Sans dug into his food as Frisk and Papyrus chattered a bit, savoring every delicious bite. Man, maybe he should get Frisk to give Paps and Undyne lessons, she could really cook. But... there was something more to it than just the good food. The atmosphere was lighthearted, there was no tension hanging around any of them, and he hadn't had any nightmares. Stars, this was just like--

"So I uh... had a pretty interesting dream last night."

He stopped stuffing his face at that, shifting his gaze to his favorite human with interest. Huh, seems like Frisk didn't have any nightmares either, otherwise she wouldn't be talking about her dreams. It was another one of those unspoken agreements they had, don't ask and don't tell. Both of their nightmares would only serve to draw a stake between their friendship, and would probably end up in another reset if the subject were breeched, so they left it untouched and unworried about. Still, it was nice to hear her opening up, especially when everything was going so right this morning.

Sans listened keenly for more, maybe a bit too hungry for the details, but as she finally came out with it, he nearly dropped his fork.

All of them on the surface? Heh. That... sounded more like a memory than a dream. Even through all the rests, he would never, couldn't, forget the first time he breathed in fresh air. Watching his first sunset. Stargazing. It.... It had all been so beautiful, and through the timelines, the memory of it, those blissful few days on the surface, he'd held them close. He'd wished and dreamed and hoped to go back to it. He wanted to see it all again.

Somewhere in his train of thought, Sans' gaze had fallen to his plate, completely missing the look from Frisk. He smiled as she described it. Her voice was so warm, he could almost feel the remembered heat of the sun warming his bones.

He smiled absently, lost in the memories of those short few days on the surface. He really wanted to go back. But not alone, he wanted to go back like this, him, Paps, and Frisk all living together like this. Happy, carefree, and with those warm fuzzy feelings Sans felt building up in his bones when he was with her. God he wanted it all to be perfect again. He didn't even notice notice that a single stray tear had slipped down his cheekbone until Papyrus wiped a glove over it with concern etched in his long face,"BROTHER! WHATEVER IS THE MATTER? ARE YOU STILL NOT FEELING WELL? SHOULD I CALL ALPHYS TO COME CHECK YOU OUT AGAIN??"

Sans rubbed his eyes sockets with a chuckle, shaking his head,"nah, bro. 'm just really happy, ya know? me 'n alphys are working hard to break down the barrier, and we're almost there, and then this morning is just so perfect...", he looked over to Frisk with a smile, a real one,"we'll get outta here soon. i can feel it. and then we can watch the sunset, and the stars, and the seasons, everything."

Unable to stop smiling, Sans finished his food quickly, his soul glowing through his shirt in pure joy. Once done, he stood up and took his plate to the sink, even going so far as to rinse it off before placing it in the soapy water Frisk had poured earlier. Man, could this day get any better?

Frisk, at first, regretted sharing her dream. Seeing Sans' tears, she was sure she had ruined their perfect morning. The surface was a hard thing to think about for the monsters. As much as everyone was nice and friendly, they were still prisoners. Their population was squished together under the mountain, and no one should lie about times being difficult. Things had gotten easier in the many, many years they had to adjust, but still. They all deserved to see the sunshine.

But then she saw his smile. His real smile. The sight of it made her want to tear up as well. He was always faking his smiles, despite his face being constantly frozen into a big grin. She could see it in his eyes - his pain, his anger. Right now, all she saw was joy and warmth. She could even see the faint glow of his soul, though she kept from staring to avoid being rude. Still, he was happy. Papyrus was happy. She was happy.

Finishing her food, Frisk stood to gather Sans' plate and was pleasantly surprised when he took his plate to the sink himself. It must have been a good morning if the lazy skeleton was picking up after himself! Smiling to herself, she cleared the rest of the table and plopped everything in the sink. "Don't worry about the dishes, Paps, I got them!"

As she got to work cleaning up, Frisk softly hummed. It was a tune she had often heard Toriel hum, so often that it was burned into her memory. But it was a nice song, even if she never heard the words.

It didn't take her long to finish. Once the last dish was clean and put away, she dried her hands and turned around. At that point, she wasn't expecting either of her favorite skeletons to be in the kitchen. Papyrus had training with Undyne, and she was sure Sans would have wandered off to find a comfortable place to take a nap.

Sans followed Papy out of the kitchen when Frisk declared that she'd do the dishes, though not without glancing back at her as she started to hum that gentle tune. He recognized it as a song he hadn't heard in a very long time, but knew by heart. He was sure every monster parent did. It was warm and sweet, like a mother's embrace. He quirked another real grin before shuffling over to the sofa to take a seat with Papyrus who was killing a few minutes before heading to Undyne's with a replay episode of Cooking with a Killer Robot. He himself didn't care much for the show, but he could stand it since it was his baby bro's favorite show.

The pair watched in comfortable silence with the taller giving "oh"s and "ah"s at the cooking techniques used, obviously committing them to memory for later use.

And without realizing it, Sans' mind began to wonder in the silence, back to their talk of the surface. He was glad no one else remembered it, otherwise they might blame Frisk, like he once did, for reseting so many times, making all of them live through such horrible times over and over again. But she had been young back then, new and curious to these strange powers she had suddenly in this cave under an old mountain. And she'd eventually come around to reason, so that had been enough to prove to him that she wasn't evil, just mislead. And probably by that good-for-nothing flower.

All too soon, the short skeleton was drawn from his thoughts as Paps stood and bid farewell to everyone before heading off to his royal guard training. Sans watched and waved him off, sitting on the couch for a few more seconds before getting up as well and making his way up to his room. When he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see it was still an incredible mess, his research from his night of agonizing how to extend Frisk's life still covering nearly every square inch of the room. He huffed a quiet sigh, reminding himself to go look through Alphys' notes later and maybe scrounge around for some of the former royal scientist's own human soul studies. It was an easy job to gather the clutter of papers, though it did take him a good minute to sort them out correctly. He'd been half asleep while writing most of these notes, so some of it was plain gibberish, but even just looking at what he had so far, he knew he was close. Maybe instead of a human soul, she needed a monster soul.... He jotted down that thought for later debate and shoved the stack of papers in his desk drawer.

The glitch soon made its way back to mind and Sans frowned. Very soon they would fight again, and he needed to be prepared. He needed to train. It had been a long time since he'd done anything remotely close to active training, but this threat... He couldn't ignore it.

His mind made up, Sans scribbled a quick note to Frisk and set it in front of his door before teleporting off into Snowdin's vast forest.

He looked around, making sure no one else was around before he set a timer on his phone and summoned a single gaster blaster, staring down the semi-sentient skull. Alright, so he knew what his worn-out, no sleep limit was, now he needed to figure out what his healthy limit was.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, focused and alert as he summoned another blaster, and then another, until eight fully formed blasters were circled around him and awaiting orders. He looked them all over for a moment, noticing the subtle, but very there differences between each blaster. Huh, he'd never really had time to notice any of that before. Shaking the thought away, he quickly teleport into the trees, hoping from limb to limb and fireing each blaster in succession at his imaginary enemy, coupled with bone barricades that crumbled into tiny, sharp, shards and flew at the fantasimal foe as well. Sans continued on like this for quite some time, switching from his high point in the trees to ground attacks and back over and over until he'd completely worn himself out.

His blasters faded off into whisps of blue magic as he fell back into the snow, breathing heavy, and pulled out his phone.

Thirty minutes. That was his limit for an all-out, no blows held back attack. He groaned and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Who knew being active was so much work?

Finding the kitchen as empty as she expected, Frisk wandered back into the living room and was faintly surprised to not find Sans on the couch. Eating, napping, or just watching television, the skeleton wasn't there. After grabbing the remote and switching the television off, she stole a glance up towards the balcony to peer at his bedroom door. Spotting the note on the door, she headed up the stairs and plucked it off. She read it. Then read it again.

Were her eyes playing tricks on her..Or did Sans really write that he was going to be training? She had to read it again just to be sure. Honestly, she understood. With that glitchy version of Sans lurking just outside of their dimension, there was no time to waste. Preparations had to be made, even if it forced a lazy guy like Sans to train. While she was impressed and appreciative of the lengths Sans was going to go to keep everyone safe, it only cemented how dire the situation was in her mind. This was no playful joke.

With that in mind, Frisk put the note back and went to grab the day's outfit. She chose a sweater that was a bit thicker than the others, knowing the day was going to be cold even by Snowdin's standards. She quickly showered and dressed, finishing her morning routine as usual. As she headed back downstairs, she threaded her fingers through her damp hair and contemplated what to do. She could lounge around the house until the brothers got home...Or she could go find Sans. If he was out training, then so should she. He couldn't fight this new threat alone. She was out of practice, had very little strength and defense, and that made her vulnerable. She nodded to herself and looked up.

The house seemed so empty with just her there. Suddenly, Frisk understood why Sans always left the television on, why he always needed noise in the house. Because the silence was heavy and lonely, and it had taken the young woman that much time to realize that. She sighed and turned the TV back on.

Frisk didn't know where Sans was training. He had to be deep in the forest, far enough so no one could see or cross the line of fire. Part of her didn't want to disturb him, but if she didn't she feared he'd never consider letting her train with him. If she asked at home, he might just blow her off and teleport. No, she had learned several times over that the key to getting what she wanted from Sans was by giving him no other choice. This time, she was going to use that discovery for a far better reason.

So, she simply walked in the nearest direction. Her search would have been so blind and futile, she would have completely missed him...If she hadn't seen the wisps of blue magic in the distance. It bounced off the snow and shone bright, flickering before burning out. Sometimes, it amazed her how easily she could find Sans. Was it coincidence, or was there a sense left from their long history together? Either way, she had found his magic. She smiled and rushed towards it, remaining alert for any stray bone attack.

By the time she got to his position, he was already done. She saw him laying in the snow, appearing to be worn out. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but he must have worked incredibly hard. Again, she debated with herself on whether to disturb him or not. But her determination soared, and she started to make her way over to him. Her shoes crunched heavily in the snow, making her presence well known.

"You know, Sans...I was thinking. We should train together."

Sans had just closed his eyes when he heard the deliberate crunching of footsteps headed in his direction, and at first felt his soul freeze in horror. No one in all of the Underground, not even Undyne, knew the full extent of his powers, and he fully intended to keep it that way. His powers, while initially thought of as an ultimate blessing, were barely half that for the short skeleton.

He remembered pain, enough that he thought he might die, so unbearable that he was ready to give up, and that's when his very first blaster appeared. The huge, animalistic skull had given a primal cry before launching a beam from it's disfigured maw at his attacker. But that was it. He couldn't remember anymore than that snippet of agony and terror. And he didn't want to be reminded of the short memory by being quizzed over his powers.

"You know, Sans...I was thinking. We should train together."

At that, the skeleton let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and relaxed back into the snow. Thank the stars. It was just Frisk. She had never questioned his attacks, having seen them so many times before, and he knew she wouldn't, though probably because she assumed they were natural. Still, it was a relief to know he wouldn't have to explain himself.

Sans gathered himself and tilted his head back to look at his favorite human. He could smell that she'd showered not too long ago, and see it in her damp hair. And as he stared at her, the statement clicked. She.... thought he was going to let her endanger herself over this? Fat chance. She had a better chance of him telling her to reset. How could she even begin to think that he'd allow this? Frisk really should know him better than that by now.

Sitting up, he kept his back to her and stared off at the various scars and burns left on the ground and snow. On top of what was to come, Sans wasn't comfortable training with her. Neither one of them had good hp, granted she could survive a hit or two, but the thought of accidentally hitting her, it was nauseating.

He only had 1hp, but he was still a very powerful monster.

"sorry, kiddo. i don't think that's such a good idea. maybe when there's not some psycho "sans-double" running around who wants to murder us all," he spoke lamely as he stood, still keeping his back to her. He knew that if given the chance, Frisk could most definitely convince him otherwise, but he knew the penalties of even one mistake in training, especially if it was just the two of them.

And if he did allow her to train with him, what would he do if he lost himself in a flashback? Would he even be able to do anything? It was rare now, but sometimes...... sometimes he swore he could see her as a child again, bloodlust in her eyes, and a dusty knife in hand.

He knew it wasn't real, that Frisk would never do such a thing again, but he was messed up from all of those resets, and his broken mind could conjure the image at random. And if it did that in the heat of a friendly bout of training, and he lost control, he'd never forgive himself. No, he wouldn't let it happen, plain and simple. Turning to her with an obviously fake grin he walked past her,"com'on, let's just go home and surprise Paps with some lunch or something."

Frisk smiled when Sans looked up at her. She stopped a few steps away from him, her hands in her sweater pockets. For a moment, before she spoke, she could have sworn she saw nervousness cross Sans' features. He must have really wanted to be alone. But it was too late to turn back now. Rather, she continued to smile and hope he wouldn't push her away.

She really should have known better. His body language said it all, the way he kept his back to her. Her smile fell. As he spoke, she looked out over the landscape. She traced the patterns burned into the snow and trees, noting the broken branches and particularly large burns as she went. If she had never been on the receiving end of such attacks, she would have been amazed. She would have doubted that such power could come from a monster with only a single HP. Honestly, she wished she could have that naivety back.

When he turned to her, she set her attention back on him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. She watched him walk past her, and for a small moment it seemed that she was truly defeated. Then she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sans, it's because of that other you that I want to train with you. I don't like just sitting and watching you fight." She sighed, searching for the right words. Everything had been so easy in her head. "I felt so...useless. You could have gotten dusted, and I wouldn't have been able to do anything." She winced at her own words. She'd have no choice but to reset. A timeline without Sans was a timeline she couldn't bear to live in.

"You can just show me how you dodge so well! If I could do that, then maybe I can be a distraction while you set off your attacks!" Her words tumbled out of her mouth so fast, she couldn't begin to second guess herself. It didn't appear that she understood the full weight of her suggestion, or how dangerous such a situation would be. Even the memory of being controlled by those strings couldn't deter her from putting herself up as bait.

"I don't want you to deal with this alone. This version of you is seriously unhinged, and we have no idea how far he's gonna go. And I'm not going to put our issues over the Underground potentially losing you, Sans. Just...One try? Please?"

Sans eyesockets went hollow as she mentioned being bait, everything else she said afterwards was drowned out by the heavy flow of magic pounding through his skull as blind fury grew in him. Bait? Is that the standard she held herself to? Just bait? And even if he did have time to attack while she distracted the glitch-Sans, his aim wasn't exactly a pinpoint shot. His gaster blasters were meant for speed and coverage, not accuracy, so it would be fairly easy to just accidentally hit her while she was doing her distracting. No, he wouldn't let that happen.

"N O T A C H A N C E I N H E L L."

Fuming, he turned to her with still blank sockets,"do you even know what you're suggesting?! is that really all you see yourself as?!! just some easily replaced target practice that i'll willingly use to get an opening?!!! no, not happening. your stats are hardly better than mine, and i won't let you just throw yourself in the line of fire so i can have an opening! i don't care that you can reset, this guy isn't playing around! even if you reset it all, he's a 'sans', he'll remember it all and just come back!" Growling in frustration, he pulled his shoulder from under her grasp and began to pace, hands clenched tightly inside his pockets, bones rattling quietly, and a dark "smile" on his maw.

And on top of it all his dodging skills weren't just something he could teach her. They were a learned habit from many murderous humans and many, many resets. Even if he tried to teach her, it wouldn't do any good.

How could she think this was ok? That he'd just roll over at such an absurd plea? He.... He couldn't stand the thought of starting over again. Much less the thought of losing Frisk forever. But if he was strong enough, he could protect it all, and nothing bad would happen. They could all just live peacefully in the Underground until they found a way to break the barrier. He just had to get stronger.

Not sure what to do with himself, he just continued to pace and fume, until finally just keeping opting to keep his back to her as he spoke in a weary, almost cracked voice,"just go home, frisk."

Frisk was expecting him to firmly repeat his disagreement. She also expected him to just teleport away, to a spot where she wouldn't find him as easily. She wasn't expecting him to lose his cool. Standing there, she couldn't do anything but stare at him. Her plan wasn't perfect, she'd admit, but she never considered it would sound so terrible to her friend. Even as he yelled, she still couldn't bring herself to fully understand what was so bad. If she could help Sans in any way, then she would. She'd survived worse as a child. If it wasn't a Genocide route with Sans, then it was every other run with Undyne. What was the big deal?

But as he spoke, and as she saw how frustrated and furious he was, Frisk began to grow a little frustrated herself. When Sans tore himself out of her touch, she let her hand drop to her side. She watched him pace, watched his body movement and listened to his bones rattle. That was always how she knew he was really upset - when his bones rattled. It should have made her want to turn around and leave him alone. Instead, it only made her angrier.

"just go home, frisk."

"...No."

Frisk paused. She couldn't remember the last time she had so openly disobeyed Sans, in this timeline or any other peaceful run. Sans never asked her of anything. He didn't push her, didn't use her age against her. Growing up, she never saw any reason to go against him. She didn't want him to dance around the issues anymore, but this was...This was new. And she didn't like it. But she was angry and irritated and scared for her friend.

"No, you can't just tell me to go away!" She clenched her fists at her sides. "You think that you can handle everything by yourself, that you can hold it all in and keep everyone out! Is that how you see yourself? You have to protect everyone, because they're somehow better off being ignorant while you waste away in front of them? Is that how little you think of yourself...and everyone else?"

Frisk stepped towards him, though still kept a distance. It was starting to get colder, and she was trembling. She didn't notice, too swept away by her own words. "And this isn't just about the glitch! You always do this! Do you just not trust anyone else? I know you don't trust me, but you don't trust Alphys to help? Or Undyne? Or Toriel?" She took in a breath.

"Or...Or Papyrus?"

Frisk's words fell on deaf ears, it was a talent Sans had grown to nurture(for better or worse), and as she scolded him, he just tuned her out. And then she spoke of how little trust he had, and the skeleton couldn't hold back a flinch. She was right, he didn't trust anyone, not now, maybe not ever again, at least in some aspects.

He trusted Frisk around everyone else, trusted that she wasn't who she used to be, trusted that even when they all reached the surface, she'd be a monster at heart. Alphys, he trusted to break them out of this cave, Tori to be the mother most none of the monsters down here never had, Undyne to protect everyone from any murderous humans, and Papyrus to spread joy that they so often seemed to need. But he didn't trust them with things they couldn't understand. The resets, all of their timeless deaths, the truth about Flowey, all of the humans, all of it. They would never remember, so there was no point.

He'd told Paps before, broken down entirely after about the fiftieth reset and spilled everything. And Papyrus naturally accepted his words, though not without question, and Sans answered them all. But...

"heh, it's kind of pointless if they won't remember... do you even know how many times i've told paps everything? about the resets, what really happened, why i'm so messed up..... four hundred fifty two times. after that i gave up. there's nothing i can do to stop all of this from happening, and i don't want any of them to worry over it. i.... i-i'm supposed to protect them from the things they don't understand, ya know? this... it's not any different. i just-! ............ it's... simpler if it's just me," he worded delicately, bones rattling a bit louder.

He took a shaky breath, feeling lightheaded, but he didn't care. Right now panic was quickly rising in his chest, and he couldn't stop thinking about the absolute sense of hopelessness overwhelming him. Like he was back in the prior resets, just waiting for the next one to happen.

"it's not that i don't trust you or the others, it's just... it's so much easier to take all of the pain than to watch anyone else go through it...."

Frisk wanted to be angry. She wanted Sans to listen and not tune her out. What she had to say was important, and talking to a brick wall was not going to cool her frustration. Of course, she shouldn't have expected anything else. She was about to raise her voice, when she caught the skeleton's flinch. It should have been a victory for her. She got through to him, she broke a piece of his barrier. She should have felt better. But it only made her feel worse.

She loosened her stance and unclenched her fists. She never really considered that Sans had attempted to tell the others. While she was playing her little games, he was repeatedly pleading to his family to listen and remember. Four hundred fifty two. How many of those times were hers? How many resets had the other humans done before losing their souls? She hoped they were more merciful, and better people than her. If they weren't, then...Poor Sans.

Frisk felt like such a jerk. "I...I never thought of that. I'm sorry, Sans." Her voice was much softer than it had been before. She never could hold on to her anger. Her shoulders slumped. "I just... Who's going to protect you? You look out for everyone else, but what about you?" Her gaze drifted down to the ground. It was starting to snow again.

"It was so much easier when it was me who was the biggest threat. If I'm not hurting anyone, the Underground seems safe. But this glitch is new...He doesn't play by the usual rules, like I did, and it scares me. There's nothing I can do. He's completely unpredictable and there's nothing I can do about it." She shivered a little more, and was finally forced to hug herself. Maybe going out in the cold with damp hair wasn't the best idea.

"What...What am I supposed to do if we lose? Resetting won't do much good, and we'll lose so much. I think this is the best timeline we've ever had." She smiled, but it quickly faltered and fell. "I don't want to live here without you, Sans.

His rattling stopped as he listened to her, taking what she'd said into consideration. They had both only been seeing one side of this situation, and arguing their own points, but Sans was finally seeing her side as well. And as much as he hated to admit it she was right, he was too proud to say it, but she was.

He sighed, finally turning to look at her and noticed that she was freezing, hugging herself and shivering like.... A child. He couldn't help but to see her as that child he'd met when she first fell. Small, powerless, innocent. He'd been wary, but not unkind to her. Suspicious of whether or not she'd be like the others, but hopeful that she wasn't. Gently he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders,"i don't wanna lose you either, ya know."

He stood there, looking down at the snow, clearly remembering how dust had been scattered across it before, but shook the memory away. That was the past. Now was what mattered.

"i don't know if i have the guts to tell them the truth. i know... that they won't hate me, or you, but..... what if i tell them and we fail, and then we have no choice but for you to... i don't think i can do it,"he said softly, closing his sockets.

His chest tightened at the thought of another reset, but if it was their only chance, then he was all for it. But..... if it meant losing all of these memories, having to tell Papyrus again just for him to forget... He wasn't sure he could handle it.

Frisk didn't look back up until she felt Sans' jacket being draped over her shoulders. The fabric held a comforting weight, and easily blocked out the rest of the cold. She pulled it tighter and smiled to show her gratitude to Sans. Yet, again her smile fell. She watched him as he spoke, saw him close his sockets, and carefully considered what he said. She had to remember what this meant for him, how much pain it brought him. He'd done this almost five hundred times already, and was about to do it again with no guarantee that it would be his last. She could only imagine what it would be like to stand there and watch everyone else carry on with their lives, when the day before they had been slaughtered before him. No memory, just blissful ignorance. Then to beg and cry for them to hear him out, to know the truth so he wouldn't have to carry such an awful burden. It would be such a relief...Until the next reset.

Until Frisk reset everything.

To know that Sans wanted to hear her out and give it another chance, that meant the world to her. Only minutes ago she was accusing him of not trusting anyone, and now he was willing to consider doing it all over again for her. If not for her, then for himself and everyone else. Frisk stepped forward and gently took Sans' hand with one of hers. She held his fingers, appreciating the warmth of magic that flowed through them.

"This time you won't be alone. Even if we fail, you won't have to remember all of this on your own. I'll help you talk to them. I can even talk to them for you." She wasn't sure if he'd want that, but the offer was there. "I don't know how they'll all react to everything, including what I did..." A dark realization hit her. How would they all react?

Sans said they wouldn't hate her, and she tried to trust that. But she could imagine the looks on their faces - confusion, disgust, heartbreak. The girl they watched grow up, their sweet and innocent Frisk, wasn't as kind as they had been led to see. She'd have to tell them what she did - all of it. To spare any detail would not be fair to any of them.

"O-Oh my god...Sans, they'll have to know what I did to them. Papyrus will forgive me, but what about everyone else? My mom and Mettaton and Alphys and Undyne..." She gasped. "Undyne. She'd never forgive me! She'll tear me apart, Sans." Maybe this wasn't a good idea, after all. She didn't want to lose her friends.

The stout skeleton relaxed at the feeling of Frisk's cool fingers wrapped around his own. He wouldn't let her take on the responsibility of telling them, but for her to be there with him... It made it just a bit more bearable. He wasn't comfortable doing it by any means, and his chest still constricted at the thought of sitting Papyrus down to have the same conversation they'd already had in another timeline, but if Frisk was there, then he could manage it one more time.

However, when she began to freak out about what everyone would think, his confidence plummeted. Sans wasn't sure what to do. He himself wasn't comfortable talking to the others about this, so what did she expect him to say? What did she expect him to do? Say it would be alright and walk her through it all? Fat chance. He could hardly think of going through every detail without needing to vomit, so how was he supposed to support her? There had to be something he could do or say to calm her down, something that would give her the same confidence she'd given him.

Nothing came to mind.

Sans was completely and utterly lost in this situation. He was pretty clever, or so he liked to think, but there was nothing he could think to say. Did that mean there was no answer? No way he could reassure Frisk?

He took a shaky breath, soul aching at the thought of being so useless right now. Surely there was something, some witty pun or joke he could make that would have the answer. Hell, even he'd been mad at Frisk at first, but now....-! That was it!

He suddenly looked at Frisk, placing a bony hand on her shoulder,"hey, ya know, i... i was upset at first too. undyne... she's probably gonna want to be alone for a little while, but she just.... she'll need space to wrap her head around it all. she'll cool off. all of them will. they just need time to think on it. take it all in."

God he hoped that was the right thing to say. His knees were shaking ever so slightly, and magic was rushing through his head in a bundle of nerves.

Frisk's hands had started to shake. With her free hand, she tugged the jacket closer and buried her nose in the fluffy hood. The sensation of her cold bitten nose warming and numbing against the fluff was enough to drag some of her thoughts back to the present. But her eyes still held a worried expression as they darted along the snowy ground. Her imagination was so vivid, as though it was truly a memory. She had never attempted this before, ever, yet the scenes played out as though she had lived them a hundred times. Her stomach twisted and knotted.

Sans' hand on her shoulder effectively snapped her back into looking at him. She studied his face, then nodded hesitantly. He was right. He had to be right. Frisk truly didn't want anyone to be mad at her, but the knowledge that they'd come back eventually was a relief. She had to believe that they wouldn't shut her out completely. She could never blame them if they did, but what if she...Lost everything? They were her family, this was her home. If she ruined it all, she didn't know what she'd be able to do.

But she wasn't alone. Frisk gave a small smile - not at all prepared, yet ready to do what she knew would help protect the Underground. After all, this wasn't just to dig up the past, it was to warn everyone of a threat they otherwise wouldn't see coming. She'd just have to breathe and accept whatever was coming to her.

"When do you think we should start?" Papyrus was likely to be the best starting point, as she trusted him to roll with it a little better than everyone else, but it was ultimately Sans' call. She wanted him to be comfortable and confident, even if that was better said than done. "And...Sorry. I guess I kind of ruined our good morning...And your training time." she added with a lighter tone.

Sans grinned nervously at the question, sweat visibly beading on his forehead despite the cold. He honestly didn't ever want to start telling everyone, to tell the stars honest truth, he just wanted to keep living in this whole make-believe "everything is okay" mindset and leave everyone else in their ignorant bliss, but that wouldn't stop the threat of his glitched counterpart, nor would it make the fight against him any easier. Mentally he weighed both options, finding both to be just as bad as the other.

Papyrus was probably their best bet for a starting point, but he was training with Undyne and besides that.... Sans just wanted his little bro to have one last day of innocence to it all. Paps was his rock, but he needed one last day of the younger not worrying, just one last night of him being his goofy, happy self. Papyrus deserved at least that much, because tomorrow his training would not longer be subjugating itallian pasta, but learning to evade a real threat and attack them.

No, Toriel was their best bet. As much as he loathed the thought of her possibly going insane as she had the last time he'd told her, with Frisk there he felt like it might be different. Even then, he wasn't entirely sure how she would react. Would she still look at Frisk the same? Still treat her like the daughter she never had? Or would she shun both her and the entire Underground and recluse on herself?

Frisk's apology instantly wiped away those quickly spiralling thoughts and brought the short skeleton back to himself.

He looked to her with a stretched smile that didn't touch his eyes,"nah, this... this is something we need to do. you know me, i just avoid all the deep stuff and hope for the best. i don't like the conflict." He paused there, thinking his next words through carefully. He didn't want to freak her out, he really didn't, but...,"i think.... i think we should tell tori first. i know you two weren't on the best of terms last time we saw her, but... i think if you're the one to tell her then she'll understand more than hearing it from me."

Sans watched her with a nervous stance, worried that she might vehemently object to the idea. He was being selfish again, and he was sure she could tell, but the thought of ending Pap's joy filled world right now terrified him more than anything he could remember from the past timelines. In the few timelines that he'd actually mustered up the courage to tell him, the older always felt like he was stripping away his brother's innocence and pushing him to change and accept something that was unneccesary, and he didn't want to do that again, at least not this soon.