Tonight's the night, and Alex hasn't done an ounce of preparation. She did, however, have a very productive day filled with watching anime on her laptop, so she's got that going for her. Sadly, she still has nothing prepared for tonight.

Shit, she thinks, I'm supposed to plan the best date of his life, and I've got no inspiration whatsoever. It's already 6 p.m., and she's running out of time quickly. If she doesn't get out of bed soon, she'll lose the bet. And she really doesn't want to lose. Sans should be out working until at least nine, so she's got a few more hours to come up with the most showstopping date that skeleton-man has ever been on.

Still unable to get out of bed, she stares at the ceiling, trying to think of anything. Maybe she'll hold the date in the forest, next to the place where the campers are. That actually seems kind of cool; going for a rustic vibe seems like a good idea for a first date. She's got to make sure there aren't any wild animals, though.

A metaphorical light pings above her head, and Alex sits up quickly. The best idea ever just came to her. What about a date in the woods, but with fairy lights hung up in the trees? It would be great to chill on a blanket with hot chocolate, Netflix, and some food.

God, she thinks, I'm extra. But I have to win this if I want to make any kind of impression on him. Now, where do you find fairy lights?

Her question is answered quickly when she looks up to the ceiling again. They're basically everywhere in the camper. The whole ceiling is practically decorated with strings of colorful lights. Alex scrambles off the bed and begins the monumental task of taking off the thumbtacks that secure the strings to the ceiling.

He won't mind, will he?

A while later, the sun has set, and meters of fairy lights decorate a small secluded area in the woods. A soft blanket adorned with even softer pillows lies on the forest floor. Honestly, Alex did such a great job, and she's really proud of herself. Alex sits down on one of the pillows and decides to warm her hands after taking out her phone.

Alex: It's time for our big date...

Alex: [location]

Sans: are you finally ready to lose the crown of best date-person in the world?

Sans: btw we gotta change that title into something cooler

Sans: i'll be there in 5

Alex: cool cool

Alex: get ready to lose

It's funny, Alex thinks, she feels like she's been on tour already. The whole time she's been with Sans, she's had this overwhelming sense of deja vu. It's probably nothing, but the way Sans just seems to know stuff sometimes... It's a bit weird. Then again, it's probably nothing. Maybe it's just a side effect of fake-dating your monster best friend. That's probably it.

She ruffles her hand through her hair and shudders when a cold gust of wind flows around her. It's funny, really; she spent three hours trying to make the place (and herself) look good for a literal skeleton but didn't think once about taking a sweater with her. It's almost like a real date, only able to focus on impractical stuff beforehand.

Even though it's getting pretty dark in the woods, there's no mistaking who comes walking toward her when she spots those pink slippers treading carefully forward. In the few seconds it takes for him to spot her, Alex gets a good look at his face.

Sans seems... different, somehow. He's got this almost troubled look on his face, and he's twiddling his fingers nervously. Maybe he's actually nervous about this? No, Sans wouldn't really be nervous for a pretend date, would he? It's not really that serious.

Alex decides to get off the pillow and stand up. She smiles and waves excitedly, and even though Sans waves back, the expression on his face doesn't change. When he walks closer, she decides to run up to him excitedly and envelop him in a big hug. Maybe that'll calm his nerves.

"Hey!" she says, and touches his shoulder gently. "Ready to get your ass kicked? I've prepared just the most amazing date you've ever been on. Get ready to get woo'ed." Alex hooks her arm in his. "Look, it's like we're already walking down the aisle."

Sans looks at her and gives Alex a cold look. He mumbles something she can't quite make out, and unhooks his arm from hers. Then he begins fiddling with his fingers again. Alex frowns and looks over at him. That's not an ideal way to start a date.

She sees Sans staring down at his hands; it's almost like he's fumbling with a wedding ring that isn't there. They shuffle slowly to the blanket, and Alex gestures for him to sit down wherever he wants.

"Would you like a cup of freshly brewed hot cocoa? Made especially for my future hubby." Alex says, and nudges him in his side playfully.

Sans looks over at Alex again, this time with a look that almost resembles grief on his face. It's at that moment it occurs to her that something's really wrong with Sans.

"What's up? Are you okay? We can do this another time if you want, or we don't have to do this at all if you don't feel up for it." she offers.

Sans looks up, his white pupils finally darting over to hers. He takes her hand in his with a sincere look on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just—" he begins, but Alex cuts him off.

"Look, Sans, I'm really sorry if I've made you uncomfortable with all of this. I mean, I'm basically just a random stranger from the internet, and now I've practically forced myself on you for a month and I—"

Sans interrupts her in an assertive tone. For the first time tonight, he speaks up and looks at her with urgency. "listen to me, this is really important, and i've found out we don't have much time—"

"No, Sans, I mean it, I'm really sorry for all this." It's then that Sans squeezes Alex's hand a little too tight, and she recoils. "Fuck!" she yells.

"ALEX, GODDAMNIT, LISTEN TO ME!" Sans yells back, one of his pupils flashing blue for a moment. Alex opens her mouth to say something but closes it again quickly. Sans continues, "you won't understand anything I'm going to say to you, but maybe that's for the best. i can feel something coming, and we really don't have much time. something is really is wrong in this timeline, and i have no clue where we'll end up after this."

Sans takes Alex's hands in his again, and strokes them softly with his bony fingers. He looks sincerely into her eyes, and Alex is too confused to speak. This all certainly came out of nowhere. Maybe he's pranking her?

"alex, your face always manages to look more beautiful than I remember. i've loved you in more lifetimes than you can imagine. i've loved you with wrinkles on your face, and i've loved you like this. alex, it's always been you. your kiss still thrills me after a millennia, and will thrill me for many more to come." he says with an urgent look on his face.

Then the ground begins shaking slightly, and a loud explosion can be heard from a close distance away. Alex tenses, and she looks at Sans with a panicked look.

"What's going on?" she asks, and yelps when they hear another explosion soon after the other one. "Sans, what's going on? I'm scared."

Sans doesn't stop looking at her with urgency. It's like he's drinking it all in, making one final memory before he loses it all. This must have something to do with the timelines he's been mentioning, doesn't it?

"listen, i promise that wherever we end up, i'll always keep searching for you." he says, and envelops Alex in one of the tightest hugs she's ever had. "i promise, so, erm... don't be scared."

Then something erupts much closer, and a loud explosion is the last thing she hears before it all goes black.

A ray of sunshine that only July is capable of producing manages to wake Sans up. His head is pounding, and it hurts to move his bones. He's lying... somewhere, face down on the ground.

Most importantly, he lives. Again? Hopefully? Maybe this is finally it. The afterlife, the oh-so-great beyond. Someone's finally run out of timelines to ever torment him with. Probably not though, the joke will probably forever be on him.

Well, he thinks, time to find out where the hell he is this time, then.

He moves his face to the side and notices his cheek is met with a soft carpet that smells oddly familiar. When he opens his eyes, he's greeted by an ordinary radiator, complete with a few scratches. Sans decides to bite the bullet and scrambles off the floor, leaving the existential dread (mostly) behind him.

It's then that he notices something weird. Like, proper weird. Like something that's never happened to him before. He seems to be in the living room of his old house.

Well, that can't be. 

Or can it?

Sans anxiously thinks about the possibility of seeing his Alex again. His right hand quickly goes to his left, and before he knows it, he's twiddling with a familiar piece of silver. Sans gasps, and looks down quickly. There it is. His wedding band.

It's there, clear as day. Forever a reminder of one of the best days of his life. The day Alex Parker became Alex the Skeleton-Parker.

He looks around the familiar living room and quickly manages to spot the gallery wall that'd been one of Alex's many, many DIY projects. It's a wall with photos of the beautiful family they'd managed to build. Sans makes quick work of sprinting over there. A weight falls off his shoulders when he notices that their two beautiful kids, Calibri and Arial, are in the pictures on the walls as well.

Then he doesn't wait another moment to do another really brave thing.

"Alex? Honey?" His deep voice reverberates against the walls of the familiar house.

"Yeah? I'm in the kitchen."

He doesn't even take the time to let Alex finish her sentence before sprinting toward her voice. When he sees her standing at their counter, he can only envelop her in the second-tightest hug he's ever given her.

---- AUTHORS NOTE ----

I never thought I'd be writing an author's note in 2024, so let me explain. Eight years ago, I wrote *Chat Logs*, and I'm still proud of myself for finishing such a big project! It's always a blast to tell people that I've written one of the most popular Sans x Reader stories (even though it's not really an x Reader, I know and acknowledge that now) and watch as their faces morph into fear.

No, but really, I've always had a soft spot for this fanfiction in my heart. Even though I couldn't log into this account for the past eight years, I've been reading the comments sometimes, and it's always heartwarming to see people enjoy the stuff I wrote when I was fifteen.

I really love this little community we've built, and I've met some great people through this website. I'm glad I finished the fic, full circle and all. Most importantly though, I want to thank all of you for reading all these years :)

Well, for one last time:

xoxo,

Esmee