisk was enormously touched. "Of course, Undyne. We're besties for life." Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Undyne's frame and returned the hug.

At some point in time, Sans and Papyrus left them in the room to talk their issues out. It was the first time in weeks that Sans was not by her side. She felt uncomfortable, but knew that it was necessary. She wouldn't be able to have a real heart to heart chat with the fish woman if they were there. Undyne would be too guarded with what she said.

Undyne cried in her arms for some time before sitting up and wiping her tears. "How are you not dead?" she asked.

"Well, I was not dead per say. I was just trapped outside of time and space." It was best to keep the details to a minimum. Keep the story short. She was going to have to keep telling everyone whenever they asked. It was not every day that people were discovered alive when presumed dead.

"Huh" Undyne looked down at her lap, absorbing the information. It did not take her long. Like Papyrus, she did not dwell on things for long. "You nerd! It must have been that determination of yours. It's more powerful than I thought!"

Frisk shrugged her shoulders. Everyone kept saying that. She was not sure what they meant though. She always took that as to never give up. With so many people who have told her that, how could she give up?

"So why do you look all grown up? Do all humans age as fast as you do?"

Frisk looked down at herself once again seeing her adult body. "Um, no. I kind of aged faster when I was trapped. It's a long story."

"Pftt, okay. Whatever. It's just weird seeing you all grown up and giving Sans the look" Undyne shrugged her shoulders and lifted her hands. It looked like something an anime character would do.

"What look?" Frisk asked in confusion.

Undyne dropped her hands to her lap, giving Frisk a pointed look. "The look. You know, the ones that those girls give to their crushes on Alphy's TV. Are you and Sans together now?"

Frisk blushed deep. Her and Sans together!? She hadn't even thought about that. It did not even register as a possibility. She suppose that they could. She was an adult now. And she did enjoy her time with him. Did she love him though? What was love for that matter? And would it even work? She was a human and he was a monster. Did he even want to date her? Thoughts of earlier events involving blue lips came to mind. She blushed even harder.

Undyne observed her friend in silence. She watched Frisk squirm in her seat and her cheeks darken to a deep red. A devilish grin grew on her features. "What are you thinking about Frisk? You and Sans? Are you two perhaps sitting in that famous tree, I keep hearing about?"

"Wha-!? NO! I mean- …Undyne! You're mean!" Frisk yelled in frustrations. Now her thoughts drifted into dangerous territories. The idea made her hot and bothered. Undyne laughed at her, so Frisk grabbed a pillow and hit her with it.

Undyne went silent.

Frisk slowly grew concerned.

Then Undyne flashed her eyes and looked at Frisk as if she was just challenged to a fight. She might as well have been.

Frisk booked it before Undyne could do anything but the chase was on. She was not going to get out of that pillow fight.

Fanfic Recommendation

Whatever Can Happen Will by FlightyFelon

Sans wakes up after yet another reset. However, something is different about this playthrough. Something is loose in the time stream and is wreaking havoc with the way things are meant to be. Older!Frisk helps Sans face his past as they travel between AUs in search of a way home. (Very Head-cannony!) AUs so far: UNDERFELL, UNDERSWAP, BROMALGAMATE.