When Sans arrived, Papyrus and Gaster were right next to Chora and Frisk. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Their previous joinings have flooded their memories in a different way,” Gaster said. “They have evened out, but not in the right way. Their minds are trying to retrieve all of their memories, one at a time. It refuses to retrieve in combination though.” He touched Frisk’s head.

“Where’s Pappy?” Frisk slurred. “My poor Pappy. He should be here right now, he likes being near our pups.” She turned to look toward Sans. “Oh, human Sans. Where is your human Frisk? Oh, Sans. You should at least wear something to show that you are King. It will make the citizens happier. I loved your new yellow jacket. What happened to that? Do you think you like the newest courter at all? Please, please!” She turned away. “I’m sorry for what another me did, but I would never hurt your world!”

“They are all separate,” Sans said sadly. Their minds weren’t joining their memories. “They can’t even remember different selves now?”

“Their minds are currently switching on and off,” Gaster insisted, “between memories. They are shifting through a hundred different memories every few minutes or so.”

“That’s no way to live,” Sans said. “That’s no way to live at all! Help them?”

Gaster sighed. “I have something that is experimental, but we already know we don’t like experimental,” he warned Sans. “Since some monsters would rather not have all three memories, I have been figuring out how to delete certain memories. I cannot select what is brought here, but I should be able to take away. I don’t know if it will have any other affect though.”

Oh. “Could she die from it?” Sans asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Gaster said. “However, it could roast all of her memories. She may be left with nothing.”

“Amanda too?” Papyrus asked.

“Yes,” Gaster told him. “Both of them. It’s experimental though, I can’t stress that enough.”

“I won’t let Frisk live this way just because it’s experimental,” Sans said.

“I agree,” Papyrus said, looking toward Amanda. “They can’t live this way. On and off memories, shifting through a hundred every few minutes.”

“Okay then. This process can’t just find a dimension and delete it,” Gaster said. “Nature didn’t label the dimensions, Maritime Sans did. What I need . . . is a keyword to find in the memories. If it doesn’t strike, it deletes.”

A keyword?

“It should be unique. The more unique to a certain dimension, the easier,” Gaster said. “A certain word or phrase that will excite the memory.”

Wait. “Ladykid,” Sans tried. “Can you try Ladykid?”

“Well, I know that exists in at least one dimension,” Gaster chuckled at Sans. “Papyrus?”

“I . . .” Papyrus scratched the back of his skull. “I don’t know. A keyword? To just one Amanda?”

“You want Amanda as she’d been?” Sans asked. “Fun level 74?”

“Yes. I can work with that. Do you know a keyword, Sans?”

Sans stretched slightly, then rolled his shoulders. “Kendrick.”

“Kendrick?” Papyrus asked. “Who was he?”

The boyfriend who fucked Cindy, but Sans wasn’t going to tell Papyrus that! “Just something. Just try Kendrick, Gaster.”

“Okay. Kendrick and Ladykid,” Gaster said. “Now I warn you, if these words bring no excitement to any memory, it will all be roasted. And Sans? I believe you called Frisk Ladykid in more than one dimension.”

Did he? “Well.” Hm. “Caleb?”

“The name Caleb might have been in other dimensions too,” Gaster said to Sans. “He was the other part of Maritime Sans. The better half.”

“ . . . you shittin’ me?” Sans neckbones popped as he extended them forward toward Gaster. “Caleb Hunter was my frickin’ nephew?!”

“Yes. It’s weird. I believe we’ve gone through this before.”

“Not with this memory!” Sans complained.

“Does it even matter, he’s gone now.” Papyrus held no hint of playfulness in his voice. “He was only half anyway.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry,” Sans corrected himself. “I remember your little monster, Papyrus. He was just . . . starting to walk around and talk.” Eight year old little monster. Too bad.

“Yes. Well. His brothers only wanted to help,” Papyrus said. “If he had not been there, we still never would have known enough to get to where we are now.” He rubbed his neckbone. “Anyhow. What then as a keyword? Shortensweet?”

“Many dimensions and events overlap with each other,” Gaster pointed out. “We were still the same deep down, and so repeatability is common. There must be something else. Something unique to one Frisk.”

“Abe,” Sans pointed out. “Him, right? I mean, there was only one Abe?”

“I’d have to look that up. There were a hundred worlds. He might have existed in more. Same mother, same father, it’s possible,” Gaster said. “If that’s the best we have, I will have to examine the data when he first came, although it is very compromised as that was when Frisk and her little monsters should have been brought over too.”

Nah. Then how about? “Krisp E. Cream?”

“ . . . that rings a little bell?” Gaster said. “I don’t quite remember that though.”

“Papyrus kitty,” Sans said. “I doubt any memories would recognize it except a couple. One should hold the most attachment to it.”

“One would expect to.”

Whoah. Sans looked toward the door.

The former King Asgore.

“Sans.” He came into the room, along with Toriel by his side.

By his side? Sans looked toward Gaster. It looked like he had played it safe and called them up before he even told them the options. “Uh. Hey, Majesty?”

“I am no longer king,” Asgore said to him. “I am simply Asgore. My son now rules, and in a fitting manner I am most proud of.” He and Toriel moved to the side as Asriel came into the room.

“We were supposed to see them up ahead as you went to your new planets,” King Asriel sighed. “Of course, things never go as planned with you two. So, where’s my sisterly sisters?” He moved toward each of them on the table. “Not so smooth?”

“We’ll get there,” Sans said. “I won’t put Frisk in jeopardy, promise, King Asriel.” Sans looked toward Asgore and Toriel. Strange. Queen Toriel was close to him, like she had once been on Fun level 66. The dimension where Asriel had never been born, and the human had never came down. Where he had no Frisk.

“I’m afraid all I remember of Frisk is seeing her as a very young thing, being given away to some nice new humans to raise by Alphys and Gaster,” Toriel admitted. “Asriel has fond memories of her.”

Great. It was nice to hear. Nice to see everyone doing well, but Sans wasn’t in much of a mood to yack away. “Great, great. Say, we’re kind of in the middle of something important here. You know, brain roasting important and I’m just . . .”

“We can socialize later,” Papyrus said for him. “Gaster needs to help them first.”

“Well? How dangerous is it?” King Asriel asked Gaster.

“Never been tested before. Highly experimental.”

“Oh. Well then, no,” King Asriel said.

What?! “You don’t understand,” Sans tried to explain.

“Smiley Idiot, no way. Highly experimental and never been tested? No way! On Frisk and Amanda? No!”

“He is King Asriel,” Asgore said with a strange smile on his face.

“They remember everything, but their memories stay separate,” Papyrus said as he bowed to the king. “King Asriel, I beg of you! Their life will be fractured and they won’t be able to live with everything inside them like this! Please, please!”

“Death isn’t an option, it won’t happen,” Sans said. “Scientifically, the worst thing that could happen is she forgets all memories. It’d be like starting all over,” he admitted. “But she can’t live like this either. A different person every few seconds.”

King Asriel hunched over each of them thinking. “How long can they process the memory they have?”

“Every few seconds. That’s it,” Sans said. “That’s not a life, King Asriel.”

“I know that I screwed up when I created the ‘restart cycle’,” Gaster said to the king. “King Asriel, I know I messed up on many things. I am not perfect. But, I know that it has a high probability of working, and no death will be witnessed by it. Clearly a deletion of memories. I recommend Amanda for it. She will be fine.”

“What do you mean just Amanda?” Sans asked.

“For the best chances, at first. To see,” Gaster said. “Sans, Frisk has some other dilemmas that I really should not get into right now. Majesty, Amanda would be fine.”

“You would risk it?” King Asriel asked Papyrus. “Really?”

“Yes, I would,” Papyrus said. “I can’t let her live life like this. It’s not right. I’m sure Amanda would rather be gone, then be a hundred different people every few minutes for the rest of her life! Please?”

King Asriel groaned and looked back toward his sisters. “ . . . fine. I grant permission for Amanda,” he said reluctantly.

——————————

Sans watched as Amanda snapped out of it. With Gaster’s treatment, she seemed fine again.

Papyrus held her tightly. “Amanda! I am glad the word Kendrick worked. I should have to meet this friend of yours someday!”

“Oh. We’re not friends,” she admitted. “Okay. Down, weirdo. Leggo!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Papyrus let go. “I will not do anything unforeseen-”

“That was pretty unforeseen!” Amanda complained. “What happened? Hey, where’s my little monsters? I didn’t dream that up, did I?” She looked on the other side of her at Frisk. “Why’s Frisk right there? What’s going on?”

As Papyrus talked to Amanda, Gaster finally talked to Sans and King Asriel in private.

“I know that living this way, is no way to live,” Gaster said to each of them. “However, Frisk has two risks Amanda did not have. Risk one is her own little souls inside of her. They have been through birth once as individuals, again as one complete, and now as individuals again. I do not recommend putting any more strain on their little souls.”

“Okay.” Sans could see that. Those twins went through a lot it sounded like. A lot more than he knew.

“I see,” King Asriel said. “That’s a downer. What’s the other risk?”

“Frisk has been continually building herself together over time, and it spilled out determination almost everyday,” Gaster said. “Now, since our souls move along with our memories, I would say there must be some kind of connection. There is little doubt that some of Frisk’s memories were lost due to the leaking of determination. She may . . . only be bits and pieces of memories fragmented together. It’s hard to tell for sure, and it’s too impossible to talk to her for long.”

“Frisk . . . Frisk wouldn’t want to go on like this,” Sans said again. Firmly. “What she’s going through, it isn’t life. She can’t be whole when she’s split in bits like that.”

“I do agree,” King Asriel said. “Risks or not, no one deserves to live that way.”

“She’d want it,” Amanda said as she looked toward her old friend. Sparks of recognition came and went from her. “She’d take the risk.”

“The little ones. Surgery. We gotta watch carefully.” Sans barely wanted to speak about it, but they couldn’t be in that risk.

“I know,” Gaster said. “There are plenty of skeletons who can help if things go wrong. If we cause her to go into labor, they will be a little younger. They would need longer before they can come out from beneath the magic.”

“Yeah. I know. Do what ya gotta do.”

————————

Papyrus tried to keep his confidence up at first, but as more time passed by, it was getting harder to stay confident.

Finally, Gaster came and retrieved them. “I’m afraid . . . they are born.”

Sans looked toward the ground. They would need even more care now, but what about Frisk? “My Frisk?”

“She's been better,” Gaster said. “She hasn’t snapped out of it yet. It’s done, but she’s not responding much. She seems to hear a little bit, but she doesn’t know how to respond. You can come see her.”

———-————

Please wake up, Ladykid. Amanda’s okay. Just you. I just need you now.

“Sans?” Toriel sat beside him. “Are you okay? Nothing yet?”

“No,” Sans said. “Memories are a funny thing I guess.” He looked toward Toriel. “Memories must be real funny. Didn’t think I’d see ya so close to Asgore again.”

“Kings have rules. Different ways to have to act. Different rules to make sure a kingdom doesn’t create mutiny against them,” Toriel said. “In every dimension, Frisk and Chora came down as lovely little children. Except one. I . . . I continued to spend much time with Asgore there.”

Yeah. But it seemed like Toriel would never forgive Asgore. “Yeah. You remember Fun level 66, huh?”

“We were quite happy for so many years,” Toriel said. “I didn’t know how I could choose someone so wrong. But. I didn’t.” She looked toward him. “As King, he couldn’t look weak to anyone, but when he finally accepted Asriel as king, he could tell me the truth about the little humans.”

“Truth about the humans?” Sans asked.

“They were sick. I mean, I don’t know why I could never see it,” Toriel confessed. “Freezing temperatures. No food. Lava. These were not things normal humans could easily survive without shelter and help. Let alone little children. Asgore collected them and just waited for them to pass on. He never killed any of them. Their bodies were too delicate to survive. They couldn’t even see or talk with all the magic weight down here.”

“Huh. Well, I’ll be.”

“It doesn’t mean that I can forget . . . but, I . . . well, it doesn’t leave us exactly as enemies anymore,” Toriel said. “I don’t know what it leaves us as.”

Sans shrugged. “I must have been a lousy king. There’s no way I could follow all those rules.” He looked toward Frisk. Still asleep.

“I once thought of her as a daughter, right?” Toriel asked him. “I was told about that time. That must have been awkward.”

No kidding. “Been easier,” Sans said. He didn’t really want to dwell on the past though. Just the present. Just Frisk waking up.

“Are you sure one of her memories will recognize it?” Toriel asked him gently. “Perhaps, it just wasn’t strong enough of a word.”

“Nah, her cat and dog meant the world to her,” he said. “She just . . . hasn’t woken up.” Gaster warned him that the whole Frisk, right before it joined with it’s final two parts, was leaking determination. There was a possible chance that the memories he shared with Frisk. What made Frisk. Might be . . . compromised. Leaked out. Gone forever mixed with determination in a trash somewhere.

It was a scary thought, one he didn’t want to think of. His train of thought was now off the rails, but he was getting worried. “Frisk loved pets. She was even a veterinarian. I guess, I better get her a couple of those again. They kept her happy when things got tough.” Wait a second. “Do you think you could get me a cat or a dog?”

“Oh, I could get something!” Toriel said excitedly. “Why?”

“Cause. A cat stole her soul before. Maybe another one could bring that spark back?”

———-

rowr.

Distant. Frisk heard something in the distance.

mrow.

Impossible. It couldn’t be. Why would a cat be there? Frisk looked around. She felt herself waning, trying to be strong. Trying to remember who she used to be. I am . . . I am . . . a . . . a queen. A princess. Oh, I might as well be a pirate if I think that. I’m a . . . what? A handmaiden? No. A housemaid? No! Who am I?

Mrrrroooowwrr

Why do I keep hearing a kitty?

Come on, Frisk. Come back to me?

Who is that? I know that voice. He’s a . . an enemy. A fighter? No, a nightmare. No, no he sounds too kind for a nightmare. He sounds nice. Familiar. Fun. Fine.

“I gotcha a kitty again. See? Wake up and you can name this thing. Name our twins too. Remember them?”

Twins. Kitties. Hmm. Dogs. Frisk winced. Dogs. I was a dog once. Bonnie. I was a dog. Krisp E. Cream? Why does that keep invading my mind? Krisp E. Cream. It was a kitty. A kitty of mine? But not as a dog.

Mrroowwrr

“Come on. What is Frisk Sans a kitty?”

“That was the lamest joke yet.”

“I don’t care. I’m trying!”

Sans a kitty. Without a kitty. Why would he say Sans? What is Sans? So familiar. Court Jester to a princess? No, Translator. No, friend. No.

“When an individual doesn’t know the step to take, looking at the smallest things and hoping they make a difference is the best step that one can take. Frisk loves animals, so it makes sense that Sans believes it might help.”

Abe? How’d she know that name? And why did she associate it with garlic? Why did she now taste garlic in her mouth?

“Come on, honey, snap out of it. You have your whole family here, waiting for you.”

“That is right. All of us. And I am even . . . being good about the whole taking over my body thing.”

For at least ten different perks. Why did she think that? What taking over a body?

Mrowr.

I just don’t understand. Where are these words coming from? Where are these thoughts coming from? Who am I? Where am I?

Mrowr.

////"They started with my hand, holding it in place, and telling me that if I lifted it from wherever they put it, I couldn't put it back there again. I figured that was a trick for later, so I left it there.”////

I remembered something. Something about me. I was talking. About a trick?

////"I viewed the place I worked at, overlooking a cat I'd seen several times getting it's check up. They showed me cameras at stoplights. They showed me cameras in my own home. They showed me . . . everywhere. They were watching me everywhere. And when they finished." She held up her scarred hand. "To pass the test, I just needed to say which one had no dominating trait. That was fairly easy, I knew it was the cat. I took time to think and rethink about it, believing it to be a trick. But, I just said, Cat."////

I was talking to someone. I was explaining something to someone. Who?

////"Kay. Was it the cat?"////

That voice. The one who responded, I just heard him. He was the familiar nice nightmare voice. I know it’s him.

////"They held a remote up to me and said it controlled the stoplights. An extremely large vehicle was right on the other side of the small car. They laughed and said the driver's name was Catherine, Cat for short. The cat's name was Lucky. If I had looked closer, I would have . . ." She shook her head. "They said my DETERMINATION would kill a mother of three, and I felt-" 

"If you had said Lucky, then they would have said they were looking for the creature's race," Sans interrupted her. "Not your fault. Unwinnable. That's why they had to let you pass it." 

Frisk tucked herself in deeper. "That's not it. They tied a blindfold around my eyes, and moved my hand into a box. They said that now if I clicked the button on the inside left of the box, I would pass the test and they wouldn't change the stoplights. I hit the button on the side, and my hand got smashed. I figured they would do something." Frisk just closed her eyes. "But as I pushed that button, I had grazed something soft." 

" . . . the cat." 

"Manipulation. They laughed and said I just killed the cat. That rules for the ambassador stated they couldn't kill anyone or anything. Only I could kill someone. If I hadn't pushed that button, nothing could have happened. They said that button could have even had a remote for the lights. If they had done that, I could have killed her. I had no way of knowing anything, and . . . and just . . . seeing my hand covered with . . . broke, I just broke."////

Broke. Is that why I don’t remember who I am? Am I broken? Am I to blame for my own situation?

////"Another risk I forget to mention? There's no way your covers will . . ." A stout skeleton watched catsup from her hamburger fall onto her blankets. She was so hungry she didn't care. "Hey ladykid, you can't blame me for that one." 

"Ladykid?" She said with her mouth full. She tried to swallow. "What happened to lady?" 

"That don't fit either. Ladykid works better." Sans took his first solid bite, but added his own catsup bottle between his bites instead of just the catsup on the burger.  

"I'm 26." 

"Which is why you're a ladykid," he said with his mouth full. "You're not really a lady, you're just the kid that got bigger."  

"Am not." 

"Yuh huh." 

"I am so a lady." She tried to cover her mouth, which was full again. "Kind of." 

"Oh yeah? Can you get me some water, lady?" Water had just been on the nightstand. Frisk moved out to get it, but Sans slipped a whoopee cushion where she sat at. She came back to the bed with the water, grabbed her burger, and farted. And laughed with Sans. "See? Ladykid." 

Frisk reached under her and pulled out the whoopie cushion. "Cheating. I didn't fart."  

"Naw, but you laughed," Sans winked at her. "Familiar little snort you used the first time I met ya. So, ladykid."////

——————

“Ladykid . . . Ladykid,” she groaned. “Sans.”

“Yes, Sans. Yep, that’s me!” She felt someone holding her hand. Someone with a smooth, bony hand himself. “Good Ol’ Sans.”

“Sans?” She opened her eyes and looked at him. In front of him, was a bright skeleton with the happiest and widest light guiders she’d seen. His teeth actually seemed to curl up. Only one monster looked like that. “Sans.”

“Frisk.” She watched him hold her hand back. “How you feeling?”

“Together.” Frisk took a deep breath. “Where is everyone?” She stared at the little calico kitten on her stomach. “Hi there. Where’d you come from?” She lifted it up.

“Dad thought it’d help.” Night came into the room. “You alright, Mom?”

“Yes, Night.” Frisk looked toward her teen son. “I’m fine.”

“You know Night?” Sans asked her. “You remember the others we had?”

“Hey, at least someone remembered us,” Morning said as she poked her head into the door.

“Guess you remember them. That’s good then,” Sans said. Yet, he sounded a little sad. “You’re doing okay though?”

“Hm?” Frisk nodded. “Yes. I promise, I’m okay.”

“Good. Um. I bet you want to see our new ones,” Sans said. “We had new ones. Thought you might want to know that.” He tried to help her up, but as she stepped out, more monsters and people flooded the room, checking her vitals and condition. Sans must have had her under A class treatment. When everyone had their fill, Sans led Frisk to the nursery.

More than just theirs were under the magic shelter there. Frisk walked through the magic barrier with her family to see her little ones again. She picked up Night tenderly. “Sans, we’re going to have to name at least her differently. She can’t have Night’s name.”

Sans gestured to the name Night that was on the small plastic area in front of the bedding. “With as much traffic as this place gets, I doubt name changing right now would make them happy.”

“No. I think we should rename both of them,” Frisk said gently. “Sunny and Sky.”

“Huh. That’s kinda okay,” Sans admitted. “Where’d you come up with that?”

“Just . . . there.” Frisk held her daughter up a little higher. “Do you like that, Sky? To monsters, there was nothing more precious than a view of the sky.”

Sans watched Frisk’s interactions. She was definitely the cute little dog from next door. Pappy’s Frisk. Although, now it was his Frisk. Which was good. Frisk was okay, and they even had a relationship, a long relationship beforehand that she remembered. Still.

It would have been nicer if the memory that had stuck was the one he remembered. Nah, I better not go there. We are who we are, whatever we remember. “Say you kids of mine I don’t remember, be careful when you get near Sunny and Sky.”

“I know, dad,” Morning said as she looked over toward Sunny. “Who’s a big boy? Who is it, who’s a big boy?”

Night came over to look at Sunny. “Me. He’s a shrimp.” Morning shoved her brother in the shoulder.

“Be nice you two,” Frisk warned them casually, like she did it every day of her life. “Sans? How much longer do they need to be here?”

“A couple weeks, but we can take them home whenever you’re ready,” Sans said to her. “Papyrus and Gaster are near each other, right now here. Might change in the future, but there’s a place not too far from them. Not the greatest, but not the worst. Besides.” He shrugged. “All kinds of animals are coming through too. They are a little trickier though.”

“Does this planet need a vet?”

“Um.” She didn’t. Did she? He was hoping that he could stir an old thought with the sentiment. That did happen sometimes there Alphys had said. But.Did she? “Could . . . could you repeat that?”

Frisk looked straight toward him. “The planet? Does it need a vet? Like me?”

Bingo. My Ladykid?!

She got both sets of memories! “Yep. Security too. They also need basic greeters.” Sans voice had picked up pace. “You know, someone who gets to help explain the whole pamphlet thing. 700 billion people overall coming, only a limited amount of help.” Sans winked at her. “We’re pretty set up in our jobs for awhile! Gaster only allows so many over at a time.” Talking business while all he wanted to do was hug his Frisk. Talk about hard.

“Oh no, I’m off my senses.” Frisk looked toward Morning. “I heard it. Do you have it?”

“Have what?” Morning asked.

“Oh.” Frisk looked toward Night. “Do you have it?”

“You mean the little furball that was on your tummy?” Night reached in his pocket and pulled it out. “You know we do. That’s why we were born. To be luggage carriers.” He looked toward Sans. “Well, not even that, huh?"

That was a joke Sans used, huh? “Sorry, Kiddo. You’re going to have to start all over with Ol’ Sans. But hey, monster’s live a pretty dang long time, so don’t worry about it.” He took the kitten from Night. “Just got one more to name.”

“But a cat?” Morning asked Sans. “I thought that was Uncle Papyrus’ thing?”

“Eh. Animals might be your mom’s kinda thing too now.” Sans winked at Frisk.

——————————

Original Dimension: Frisk’s New Home

“So. Maritime Sans was part that skeleton and part Caleb,” Frisk said as she stared out into the night sky. “Strange. I was related to Doctor Sans.”

“Doctor Who?” Sans asked.

Frisk chuckled. “Doctor Sans. Caleb. And the human that tried to abduct me from you the first time.” She looked toward him with a smirk while he looked at her cluelessly with his light guiders. “Nevermind, Sans.”

Sans only had the memories of three world’s, while Frisk had more. She remembered being Queen. She remembered being an actual Princess trapped Underground. She remembered being a dog. She remembered Krisp E. Cream and Pappy. She remembered being Sans’ housemaid after his divorce.

She remembered how she used to have nightmares about the skeleton she ended up loving. However, she remembered parts. Her life memories. They weren’t segmented into different feelings of ‘restart’. Many parts to her were lost. Every day of her life she had a memory, but of what world glued itself in there, it could be any of them.

She remembered Sans accidentally almost killing her and then helping her with the Reckoning, Sans going in for the tests, and then her memories changed into being brought to Pappy by Sans in a kennel. She remembered their first few years together with their pups, Night and Morning.

Then, by the time Morning was six, those memories changed into remembering being Queen for a little while with Sans. It was only a couple years of memories, before she was a slave and purchased by Sans.

But through it all, she knew her Sans. She knew her family.

Amanda ended up with only one set of memories in her mind, but Papyrus shared the memories. All of them.

Sans only shared the Reckoning memories with her. The result of a few weeks at most.

When she tried to ask him about his other worlds, he didn’t want to dwell on them long. She wanted to know more about what he remembered that she couldn’t. But, Sans didn’t want to dwell on it. “Sky is pretty.”

“Sure is,” Sans answered. “The literal sky and our little monster. It’s all better than the days spent remembering the hell that happened.”

“I never went through that,” Frisk said. “I’m sorry.” The one thing everyone else did.

“Oh yeah. I forgot, stupid me. Nevermind.”

There he went again. “You could share it though?” Frisk asked.

“Nah.” Sans shoved his bony hands in his pockets. “Nothing you gotta know.”

“Are you sure?” Frisk asked him one more time. “Please?”

“It’s just words, Frisk, even I did tell ya,” Sans said. Frisk looked back up, but he could see tears shining in her eyes. “Don’t cry, Ladykid. It’s okay.”

“But, if I just, if I could have held my determination . . .” She made her hand into a fist and hit it on the balcony as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I just let my owners take it and throw it away. I was throwing away me. I was throwing away . . .”

“Don’t start that, Frisk,” Sans said. “Not this thing again. I don’t know what you mean by losing determination and throwing it away. I don’t want to know. It doesn’t matter now.”

“But it does!” Frisk said. “It does. Everyone else gets three full memories of their lives. Full. Me? I get nothing but a bunch of mixed up memories, and the only ones that we share together is a few weeks. Weeks!” She looked back up and rubbed her eyes. “Just one stupid Reckoning thing.”

“At least you remember the kids,” Sans said, trying to make her feel better. “I don’t. You share years of their early childhood with them. That’s something.”

“But, I . . . we went through so much,” Frisk said. “So, so much. And all I get to share with you is . . . the Reckoning.”

“Life’s unfair. But hey, it’s life,” Sans said. “Better than being dead. Better than not remembering me at all.”

“But I could have had so much more . . . if I didn’t lose my memories with my determination. It’s not right. I was bleeding my life away.”

“Well. I don’t know about all that, but it’s fine.” Sans shrugged. “Sharing even one memory of a day with you is all I need, Frisk.”

Silly Humans. Sans watched Frisk sigh as she headed back toward Sunny who started to cry out for her. Sans felt glad enough to know he shared some memories with Frisk. Even though it was just the Reckoning.

Him accidentally almost killing her.

Switching Monster for humanity and spending days in bed.

Going back for the test with Sans, her being trapped under with Amanda and that was it. That was the end. Just . . . The Reckoning.

But.

What really mattered was just having his family back, and the ability to make new memories together. Besides, even though it was just weeks that they could talk about together. Share together. Remember together. They were good weeks.

The best weeks.

The weeks that began a tough journey on them just because a human lost part of her soul to a cat. The weeks he was starting to fall for his Frisk.

The weeks of his cute little vet friend with her dog and cat.

The weeks of abrupt fast food Frisk had to eat. Heh, that’s right.

And if he only got a few weeks to share a memory of, then in all his thousands of years, those would be the weeks he’d choose.

The weeks he discovered his Ladykid.

THE END