Chapter 37

After Frisk had been asleep for more than a few minutes, Chara phased through the door to search around the castle as far as the locket would allow. Two guards were posted at Frisk's door, standing like statues. Chara paced back and forth between them like a colonel studying his men.

"Keep watch over the lady until my return," he said with authority, as if they could hear him. Narrowing his eyes, he took turns staring at each guard. "Within that room is not just a human, but the very future between monsters and humans. You would do well to guard her with your lives. Do I make myself clear? Pardon me, private. Are you questioning me?"

Chara walked towards the guard on his left, brought his face close to the monster's, and rose onto his toes so their eyes were level with each other. He stood like that for half a minute, maintaining eye contact until the monster blinked.

"That's what I thought," Chara muttered as he pulled away. "Stay guard until I return."

As he walked down the hall, Chara shook his head at himself, muttering, "What am I doing?"

It was more than a little unnerving being inside the Waterfall castle. Although it had been renovated into a studio of sorts since Chara had last visited, he could still look anywhere and see a memory. He and Asriel ignoring their mother's shouts to stop running in the halls. Mettaton's studio for the interview had been the old music room where he and Asriel would practice piano and sing whatever nonsense songs they made up in the moment. Where Frisk now slept was one of the many guest rooms he and Asriel would use while playing hide-and-seek.

Being surrounded by so many memories of his childhood, Chara couldn't keep the thoughts away no matter how much he tried. It was why he didn't war with himself over sharing his first few days Underground with Frisk. Chara had spent so long haunted by the bad memories, clinging to them as his punishment for letting them happen, that he had willfully forgotten how many good ones still existed. Saying one aloud made it real. It reminded Chara that his life wasn't all that bad, even if it ended horribly.

A ghost with a clipboard floated down the other end of the hall, approaching Chara. When they crossed paths, the ghost didn't look up as he asked, "Hey, how's it going?"

Chara stopped walking and turned around. The ghost still kept floating as if he didn't say anything. Neither of the guards answered, choosing to remain statues.

How rude, Chara thought. I'm going to have to talk to them about ignoring civilians.

When he came across a cracked door, Chara peeked to see Muffet working inside. The queen of the spiders worked at a computer desk in the corner, the curtains drawn over the windows. The only other things in the room were boxes and filing cabinets.

This was his and Asriel's old playroom.

Chara walked in to get a closer look. Muffet was reviewing footage Mettaton got with Frisk only a couple hours earlier.

Before Chara could wonder what she was doing, Muffet's phone rang. "You're on speaker, dearie," was how Muffet greeted her caller.

"Anyone else around?" a voice Chara recognized as Mew Mew's asked.

"Just me," Muffet answered.

"And me," Chara said aloud.

"Are you doing anything?" Mew Mew again.

"Just editing tonight's show to upload the highlights onto Mettaton's UnderTube channel."

"Imagine that. The queen of the spiders, editing videos for UnderTube."

"Everyone knows TV is slowly fading out and Undernet sources of entertainment like UnderTube are taking over. Mettaton has to stay on top of the game. Besides, he's helping to fund the railroad for spiders between Hotland and the Ruins; this is the least I can do. Especially since I quite enjoy working behind the scenes."

Muffet pushed away from the desk and spun her chair around. Stretching all six arms out in front of her and cracking her knuckles – Chara flinched at the spidery movements – Muffet asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I want to update you on the Core," Mew Mew answered. "Alphys's journals proved useless after all."

"Oh, dear." Muffet frowned. "How hard did you have to beat Sans until he agreed to help you?"

"Not at all. Turns out he was going to do it anyway, but we kind of interrupted his flow."

"Has he managed to get into the system?"

"Yes."

"But . . . ?"

An audible sigh. "There are a few issues preventing him from correcting the problem."

Chara rose a brow. Issues?

Muffet voiced his concern. "What kinds of issues?"

"Overriding the last command. Sans was able to dig deep enough to learn that the last person who logged on used the old Dr. Gaster's master account."

Chara froze. It had been a very long time since he last heard the name Gaster. Turns out it hadn't been long enough.

Brows furrowed, Muffet asked, "Who in Underground would have the master account of the monster who built the Core in the first place?"

"I thought that would be Sans, but turns out it should be nobody," Mew Mew answered. "That's what's so strange about this whole thing: someone out there has a log in they shouldn't have and broke into the system to make changes they shouldn't make. The how and why is beyond what any of us can hypothesize."

A moment passed before Muffet said, "I'm going to send a message to my spiders to evacuate Hotland until further notice."

"I'm sending out an urgent message requiring all civilians do the same," Mew Mew replied. "Would Mettaton mind making the announcement during the morning news as well? The faster word of evacuation spreads, the better."

"I'll talk to Mettaton first thing in the morning. Uh, Mew Mew . . . , this is only temporary, right? You and Sans will correct the Core, right?"

"Of course we will." Chara thought Mew Mew didn't sound very convincing. "However, Hotland is getting too hot for most monsters who aren't made of fire to survive. We have all the fans we can get our hands on blowing on us, but we're still drowning in our own sweat."

"I heard rumors of snow in Ice Capital getting a little slushy. I can't begin to imagine what it's like inside the Core."

"You don't want to imagine. Pass on word of evacuation, but keep the details to yourself. I get the feeling we're dealing with something bigger than we can handle."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say it's a little unsettling when Gaster's heir himself mutters something about a guy who's supposed to be dead reaching through time and space to destroy this world."

Unsettling indeed. Chara tuned out the rest of the conversation. Gaster's experiments went wrong, he fell into his invention, and he was scattered across space and time. Chara witnessed the whole thing. There was no reason Gaster should have any connections to this world anymore, unless . . .

Walking as if he was in a nightmare, Chara returned to Frisk's room. He phased through the door, pulled his head out to tell the guards "Good job," and walked back in. Frisk was still asleep, blissfully unaware of everything going on.

Chara sat at the foot of the bed and studied his hands as if he had never seen them before. He was, in life, one of Dr. Gaster's experiments. Whether or not he was one that went wrong was debatable.

How is this even possible? Draining another mug of coffee, Sans studied the data as if there was something he missed. Whoever accessed the Core through Gaster's account wasn't Gaster. The fingerprints didn't match. The person to do this may have known Gaster's log in information and how to ultimately do what they did, but the work was too sloppy for this person to have worked in the Core before.

"You think a civilian might have done it?" Undyne asked, digging through the same system on another computer Sans accessed for her while Mew Mew prepared her evacuation announcement. Their plans to escape was discarded for now. Escape would be pointless if they all ended up dying either way.

"Hard to say," Sans answered. "Whoever got into the system clearly lacked experience, but he still knew enough to get in, do what he wanted to do, and get out undetected till now."

"Any luck getting through?"

"I'm trying to override a command given by the Core's 'master.' It's going to take a lot more than luck to beat down this wall."

Undyne cursed under her breath and continued to search for back doors or windows to break while Sans kept knocking on the entrance. Licking her lips, Undyne glued her eye back on the screen. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and Sans didn't doubt that in another life, Undyne made a great scientist.

"Should you even be here?" Sans asked after a minute. "You're, uh, starting to dry out."

It was true. Undyne no longer sweated in the rising heat. Instead she looked to be slowly turning to ash from the outside in.

"Not like I'm leaving you to have fun all by yourself," Undyne answered. "Besides, I doubt Mew Mew is going to let me just walk away."

"I wouldn't speak so cruelly of me," Mew Mew said as she walked back into the main computer room and dumped a glass of water on Undyne's head. While Undyne swore at the sudden shower, although looking much better as a result, Mew Mew said, "It's my best interest to keep you alive, you know. I'm actually considering sending you out to lead the evacuation."

Undyne narrowed her eye. "How can you do that when I'm a wanted criminal?"

"You saw the interview last night. Your human claimed she brainwashed you. Do you know what King Asgore did immediately after the show? He called me to ask if I knew if there was any truth to it."

"And what did you say?"

"That I talked to you, and what the human said is true." Mew Mew sat on the desk, empty glass in her hands. "Although you're still not pardoned for failing to kill the human in the first place, you are not a traitor in the eyes of the king. If I deem it best to send you to help save civilian lives instead of keeping you locked away, King Asgore will not argue with me."

Sans watched Undyne as she processed this to see if her expression would give anything she thought or felt away. True to Undyne, she did not reveal what could be taken as a sign of weakness.

"But why lie for me?" Undyne asked. "I can't see how saving my skin would benefit you."

"It doesn't," Mew Mew answered, "but it benefits the Underground in the long run. Whether or not I like it, you're a valuable asset in this kingdom, now more than ever. I won't let anyone else die because of my pride, innocent or guilty."

"This doesn't suddenly make you a good person."

"Look, in my story, I'm the hero. Don't tell me you're not the hero in yours. We're both trying to do what we believe is the right thing. You can either argue with me, or we can agree to put our differences aside until the death of everyone Underground isn't a legitimate threat."

Sighing, Undyne turned away from the computer. "You make a fair point. I'll assist in the evacuation."

"Good." Mew Mew nodded. "I suggest you rest for the remainder of the night. I'll take over hunting for back doors to kick in or windows to smash."

It was with a smile Undyne thanked Mew Mew and wished Sans luck. After she had left and Mew Mew took over for Undyne, Sans turned to the other monster and said, "It must have hurt a lot to let Undyne go just like that after spending so long trying to capture her."

"You have no idea," Mew Mew replied, eyes locked onto the screen. "However, I can't stay here and lead everyone to safety, and she would die if she stayed here much longer. Undyne's ashes are not as useful to me as Undyne herself, anyway. I did what had to be done for the greatest number of people."

When Sans didn't respond, Mew Mew added, "This is what it's like, isn't it? Doing things you don't want to do, even bad things, for the greater good?"

Dodging the question, Sans asked, "How much do you know?"

"Enough," was all Mew Mew answered, and the two continued to break into the Core, aware of their time limit but not how much time was left before the whole thing erupted in their faces, literally.

Waking early, Frisk spent her morning going through the exercises Undyne taught her. Although jogging wasn't an option, Frisk still went through the strength training routine. In the absence of cardio, Frisk did three rounds of all the exercises and felt sore all over when she had finished.

"I hope Mettaton lets me shower before the next show," Frisk said, wiping the sweat off her forehead before taking a drink from the water left for her in her room.

"You should have thought of that before you worked out," Chara replied as he lied on the bed, arms spread out. While she exercised, Chara whistled whatever song came into his head, finishing one and immediately starting another the whole time. Frisk didn't know he could whistle.

The answer to her question came when a monster knocked on her door and called from the other side, "Ms. Fox, rehearsal is in two hours. In a few minutes, Mr. Blook will arrive to escort you to the bathing chambers. Master Mettaton requests you wear black slacks and a white, short sleeve, button-up top for the cooking segment. Any questions?"

"No, thank you," Frisk called back. It was as she gathered the clothes she was to wear that another knock sounded against the door. "Come in."

"Frisk?"

Disbelief coursing through her veins, Frisk spun around and nearly dropped her clothes at who stood at the door. "Napstablook! What are you doing here?!"

"Mettaton is my cousin," Napstablook explained. "He asked if I wanted to produce music for the show and if I would be okay helping the production team out. Are you disappointed to see me?"

"Never." Frisk rushed forward and gave Napstablook a hug. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"I'm glad to hear you say that." After breaking the hug, Napstablook turned his attention towards the bed. Chara stared at the ghost, his expression betraying nothing. "Is your friend displeased with me? They're giving me a scary look."

Chara bolted upright on the bed. "You can see me?!" he shouted just as Frisk exclaimed, "You can see him?!"

"Yeah . . . ," Napstablook replied, uncertain. "Am I not supposed to?"

"I'm just surprised anyone else can see me," Chara said, standing up and approaching the ghost. "Do you know how long it's been since I could talk to two people at the same time?"

"We need to keep going to not draw attention to ourselves," Frisk pointed out, interrupting the moment. "Napstablook, as far as everyone else is concerned, Chara doesn't exist. Okay?"

"Okay." Napstablook began leading the way, and Frisk and Chara followed. "As for today's segment, you and Mettaton are going to be competing in a cooking show. You're going to pick the dish and dessert, and you two are going to see who can make it better. After you are done, three judges will taste your creations and decide who wins."

"Isn't that great?" Chara growled. "They're going to vote for Mettaton just because he's Mettaton."

"You think they would?" Napstablook asked, and Chara faltered in his steps.

"Uh, yeah," he answered, casting Frisk a look. She had to suppress a laugh. It was obvious Chara was too used to providing commentary for only one set of ears.

"I'll see what I can do to prevent favoritism," Napstablook replied after a while. "We want this to be a fair show."

"Thank you, Napstablook," Frisk said. "You really are a big help."

It appeared as if Napstablook's cheeks pinkened a bit. "Oh, not really. I'm just doing my job."

"Rehearsal" wasn't much of a rehearsal at all. After Frisk had showered, changed, and met Mettaton and Muffet in a set designed to look like two separate kitchens, Mettaton showed her the options of food and desserts to make with the ingredients on hand and told her she was going to show him how she would make the choices she selected.

"Why?" Frisk asked, feeling nervous in a room filled with Reds and no living allies whatsoever. "Shouldn't you practice as well?"

"No need, gorgeous," Mettaton replied. "The point of this challenge is you're going to show the audience through prerecorded footage how you prepare the meal, and I'm going to try to beat your style with one of my own in a cooking throwdown."

"That sounds a lot like an existing concept for a cooking show," Chara said. He chuckled and added, "Should we make spaghetti or tacos?"

Swallowing, Frisk asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes, dearie," Muffet answered, "that's all. Now, you start looking through the menu and picking tonight's dishes. We'll give you a couple of tries to get your recipes right. After all," Muffet winked, "my pet is one of the judges, and if she doesn't like your cooking, she might eat you instead."

"No pressure or anything," Chara said as Mettaton and Muffet walked away with the excuse of filming promos and another emergency announcement.

"Wait, 'another emergency announcement'?" Frisk questioned. "What kind of emergency?"

"I'll tell you while you cook," Chara promised, walking over towards the menu Mettaton set out. "There's nothing you can do about it, so focus your energy on making the best home cooked meal you can."

Finger trailing down the menu more for show than anything, Frisk asked, "Chara, should I be scared?"

"Until all of our immediate conflicts are resolved, you should never stop being scared, Stripes," Chara answered.

"You're such a ray of sunshine."

"I know. Oh, chocolate mousse!"

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus shouted so loudly that even as Undyne held the phone away from her ear, Papyrus's voice still blew her ponytail like a gust of wind. "Are you okay?! Where's Sans?! Is he okay?! As a fish, can you breathe underwater?! What does green taste like?! Do you ship us?! How many—"

"Papyrus!" Undyne yelled, silencing the skeleton monster. "One question at a time, please."

"Sorry," Papyrus apologized from the other end. "I got so excited to hear from you that I started screaming every question that came to mind."

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm calling to—Wait, did you ask if I shipped—"

"I'll be the one asking the questions here," Papyrus interrupted. "Well, the important questions, that is. Important question number one: Is Sans with you?"

"No, but he's okay," Undyne said, leaning against the wall. Mettaton's first evacuation announcement went out first thing that morning, and Undyne helped to gather those who lived closest to the Core and send them towards the Capital. She and others on the team would be back out there in time for Mettaton's next announcement to evacuate others within Hotland. Wanting to make the most of her break, Undyne found a phone booth and called Papyrus's cell. Of course he answered on the first ring, even if he didn't recognize the number.

"Sans is helping Mew Mew with the Core," Undyne continued. "It's . . . not going as smoothly as we would like, so we're evacuating Hotland till the problem is under control."

Silence, and then an "I see . . . ," from Papyrus. "Okay, question number two: Are you all right?"

"I've been better, but I would rather be helping to evacuate than remained trapped in the Core." It's basically a deathtrap as this point, Undyne silently added.

"Wait, Mew Mew let you go?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Okay, question number three: What's the plan?"

"Stay on The Island," Undyne said, "and don't try anything crazy. Update everyone on the situation. Most importantly, stay safe. Understood?"

"Uh, yeah, understood," Papyrus replied, and something about the way he said it sent warning bells off in Undyne's head.

"Wait, Papyrus, what are you—"

"Oh, I have to go now! I forgot to water my dog. Bye!" Then the line went silent.

Undyne stared at the phone in disbelief. She slammed it back in place and cursed under her breath. Nothing about this seemed good at all.

It was the blaring sound from the TV that woke Sans up.

He hadn't realized he fell asleep at the computer until he rubbed the sleep from his eye sockets and saw Mew Mew turning up the television. When she was satisfied with the volume, Mew Mew walked away and without a word placed another hot coffee next to Sans. Sitting in the seat pushed next to his, she tilted her head back and took a deep breath.

"How long was I asleep?" Sans asked, picking up the coffee and taking a sip.

"Only a few hours," Mew Mew answered.

"And you let me sleep?"

"You're not going to get any closer to resolving the issue if you overwork yourself. Better to take a break and go back with a clear mind than to overlook something obvious because your mind is too cluttered to see it."

"Is that why you turned the TV up?"

"I didn't think you would want to miss this program."

As Mew Mew spoke, the title screen for the special appeared. Cooking with a Killer Robot, guest starring Frisk Fox. No, Sans did not want to miss it at all.

The program opened with Mettaton thanking the audience for watching, reminding all of them to dress in clothing that will keep them cool, and to open their homes to any Hotland friends or relatives who were being evacuated out of their homes. After the announcements, Mettaton told the viewers about the show and what would be happening live in a half hour. Then a cut to commercial break, and then prerecorded footage of Frisk explaining what she was going to compete cooking with Mettaton later on after advertisements had ended.

As the show continued, Sans and Mew Mew watched in silence as Frisk and Mettaton prepared appetizer, main course, and dessert. Each flew through their respective kitchen sets, Mettaton oozing confidence while Frisk kept chewing her lower lip in uncertainty. Frisk was occasionally caught "talking to herself" throughout the show, but Sans saw the locket around her neck and knew better.

Halfway through cooking the main course, Frisk struggled to chop her broccoli. Sans didn't fail to notice that Mettaton's knife cut through everything with ease. Whether she was given a dull knife as a disadvantage or distraction didn't matter, because the useless thing acted as both. Frisk's chicken burst into flames on her grill, and she was still too focused on her vegetables to see it. The commentators got a good laugh as they kept betting how long it would take Frisk to notice.

"What?!" Frisk growled just barely loud enough for the camera to pick up. The way she snapped indicated Chara had been trying for some time to get her attention only to be ignored until Frisk couldn't take it anymore. "What now?"

Her eyes widened before Frisk spun around. She let out a surprised scream and rushed towards the chicken. Picking up a spatula, Frisk began to beat out the flames.

"The human is a hot mess," Mew Mew noted then took a sip of tea. "I can't believe our freedom rests in her hands."

While Mettaton continued cooking with poise and grace, Frisk turned down the heat of the chicken and returned to her vegetables she needed to stir fry. Giving up on the knife, she began ripping them apart by hand. Her eyes kept flickering back to the chicken as if it would catch fire again while her back was turned.

"I think she's being sabotaged," Sans stated. Everything was going perfectly for Mettaton while everything that could go wrong did for Frisk. At least her appetizer – spinach artichoke zucchini bites, something that sounded too healthy for Sans – was saved from becoming a disaster. Her main course did not have the same hope.

"I think she is, too," Mew Mew replied after a moment. "What are the odds she would have a dull knife, a faulty stove, and a mostly empty bottle of soy sauce? I know Mettaton. Everything is perfectly prepared before the cameras even begin rolling. If he had every intention of playing fair, her set would be just as in order as his."

"Think he's getting back at her for the quiz show?"

"Absolutely. If there's one thing Mettaton can't stand more than not being the center of attention, it's being made into a fool. Considering the number of Frisk Fox fan clubs that sprouted overnight, this human has managed to do both in one swoop. How's that for dumb luck?"

Sans watched as Frisk was about to mix her dry ingredients for the dessert. She froze with the measuring cup full of sugar over the bowl. Pulling back, she pinched some of the sugar between her finger and thumb and tasted it. Brows furrowed, she dumped the contents back into the jar labeled "sugar" and tasted the contents of the salt jar. Without wasting a second, Frisk filled the measuring cup with "salt" and used that instead.

While the commenters questioned why she would do such a thing, Sans finally said, "Either lots of dumb luck, or a very helpful sixth sense."

If Chara didn't catch me before I dumped that much salt into the batter, there's no way I would be able to recover this, Frisk thought as she put her pie in the oven. It felt as if everything was falling apart at the seams. Chara actually had to take over watching the food cook while Frisk prepared something else lest it catch fire or the stove shut itself off again.

Frisk didn't dare look at Mettaton the entire time she cooked. She didn't need to see or have Chara tell her that everything was going smoothly for him. The lack of shouts of frustration from his side while hers were frequent was enough.

"All things considered, you held yourself together quite well," Chara said after the show cut to commercial break.

"I got a penalty for swearing on live television, Chara," Frisk reminded him.

"Okay, but that's not a big deal. It's not as if you said one of the really bad ones."

In spite of herself, Frisk smiled, "And what are one of the 'really bad ones'?"

"I'm not telling you." Chara snorted. "The last thing you need is any ideas."

"If Mom could hear me. I would have eaten a bar of soap by now."

"That's typically a sign you need to reevaluate your friend group. Someone might be a bad influence on you."

Frisk didn't respond. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, Frisk took a deep breath. The hard part was over; all that was left was to make sure the pie was taken out of the oven when it was ready and sit through the judges tasting her and Mettaton's food.

Then again, perhaps the hard part wasn't over at all.

If Mon had fingers with claws or nails, she would have chewed them off by now. Frisk struggling to grill chicken and stir fry vegetables was painful to watch. There was no way she was simply having bad luck like the commenters were saying.

"I'm about to pull my own ears off watching this," Alice said as Mettaton and Frisk both presented their appetizers to blindfolded judges. Throwing herself at Mon, she buried her face in the other monster's shoulder and exclaimed, "Tell me when it's over!"

Beatrix's lobby was packed tight with many residents from The Island. There wasn't room for everyone, so some monsters watched the tiny screen from outside. Others were so far back they had to be told what happened while it happened. Papyrus volunteered to be part of the telling squad. It was a good thing, too, since his voice was so loud it could travel across The Island with ease. Temmie, his new little friend, went with him.

When Mettaton was interrupted from introducing his meal in order for the judges to taste the food anonymously, Mon had to hold back a laugh at the look on Mettaton's face. He clearly didn't anticipate this. It must have been a last-minute change, and definitely one that worked in Frisk's favor.

Frisk's appetizer won, but only by a little. The last judge said it was "too cheesy" but "softer than the other cook's."

Nobody was surprised Mettaton won the main course round. After all, Frisk's chicken was over cooked and her vegetables undercooked. Her rice was fine, but it didn't have the same seasoning Mettaton used for his.

Then came the dessert, and Mon had to force herself to keep watching. All three judges had wonderful things to say about both butterscotch pies. Each agreed it was a close call.

As much as Mon wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, she willed them to remain open. Every muscle in her body was tense. For a minute, she forgot to breathe.

The winner was announced.

Mon nearly fainted.

Frisk won the first trial.

After the cameras were shut off, Frisk asked for a moment to herself and stepped into the stock room. Leaning her back against the wall, Frisk closed her eyes and breathed slowly. She had won the first trial. Despite the odds, she had won. Toriel's butterscotch pie recipe was to thank for her victory.

Not wanting to take any chances, Frisk made a point to state her first wish while the cameras were still rolling and the show was still live.

Her wish was Undyne to be forgiven of any crimes held against her.

Mettaton was trapped in the position to call the king and tell him the circumstance, all while everyone at home watched. King Asgore, through the call, publicly forgave Undyne for her crimes. It was possible he only did so since such a large number of his subjects were watching, but Frisk got what she wanted, and she didn't care how it happened.

"How much longer do you plan on standing there?" Chara asked. "It's been about ten minutes."

"It's been that long?" Frisk opened her eyes and turned them on her companion.

"That relieved, huh?"

"And then some," Frisk answered. "Thanks for helping me out, Chara. I couldn't have survived this without you."

"No problem, Stripes. Besides, it was worth it in the end seeing the look on Mettaton's face when he realized the judges wouldn't know whose food was whose."

"Or the look on the judge's faces when they realized they declared me the winner." Frisk laughed alongside Chara. It really felt good to just laugh. "Thank Napstablook, too. He made victory possible in the first place."

"We ghosts rock, huh?" Chara said, his laugh slowly fading.

"Wait, you have teeth?" Frisk teased when Chara's laugh ended but he wore a teeth-showing smile. "Chara, I don't think I have ever seen you smile before. Smirk and grin, yes, but not actually smile."

After Frisk said the words, she wished she hadn't. Chara sealed his lips and looked away. Now his toothy, happy smile transitioned to a small, sad one.

"It's been so long, I'm surprised I remember how," he said after a minute.

"Well, you should smile more," Frisk replied. "It's a good look on you."

Chara looked at Frisk and widened his smile. There was still some sadness in it, but there was some real happiness lost within as well. This was made more evident when he said, "Thanks, Stripes."

Wearing her own smile, Frisk tilted her head back to rest against the wall. When did such a condescending nickname become so endearing?

"Hate you, Chara."

There was no hesitation. "Hate you too, Stripes."

"Well," Frisk pushed herself off the wall, "I have been hiding away long enough. Better get back out there before—"

Frisk heard clattering and banging. Looking up, Frisk screamed when she saw heavy equipment from the top shelves hurling towards her. All the panicking Frisk could think to do was crouch down and throw her hands up.

Perhaps someone shouted her name, but the sounds of the equipment plunging to the floor drowned it out. Eyes squeezed shut, Frisk waited for something to finally crush her. It never did.

Cracking open an eye, Frisk sucked in a breath to see a transparent red dome surrounding her, the now broken equipment scattered around the dome's edges. She looked to Chara for an explanation, but he stood speechless. When her gaze returned upwards, Frisk slowly lowered her hands. The dome fell as her arms dropped back to her sides. Despite her trembling knees, Frisk forced herself to stand upright.

"I suspected," Chara whispered as Frisk surveyed the damage. When she looked at him again, he seemed to force the words out as he said, "I suspected for a while . . . , but this confirms it."

"Suspected what?" Frisk asked, hugging herself. She didn't step out of her circle. Stepping out of it would be stepping out of safety. "Confirms what?"

Chara answered Frisk's question with one of his own. "Do you have my old ring on you?"

In response, Frisk produced the ring from her pocket. Holding it on her palm, she stretched out her arm to display the ring. A red light emitted from it for half a moment before fading away.

When Frisk spoke, the words struggled through the lump forming in her throat. "What is this ring?"

"See the red crystal?" Chara stepped closer and pointed at the center of the band. "It's a magical crystal. Only powerful human souls can manipulate the magic within."

Although she already knew the answer, Frisk still heard herself asking, "What does that mean?"

When Chara didn't reply, Frisk practically demanded, "What does that mean, Chara?!"

"It means you were never lying after all," Chara said slowly. "That monster from all the way back in the Ruins was right. Stripes . . . You really are a wizard."

*earlier scene that doesn't fit with the flow of the chapter but I wanted to write it for fun anyway - also canon to the story because I'm the author and I say so*

The crew was kind enough to let Frisk practice cooking the food before they would film her explaining the process. It gave Frisk a chance to figure out where everything was and remind herself that it was only cooking. She had cooked dinner many nights for both her and Toriel, and this couldn't have been any different.

With the exception of competing against a monster who called himself a killer robot, of course.

"Alouette, gentille alouette.
Alouette, je te plumeria."

Eyes drifted towards Chara as Frisk kept her face aimed at the vegetables she chopped, Frisk quietly asked, "What are you singing?"

"A song," Chara answered just softly, as if he too could be overheard.

"Gee, really? I never would have guessed."

"I detect sarcasm."

"Why are you singing . . . whatever that is?"

"I liked to sing while I cooked. Made the process more enjoyable."

Toriel sang while she cooked as well, and Toriel, Frisk had to constantly remind herself, raised Chara too. Not that Toriel ever sang this song before, but the practice was still the same. In a way, it was almost soothing to hear some form of music while she cooked.

"What language is that?" Frisk asked after a moment, a moment spent in silence.

"I think it's French," Chara answered. "I don't really know what I'm saying, but I like the way it sounds."

"French, huh?" Frisk softly giggled, a plan forming. "Please, Chara, continue singing to me in the language of love."

"What?"

Turning towards him in the show that she needed to wash her hands, Frisk approached Chara who stood by the sink. When she was close enough, Frisk pretended to whisper in his ear. "Did you just come out of the oven? Because you're hot."

Frisk saw Chara tense in her peripheral. Grinning while she used the sink, she tried another one. "Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past you again?"

"Are you flirting with me?" It sounded as if Chara asked through clenched teeth.

"What does it look like, sweet cheeks?"

When Chara didn't respond, Frisk finished washing her hands and pulled back. She almost laughed at the sight of Chara biting the inside of his cheeks.

"Too bad you can't blush," she teased as she walked away. "I'm curious if your lovely rosy cheeks can possibly get any darker, or if your whole face turns their color."

It took Chara a moment to find his voice. "This is payback for last night, isn't it?"

To answer, Frisk turned around, winked at Chara, and said before returning to her vegetables, "You're so cute when you're flustered."