The author is not responsible for covering any and all ice-cream purchases needed to cope with any feels evoked by the following chapter.
Toby Fox owns Undertale and all related characters.
Chara wandered through the blackness. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but it felt like it had been a long time. An eternity maybe.
When she had first arrived, she had called out for Frisk a few times, hoping to find him here. But she had stopped trying a while ago. She didn't like the way her voice was swallowed up by the darkness around her.
Was she dead? She had died before, but it had felt… different. At least she thought it had. It was a long time ago. If she was dead, then where was Frisk?
She had no answers to her questions. There was really nothing to do but walk. Even thinking seemed pointless. There was nothing but blackness and silence.
Then, she noticed something ahead. A light, just a pinprick, but in this utter blackness around her, it stood out like a beacon. Chara stopped for a moment, gazing in wonder at the light. Then, she slowly began to walk towards it. Something about it felt… familiar.
As she closed in on it, it grew larger until it was a spotlight, shining down from above onto a small scene. What she saw made her stop again, her heart in her throat.
She had seen this before. It was a bed of golden flowers basking in the light. In front of them, with his back to her, was Asriel.
Chara let out a choked cry and ran towards him, tears filling her eyes. She stopped just outside of the circle of light, frozen in place as Asriel slowly turned to face her.
He was just like she remembered, and just like he was when Frisk brought them both back to the Ruins before leaving the Underground. Wearing that green striped shirt he always loved that constantly had white fur on the shoulders from where his ears flopped onto them. His big brown eyes widened as he saw her and he gave a small smile.
"Hey, Chara." He even sounded the same as she remembered. Long ago, in a different time. Before everything went wrong. "It's… it's good to see you again." He looked around hesitantly. "Is Frisk here?"
It took Chara a moment to remember how to speak, so she wiped away the tears in her eyes before replying.
"I… I don't think so. I haven't seen him in a while. I don't remember what happened, but…"
Asriel looked down sadly for a moment, then seemed to brighten, returning his gaze to Chara.
"Well then, when you see him again, pass this message on to him too, okay?"
"What message?"
Asriel stepped towards her and opened his arms. Suddenly, Chara could move again and she hurled herself into her brother's embrace, holding him tightly while wetting his ears with the tears that she could not hold back. Asriel hugged her back just as hard.
"Thank you." He whispered into her ear, voice quivering. "Both of you. You saved me from myself and then… then you saved me from Him."
"I… I don't understand."
Asriel gently patted her back as Chara's sobs began to settle.
"The Defiler. He found me underground. He… absorbed me. Said I still had a part of his power. But when you attacked his soul, you tore me free."
"Are we dead?" Chara asked quietly, her tears slowly subsiding, though her grip on her brother did not.
"You're not." Asriel replied. "But, this time… well, there's no going back for me." Chara felt him give a small shrug. "Maybe it was selfish, but I just… I wanted to say goodbye before I went."
"Asriel…"
"It's alright. I'm… I'm finally ready to move on. Maybe there's a place of peace for me somewhere out there. Even if there isn't… I was so tired of being a flower."
"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Chara whimpered. "We were supposed to free everyone together! If you had just listened to me…"
"I know. I couldn't do it though. I looked at them, and all I could see was you."
"They were trying to kill us! You didn't have to…" Chara choked on the words. "You didn't have to die. It wasn't… I…"
"You did it though, didn't you? You brought everyone up to the surface. You saved everyone, Chara."
"No I didn't. Frisk saved them. I just want…."
"I know."
Asriel's grip tightened on Chara, then he pulled back, a sad smile on his face as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Chara wiped her eyes clear and gazed longingly at her brother.
"Hey Chara? Can you do me a favour?"
Chara sniffed and nodded.
"When you wake up… You've got a whole life that you can live. Be happy, okay?"
Chara sat up straight in bed with a gasp. Then she immediately fell back onto the pillows, realizing just how exhausted and drained she felt. Her throat felt like she'd been drinking sand, and the room seemed to spin around her as she tried to get her bearings.
Finally the spinning stopped, and she realized that she was in her… well, Frisk's room. Everything seemed the same, except…
She looked over to the side, and there was a small brown chair that certainly hadn't been there before. Sitting in the chair was Sans, apparently reading a joke book, though from what she remembered of the joke book in his house back in Snowdin, he could actually be reading anything.
He looked up from his book to see her staring at him from where she lay. He seemed to study her for a moment, then reached behind him and pulled out a glass of water which he offered to her.
"I wondered which one of you would be waking up. Here, take this. You're probably thirsty."
Chara hesitantly accepted the proffered drink and propped herself up on one arm to sip at it. Sans didn't seem to be in a rush, and he waited for her to finish the glass before taking it from her unresisting hand and setting it on the dresser.
"So, then. Any sign of Frisk?"
Chara shook her head. She still felt empty. She had grown so used to the boy's presence that not having him in her head just seemed… wrong.
Sans nodded, seemingly unsurprised.
"Are you going to kill me?" Chara asked resignedly, letting her head slump back onto the pillows.
Sans shrugged.
"I wasn't planning on it."
Chara looked at him in surprise.
"Why not? You worried that I'm lying and you'll accidentally kill Frisk too?"
"Way I see it, you'd be more likely to tell me Frisk is there so that I wouldn't risk killing you. Anyway, bit of a waste keeping you alive here just to kill you now."
"I thought you hated me." Chara muttered.
"During the fight, when whatever happened to Frisk happened." The skeleton said slowly. "When you said he was gone, you sounded like someone who had just lost their best friend. Believe me, I know what that sounds like. And it's not something that you can fake either.
"If you were the same person that you were when we fought, I would kill you now before I risked letting you out of this room. But Frisk trusted you, and maybe the kid was on to something."
Chara rubbed at her forehead, then stared at the ceiling for a moment. He seemed calmer than she would have expected, and she wasn't sure what to think of Sans's seeming acceptance of her, but she could deal with that later. Finally, she asked,
"How long was I out?"
"Been a week now, you've barely even stirred since we brought you back here. Toriel's been a wreck, especially since her healing magic didn't seem to have any effect on you. We were going to get Alphys to check on you since it seems like it was mostly your soul that was damaged, but she's been… preoccupied."
Chara turned her gaze back to Sans.
"So… everyone's alright?" she asked cautiously.
"Not everyone. Some of the Humans didn't make it when that building collapsed on them, and it was touch and go with Officer 01 for a while. But most of us managed to get away without anything life-threatening." He leaned forward. "So, what happened out there?"
"You don't remember?"
"If you recall, I got hurled pretty far at the end there. I would have come down to earth pretty hard if Papyrus hadn't managed to slow my fall with his soul effect." Sans's smile seemed a little strained. "By the time I got back, all I saw was a flash of light, and everyone was scattered across the battlefield, with no sign of The Defiler."
Chara furrowed her brow in concentration. Her memories from the end of the battle were fuzzy at best.
"I don't… the last thing I remember is being pulled towards The Defiler. I think… I think someone else was there?" She shook her head. "It's hard to remember."
"Guess that's not surprising. Your soul took a lot of damage in the fight. You might have some patchy spots in your memory for a while. But then, what do I know about your soul?"
Chara stiffened and shot him a glance. After a moment, she relaxed.
"Alright." She sighed. "How much do you know?"
"That Defiler guy, he was coming for you, and you specifically. You knew about the creatures he sent after us, and you guessed at his motivations. Sounds like you two knew each other at some point."
"That's not… entirely accurate. I was him at some point."
Sans didn't say anything, so Chara continued.
"What we fought back there... that was only a fraction of the power that he once had. I remember him talking about how he had been betrayed and his soul was shattered." She reached a hand to her chest and tightened it into a fist.
"And apparently, that's how I happened." She said bitterly. "Just a broken piece of some all-powerful demon god. Explains a lot, doesn't it?"
"I had wondered how Determination alone could give someone the power to wreak so much havoc on a timeline." Sans replied slowly. "So you're saying this Defiler guy once had the same power?"
"Yeah. He probably would have gotten it back if Frisk hadn't…" Her voice trailed off.
The skeleton leaned back and heaved a sigh.
"There's not much that can stop Frisk when he sets his mind to something. If he wanted to protect you, well, there's not much you or anyone else could do to stop him. Means he thought you were worth protecting."
Chara snorted.
"This is Frisk we're talking about." Her voice was tinged with both annoyance and fond amusement. "He thinks anyone is worth protecting. He'd offer a helping hand to the worst refuse that the world has to offer."
"Frisk's a good kid. But he's not stupid. He's just more aware of people's good side than they themselves are. Of course, it's up to them whether or not they use it, isn't it?"
Chara sat up gingerly, then pulled her legs up towards her so that her chin could rest on her knees.
"Doesn't matter now, does it? He's gone." She felt herself on the verge of tears, but she held them back, refusing to cry.
"You're sure about that?"
"Unless he somehow found a way to hide himself from me in our own head." Chara snapped. "Why, you think there's another explanation?"
"This stuff isn't exactly my field. But Alphys might be able to figure something out, she's kinda the expert when it comes to souls."
Chara looked up, then narrowed her eyes.
"Wait, you said she was preoccupied with something. What happened?"
Sans hesitated for a moment.
"It's… Undyne."
Chara froze.
"What… did she-"
"She's not dust… not yet anyway. Right before I got tossed, Alphys got knocked down and Undyne took a blast head-on. Ever since, her condition has been… erratic."
Sans paused as he searched for the right words.
"She hasn't woken up since the blast, and her body is unstable. One moment she's melting in front of us, the next she's fine. And the next… it's like she's got a second body and she's trying to grow into it." Sans shook his head. "Not a perfect description, but it's the best I can do. Alphys has been in a panic, she's been trying everything she can to restore Undyne, but nothing's worked so far."
Chara swallowed. She wondered if…
"Sans, take me to her."
"Whoa now, easy there. You just got up, you need to-"
"I'm serious, Sans. I think I might know what's wrong with her."
Sans stopped and just stared at her. Chara met his gaze, but took a deep breath to prepare herself.
"I can explain it on the way there. But we need to go; If I'm right, I don't know how much time Undyne has, but if we can't act fast enough, she will die."
"Just tell me now, and I'll go over there myself."
Chara shook her head.
"No, I need to be there." She couldn't stay alone in this house and risk her mother coming into the room. Not yet anyway. She was beginning to formulate a plan, but she would need time before she could carry it out.
Sans hesitated for a moment, then he relented.
"Alright kid, but we're going downstairs to put some shoes on you first. Tori… well, she's probably gonna kill me for this anyway, but let's not have it any more painful than it has to be, alright?"
He extended a hand to the girl, who took it carefully.
"Just be careful alright? You're probably still pretty weak, and the last thing I need is you falling for me."
Chara would have rolled her eyes, but at the moment she was too busy trying to keep her legs under her. Sans was right, she did feel incredibly weak. Weak, and now lightheaded. She leaned against Sans for support, but the skeleton didn't seem to mind. He led them towards the door, but Chara grabbed his shoulder, causing him to stop and look at her in surprise.
"Just… one second, okay?"
Chara let go of Sans, and wobbled her way over to the dresser. Fortunately, it was only a couple of steps, but she still had to grab onto it for support when she got there. She knelt down and opened the bottom drawer while Sans watched her silently from behind.
She ignored his gaze and rummaged through the clothing until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a small rectangular box and carefully opened the lid.
Inside was a small, golden, heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. Frisk had brought it back from New Home and kept it here for her. He'd never said why exactly.
Chara hesitated for a moment before quashing her indecision and slipping the chain over her head. It was her locket after all. She thought about opening it, but decided against it. She'd already memorized the interior, and she was already wasting time.
There was something comforting about having the cool metal against her skin again, and she felt slightly better about standing up and leaning herself on Sans for support. As they finally left the room and headed for the stairs at a slow pace, she began explaining her idea to Sans.
"I killed Undyne several times." She stated bluntly, but quietly. He already knew what she had done, there was no point in dancing around the issue, but if Toriel was home… well, she certainly wasn't ready to bare her sins to her mother.
"But whenever I did, she wouldn't die. Not right away. She'd be moments from becoming dust, but she'd re-form herself and attack with renewed vigour. When I did manage to defeat her, she would begin to melt before turning to dust.
"In the last timeline though, something changed. I took her out in one hit… and she came back again. But this time, she was… different. And far stronger than anything I'd ever seen before."
They reached the stairs, and Chara began the laborious task of going down them. She was grateful for Sans's support and his continued silence, though she was sure he wasn't too thrilled about their current conversation topic.
"She was stronger, angrier, tougher. She killed me. She killed me a lot. And she was the only Monster that took more than two hits to kill. She refused to die no matter what I threw at her.
"When I did beat her she melted again before turning to dust. It wasn't until this timeline when Frisk and I visited Alphys's True Lab that we realized why. Undyne has Determination."
"And you think this is what the problem is?" Sans said, reaching the entryway and stepping back so Chara could sit down and put on her shoes.
"The symptoms sound the same. If it does have to do with Determination, then Alphys might be able to do something to save her. If not…"
Sans was about to speak, but before he could, Toriel entered the room via the kitchen. Upon seeing Chara, she gasped and dropped the vase of flowers she was carrying, not even reacting as it shattered against the floor, spraying water and flowers everywhere.
Chara winced at the sound, but didn't stop trying to do up her laces. She'd always had a problem with shoes, and the fact that her fingers were currently only slightly more helpful than a wet noodle certainly wasn't helping.
"Frisk? What are you doing up? Sans, why didn't you tell me he was up!?" She began to walk towards the girl. "You shouldn't be out of bed, Frisk. I was so worried that you wouldn't wake up. Like-" She caught herself, but Chara knew she was talking about her.
"I'm not Frisk." Chara said quietly, finally managing to finish the shoelace and looking up into her mother's eyes.
Toriel stopped at her words, and Chara ignored the look that Sans gave her. She pressed on.
"I'm sorry, Mom, but I need to go. I might be able to save Undyne before it's too late. It's… the least I can do." She hesitated, then resumed quietly, lowering her head so that her bangs covered her eyes.
"I promise, when we get back, I'll explain everything."
"Sans…" Toriel looked to the skeleton, her voice caught between a question and a plea.
"Let the kid do this, Tori." He said quietly. "I'll keep an eyesocket on 'em, and we'll be back before you know we were gone."
Toriel still looked like she wanted to protest, but she held back, and gave a small nod.
"Be back quickly, alright?" she called as Chara took Sans's hand. "And be careful!"
On the other end of Sans's shortcut, there was a small wastebasket, which Chara immediately made use of, her shoulders shuddering as she heaved bile into the container. She had never enjoyed taking the shortcuts as much as Frisk had, and in her weakened state, the sensation had disturbed her to a much larger degree. Sans just stood behind her, unsure of what to do.
Finally, she spat and wiped her mouth, shakily getting to her feet and making a face.
"You, uh… okay there, kid?"
"I'll be fine." she managed, finally able to take stock of her surroundings.
She'd only been to Alphys's lab a couple of times, and it was a lot less busy here than she remembered. In fact, though all the lights were on, the place appeared to be deserted. It felt a lot bigger when it was empty, though, in reality, it wasn't much bigger than a school gym.
There were various tables, machines and equipment around the place, each one sectioned off into it's own area. Everything was off, there were no sounds of whirring or machines beeping. It was silent other than the sound of her feet hitting the floor. Sans's slippered feet, of course, made no sound.
Sans brought them to the elevator at the back of the lab, and entered. There were only three buttons in the elevator, zero, one, and two. Sans hit zero and the doors closed with a whooshing sound and the elevator began descending.
Of course Alphys would have a basement. She'd probably worked on the exo-suit down here as well. The elevator stopped, a little too suddenly for Chara, who would have fallen had Sans not caught her quick enough.
She flashed him a grateful smile, and he shrugged, letting her lean on him again as they made their way into the basement. It wasn't nearly as large as the True Lab back in the Underground; it seemed to consist solely of the hallway they found themselves in and a door at the far end of it. As they approached said door, they quickly began picking up sounds of a certain reptile having a panic attack.
Sans placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, revealing the cluttered, messy labspace beyond.
There was various equipment, machines and wires strewn everywhere, obscuring the pearly white floors and even walls in some areas. Chara didn't recognize most of it, though she thought she saw pieces of the exo-suit in the giant mess. They could see Alphys rummaging through a file cabinet, crying to herself and letting out frustrated squeaks periodically.
The other half of the room was divided from the rest by a glass wall. It, by comparison, was spotless, to the point where it looked like it had been cleaned almost compulsively. The only thing on that side was a long hospital-style bed. On the bed, thrashing about desperately, was Undyne.
Sans hadn't been exaggerating. Even as Chara watched, the fish warrior began to calm down, only to start literally melting into the bed. A few seconds later, a familiar light began to shine from behind her eyepatch and her form became bulkier before beginning the cycle all over again.
"Alphys." Sans called out. The lizard froze, then snapped her head in their direction.
"Frisk! You're… you're alright!" The brief spark of happiness that burned in her eyes was gone as soon as it came. "But Undyne… I can't save her! I don't know what's wrong with her, and I'm afraid that she'll… she'll…"
Tears began rolling down the small scientist's face as she choked on the words.
"Alphys. I think I know what's wrong with her." Chara said, tearing her gaze away from Undyne. In her weakened state, even watching that made her stomach began to roil again.
"Y- you do? Frisk, since when did you-"
"There's not time for that, Alphys." Chara interrupted. "Listen, Undyne has Determination poisoning."
Alphys's eyes widened.
"What? How-"
"Listen to me! She's probably the strongest Monster there is, and her body produces Determination naturally. But she's still a Monster. You've seen what Determination can do to Monsters. You know more about that stuff and souls than anyone. You're the only one who can save Undyne." Chara met Alphys's gaze. "Can you do it?"
"I… I…"
"Can you do it?"
Something in Alphys seemed to change. Her eyes hardened, her back straightened, and she clenched her hands into fists. She didn't even reply to Chara's question, she just turned and ran to a large oblong crate at the back of the room. She opened it, then began muttering to herself as she rummaged through it.
Sans looked at Chara before the girl sagged against him, feeling drained even just from that short conversation. She wasn't sure how she was going to deal with…
"Well, you've certainly got a way with words, don't you?"
Chara gave a tiny shrug.
"So, when you told your mom you'd tell her everything…"
The girl groaned.
"I don't really have much choice, do I? I can't pretend to be Frisk, and they'll figure it out sooner or later. Listen… I'm gonna need a minute. Could you get Mettaton, Papyrus and… Dad all to Toriel's place? Then come get me. And I'll… I'll…"
Sans just nodded. He brought Chara out to the hallway and let her down to sit with her back to the wall before he gave her an exaggerated wink and disappeared.
"Wonder what that was about." Chara wondered. "Probably some dumb joke only he'd laugh at anyway. Heh."
She let her head fall back until it connected with the smooth wall behind her. She could hear whirring noises coming from behind the mostly shut door leading into Alphys's private lab. The small lizard Monster was already hard at work. Chara gave a little smile. Most Monsters might not have Determination, but they could be pretty determined when they really set their minds to it.
Her smile disappeared. How was she supposed to break the news? Frisk was gone, probably dead, and in his place was her, a formerly genocidal maniac who also happened to be Asgore and Toriel's adopted daughter. In Frisk's body.
It was simultaneously too long and not long enough before Sans returned. He didn't say anything, gave no inclination as to what the others had said. He just reached out a hand, and after a moment, she grabbed it, pulling herself to her feet and then closing her eyes as the sensation of Sans's shortcut washed over her again.
Chara stood in the kitchen, her hands clenching and unclenching sporadically as she tried to control her breathing. Not even the familiar smells of baking that still lingered in the air could calm her. They were right there, right in the next room. Sans had done as she asked, she just had to go into the living room and…
And face them all. And she didn't have Frisk or his Determination to back her up. As soon as she entered that room, she wouldn't be able to hide anymore. She would have to look her parents in the eye… and tell them who she was.
She could still run. She could leave right now and never have to face them again. But… that wasn't true was it? They'd find her eventually. And even if she did run, where would she go? Despite everything she had been through, she was still technically a child. A child in a borrowed body at that.
No. She had to face them. They were waiting for her, even if they didn't know it. She took a deep breath, and walked into the living room.
The Monsters in the room turned at the sound of her soft footfalls. Asgore, Toriel and Sans were all sitting on the couch facing her, while Papyrus and Mettaton each had commandeered one of the large reading chairs, which had been rotated so that they were facing the same way. Chara tried to keep her hands from shaking as everyone looked at her.
Of course, Papyrus was the first to speak.
"Frisk! It is good to see you up again! You had the great Papyrus worried after napping for so long! I fear you've been spending too much time around my lazybones brother!" Papyrus paused and squinted at Chara. "Erm, Frisk? Your eyes are red again. Is that a Human thing?"
Toriel looked like she wanted to get up, but cast a nervous glance at Sans before she did so and the skeleton shook his head. Chara wondered what he had said to her to keep her seated there.
"Are you alright, my child? You got up so suddenly after being in bed for so long. Whatever you have to say can wait until you're better."
"No, Mom." Chara managed. "This can't wait, I have something very important to tell you."
Asgore shifted uncomfortably. "Yes… Sans said as much. Take your time, Frisk. We are listening.
"I'm not Frisk."
Chara threw up a hand to forestall the exclamation that she knew was coming from Papyrus. She looked down, unable to bear the gazes upon her any longer.
"Just… let me finish. This is… already hard." She gathered her courage for a moment before continuing.
"You've wondered how Frisk has managed to accomplish so much despite being so young? Well, other than his Determination, it's because he has two souls."
"I… don't understand." Papyrus said, a confused expression on his skull.
Chara risked a glance up through her bangs. Sans was still watching her intently from behind half-closed sockets. Asgore was fidgeting even more than before and both he and Toriel looked like they wanted to speak, but they were holding back. Mettaton had only raised one of his eyebrows.
"It's like… we're two people in one body. Frisk is usually in control, and he's the one you know… your friend. And then there's me. You've only seen me a few times, but… When we fought The Defiler, something happened to Frisk. I don't know what happened, but I can't feel him in my head anymore." Chara felt tears begin to pool in her eyes.
"Are.. you the one who fought off the shadow magic when it attacked me?" Toriel asked quietly. Chara nodded.
"So then, if you're not Frisk..." Asgore said, finally voicing the question the young girl had been dreading. "Who are you?"
She had to be strong. She had to say it. Why was this so hard? Damn Frisk, he'd made her care again. Shouldn't she have learned her lesson by now?
"My name is… Chara." The last word left her lips in a whisper. She couldn't look her parents in the eye.
"Chara! That name sounds vaguely familiar… But no matter! I am the great Papyrus! And I would like to be your friend!"
The girl's lips twitched into a smile for a second before the shocked gasps of the two Boss Monsters registered.
"Child…" Toriel asked, her voice unsteady. "Where did you hear that name?"
"From my… well, from the people who named me, and from you, from dad, and… Asriel." The tears began to run down her face at the mention of her brother.
"How... how is this possible?" Asgore breathed.
"After Asriel died, my soul was released. But I... I didn't want to go. I was so… so angry, and I wasn't ready to leave. So I stayed. I stayed looking for some way I could rejoin the world. And finally, I found Frisk. His Determination is so great, it allowed him to house me with very little trouble. So I came back."
"So you've been here this whole time?" Mettaton questioned, the glamorous robot's voice more toned-down and serious than Chara had ever heard him before. Apparently, the gravity of the situation had not gone unnoticed even by him.
"Yeah."
"I'm still confused." Papyrus spoke up. "If you're not Frisk, where is he?"
"I don't know, Papyrus." Chara said in a soft voice. "I don't-"
Her voice was cut off in a soft gasp as she felt large, warm arms wrap about her and pull her tight. Her eyes opened in surprise, and all she could see was the front of her mother's robe, all she could feel was her mother's embrace. The woman was shaking slightly as she held the girl.
"My daughter." She whispered. "My precious girl, you-" She halted, unable to continue and she squeezed Chara all the tighter.
From behind, Chara felt another warm prescence, and soon she was trapped between both her parents, each of them holding her as close to them as they could. The tears, which had stopped briefly before, now flooded down Chara's face with renewed vigour, and she was joined by her parents above her, both of them sobbing and whispering to her in disbelief.
After a few moments, Chara could make out Papyrus's voice from somewhere beyond the comforting wall of fur surrounding her.
"Sans? What are you doing?"
"Just leave them be for a bit, bro."
"But Sans, there is a group hug that is just crying out for the involvement of the great Papyrus! Would you deny them my warm, cuddly embrace?"
"Just… trust me on this one, bro. I'm sure you'll get plenty of chances for hugs in the future."
"But Saaaans!" Papyrus whined.
"Listen to your brother, darling." Mettaton voiced gently. "They need this more than we do."
Papyrus gave a melodramatic sigh that Chara was sure Mettaton would be proud of.
"Oh, very well. But the great Papyrus will demand recompense hugs later! Nyeh-heh-heh!"
At last, Toriel pulled away, though Asgore still seemed unwilling to let go. Not that Chara minded, she hadn't had to say anything more with the two holding her, and despite feeling unworthy of it, it had been hard to deny the outpouring of love from her parents. She looked pleadingly at Toriel, but the woman was already turning away to where Sans was still seated on the couch.
Toriel's hands clenched and unclenched, and Chara could well imagine the look she was giving Sans now. She noted with a start that small flames were starting to flicker at her mother's fingertips.
"You knew about this all along, didn't you." It wasn't a question, and Toriel's voice trembled with anger. "You knew that my daughter was there and you said nothing? You were supposed to be-"
"No, Mom!" Chara cried out, stopping Toriel mid-sentence. "It's not his fault! I didn't want him to tell you about me!"
"Chara?" Asgore questioned gently while Toriel turned back to her, a confused and slightly hurt expression on her face.
"After our plan failed I was… I was so angry. When I met Frisk, I just wanted to destroy everything. If it wasn't for Frisk and Sans… I would have. I didn't want you to see me like that."
She hung her head.
"I don't… I don't deserve-"
Toriel crouched down before her and cupped her chin, raising her head so that she was forced to look into her mother's eyes.
"Chara." And her voice was so warm and tender and loving that it almost made the girl break down again. "No matter what, I… we... will always love you."
Chara let out a strangled cry and reached out her arms to Toriel, who returned to her embrace. Once again pillowed between her parents, she clenched her mother's soft robe in her fist and sobbed into her shoulder.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The words became a mantra, repeated over and over again while Toriel and Asgore soothed her. When she calmed down again, both her parents pulled back slightly, more to give her room to breathe than anything else.
"Chara, darling." Mettaton said, looking at the scene with a small smile on his face. "If you don't mind me asking you something?"
The girl shook her head.
"If I heard right, and let me tell you, darling, these ears hear everything right, you said something about a plan that failed. What plan would that be?"
Chara froze. Her face contorted with regret and fear. What would they think? What would they say? How could she-
"You don't have to talk about it." Asgore rumbled comfortingly.
"You've already gone through so much." Toriel added. "Whatever it is, it can wait."
Chara was comforted by her parents support, and gave a little smile. She looked around at the Monsters in the room, from her parents loving, gentle gaze, to Mettaton's curious face, to Papyrus sulking over in the corner but still glancing their way every few seconds, to Sans calmly watching him from behind half-closed sockets. She finally let the exhaustion she had been holding back sweep over her and she leaned into her mother.
"Thank you." she murmured, her eyelids growing heavy and slowly closing of their own accord. Toriel began running her claws through Chara's hair, and Asgore began humming a familiar tune, lulling the girl to the most peaceful sleep she'd known in lifetimes.
Asgore carried the sleeping child to bed, Toriel hovering close at hand. Their eyes met and Asgore whispered,
"Tori… are you all right? We've got her back…"
Toriel blinked rapidly.
"But we lost Frisk."
Author's note: Response to Tiki: You make some excellent points. Humans did once possess magic before and during the war that sealed the Monsters Underground. However, in my story, they slowly lost that ability over time, and have not been able to cast magic for centuries. This is likely tied to Human's weaker souls in the modern day, which I explained in the second chapter. Currently, there are only theories as to why Humans have diminished so much. I hope that answers your questions!