As I walked home with my hood covering my face, I was fuming in a pool of embarrassment and failure. Geeby trotted next to me happily and Sans was on my other side, Jinkie flanking him. He looked at me and chuckled. "Ya embarrassed?" He teased.

I groaned in response and tightened the strings on my hood. "Can I disappear again please? Or die and resurrect as someone new?"

"Sorry Cherry, but life's not fair."

I faked amusement. "Yeah, life's a fat old bitch that takes a liking to fucking with me."

He jabbed me in the side. "Hey, you're not the only one. Frisk and I can remember all the resets. We're almost as fucked up as you."

I rolled my eyes and put a hand on Geeby's head. As I pet him quietly, I felt Sans grab my arm. "How about we go to Grillby's? He'll be excited to see ya."

I laughed. "He was kinda my first friend here. Yeah, Grillby's sounds good."

Geeby and Jinkies disappeared and I teleported to the bar/grill. My seat, as always, was unoccupied. I sat happily and waited for Sans to catch up. He appeared seconds later in his chair, and Grillby looked over at the two of us.

"Cherry! It's great to see you again!" He moved around the bar and hugged me.

"Hey Grillby! Sorry it's been so long, if you were watching... Mettaton's show.... Uh, yeah."

He waved it off and released me. "What'll it be?" He asked.

"I'll take a plate of fries and some of your time please." I said jokingly.

He laughed. "Coming right up. And you Sans?"

"Just the ketchup Grillbz."

Grillby walked back into the kitchen and I grinned. "I always forget how awesome Grillby is until I see him again."

"Yeah. But he's not exactly the coolest."

I face palmed rolled my eyes. "Why doh?"

"Because you put it out there."

"Sans you're a loser."

He snickered and turned towards the jukebox. "Wanna play some tunes?" He asked.

"I don't have any gold."

"I can handle it."

"Shouldn't you be using your money to pay off your tab or something?"

He shrugged. "I'll get to it."

I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone outta my pocket. "I've got a playlist on my phone. Pick a song."

I shoved the phone towards him and he scrolled through the list. "You really aren't picky about your type huh?"

I shrugged. "Never have been. If it sounds good, who gives a damn about the genre."

He tapped on the screen and the song booted up. I recognized the tune of the song. "Really Sans, a song about falling?"

Sans shrugged. "It seemed fitting."

A clink alerted me of the newly appeared plate of fries. Grillby handed Sans a bottle of ketchup and turned back to me. "Now for the time you requested..."

I giggled. "You don't have to talk to me if ya don't want to."

"What're ya talkin about? I missed ya, Fireball."

I laughed. "Fireball? Is that a pun or something?"

He shrugged. "You're hair makes you look like a fire elemental in the right lighting."

I shook off the laughter and looked at Grillby. "Does that make me an honorary Grillby?"

He didn't respond immediately. He then chuckled and ruffled my hair. "Guess so."

"I'm not surprised Cherry. You are pretty hot." Sans chimed.

"Did you learn that from flirting lessons with Frisk?"

His face fell. "How did you know?"

I keeled over laughing. "That's actually a thing?! You actually take flirting lessons!"

My lungs were dry of air but I still laughed, even falling out of my chair. Grillby snickered as he watched my laughing fit. Sans cheekbones were painted blue as he suddenly became interested in label of his ketchup bottle. As he was distracted, I moved my phone up and opened my Undernet. Ignoring the notifications, I snapped a picture of him and wrote a caption, my laughs dying down.

Sans looked back at me. "Are you done pickin on me?" He asked with a sarcastic tone.

I nodded. "Yep, but the Undernet sure is gonna be curious about what turned you blue."

I pressed post and showed Sans the picture of him looking intensely at his bottle of ketchup. It was captioned: I embarrassed Sans! Now he's seemed to have developed an interest in the nutritional facts of ketchup.

Sans swept a hand at my phone but I held it away. He tried to reach across me but I stood up on my seat and dangled it in the air. The combination of the chair and my natural tallness over him put it a good foot above his reach.

"Cherry! Get down from there." Grillby nagged. "You're gonna fall."

"I'm fine." I said lazily, shaking the phone above Sans. The picture was still displayed and I looked at the comments.

"Wow, they're really curious about what I did. Should I tell em?"

"Cherry I'm gonna make you pay!"

"Not your tab. That's your own problem." I felt arms clasp around my legs and Grillby lifted me off the chair.

"Cherry, this is a professional establishment. And you're wearing a skirt."

I groaned. "Geez dad. I'm wearing shorts under this. It's not even an actual skirt, it's the bottom half of a sweatshirt."

Grillby raised a brow and flopped me into my seat the correct way. Sans snatched my phone and held it away from me. "This is mine now." He mocked me, shaking the phone.

He closed the app and started looking further than my music or social media. He was in my Wattpad history, my web history, my pictures, I panicked.

"Hey!"

My cheeks reddened as he looked at my latest search history. He laughed so hard he was banging his fist on the bar. "You searched yourself? No, even better, Fanart of yourself?"

My blush deepened and I spat out an explanation. "Well I was here one time and this monster kid asked for my autograph and after that I was curious about if I was really that big a deal."

"But why Fanart?"

"Because Fanart is way more interesting than a gossip site." I huffed, shrinking into my chair.

Sans looked through the history, laughing and laughing over and over again. "You're an ass, Sans. A fat, giant ass." I mumbled, tightening the strings over my face so my nose was the only thing poking out.

My forehead rest on the cool surface of the bar and I tried to push away the pink on my cheeks. Minutes later I heard a thunk in front of my head and I found a skeletal hand poking my side. "Okay, I'm done." Sans said, shaking off the last of his laughter.

"I hate you Sans." I said shortly, not revealing my face.

His bony fingers reached under my hood and pulled the fabric away from my face. "You love me." He snickered.

I scoffed. "According to Mettaton I do. I love the guy but GEEZ!! Personal business here!"

"I know. He breaks into my house every other week to do some shitty spy segment for his show called Infiltrating the Skelebros."

"That's sounds like a ton of fun, sneaking around your house and all. Learning your secret nooks and crannies."

"A skele-ton?"

My face fell and I looked Sans in the eye. "Why?"

"Oh come on! I'm just trying tibia comic here! Comic Sans."

I groaned and covered my ears. "The puns are too bad!"

"Oh come on now, I think they're quite humerus."

I stood from my chair and shoved a fistful of fries in my mouth. "Grillby, I need to go before you have a murder in here."

Grillby snickered and pushed me out the door. "I'd prefer my restaurant blood free."

I grinned as Sans scrambled after me. "Catch me if ya can!" I teased and teleported.

I was laughing so hard when I landed I didn't notice I had misfired. My eyes opened up to see the ghastly misshapen face of W.D. Gaster. "G-Gaster?" I stuttered, falling back a step. "W-What am I doing here?"

Gaster approached me slowly, trying (and failing) not to scare me. "It is okay Cherry. I am not here to harm you."

I looked around him and saw only the black looming void like my first visit. "Did you pull me back here? What do you want from me?"

"Cherry, please listen. I have to speak with you about your passenger."

I fell silent, realizing what he was talking about. "What about Chara?" I asked shakily.

If he could frown, I think he would be. "Chara is becoming more powerful, faster than I had calculated. I'm afraid you don't have much longer."

My heart broke as I asked my next question. "C-Chara's coming back? T-They're gonna take my b-body?"

Gaster nodded solemnly and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I thought it'd be best to tell you now before you had lapses."

"Lapses?! Chara's gonna get my body even before she can ACTUALLY get my body?"

I fell to my knees and cradled my head. "No... I just became happy... I-I just got my life back to something stable. Why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" I screamed.

"Cherry, I believe that Chara attached to you when you claimed their knife as your own. You've had small lapses as well, just minor ones. I have not found a way to help you rid of Chara, except for one way."

I looked at Gaster hopefully. "What?! How can I get rid of Chara?"

He shook his head and turned. "The only option so far is to destroy both object and vessel. To destroy Chara, you must eliminate the holds they have on this world."

The momentary hope I held vanished as I considered the two items. "The object, the knife.... The vessel...," I looked up with tearful eyes. "Me?"

Gaster shook his head and crouched down to my height. "I am sorry I can not offer you another solution right now. But please, remain strong as I look for one."

I looked at Gaster with curiosity. "Why are you helping me? I though I was just one of your experiments."

Gaster laughed with no noise. "You were just an opportunity to me at first. But as you have developed in the Underground, I find you to be more than that, especially to my sons and their friends."

"You're Sans' and Papyrus' father?" I asked.

He nodded again and offered me a hand. I took it and stood shakily. "Yes they are. Papyrus won't remember me but I know Sans does. But that is a story for another time, for now I must request something of you."

"A request of me? What can I do?" I asked scornfully.

"Remain strong, please. I am working as hard as I can to salvage your mind from the demon child."

I looked at Gaster and plastered a fake smile on my face. "I'll try Gaster. I promise."

A door appeared behind me and I turned the knob. As I left, a few more words slipped from my lips. "I'll do whatever it takes to save my friends."
_________________________________________________________________________________
I fell through the door and wobbled on my feet. It felt like I was walking on peg legs. My vision was blurred as I looked around. A collection of smudges made my head hurt. Pain laced my head as I screamed and crumbled to the floor. All the noise around me seemed to echo as they approached. I felt my body lose gravity as two arms secured under me, making my head throb worse.

Words echoed above me, almost not audible. The lights intensified and I winced away. "~lights~" I said quietly, trying and failing to use my limp arms to cover my eyes.

They almost instantly flickered off and the pain waned slightly. I tried to open my eyes only to see more smudges. A sweet but cold voice boomed in my head.

That stupid Gaster! I was so close to a clean takeover. Now I have to wait for you let your guard down.

It felt like knifes were stabbing in my head through my eyes. "~chAra..... ~BastaRd..." I hissed, instantly wincing.

I opened my eyes again, not realizing they had closed. My senses started to return and the smudges became shapes, then people. My head throbbed, but to more of an intense brain freeze. Wet stained my cheeks and my throat felt raw. I blinked away tears and looked at the person in front of me.

Sans was sitting over me with tearful eyes. "Cherry? Can you hear me now? Are you okay?" He asked with more worry than I had ever received in my life.

"I'm okay...- just side effects... Chara..."

Sans held me tighter. "What did Chara do?!"

I shook my head, immediately doubting it. "No- Chara was after. I was leaving the void... talking to Gaster." I croaked.

I felt Sans' fingers dig into my skin as he growled. "Gaster hurt you?"

"Gaster warned me." I corrected as black crept into my vision. "I'm tired." I whined, burying my face into Sans' jacket.

I felt gravity tug at me again and my body met with a neat and well made mattress. Warmth blanketed me and I could hear Sans talking to me distantly.

"D.......ry........... hel......... ou."