After everyone found out about your engagement, things returned to a relative sense of normality. No one treated you any different, though you sometimes caught one of them staring at the ring you now wore at all times (unless you went out somewhere.) Mettaton eventually revealed to you that Alphys had seen some of his recorded memories during a system update a few weeks back. He'd sworn her to secrecy, but something she got a little loose lipped when she got a little tipsy. The only one who acted really different was Sans. You noticed the most changes in him, starting with him calling you by your name, not kitten. You didn't like the change, but you didn't say anything about it. Another thing you noticed but didn't mention; when you sat on the couch, Sans no longer threw his legs haphazardly over yours. He just shifted and sat like a normal person. Weird, right? Every time something like this happened you felt uncomfortable and you kind of wanted to cry, but you held it in like the good performer you were. Besides that, nothing else was all that different.

After an exciting Christmas eve, involving lots of eggnog (which Frisk had none of), karaoke consisting only of Christmas songs, and general festive spirit, everyone went to bed early on Papyrus' insistence. He wanted to give Santa lots of time to deliver the presents. His words, not yours. A few hours after everyone went to bed, you, and Mettaton got up to place the extra presents around the tree. Everyone chipped in a little extra to get gifts from "Santa." It was mostly for Frisk and Papyrus' benefits, but you and Mettaton had gone out and gotten a little something more for everyone else too. Just so they weren't left out, you know?

At six am sharp, Papyrus' excited yelling could be heard throughout the house as he thundered down the stairs to the tree. He only got louder when he found what Santa had left. At his insistent yelling, Frisk sprung out of bed and nearly jumped on you before running out the bedroom door. She was so excited, apparently, that she didn't bother to apologize or make sure you were up as well. After rubbing your eyes and checking the time, you yawned and pulled a comfy sweatshirt over your head. When you pulled you head through the neck hole, you spotted a groggy Sans leaning in the doorway to your room, rubbing the sleep from one of his eyes.

"Morning," you greeted with a sleepy smile, pulling your arms through the sweatshirt and pulling it down.

"mornin'" he yawned back. He was wearing loose navy blue sweatpants, a white t-shirt and his usual pink slippers. He looked sleepy and adorable, as was usual when he just woke up.

"HURRY UP SANS YOU'RE SO SLOW!" Papyrus yelled from downstairs, making you giggle.

"He seems excited." You noted, heaving yourself out of your warm bed and heading for the door.

"don't think he's been this excited since he met you." Sans nodded, moving from the doorway and heading down the stairs with you in tow.

"SANS!" Papyrus called insistently.

"Shut up would you!" Undyne yelled, bursting out of the door leading to her and Alphys' room. "We get it! There are presents!" She was most definitely not a morning person.

"Let all calm down a little, ok?" Mettaton added, coming out of his room in a bright pink tanktop and black sweatpants. It looked like, in the spirit of Christmas, no one was bothering to get dressed before coming downstairs. Undyne wore a black tanktop that was looser than her usual one, and a pair of red shorts. Alphys shuffled out after her wearing a long, floral patterned nightgown. Everyone headed downstairs, and you couldn't help but smile when you saw Papyrus and Frisk already sorting out whose gift was who's.

You settled in your usual spot with Sans and Mettaton on either side of you, while Undyne and Alphys sat on the floor, leaning against the wall near the TV. Toriel and Asgore soon joined you placing Flowey on a chair they pulled over, and Papyrus started passing out everyone's gifts. He was practically vibrating with excitement, and you bit your lip to stop yourself from smiling with amusement. You shot Sans a look, to which he shrugged. You ended up with a hefty pile of gifts yourself, numbering eight in total. Everyone ended up with relatively the same amount, while Papyrus and Frisk got two extra.

"WHO GET'S TO OPEN THEIR GIFTS FIRST?" Papyrus asked, trying to sit still on the floor but failing miserably. Frisk was in a similar state. They looked like they really wanted to tear into their gifts, but at the same time they wanted to wait for everyone else. Their eyes kept flicking from Toriel to their gifts to Sans to their gifts to you to their gifts, and so on. They seemed torn between enjoying themselves and being respectful of everyone else.

"Why don't we all just open everything at the same time?" You suggested with a smile. "That way, no one has to wait to open theirs."

"that works." Sans shrugged in support.

"Perfectly wonderful idea, darling." Mettaton added.

Papyrus and Frisk needed no further encouragement. After a nod from Toriel, they tore into their gifts, throwing paper this way and that as they attempted to get at the goodies within. You smiled and took a quick few pictures, then started with the first gift in your pile. Everyone else followed suit, opening their things a little slower. Undyne opened her things just as fast as Frisk and Papyrus did though. Asgore opened his gifts as well as helping Flowey with his, alternating between carefully opening his gifts and holding Flowey's so the flower could tear at the paper with his teeth. You weren't all that surprised to see he actually had teeth. While all this was going on you continued to snap pictures, pulling off the colourful paper covering your own presents. And, you had to admit, you were pretty amazed and happy with what you got.

From Asgore you got delicious smelling tea's, Mettaton gave you a beautiful (f/c) and (s/f/c) scarf, Toriel gave you a cookbook with hand collected recipes, Alphys gave you some lovely smelling perfume (which she apparently made herself), Frisk and Flowey gave you some pretty earrings and a bracelet she made, Undyne gave you a new set of workout clothes (a shirt and some yoga), Papyrus got you a cozy sweater, and "Santa" got you a palette of earthy toned eyeshadows. Sans said Papyrus present was also his, but the look his lanky brother gave him suggested otherwise. Papyrus didn't say anything though, and went back to admiring his gifts.

Everyone else seemed equally happy with their gifts as, and doled out the appropriate thanks and hugs to go along with them. You were happy that everyone was satisfied with your presents, evident by their thanks and what they did with them. Papyrus wrapped the scarf you gave him around his neck immediately, Frisk ran around the room showing off the accessory set (including a few hair bows, a headband, and a necklace), Mettaton pulled on his new leg warmers (bright pink of course), Toriel sampled a bit of the chocolate you gave her and looked over the photo album you made her, Asgore pulled the tacky sweater over his head, Undyne thanked you for the awesome, black leather combat boots, Alphys started reading through the difficult science textbook, Flowey grudgingly thanked you for the new and improved flower pot that came with a flower-sized remote control and motorized wheels, and Sans pulled on his brand new fur lined hoodie. You extremely relieved they liked everything, and were glad you got what you did.

"So, who's up for breakfast?" Toriel asked after setting her gifts in a neat pile to the side. Pretty much everyone voiced their approval.

"I'll help," you offered, setting your things on the couch and standing to follow her. As you passed, Sans reached out suddenly grabbed the edge of you sweater, stopping you in your tracks. You turned and looked at him questioningly.

"uh," he started, flushing ever so slightly blue. He dropped his hand away from your sweater after a second and scratched the back of his head.

"Yes?" You prompted, waiting for him to explain his actions.

"Nothing." He shook his head, then slid his usual grin on. "just, don't burn the food."

You scoffed at him, smacking him lightly over the forehead. "I'm a great cook I'll have you know." Sans shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, spreading out over the couch as he usually did now that you were gone. You shook your head and headed into the kitchen, deciding not to push him any more though you knew he didn't stop you to bug your about your cooking. You were curious, of course, but you figured he'd come to you. Hopefully, at least.

In the kitchen, you and Toriel got busy making a huge Christmas breakfast. While she scrambled eggs and fried bacon, you worked on a huge batch of french toast. Frisk eventually came over as well, and helped you set the table with plates, cutlery, maple syrup, butter, fresh fruit, and icing sugar. She also helped get everyone the drinks they wanted and put them on the table. When everything was loaded onto large breakfast platters and set on the table, you called everyone to the table and sat in your usual spot. Once everyone was seated, everyone dug in. As per usual breakfast was loud and fun, and ended when Papyrus and Undyne broke a plate fighting over the last piece of french toast. After a stern scolding from Toriel, everyone who didn't help make breakfast cleaned it up. Minus Sans of course. While they did that, you got up and went to have a quick shower and to get dressed. Unfortunately you also had to think about packing up. You planned to leave pretty soon, but you were reluctant to go. You'd had a blast over the last week, and though there was the bump when everyone found out you were engaged, you'd honestly been having more fun now then you'd had in ages. Honestly, no holiday with Mitchell had been as fun as this one. You never wanted it to end.

But reality was coming a knocking, and even though you knew that though Mitchell wasn't coming back for a few more weeks, work was calling and you had a concert coming up in a matter of days. You had no choice but to leave the familiar, family like setting and to get back to work. Well, that was life, right?

After getting dressed and braiding your wet hair, you started packing and getting ready to go. Though you didn't have to leave yet, you liked being prepared, and that meant getting ready now.

"sick of us already?" Sans asked suddenly, causing you to squeek and whirl around in surprise.

"You startled me!" You blinked and smiled, focusing on him as he leaned casually in the doorframe, hands tucked into his pockets. "And never, but duty calls, and I can't disappoint my fans."

"the same fans that tried to maul you a few days ago?" He lifted an eyebrow at you.

"Well, maybe not those fans." You smiled with a shrug, standing and brushing invisible dust off your pants. "So what's up?"

"nothing much," he shrugged. You gave him a curious look.

"Then whatcha doing here?"

"erm... i uh, well i meant to give this to you before, but um... well here."

"You have such a way with words," you teased, watching as he pulled a small, festively wrapped box from his pocket. No wonder Papyrus gave him an odd look when Sans claimed partial ownership of the gift he gave you— Sans had been hiding one in his pocket the whole time! Excited to be receiving another gift (not because you were greedy, but because of who it was from) you eagerly stepped forwards and took the box from him. He looked shy and nervous, avoiding your eyes as you started tugging at the ribbon. You made quick work of the ribbon and paper, stopping only to throw the garbage in Frisk's waste paper basket. The box looked like a it was a jewelery box, and your suspicions were confirmed when you pulled it open. You let out a soft gasp, marveling at the beautiful silver pendant nestled in navy blue paper. The design was simple yet elegant, made of thin silver bands that interlaced and crossed to make a beautifully rendered treble clef surrounded by different musical notes. It was about the size of a quarter, and hung on a simple silver chair. You stood staring at the pendant in disbelief, wondering how something so small and simple could be so amazing.

"do you, uh, like it? if you don't i can always take it back and..." Sans asked, breaking the silence and you from your starstruck daze.

"I love it!" You squealed, throwing caution to the wind and throwing your arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you," you breathed into the fur of his jacket hood. You didn't think you'd ever received something so thoughtful.

"you're welcome, kitten." He mumbled, giving a slight half laugh while returning your hug. Giving one last squeeze you pulled back from the skeleton with a huge grin plastered to your face. Sans smiled back, a blue tint covering his cheeks. Distracted again by the necklace, you quickly tugged the chain free and tossed the box unceremoniously to the side. Something this precious needed to be worn. You undid the chain with little trouble, but when you wrapped it around your neck you found you had an issue doing the clasp up behind your head. "here," Sans offered, stepping around you and gently taking the separated clasp from your hands. You shot him a grateful smile over your shoulder, then pulled your hair away so he could do the clasp up. He rather clumsily did up the clasp, his bony fingers seeming to struggle with the tiny clasp, but he managed to get it in the end. You positioned the pendant just under your collarbone, running a finger over the polished surface, before turning with a big grin plastered to your face.

"How does it look?"

"looks good. i'm glad you like it." Sans nodded, smiling a little shyly. After a second of you smiling at him, and him not seeming to know what else to say, a thought occurred to you.

"You called me 'kitten' again."

Sans blinked, confused for only a second. "oh yeah, uh, sorry."

"Don't be, I kind of missed it."

"really?" He seemed doubtful.

"Yep," you nodded, knowing it was the truth. At first the name was a little odd, but it had really grown on you and you'd missed it when he stopped.

"oh, well i guess i can start calling you that again."

"Really?" This time it was your turn to ask.

"sure," he shrugged. You smiled brightly, happy to have the name back again. Sans returned your smile for a second before rubbing the back of his head and glancing at your suitcase half packed with clothes. "i guess i should let you get back to packing. want me to give you a lift later?"

"That would be great, thanks!"

Sans smiled again and nodded, then turned to leave you to your packing and thoughts. You turned to your suitcase slowly, unable to keep the happy smile off your face. You couldn't deny that the reason for your cheery attitude was because of Sans. The necklace was unbelievably thoughtful, and you were more than pleased with it. Since you loved music and it was your profession, the fact that he'd gotten you a necklace with music notes on it, and somehow knew you mostly sung in the treble clef without you telling him, made it just that much more meaningful. Mitchell's gifts had never been so thoughtful, nor expensive. Maybe Sans is just better than Mitchell. A nagging voice piped up from the back of your mind. You shook your head, trying to dislodge the thought, but for once you weren't exactly able to deny it.

Now's not the time to be thinking stuff like that. You thought stubbornly, all but shoving your clothes into your bag. Now's the perfect time. That voice persisted, and you shut it down. That was something you'd re-address later. Work needed to be the most pressing issue on your mind right now. Finishing stuffing everything into your bag and zipping it up, you went downstairs to say your extended goodbyes. Frisk did her utmost best to keep you in the house as long as she could, but eventually Undyne "kidnapped" her after giving you her signature goodbye noggie. Too bad, you wanted to stay longer. Goodbyes said, you managed to get out the door and headed out into the snow. Sans was waiting for you there, leaning up against the house casually with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"ready?" He asked, glancing up at you.

"I guess so." You smiled, hopping down the stairs and into the snow.

Sans offered you a hand, and after shifting your bag on your shoulder you took it. A blink later you were standing in foyer of your apartment. Literal door to door service. Sans slowly let go of your hand first, and ignoring the sad feeling of loosing the contact you dropped your bags to the floor, stomped your boots, and started taking your winter wear off. "Thanks for bringing me back."

"no problem." He shrugged, glancing around your apartment. You tilted your head at him, wondering if he had something to say. He hadn't left yet, so you assumed so.

"Something on your mind?" You asked.

"not really," he shrugged, then shook his head. "i guess i just wanted to say that you don't have to rely solely on Mitchell or whoever anymore. there are other people who care about you now."

You blinked once. He sounded uncharacteristically serious. Realizing what he was implicating, a soft smile curved over your lips and you nodded. "I know, thanks."

Seeming satisfied with that answer, Sans nodded once before poofing away. You blinked and rubbed your eyes, still not exactly used to him doing that. It was like your brain needed a second to catch up with what you were seeing. Once it did though, you immediately went back to what Sans just said. He was right, you knew. Before you only had Mitchell, but now you had a whole group of people and monsters who cared about you. You weren't on your own anymore, and that made you feel better than ever, like you could do anything. You realized you didn't need to rely on Mitchell anymore. Not for guidance, or money management, or anything. You stood on equal footing with him now. It was a big realization, and you couldn't believe it had taken you this long to realize it. Now that you had though, you weren't going to let Mitchell run your life. You doubted he'd take it well, but you had a few weeks to prepare what you were going to say to him, and you'd find a way to make him listen. Hopefully.

Feeling invigorated by your realization and decision, you grabbed all your bags and dragged them towards the room. After quickly unpacking, it was time to get back to work. You needed to practice the dances as best you could, and you'd been slacking off in your vocal exercises while you'd been at Toriel's. You launched yourself into work, pushing out all thoughts and worries from your mind, you concentrated solely on what you loved. You pushed everything to the edges of the living room, making yourself a rather sizeable space, then connected your laptop to the speakers and started the first song in a set of eight. For the concert, which would last from 8 to 10pm, there would be three different performances. You and Mettaton took up two of those spots, and after your first five songs on your own you'd sing three with Mettaton, then a ninth song at the very end, right before midnight. You knew you needed to work hard to get the nine songs down pat, even though Mettaton wasn't here to sing his parts.

After spending an hour exercising and warming up your vocal cords, you ran through the nine songs nearly five times before finally stopping for a rest. You breathed hard, but didn't stop there. Instead you moved into stretching and cooling down. If you didn't you risked pulling something before or during the concert, which wasn't an option. As you slid down into the splits, you heard the front door's knob jiggling. You froze, and swung your gaze to the door. There was more jiggling, something twisting in the lock, something slamming to the floor, and some muttered swearing. You tilted to the side, quickly but carefully pulling out of the splits, before standing and grabbing the nearest and heaviest thing you could lay your hands on. It happened to be a flowerpot, void of flowers at the moment. Fear gripped your heart, immediately thinking that someone was trying to break in, and instead of calling the cops like any sensible person, you crept towards the door. After pressing your back into the wall at the corner where the entry way wall met the one leading to the kitchen, you waited for the door to swing open. It did so a second later, then slammed shut a second later. A thief wouldn't slam the door like that, would they? You peeked your head around the corner, and nearly dropped the vase in surprise.

"Mitchell?"

Author's Note~

What time is it? Update time! Hope you liked this chapter you lovely readers :D

So another cliff hanger for you all, and you may ask, what will happen next? Who knows! You'll just have to wait for next monday.

In my last author's note I asked you all what chapters you'd like to see from Sans' perspective, and chapter 13 pulled ahead by a long shot. As such, that'll be the first chapter I do from his point of view. I'll probably also do the first time (y/n) and he meets, just for fun. When those will come out I'm not sure yet, but feel free to keep voting for your favourite chapter in the author's note!

Author out!