I Don't Want It

A distance outside the barrier . . .

"Hey. Sorry that it didn't work."

04823 looked to the right of him. He almost glared at the person talking to him. "I think I did fine."

"Uh? If you say so?" The guy started labeling off things with his fingers. "You tried to get into the barrier again, but the ghost guarding it has too much DETERMINATION. You tried to keep 95451 from changing, and now you blew your last chance at getting 95451 to come back to lure 95452 back to you." He almost chuckled. "Not your fault, I know. Not much you can do when you've got a barrier separating you from the guy that took everything."

"I don't know. I think if I wasn't in such a good mood, I'd just kill you right now human," 04823 said with an odd grin. "I think I did just fine."

"But . . ."

"I can't get past the barrier. I can't fight him physically. But, that isn't how you fight something like this," 04823 said. "I'm a Skeleton, but I'm also a teacher. I know a Monster's limit. I should have gotten everything right. Things should be going my way very soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Sans just witnessed the end of FRISK. It takes a lot to make Sans the Skeleton's inner monster come out. Even their so-called stupid Soul Bearing probably didn't touch it much. Frisk knows fighting him, but she's never seen it from him. And that? It will be the end of my worry." 04823 crossed his arms and stared at the barrier. "Forcing Frisk to bottom out. Forcing Sans to project himself to deal with me. Why get my hands dirty in a fight?"

"I really don't get that. What's the point?"

"Sans will do all the work for me. By the time the barrier lowers, I need only strut over to get my claim back."

"But? I don't get it."

"Of course not. I am an expert at PACIFISM and monsters. I just got everything I wanted, without killing a single Monster. Will see how this Soul Bearing goes." 04823 brought out a bottle of catsup and took a large swig. "Goes down easy for a Skeleton on a good day. Cheers."

Sans and Papyrus' House . . .

As far as first dates went, Frisky felt like she probably didn't do so well. Papyrus brought her home and she knocked on her bedroom door. "Sans?" He didn't answer. She went into their room and saw him sitting on the bed with Chance. Chance was actually mobile, touching the front of San's skull, almost by his teeth. "Chance?"

"He uhh . . . he awoke." Sans was far from himself. Frisky came near him and sat down. "I said goodbye to FRISK."

"Hm?" What exactly did he mean? "Sans?"

"Why couldn't you have just been a Monster?" Sans blurted out. "Nothing would have happened if you'd been a Monster. Chance would've been born the way he should have. You would have already been here in the mountain, and I wouldn't have had to marry you just to make sure you were safe. You'd be a Monster, not some simple fragile human thing that always needed protecting. You could have your own place, and get your own GOLD." He stood up. "You could handle your own problems. You wouldn't need me to fight your own stupid battles. You wouldn't even have any stupid battles if you were a Monster. Why couldn't you have been a Monster, Frisky?!"

Frisky was stunned. What? Sans never yelled to her. At her.

"If you were a Monster, it would have all worked out. No one would have touched him or done anything to him." Sans held his son closely. "If you were a Monster, you could have protected him from those that did hurt him." Sans held the front of his skull. "If you were a Monster, this would be a much better marriage. I could sleep next to you without any clothes like Monsters do. But, forget that, I can't even get you to just walk and shut up for a simple date."

Frisky moved away from him. Whatever happened to him, he didn't want anything to do with her right now. She watched Chance moving around. Finally mobile. It should have been a time of celebration, but it looked more like Sans was in mourning. And the cruelty . . . it felt worse than Judgment Hall. And . . . I knew it. I knew it! I'm not what he ever wanted! Oh, you stupid Frisk! He's hurting because of you! She turned away and wiped her cheeks. Monster marriage was forever, and he'd never let her go. He'd hold onto that honor, even with her lousy butt.

Fighting her battles? When did she say she wanted him to do that? A Frisk fights their own battles, he was the one that was sparring with Farrisk. Because I'm his wife. I'm his burden, and to him, I can't take care of myself. She pulled out her MP to teleport away from him and give him some time to himself, but even that got a reaction.

"If you were a Monster, I wouldn't have to worry about you always going out to the Frisks to work out problems, solutions, or just to be another annoying Frisk."

She stopped. "I'm sorry." That wasn't good enough. How was she supposed to ACT? She never did the right thing in front of him.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid Frisks." Sans was holding Chance, rocking him, and even manifesting tears, not caring to wipe them away. "Why did you have to be just annoying humans riding inside my son? Why did you have to do soo much? I'm a simple guy. I just wanted to escape resets. I wanted something different, but I . . . I didn't want to lose everything too."

"Chance is okay," Flowey assured her. He'd been near the door. "Don't take it to heart. Sans is in his own little world right now. Kind of like the Soul Bearing? He doesn't even really know-"

"He's speaking from his heart," Frisky said, leaving the room and closing the door. Her voice was dry, almost raspy. "I've brought him nothing but heartache. You heard him." She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't be what he wants. I can never be what he wants, Flowey. He doesn't deserve this." She backed away and wiped her tears. "I don't deserve him."

"Oh." Flowey took a deep breath as he watched her pull her MP out. "What are you doing? Going to see the Frisks?"

"No. Doing what I should have done a long time ago." She sniffled. "I'm sorry, Sans, but for your own good, I have to break my promise to you."

"Ohhh . . ." Flowey leaned closer. "Frisky, I know you're hurting, but what are you doing?"

"Giving Sans what he really wants." Frisky fiddled on the MP 20. Much more powerful. Much more capability. Friskarino had shown her so much. Including. "No more worries."

Sans and Papyrus' House the Next Morning . . .

Hmmm . . . Strange. Sans looked around at the huge bed he slept in. "Great. One more weird thing Frisk is doing to my life." He groaned and rolled out of bed, heading for the door. He moved his skull from the left and to the right as he reached his door.

Papyrus was there when he opened it. "Uh?" That was unusual. "Hey, Papyrus. Morning?"

"Um. You have the day off. Undyne says you have a day off. So, go back to bed, Sans." Papyrus closed his door for him again.

"What?" That was weird. In what reset did Papyrus ever do that? "Huh. New twist." Something new. Exciting. "Now? Lie down and enjoy the day off, or go find out what the kid is screwing with to get this result." If he didn't feel so exhausted, he'd pick the first. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I'll get some more rest."

Sans and Papyrus' House Mid Evening . . .

Wow. Weird. Sans got up pretty dang late. He really expected Papyrus to grill him for being such a lazybones. Papyrus was home, but he didn't seem to bother. "You okay, Pap?"

"Fine," he replied. "Enjoying the day off."

"Uh. Yeah." Okay. Weird mood shift. Very weird. "I'm off to Grillby's. You want anything?"

"No. Enjoy yourself, Sans."

"Um. Sure." Sans walked out the door . . . and saw . . . light? Bright light. Sans looked up. "Paaa . . . pa pa pa-Papyrus!" He kept his eyes on the sky. The. Sky. "Pap. Pap. Pap." He pointed upward.

"Oh, yes." Papyrus said it casually like it wasn't a big deal. "It's the sky, Sans. What else is new?"

Papyrus acted like it was nothing though. Great. Another strange change. "But. Uh. Hey. Uh. Uh." Yeah, the kid. The nap was nice, but it was time to find that kid.

Not at his posts. Not at Grillby's. Not in Waterfall. Not by the lab. Nowhere. "Where the heck is Frisk?" Sans scratched his skull. That kid was always affecting his world somehow. He looked up at the sky again. It was amazing to see, but nobody else seemed to think anything of it. Every once in awhile he seemed to see someone look up and seem to appreciate it a few seconds, but nobody acted like it was the biggest deal.

It was the sky. The freaking sky! How did the kid get that to happen? He thought he had seen everything the kid could have thrown at him. But, this. This was different. And the kid he always knew how to follow, was nowhere to be found.

Later that night, he got another surprise. Supper. "Papyrus? What's this?"

"Artisan Spaghetti," Papyrus said off-handedly.

Sans poked at it. It was warm. Not cold. Not freezing. He could actually pry it up. It didn't look soggy. He put it in his mouth. "Looks great, Pap." But it was more than great, and the strange tongue he had had all day didn't know how to express itself. "Tastes great, Pap! This is excellent! How'd you do it?"

"Just did." Papyrus said as he started to wash the pots. "Just did, Sans. You like it, huh? That's good."

"That's good? You could be a chef with that great taste," Sans cheered him on. "This is really good." Strange. It was like . . . his brother seemed a bit depressed all day. "You okay, Papyrus?"

"I am fine, Sans. Undyne says 9:00 tomorrow for work. I have one last small shift, and then I will go to bed early," Papyrus said. "Goodnight, Sans."

Okay. Nobody died today. That was good. I actually saw the sky today without making it to the surface for a few minutes with Frisk. Um. But Frisk was missing, and even though Papyrus wasn't dead, his attitude almost seemed dead. Weird day. Not bad, but weird.

The Ruins, Toriel's back door . . .

Papyrus knocked on Toriel's door. He'd done just as he was supposed to do. It looked like from most of San's cluelessness that even Snowdin hadn't bothered to disrupt him. Which meant when he went to Grillby's, he was probably lying. Sans had done that a lot before he started to share truths with him.

Toriel answered the door. "Come on, Papyrus. Come on in."

The hallway up to her home was long, but he reached the stairs and saw some of the Conduits playing at the top.

"They all seem to enjoy his presence," Toriel smiled at him. "Honestly, their soul's even seem to finally be healing. I would not doubt if his presence one day completely healed them."

"Oh. That's nice." Still, Papyrus couldn't be cheery.

"Did Sans have a good day?"

"Oh. I suppose." Papyrus watched the Conduits moving to and from when he spotted them. "There he is!" Papyrus ran over and picked up Chance. "Look at you, all crawling around and everything."

"He is a handful. Frisk was always a handful."

Papyrus looked behind him at Frisky. "He. Sans did fine," he admitted. "But, I still strongly disagree-"

"I don't. As long as Sans is happy, that's all that matters." Frisky came over to look toward Chance. "A little each day. He'll know it all."

"This isn't what he wanted," Papyrus said assuringly.

"I put a partial mindwipe on him," Frisky said. "Partial. He'll only remember if he really wants to remember. And, he'll know the important basics soon. That's all he needs to know. A little each day. Facts."

"Yes. Today he figured out the sky. Not a surprise there," Papyrus said. "He also thought my cooking was good. He thought I figured out everything by myself though. Do I really have to fix only spaghetti each night?"

"No. Let him think Undyne is teaching you new things. His mind will slowly start to accept that the resets stopped." Frisky shrugged. "Being out of the resets is all he ever wanted."

"And that's it? That's all you really think Sans wants?" Papyrus complained.

"No. He wants Chance, and that's fine. I told you. Take him for the whole day if you want. Chance is fine and well-protected. If Sans wants him every waking hour, then I will take care of him during his working hours," Frisky reasoned. "No baggage. He gets the life he deserves, however he wants it."

" . . . you . . . you you you Frisks!" Papyrus yelled at her. "Do you always have to be so complicated?"

"I am trying to keep him happy. You've seen him. You know everything." Frisky looked toward the ground. "I am his troubles. I am all his troubles. Frisk took over this world and made it theirs. And then, I took over his life. I brought him into thinking he needed to take on my battles. I was brought into the house, changing his whole dynamic of living. He had to work so many more hours. He was dealing with new things because of Frisks just all the time. All the time. And that isn't a life for him, and you know it."

"But . . ." Papyrus looked toward Chance. "But Sans-"

"-I broke him, Papyrus! When it comes down to it, all Sans ever wanted was a simple life." Frisky gestured to him. "He wanted his brother. He wanted a simple job. He wants to . . ." She took a step back as she wiped her face. "No, I am Frisk, and I can handle this." She looked confidently at Papyrus. "Day by day, he'll get happier. That is all that matters."

"But-"

"That's all that matters. My problems are my problems. My fights are my fights. That's final!" Frisky turned to walk away.

"But . . ." Papyrus looked toward Toriel. "But?"

Toriel shook her head. "It's a partial, Papyrus. She's right. If Sans really wants it, he can remember. But if he doesn't? Then." She shrugged. "I love both of them dearly and I hate to really see it like this! But? Sometimes, just."

"But Sans says she couldn't defeat what's coming after her when the barrier is lost," Papyrus reminded her. "She'll be taken or killed!"

"Frisky. She is a Frisk, and when it comes down to it?" Toriel looked toward the ground. "She will do what she feels is right, no matter the cost. You know that by now, don't you? Whether it is death, or whether it is life with the one called Conner." Simple tears shined in her eyes. "Papyrus? Just let it go. Just follow what she wants."

"This? This? It's not right." Papyrus hugged Chance. "She should be at home, with Sans. Sleeping right now, with-with Chance right beside them." It was too harsh. It was just too harsh. "Frisk always made his life hard, and it continues to manipulate it even now."

"And you think she is fine? Are you blind?" Toriel lifted her head to the air. "My child is suffering. She doesn't want this either. Do you think just because she doesn't remember about the forgotten timeline . . . because she doesn't even know about the forgotten timeline, that she feels nothing? Can you really not see? She has been in love with him for so very, very long. I suspect before he even knew her as a separate being."

Papyrus stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think it was just shame that she refused to meet Sans as Frisk again."

"I?" Papyrus was still confused. "I don't understand?"

"Honestly?" Toriel rubbed her head fervishly and then took a deep breath. "I believe. That she fell in love. With Sans. When she was inside FRISK."

" . . . eh?"

"Exactly. You can't be inside your own child's body and . . . and carry on with feelings like that around someone." Toriel nodded her head. "Frisky is not being selfish. She is pushing Sans first. If he wants her? Then, he'll remember. And you? You can't be selfish either."

Papyrus looked toward Chance.

"No, I don't mean him. You can see him whenever you want. Be a very selfish Uncle, that is fine!" Toriel insisted. "I mean with Sans. You can't just assume that a life with Frisky and Chance with all their troubles is what he really wants either. Things change. If it's meant to be, he'll find his way back to her."

"But?" Papyrus sighed and sat Chance back on the ground, not being able to hold the fidgety little babybones. "But what if it takes longer for him to remember? He only has so much time before something comes after them."

"I think Frisky knows that," Toriel said. "When that day comes, if she hasn't chosen the higher soldier, then she will leave Chance with me and go out on her own, facing her own destiny head on. When that fight ends, I will send Chance to you. If Sans wants him. Those were her words. End of story."

"Buuuuuut!"

"End of story. If you are done seeing Chance, then you should go home. Just knock on my door, and I will always answer for you," Toriel smiled. "It's okay."

"How? How is this possibly 'okay'?" Papyrus sniffled, wiping away his manifested tears. "No Monster is better off without his wife and child."

"Ever since the repeats stopped, Sans has still had his life controlled. He was forced to accept prisoners in his home. He was forced to accept being a father. He was forced to accept a committing which turned into a marriage. He was forced to accept Frisky's troubles as his own. He was forced to accept the tragic truth between him and Frisky. And it's not just that?" Toriel shook her head. "Frisky was forced to accept the death of FRISK. She was forced to kill a Frisk. She was forced to accept Sans as her son's father. She was forced to accept that Sans had to marry her. She was forced to bear her own secrets when she had not been ready to. And? She was forced to accept the death of her Chance. Not as a being, but as his memories. His mother. Losing her son of six years to start all over again."

Toriel started to walk away. "They have each been forced to accept everything upon them. It's time . . . to just let them choose their own ways, Papyrus."

Papyrus groaned. "Oh, everyone here." He slapped the front of his skull. But Sans did choose. He was dating her. That was choosing. Right? The barrier Chara did not want to see Toriel, and Frisky was not leaving the Ruins. Chara could and would do nothing. The annoying flower was also in the Ruins, staying with them.

And it was annoying! It wasn't what Sans would have wanted. It wasn't. Right? Sure. Sans would want to remember the truth soon.

Sans and Papyrus' House, the Next Morning . . .

"Okay." Sans yawned as he rolled out of bed. He slowly headed to the door. The sun was actually waking him up, so there must still be a sky outside. He still woke up in his big bed. No reset yet on the weirdness. Still, it'd reset.

Nice to see the sky though at least. He walked down the stairs and saw Papyrus waiting for him. "Sup?"

"Sans!" Papyrus came over toward him and gave him a big hug. "I can't do this so well, Brother. I'm trying, but this is hard!"

"Whoah. Slow down. Doing what?" Sans asked. "You okay?"

"No!" Papyrus stomped the floor. "Alright! I suppose since you might actually visit somewhere today instead of looking for Frisk and just telling me you did that-"

"Hold up-what?"

" . . . and just telling me you did that, I shall tell you a few things. The resets have stopped."

"The wha-?" How'd he know that?

"The resets have stopped for some time now. Weeks, actually," Papyrus said. "Life is moving onward. We aren't stuck in a mountain, as you can see from the sky."

"Umm . . . what?" Sans closed both eye sockets and opened them again. "Uh?"

"Yes, they stopped. Some time ago. That's why nobody is staring at the sky. You defeated FRISK and several things happened, including the sky revealing itself." Papyrus patted his shoulder. "Good job."

Frisk? "You mean the kid? The resets stopped? The?" Sans felt himself get dizzy. "I-I did it? But, how I? Where's the kid? How come I don't remember?"

"Well, those are more things for later. Uh, I should let you know because that will eventually be dropped. I'm honestly surprised no one dropped it yesterday. You really must not have stayed very long anywhere." Papyrus looked toward him. "You have a wife and child."

"?!" Sans took several steps back. "Uhh . . . Papyrus? You okay? 'Cause uh . . ." He shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. She is staying with Toriel, and so is your son. But, you can visit him," Papyrus smiled. "As much as you want."

"Uh. Uh." Sans held his bony hands out in defense. "Papyrus, I think something's screwy with you. And, um, you know Tori?"

"Yes. She was at the wedding." Papyrus patted him on the shoulder. "Wedding? Remember, Sans?"

Okay. Resets may have stopped, but something was killing Papyrus' mind! Like he'd have a wife and son? "Um?" Sans gulped. "Maybe we need to take you to a healer?"

"Hmph." Papyrus yanked Sans' cellphone off of him and gave it right back. "Then take everyone else that ever gave you congrats. Go ahead! Investigate your own phone."

Sans started to check his messages. Congratulations. Lots of congratulations, and even sex tips. And even a weird conversation between him and Alphys and Undyne! Him?! "I had to have a kid?!"

"Oh. That's passed. Your last kid changed into a newborn," Papyrus said, "so there was no need."

"Buh?" Sans shook his head again. "Okay, hang on? My last kid turned into a newborn?" Sans put up his phone. "Okay, nuh uh, what's going on? How could we be free for just weeks, I have a wife and a kid, and-and!"

"Don't overwhelm yourself," Papyrus said. "It's just some facts. You can see him if you want to. Don't if you don't. Uh. You probably will never see your wife right now. She . . . it's, I guess she ran away like Queen Toriel did from King Asgore?"

"Okay . . ." Sans looked at his phone again. "Resets stopped weeks ago. I got married, had a kid, and she ran away? With the kid?" Still. Sounded. Weeeeiiiirrrdd. "Okay? What parallel world have a landed in?" He looked around. "Are parallels a thing? Did I somehow get out of a reset by landing in a parallel world?"

"If that is an easier way to handle it," Papyrus said. "Anyhow, I think that's enough for today."

"Um. Well, you could actually tell me which Monster I married?" Sans pointed out. "Might help? 'Cause I don't recognize this name on my phone. Who is Frisky?"

"Uh? We should really save that for another day?" Papyrus said. "That's um. That's a heavy one."

The next day . . .

"I need more than a couple," Sans said as he looked through the fridge. He shouldn't even be surprised there were a couple. Usually there were none in there, but he could believe hearing what he just heard that there were. He was surprised there wasn't even more. He closed the fridge and popped the can, drinking as fast as he could.

"Sans. You shouldn't drink that fast," Papyrus said. "Sans?"

Sans lowered the brewski from his mouth. "You just told me I married Frisk the human! The freaking human, and that my son is Frisk too! How am I supposed to be taking that, Pap?!"

"Well? That's why we saved it for the next day," Papyrus smiled. "You see, the kid you knew as FRISK was several people in one. Seven humans. The human that they all rode in was your son. You renamed him Chance, but he was Frisk. He was the Frisk you mostly talked to I think. Your wife was riding in him too."

" . . . do I have more in my room?" Sans asked, pointing back to his alcohol. "Please? Tell me I have more hiding?"

"It sounds bizarre. Riding souls. They aren't the same though, very different," Papyrus tried to explain. "They all got their bodies back in the end."

"Yeah. Great. So. Frisk is my kid, and my wife. Really?" Sans rubbed the front of his skull. "This is just . . . I can't even . . ."

"Just some facts. Just more facts," Papyrus said softly. "Like I said, they are safe and away with Queen Toriel. So. You don't need to worry about them at all. Life goes on, Brother."

The Next Day . . .

"Um. Are you ready for more?" Papyrus asked Sans.

Sans held up a six pack. "Fully stocked this time. Of course, I don't know how it can get worse than I am married and the husband and the father of Frisk here. But, just in case." He pulled off the first one. "I mean. It's great that I am free though. I am starting to feel better. And, it's great that you know everything I hid. I'm not alone with it anymore. But this?" He cracked his beer open. "It's a little harder to take."

"Yes. She did it for your happiness," Papyrus said.

"Who did what for my happiness?" Sans asked.

"Oh. Well, we'll get there." Papyrus sat down at the table. "So. Monsters are still alive, they were renamed Balancers, and are now part human, part Monster scientific combination things. Humans are pretty much enslaved to them, and we were all inside a giant ball that 'reset' when things went wrong. Since we are the only real Monsters left, the area that resetted was sort of like . . . a um." Papyrus scratched his cheekbone. "A natural preserve. We are free now though, and in a few short months, we'll be free to roam around as we please again anywhere we want to."

"Okay . . . a ball?" Sans took a sip. So far, nothing heart pounding. Surprising, but nothing that would make him manifest a heart to have a heart attack. "How's that work?"

"Um. Well, there are these human zombie things that catch our soul before it breaks, and then it dies when everything resets and the Monster souls come back." Papyrus smiled. "No Monster ever died. We were just trapped in a zombie human and then brought back later."

"Oh. Yeah. 'Cause that's ordinary."

"You . . . you still don't want to see Chance, do you?"

"Frisk? I want to really see Frisk as my son/wife/thing?" Sans asked. "Uh. No. Not yet. Let's save that for another crazy day. How many more reveals we got? Anything simple you can shoot me?"

"Chance is not that. It's not the thing that caused GENOCIDE. It." Papyrus sighed. "Oh, nevermind. Another day, perhaps."

Grillby's . . .

"Uh, hey." Sans greeted a friend as he sat down at Grillby's.

"Hey, Sans. Sorry to hear about your wife."

"Um. Yeah." Sans just sighed and stared ahead. Monsters said that a lot, and he never really knew what to say to it. Wrapping his head around everything was tough in itself. Marrying Frisk. Father to Frisk. It just sounded ludicrous.

"How is the new one doing?"

"I think it's fine," he said.

"And the other one?"

"What other one?"

"Well, the other one, Sans," he said patting his belly. "Your unborn one."

" . . . uh. Fine?" Sans picked up his phone and almost texted Papyrus.

"Texting Papyrus, huh?" A human sat down next to him. "I'll take a fry, Grillby. Thanks." He looked over toward Sans. "How are you doing, Sans?"

"Are you one of the other Frisks?" Sans questioned him. "I haven't met any of you yet, but I'm pretty Frisked out at this point."

"Me? Nah. Just another trapped human. Still, I can't complain," he smiled. "At least I survived. Name's Conner."

"Oh." Saved another human. "That's an easier thing to digest these days."

"Yeah. It's rough. You're not the only one," Conner said. "Hardly get along with you much, but now that Frisky's flat out disappeared, no reason to exactly avoid you."

"Why?" Sans asked. "What's she got to do with anything?"

"Oh. Well, Frisky had to marry you because of the whole son thing. Experimentation gone wrong. And, well, my Frisky obeyed. Thanks, Grillby," Conner said as he got his fry.

"Your Frisky?" Yikes.

"Well, yeah. I mean?" Conner shouldered him. "You don't think you'd really touch Frisky to give her another baby, did you?"

Oohh . . . double yikes. "Sorry about that, kid. Really. I don't understand half of what's going on."

"It's fine. Besides, in a few months, we'll all be freed," Conner reminded him. "I promise, I'll let you see your son as much as you want. And, I know Monster marriage is forever, but the world's changed outside of that. It's not forever anymore. So."

"Yeah, I get it," Sans nodded. "Marriage would be necessary if I wanted my um . . . my kid. But, yeah. Naw, really. I get it."

"Yeah. See, laws have changed so much too that the marriage ceremony here isn't even really valid. So, it wasn't like a huge deal." Conner shrugged. "Just getting through it. I guess Frisky just couldn't take much more though. I mean, you Monsters have some customs that are not easy for humans."

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about this," Sans said. "I get it. She's your girl. Take her back. I doubt I ever really wanted a Frisk, I just wanted to . . . I guess protect my kid." He looked toward Conner, grabbed his hand, and shook it. "No worries. You can take her and your kid back, but just a couple of things? Okay?" Sans moved away from his seat. "I don't know how I feel about my actual kid. I've never even met it yet. But, don't actually leave too far 'cause that wouldn't be right. And uh, get yourself married?" Sans gestured between them. "This stuff don't happen with marriage. Secure her."

"You're . . . you're giving me permission to marry Frisky?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, sure. New kid is yours. Whatever this experiment did or whatever, that's mine. Just, be good about mine. Okay?" Sans noticed Monsters looking at him around the bar. "What? Okay, I know it's not traditional, but what do you want from me? I obviously wanted my kid, not her. She has someone. What?" Getting tired of the judging eyes, Sans started to leave.

Sans and Papyrus' House . . .

"Do you got a picture of the Frisk part that was my wife?" Sans asked. "Kind of want to see what I forced into a marriage with me."

"I am glad you ask! Yes, she was very pretty, and very wonderful." Papyrus pulled out his phone. "And here she is in the wedding pictures!"

Sans looked. He didn't recognize her at all. She was pretty though. Still. "This was part of the kid I married."

"Um. Yes? She was very sweet. You liked her very much," Papyrus said. "She even risked her life to get back to you, so you wouldn't lose your son."

"Yeah. The other part of Frisk." Sans gestured to Papyrus in the picture. "That the kid you're holding? He's smaller."

"He got even smaller when he became a newborn?" Papyrus reminded him. "Do you want to see him today? You look like you are more curious?"

"Of course I am," Sans said as he headed out the door. "It's like the hot topic of Snowdin right now. The wife that erased her husband's memory. Yippee."

"Your son though, Sans?," Papyrus said softly. "Are you ready to see him?"

"Nope." Sans shook his head. "I'm off to work."

"You have a few minutes you could spare. You could see him briefly? It's not like he even talks," Papyrus said. "He's just a babybones still."

"He's a what?" Sans rolled his eyes. "You better be speaking metaphorically. He's not an actual? Oh great. Frisk turned Skeleton."

"You don't get it. You don't get it!" Papyrus shouted at him. "Just see him for a little while? Start to understand this, Sans. You're just listening to facts."

"I'll see it soon. Okay? I'm . . . trying?" Sans shoved his bony hands in his coat. "Look, Papyrus. Each day I find out a new bizarre twist. Then, I leave to try and go on like I haven't just heard that exact thing and it didn't freak me out. That's pretty good in my book, doncha think?" Sans scratched his skull. "Besides, my so-called wife ran away. So, what good is it doing besides filling in a few facts? Which is great. You know, I need to know my life. Appreciate it. But, I also can guess? Yeah?" Sans grabbed the door. "I don't know how, but I'd bet a Grillby Burger that the Frisk I married and that ran away is the one who blocked my memories? Right?"

"Oh." Papyrus rubbed his bony arms. "You figured that out?"

"So if she doesn't want me around, and she doesn't even want me to remember, then what do you want from me?" Sans headed out the door.

"But she does! Sort of! It's a partial mindwipe!" Papyrus shouted after him. "You can have everything back. You just have to try. You just have to want it."

"Oh. That'd explain it." Sans shrugged. "I don't want it."