There was a brief, brief moment in which you felt the entirety of the spear buried deep within your throat, choking on the blood that streamed from the gaping wound. It was also in that moment that you saw Sans change. His once friendly demeanor evaporated and he turned towards some unknown figure and began to attack them with a stream of red lasers.

It smelled like burnt fish.

And then your vision faded out entirely, your soul on the brink of entering whatever afterlife lay after this one. No matter how much you protested, how much you wanted to, your body refused to die. The scenery change to the moment only seconds before the attack.

"If you're hungry, I know a place or two," Sans repeated the phrase. You gave him a half-hearted smile, ears straining to catch any signs of your attacker.

There! A shift of gravel, the heavy breathing that was only feet behind you, aspects you would never have noticed in the first run through. On cue, you darted to the right, a glowing blue spear stabbing into the area you had been only milliseconds ago. It was only then that you could catch a full glimpse of your attacker.

She hovered at about five feet and a half above the ground, crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail. A maniacal sneer played her face, revealing two rows of spear-like teeth. She took on the appearance of a fish-woman, clad in black metal armor. Sans seemed just as taken aback as you, displaying his anger through a single, glowing red eye.

"Sans!" the fish woman snarled, pointing her spear angrily in your direction. You took a step backwards, determined to put as much distance between you and the spear as possible. "I heard rumors of you associating with a human, but this... this is a whole new kind of low."

She shook her head impatiently. "Your brother is the head of the Royal Guard! Do you know what this will do to this reputation? Mine?" She tossed the spear into her other hand. "Papyrus sent me to find you and end this... situation."

Sans said nothing a took a step towards Undyne, a murderous glint in his eyes. There seemed to be some sort of underlying knowledge, as if he was aware of events that had not happened, but yet had occurred. It suddenly occurred to you that Sans may have been part of the select individuals that remembered beyond the resets. He remembers Undyne killing me, you thought with a chill and closed your eyes as a harsh, red light filled the terrain of Waterfall.

A moment of silence passed before Sans turned away from what remained of Undyne. He said nothing and brushed past you, his eyes clouded with an unidentifiable emotion. There was a faint odor of seafood and you found your stomach protesting for food once more.

That night, you and Sans did not eat Undyne. However, Grillby had been more than thrilled to receive a donation. From that night and forward, fish and chips became one of the diner's best-selling items.

Sans had regained his joking attitude, engaging in conversations with multiple of the monsters throughout the diner. You smiled to yourself, relieved that he had partially regained his familiar personality.

You couldn't resist the temptation any longer. "Grillby," you waved the waiter down, feeling the enormous heat that rolled off him. "I'll have the fish and chips." A few minutes later, you were happily eating away at the meal. That's for stabbing me with a spear, you thought to yourself smugly.

After the monsters had begun to shuffle out from the diner, you felt Sans gently place his hand on the small of your back, leading you from your stool and towards an open area of the diner. You felt his bony hand intertwine with yours. A jukebox in the distance began to play. A part of you recognized the song that began softly at first and then gradually grew louder:

"He said, 'Oh Mary contrary, how does your garden grow? Come with me and you'll be the seventh maid in row.'

"My answer was laughter, soft as I lowered my head. 'You're too late, I'm afraid. The flower's already dead~'"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The two of you walked, hand in hand, through the desolate streets of Snowden. A sense of foreboding had settled across the town, perhaps the entire Underground even. You misjudged your footing and slipped on the snow, colliding with the cold ground.

Pain flared through your skull as the now-complete flower crown that encompassed your head brushed against the ground. It seemed that even the slightest contact was enough to trigger the avalanche of pain that ensued. You felt your grim mood deepen as Sans helped you up, making none of his witty puns or remarks.

"Are you okay?" he asked, brushing the snow off your cheeks with the tip of his thumb.

M-Maybe t-today I'll finally have the courage to do it.

"Yeah," you forced a smile and biting the tip of your tongue, forcing resurfacing memories to remain at bay. You felt his hand intertwined with yours and you half-walked, half-stumbled towards his house that lay on the border of Snowden and Waterfall.

For the last week, the two of you had remained in town, Sans watching helplessly as your condition continued to deteriorate. You had gone through three more fits of seizures and memory loss. Flowey popped in on occasion, greeting the two of you weakly before disappearing once more. He doesn't want to watch what's happened to the other humans, you thought to yourself as Sans slowly led you through the door.

A gust of wind ripped through the house, causing chills to rack up your spine. You felt pressure on your shoulders as he draped his jacket over you, careful to place it without disturbing any of the flowers. "T-Thanks," you murmured. Since when had it been so hard to force words from your mouth?

Sans ruffled your hair playfully, though his grim mood was evident even through your blindness. The front door opened and shut with a loud SLAM! You stiffened at the harsh sound, used to the gentle murmurs and You'll be fine's that this last week had brought.

You felt Papyrus brush past you and running up the stairs, making no comment on you or your condition. A mutual agreement between him and Sans had been formed. Though there was no confirmation that Sans had been the one to kill Undyne, a certain threatening aura had surrounded him, warning any reproachful monsters to keep their distance.

You felt Sans settle next to you, beginning to chug a bottle of mustard. You found yourself hating the silence, wishing for the friendly attitude that had existed only a week ago. Had it been only a week? It felt like years ago.

"I'm going to get something to eat," you whispered lightly. Sans only grunted in acknowledgement, half-asleep.

You found yourself not going to the kitchen, but up the stairs. Your shaking hand clasped around the brass doorknob that led to Sans' room. A sort of curiosity probed at you. What secrets did he have to hide?

You let your hand brush against the wall, slowly navigating past the heaps of trash that were scattered across ground. Your hand collided with a dresser and a small, metal object fell to the floor. You cursed underneath your breath and bent over, determined to find the small object. The smooth surface of the metal object brushed against your palm and you felt a sense of relief.

Your finger traced the outline. A key? you wondered and shoved it into your back pocket. A memory flashed through your mind - back when you still had your vision - of you walking past their house, a locked leading underground visible.

You felt drawn to it, but for what reason, you couldn't say.

Slowly, you retreated your steps through the living room and quietly out the door. You winced at the frigid climate but pushed yourself onwards. You sound your way to the back of their house.

I shouldn't even be out here. Perhaps it was just an illusion, a trick of the wind. Sans doesn't have anything to hide from me. He -

You felt the wooden surface of a doorway. You felt your heart pound in your chest as your fingers fumbled for the key and inserted it into the metal keyhole.

With a sigh, you pushed the doorway open.

And you saw.

_________________

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