((Thank you SO MUCH to all of you still reading. This story has become very dear to my heart, and if you had any idea how it actually plays out in my mind, it would likely be a slap in the face.

That aside, I've had a little darkness in my life lately, but I think writing should hopefully bring me a bit of solace. Enough so, that it might just be a bit of what my own soul has been aching for.

A little romance.

There will be several theme songs to this chapter, as it's 'technically' broken up into segments. Whether or not I actually break it up yet depends on how much I write for the the first half.

If you really listen and pay attention to the lyrics in the first theme song, there may or may not be some foreshadowing for those paying 'fine tooth comb' type attention. *cough*ChilleTales*cough* ;) You may not understand now, but it'll become more clear with time.

The artist: The Eden Project (Yes, I'm a big fan. Sue me. XD)

Song: Circles

Link: #start=0:00;end=4:36;cycles=-1;autoreplay=true

And, as always, I love you all and I truly hope you enjoy!))

Part 1

Frisk didn't even remember falling asleep that night. All she knew was her eyes were awash with blue.... everywhere. Just as it had been when she'd roused at the beginning of this journey within dreams. She blinked a few times only to meet the gaze of a blue petaled flower smiling back at her. But when she blinked again, the face was gone, and she was left with nothing but an ordinary blue flower. Had she started over? Reset this whole journey?

No.... Sans. Not again.

Frisk closed her eyes, almost willing the flowers away, remembering how alluring their scent had been. When that aroma seemed to dissipate however, Frisk opened her lids to the nothingness she'd come to expect and know.

"This isn't how it plays out." Came an all too familiar voice. "Isn't how what plays out?" Frisk retorted quickly, annoyed to say the very least.

"I ain't talking to you, so shut up." Frisk recoiled. "Then.... who are you talking to." Frisk's face contorted, entirely bewildered and utterly confused. Who else could she possibly be talking to?

A long silence drawled on, as if Chara didn't know how to answer. "It's not supposed to be her." came Chara's voice, agitated and obviously raw with grief over... something.

"Who? What the hell is this?" Frisk called out, but there was no answer. Her head began to get that buzzing, fuzzy feeling again just before she'd....

..... Filling her nostrils once again was the intoxicating allure of the blue petaled flowers. When Frisk's eyes fluttered open to what initially appeared to be a water colored blur, focus began to bring figures into shapes.

"Sans?" she called out, but received no answer.

Hurriedly, Frisk sat up. As wide hazel hues glanced around in utter amazement, she took in, very slowly, how the entire cavern was covered, ceiling to floor, in an array of blue flowers of different sizes. They were all attached to gray vines that grew up from the ground. Thin and spindly, some were bone straight, others were almost like the shape of spiraled curls in a little girl's pig tails, but thin like that of a wire coat hanger. The leaves were jagged at the edges, but when closely inspected, it appeared that they were lined with crimson veins. Frisk cocked her head at this, brunette locks falling over her face. She quickly brushed it behind her ear, furrowing a brow, not really understanding. It almost appeared as if blood ran through them, but that wasn't possible, right? Flowers didn't actually bleed.... did they?

For each flower, their leaves were also different, in the same fashion of a snowflake in a sense. Sure, they all had the same general size in regards to their specific flower, but between each unique shape, some hearts, some diamond shaped.... They were most certainly the strangest looking flowers she'd ever come across in her life. Also the most beautiful, and fragrant. That was only one of their oddities, however. There was also the issue of the veins. Each pattern was different there as well. When she really thought about it, Frisk felt remorse for both crushing the poor things back at the beginning, but also for not noticing such interesting details before. Still... There was no door, and there didn't seem to be anyone else here either.... but at least it was better than being trapped in the void with Chara. When Frisk looked down however, she noticed she'd been sitting within a small circle of nothing but brown rock, which lay beneath her. This was likely to protect the flowers from being crushed once more, she assumed, only making her feel that much more grievous for doing so before. She moved to stand, but a small voice called out. A familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. "Please, don't stand. Not yet."

The voice was so small and pleading, almost like that of a child's yet.... not. "O...okay..." Frisk stammered. "Do... I know you?"

"I tried to help you.... back in the Ruins?" Frisk thought back. So many things had happened to her while in the Ruins, she'd almost forgotten the small blue flower. "That's right! You tried to warn me about Sans! But... where are you? Amongst all these other flowers, I can't see you."

Soon enough, she saw him. Larger than the rest, he poked up through the ground a few feet away from where she sat. He then smiled at her... just like before. "Hello." she started, feeling almost a little obligated. "I'm Frisk... and thank you for the warning back there as well, but I don't think I could've avoided that if I'd tried. Now... I'm honestly kinda glad I didn't...."

"I know. I knew it would be bad in the beginning, and I was worried that you'd eventually break, but I should have known better. You've got far too much Determination for that. I'm actually glad it worked out this way." The voice seemed to murmur something, as if talking to someone else before hurriedly speaking to her again. "I'm As-...." he caught himself, feigning a cough. ".... A simple flower. Call me Flowey."

"How come we're just now really talking, Flowey?" Frisk asked genuinely. She'd only seen the flower once since the Ruins, but now, this somehow felt.... different. "A few reasons, honestly." He said plainly. "I wanted to see how things would pan out between you and Sans, but after I saw that look in his eye... when you tried to give him your Soul, which is that little heart right there, it felt like the hands on a clock had just spun backward." Confusedly, Frisk furrowed a brow, to which he murmured something unintelligible under his breath once more and came back just as cheerful as ever. "So everyone's been talking about this 'mystery woman' that Papyrus has gone on and on about. Seems Sans is anxiously awaiting an answer to an invitation." Flowey then winked. "Just by the way you're smiling, I don't think Sans has anything to be worrying over." She couldn't hide it, and be damned with her pride. Of course she was going to say yes. Then again, her expression fell as she looked down at what she was wearing. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've got you covered." Flowey winked again. "Are you ready?"

Frisk thought this over. "But, what did you mean about a... clock spinning backwards?"

Flowey's expression also seemed to dim as he looked down. "Sorry. Just remembering better times, I guess." Quickly, he recovered and was smiling as brightly as before. "But honestly, it's nothing you need to worry about."

"Flowey?" Frisk asked, almost cautiously. "Yes?"

She began doodling imaginary images in the rock below where she sat at just the thought of the person... or thing... she was going to ask about. "Do you know... someone named.... Chara?" Flowey sat silent. In fact, the room seemed to wither a little, strangely. "Yeah... I know Chara. Or rather, I knew her."

He, once again, mumbled something unintelligible as if talking lowly to someone, then looked back to Frisk with such sadness in his little face, it nearly broke her heart. It also made her look away because she knew if she continued to stare at him, she'd begin crying. "I'm.... sorry. I don't wanna upset you. It's just... she haunts me. Tries to get me to do things that I don't wanna do, y'know?" When she looked back, she noticed Flowey nodding. "I know.... She's done that with every other human who's come down here before you too... Only, they'd always chosen to murder rather than spare Sans... and everyone else, for that matter.... They gave into what she'd said so easily... but you're different. You have enough Determination to keep from hurting people. It's also not within your soul."

"Yeah... which feels empty whenever I'm not around him." Flowey snickered at this, a look in his eyes as though he knew a lot more than he was letting on. "Well then, if that's the case, don't you have a Skeleton waiting for you?"

Frisk nodded, but still didn't feel satisfied with all the answers Flowey was giving. It was as though he were only giving partial truths, dancing around the edges while avoiding all the important parts. The thought of the masquerade and Sans awaiting her however... it made her forget any other questions. Instead, she grinned at Flowey. "So, how exactly am I not supposed to worry about going to a masquerade looking like this?"

Flowey gave a knowing smile. One that appeared far older than his years.

"You can stand up now." Staring at him warily, Frisk did so and watched, intrigued yet horrified as vines began to spiral around her frame. They started like coiling snakes, whirling around and encompassing her in grey rivulets. Frozen in place, both by fear and curiosity, she waited until her muffled cries came through the vines that moved up over her face. Then her eyes and finally, her hair. When they seemingly finished, Frisk's cries quieted when the vines receded, and she instead gasped. Looking down, her plain black leggings had been replaced by the long, billowing skirts of a dress fit for a princess. It was bright red, just as her sweater, with black lace draped over the waist and wrapping down half way. Above the waist was a sleeveless, form fitting bodice, also red, with red and black fringed flowers crossing diaginal down her chest and wrapping in a chain over her hips. Beautiful, red silk gloves stopped at her elbows. When Flowey said he had her covered, he wasn't kidding. Frisk felt her eyes taking it all in with wonder. Her fingers shakily moved down to the skirts, running them over it to make sure it wasn't just an illusion. They dragged upward to the mask upon her face, which she pulled off to inspect, and gaped at it's utter beauty. It was a red sort of suede, that shifted to black when she turned it as sued often does, with one beautiful red flower at the right side. Other, smaller red and golden flowers ran down the opposite side, and it carried a large red jewel in the center at the top above the nose. "This is absolutely gorgeous.... I..." There were no words. After putting it back in place, she also felt her hair, which now billowed over her shoulders in loose curls, a bump of bangs atop her head. A tear ran down her cheek and Flowey hurriedly piped up.

"Oh no, don't do that. You'll smear your makeup!"

"How.... is this possible? Am I going to turn into a Pumpkin or something by midnight? Are there any rules to this that I need to follow?" Flowey laughed and shook his head. "Nope! No rules. Just go and enjoy yourself." And with that, the vines parted in one portion of the cavern to reveal a doorway. It was more like a large crack in the wall that the vines had been previously covering. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

The first step she took, Frisk realized she was wearing heels. They were high, that much she could tell, but nothing she couldn't handle. At least now she'd be closer to Sans' height. They were also covered by the dress, which was still far longer than her own height. Frisk then knelt down and gently placed a kiss to one of Flowey's petals. "Thank you... for all of this."

"Gosh... it wasn't nothin'.... " If she didn't know any better, Frisk would have thought that the flower was actually blushing. Her gaze then drifted up from him to the makeshift doorway that had been revealed to her. Stepping toward it, she could see a familiar glow that grew brighter when she ducked through. Shortly after, Frisk realized she was now standing right next to the Save Star she'd left off at previously within what Sans called Waterfall. When she turned back to the crack in the wall, she found it once again covered by vines.

"Right. I have a Skeleton waiting for me." she said with a smile as her Soul seemed to leap and her heart slammed within her ribcage like a trapped bird at the thought. With an exhalation, Frisk turned on her heels and her breath hitched. There, not too far in the distance, stood a figure. Tall, lean. Appearing to be in a black suit, an orange shirt beneath the jacket. He was wearing a Fedora of sorts, tipped down over once side of his forehead, black with an orange stripe running just above the brim of the hat. When she came closer, her eyes brightened and her smile widened.

"....Sans."

((Alright, guys. Part 2 will be on it's way shortly! Stay tuned! Also, thank you for being so patient with me. <3 I love you guys.))