((Update: I know I put out 3 chapters in the last week and a half, but this chapter took a lot of thought on how I wanted to go about everything. There are a lot of plot points coming up, and I needed all you guys to be prepared for what's coming. <3

I love you all for your patience with me. Thank you for that as well. You're all the best.

Theme for this week, which is SUPER fitting for Sans so I hope you'll give it a listen.

Artist: Starset

Song: It Has Begun

Link:

And as always, please. I truly hope you enjoy. Love you guys! <3 And HOLY SHIT! Almost 6,000 words..... Yeah, this is gonna be a long chapter. Lol!))

He wouldn't admit it to himself, but Sans had been counting down the hours until Frisk showed up. When he'd walked in the door from patrolling, there was a note on the counter from Papyrus. "YO, SANS. GRAB MY MAIL IF YOU GET BACK TO THE CRIB BEFORE I DO PLEASE. I'M WAITING ON SOMETHING IMPORTANT." Sans, shaking his head with a smirk, set the note down and walked back out to the mailboxes. His, of course, was stuffed full with nothing but junk mail.... or so he assumed. It always seemed to be that way whenever he did actually bring everything in and go through it all, so he recently just figured why bother? Papyrus, with all his OCD's, couldn't leave his mailbox alone. He was always checking to see if something.... anything, had come for him. Opening up the flap, he pulled out a small envelope with both Papyrus' name.... and his? Confused, he turned it over as he walked back into the house and used a knife from the kitchen drawer to slice the top open. Pulling out two red rectangular pieces of paper, he flipped them over and studied them. Then looked back inside to see a small letter addressed to them both as well.

"Sans and Papyrus,

There are two tickets enclosed for you to attend the Masquerade Ball Asgore and I are hosting Tomorrow. I know we told you about it before, but this is simply a reminder. As you know, we do something every year to honor our Son's memory on his birthday, and being that this would have been his twentieth, we thought we would do something special. With that said, feel free to see Faize, the Royal dressmaker for yourselves if you are in need of clothes. I'm sure he can find something perfect for the both of you. This is to be a grand affair, formal attire, so look your best. We were unsure if either of you would have a plus one, so we included that on the tickets just in case. Both Asgore and I do hope to see you there. It would mean a great deal to us. Don't forget your masks!

All our love,

Toriel"

Sans read it, then looked back to the tickets; deep in thought. If he were to ask Frisk... would she? "Nah... she wouldn't wanna go with a total asshat like me." He said aloud. "WHAT'S THAT, BRO? YOU SAY SOMETHIN'?" Sans nearly dropped the tickets, so engrossed in his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard Papyrus come in the door. "Just talkin' to myself, Pap. It's nothin'." Lies, but whatever.

"DID MY LETTER COME IN THE MAIL?"

Looking down at the the envelope and tickets, he handed them both over to his brother. "If this is what you're talkin' about, then yeah. It's here." Papyrus studied the look on Sans' face. "YOU'RE GONNA INVITE FRISK, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU CAN'T GO TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITHOUT YOUR BAE." Sans snorted, holding the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger trying not to laugh. "Really, Pap. You watch too much TV or somethin'. I have no idea where you come up with half of these words. And naw.... I don't think she'd wanna go with me. I've been nothin' but an asshole to her since she first showed up here. Maybe you should ask her."

Papyrus broke into guffaws. "ME? ARE YOU OFF YOUR SQUARE, SANS? HAVEN'T YOU SEEN THE WAY SHE LOOKS AT YOU? CUZ I HAVE. AND I SEE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT HER TOO. THERE AIN'T NO WAY IN HELL SHE'D SAY NO." Before he could catch himself, Sans' eyes lit up, one glowing slightly orange. "What do you mean? How does she look at me?" Utterly intrigued, but then feeling entirely stupid, he first blanched, then turned a soft shade of orange. "I mean... y'know, not that I really care or whatever. I'm just curious." It was Papyrus' turn to snort. "REALLY, SANS. I'M YOUR BROTHER, AND I AIN'T STUPID OR BLIND. DON'T TRY AND PLAY DUMBASS WITH ME. JUST ASK HER, BRO. SHE'LL SAY YES. TRUST ME. WHEN HAVE I EVER STEERED YOU WRONG?"

If he could, Sans would have perked a brow. "In the last week?" he said in a sarcastically incredulous tone. "REALLY, SANS? SHUT UP! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT I MEAN." Rubbing the back of his skull gently in a nervous gesture, he nodded. "Fine. I'll ask her. But if she says no, I'm gonna whoop your ass for makin' me look stupid." Papyrus sniffed, raising his chin indignantly. "THE GRIZZLE PAPIZZLE DON'T TAKE THREATS FROM NOBODY! I'M ON MY WAY TO BEING A FULL FLEDGED ASSASSIN! I'LL BLEND IN WITH THE SHADOWS SO WELL, YOU WON'T EVEN SEE ME COMIN'!"

"Right. And Undyne agrees with this?"

"SHE... SHE'S ASTOUNDED BY MY MAD SKILLS! FUCK OFF, SANS!" Flustered, Papyrus took his ticket, placed Sans' on the table and stormed toward the front door. "I'LL BE CHILLIN' OVER AT UNDYNE'S FOR A WHILE. I'VE GOTTA ASK HER SOMETHIN' IMPORTANT, SO GO FIND FRISK AND STOP BEING SUCH A PANSY, SANS. MAN UP!"

As if slapped in the face, Sans simply stood there; stunned. He didn't know whether to chase after him and argue his feigned innocence, or do just as Papyrus said. Man the fuck up. Taking a deep breath and looking back down at the largely printed "+1" on the ticket, he nodded as a silent pact with himself. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen? Even if she said no, it wouldn't be the end of the world right? With that, he placed the piece of paper in his pocket and went back out the door. It was somewhat near the time Frisk would be showing up, and he didn't want to miss her. Maybe this time, he'd be able to give her the kind of greeting she deserved. The entire walk to the Save Star, he kept trying to come up with witty and/or charming things to say when she first arrived that would make her smile. After the shitty way he'd treated her, it was the least he could do, right?

Roughly an hour had passed and... nothing. Growing impatient, he kept checking his phone to look at the time. Maybe today, she'd show up late? He hated the idea, because that would likely mean he wouldn't have near as much time with her. The thing was, as much as Sans tried to convince himself that the whole reason behind it all was to ensure the safety of everyone else, that was only a small portion of it. The rest was all him. His insecurities in the fact that he wanted to get closer to her, but feared not only whatever that creature was within her, but most of all.... he feared being left with nothing in the end. That kind of a loss would kill him from the inside out.

In the distance, Sans could hear running footsteps, crunching in the snow as they drew near. Then, very faintly, it almost sounded like Papyrus calling his name.... When he turned, his suspicions were confirmed and it made him fear something terrible had happened. With that, he began running toward his brother. "What's wrong, Pap? Somethin' happen?"

"SANS! HOLY SHIZ, BRO! I'M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU! MY CELL DIED, BUT YOU GOTTA GO! FRISK... WELL... I THINK IT'S FRISK. I MEAN... IT LOOKS LIKE HER, BUT HER CLOTHES ARE DIFFERENT.... SHE SHOWED UP IN WATERFALL, AND UNDYNE IS ON HER WAY TO INVESTIGATE! SOMETHIN' BAD IS GONNA HAPPEN IF SHE FINDS HER, SANS! YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING! IF SHE'S REALLY A HUMAN LIKE YOU SAID, UNDYNE WILL PUT HER SIX FEET UNDER!"

Sans, completely bewildered by his brother's statement, began running, and just as Papyrus wasn't looking, took one of his 'short cuts'. He teleported to Waterfall just in time to find Frisk.... or what should have been Frisk....

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Exhausted, Frisk sighed as she stepped into her room. Customers had her running in circles the entire day, back and forth from one end of the store to the other and she practically collapsed into bed without even so much as removing her shoes. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out like a....

.....light, showing through a small window in the distance in an otherwise blackened void. Taking a few steps toward it, Frisk could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise as fear etched itself into her skin. For some reason, she was utterly and wholly petrified at what she could possibly see when looking out that window. The moment her eyes focused on it and she was able to see clearly, what lay on the other side of that pane of glass made her body go rigid. She gripped the frame with one hand, the other balling into a fist and smashing against the glass over and over as tears rippled from her eyes in waves.

Snowdin lay just on the other side, and she, or rather the creature controlling her body, was making it's way through the town..... and she had a front row viewing. Frisk raised her arm, ramming her elbow into the glass over and over, screaming at the top of her lungs.... but there was no response for a long while. Finally, she came to her knees, pressing her forehead against the cool glass while her tears flooded the ledge.

"Awww. Don't cry, Frisk. It'll all be over soon. And then it'll be just me and you... just like this, as it should be. I tried to tell you that you wouldn't win over me. You're weak.... and that weakness will be your undoing."

"SHUT UP! Why don't you stop being such a coward and tell me who the fuck you are already!" she cried out through angered tears.

"You know who I am, Frisk. You just haven't realized it yet. But if I must tell you, I'm Chara, and for now, that's all you need to know." the voice said, seeming both sincere and sinister.... and quite honestly, Frisk didn't know which was worse. "I have no idea who the fuck you are, Chara...." she practically spat out the voice's name before she finished... "But I swear, if you hurt any of them, I WILL make you regret it. Do you hear me?" Through the last two sentences, Frisk couldn't help but grit her teeth, blinding rage gripping her like a vice. Soon, an image came into view. A woman if she went by shape and figure, seeming to appear out of the shadows. She wore a black cowl, a red ponytail jutting out of the back and bright red bangs shrouding her right eye almost entirely. The visible eye was almost an electric blue, vivid in a way only contacts could color any human eyes. Her clothes were tight fitting, weapons strapped to a sort of weapon-holstering corset. She wielded a sword of some sort... Not that Frisk was an expert on weapons, but if memory of things she'd read in books and saw in movies was anything to go by, it appeared to be some sort of a Katana. "Holy shit... is she a... ninja? Those actually exist?" she murmured to herself... Frisk could feel the sneer on Chara's face as she stared at the stranger, who's visible eye narrowed.

"I don't know how you're here, but we don't take kindly to the presence of Humans. Prepare to die." came the cold, almost calculated voice of the shrouded woman in front of her. Frisk watched with wide eyes, continuing to pound on the window. So far, it hadn't gotten her anywhere, but sheer Determination simply wouldn't allow her to just quit.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." It was Frisk's voice speaking to the shrouded woman in front of her, but just the fact that she herself wasn't speaking those words sent a shiver down her spine. What could she do? Her head pivoted, looking around to see if there was anything else in this void that could help.... but it was as though she'd been swallowed by nothingness.

Then, as if out of nowhere, a form made entirely of static appeared from the corner of her eye and she jerked around to see Chara standing feet from where she was. "Why are you doing this?!" Frisk pleaded. Chara grinned. "Isn't it obvious? Revenge." came her voice in a tone of absolute, frightening certainty. "I won't let you. I don't know what happened to you, but I can't.... no. I won't allow you to hurt my friends, or anyone else for that matter."

"So they're your friends now? And you somehow think you're actually going to stop me? You've always been too weak for your own good, Frisk." Standing in sheer confusion, Frisk managed.... "Always? What the hell does that mean? How long have you been watching me?"

"Exactly what I just said. Always. And I've watched you long enough to know that you won't do what needs to be done. But together, with my power and your Determination, we'll end this world and everyone in it once and for all."

When Frisk looked down, she saw a knife in her hand, mirrored by the one within Chara's. "So what's it gonna be, Frisk. Are you going to fight me? Or will you finally drop the facade and do what you should have done all along for a change?!"

"What the hell aren't you telling me, Chara?" she said, still staring down at the knife in her hand. "Nothing you don't already know deep down. You know you need to fight, and soon you won't have a choice. These monsters aren't your friends. All you have is me, and soon, once you've seen their true nature, you'll be begging for my help."

No. She didn't want this creature's help. "They're not the monsters here, Chara. You are. And I'm going to end you. Right here. Right now." Chara rose a brow, the corner of her mouth curving into a type of grin one would expect to see on a madman. "Are you now? And just what do you plan on doing to me, Frisk? Kill me?" she laughed in a loud cackle. "You don't have it in you to hurt me. As I said, you're weak, Frisk. WEAK! But.... if you think you really can, c'mon then. Let's see what you've got!"

Chara stood motionless as if waiting for Frisk to make the first move. "Well? Since you're so tough, make a move! I'm waiting." With all she had, Frisk lunged toward Chara, swiping and missing as Chara's form dispersed into static with Frisk running right through her. "Not so easy now, is it? You're in my world now, pet. Mine. And I'm not as easy to get rid of as you'd like to think."

"I don't care! Even though it was a nightmare, I watched what you did to Papyrus in MY body, and I refuse to let it happen in reality. I can't.... I WON'T let you hurt them. They don't deserve it!" Frisk said with every ounce of conviction she could muster. "And why exactly is that? When you first met Sans, he killed you over and over while you did nothing! He could have stopped so much sooner, but he simply continued to take you down despite you trying to show him mercy. What do you think that says about him? That he doesn't give a damn about you! Do you really believe that if he thought killing you again would ensure that you'd never come back, he wouldn't do it? C'mon, Frisk. You can't be that naive."

Shaking her head, she charged once again at Chara. "No! Things are different now. They're getting better. He cares about what happens to me now! That's why he hasn't killed me since that last time. He realizes now that I don't want to hurt him, and it's just.... it's different, dammit!" Frisk's voice trembled ever so slightly, which Chara was picking up on. "Really, now.... Haven't you ever heard the term 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?' All he's doing is biding his time just waiting for you to screw up. Then he'll take you out again, just like he did before. He doesn't give a damn about you, and the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better."

"BULLSHIT!" Frisk cried, charging and swinging once more at Chara, who did the same thing as the first time. "You're on my turf now, Frisk. Go ahead and try playing the hero, but you can't hurt me... no matter how hard you try. So go ahead. Wear yourself down. It'll only make this whole thing that much easier on me."

So consumed in what was happening between she and Chara, Frisk hadn't even noticed what was going on through the window until a 'CLANG' jolted her and brought her attention back to what was happening outside her body. The only thing she could see now was orange, and then came a familiar voice. "Let it go, Undyne. She's with me."

"Sans?!" Frisk cried out, tears once again welling in her eyes. "SANS PLEASE! HELP ME!!" She pounded on the glass once again, over and over, pummeling until her hands throbbed.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Frisk. Their doom is inevitable. What's happening out there isn't your concern."

"LIKE HELL IT ISN'T! You're trying to murder them, and all this?! You've just been distracting me!"

"So?" Chara said with a shrug. "It worked, didn't it?"

Frisk practically growled. "Not. Anymore."

"What the hell do you mean she's with you?! Sans, are you insane? We need her soul! Now get the hell out of my way. I don't wanna fight you, but I will if I have to." came the angered voice of the one called Undyne. When Frisk was able to catch a glimpse of her, she could see that it almost appeared as if the woman had been struck and was holding fast to her arm.

"What the fuck did you do to her?!" Frisk demanded, feeling something else besides anger brewing within her....

.....And all at once, Frisk could see Chara raise her arm outside the window, knife in hand toward Sans' backside. Frisk screamed at the top of her lungs. "NO!!!!!" It was so loud and filled with every bit of heart and Determination she had within her. Seeing that knife about to plunge into Sans, something else awoke. Deep within her, the fight... the drive... it pressed for release. "SON OF A BITCH, NO!!!" And with that, she turned back to Chara. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HURT THEM! I. WON'T. LET. YOU!!!!"

Once more, Frisk charged at Chara and this time when Chara tried to fade into nothing but static and noise, she remained solid. "What the hell?! No... This can't...." and Frisk's knife slashed at her chest. Chara took a few steps back and fell to her knees, peering up with rounded eyes filled with shock and confusion. "No! There's no way... I don't understand!"

Given the momentary reprieve, Frisk balled her fist and swung at Chara, knuckles cracking against her cheekbone and knocking her flat on her ass. "You wanna hurt me, Chara.... fine. But like I said. You will NOT hurt them. Especially not Sans."

With Chara down, at least for now, Frisk took that moment and with all the strength in her, she took that same balled fist and smashed it through the window. Each shard seemed to fly and fall in slow motion, making tinkling noises as each piece hit the ground.

"No! You bitch! You're NOT taking this from me!" came Chara's enraged response, but Frisk continued to rail against her, looking up into the now open window. "Sans!! Help me!"...

"You won't win, Frisk. You're too weak. Do you hear me?! WEAK!"

Grabbing the ledge, without a second look back at Chara, Frisk climbed carefully through the frame and into the awaiting light on the other side.... "Like.... hell... am I... weak..." she managed before.....

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Sans saw what was happening. Watched as the thing controlling Frisk slashed down on the unsuspecting Undyne just after the woman had already struck at Frisk. He knew then that Undyne would be relentless, so with that, he drew from his magic and sent several bones hurling their way to block the blow from the Katana coming straight down toward the creature inhabiting Frisk's body. He had to bring her back from this. For all he knew, it was just another nightmare, but no matter. Nightmare or not, he had to try.

Caught off guard, Undyne's sword smashed into the bones and caused the assassin to take a step back and steady herself. "She's with me, Undyne. I'll handle this."

While he was busy facing Undyne, fully ready to defend Frisk from technically being murdered once more, Sans hadn't noticed his brother running up to try and break up the situation.

"UNDYNE! PEEP THIS! I'VE GOT SOMETHIN' I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT AND IT'S MADSTYLE IMPORTANT! THIS CAN WAIT. SANS CAN HANDLE THE HUMAN. C'MON, LET'S GO BACK TO YOUR CRIB SO I CAN GIVE YOU THE LOWDOWN.

"Lowdown? That Human already struck me once, Papyrus! We need to end her life! NOW!"

"UNDYNE, YOU DON'T GET IT. NOT YET, ANYWAYS. C'MON. TRUST ME. PLEASE, JUST THIS ONCE AND COME WITH ME. LET SANS DEAL WITH HER. HE'S GOT THIS!"

Sans stood poised, blasters up and at the ready. He didn't want to fight Undyne, but would if it came down to it. She looked between he and his brother, anger fueling the expression in her visible eye before it softened at the pleading glance Papyrus was laying upon her. Thankfully, she relented, causing Sans to heave a sigh of relief.

Faintly, he could have sworn he heard Frisk murmur his name, entirely unaware of the knife that almost nearly plunged itself into his backside while trying to keep Frisk safe from her own demise. He didn't know how she'd gotten to this point. To Waterfall.... but that much could wait. He just knew that he needed to stop this madness, and stop it now. This form holding Frisk had already managed to get one hit in on Undyne, and if he knew the woman, that wouldn't blow over so easily. Seeming to look through him, Undyne's eyes rounded which caused Sans to turn around and watch as Frisk's body crumpled to the ground, still murmuring what he was now sure was his name. When he knelt down to her, Sans found himself jerking back when her body seemed to glitch, fading in and out into static before the gray in the sweater somehow became the red he'd been hoping for in the first place. He shook her. "Frisk... Talk to me...."

Unbeknownst to him, Undyne watched with a confused and angered leer. "This isn't over, Sans. Not by a long shot." but by the time he turned his head to her, both Undyne and Papyrus were already gone. She was so quick sometimes, it made him wonder if she too had teleporting abilities. Whirling back to the woman who now lay crumpled before him, he shook her gently. "C'mon, Dollface. Say somethin'."

"I love it when you call me that..." Frisk said hoarsely. Sans sat tongue tied at that, unsure of what to say but having that same soft orange hue tint his cheeks once more. "What the hell happened? You were supposed to pop up over in Snowdin? How the fuck did you end up in Waterfall?"

"It was Chara.... somehow, she took over my body and..." Frisk sat up, tears blinding her vision. "What is happening to me, Sans? I feel like I'm coming unraveled at the seams..." he could hear the aching in her throat just by the way she spoke. "Who the hell is Chara?" There was a silence... Maybe that was a subject better left for another time.. "Either way, I dunno.... but we'll figure it out. It's fine now. You're back to... well... you and...." Sans took one more glance around for Undyne, sure she'd be letting Alphys and possibly Toriel in on what had just happened. He lowered his head. They weren't supposed to know about this until he told them himself. How could he ask her to this thing at the castle? Taking one of the tickets out while Frisk seemed to be wiping at her eyes, he noticed the word 'Masquerade' and a soft smile settled on his expression. They'd all be wearing masks, so hiding both her identity and what she was should hopefully remain hidden as well. Albeit, he was nervous, but he'd told himself he was going to do it. Maybe there, he could pull Toriel aside and explain? Hopefully going about it that way, Toriel could make Asgore see that this soul was better left intact....

When he glanced back at Frisk, who was obviously shaken, he knew in his soul that he had to protect her. She wasn't like all the others that had come before her. Even with his doubts, and there were many, that much was an absolute certainty. "C'mon. Lemme help you up and we can get you back to my place." Pulling Frisk to her feet, she said something that he didn't quite catch. "Huh? You say somethin'?"

"Chara is the thing that killed Papyrus in your.... our nightmare. Just like then, I was literally watching it all happen, but for the longest time, there was nothing I could do! And then.... you were there, and she.... the knife... Sans, I..." He could see the visible anguish riddled on her face and it tore him apart. This was exactly what he meant when he'd said she was different. She felt remorse for a simple nightmare. Something that hadn't even happened. And being the judge of character that we was, it was hard not to believe what she was saying... and obviously feeling. He wanted to help... to do something, but he felt so utterly useless. "Shh..." he began, trying to placate, but she shook her head violently. "No, Sans. When I saw what she was going to do with you, I fought back. Something snapped inside of me and I just... lost it! I think I was the reason it didn't happen. I was so Determined to make sure she didn't hurt you.... and it just fueled me I guess. I can't.... no. I won't let her win." Sans wasn't exactly sure what she was referring to that she didn't want to happen, but with a kife, he figured he could make a pretty educated guess.

Taken aback as Frisk flung her arms around him, though he started off stiff, it didn't take long at all before he was holding her in his arms and allowing her to sob almost uncontrollably into the crook of his neck. "It's gonna be alright, Frisk. We'll figure it out. I promise."

......'somehow' he thought inwardly, but kept that much to himswlf.

Sans hated making promises, and he'd initially had no intention on even making that one. It just kind of.... slipped out, and now he began to feel a weight on his shoulders. It didn't matter, however. Something tugged at his soul whenever he watched her cry. Holding her in his arms like this just felt so.... right? As though it was supposed to be this way, despite barely even knowing this woman....

.....Now he was torn. "This... Chara. Has she told you why she's doing all of this?"

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Frisk was a mix of emotions, all swirling around her like an internal tornado. Above everything else though, she felt proud that she'd overcome whatever control Chara'd had on her to save the one she cared for.... And as much as she wanted to deny it, she really did care for him. The newly strange thing however.... was that he'd actually started to seemingly care for her as well.

"Can we just stay here?" Frisk took a look around at their surroundings. "This place is so.... calming for some reason." Sans shrugged. "Just so long as Undyne doesn't come back, but I somehow doubt Pap will let her. So yeah.... That should be fine. So, tell me about this Chara."

Frisk sat a moment with a rather puzzled expression. "I don't really know who... or what she is. All I know is that she seems to want to take over my body. But I fought back, Sans. I won't let her. When I saw you.... I knew I couldn't let her."

Slowly, he turned his head to look at her, but she wasn't sure she could read his expression. "When you saw... me? But, what about me made you stop?" Now it was Frisk's turn to blush. She wasn't going to simply blurt out all the feelings she'd been holding onto, however. Especially since not only was she unsure of how he'd react, but also because she couldn't really understand them herself. "I just... I don't want her to hurt you. You don't deserve any more pain, Sans. It's not hard to figure out that you've dealt with a lot in your life.... I'd hate to think that I... or anything having to do with me would inflict any more."

Sans sat silently for what seemed like ever in her mind. She couldn't take the silence anymore, so she broke it instead of waiting. "You... kind of saved me too in a way. Why?" He was still silent for a few moments more. "I guess for the same reason. You had so many opportunities to hurt me, and even Pap, but you didn't. I'm starting to think that maybe you might be the exception to my beliefs that all Humans are evil pieces of shit."

As they now sat on the bank of the river, Frisk finally took in all their surroundings. "So you said this place is called Waterfall?" Sans nodded. "Yeah. I guess you could say for obvious reasons." They both smiled. "It's beautiful here. The colors aren't like anything I've ever seen." Sans shrugged. "Eh. It ain't nothin' compared to the surface. The night sky there is a sight unrivaled by almost anything I've ever seen." Almost was right. When he glanced over at the woman sitting next to him, he realized that now, in the light given off by the gems on the ceiling, her eyes twinkled almost brighter than said gems. She was beautiful. He laughed nervously at his own thoughts. How the hell did he get here? Like this? Seeing her this way? His soul glowed brighter than he'd ever seen, and from the appearance of hers, he could tell that hers was doing the same. "Why don't you go check out the flowers over there? I know women like that sort of thing, and these ain't no ordinary flowers." Frisk eyed him suspiciously. "What?! They're flowers. It ain't like they're gonna bite you or anything." He grinned and to this, Frisk only smirked and rose, walking toward the flowers which actually..... talked to her? While she was preoccupied, Sans took out the ticket... His ticket with a pen and scrawled something on the back before stuffing it back into his pocket. He then rose himself and walked to stand next to Frisk.

"These are called Echo flowers. You say something into them, and they repeat the last thing they heard." Frisk, stunned by such a thing, decided to test them out and whispered something into one, leaning her ear close after to hear her own voice repeat it back. "That's incredible! I've never seen anything like it!"

Off in the distance, Sans heard the rustling of leaves and stood in front of Frisk protectively until he spotted Papyrus coming up on them both.

"SANS, I THINK IT'D BE A GOOD IDEA IF FRISK WENT HOME FOR NOW. UNDYNE'S PISSED AS HELL, AND SHE'S ON HER WAY BACK HERE."

A look was exchanged between both Frisk and Sans before she nodded. "It's okay, Sans. I understand. Now that I know how to fight Chara, hopefully tomorrow night will be better and we'll actually have more time to talk." She gave him an apologetic smile. He nodded. "Let me walk you back to the Star."

The whole way back was silent, Sans nervously fidgeting with the ticket in his pocket. He wanted to tell her. To ask her..... but his nerves got the better of him. When they finally stood before the glow of the Save Star, Frisk turned back and to Sans' apparent surprise, she tip toed and kissed his cheek. "Thank you... for saving me. In more ways than one." When she backed off with a smile and went to leave, just as she was about to be engulfed by the light, Sans hurriedly stuffed a piece of paper into her hand. Confused, she looked down and tried to ask what it was, but the last thing she saw was his smile before.....

.....her ceiling once again flooded her vision when her eyes popped open. When she went to sit up, she realized that something was still within her hand. A brow perked as she looked down at it. The front read:

"Masquerade Ball in honor of Prince Asriel.

Sans Skeleton - +1"

Then in handwriting it said: "Turn over"

When she did so, it read: "I'm sorry I couldn't bring myself to ask you in person, Dollface but.... I'd be honored if you'd be my plus one.

-Sans"

The largest smile in the history of smiles..... Well, at least for her anyway, crossed her face and she flopped back into the bed reading it over and over again. "I can't wait." Despite knowing he couldn't hear her, she said it aloud as though he could. Frisk knew there was a reason she'd fought. Chara was wrong. All wrong, and Frisk would be damned if she'd let that bitch ruin this. Now that she knew how to fight back, nothing would stop her from destroying Chara and ensuring that nothing bad happened to any of the monsters.....

.....Especially Sans.