Ghost Buddy

Summary: In your defense, the scary movies you used to watch made it seem like possession was much easier.

Disclaimer: Undertale belongs to Toby Fox

You locked up and found yourself staring down Sans. He had blacked out his eye lights, so you couldn't tell what his feelings were, but you knew perfectly well you were caught with a deer-in-the-headlights stare. A far cry from your gooey-faced previous encounter.

Frisk, however, was giving Papyrus and Sans a look that was half confusion and half exuberance. Finally, they yelled out. "Papyrus! You're the best!"

Frisk ran up and tackle-hugged the taller skeleton. Now it was his turn to look confused. "WELL OF COURSE I AM, HUMAN, BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T ANSWER MY INQUIRY ABOUT YOUR QUIET HUMAN COMPANION."

"What are you dorks talking about?!" Undyne burst out. You could tell this came as a relief to the rest of the group; Alphys, Mom, and Dad were all ridiculously puzzled.

"Oh d-dear," Alphys stammered, "perhaps Frisk needs some rest. And are you feeling okay, Papyrus?"

"NEVER BETTER, ALPHYS! WHY WOULDN'T I BE? I'M TANNING MY BONES FOR THE FIRST TIME. HAVEN'T ANY OF YOU BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT THE SECOND HUMAN? YOU THERE, STOP STARING AT MY BROTHER AND TELL US YOUR NAME!"

You tore your eyes away from Sans' eye sockets and looked at his brother. "H-hi. Can you…hear me?"

"WHY IS EVERYONE ASKING ME ALL THESE SILLY QUESTIONS? YES, I CAN HEAR YOU CHILD, THOUGH YOU ARE BEING QUITE QUIET."

"Sans, I think your brother has been working too hard." Mom said, teasingly, though you could tell there was concern in her voice.

Frisk butted in, "No, Toriel, he's right though! I haven't been alone! I've had…"

Frisk then realized, and you could see it dawn on their face, that if they said that it was Mom's dead human child that was with them the whole time, that might make things a bit weird for everyone involved.

Still, Mom was curious now. "Oh? Did you have an imaginary friend on your travels?"

Frisk shook their head vehemently. "No, not imaginary! I just….ah…"

Papyrus was getting a little frustrated now. "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THEY'RE IMAGINARY, CLONE –I'M SORRY, TORIEL, RIGHT – YOU CAN SEE THE HUMAN RIGHT THERE!"

"Papyrus, you're losing it! Maybe you should skip tomorrow's 4 a.m. jog!" Undyne hooted with laughter.

Dad didn't know what to make of any of this, "I'd love to hear more about Frisk's non-imaginary friend."

Finally though, Sans spoke up. "pap, they can't see the other kid."

Everyone got quiet. Papyrus looked at his brother curiously. "WHY EVER NOT? ARE YOU MEANING TO TELL ME ONLY YOU AND I CAN SEE THEM?"

Sans nodded. "that's exactly it, bro. but, yeah. there is a kid there."

Mom's smile faltered. "I demand an explanation at once."

Sans frowned. "you uh…all may not like this."

You backed up a second, scared. What was he going to do? Before he could though, Frisk shouted, "WAIT!"

Sans stopped and looked a bit puzzled as Frisk ran over and grabbed your hand. "Don't be afraid," they reassured you, "I'm here."

"Our ambassador is an ambassadope." Undyne grumbled.

Sans laughed, "good one, but no. here:"

You felt the soft, "plink," of blue magic being applied, just like it had in Frisk's fight with Papyrus. But it wasn't being applied to Frisk, it was being cast on you.

The effect was instantaneous: Alphys shrieked and jumped back, Undyne jumped in shock and swore, Mom and Dad covered their mouths in unison, gasping, and Papyrus slapped his forehead and said, "OH NEAT, I HAD NO IDEA OUR MAGIC COULD DO THAT TOO."

"yes. so this tagalong here has been following frisk all along," Sans explained, and you felt yourself be lifted off the ground. Your hand was torn from Frisk's, and they let out a small gasp, as Sans added, "influencing them to do who knows what."

"Sans, I'd caution you not to speak that way about my child!" Mom said, sternly.

Sans paused, perhaps knowing how Mom and Dad would react, held you in the air, and you flailed helplessly. "sorry, toriel, you haven't seen the things i've seen. alphys hasn't either, but she has something of an idea. right, doc?"

The tapes. He was talking about the tapes. No wonder he always looked at you suspiciously.

Frisk must have known too because they stepped in front of you, hands on their hips, just like they had done to you at the beginning. "I don't like you talking about Chara that way either, Sans! Put them down! They didn't do anything to you!"

"Sans," Dad interjected, still keeping his gentle tone, "I'm sure you have your reasons, but this is the first time I've seen my child in years, please, put them down."

Sans begrudgingly set you on the ground, and Frisk stood in front of you. You had never felt more touched than to see them believing in you with such finality.

Mom and Dad rushed past them though and hugged you. Perhaps it was a side effect of Sans magic, but at the moment you couldn't be more thankful for it. You began feeling tears fall down your face as your smiled and hugged your parents for the first time in years.

"Oh my child, I've thought of you every day," Mom sobbed.

Dad was beyond words, but his tight grip made you know for sure that he felt the same.

"I missed you so much…" You said into their shoulders, but it came out as more of a whimper; you never would have imagined that you would ever be able to speak to them ever again.

You were yanked into the air again. You looked up at Sans, wiped your eyes, and shouted, "Oh come on! Rude!"

Before Mom and Dad could round on Sans, he replied, "not as rude as tricking monster-kind about your death, kiddo."

Alphys looked at her feet guiltily, which Mom noticed immediately – one of those weird Mom powers she always claimed to have – and looked from her, to Sans, to you, before asking, "Sans, what do you mean?"

Alphys began to stammer nonsensically, and Sans was considering his words. However, you felt a tug on your pant leg, and looked at the ground. Frisk was pulling on you, and they mouthed, "you have to tell them."

Frisk was right, and you knew it. It was the only way to really redeem yourself for what you had done.

"It was a plan!" You blurted out, getting everyone's attention. Mom and Dad exchanged confused looks.

"Chara, what could you mean?" Dad asked.

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on the feeling of Frisk holding your ankle to reassure you.

"I…when I was alive, I didn't like other humans very much. So I thought, maybe the best way to be the hope for humans and monsters was to find a way for me to free everyone. But I also…I also really hated the village I came from."

You peaked an eye open, but shut it when you saw the concern on Mom's face. Frisk squeezed your foot though, so you continued, "after…after we got Dad sick on accident that one time, I told Asriel I had an idea. I would eat buttercups."

There was a gasp. It was from Mom. You pressed on, "I would keep eating them until Asriel could take my soul. Then the two of us would go to my village in a body powered by a human and monster soul, kill six humans, and then break the barrier. I thought it was the best way to get the only two things I wanted – revenge on the humans who raised me, and to free my family."

Your tears had turned to ones from joy to tears of fear, but you kept yourself from going into panic, "Asriel didn't want to though. So I…I pushed them. But once we got to the village, he took control of our body and ran away. But not before getting attacked." You began to falter, "And then we died! And it's my fault! It's all my fault!"

You covered your face. You couldn't bring yourself to look at Mom and Dad. They must hate you now. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I never wanted him to get hurt, I just wanted to help."

To your relief, Frisk forcefully pulled you down and hugged you. Frisk said, to all of them, but perhaps Sans in particular, "When I fell, I was the only one who could see Chara. Even though they didn't like people, Chara helped me the whole time and we were a team! Friends! Partners! I…" Frisk squeezed you, tightly. You still kept your eyes shut, but you cried a little harder when they said, "I could have never have freed you without Chara."

The tension hung thick in the air, at least for you, but it was broken as you felt warm, fuzzy arms hug you. You finally opened your eyes to see Mom had come to hug you both.

"Oh, my poor, poor child," Toriel sighed, "I knew there was heartache in you that wasn't healing. If only I had known."

Dad had come to the other side of you, and knelt down. "Chara," he said, sorrow in his voice you hadn't heard often, but it was similar to his tone when he realized he had to fight Frisk, "It seems I put an immense amount of pressure on you to live up to the title of hope for all monsterkind. I had no idea."

"You…you aren't mad?" The question left your lips as a squeak.

Dad hugged you. "No, Chara. I wish I had known too. The only I wanted from you was to be happy, not to lead any sort of charge against humans."

You were crying again. Frisk was crying, Dad was crying, Mom was crying, and it was all just a big, giant mess. Papyrus was crying too, and ran up to join the hug. It was a little weird, but you appreciated it all the same.

Finally, the hugging and crying all stopped, and Alphys raised her hand. Dad answered, "Alphys, you don't have to raise your hand to speak, this isn't school."

Alphys ignored this, and asked Frisk excitedly, "Is th-this why you asked me to research if you could smooch a ghost?!"

You blushed, but before you could response, Frisk grabbed your cheeks and planted a wet one right on your lips.

"Oh my!" Mom declared. Dad laughed, and Undyne joined him. Alphys squealed in excitement, "AH! I so ship you two now!"

"OH MY, IS THAT WHAT HUMANS DO WHEN THEY GO ON DATES?!" Papyrus asked, excitedly. Sans made a confused grunt, sounding baffled for the first time in this whole thing.

You hid your face in your hands, but Frisk put an arm around your waist. "Do you think there is anyway we can help them, doctor Alphys?"

"i'm not entirely certain we should, buster," Sans replied, "we don't know that this timeline won't end up like the others."

The timelines. You had forgotten all about them. "You mean the ones Gaster showed me?"

Sans seemed surprised this time. "how do you know about my dad?"

Everyone else seemed confused. "Why does that name seem so familiar?" Dad pondered.

Undyne shrugged, "I'm not good with names, which is usually why I call everyone punk."

"I wondered why you got me that King Punk mug for my birthday that one time."

"IS THAT WHY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT DAD ANYMORE? I WAS WONDERING BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE RUDE."

"paps, first you can see the kid, now you remember dad when i thought only i could. you got to tell me these things," Sans sighed.

Frisk turned to you, "Gaster was the old royal scientist you told me about, right?"

You nodded, "Yeah…but, I didn't know Gaster had kids. Gaster was your dad?!"

"let me ask the questions," Sans replied, "how did you find out about the timelines."

"Sans, what does this have to do with Chara?!" Mom asked, frustration clearly growing at the tone Sans was taking with you.

Sans kept his eye trained on you, and you decided to not give him the satisfaction of answering. "Frisk, remember when we uh…got separated in the lab?"

Frisk nodded, and bit their lip. They must have felt guilty for ditching you, but you deserved it.

"Well, like the other times, I got lost in this weird void. You see, if I got too far from Frisk, usually I'd get snapped back to them. We're stuck together."

"Not that I mind!" Frisk winked.

You blushed, "R-right. Anyway, sometimes when this would happen, I'd get stuck in this weird, black void for awhile. And Gaster would be there. Most of the time, he'd help me find Frisk, and say something cryptic. I didn't really get it."

"YES, THAT SOUNDS LIKE DAD," Papyrus interjected, "OFTEN TIMES HE WOULD TELL ME THAT YOU CAN'T RUSH THE PASTA, YOU HAVE TO ALLOW IT THE TIME TO COOK TO AL DENTE, OR THE WHOLE DISH WOULD BE RUINED. BUT REALLY, HE WAS TEACHING ME THAT SOMETIME IT TAKES TIME TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS! THAT'S HOW I LEARNED HOW TO HAVE SUCH AMAZING PERSISTENCE! YOU CAN'T RUSH THINGS. OH DEAR, I'M RAMBLING, AREN'T I? PLEASE CONTINUE, SHY GHOST HUMAN CHILD."

You and Frisk looked at each other and laughed, "Thank you, Papyrus. Anyway," You cleared your throat, "the last time Frisk and I got separated was when Frisk…found out about my death. I was having a lot of doubts, and Gaster showed up again. And he said something like, there were only two timelines that he couldn't see the ending of."

Sans tone changed to his, "judgment," mode, "You're forgetting something."

You had thought you had been doing a pretty good job of telling the story. "Uh?"

"Timelines have been starting and stopping for years, kid. And It was threatening to tear the underground apart. There's no telling what sort of effects it's had on any of us."

"Okay, nerds, time out, I'm confused." Undyne interrupted, rubbing her temples, "what are you talking about, timelines?"

"I-it has to do with determination, right?" Alphys asked.

"The power that gives human souls the power to persist after death?" Dad added.

Sans nodded. "Right. Ever since Stripes over there fell down, they've RESET time numerous times using their determination."

Alphys walked up to Sans. "What are you talking about?"

Frisk answered, to your relief. "Because I was super determined to get everyone out of here, Chara showed me this cool power determination has in the underground! I can make these like… SAVE points, and if I mess something up, I can go back and try it again."

"It's NOT a neat power." Sans snarled back, using his powers to jolt you into the air. "It creates tears in the fabric of space and time, and doing so could have ended the underground. In one timeline, it appears to have done so. And here's the worst part: Frisk, what year is it."

Frisk frowned. "211X."

Everyone gasped, including you. "That's like a hundred years after I fell!"

"That can't be though," Mom replied, "it's only been about five years since…since you died, sweetie."

"Both are correct," Sans answered, "because every time Frisk, or Chara, or anyone else RESETS, time might go back in the underground, but time would continue moving forward outside the barrier. That was some powerful magic keeping us under that mountain…including sealing all the effects of the RESETS."

It was a weird feeling. You'd been dead for a hundred years, but you had only experienced five. "I…I didn't know," you stammered.

"Sans, I still don't –" Mom began, but then Sans dropped the bombshell.

"Because there were only two timelines that couldn't be predicted by Gaster, which he's been showing me. This one, and one where Frisk and Chara didn't become such good friends. One where instead, your kid possesses Frisk there and kills everyone in the Underground."

"That's not me!" You shouted back. "I told Gaster the same thing when he made me watch it. I wouldn't hurt Mom like that, I wouldn't hurt Dad like that, or Undyne, or Mettaton, or Papyrus, or EVEN YOU, even if you're being a big jerk to me right now. And I wouldn't. Do that. To Frisk!"

"Without their intervention, we'd all be dust caked on your trousers by now. You get a body, and suddenly Frisk isn't the one reigning you in, how do we know you don't have a change of heart?"

"SANS, THAT'S ENOUGH." Papyrus said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, breaking some of tension that had fallen over the group.

"Papyrus," Sans replied, not taking his eye off of you, "you don't understand how many timelines I've seen where you've died."

"OH OF COURSE I DO, SANS, DAD SHOWED THEM TO ME TOO. I JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE WEIRD NIGHTMARES, BUT THAT MAKES MUCH MORE SENSE NOW THAT I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HAVING THEM. ALSO, I WASN'T ASLEEP FOR THEM. BESIDES, UNDYNE KILLED FRISK ABOUT EIGHT TIMES BEFORE FRISK FIGURED OUT HOW TO BECOME THEIR FRIEND."

"I did WHAT?!" Undyne yelled in surprise.

"CAPTAIN!" Mom shouted angrily.

"You know, I had lost count." Frisk said to you.

You shrugged back, "I stopped after five."

Sans tone returned to normal, "and you aren't…worried about them?"

"OF COURSE NOT SANS, THIS IS A HUMAN CHILD WHO IS TRYING THEIR BEST TO BE GOOD, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE DEAD. THAT'S THE SORT OF UNDYING DEDICATION TO GREATNESS I APPRECIATE. AND BESIDES, I'M IN TRAINING FOR THE ROYAL GUARD! FACING DANGER HEAD ON IS PART OF THAT. IF FRISK VOUCHES FOR THEM, AND THEY WANT TO PUT IN THE EFFORT, WE SHOULD BE THEIR GREAT FRIENDS AND HELP THEM AS MUCH AS WE CAN."

"Yes!" Frisk agreed, "He gets it!"

Dad spoke up, "This…has certainly been a lot to take in. It will be dark soon, and there's certainly not a whole lot we can do about it now, at the base of a mountain at night."

Mom agreed, although you could tell she was a little reluctant to do so. "Indeed…come, let's find somewhere to stay, and we'll see what we can do about Chara."

Sans didn't put up much of a fight, and let you down. Together, you all went in to town…

The next few weeks went by in a blur. News stories broke out, and the resurgence of monsters was met with surprisingly better acceptance than you could have ever guessed. Reintegrating was a bit of a problem, but eventually a few towns were established. Within a few months, Mom even opened up a school, and even a few human kids went to it too. She was hoping to integrate more.

Papyrus would come over sometimes, and make you visible for Mom. Sometimes Dad would come too, but him and Mom were still trying to get past what had happened. They didn't seem to hate each other, but you accepted that they weren't going to be together. Dad started working at the school though too, so you hoped that they could at least be amicable.

You and Frisk told everyone about Resets. And about Flowey, and all that had happened on your journey. They made you promise not to do it anymore, which didn't bother either of you now that you were both free. And Mom promised that once some time had passed, you could go back to get Flowey.

You helped Frisk learn to read, too. They were smart, so it wasn't the hardest thing in the world, but it still took a couple of weeks and a bit of frustration here and there.

Mom was also a bit weirded out about you being around Frisk overnight, since Frisk had…kissed you hardcore. In front of anyone. But, nothing she could do about it, though she did check in on you both a lot at night. It was funny.

Things were settling down for awhile, but then one night, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello? Mom answered, "Oh! Hello Dr. Alphys! How can I help you?"

"W-well your Majesty, I th-think I need to talk to y-you, the king and F-frisk."

You and Frisk were on the couch as they played some video games, with Frisk laying their head in your lap, and upon hearing their name, Frisk paused.

"It's getting rather late, Alphys. What's so urgent?"

"It's the human souls! They've come back!" Alphys cried, sounding on the verge of wetting herself from excitement.

Frisk looked at you. "What do you think this has to do with us?"

You shrugged. "Sneak closer. Remember: stealthy ninja."

Frisk tiptoed around to the wall that connected the living room to the kitchen and you both listened in.

"Well, that's amazing, but there's no need for us to hold on to them now, is there?" Mom asked.

"Ma'am, I'm sure you're aware, as you've taught Monster Biology – and I hear the human kids find it fascinating – how monster souls are connected to their physical being. Hence why we're mostly made of magic."

"I'm aware of how my body works, doctor." Mom snapped. She got a little defensive about the two of you being up past your bed time.

"R-right," Alphys stammered, "B-but humans aren't nearly as connected when it comes to souls and bodies. You couldn't construct a physical form for a soul using just one soul."

Mom became intrigued, "Where are you going with this?"

"Wh-what I'm saying is we could possibly construct a form for Chara using the power of all six souls. "

"What?!" Mom asked.

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed, jumping out from around the corner, causing the two women monster to jump.

"Whoa." You gasped. Had the souls come back to help you?! Was it possible?

Mom clutched her chest and sat down. "I didn't…I didn't think it was possible."

Alphys pushed up her glasses, "I need to run more tests, but these initial results are promising. The only thing I wanted to talk to you about would be…well…Frisk and Chara would need to be part of these tests. Don't look at me like that! I promise they will be in no danger!"

Before Mom could answer, Frisk ran up to her and grabbed her hand! "We have to! We have to!"

They ran up to you too and hugged you! "Chara! Chara we can get you a body! You can go to school with me!"

You were speechless. But you were beaming, and nodding at Frisk.

"Mom, I wish you could see Chara's cute face right now!" Frisk exclaimed, and she laughed softly. You were glad no one but Frisk could see you blushing.

"Have you spoken to Asgore about this as well?" Mom asked.

Alphys nodded. "Yes, and something I needed to bring up…Sans will be assisting with some of this. He is the one most aware of how the determination and soul magic works. He's been helping me with a lot of this actually."

Ah. There was a snag. Mom and Sans' friendship had been…complex since you were outed. Sans still didn't quite trust you, but kept his mouth shut. Still, despite most everyone patching things up after what happened, you would catch Sans giving you chilling stares. You and Frisk had figured to ignore it. What really bummed you out with the whole thing is that Frisk wanted to be friends with Sans, but they got so upset with how Sans treated you, it made them not try.

Mom hesitated, but finally relented. "If it can give me back Chara, I'll do it."

"WHOOOOO!" Frisk yelled, cartwheeling around the kitchen.

You still couldn't find your tongue. Your heart was pounding in your chest.

Over the next few weeks, after school, the two of you would go to Alphys lab, where she and Sans would perform all sorts of tests. Sans would make you visible and tangible, and Alphys tested the limites of what your ghostly form could do. Obviously there was no blood sample for her to take (which was a bummer since you could still blush, despite not having a bloodflow), but she managed to take a few samples of your form in other ways.

Sans would talk and joke with Frisk, but made only plain remarks to you. You didn't blame him; if he saw the timelines like you had, he knows just how badly you would have turned out without help from Frisk.

Mom and Dad were always there, watching and talking with Alphys about her findings. One day, about three weeks in, she walked in and said to all of you:

"Well, we can confirm that Chara's soul, what remained of it after death, was bound to Frisk's or perhaps absorbed by Frisk's, because they're both defined by Determination."

"which usually can't happen, because humans not being able to absorb human souls." Sans added.

Alphys nodded, "Right, h-however, because of how Chara's soul was in a monster body at the time of their uh….s-second death, they had enough monster-like traits residing in there soul that they were able to link to Frisk. Now, here's why this happened: it's possible that the fall should have killed Frisk."

Frisk gulped loudly, and Mom and Dad looked uncomfortable. Then again, that was the reason Frisk jumped…same reason you had.

"we believe it was that influx of energy from chara's soul that allowed the two of them to bond, and keep Frisk alive in that time of need." Sans finished.

"That's really something!" Dad said, clearly impressed.

Mom nodded, "Indeed, fascinating, but what does that mean for Chara?"

Alphys and Sans glanced at each other. Alphys sighed. "Well, in order to reanimate a body for Chara, we would have to remove their piece of Soul from Frisk's , and add it to the six others. I have a machine containing the six souls. However…"

Alphys began to sweat, and tripped over her words. Sans sighed, and said, in his judgment voice, "There's a distinct possibility that if their souls are keeping each other alive, or one of them is keeping the other alive, that we may lose one or both of them in the process. "

In the same instance that you declared, "No, we can't do that," Frisk had instead said, "We have to try!"

Mom and Dad looked to you both, shocked.

"Frisk," you said, trying to keep calm, "I'm already dead. I refuse to let you risk your life for me."

Frisk scowled, "No way. It's because you're dead that we have to. You did so much for me, let me do this for you."

You turned to Mom and Dad. "Guys come on, don't let Frisk do this! Unacceptable!"

Frisk turned to Alphys and Sans instead. "I'm doing it. My body. Don't listen to Chara."

"Frisk no!" You pleaded, "What if you don't make it?"

"But what if we both make it, Chara?!" Frisk replied, "We could go to school together, you could live, you could have that second chance! We could…" Frisk blushed, "We could get older. Together."

You turned red. The thought had crossed your mind, if you were going to be stuck as a ghost while Frisk grew up; that could prove to be difficult for both of you.

Mom and Dad looked to each other, and back to the rest of us. Mom stated, wisely, "let's not rush to decide. We have lots to discuss, and I think we should all take some time to rest and weigh all the options."

You and Frisk both accepted this, albeit begrudgingly. As soon as the four of you arrived back to Mom's house, she invited Dad in, and the four of you sat down at the table. You of course were now incorporeal to everyone except Frisk again, making the whole situation a bit more confusing. No one said anything, the weight of the choice heavy on everyone's mind.

Frisk spoke first. "Look…I um…I'm not going to pretend I'm not scared. But, I want Chara to have a second chance. I don't want to wake up every day, and see them as a ghost, stuck with me forever, and know I didn't try."

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and stayed quiet. Dad was crying slightly, never one to fear showing his emotions. Mom was more reserved, but you could tell this was eating at her. "Frisk…I have seen so many human children come and go. But you…I don't want to risk losing you."

"But we also know, it is not right to subject Chara to that existence while we have a chance to stop it." Dad added.

Knowing that Mom and Dad couldn't hear you, you looked at Frisk, and said, "And what if I wake up, and this works, but you don't make it? Frisk, I can't live like that. I can't…I…"

The words became lost in your throat, but Frisk frowned to you, and your parents could clearly see you were telling them something.

"It won't happen." Frisk replied. There was simplicity in their voice, a knowing statement that they were sure it wouldn't. Determination.

You frowned. "You don't know that!"

Frisk shook their head. "No it won't. We're doing this. And we're going to be okay." They turned to Mom. "We're doing it. I'm sorry."

Mom said nothing, but nodded. "Child…please, go up to bed. I will discuss this with Asgore and…we shall make arrangements."

Frisk got ready for bed, and instead of their usual flirting, banter, and sneaking a kiss from you before Mom came to check on them, they laid in bed and turned their back on you. You weren't entirely certain what to make of it; you were still at a loss for words at the entire situation.

"Chara," Frisk's voice came from the bed, finally, after a few minutes, "Are you mad at me?"

"No," you found yourself answering without hesitation, "I'm not. I know how stubborn you are…I'm just worried."

"I…I am too. But we're both going to make it through this. I haven't been wrong yet, have I?" Frisk asked.

You thought about it. "I guess not. You managed to free the Underground and you found a way to help me. All the things you said you would do, you've managed in some way." You smirked, even though Frisk couldn't see your face, "Although if you push your luck like that you're going to jinx yourself."

Frisk didn't laugh. "Chara, I want you to have a second chance so bad. You…you deserve it."

You laid down on the bed next to Frisk. "…not as much as Asriel."

Frisk turned to you. "When do you think it will be safe to go back and get him?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know how long it will take him to turn back, and how he's going to…be when he's back to being Flowey. If he'll be pissed, if he'll have mellowed out…I don't know."

Frisk sat up. "Hey…you know what would cheer him up though? If this works, we could go down and get him together? The whole thing…his whole thing when he was fighting me was that he missed you…he wanted you back. If he saw you, I bet he'd be thrilled."

You thought about it. "Or he'll be pissed that I got the second chance and he didn't. Or jealous. Or he'll remember what he said about me being a bad person. I mean, you heard what he said at my grave. Do you really think he'd be happy to see me?"

Frisk ruffled your hair to comfort you. "He's your brother. Of course he will be."

"So…I guess we're going through with this after all, huh?" You asked, turning to stare up at the ceiling.

"Yeah. No backing out now. " Frisk yawned, rolling over and falling into an uneasy sleep.

It was decided the next day: that next week, when summer vacation started, you and Frisk would step into a machine built by Alphys. When you stepped out, you would have a tangible, human body, constructed from the magic of the six human souls you had helped free from Flowey.

It was a rough week. Everyone and anyone came to visit Frisk to wish them luck, to a family of Froggits, to Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, to Monster Kid and his sister, to even some of the guards that been after you in the Core. It was nice, but it just brought more attention to the fact Frisk might not live through the procedure. You weren't too worried about yourself; you had been dead for so long it was old hat for you. In fact, you were almost more afraid for what living would be like again.

The night before, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, and Mettaton all came over for something of a celebration, but you knew better: it was more of a "Just-in-case-you-die-going-away party." Still, Frisk enjoyed themselves; there was cake and friends. Sans and Papyrus took turns making you corporeal throughout the night so you could talk to the guests and eat too. You were still a pretty awkward kid, but the monsters, damn them, were just too nice not to get along with.

"HUMAN CHARA, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WELL, I'VE COME UP WITH A NEW DISH I WANT TO GIVE YOU TO CELEBRATE!" Papyrus crowed to you and Frisk, as the three of you sat on the couch.

You laughed, "Yeah? What's that?"

"IT'S A COMBINATION OF MY MASTERFUL SPAGHETTI, AND THAT NEAT HUMAN CAKE THAT HAS ALL THE COLORS IN IT. I CALL IT FUN-FETTI SPAGHETTI!"

Frisk stifled in a giggle fit, and you tried your best to keep a straight face as you replied, "That sounds lovely Papyrus! I uh…can't wait!"

Papyrus squealed in delight and ran off to tell Undyne about this…magnificent idea. To be fair, since coming to the surface and discovering cooking shows, he had gotten a lot better at cooking. His problem would then be trying to, "invent," foods like that, and that's when things would usually go south.

As the party went on, Frisk fell asleep, so Mom carried them upstairs, and said goodnight to them. You were incorporeal at this point, having left the party downstairs, but she knew you were there too, obviously. Looking at the room, she sighed.

"Oh Chara," Mom she said, "I do hope you two are making the right choice. You should go to bed too. You both have a big day ahead. I hope…I hope tomorrow I can do this and see your face again. Good night."

"Night Mom," you replied, sadly, but excited at the thought that maybe soon, she'd be able to hear you again.

She shut the door, and you heard a rush of wind. There was a familiar, "plink," and you were above the bed again, and Sans was by the window, holding you up.

"relax kid," Sans said, immediately seeing your worried face, "not here to…pick a bone with you."

"You've used that one." You replied, trying to keep your cool.

"heh. caught me reusing material." Sans sniggered, "actually, thought i'd apologize to you for the way i acted before."

This was unexpected. "Oh…"

"mind you, i think i had some good reason to, having seen the other timelines," Sans replied, "and i'll be honest, frisk seems to…'chara' lot for you."

You snickered. "Frisk uses that one all the time."

"my point is, i can tell that the kid there means a lot to you. so i thought i'd say sorry, wish you luck for tomorrow."

You smiled. That was a weight off your shoulders. "Thanks, Sans. That means a lot to me. And Frisk will be thrilled."

Sans nodded. "sure thing, kid. i'll let you get to sleep now though. night."

The skeleton placed you on the ground, and was gone. You laid down next to Frisk, and looked to the ceiling. You jumped as you heard their voice mumble, "I told you he'd come around."

"You heard all that, huh?" You chuckled.

"Mmhmm," Frisk muttered, half-asleep. "Night, sweet cheeks."

You rolled your eyes, blushing slightly. "Good night Frisk."

You couldn't sleep though.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, you might be alive again. Terrifying, yet exciting.