The blissful darkness became heavy rain.

I opened my eyes to the shadowy forest and damp mud, cold rain beating on by back, soaking me in mere seconds.

Recognizing the same forest that surrounded me, I started to panic. Oh god, this is on Mount Ebbot. The one I ran from him on...

I then heard stumbling footsteps, and the shouting I'll never forget.

"GET BACK HERE MUTE MONSTER! I'LL SLIT YOUR THROAT WITH THIS AND IT'LL MAKE EVERYTHING EASIER FOR YOU! "

With sudden adrenaline pumping through my veins, I took off the other direction from the sound. The familiar setting, the terrible horror. Reliving it is the best way to describe it. Though, it was raining and extremely dark. I could barley see a few feet in front of me.

My eye was gone, and since I'm not used to it yet I kept smacking my right side on trees. The footsteps only got louder.

Suddenly, my father with his bloody knife appeared in front of me, screeching. I pivoted just in time to the right to avoid his knife swing. It barely grazed my shoulder and I kept running, a pair of the same horrible voice now following uncomfortably close behind me.

He's coming, he's coming, oh my God he's coming for me....

A big rock appeared in my vision, making me skid to a stop. A solid wall of stone with a 500 ft drop. I pressed myself against the wall, now about to face my father without anywhere to go.

My throat closed up and my stomach was burning and churning. In crazed and frantic fury, I slammed my fist on the wall. I wanted to cry, thinking this was hopeless. I can't go anywhere else.

With so much as a glance, the knife pierced through my stomach all the way through, laughter ever present at my silent screams.

-----

I shot up straight with a yelp, falling off the bed in the process. My head hit the floor and I just lay there breathing heavily, shock and panic surging through me.

Holy shit I just got stabbed!

I wrestled the covers, kicking them off of me like they resembled my father constricting me and I found myself curled up into a ball, silently crying through heaved breaths, holding where the stab wound would've been.

I then heard footsteps outside the door.

Thinking it was father going to yell at me, I pulled myself frantically under the bed, curling into a ball again and pressing my back against the wall.

There was a faint knock on the door.

"My child? Are you alright? I heard a loud noise."

I didn't answer, shell shocked from the nightmare. My mind didn't register Toriel opening the door slowly, letting in some light into the room. I saw, from under the bed and around the messed up covers, her shadow in the light from the door. I kept sobbing and shaking, the images burned into my brain.

"Reid...?" Toriel whispered, walking to the bed. She crouched slowly and looked under the bed. The sudden voice from her so close made me jump, finally registering her presence. I hid my face with my arms, not wanting to let her see me like this, my mop of black hair basically sticking in every direction if not sticking to my forehead that was covered in cold sweat. I was shaking and in a complete mess.

That isn't father. I'm fine. I'm fine. Toriel is here. She won't hurt me. I'm fine. It's not father. I'm fine....but my body won't move.

"What is wrong, my child? Did you have a nightmare?"

I removed my arms a little, meeting my only working eye with her concerned ones. I let out a shaky breath, my body not responding to anything I wanted it to do. With that I just stared back.

"Would you come out from under there? You are safe here, nothing will harm you," Toriel made a small gesture with her hand.

I stared at her. She was right and I knew it.

I heaved one more breathless puff of air, I quietly struggled to pull myself out. The adrenaline was gone, and I was starting to feel the effects of what I did. Falling out of bed made my head hurt and scrambling around made all of my injuries ache. Toriel helped me out, placing me on the bed once I got out from under the bed. She sat next to me.

"Do...you want to talk about the dream?" Toriel inquired softly, petting my bed head of hair comfortably. I thought about it. Dad...the knife...the forest....

Mom.....

I decided I wasn't ready to tell goat mom yet. It was too early, and I don't know how she would take it. I don't want her to think I'm a monster too like the others told me. So I simply just shook my head and signed with heavy limbs, 'thank you for the offer, but maybe not right now...'

Toriel gives a strange look I've never seen before and sighs quietly, "well...if you change your mind...you can tell me when you want to. There is no rush."

I feel my shoulders visibly relax and I blink tiredly at her. Changing the subject, I signed, 'when is dinner going to be finished?'

Toriel gave an 'oh' look and said, "I was about to get you for dinner until I heard a noise. Did you fall out of bed? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

'I did fall out of bed,' I signed sheepishly, 'I'm sorry for scaring you like that. It's nothing really, I didn't hurt myself bad. I won't make a habit of it, I promise.' I tried my best to forget the images of the nightmare flashing in my head, making me completely uncomfortable.

"Okay," Toriel smiled, "Come then, my child, dinner is about ready. I hope you are hungry for bow ties and cheese!"

My eye widened at that, a happy expression on my face. I signed 'really? Thank you so much!' in quick motions and got off the bed and started to the door, being followed by a chuckling Toriel.

----------

The dinner was delicious. It was probably the best pasta I've ever had, next to Mom's cooking. Toriel said she had to dig around for the recipe and she hadn't made it in some time and was a bit nervous on how it would turn out, but I told her it was wonderful. She and I happily ate at the dining room table, chatting about snail pie, the Ruins, how the monsters ended up Underground, the works. Toriel even told me about why the green and yellow sweaters were there.

"I had...two children," Toriel smiled sadly, " a son and daughter. The daughter was adopted, a human from the surface like you. She loved those sweaters and wore them like it was the only thing she had and would wear. She even got my son into the fashion statement..."

There was a moment of silence as we both stared at our empty bowls in front of us.

'Where is she now?' I signed slowly, unsure if I should've asked the question.

She smiled at me but looked like she was about to cry, her voice cracking as she tried to keep her voice strong, "She...she died a some time ago along with my son...on the same day...!" The dam broke and tears streaked her white fur, her sobbing quietly.

My face went from sadness to horror. She lost both of her children in one day?! My heart twisted in my chest, sympathy very strong for the broken goat mother in front of me.

I got up from my chair and gave her a strong hug. Toriel returned it in no time.

"Ah thank you, Ried...I am sorry for being like this."

I pulled away and signed, 'Please don't be sorry for this, I understand. I understand and it's okay to cry. You lost your kids after all,' I signed slower with my head down, 'I shouldn't have asked. I'm so sorry for brining it up.'

She smiled and wiped her tears, "No no, it is okay. You did not know. I needed that, actually. Thank you, my child."

I smiled back, trying my best to ignore the flashes of my mother covered in blood in my brain.

Toriel and I cleaned up, the goat washing the dishes while she handed them to me and I dried them. She told water and dish puns while I giggled.

"Knock knock," she'd say.

I'd sign, 'who's there?'

"Dishes."

'Dishes who?'

"Dishes a very bad joke."

I laughed, Toriel laughing along with me. I noticed a spark in her eye I couldn't but decipher, it was gone as soon as I tried to.

When the dishes were finished, she asked me if I wanted to read a book with her. I agreed, wanting to spend some more time with her before trying to sleep again.

Toriel went to the bookshelf and sat next to the fire in her big chair, patting her lap for me to sit on. I said I might crush her, and she laughed, telling me she would be okay. I carefully sat on her lap and she opened the book so we could both see the pages. It was a book that had 101 snail facts. They were actually pretty interesting, and listening to Toriel make snail puns made the book even better.

When Toriel noticed both her and I were yawning a lot, she sent me off to bed after redressing my wounded eye, bidding me goodnight and sweet dreams. I returned the goodnight and went into my bedroom, fixing the covers I had left in a tangled mess and snuggled into the bed, warm and fluffy covers over my cold body.

That night was probably the first time in a long time that I went to bed with a smile on my face.