I woke up hours later, panting heavily from my vivid nightmare. My heart pounded against my chest and tears painted my cheeks like waterfalls. Someone had been banging on the wall. "Shut up will ya?! I'm trying to sleep!"

I slowed my breathing, though it was still broken and short. My body succumbed to my logical needs and I reached out to summon Geeby and Jinkies. The two appeared in their smaller, more dogish forms. Each licked my face before resting their head on my lap. Geeby's tail wagged happily while Jinkies' remained with eyes closed, just chilling with me.

I pet their heads and smiled. "Hey guys." I said quietly. "I needed some cuddles."

They looked at each other and stood on the bed, barking at me happily. "Shut your damn dogs up!" The monster yelled again.

I put hands on their muzzles and their barks were reduced to whines. "What is it guys?"

They circled on the floor and looked out the window with big eyes. My eyes followed and I smiled. "You two want to go outside?"

I checked my watch and saw it read 2:34. It was early enough that near no one would be out. "Okay, but you have to be quiet."

Two black leashes attached to their collars and I held on to them tightly. I used teleportation to get us outside, and the dogs barked happily. Immediately they launched into a sprint, dragging me like a rag doll until I couldn't hold on to the dogs anymore.

I watched in horror as they dived in to the doggy door at the back door, leaving me outside the home of the two skelebros. "Guys!" I hissed. "Get back out here now!"

They ignored my commands and sat just inside the door, out of my reach. The two creatures turned tail and leapt up the stairs in twos. Panicked, I teleported in front of them, only to find them entering Sans room. A strangled scream struggled to stay in my throat as I walked into the room quietly and tried to find the mischievous mutts without waking Sans.

It was pitch black in the room and using my magic would in turn wake up Sans. I shuffled forward awkwardly and felt around at knee level. "Geeby! Jinkies! Get back here now!" I hissed quietly.

I nearly yelped when Sans groaned and rolled over in his sleep. I could see his face, shadowed lightly in the fake stars artificial lights. It made his bones look more pale than they really were. The skeleton would have looked peaceful had it not been for his furrowed brow. He jerked oh so often and tossed from side to side. Sweat beaded his skull, and I knew it all to well. Sans was having a nightmare.

I was prepared to ignore it until blue started sparking around me, items floating now or cracking under magic pressure. Panic filled me and I sat on his bed quickly, rubbing up and down down his spine in a comforting motion. He moaned in his sleep and I blushed a deep red. Sans rolled again, this time facing me. His eyes opened until they were half lidded and his grin looked shaky, but genuine.

"Dreams are so cruel..." He muttered.

His arm snaked around me and I felt his blue aura lift me and put me on my side next to him. Sans pulled me against his chest and put his face in my neck, laughing. "Even smells the same..."

His voice sounded tired and I realized he thought he was dreaming. "Geeby! Jinkies! You're both dead!" I hissed quietly.

Sans pulled me close and nuzzled me again, a quiet moan shaking my throat. My hand snapped over my mouth and my eyes widened. A deep chuckle filled the room. "S-o c*yawn* cute..."

Sans' grip was tight enough to keep to keep two Titanic ships bound together even AFTER it sank. He thought he was dreaming, which was good, but he'd have to wake up at some point. I couldn't teleport without taking Sans too, and my phone was too far from reach to grab, so I sighed and instead settled for some blanket. I pulled the blanket over the two of us and I sighed as I settled against San's chest.

{Timeskip brought by Fun nights from Geeby and Jinkies}

Light was starting to tickle my eyelids as I shook my head free of sleep. An elongated and heavy sigh turned into a groan as I tried to go back to sleep. As I stretched, my hand brushed a cool, smooth surface and I yelped, pulling my hand back. In my surprise, I tried to sit up but a surprisingly heavy arm pinned me down.

My cheeks were painted in rose as I looked at the skeleton next to me. I glanced at the two snoozing pooches next to me and groaned. "I hate you two." I complained.

I tried to form a plan in my mind as Sans snoozed with his arm locked around my waist. So far, I'd come up with... Die in the next thirty seconds. I mean, if I'm dead I don't have to deal with Sans and the others, right?

I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I would black out soon. A sharp bite slid across my hand was Geeby trying to stop me. A loud hiss boiled from me and I clasped a hand over my mouth in panic. I've been panicking a lot lately.

Sans shot up from his sleep after hearing my noise, his blue eye blaring as he scanned the room. I squeaked and dove under the blanket to cover my face. A gasp shook the bed as I felt Sans get on top of me, hovering over me on the bed.

His boney hand ripped away the blanket my hands replaced the cover over my face. The rose color on my cheeks turned into a vibrant, tomato red. I would teleport but I'm not trained enough to differentiate my presence from the one hovering inches above me, we'd both be teleporting.

"Cherry?" Sans said shakily.

I sat up quickly, hitting my head against Sans in the process. Sans was still leaning over me, sorta in a predator like way. Our eyes were on the same level now, but I wasn't panicked and slightly afraid. There was no telling where this would go. I snapped my fingers aggressively, summoning the two dogs up on to their feet, but being the useless dogs they are, they sat their wagging their tails.

I growled and looked anywhere but at Sans looming over me. My hand was bleeding slightly from Geeby's bite and I cradled it in my other hand. I tried to speak, still not looking directly at Sans. "Well... uh-"

The breath was knocked out of me as I felt the skeleton ram me against the wall in a tight embrace. I was stunned from the sudden hug and sat there like a rag doll in his arms. The two dogs barked, making Sans panic as he fell out of the hug. His eyes darted towards the demonic looking black dogs and I watched blue envelope their forms. "Sans no!"

I swept my hand, trying to send them to their dimension, but instead ended up changing their form. It took another try to send them away. My face was so red by this point that I rivaled the red-headed Erza's hair from FairyTail.

As soon as they were gone I hid behind my hands again. My eyes were closed tightly and my breath shook. "Cherry," Sans cooed.

His hand slipped around one of my hands and I winced, not because of his touch but because of my injury on that hand. After looking at my bitten hand, he gently removed my other hand and sat in front of me patiently. "Cherry, look at me."

My eyes glazed over him briefly before quickly landing on an interesting pile of clothes.  His two hands clasped on my cheeks and moved my gaze. "Cherry!" He said more forcefully.

My eyes locked with his in an awkward stare. The amount of wishes that I spontaneously die was uncountable. Sans grinned at me and locked me into another hug, more gentle this time. "You're back." He said quietly into my shoulder.

I laughed nervously and looked at the skeleton. "Sans, you misunderstand. Please don't make this hard..."

His head snapped up and looked at me. "Even if it was an accident, I'm not letting you leave. The basket misses you little, black cherry."

I gave an airy chuckle and looked at the ground. "Coming here was an accident. Geeby and Jinkies got into your house and I was trying to get them out before they woke someone. When I was in here, stuff happened..."

Sans looked at me curiously. "A) who's Jinkies? B) what kinda stuff..."

I laughed nervously and put my uninjured hand around the back of my head. "A) Jinkies is one of my Blasters. Geeby gets lonely when I'm in the shower or that kinda stuff. B) stuff stuff"

Sans looked at me with an intense glare. "What Cherry?"

I faked a cough and fanned my face. "Is it hot in here?" I asked, failing to avoid the question.

Sans opened the window with his magic just enough to let cool air sweep the room. "Talk."

I growled as my last excuse was thrown away like a wad of paper. "Well, uh, after I got into your house, Geeby and Jinkies ran to your room. When I got in, it was sorta pitch black so I felt around for the two idiots of dogs and they knocked me over on to the mattress and you were having a nightmare so I soothed you and then you threw your arm around me and I couldn't move because you were surprisingly strong for what one would think of a skeleton and you woke up and thought I was a figment of your imagination and tightened your grip and my dogs didn't help and I fell asleep and now we're here." I said it all in one breath and suddenly felt light-headed.

As I panted to catch my breath, Sans just stared at me. My eyes tore away from him once again in favor of the books littering the ground. I think I'd invented a new red by now. I named it Dead Red. Sans slowly turned his curious expression into a deep laugh. "So it really wasn't a dream, huh, I'm surprised you didn't teleport away." He teased.

I threw my hands on my face and groaned. "I couldn't differentiate my presence from yours. Since you were touching me you would've gone with me anyway."

"So you can try to blow a hole in the roof of the Underground but you can't teleport separately?" He asking, raising his 'brow.'

"How did you know that was me?!" I asked.

"I don't know many people that can use Gaster Blasters to destroy things." He chuckled.

"That was an accident! I was practicing with my magic and when I did a victory dance the Blasters thought I was pointing up because it was a target." I continued in a grumble. "It destroyed my house..."

"No it didn't." Sans said smoothly. "This is your house."

I balled my hands into a fist and winced slightly as nails dug into my one wounded palm. "We both know that isn't how it is." I said in a low tone.

"Oh? And why not?"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Sans. "Sans, we both know who's trying to backseat drive in my head. It happened to Frisk and it could happen to me. And according to some new information, it'll be easier with me since a spirit, or soul, is what I'm missing."

Sans' expression hardened as he gave me a stern look. "We're all aware of who you've got in the back seat Cherry, even Papyrus knows now. But we can help you if you let us."

"And what if it doesn't work in time?! What if we can't find a solution and I lose it? Not only will I have to live with memories of KILLING all the people I care about, but I don't know if I'd be able to reset either. Frisk would be able to, back at the start, but no one would remember. HUMANITY WOULD GO BACK TO HATING MONSTERS!!! And I will have ruined countless lives because I didn't want to be without my friends. Because I believed in something that was beyond impossible."

I stood from the bed and swung the glass door open. "Sans we both kno-"

"Cherry, you're wrong!" Sans snapped, his eye glowing once again from his anger.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the room once again. His eyes matched mine as he said his words with enough sincerity it broke my nonexistent soul into parts.

"Cherry, you don't even comprehend how much you mean to us. When I first heard of you, I wanted to kill you because you broke into my home since Papyrus was shorter than me. But when I met you as a person, not as a thug, I saw how much I was wrong. You were talking to a goddamn flower like you'd been friends for decades! You accepted monsters like you'd always knew you'd be in this situation. That scared the shit outta me." He paused and looked at me intently. "I don't scare easily Cherry."

I opened my mouth to speak but only air came out. "Cherry, we need you here. After showing us the person you were instead of showing us the defect you hated, we all cared about you. When I heard your life story on Mettaton's show that confused us all even more. You've been through so much shit and you laughed about it like an inside joke!

Truth is, I admire that, and so does everyone else. Frisk looks at you like an older sister. Papyrus sees you as a bestfriend. You're Mettaton's only other star; Undyne's only 'tough guy' friend; Alphys' favorite chatting friend, Toriel's oldest child, Underworld's favorite human next to Frisk... My closest friend."

I was silent as Sans looked at me. His eyes spelled hurt but his permanent smile made it all the more sad.  "Cherry, don't leave the people that really need you."

A fat tear trailed my cheek and I hugged Sans. "I'm sorry Sans... I-I"

I felt cold metal against one of my wrists and a crisp *click*. I snatched my arms back and looked at the wrist in astonishment. A glistening handcuff linked me to Sans' boney wrist.

"Sans did you just handcuff us?!" I squealed. He shrugged and stood from the bed.

"You told me you couldn't teleport when attached to another person, so I figured until we could get the brat outta your head, this was the next best thing."

He pulled me at the wrist and towards the door. "Come on, I'm gonna wrap your hand."

"Sans stop! I'm gonna hurt someone!" I said as I tried to pull my hand out of the cuff.

"Is that a promise or a warning?"

"A WARNING! WHY THE HELL WOULD I HURT SOMEONE?!" I yelled in frustration.

Sans chuckled. "Exactly, so why do you feel the need to leave?"

I struggled for words. "I- but you- but- You twisted my words!"

I heard Papyrus open his door and dropped behind Sans on to the floor. "Sans? Who is yelling? Are you having a sleepover of your own? You could just join Frisk and I."

I peered through Sans' legs and looked at Frisk poking his head around the corner. His narrow eyes locked on me and I made the shushing motion with my hand, as I always seemed to be doing with him. His grinned widened as he wasted no time to defy my request. "CHERRY!" He called.

Frisk wove around Sans and tackled my side. "H-Hey there Li'l' nugget..." I said sheepishly, wrapping my free arm around him. "I knew you were coming back soon! I knew it! Your tone was such a giveaway over the phone."

Before I could correct Frisk, Sans cut me off. "Yep. Cherry's back and she's not going anywhere for a long time."

I squeezed my eyes shut as I hugged Frisk and wished for a miracle for the best. Apparently I was all out of miracles. The ground left my bottom as Papyrus swept me up in a hug. "OH CHERRY! IT IS SO NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK WITH US!"

Sans dangled from our cuffed wrists a few inches off the ground. Frisk eyed the handcuffs and gave Sans a questioning look. "Care to explain?" He asked.

"It's a precaution. Ya know, in case Cherry gets kidnapped. Now we wouldn't want to lose Cherry again."

I sent a cold glare at Sans before looking back at Papyrus. "Yeah, I'm back... I guess..."

Papyrus set me down on my feet and I shifted my weight from foot to foot. Sans took my cuffed hand in his and yanked me towards the bathroom. "Sorry to cut the reunion short, but we have to get Cherry's hand bandaged up."

"What happened?" Frisk asked.

I smiled. My left eye lost sight for a moment and I waved a hand, making Geeby and Jinkies appear. "Geeby bit me a bit too hard this morning. But don't worry, he's harmless to you."

Geeby trotted after me as Jinkies strolled lazily behind. "Heh, I think Jinkies is my spirit animal." Sans chuckled.

Papyrus gasped in a fan-girlish way and snatched Geeby into a hug. "OH YOUR POOCHES ARE ADORABLE!!!" He praised.

Frisk patted Jinkies' head softly and grinned. As I watched the two idiots meet my first friends, I felt my body leave the ground. "Come on Cherry, let's get you wrapped up."

"I can walk ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. This is just easier."

I huffed and let him carry me to the bathroom and set me on the counter. He pulled a first aid kit from under the sink, most likely left there after my first injury at Sans' house. Sans gingerly cleaned the bite with hydrogen peroxide then put a pad on it and wrapped it. "There, all better."

I rolled my eyes. "You act like it was an issue."

He chuckled and stepped away so I could get off the counter. Not having control of both my arms to keep my balance made me wobble, but I managed. As we reentered the room, Geeby and Jinkies were running circles around Papyrus and Frisk. The clock now read 7:56.

It was earlier than my usual wake up time but it was lively enough to make up for lack of sleep. I tugged on the cuff and sat on the couch, Sans soon following. Sans flipped on the television and I watched as the last ten minutes of Late Nights with Mettaton melted the rest of the time. The boys and the dogs seemed to be enjoying themselves so I let my magic keep running for their sake.

"Your eye is still one." Sans whispered in my ear.

"I know. I have to keep it running so that Geeby and Jinkies don't randomly disappear."

We sat in a few more moments of silence before Sans shattered it once again. "I should train you." He said like it was a normal topic.

"Train me?"

He nodded. "When I first got my powers I had dad to help me train em. Since you don't have anyone to train you, I could do it."

I shrugged. "If I'm gonna be cuffed to you 24/7 then I might as well."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot."

He disappeared for a few milliseconds before reappearing in the handcuff once again. In one of his hands, a necklace dangled. It had the outline of a heart done in a frosty blue. "What's the necklace for?" I asked.

I felt it fall against my neck after Sans disappeared again. My hand brushed the necklace and I found the handcuff gone. "What's with this stuff?"

"The necklace replaces the handcuffs so you don't have to be with me every second of the day. I know you love me and all, but you can only handle so much of Ol' Sansy in a day."

"You're right. I don't think I could handle over eight hours of Blue Bones in a day."

He snickered. "Blue Bones? Is that what you've been referring to me as?"

I shrugged. "Hey, it fits."

He shook his head and set his eyes back on the screen. I yawned and put my head against Sans' shoulder. He seemed to stiffen at the movement, but didn't push me away. My eyes drifted closed and I slipped into a light nap. As black claimed my mind, I could hear Sans speak. "Heh, I guess you're not so bonely any more."