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Chapter Text

On a Thursday night, a thought had entered his mind, as he watched a young lady enter her home.

He was curious of how normal humans and monsters lived, so he would watch them from the shadows so that they wouldn't die of fright from seeing him. His black hood stood draped over his skull, as his black cloak gently rustled in the cool breeze that passed by. The place he was hidden this time was on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves and pink buds that were nearly ready to bloom.

As he sat on the tree branch that was part of a tree just outside of this particular young lady's home, he kept his white pupils and dark eyes fixed on her. For six months he kept his eye-sockets out for this particular lady, and he became more entranced and interested in her each week that passed.

Her hair was as black as a raven's feathers, besides a quarter up from the ends which was midnight blue. She wore her hair in a low ponytail with a blue ribbon, while her bangs laid freely just above her royal purple eyes. Her skin was tan color, and she had one white fang just over her right bottom lip from under the top one. The clothes she wore was a royal purple scarf around her neck that was translucent on the ends, a thin black jacket with silver zipper pockets, boot-cut blue jeans, and black boots with silver zippers on the sides and tied laces that were tucked into the boots. She held an emerald green backpack in her arms, as she grabbed her keys from within the bag and opened her front door.

Upon entering her home, the young lady signed as she closed the front door and locked it. She threw her backpack on her living room couch, and proceeded straight towards her room.

Her house was small with a front yard and backyard, but it wasn't so small. The front door led to the living room, where a blue couch stood on the right wall and a television on the left with shelves under it that had cable, a DVD player, and various video game consoles. The next room on the right of the television was the kitchen with an island in the center and other essentials of a kitchen. The room that was on the opposite side of the front door was a small hall that had a staircase on the right wall that led up to the bedroom, and a backdoor that led to the backyard, which was always locked and blocked by a large bookcase with a various assortment of books. A bathroom was on the left side, and there was another bathroom for the bedroom.

The lady entered her bedroom and took a quick shower. Afterward, she put on her pajamas, which was a black t-shirt with a white thunderbolt on the center of it, and black long pants with fuzzy white slippers that she took off when she was in bed.

Her bedroom, unlike the rest of the house that had white walls and wooden polished floors, had blue-colored walls and light blue carpeting. A window with a purple curtain stood on the same side where the front door was a floor below, and the bed with a blue and white flower patterned blanket stood on the wall adjacent to the window with the headboard resting on the wall. A few cabinets that stood two feet tall were on the walls opposite of the bed with a closet on right side of it, and the bathroom was opposite to the closet.

The lady plugged her phone into a charger that stood on a wooden lamp-stand next to her bed. She turned off the green shade and black body lamp, as she checked her phone once more before going to sleep.

Message 1: Marisol

"Hey Curtain. Tomorrow we're going to hangout at that food market and then head to the mall to annoy Joseph's customers. Are you in?"

The young lady, known as Curtain, snickered as she wrote a message back to her friend.

Message 2: Curtain

"Alright. I'll see ya guys tomorrow. I'm going to sleep.

Message 3: Marisol

"Okay. Goodnight sis.

Message 4: Curtain

"Night sis."

Although the two weren't actual sisters, they grew up together like siblings since their parents were best friends, so they do refer to each other as 'sis' or 'sister.' Curtain is older, so she would be the older 'sister.'

Curtain turned off her phone and tucked herself in to go to sleep.

Outside on the tree, he looked towards her window as he saw that the light that was dimly lit on the curtains turned dark, meaning that Curtain was going to sleep. He reached under his cloak into his inner black shirt pocket, as he took out a black cellphone. Checking the time to be nine o'clock, he snickered and thought,

'She's sleeping earlier than usual today. She must be bone -tired. Heh.'

His cellphone vibrated, as a message popped up from his younger brother.

Message 1: Papyrus

"Sans! Where are you?! I need your help with sharpening my scythe!"

He, known as Sans, chuckled a little, and replied to his younger brother's message.

Message 2: Sans

"I'm on my way now. I lost scythe of time."

Message 3: Papyrus

"Sans that pun doesn't even make sense!"

Message 4: Sans

"I think you mean, make scythe."

Message 5: Papyrus

"SANS! Just come here!"

Message 6: Sans

"Alright, alright. I'm on my way. I killed enough time already."

Message 7: Papyrus

"AAAHHHH!"

Sans chuckled, as he held his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud. Then he put his phone away, as he looked towards Curtain's window once more. He picked up his black-handed and silver-bladed scythe, which was leaning on the tree bark.

'I'll be back soon Curtain. I just need a way to keep you safe without any accidents… or maybe…' Sans thought, as his smile widened a bit.

After a moment to breathe in the fresh air, uncertain of how he could truly breathe it in since he is a skeleton but not questioning it further, Sans took a shortcut back to his home.

'I'll make a way to keep her… forever.'

Chapter Text

Sunday afternoon

Curtain was heading home after going on a walk with Marisol, and their other friend Caroline. Since Caroline was going to leave on a trip for a couple of weeks, Curtain and Marisol wanted to take some time to hang out with her before she left. When it was time for Caroline to go, she headed back to her home and took her car to leave. Marisol and Curtain said their goodbyes, and then they parted ways to their houses since they didn't live too far from one another. They lived in a suburb-like neighbor that was a bridge-drive away from the city, and a walk away from a large park nearby that had lots of trees and land with various assortments of plants.

Curtain returned home that afternoon, and cooked herself some dinner. Afterward, she decided to go into her room while taking a book from her bookcase and taking her backpack with her, since she brought it along when she hung out with Marisol and Caroline. She opened the book, which had to do with plant identification, and then she took out a flower from her backpack. It was a white rose with little yellow diamond shapes on the bottom of the petals.

(While she was with Caroline and Marisol in a park in the city, the two were talking while Curtain heard a voice from behind her. She turned to see a normal tree, but then she heard a female voice say to take the rose behind the tree. Curiosity made Curtain check behind the tree, while suspicious intuition made Curtain cautious. Yet, low and behold, a white rose with little yellow diamonds on the bottom of the petals stood growing behind the tree. Curtain looked at the rose with amazement, since it appeared to be glowing. Then she heard the female voice say to take the rose and to eat one petal. Although Curtain was indeed suspicious of this, she decided to take the mysterious rose anyway, since the voice sounded sincere.)

In her house, Curtain was looking up in her book and online with her laptop any information about this rose, but she found nothing. After taking a moment to think about it, Curtain decided to take a petal and eat it. It tasted sweet, and it seemed to melt away and disappear in her mouth like cotton candy.

Although she was surprised by this, Curtain yawned, as she looked at the time to see that it was thirty minutes past ten o'clock. Curtain placed the rose on top of her book as she placed both of them under her bed, and then she turned off her phone and laptop and put them on her lamp-stand. She switched into her pajamas from before, which she cleaned by this time, and tucked herself in to sleep.

Midnight

Sans returned to the same tree he was hiding in for three days, since no one noticed him there besides a cat which lost one of it's lives when it saw him. He was carrying his scythe, although he held it horizontally with the blade pointing towards the ground. He looked towards Curtain's window and saw that the light was off. He brought something out from his pocket to make sure that he had it, and then he tucked it away, as a dark smile made it's way onto his face.

'Alright. It's time,' Sans thought, and he took a shortcut into Curtain's room.

He quietly teleported into her room, as he stood in front of the window. His eyes quickly scanned the room, and then they rested on Curtain. Sans seemingly glided across the room next to Curtain's bed. Curtain's hair wasn't in a ponytail, and it covered over the top of her pillow, as she slept peacefully on her back. Sans took a moment to look at her face, as he took a slow breath in and out. He sat on the side of her bed, as he took the something, which was a necklace, out from his pocket. He fitted it around his neck, while his scythe stood floating in mid-air, as he hid the heart-shaped glass and golden-bordered locket necklace under his shirt. Then he grabbed his scythe with one hand, as he turned back to Curtain and leaned his face closer to her own.

'It's time to go, Curtain,' Sans thought, as he leaned closer to her while his eyes slowly closed.

He rested his teeth gently on her lips, since that's his way of giving a kiss and he never actually kissed someone before, as he waited for her heart to stop beating.

(Although she tried her best to sleep, Curtain was having a hard time since her stomach felt like it was burning, and she kept hearing the same female voice in her head giving her new information each time she spoke. Then, when the burning and the voice stopped, Curtain was able to relax while laying in bed.

'That flower must be waging war with my stomach, and that voice seems to have speed dial to my head now,' Curtain thought, as she was slowly drifting to sleep.)

A gentle pressure on her lips awoken her, as Curtain picked up her hand to move whatever was on her lips while she opened her eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise to see someone there, as her hand brushed his shoulder, which showed her that he was real. Curtain took her other hand and placed it on his forehead, as Sans opened his eyes in surprise to see that she was awake. With a great amount of strength, Curtain pushed Sans away from her lips and onto the floor, as he landed on his back. She stood up from her bed and looked at the skeleton reaper, as her eyes narrowed. Sans sat up as he rubbed the back of his skull, while moving his hood off of his head. He looked up at Curtain with widened eye-sockets, as Curtain looked at him in confusion. After a momentary stare down, both Curtain and Sans started talking.

Curtain- "What…?"

Sans- "How…?"

Curtain- "You’re a… skeleton… Is there a closet in this house I don't know about?"

Sans- "How are you…?"

Curtain- "What in the wor- What are you doing in my room?! Who are you?!"

Sans- "How are you still alive?"

Curtain stood quiet for a moment when Sans asked his question, as she examined him carefully and noticed the scythe that he held in his hand.

"Are you… the Grim Reaper or something?" Curtain asked, nervousness beginning to creep up her arms.

Sans chuckled a bit, as he floated up in mid-air, and then stood on his feet. Curtain was surprised by this, and then Sans replied with a smile and a wink,

"I'm more of a Grin Reaper."

Curtain's eyes narrowed at his pun, while Sans just snickered at her unamused expression. Then Curtain asked,

"What are you doing here…? Am I going to DIE?!"

Curtain became a bit frantic, as Sans lifted the palm of his hand towards her and said,

"No no! You’re no where near ready to die yet. Don't panic."

Curtain sighed in relief, but then she became suspicious as she asked,

"Then… why are you here?"

Sans stiffened for a moment, unsure if he should answer her question since many replies were coming to his mind at once. Curtain kept a serious expression towards Sans while he took a few extra seconds to sort out his mind. Sans lowered his hand as he tried to reply,

"Uh. Well, you see… I just wanted to see you, and since it's night and not many people are around it's easier for me to travel. I wouldn't want to give people a heart-attack who aren't ready to kick-the-bucket, you know."

Curtain found justification in that response, but she crossed her arms since he still didn't answer her question.

"Why did you come to see me? And while you’re answering that, who are you?" Curtain asked.

Sans took a moment to respond, as he sighed and replied, "My name is Sans. I'm Death."

Curtain took a moment to process this new information, and then she asked, "What? Death? Like Death itself?"

"My Soul is the embodiment of Death, but only half of it. My brother is the other half. We were created because Death is a powerful force that effects all living creatures and balances the World. Since death is inevitable and happens quite often, it's very powerful, and the reason for even taking a form is because if any other embodiment, element, or whatever decided to harness the Soul of Death well… that could be a bad time for basically every living thing in the World," Sans explained, as cool and collective as he naturally was, while Curtain's crossed arms dropped.

"Whoa... That's pretty cool and crazy at the same time… hold on… Why are you telling me ALL of this?" Curtain asked.

Sans grin slightly widened, and he replied, "Because there's a reason why I came here Curtain… I came for you~"

Curtain felt a chill down her spine, as she stared at Sans in surprise for two reasons, and asked,

"Wh-What do you mean? And how do you know my name?"

Sans slowly glided towards Curtain, as she backed away from him onto the wall, while he held a smirk on his face and she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Well Curtain, I've had my eye on you for awhile… at least six months now," Sans said, as he glanced away from her direction, while Curtain's eyes widened.

Sans returned his gaze towards Curtain, as he closed one eye while the other eye revealed a blue glowing iris, while he held a dashing smirk on his face. Curtain felt her cheeks heat up a little under his gaze, but she kept her composure.

"After watching you for so long, and learning about you and your name, I couldn't help but grow more and more fond of you. You’re… You’re important to me, Curtain. I really… feel something when I see you, and hear you speak…" Sans said, as he stood about two feet in front of her, and reached into his shirt to pull out the glass heart-locket.

Curtain examined the locket with interest, but she was still cautious of Sans, although she felt that he wasn't a threat at the moment. At least that's what she saw of him so far, but considering that he is the embodiment of Death that didn't help her relax at all.

"You see, I had this special locket hand-crafted for the purpose of housing a Soul inside of it, particularly, the Soul of a special lady in my life..." Sans said, as Curtain started putting the pieces together.

"You've mesmerized me Curtain, and… I want to keep you safe, with me. Life is a special thing that all living creatures, humans, and monsters have. I appreciate life more for being able to meet other life-forms, especially you. However, life doesn't last forever, my dear… and… I don't want to lose you..." Sans said, as a look of sadness overcame his facial expression, which made Curtain feel somewhat sorry for the Skeleton Reaper. Sans continued,

"That's why I came here to your room. I have an uncontrollable ability where whatever I touch that is living, dies. So I concluded that, after I touched you, your Soul would be released from your body. Then I would house it in this locket, and be able to keep you with me, forever."

Curtain gasped, and then she said, in a more angry tone, "Whoa whoa whoa! Hold up a second…you tried to kill me to get my Soul into a locket?! What makes you think that I would want to be in a locket for the rest of my quote-on-quote 'life' with you?! I don't even know you! I would never agree to such a thing, no matter how fond you are of me!"

Sans wasn't so surprised by her outburst, as he chuckled while tucking the locket under his shirt.

"Well that's the thing, my dear. I tried to take your life, but instead, I had no effect upon you, which makes no sense," Sans said, as he looked at Curtain, suspiciously.

"Take my life… wait a minute. You wouldn't happen to know someone named… Toriel, do you?" Curtain asked, unsure if she said the name right, as Sans looked at her in shock.

"Ha! You do know her! I knew it! She kept talking to me almost all day today! First I get some weird white rose, then she told me to eat it, and then she kept telling me about how Life and Death balance each other out, and that a life shouldn't be kept prisoner. She told me her name too, and… Gasp! She knew..." Curtain said, but then she looked at Sans in surprise of her own revelation.

"She was talking about YOU! She knew you wanted to take my Soul! She must have given me the flower to protect me from you! Oh my gosh, if I ever meet her in person I would give her a freaking hug," Curtain said, and she breathed out in relief.

Sans' mind was racing for various reasons now, and he was quite shocked and upset at the same time since his friend had actually gotten in his way. However, Sans decided to keep his cool for now, as he took a slow breath in and out. Then he thought of something, as he smiled at Curtain, slyly. Curtain noticed his expression, as she looked at him, questionably.

"You know Curtain, I'm certain the flower Toriel gave you can only last for so long to protect you from me. Eventually there won't be anymore of it for you to eat, and she may not be able to give you another one on time… and I happen to be a very patient skeleton and reaper," Sans said, as he took a few steps closer to Curtain, while laying his free-hand on the wall near Curtain's head.

He lifted his scythe to show Curtain her reflection in the blade, as Curtain swallowed hard from nervousness of how close he was and the scythe blade itself. Then Sans said,

"I've seen strong wills such as yours Curtain. Very strong, and when their times were near, they still persevered and lived longer than they were predicted or should have. But it's all the same. All living things will die, new ones will live on, and the cycle repeats. But this time my dear, since you know why I'm here, whenever I have the opportunity, I will take your Soul. No matter where you run, I'll catch up. No matter where you hide, I'll sense your life. I'll hear your heartbeat. You'll be mine eventually."

Curtain looked towards Sans with her eyebrows raised, and then she looked at her reflection in the scythe blade. Seeing her reflection with such a timid and nervous expression on her face, filled Curtain with Determination. Her eyebrows lowered, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her teeth were slightly gritted. Curtain looked up at Sans with determination overcoming her facial expression, as Sans was surprised.

"No! I won't let you take my Soul! You have no right to take my Soul, especially because it's not my time to die! My life should not be kept as a prisoner! You’re not getting my Soul for your own selfishness!" Curtain said, with confidence, as Sans became slightly irritated.

"Selfishness, huh? I'm actually giving you the opportunity to see the World and other worlds beyond your wildest dreams. To share my 'life' with you, and yet you think I'm selfish?" Sans asked, calmly.

"You’re trying to force me to be with you, and lock my Soul in that locket prison by killing me. Who in the right mind would do that? But what can I expect from the embodiment of Death. That's one prediction that's more obvious than if a one-hundred year old man is going to die," Curtain replied, as Sans let out a small growl while he breathed out.

"Aren't you quite charming, darling? But I guess staying up late makes ladies grow claws," Sans said, as Curtain slightly glared at him.

Then Sans backed away from Curtain by a few steps, and he extended his free-hand towards her, as he said, "There's nothing you can do to change my mind Curtain. Accept your fate, and come with me."

After taking a moment to look at his boney hand, Curtain said,

"No. I won't… but maybe…"

Curtain glanced downward, as Sans became curious by what she was about to say and asked,

"Maybe…?"

Curtain pursed her lips in thought, and then she looked up at him and said, "How about we make… a deal?"

Sans' eye sparked for half a second, but he kept his composure calm as he lowered his hand, and asked, "What kind of deal?"

Curtain swallowed lightly, and replied, "You want my Soul. I want to keep my Soul. You have a crush on me, and I don't know you. So let's make a deal that would satisfy both of us: You have one month, thirty days, to convince me to let you take my Soul. However, if you can't do so at anytime during the month, then you have to trade a part of your Soul with mine so that I wouldn't have to worry about you killing me again afterward."

Sans was quite surprised and impressed by the deal, and how Curtain was able to think it through in such a short time. After taking a moment to process this, Sans nodded and said,

"That sounds pretty fair, but I will like to change one thing."

Curtain held a suspicious expression on her face, and she asked, "What would you change?"

Sans smirked and replied, "Instead of convincing you to come with me, how about you give me a month to make you fall in love with me. That way, if you do, it wouldn't be so bad for you if I take your Soul, and if you don't, then I'll give you a piece of my Soul and leave you alone since there's no mutual feelings. How's that?"

Curtain looked downward in thought, and then she looked back up at Sans and nodded sharply. Sans raised his hand towards Curtain and asked,

"Deal?"

Curtain looked at his hand, and then she grabbed his with her own, as she looked up at Sans and said,

"Deal."

They shook hands, but Sans held firmly onto Curtain's hand and said, "We'll start after sunrise. Oh, and one more thing…"

A string of blue energy wrapped around their hands, as the ends of the string turned golden and each end plunged into Curtain and Sans' forearms. Curtain felt a chill through her arm and body as she saw the string entering her arm, and then it separated into two halves to enter each arm. In place of where the string entered her arm, a symbol drawn in the form of a golden eye glowed in place until it disappeared completely. Curtain released Sans' hand, as she looked at her arm and saw no wound, cut, or even a small incision where the string entered her arm. She looked up at Sans, and she saw that he had the same eye drawn on his radius bone and then it disappeared.

"In case you’re wondering, when you make a deal with someone like me, and one as serious as this one, the Strings of Completion form and attach themselves to whoever is part of the deal. The Strings of Completion prevent either of us from backing out of the deal, and making us keep our ends of the bargain," Sans said, as he brought up his arm and turned it over when he said 'ends.'

Curtain was still quite shocked, but she nodded in understanding. Sans gave a slight bow to Curtain, and then he pulled up his hood over his head.

"I'll see you later my dear. I look forward to the month ahead. Of course, who knows, it may not be that long~" Sans said in a soothing tone, as he disappeared from the room, leaving a temporary mist of darkness until it completely vanished.

Curtain waited a little while to make sure that Sans was gone. She turned on her lamp and locked the door to her room and locked the window. Then she realized there wasn't a point to lock it since Sans could teleport, but she didn't care. She thought about telling Marisol about her encounter, but she decided not to since she didn't want to make her worry. After taking a moment to breathe in and out slowly, Curtain turned off her lamp and tucked herself in to sleep.

'I'll deal with this later. I have to rest since he's probably coming back in the morning. I must stay strong for a month. That shouldn't be hard since I know his intentions. I'll make it,' Curtain thought, as she drifted back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Outsid e

Near a harbor that was in the city, someone was walking across a road that stood next to the harbor and even branched out to other roads that led to the wooden plank docks of this pier. The lady wore a long, short-sleeved, white dress, with a turquoise cape and hood. She wore a light yellow tunic that reached down over only the whole front of her dress, and she wore a yellow rope sash around her waist. The tunic was embroidered with turquoise strings, and she wore golden bracelets on her wrists. She was a goat monster, with small ivory-colored horns on her head, all white fur, and tuscan red eyes. Although she had two visible fangs and claws, she wouldn't harm a fly, considering that she was the embodiment of Life, Toriel.

As she walked, which seemed like she was floating with every step, she found who she was tracking. He was looking out towards the sea, as she walked closer to him until she was a few feet away from him. She figured that he may be upset, especially with her since she intervened in his attempt to capture Curtain's Soul. After a moment, Sans sighed, which informed Toriel that he knew she was there.

"How did you know I was trying to get her Soul?" Sans asked, although he didn't turn around.

"We have been friends for a long time Sans. I noticed about a month ago that you were more aloof in your work than usual, and Papyrus has informed me that you have been a little forgetful, especially recently. Although Papyrus was not entirely bothered by your tardiness, Gaster felt that it was a sign of trouble that you were going to get yourself into. I told him that I would investigate, and as you were watching Curtain for the passed week, I was watching you," Toriel replied, in a calm and caring voice.

"Heh. So that's what happened. Although, I've actually been watching Curtain for six months now," Sans said, as Toriel's eyes widened.

"Six months? You have had your eye on her for so long? That is so much longer than any person you have watched. You have only ever lasted a month or less," Toriel said.

"What can I say? She really got to me," Sans said, as he turned towards Toriel.

"I just wish you hadn't gotten involved. I mean, you're one of my best friends so I wouldn't feel comfortable at staying mad at you, but I am quite crossed right now," Sans said, as he looked downward, while Toriel nodded.

"I am sorry Sans. But I could not let you take her life. It's my duty to create and preserve life until it's time. You were trying to take her life before her time, and you were trying to keep her Soul, the very culmination of her being. I couldn't let you do it, and I am sure Gaster would deeply disapprove," Toriel said, with a sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know… but what does he know about this feeling I get whenever I hear her name… whenever I see her face… whenever I think about her? I thought it was fleeting, but it only grew stronger. He may be really smart, but he doesn't understand..." Sans said, as he turned away from Toriel.

"Sans, he does understand. I can guarantee that Gaster understands the feeling of love, even before you and Papyrus were created. He cares about you and your brother too. He loves both of you, especially since he considers you two his kin," Toriel said, kindly.

Sans sighed, and said, "I know… but I don't want to lose her… I know death, I am Death. It takes, while Life gives. I don't want Curtain to be taken from me… I finally feel something worth so much, and I can't bear the thought of losing it. I won't… She will be mine in the next month."

"Sans, no. Please leave her be. She is mortal. The Earth is her home. Do not force her to be with you," Toriel pleaded.

"Heh. I won't Tori..." Sans said, as he turned towards Toriel, and she noticed that his expression held a smirk.

"Curtain already made a deal with me: If I can make her fall in love with me in one month starting later today, then she will willingly give me her Soul," Sans said.

"What? You made a deal?" Toriel asked, surprised, especially when Sans showed her his forearm and the String of Completion glowed golden in an eye-shape.

"Sans… you're really serious about this… but what about your brother, and the others?" Toriel asked.

"Promise me you won't tell them until after the deal is concluded, and if anything, I should be the one to explain," Sans said.

Toriel thought about it for a moment, and then she said, "Alright Sans. I won't tell them, if you let me keep an eye on you two for the remainder of the deal. I will also send Frisk to keep a special eye on Curtain. Okay?"

Sans thought about it, and then he nodded and said, "Alright. I'll hoove you to that Toriel. I won't goat mad if Frisk knows though. She won't tail on us."

Toriel chuckled, and said, "Oh Sans, you really killed the mood. But please be careful, especially with Curtain. She has a skull personality. Her will is death-defying. She won't be swayed so easily."

Sans chuckled, and said, "Good ones. I'll catch you later then. I want to take some time alone for awhile, if you don't mind."

"Of course. I will see you later," Toriel said, and then she turned to leave.

Toriel opened a portal to head back home, and she turned to Sans and asked, "What did you offer her if she wins?"

"… A part of my Soul so that she wouldn't have to worry about me coming back," Sans said, seriously, as he turned back towards the ocean.

"W… Why?" Toriel asked.

"If I want her Soul, why not offer mine?" Sans answered.

Toriel considered his response, and then she left. Sans stood under the light of the full moon, recollecting his thoughts, until the sun started to rise. At that point, he had to leave so that no one would see him. He traveled to a remote location in a forest, as he thought about his appearance and came to a solution.

Chapter Text

Day One-

Curtain awoke the next morning, as she sat up and stretched her arms. She got up and started her morning routine from the bathroom to the kitchen. Her clothes were changed into black jeans, a black leather jacket that was open in the front and showed a purple shirt she wore under, with her scarf around her neck as always, and her hair tied in a low ponytail.

After cooking some eggs and bacon, she put them in a small Italian bread loaf like a sandwich and ate it. Then she put all the dishes, including a frying pan, her plate, a knife, and a small cleanable grill into the sink. She decided to wash them in that moment, since she was going to meet Marisol and their group of friends a little later that day.

As she washed the dishes her mind replayed last night, and she thought,

'What was I thinking making a deal like that with him? I mean, I'm completely sure that I would NOT fall in love with him, but I made a deal with Death… half… but still, Death! My gosh… but what else could I have done? He would have come after me later, and I don't know if Toriel would be willing to send me boatloads of special flowers for the rest of my life! And even when I die, he'll take my Soul right there! Freaking, Skeleton, Reaper, dude!'

After finishing the dishes and drying her hands with a white cloth, Curtain spoke out loud, "Well, I have nothing to worry about. He won't make me fall in love with him in a month. That's impossible."

"Be careful what you say, love. The unexpected can sometimes become reality," Sans said, as he suddenly appeared sitting on the sink edge, and Curtain jumped back in fright.

"AHH! How did you-What are you doing here popping up like that?!" Curtain yelled, as she pointed at Sans with a pink flush dusting her nose and cheeks since he scared her.

"Oh, sorry sweetheart. I didn't mean to scare you to me," Sans said, as he started chuckling.

Curtain narrowed her eyes, as one of her eyebrows twitched from his little joke.

"You’re quite the comedian, aren't you?" Curtain asked, as she straightened herself and relaxed her shoulders.

"Well, I gotta have a Sanse of humor in my profession. It keeps me from full-blown depression," Sans replied, and Curtain bit her lip in understanding.

Then Curtain looked at Sans and noticed that his clothes were different. He wore a blue, open leather jacket, and a black, hooded t-shirt underneath. He wore black fingerless gloves, but they couldn't be seen since his hands where within his jacket pockets. He wore gray trousers, with black and blue-striped sneakers. Although he didn't carry his scythe, Curtain noticed that a scythe-blade-shaped shoulder pad draped over the left shoulder of his jacket.

"You got a new wardrobe?" Curtain asked, as she looked up at Sans after examining his clothing.

"Oh this… yeah, it's actually my more 'mortal' form. It prevents me from killing someone by contact unless I really want to," Sans replied, as he hopped off of the sink.

"Why don't you travel in this form so that no one would be afraid if they saw you?" Curtain asked.

"I prefer my original form since my powers are not hindered, and I occasionally get a kick out of scarring folks," Sans replied, as he smirked at Curtain, while she signed.

"So, like… what do you plan on doing? To make me fall in love with you?" Curtain asked, carefully.

"You'll find out~" Sans said, with a wink, which made Curtain back up from him by a step with a serious expression.

"But you don't have to worry right now. Let's just hang out," Sans said.

"Well, I'm supposed to meet my friends today..." Curtain said, trying to see if she could get a freebie day.

"Then I'll come with you. Wherever you want to go," Sans said, with another wink, and Curtain signed.

"Alright, but don't tell any of them about our deal, okay?" Curtain insisted, and Sans nodded.

Curtain and Sans left the house and headed for the city. She drove them there by car to meet her friends by the side of the pier, which was the main attraction of the city. It was closest to a huge mall that they were going to hang out at, especially the outside food court. After they found parking, Curtain and Sans headed for the pier to meet her friends first.

Marisol was one of the friends, and the others were: Joseph, Hare, Karol, and Rini.

Joseph is a male human with green eyes and short brown hair, a white flannel shirt with blue lines, brown pants, white sneakers, and black shades which he wears at all times.

Hare is a male white rabbit monster with black spiky hair on his head, a red sweater with white outlined pockets, green sunglasses folded on the top of his sweater, black pants, and no shoes.

Karol is a female human with brown eyes and curly long light-brown hair, a white blouse with a yellow jacket, blue jean shorts to her knees, white wedge heels, and a green purse over her shoulder.

Rini is a white female rabbit monster with black eyes and straight black hair that covered over one of her eyes, a purple dress up to her knees, a black scarf on her neck, and black leggings with black shoes.

Marisol is a female human with long red-orange hair to her lower waist and bangs curled just above her eyes, an orange dress that reached just below her knees with white long-sleeves, black leggings, and a black belt around her waist with short white boots and a red handbag over her shoulder.

Joseph and Karol are dating, Hare and Rini are siblings, and Marisol and Curtain are like siblings.

As Curtain approached her group of friends, who were talking with one another and laughing, she became increasingly aware of Sans walking next to her.

'What would they think of him? I hope they don't start getting any ideas... He's just a Death Reaper who came into my house last night to take my Soul and we made a deal which includes both of our Souls… I'll just say he's my friend, I guess,' Curtain thought, as she looked towards Sans suspiciously, while he noticed.

"Don't worry Curtain. We're just friends. I'll let them know that," Sans said, and Curtain felt a little relief.

Then the group noticed Curtain and greeted her.

"Hey Curtain, what's up?" -Joseph

"Curtain! Your finally here!" -Karol

"Took ya time, huh Curtain?" -Hare

"Hello Curtain. How are you?" -Rini

"Yo, sis. What's up?" -Marisol

"Hey guys, I'm all good. Are you ready to go?" Curtain asked, as she stood before her friends, while Sans stood next to her.

"Yeah. But before that, who's this?" Marisol asked, referring to Sans, as the group became intrigued by the newcomer.

"This is Sans… Sans the skeleton. He's a friend and he's new here, so I decided to help him get settled in," Curtain replied, coolly.

"Oh! A skeleton monster. That's so cool," Karol said, as she extended a hand towards Sans and added,

"My name is Karol. This is my boyfriend Joseph, and our friends Hare, Rini, and Marisol."

Sans smile widened a bit, as he raised his hand to shake her own, and said, "Nice to meet'cha."

On contact, an awkward noise was heard, as Karol pulled her hand away from Sans and noticed a whoopie cushion on his hand. She gasped, as Joseph covered his mouth from laughter, Hare narrowed an eyebrow, Rini chuckled, and Marisol laughed while shaking her head.

"What is that?!" Karol asked, flushed with embarrassment.

"The old whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand trick. It works every time," Sans replied, as he put the whoopie cushion in his pocket.

"Prankster huh? I appreciate that profession. I'll let it slide just this once that you pranked my girlfriend though," Joseph said, as he wrapped his arms around Karol's shoulders, who held a pout on her face.

"I'll respect that," Sans said, and Joseph nodded in approval.

"Pretty cool dude you found Curtain. How'd you meet?" Hare asked.

"It was unexpected and unplanned," Curtain said with a shrug.

"Sounds interesting. Let's walk and talk to the mall," Marisol said, as she gestured to the building that was a short walk away.

The group started walking towards the mall, as Curtain's friends were asking Sans questions, and he responded to each while being able to let the others come up with conclusions as to where he's from without lying to them. Curtain found his way of speaking laudable, since he didn't lie to them. He even mentioned being a reaper and harvesting souls, which the others assumed he was a gamer and played Dark Souls. As they walked, Marisol moved closer to Curtain and said, without the others hearing,

"He's a cool guy so far."

"Yeah. Everyone thinks he's pretty cool," Curtain said.

"What do you think? Oh wait, I mean, what do you really think?" Marisol asked.

"What do you mean?" Curtain asked.

"What I mean is, I've known you for a long time, and I'm not sure you ever mentioned this guy to me before. I don't want to pry on your business too much, but you know," Marisol said, with narrowed eyes.

"We just met yesterday," Curtain said.

"Hm, that's quite suspicious though. Especially how you looked at him before you came over to us. You didn't even speak and he knew what you were thinking and talked. I thought I was the only one who could do that, and our friends here since we've known you so long," Marisol said, with suspicion.

Curtain sighed, and decided to tell Marisol the truth, but she decided not to mention the deal,

"He really is who he said he is. He's the embodiment of Death, like a Grim Reaper. I met him last night, and he said I wasn't ready to die yet, but now he's been hanging around me in this 'mortal' form so that no one would die by close contact with him."

Marisol looked at Curtain in surprise, and then she looked towards Sans.

"It is odd that he's the only skeleton monster we've ever seen… and he did tell us he's a reaper… you’re not pulling-my-leg, are you Curtain?" Marisol asked, to be sure.

"I'm telling you the truth Marisol, but don't let the others know. I wouldn't want them to freak out," Curtain said, and Marisol nodded.

"Can you trust him?" Marisol asked.

"I'm going to find out," Curtain replied.

"That's not very relieving," Marisol said, with a pout.

"Don't worry, he won't bother any of you," Curtain said.

"I'm more worried about you," Marisol said, in concern.

"Don't. I'll be perfectly fine," Curtain said, reassuringly, and Marisol nodded.

'I will be… right?' Curtain thought.

After getting to the mall, the group went to various stores and locations to hang out. Curtain noticed that Sans wasn't calling her 'sweetheart' or 'darling' at any point, and even when they were alone as the others went to the bathroom, he spoke to her like a friend. After awhile, Curtain relaxed a little around him, seeing as he was being very affable.

"What a surprise? You haven't referred to me in an endearing term this whole time," Curtain said, as she and Sans were looking at shelves full of video games while the others were looking in different places in the game store.

"Well, I took into consideration that you don't know me very well," Sans said, and Curtain smiled a little since he actually took her words into consideration.

Sans noticed her smile, and even if it was small, he couldn't help but stare at her. Curtain looked towards her friends and saw that they were still busy looking through or trying out the video games in the store, and then she looked towards Sans and noticed that he was still staring at her.

"Sans. You’re staring," Curtain said, trying to inform him of his behavior.

However, Sans continued staring and asked, "What's wrong with that?"

Curtain frowned and replied, "It's rude to stare you know."

Sans' arched his eyebrow bone, and asked, "How is that rude? I appreciate your beauty."

Curtain looked at Sans with skepticism in her eyes, but then she looked at Sans more in surprise when she saw that he really was confused.

"Sans… when you stare at someone, you make them self-conscious and it could make them feel uncomfortable about their self or you if they think you’re a creep," Curtain said, and Sans looked at her in understanding.

"Ooh, that's why people address that… where I'm from, staring shows appreciation, learning, and complimenting since we took the time to pay attention," Sans said, and Curtain was quite intrigued by his response.

'So, where he's from is different than here… is that why he was watching me this whole time, and why he thought it was okay to take my Soul? I wonder what else he doesn't know…?' Curtain thought, and then they continued browsing through the games.

"Hey Curtain. What are you doing here today? You’re supposed to come to work tomorrow," A friendly voice said, as Curtain and Sans turned towards a dude coming up to them.

The dude's name was Joe, older brother of Joseph, and he owned the game shop. He has light brown hair, dark blue sunglasses that covered his blue eyes, a faded beard, and a black shirt with jeans and white sneakers. There was also a name tag on his shirt that read: Manager: Joe, and he kept his hands in his baggy jean pockets.

"Oh, hey Joe. I was just visiting with the guys and your bro, you know," Curtain said, as she gave him a wave.

"Eh, that's alright then. I hope you’re all not expecting discounts though," Joe said, as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Aw Joe, come on. That's messed up," Curtain said, as she placed her right hand in a fist on her hip.

"Ha. I'm only kidding. I don't mind really, and besides you’re my bro's friends," Joe said, with a grin, and Curtain shook her head with a slight smirk.

Then Curtain looked towards Sans from the corner of her eye, and when she looked back at Joe, she said,

"Hey Joe. I got another friend of mine with me today. His name is Sans."

Curtain gestured to Sans with one hand, as Joe looked towards him. He smiled broadly and said,

"Well hey there skele-dude. Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise, Joe," Sans said, as he shook hands with him, while Curtain was relieved that he didn't use the whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand trick.

"You’re new around here huh? Well, welcome to this side of the river, bud," Joe said.

"Thanks. I'm piers to make your acquaintance," Sans said, with a wink, while Joe and Curtain stood silent for a moment.

"Hahaha! Oh my gosh! I haven't heard a pun in awhile," Joe said, as he was holding his head from laughing.

Curtain just looked at Sans with a pout, as he just smiled at her.

"You know how to pick'em, huh?" Joe said, while looking at Curtain, and then he walked away to check on the cashier.

"I sure do~" Sans said, as he looked towards Curtain, and she looked away from him with slight annoyance.

After a moment, Curtain slowly turned towards Sans and said, "You’re staring again."

"I know," Sans sighed softly, and Curtain just sighed in annoyance.

After leaving the game shop, the group headed for the food court to eat. They were able to catch a table while a family was leaving, and then Joseph, Hare, and Sans went to order and pick up the food. The ladies were able to talk for a little while, until the gentlemen returned.

As everyone ate and spoke after swallowing since they didn't want to choke, Sans wasn't saying much as he listened to their conversations, while he chuckled most of the time from the random nonsense they were talking about. Curtain became more quiet as she ate, and she kept her eyes focused on Sans, since she wondered how he was going to eat since his teeth never needed to part for him to speak. She saw Sans take a bottle of ketchup out from his inner coat pocket, which made her eyebrow raise in curiosity.

The others weren't paying attention to him, since they were focused on something that Karol was showing them on her phone.

Sans took the cap off of it, and placed the top on his teeth. Curtain noticed how the ketchup in the bottle was continuously sliding downward towards the top, but it was as if it disappeared on contact with his teeth. He lowered the bottle, as he took a napkin from the table and wiped his mouth, since some of the ketchup dripped on his chin.

Curtain stood frozen in mid-chew of a Ramen burger, as her eyes stood widened with an arched eyebrow, while Sans crumbled the napkin and placed it on the table.

Then Sans leaned his forearm on the table while still holding the ketchup, and he turned towards Curtain and winked as he said,

"It's rude to stare, Curtain."

Curtain pressed her lips firmly together, while her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as her cheeks reddened. She looked away from Sans and continued chewing, while he chuckled.

After eating, the group returned to the pier as they walked and talked about whatever they felt like, the food, video games, fan-fiction, time paradox, etc.

Then the group began to disperse, as Rini and Hare were the first two to leave back to their house. Joseph had to meet his brother at the game store, and Karol was driven home by Curtain, Marisol, and Sans. When Curtain went to drop off Marisol, who sat in the passenger seat while Sans sat behind Curtain in the backseats, she noticed that Marisol was looking towards Sans with a stoic expression. On a red light, Curtain looked towards Marisol, while Marisol continued to look at Sans while her eyes narrowed. Curtain looked through the rear-view mirror, and noticed that Sans was more attentive towards what was through the window. She took her elbow and lightly nudged Marisol, while she looked up at her.

"Stop looking at him like that," Curtain whispered.

"Why not? It's obvious he's got his eyes on you, and why aren't you dropping him off first?" Marisol whispered back.

"First off, he's a reaper-dude and I don't want trouble with you and him, and secondly he doesn't live anywhere here. He lives in some other world or whatever," Curtain whispered back.

"Still, I find it to be distasteful that he's watching you, like if you belong to him," Marisol whispered, as she crossed her arms.

"I know it's weird, but I don't think he knows any better. It's different where he's from. He thought staring at me was a way to show that he 'appreciated my beauty,' as he told me," Curtain whispered, and Marisol looked at her with one eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Curtain, does he… like you, like you? Like a lot?" Marisol whisper asked, and Curtain nodded.

"Oh shoot," Marisol said, and Curtain shrugged.

"Shoot? What are you shooting?" Sans asked, as he looked towards the two, while they looked at him with raised eyebrows.

After explaining to Sans that 'Oh shoot' is just their saying when surprised by something, Curtain was able to drop Marisol off at her house, as they waved good-bye. Curtain drove back home, as she and Sans stood silent during the ride. She parked her car in front of her house, as she and Sans exited the vehicle.

"So, today was fun," Sans said, breaking the ice.

"Yeah. It was cool," Curtain said, as she stood in front of her door and opened the lock.

She turned around to see Sans standing a few feet away from the door.

"I'll see ya tomorrow Curtain. I'm sure you’re tired," Sans said, as he gave her one last wink and turned around to walk away.

"You’re going home?" Curtain asked, and Sans stopped walking and replied with a "Yes."

"Where do you live, anyway?" Curtain asked.

Sans gave Curtain a smirk with one eyebrow raised, and said, "Three little words and you can see for yourself~"

Curtain slightly gasped, and then she gritted her teeth and growled, "Goodnight!"

She immediately entered her house and closed her door, while Sans just laughed, and then he teleported away. Curtain face-palmed, and said,

"A whole month… of that… why didn't I say a week?!"

Chapter Text

Curtain got ready in the early morning to go to work. She drove to the mall on a quiet and peaceful ride, and then she went inside to work at the game store. Joe welcomed her in with a nod, as he did to his brother Joseph, who also works there. They went to work on preparing the register, and taking out the game stands and such. Then Joseph went to work on organizing the games that just came in packaged, while Curtain handled the register this time. About three hours in, Curtain was quite relaxed as only a few customers came in to deal with easy transactions, such as returning or borrowing more games.

As she sat on a stool behind the cash register and was checking the length of her nails, which were more like claws, Curtain didn't notice that someone was leaning over the counter while using their arm to prop their head up.

"Sup Curtain," Sans said, while keeping his head up and waving at her.

Curtain looked up with her eyes widened, but then she sighed and said, "Don't pop in like that."

"What's the matter? You don't like me popping out? Well okay, I'll try to stop, but no pop-mises," Sans said, with half-lidded eye-sockets, and a smile that was holding back his chuckle.

Curtain looked at him unamused and with an eyebrow raised, but then she sighed again, as she moved closer to him with her stool. She leaned on the counter-top with her arms besides Sans and said,

"So, what do you plan on doing now? As you can see, I'm working so there's no where for me to go with you."

"Heh. There's no where for you to go, so that just makes things easier for me~" Sans said, as he leaned closer to her, but Curtain pulled away.

"Don't worry, Curtain. I'll respect your workplace of course. I'll wait until after you’re done to pick you up," Sans said, as he stood up.

"It's more likely that I'm picking you up since I have a car. But thank you for… popping up the offer," Curtain said, with a little smugness in her smile, as Sans chuckled a bit.

"I'll leave you to your work," Sans said as he teleported away, and Curtain sighed in relief as she relaxed.

Then a jingle was heard from the doorbell, as Curtain turned towards the door to see a child enter. The kid was a human girl with short, wavy brown hair to her shoulders and bangs. Her eyes were closed, although she could see where she was going, and her clothes were a white shirt with blue horizontal stripes, and blue pants with white sandals.

She walked over to the register and looked at Curtain.

"Hey there kid. What can I do for you?" Curtain asked, as she stood up from her seat.

"I believe it's what can I do for you, Miss Curtain?" The child said, and Curtain looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know my name? And what do you mean, 'what can you do for me?'" Curtain asked.

"My name is Frisk. I am the Element of Mercy. I was sent by Toriel to keep an eye on you, and to keep Sans in check, just in case," Frisk said, and Curtain was even more surprised.

"Toriel, the Life embodiment… Well, she saved me once, so I'll accept any help she sends my way," Curtain said, with a nod, and Frisk nodded with a smile.

"Has he been here?" Frisk asked.

"Yes, he has, but he left. He's waiting for me to finish work," Curtain replied.

"Okay. Then I will accompany you two today, and tonight I will send Toriel a report," Frisk said.

"That's fine. Hey Frisk, is there a way I can meet Toriel face-to-face? I'd like to thank her for helping me," Curtain asked.

"Hmm… I will ask her. I'm very sure she will say yes, but we would have to set an appointed time. No other embodiment or element should know of this… situation," Frisk said, as her voice lowered to a whisper, and Curtain nodded in agreement with a thumbs up.

"So… if Sans comes too close to me, then would you intervene or something?" Curtain asked.

"That depends on the distance, but he definitely shouldn't be in your personal space," Frisk said, and Curtain nodded with a smirk.

"Heh heh, Sans. I'm not alone," Curtain said, as she rubbed her hands together with a smirk.

Frisk looked at her, and thought, 'Oh dear… she shouldn't do that face… Sans might become even more persistent…'

Curtain finished up work and left the game store. She was checking her bag to make sure she remembered to bring her cell phone, when Sans appeared leaning against the wall she was leaning on.

"Hello Curtain~" Sans said, as Curtain jumped.

"Sans! I asked you to stop doing that," Curtain said, as she looked towards him.

"Well, with that pun you made, I thought you didn't mean it," Sans said, as he pulled himself off the wall to stand straight.

"Stop it," Curtain said, more serious, as she threw her bag on her shoulders.

"Alright, I'll try," Sans said, as he shrugged.

Curtain started walking, as Sans walked beside her and was moving closer to her. However, a small hand pushed him over, as Sans looked down and his eyes widened.

"You need to give her her personal space, Sans. Don't make her feel uncomfortable," Frisk said to Sans, as Curtain looked towards Sans with a smirk.

"What… Oh right. Toriel said she was going to send you to watch us…" Sans said, with slight irritation in his voice as he sighed.

"Aww, what's the matter Sans? I'm sure Frisk won't be much trouble for you. I mean, you’re the Embodiment of Death. I'm certain you can find a way to make me love you while she is around~" Curtain said with a smug smirk, as she continued walking.

Sans looked at Curtain in awe, as Frisk lightly slapped the side of her face with her hand.

"Oh gosh," Frisk whispered.

Sans' gaze continued to follow Curtain, as he held a sly grin with an arched eyebrow and half-lidded eyes.

"She's so cute when she thinks she has the upper hand. Heh heh. But she'll find out who I really am…" Sans said, and he started walking, as Frisk followed him.

'Oh dear…' Frisk thought.

The trio headed to a pretzel store in the mall to eat some soft pretzel bits with cheese, since Curtain figured they haven’t eaten, which they didn’t. Afterward, they headed outside.

As Curtain drove home, Frisk was seated in the back behind Sans, while Sans was seated in the passenger seat next to Curtain. Every time Curtain would stop at a red light, she would naturally look towards the passenger seat since someone was there, but she would regret it whenever Sans would wink at her each time. She would give him a stern and annoyed look, as Sans would start to laugh. Frisk observed them from her seat, and when she would notice Sans reaching towards Curtain's shoulder when she wasn't looking, Frisk would slap his hand away. Sans would grumble a bit after each hit, which made Frisk smile in triumph. However, after slapping Sans' hand again, Frisk sat back and looked through the window to see the rear-view mirror. Through the mirror, she saw Sans slightly chuckling as he looked at his hand. Frisk frowned with furrowed brows, realizing that he was doing that on purpose to bother her instead of Curtain.

After parking in front of her house, they all got out of the car, as Curtain brought her bag inside to trade with a smaller purple handbag. While she was inside, Sans turned to Frisk and said,

"You know, you don't have to follow us everywhere. Curtain is tough and smart. She won't be easy, and I have my restraints. You don't have to worry."

Frisk replied, "I wouldn't worry if it was anyone besides you."

The Skele-reaper's eyes narrowed and he said, "Ouch. That was kid of harsh... heh heh. Yeah you’re right to. But I really care about her Frisk. I won't do anything to hurt her, or cheat this deal. I want her to love me because it's her choice. I'll be pretty sore inside if she doesn't, but I'm determined she will."

The child giggled a little from the puns, but she returned to being serious and said, "I see... I'm not sure what Curtain will decide, but I hope it will be the best for both of you. I just... don't want you to be sad if she doesn't choose you."

He sighed and said, "Don't worry about me, kid. I'll be fine... either way..."

Sans patted Frisk on the head, as she smiled at him. Curtain stepped outside after locking the door, and headed towards the two.

"Let's go. I've decided to walk around that wilderness for a while," Curtain said, gesturing towards the park not too far away.

"Isn't that a park?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, but it's more wild to me, so I call it a wilderness," Curtain said, as she started walking while the other two followed.

After walking and climbing around, it was getting late, so Curtain headed home with Sans and Frisk. They stood outside her door, as she turned to them and said,

"That was a pretty fun venture. I should invite you to hang out more often Frisk," Curtain said with a smile, and Frisk nodded.

Then Curtain turned to Sans and said, "You know, I had fun hanging out with you too. It was very nice."

Sans slightly smirked and said, "Oh yeah?"

Curtain's smile slightly widened and she said, "Yeah, definitely. You’re so much better being a friend than anything else. Goodnight."

She entered her house after waving goodbye, and locked the door. Frisk mouth was agape as she looked up at Sans, who's jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, so she wants to play the 'Friend-zone game' huh? We'll see how long she'll keep up that act..." Sans said, as he turned and teleported away.

Frisk sighed and shook her head with a small smile.

'Well, I better report to Toriel,' Frisk thought and she left.

Chapter Text

Day three

Curtain went to work, and afterward, Frisk and Sans accompanied her home. She let them come into her house, as they stood in the living room most of the time. Curtain was showing Frisk her video games, as they played together, while Sans spectated and laughed when they would mess up or bicker at certain points. Curtain offered Sans her controller, as he declined saying that it was her game. When it was getting late, Frisk and Sans left, and Curtain took a shower and then went to sleep.

Day Four

It was Thursday, and while Curtain was pretty excited for the weekend she realized that Sans had a reason to bother her throughout that time. She sighed, as she face-planted her head on the desk near the cash register.

"Curtain! Be careful. You wouldn't want to damage your brain would you?" A quick, raspy voice said, as Curtain looked up to see a woman who everyone that worked at the mall knew as a friend.

She was called, Ciara. She worked at a bookstore on the opposite side of the game store, but a flood occurred in the store, which left her out of the job for awhile. During that time, she went on an excavation in another country for new findings of strange, old things. Her eyes were orange, her hair was straight, black, and just passed her shoulders, and she had a tan. Her shirt was black, her pants were gray and baggy, and she wore black combat boots.

"Ciara! You’re back from your field trip already?" Curtain asked, as she leaned her arms on the counter.

"Why yes I am Curtain. I also asked Joe if he had a job opening here for a while since the bookstore is still being repaired, so now I work here," Ciara said, as she showed the ID tag on her shirt.

"That's cool. Would you like me to show you the ropes?" Curtain asked.

"That would be splendid. Thank you," Ciara said, with a smile.

After showing Ciara the ropes, the two went to work as many customers showed up that day.

When it was near the end of the work day, Joseph was left in charge of closing up, so Curtain and Ciara were tidying up a few things in the store before getting ready to go. As Curtain stood knelt behind the register while putting a few papers away, Sans entered the shop and walked towards the register. He leaned his arms on the counter while waiting for Curtain to stand up, and Ciara happened to look towards the register when packing the last few boxes near the game shelves. She stood looking at Sans, never seeing a skeleton monster like him before, until it clicked in her head who he was. Her eyes widened, as she almost dropped the games she was holding.

Curtain stood up from the register, as she noticed him and said, "Hey Sans."

"Hey Curtain. You weren't scared this time," Sans said.

"I guess I got pretty used to it, since you do that all the time," Curtain said, with a frown, and Sans just smiled.

"Well, I see you’re not finished yet, so I'll wait for you outside. Oh, and I've got a few plans for us this weekend," Sans said, as he started walking out.

"What plans?" Curtain asked with her arms crossed.

"You'll see sweetheart," Sans said, and then he left the store.

Curtain sighed, as she started packing her bag, and then she threw it over her shoulders. Ciara walked over to her, as Curtain walked around the counter.

"That skeleton... Who is he?" Ciara asked.

"Oh, his name is Sans. I met him earlier this week," Curtain replied.

"... He's Death, isn't he?" Ciara asked, seriously, and Curtain was shocked.

"How do you know?" Curtain asked.

"I went on an excavation to find ancient artifacts. I learned about the existence of Elementals and other beings named Embodiments. One in particular, who I didn't realize was also an Embodiment, was Death. I found a scroll that recorded a few of the Embodiments, and Death was the last one. However, only half of his face was drawn out. He's quite the mystery, but he's also very dangerous," Ciara said, which made Curtain feel a little uneasy.

"I didn't realize an Embodiment could take the form of a normal person, well, monster in his case... Curtain, why are you associated with him? And I'm sorry to have eavesdropped, but what plans is he speaking of?" Ciara asked.

"-Sigh- Okay. I'll tell you since you are pretty knowledgeable about this... He is Death, also known as Sans. We made a deal that in thirty days, he will have to make me fall in love with him. If I don't, he'll give me a part of his soul and leave me alone, if I do, he'll have my soul in a locket and keep me with him forever," Curtain said, and Ciara covered her mouth as her eyes widened.

"My gosh, Curtain. He must really like you. But what are you going to do? Are you sure you can stand against him? Within some of the information I gathered, it could be concluded that he's clever, sly, and stubborn. I'm certain your friends will be quite dismayed if he won this deal, especially Marisol," Ciara said, and she lowered her hand, while a frown stood on her face.

Curtain felt a bit dismayed, but then she said,

"Yeah, I know Ciara. That's why I intend to win! He won't have my soul, and if I have a part of his, he won't be able to take my soul after the deal is done. I'm confident that I can make it."

"Well alright then. That's a great attitude to have. I believe you can make it. If you need any help or start to fall for him, then don't hesitate to contact me," Ciara said, as she took her phone out of her pocket.

After exchanging numbers, Curtain left the game store, as Ciara returned to finishing up her work.

Outside of the mall, Sans stood leaning on the wall next to the double, sliding doors. When Curtain stepped outside, Sans pulled away from the wall and stood next to her. He noticed that her bag looked heavier than usual, so he gestured his hand towards her backpack and said,

"I can carry that for you if you want. It looks pretty heavy."

Curtain looked towards her bag, as she felt the strain it was putting on her shoulders.

"Sure. Thanks," Curtain said, as she passed Sans her bag, and he effortlessly flung it over his shoulders.

"Wha-? How come you can fling it on so easily?" Curtain asked.

"I just happen to be stronger than a normal being, but what's in here anyway?" Sans asked.

"A new console. I saved up enough money to buy it, with an employee discount," Curtain said, with a smirk.

"Ah. So you're going to test it out with Frisk?" Sans asked, as they were heading towards the car.

"Yes… and I know who will make a great test subject too..." Curtain said, slyly, which left Sans confused.

When they were in Curtain's house, Frisk just knocked on the door and they let her in. Curtain and Frisk were setting up the console while Sans watched from the couch. Finally, when the console was set and the game chosen, Curtain sat next to Sans as she handed him a controller.

Sans looked at Curtain and the controller in surprise, and he asked,

"What'cha doing Curtain?"

"You’re playing. I've played this game with Marisol for awhile on her console, and now I'm going to play my own game. You and Frisk will help me test it out," Curtain insisted.

"Nah, Curtain. You and Frisk seem like you're having fun when you’re playing..." Sans said, but Curtain ignored him and placed the controller on his lap.

Sans stood quiet as he saw Curtain and Frisk take their own controllers, while Frisk sat on the floor. Curtain opened the character selection menu and chose her character, while Frisk did the same. When it was his turn, Sans picked up his controller and chose his own character. When the game started, the first thing they had to do was fight some bad guys. The game itself had a few simple instructions in the background on how to play, which Sans paid very close attention to. Through all the madness at that point of the game, Curtain noticed that Sans' character moved slower and odder than Frisk or her own.

After the first battle, they had a moment of peace, with only one or two enemies coming at them at a time. Curtain didn't fight as she watched Sans and Frisk. She could tell that Frisk had more experience because she didn't have to look down at her controller often to know the buttons. On the other hand, Sans was constantly looking down, which made him an easy target for the enemy to hit.

Curtain's eyes narrowed, as she asked, "You've never played a video game before, have you Sans?"

Sans froze, as his character was slapped in the face, while Frisk's character came running in to protect him. Turning towards Curtain, who looked at him with still narrowed eyes, Sans smiled sheepishly and replied,

"Heh Heh… never."

"So you were laughing at me and Frisk before, meanwhile, you've never played a video game. What the hay man? Why you made it seem like you knew everything?" Curtain asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Sans looked downward and replied, "Because… I know how much you enjoy video games, so I thought if I knew a lot about them, that would still impress you even though I've never actually played…"

As Sans trailed off, Curtain's expression relaxed, and she said, "It's kind of sweet that you would want to do that, especially since you look so uncomfortable trying."

Curtain let out a giggle, as Sans looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"First off, let me teach you how to play the game the right way," Curtain said, as she scooted closer to him.

Curtain was able to teach Sans the basic controls, as he started getting better after awhile. Frisk noticed how Sans liked to learn, and how Curtain liked to teach. They were able to travel pretty far in the game as a team, until Curtain noticed the time and remembered that she had to go to work in the morning. Reluctantly, the three had to stop playing, and Curtain bid them a farewell for now, as Sans and Frisk left.

As Curtain laid in bed to sleep, she thought about the three of them playing the game, which made her smile. However, she stiffened as she became serious, and then she turned over to go to sleep.

Chapter Text

Day five

Curtain went to work as usual and greeted Ciara and Joseph, and then all three went to work. Curtain was placing the stands up, while Ciara was at the register and asked,

"So Curtain, how did it go yesterday, with Death?"

"Eh, it was fine. We played video games and then they left," Curtain replied.

"They?" Ciara asked, with her eyes widening in interest.

"Yeah, it was me, Sans, and our little friend Frisk," Curtain replied.

"Oh," Ciara said, as she continued working on the register.

"Remember Curtain, I'm here to help you if you need the extra support," Ciara said, and Curtain responded with,

"I know. Thanks."

After work, Curtain left the game shop, as she saw Sans and Frisk standing outside.

"Hey guys. You’re both here today?" Curtain said with a small smile.

"Yeah. Today I'm taking you out on a date, and Frisk is our chaperone," Sans said, and one of Curtain's eyebrows raised while the other lowered.

"There wasn't much of a choice. I couldn't leave the kid alone or that would be negligence," Sans said with a shrug, as Frisk looked at him with puffed up cheeks.

"I don't mind Frisk coming, it's just your approach of asking me on a date was a bit... what's the word... forceful," Curtain said, as she placed one hand on her hip.

"Nah. It would be forceful if I had my scythe," Sans said.

Curtain firmly pressed her lips together, and then she said,

"Sans. When you ask someone on a date, you’re actually supposed to ASK."

"You would say no," Sans simply said.

"What! Ask me then. Go ahead," Curtain said, with a slight puffing out of her chest.

"Alright... Curtain, would you like to go on a date with me?" Sans asked.

"No," Curtain said bluntly, and Sans' shoulders slumped as his eye sockets were half-closed, while Frisk was holding back a laugh.

"However, since Frisk is coming with us... okay," Curtain added, while holding back a smirk from Sans' earlier expression.

Sans relaxed his expression to normal, as he extended a hand towards her and said,

"Alright. Let's go."

Curtain looked at his hand skeptically, and asked,

"Are you trying to make me grab your hand so that I can die and you can take my soul?"

Sans lowered his hand with a tilt of his head and replied,

"No! I'm not going to cheat this deal Curtain. I can't do it anyway, the Strings of Completion make you immune to me even if I was in my actual form, for the sake of the deal."

Curtain looked towards Frisk for clarity, and Frisk nodded in agreement with Sans.

"Well, alright then," Curtain said, as she stood next to Sans, and then he turned to lead her onward.

Their hands stood separate, as Frisk followed behind them.

They went to a nice restaurant and sat in a round booth, as they ordered their food and waited for it to be served.

"Huh. Nice place," Curtain said, as she took a sip of water.

"I've been looking around for places to take ya, but I didn't want to get too fancy so soon," Sans said.

"Not bad, not bad at all. I don't feel like a bum in my work clothes," Curtain said, gesturing towards her plain black shirt and black jeans.

"It does feel comfy," Frisk said, as she slouched back in her seat.

"How many dates have you chaperoned Frisk?" Curtain asked, as Frisk smiled and replied,

"This one."

Curtain snickered, as she watched Frisk sit up and take a drink of her soda. She turned towards Sans, as she noticed that he was looking at her but then turned away when she looked directly at him.

"So Sans, why don't you tell me more about you. I'm curious," Curtain said, as she took another sip of her drink.

"Well, I'm not sure what you would like to know first," Sans said, as he brought out a ketchup bottle from the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Alright then. So, you have a brother. Do you have any other family members?" Curtain asked.

"Any other family... There's me and Papyrus, and I guess you can say Gaster since he did prompted our soul to manifest a physical form with his own powers... you can kind-of say he's our... what mortals call... father," Sans said, and he took a gulp of ketchup.

"Oh interesting. So, where do you guys come from, and do you all like live together, like in a city or something?" Curtain asked.

"Good question. Well, we live in another realm that's pretty close connected to this one. It's not as large as this world, but it grows when a new Embodiment is born so that they can have a home of their own with some land and stuff. It's pretty fun to morph your own land into whatever. Of course, if you want to replenish some energy, you can go to the neutral lands, which is just land that exist and has no Embodiment as a host. That's directly where Elements go to when visiting. My brother and I share a land, and it's a little larger since there are two of us," Sans explained, and then he took another drink of ketchup.

"That's pretty cool. Wait, so Elements aren't from that realm?" Curtain asked.

"Nah. Elements are born in this world, while Embodiments are born in Cosmos, which is the name of our realm by the way," Sans replied.

"How many Embodiments are there?" Curtain asked.

"Hm... me, Papyrus, Gaster, Toriel, Grillby... There's a good amount," Sans replied.

"How do you know Toriel, and who's Grillby?" Curtain asked.

"Well, Grillby is my friend who owns a cafe in Cosmos, and Toriel is our friend. My bro and I met her and the other Embodiments when we were first born, but considering that we're opposites and that we were still learning how to use our powers... she kept watch over us. Gaster too..." Sans said, as he trailed off a bit and looked away.

Curtain noticed his odd behavior, as she looked towards Frisk, who just shrugged. The food arrived as they all began to enjoy their meal. Afterward, Sans and Frisk brought Curtain home as they were talking about when they were playing the game yesterday. After bringing Curtain home, Sans walked a little bit with Frisk and said,

"If she asks you anything about me from before... -Sigh-… then tell her. But only if she asks."

Sans disappeared, but Frisk knew what he was talking about. She then left to report to Toriel, but to exclude what Sans had asked since that was between them.

Chapter Text

Day Six

It was Saturday, finally, and Curtain opened her window to take in the fresh air. That's when she noticed Sans sleeping under a tree near her house, and she sighed. She made herself breakfast and ate it, and afterward she got dressed and took a bottle of ketchup she had in the fridge outside.

Standing a few feet in front of Sans, Curtain looked at him with a lopsided frown, and then she said,

"Hey Sans, wake up!"

Sans jolted awake, as he looked up and saw Curtain standing there with one hand on her hip.

"Oh, hey there Curtain," Sans said, as he relaxed his back on the tree with a sheepish grin.

"Hmph. Who would have thought that Death could get scared," Curtain said, as she walked to the tree and sat next to Sans.

She lazily handed him the ketchup, as he looked at it in surprise.

"I figured you'd be hungry, and I have to go food shopping anyway," Curtain said, and then Sans took the ketchup.

"Thanks Curtain," Sans said, as he took a drink of the ketchup.

"Were you here all night, or did you just arrive and fall asleep?" Curtain asked, hoping that he didn't stay there all night for her sake.

"I just got here like ten minutes ago," Sans replied, as Curtain felt relieved by his answer.

"Why do you ask? Were you worried?" Sans asked.

"Well, I wouldn't want you to stay outside in the cold and all alone for my sake. I'm sure your brother would have worried about you," Curtain said.

"... heh. Thank you for your concern, sweetheart," Sans said with a smirk, as Curtain turned away from him with an annoyed expression.

"I have to go shopping. Do you want to help me or no?" Curtain asked, as she stood up.

"Yeah. I'll help ya out," Sans said.

"Good. I'm going to invite Marisol too," Curtain said.

"Huh... I don't think your friend likes me very much," Sans said.

"I don't like you very much and I'm still hanging out with you," Curtain said with a smile.

"It's not like you have a choice now do you?" Sans said, with a smirk, as he stood up.

Curtain grit her teeth in an attempt to hold back a growl, and she said,

"Let's get going."

Supermarket:

Curtain and Sans met Marisol in the supermarket, as she stood waiting for them with a shopping cart. Curtain and Marisol greeted each other with side-hugs and pats, and then Marisol turned towards Sans. She smiled and took his hand as she was shaking it while saying,

"Hey Sans. It's been awhile. How are you? Wonderful? That's great. Let's go inside. Would you like to push the shopping cart? Thanks a bunch."

Marisol brought the shopping cart in front of Sans as she led Curtain ahead to find the stuff they were going to buy. Sans was surprised by her swift craftiness of keeping a distance between him and Curtain, but he just rolled with it since he already suspected that this would happen.

After gathering all of the food, especially an extra pack of ketchup, the three stood at the register. Curtain watched the food being scanned, while Marisol and Sans were placing the food on the conveyor belt. The last can of food was left, as Marisol and Sans picked it up at the same time. They looked at one another, as Marisol's eyebrows furrowed while Sans eye sockets narrowed.

"I can handle this you know," Marisol said, as she pulled on the can.

"I'll sure, but allow me," Sans said, as he pulled on the can.

"You know, there are other cans you can find," Marisol said, more assertive.

"But this one is special to me," Sans said, also more assertive.

"Maybe this one doesn't want to be with you," Marisol said, as she tugged on the can.

"Or maybe this one just needs time to get to know me," Sans said, as he tugged on the can.

When enough was enough, Curtain snatched the can from both of their hands, as she placed it on the conveyor belt and said,

"Or maybe the can is old enough to make her OWN decisions."

Sans and Marisol looked away with embarrassment, as the cashier guy looked at Curtain and asked,

"Angry friend and flirty potential boyfriend?"

Curtain sighed and said, "Something like that."

When driving home, Curtain noticed how quiet Marisol and Sans were, since they were embarrassed by their actions and how the cashier guessed the situation so easily.

"I'm not angry with you two, you know. Just don't get any crazier and everything will be fine," Curtain said, with a small smile.

"Excuse me, crazier? I'm not crazy Miss Perfect Sanity," Marisol said, in a joking way, which made Curtain chuckle.

"I'm not crazy either. Only my heart is," Sans said, with a wink towards the rear-view mirror, as Curtain just shook her head with a smirk.

The three made it to Curtain's house, as they brought the food inside. Marisol and Sans were able to keep peace, besides the few suspicious side-glances they gave each other. Finally, Marisol decided to return home, and Curtain was able to relax on her couch while Sans went to get her a bottle of water from the fridge.

After passing her the bottle while also sitting on the couch, Sans said,

"So, since the shopping is done, I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner later today. It'll be my treat," Sans said.

"Hmm... where?" Curtain asked, and she took a gulp of water.

"At that restaurant where you can eat outside. You know, the one near the harbor, but not exactly there. It's on a hill," Sans replied.

"Outer-View Restaurant?" Curtain asked, recognizing the place in her mind by his description.

"Yeah, that one. I just forgot the name," Sans replied, as he shrugged.

"Hmmm... okay. I actually like that place a lot, with the view of the whole harbor, the water, and I think they have an open dance floor. I've never actually danced before, but I enjoyed the view. Marisol and our other friend Caroline agreed with me on that," Curtain said.

"Really? I guess I found the perfect place," Sans said with a smile, and thought,

'Never danced before huh…'

Later:

As Curtain and Sans were heading towards Outer-View, Frisk called them and said that she would meet them there because she was running a few errands. When they arrived, Sans told the head waiter near the entrance about his reservations. The head waiter nodded quickly, and then he brought them outside to their table closer to the view of the harbor and water. Curtain and Sans took their seats, as the waiter passed out their menus and left.

"He's quick," Curtain said from observing the head waiter hasty retreat into the restaurant building.

"Yeah. It took a while to get these reservations on short notice, but when it comes to me, how could he refuse?" Sans said, smoothly, although there was a slight threatening look in his eyes when he glanced towards where the head waiter hurried off to.

"Sans, you didn't threaten him?" Curtain asked, one eyebrow arched.

"He asked for it. I clearly saw that he had space for more customers to dine, but he refused because he wanted to leave early. He probably won't be here next week since the manager got involved," Sans said, as he took a sip of water from a glass that was already on the table.

"Wow. I wish I would've been there. That sounds like one of the best parts in coming here," Curtain said, with an amused smile.

"Eh, who knows? Maybe that won't be the only best part," Sans said, which made Curtain look at him in confusion.

They ordered their food and also ordered for Frisk since she was coming soon, and they just talked about the view and the restaurant.

The restaurant building was rectangular and two floors, since the first floor was mostly the kitchen and the second floor was another dining area for when the weather gets cold. The outside patio was round and about three times larger than the building, and the center area was clear of tables besides a sound speaker system that played music. Each table was spread out at least ten feet from one another and went around the whole patio in two circles, and there was a gate around the whole patio perimeter.

When Frisk arrived and sat with them, the food was just served. As they ate, the music started kicking up a notch, which made some of the diners rise up and start dancing. While they watched the other people dancing, Frisk noticed that Sans seemed to be watching Curtain's plate to see if she was done. When Curtain finally threw her napkin on her plate, she said,

"That was good. It was enough not to over-stuff me or leave me hungry."

"I think I might be overstuffed," Frisk said, as she looked at her big plate of food.

"Whaat? That's only half of what an Elemental can eat," Sans said, as he placed a napkin on his plate.

"You're right, but Toriel gave me a snack before I left, and I couldn't refuse," Frisk said, with a shrug of her shoulders.

Then the music grew a little louder, as more people were dancing, although most were couples holding hands and dancing together. Sans took the opportunity to stand up and stretch his hand towards Curtain.
"May I have this dance?" Sans asked, as Curtain looked at him in surprise.

"What? D-Dance? But I can't, I don't have the experience and I just ate. I can't do it," Curtain said, as her mind raced to think of more reasons not to dance.

"Curtain. It's okay. I'll show you what I know," Sans said, his smile genuine in honesty, as Curtain thought about it.

Although she felt a bit uneasy, she was curious to know what Sans knew about dancing. She placed her hand on his with narrowed eyes while standing up, as Sans snickered.

"I'm not trying to trick you. I just want to show you how to dance," Sans said, as he led her closer to the dance floor.

Frisk continued to eat as she watched them standing on the dance floor. Sans intertwined his fingers with her own, as he kept a distance between them so that Curtain can see his feet and her own.

"Okay, try to follow my feet. When I move my foot back, you move your foot forward, and when I move left or right, you follow. Let's try to move a few steps," Sans said, as he moved one foot back, and Curtain moved one foot forward.

Slowly, Curtain started to get better as she was following his lead. Frisk continued to watch them move around, as she patted her face with a napkin and placed it on her plate. After about twenty minutes, Curtain and Sans decided it was time to go, and Frisk came over to them.

"You dance nice so far Curtain," Frisk said with a smile.

"Yeah. I guess I do. It's not so bad," Curtain said, with a small smile.

"That's good to hear, because we're coming back next Saturday. I made the reservations, if that's alright? I can cancel it anytime if you want," Sans said to Curtain.

"Umm, okay. I don't mind coming back here," Curtain said, and Sans nodded.

When they were all in the car heading to Curtain's house, she asked Sans,

"Why did you want to teach me how to dance?"

"Because you taught me how to play video games," Sans said, with a smile, and Curtain half-smiled back.

After returning home, Curtain was pretty tired, so Sans and Frisk left so that she could rest.

Chapter Text

Day Seven

Curtain, Sans, and Frisk were just walking around for most of the day. They were walking around the wilderness park that wasn't too far from Curtain's house, and they coincidentally ran into Marisol.

"Hey Curtain. What's up? Hi Sans. And hello, who's this?" Marisol asked, noticing Frisk.

"Oh, that's right! You haven't met. Marisol, this is Frisk, a friend of Sans and mine. Frisk, this is my best friend who I consider my sister, Marisol," Curtain introduced the two, and they shook hands.

"Well, it's a wonderful pleasure to meet you Frisk!" Marisol said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too Marisol," Frisk said, returning the smile.

As they all continued to walk together, Marisol and Curtain stood forward, as Sans and Frisk stood a little back.

"She seems really nice that Ms. Marisol," Frisk said.

"I guess... just, don't pick up a can near her," Sans said, a little serious.

Frisk turned towards him with an arched eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying, she may be nice, but not all the time," Sans replied.

Frisk smirked and asked, "She doesn't like you around Curtain, doesn't she?"

Sans signed and replied, "Not at all, and she seems to know my intentions... I wonder if Curtain told her..."

"Well, they consider each other as siblings from what Curtain said so, maybe," Frisk said, as Sans eyes narrowed.

"She's not his kid, right?" Marisol asked Curtain.

"What? No. She's an Element, she was born in our world," Curtain replied.

"Oh okay. Wait, an Element?" Marisol said, as she looked towards her in confusion.

"Eh, I'll tell you later. Wait, what made you think she was his kid? He's a skeleton and she looks like a normal, living, human kid. " Curtain asked.

"I figured if he wanted to kidnap you, maybe he kidnapped her too," Marisol replied, as Curtain face-palmed.

When it was getting late, Marisol returned home, and the three headed to Curtain's house. They stood resting for awhile and ate some food Curtain prepared for them. Sans had to leave a little earlier than usual because he and his brother had some business to take care of. After he left, Frisk was finally able to tell Curtain some good news in a whisper-yell,

"Curtain! You wanted to meet Toriel right? Come now, while he's gone! We can meet her in the park now!"

"Really?! Let's go!" Curtain whisper-yelled, as she grabbed her boots to put them on.

In the wilderness park, Frisk brought Curtain to a certain area that was covered in trees and where no one goes since the trees and shrubs are very thick and numerous. Frisk climbed up on Curtain's back as she told her to jump ahead. Although confused, Curtain did so as she held onto Frisk's legs so that she wouldn't slide off her back. When Curtain jumped, Frisk used her powers to make Curtain jump higher and float so that she wouldn't fall waist-deep into the shrubs. Curtain was in awe, as she noticed that her feet were glowing golden white.

"Keep going," Frisk said, since it would be easier to keep Curtain up if she was moving.

As they traveled awhile over the shrubs and bushes, Curtain noticed a transparent lime-green wall ahead, and Frisk told her to jump through it. When she did, Curtain and Frisk entered to see that the shrubs and bushes were not all over the ground, but it was instead covered with green grass. The trees in this area had semi-golden bark, and the leaves looked as if they were glittering in various colors. The few bushes there were nicely trimmed and half of them had various types of berries on them. Although it was near sunset, this area was more illuminated by a soft white light.

Curtain looked at the area in awe, until Frisk asked to be put down which snapped her out of her stupor as she did.

"What is this place? Was it here the whole time?" Curtain asked, looking up at the sky and noticing that it looked not only blue but light green too.

"No, dear child. This place was crafted by me so that I could speak to you more privately," A voice replied, as Curtain and Frisk turned to see Toriel approaching them.

"I know your voice! You’re Toriel! The Life Embodiment, right?" Curtain asked with a smile, as Toriel stood before her and nodded while smiling back.

Toriel immediately was surprised when Curtain ran over and hugged her. She could sense the relief in Curtain's soul, as Toriel smiled and gently hugged her back. Frisk smiled, knowing that Curtain told her before that she would hug Toriel if she met her in person. After the hug ended, Curtain said,

"Sorry about that. It's just, you know, you saved my life and I actually told Frisk that I would hug you so... yeah, sorry."

"Oh it is quite alright. I am glad that I was able to help you in time, Curtain," Toriel said, as she nodded knowingly.

"Okay cool. Um, so I had a lot of questions to ask, but now my mind is blank," Curtain said, as she rubbed the back of her head.

Toriel snickered, and said, "How about you two take a seat, and I will return with something sweet to help you think."

"Uh, sure thing, Miss Toriel," Curtain said, and Toriel nodded as she headed behind some trees where she came from.

Curtain and Frisk sat on two bushes that formed into stool-like chairs.

"So, what do you think of her so far?" Frisk asked.

"She's beautiful, and I can sense that she's strong. But what the heck is wrong with me?! 'Sorry,' 'Um,' 'Uh,' AH! I sounded as nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving!" Curtain criticized, as her arms extended upward from frustration.

"Curtain, it's okay. Many beings like you will act the same way around Embodiments and maybe Elements. It's natural since our powers aren't exactly normal, especially Embodiments. Don't feel bad if you're nervous. I'm sure you were nervous when you first met Sans," Frisk said, as Curtain took that into consideration and felt a little better.

"Yeah, you’re right. I just felt a bit embarrassed," Curtain said, as she relaxed.

"That's alright," Frisk said.

"Here we are. I brought some pie. I made them small slices since I know you two have probably eaten earlier," Toriel said, as she almost floated towards the girls while handing them pie on golden plates.

"Thank you very much Miss Toriel," Curtain said, as Frisk nodded in agreement.

When Curtain looked at the pie, her eyes widened to see that it reached just over the ten inch plates. She looked at Frisk with a raised eyebrow, as Frisk slowly shrugged with a sheepish smile.

As they ate the pies, Toriel sat on a tree-chair that appeared almost out of nowhere.

"Do you feel better dear Curtain?" Toriel asked.

"Yes. So much better. This pie is amazing, what's in it?" Curtain asked, and she took another bite.

"Butterscotch and a hint of cinnamon. I hope that is alright," Toriel replied.

"Mhmm. That's perfectly fine, especially since it tastes good," Curtain said.

"I am glad to hear that. Of course, I could have made you a different kind if you preferred it," Toriel said.

"Well thanks. That's really nice of you," Curtain said.

"It is the least I can do for you, especially with your current circumstances regarding Sans," Toriel said, carefully, and Curtain signed.

"Yeah, but he's not so bad. At least not so far, but I'm keeping an eye on him. We both are," Curtain said, as she looked towards Frisk who nodded towards her.

"Good... I am sorry that I found out so late about what he planned to do. I would have stopped him if I was completely sure of his intentions," Toriel said, with a frown.

"Eh, it's alright Toriel. Once this month is over, we won't have to worry anymore because he won't take my soul," Curtain said.

"Are you certain you will last the whole month? He is quite crafty and somewhat manipulative. He may be more persuasive than you realize. Even his brother is unaware of you. I only found out because Gaster asked me to keep a closer eye on him," Toriel said, as a tea cup appeared in her hand and she took a sip.

"I understand. I won't underestimate him," Curtain said with a confident nod, and Toriel nodded back.

It was getting late and after saying goodbye, Curtain and Frisk left the way they came. Toriel also left through a portal, while the area they were in reverted back to thick, forest shrubs.

“…” Just as someone happened to see it glow.

Chapter Text

Day Eight

It was near closing time at the game store, and while Joseph and Curtain fixed up the shelves and packed away the stands, Ciara was taking care of the register. Joseph and Curtain finished their work, as Joe gave permission for all of his employees to leave a little earlier that day. As Curtain grabbed her backpack and Joseph grabbed his own blue one too, Sans and Frisk entered the game store.

"What the? What are you two doing here early? Did you know I was leaving?" Curtain asked, as they walked closer together.

"We just came early to bother ya. Didn't know you were leaving now," Sans said.

"Yeah. Boss-bro decided to let us go early," Curtain said.

"That's nice of him to let you leave sooner," Frisk said, and Curtain nodded.

Then Curtain turned towards Joseph and noticed that he was looking at Frisk with a confused expression.

"Oh yeah. You haven't met her. Joseph, this is my friend Frisk. Frisk, this is my friend Joseph," Curtain introduced them, and the two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you Frisk," Joseph said, with a smile.

"You too Joseph," Frisk said, as she smiled back.

"You stealing kids Curtain or does she have parents?" Joseph asked with a smirk, and Curtain lightly punched his shoulder and replied,

"No, I didn't steal her."

"My mommy Toriel is letting Curtain babysit me for awhile," Frisk said, with a confident smile, as Sans snickered a bit.

"Really? Aw, that's cool of you Curtain. I didn't know you could babysit," Joseph said.

"Neither did I," Curtain said, as she looked at her, while Frisk winked.

As the four were getting ready to head out, Curtain brought Sans and Frisk over to meet Ciara while she was still working behind the counter.

"Hey Ciara. These are my friends, Sans and Frisk. Sans, Frisk, this is Ciara, my co-worker," Curtain said, as Frisk extended her hand towards Ciara.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you two. I'm sorry, I would shake hands, but mine are a bit sticky from putting the stickers on the games and stuff," Ciara said, as she was using a clothe to wipe her hands, while Frisk understood and put her hand down.

"Nice to meet you, Ms- You’re tall," Frisk said, noticing that Ciara was taller than anyone there, but it wasn't very exaggerated.

"Oh yes I am. But it's probably the heels I'm wearing today," Ciara said, a little flattered.

"Yeah. Nice to meet ya too Ms. Yourtall," Sans said, as Frisk looked towards him and made a face.

"Hahaha. You’re quite the comedian, aren't you?" Ciara said with a smile, and Sans shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure you all have places to be. Hopefully I'll see you again soon," Ciara said, and the four nodded and started walking out.

They waved goodbye to Ciara, as she waved back.

After leaving the mall, Joseph went in his car to meet Karol so that they can go on their date, while Curtain headed to her car to go home. While in her car, Curtain noticed that Sans was talking to Joseph outside his car. It seemed as though Sans made some form of joke because she noticed that Joseph was laughing.

"What are they talking about?" Curtain wondered, suspicious.

"I don't know. But they seem to be just joking around to me," Frisk said from next to Curtain since she was sitting up in the back seat.

When Sans entered the passenger side, Joseph pulled out of his parking while waving at them, as they waved back, and then put on their seat belts.

"What were you two laughing about?" Curtain asked.

"I was just telling him how cute you are, and how jealous you probably were since I was talking to him in that moment," Sans said with a wink, and Curtain growled with an annoyed expression.

Curtain started driving, as Sans chuckled, while Frisk was just looking out the window.

When they were at Curtain's house, they resumed their video game, although Sans needed a reminder of which button was which. After a few hours of playing, they took a break and ate dinner that Curtain made. Sans and Frisk were talking about cosmic jumping, while Curtain listened intently. Frisk said that one time she almost ended up jumping into the wrong realm, which Sans explained that certain realms have similar waves which leads to confusion and sometimes mistaking one realm for another.

"When it comes to darker realms, there are some that are evil, and some that are just dark in appearance but not evilness. You need more experience in outer-sensory to be able to tell exactly where you're going. I have that skill mostly mastered, but if I ever ended up in the wrong realm or universe, it's not like the beings from that world would threaten me since I can easily decide their fates," Sans said.

"Oh, I get it. But it would be easier if there was a sign," Frisk said, while moving her fingers to formulate a rectangle.

"You mean when you open a portal, a sign would be there to tell you which one it is?" Sans asked to clarify, and Frisk nodded.

"Not a bad idea, but if there were signs, I'm certain a few may be, accidentally, mistakenly swapped," Sans said with a raised eyebrow.

"That's messed up Sans, but I guess I understand why there aren't any signs," Frisk said with a pout, while Sans chuckled.

Curtain also giggled even though she tried to suppress her laughter with her hand over her mouth, but Sans heard her and his grin widened a little more.

Afterward, Sans and Frisk helped Curtain clean up the mess of dishes, and then they left.

Day 9

Somewhere:

"Where have you been going every afternoon, Sans? You've been disappearing for a little more than a week now. What are you up to?"

"Hmm... well, I've been keeping an eye-socket on someone. She's pretty fun to hang around."

"What?! There is a secret lady friend of yours and you haven't told me?! Who is she? What kind of being is she? Is she nice? Is she pretty? Well, of course she would have all good qualities because she is friends with you, and your brother is me, the Great Papyrus!"

"Heh. That's true bro. She is something special, and she's not an Embodiment or Element."

"Wowie! Can I meet her brother? Should I follow you, or would you bring her here?"

"Umm, how about you give me time to get to know her better, and then I'll see if you two should meet. Sounds fair?"

"Yes indeed! I shall be patient. I am quite thrilled that you have a lady friend that isn't someone we know. Maybe she won't be just your friend for long. Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"

"Heh. Heh. Yeah, not for long…"

Later:

Curtain finished up her work and was heading out of the store when she met Frisk.

"Hey Frisk, what's up? Where's Sans?" Curtain asked, looking around suspiciously.

"He's at work. You know, reaper work," Frisk said in a whisper.

"Oh... well, I guess we'll see him later. I just got a text from Rini. We're going to meet up and hang out all together," Curtain said, as she looked over her phone messages.

"All together?" Frisk asked.

"Well, there's me, Marisol, Rini, Hare, Joseph, and Karol. Caroline would usually be with us, but she left on a trip... hey, wait a minute, you can meet them! Come on Frisk, we're not too far," Curtain said, as she picked up Frisk and quickly headed to the exit.

"Um, okay. But I can walk on my own. I have legs," Frisk said, with a small smile, but Curtain insisted until they left the mall.

Near the harbor:

Curtain and Frisk found the others already waiting at the harbor.

"Hey! How is it you guys always get to places before me?" Curtain asked, as she greeted them.

"You'd be late even if we called you first," Hare said, with a small smirk, and Curtain slapped his shoulder.

"Anyway, since you're all here, I'd like to introduce my friend Frisk," Curtain said, as she led Frisk in front of her.

"Hello Curtain's friends. Hi Marisol, and Joseph," Frisk said with a smile and a wave.

"Well hi there Frisk! Looks like you're already acquainted with Marisol and Joseph too. I'm Karol," Karol shook hands with Frisk.

"Hey there Frisk. Nice to see ya again," Marisol waved.

"Hey kid. What's up?" Hare said, as he shook hands with her.

"What's up Frisk?" Joseph said, as he held his fist towards Frisk, while she nudged her fist onto his.

"Hello Frisk. It's a pleasure to meet you," Rini said with a soft smile, as they shook hands.

"Your fur is soft," Frisk said, as she touched the fur on the back of Rini's hand.

"Thank you. I take very good care of it," Rini said with a warmer smile.

"Well, now that we've all been introduced, what's the agenda for today guys?" Curtain asked.

"Let's find a place to eat and harass Kelvin on the phone," Joseph said, as he and Hare snickered.

"Yeah. Let's bother him. Right Curtain?" Marisol said with a smirk, as Curtain nodded and smirked with furrowed eyebrows.

As they were all walking together, with the guys walking ahead, Frisk asked Curtain, "Who's Kelvin?"

Curtain signed and replied, "He's just a dude who liked me, but I told him I wasn't interested. He's mostly Joseph and Hare's friend. They like annoying him ever since they found out he liked me, but they didn't think we were compatible either so..."

"Oh, okay," Frisk said, relieved by that fact.

"What?" Curtain asked.

"Well, I'm not sure how Sans would react to that, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind much since you don't like Kelvin," Frisk replied.

"Speaking of which, where is the stalk- I mean, where is Sans? Did he leave?" Marisol asked.

"He had business to take care of. I'm sure his job is keeping him occupied," Curtain replied with a half-hearted smile, as Marisol looked at her with widened eyes, remembering that Sans is a reaper.

"Ohhhh. Do I hear something related to someone having a crush on you Curtain?" Karol asked, with excitement in her eyes.

"Wha? No. Uh, maybe," Curtain said, as she was trying not to tell her because of her shipping tendencies.

"Oh, I think I heard something quite interesting here," Rini said, as her rabbit ears moved a bit while the girls looked towards her.

"It seems like that Sans the Skeleton may have a crush on Curtain. It seems as though Curta and Mari were hiding that fact from us," Rini said, with a small, smug smile.

"-Le Gasp!- Why would you hide this from us! We are practically family!" Karol yelled in her calm frenzy.

"Because you’re a shipper and I don't feel the same way he feels for me!" Curtain replied, in a louder voice that even Joseph and Hare heard.

"Oh snap! A crush! Who's the dude, Curtain?" Joseph asked.

"It seems like the feeling might be mutual given Curtain's defensive pitch. But I'm guessing it's that skeleton guy, Sans," Hare said, with a smug smirk and a twitch of his ears.

"Oh-Ohhhh! So that's it huh? I knew it! But Curtain, he's pretty laid back and cool. I don't know, he might be your type," Joseph said, with his hand on his chin.

"Just because you have a girlfriend, doesn't make you a Matchmaker. Besides, Curtain doesn't like-like him," Marisol said, with one hand on her hip.

"Yeah, I don't like him like that. He's just a friend and that's all," Curtain said, with confidence.

"Alright Curtain. If you don't like-like him, then that's alright. If you need back up just in case if he gets a little crazy, then you let us know," Joseph said.

"I agree, but he's chill though. I don't think he'd be crazy enough to kidnap her," Hare said, as the others agreed, besides Marisol, Curtain, and Frisk.

"Yeah, sure," Curtain whispered, as Frisk heard her and covered her mouth from laughing outloud.

Later:

"Guys, stop calling me! I need to save my minutes!" Kelvin yelled over Hare's phone.

"You have an unlimited plan. I went with you to get it," Joseph said, as the others were chuckling.

"AHH! Stop bothering me bros and sistos!" Kelvin yelled again.

"Sistos?" Frisk whisper-questioned Curtain.

"He means us girls, but he says 'sistos' from sister, like 'bros,' from brother," Curtain whisper-replied, and Frisk nodded.

"Alright dude. We'll talk later when you come back," Hare said over the phone.

"Okay. Oh, one more thing, tell Curtain that she's still the prettiest lady in the world," Kelvin said, as Curtain rolled her eyes.

"Dude, she's right here rolling her eyes. Let her go bro," Joseph said.

"I've been trying to let go, but no woman I've met can match her greatness," Kelvin said.

"Then fix your eyes off of Curtain-mode and stop comparing other women to me! Plain and simple huh?" Curtain yelled out, as Hare and Joseph were holding back their laughs from Curtain's grumpy expression.

"Geez! Your voice almost broke my ear drums! Okay okay Curtain! I'll try. It's difficult alright?!" Kelvin said.

"Besides Kelvin, there's another guy who likes Curtain, and they seem compatible even though Curtain denies it," Karol said with a smile, as Curtain looked at her with furrowed eyebrows and half-lidded eyes.

"Oh the heartache! Another wishes to claim your heart! If only I was him! At least you guys seem to DEFEND him!" Kelvin said, as his voice grew louder.

"Dude, it's obvious you two aren't compatible even in another life," Joseph said.

"That's true," Kelvin said.

"Okay man. We gotta eat. We'll talk to you later," Hare said.

"Alright guys and gals. See ya later, and it was nice to meet you Frisk," Kelvin said, as everyone said goodbye to him.

After hanging up, the waitress in the cafe they were in served all of them their food. Everyone decided to chip in to pay for Frisk's food, which she appreciated. They all sat in a big booth, with Rini, Marisol and Curtain on one side, and Hare, Joseph, Karol, and Frisk on the other side.

Right when they were going to dig in, someone entered the cafe and walked over to them, as he held a white coffee cup in his hand. The group jolted in fright when he popped up next to their table, especially Curtain and Frisk since they were at the ends of the table.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late. Work was pretty killer today," Sans said, as he took a sip from his coffee.

"Sans, you almost gave us heart attacks!" Curtain said, as she looked at him with annoyance, while the others were breathing out or laughing from the jump scare.

"That wouldn't be so bad for you since I'm here~" Sans whispered as he sat down next to her while Curtain frowned.

"Well, I guess the gang is all here for now huh?" Joseph said.

"Do you want anything to eat Sans? We already got our food, but maybe you'd want something?" Karol asked in courtesy.

"Nah, I'm good. I had my fill before jolting up in here," Sans said, as the others laughed a bit from his pun, while the side of Curtain's lip tugged a bit.

After eating and hanging around town:

The group returned back to their homes, as Curtain brought Frisk and Sans with her to her house.

"So you reaped a couple hundred souls today?" Curtain asked Sans.

"Actually yes. My brother and I had to do a run together," Sans replied.

"Hm... how is your brother? Is he like you?" Curtain asked.

"Not really. He's nice, even to his enemies, and believes that everyone has good inside of them. He leads people to more peaceful deaths. He's really cool," Sans said, with a bit more enthusiasm.

"He does sound super cool, and sweet too," Curtain said.

"He is. He's the greatest," Sans said.

"So, how was the soul reaping in general? Did you have to fight a couple of them or something?" Curtain asked.

"It wasn't so hard. Not all of them are stubborn," Sans said, as he took a moment to stare at Curtain.

"What?" Curtain asked.

"Heh. Nothing," Sans said, as he turned away.

"What were you just implying Sans?" Curtain said, as she crossed her arms.

"Heh. Come on kid," Sans said, as he led Frisk to leave with his grin widening.

"Sans! Come back here! What were you- Sans! YOU’RE the stubborn one!" Curtain said, as Sans continued walking out the door with Frisk until they teleported away.

"Ugh! This guy," Curtain said, and she closed her door and locked it.

Chapter Text

Day 10

After work, Curtain headed home with Sans and Frisk. They were just relaxing in the living room, until the phone rang. Curtain answered, and she was happy to tell the person on the other line 'Yes, come over.' Sans then asked who was coming, and when Curtain replied 'Marisol,' he laid his head back on the sofa and acted dead while Frisk chuckled.

As they were waiting for Marisol to arrive, Curtain put on her console, as the three resumed their game session. They were stuck on one part for awhile, when a knock was heard and Curtain went to answer the door.

"Hey Curtain. What's going on?" Marisol asked, as Curtain welcomed her in her home.

"Eh, nothing much. Just playing with Frisk and Sans. We're stuck on this one part though," Curtain replied, as she and Marisol entered the living room.

"Oh. My. Gosh! I haven't beaten this game yet! Get me in this, let me join!" Marisol said excitedly, as she quickly threw herself on the sofa and let her handbag drop off of her arm onto the floor.

"Alright alright. I got a spare controller. But you'll start at level one though," Curtain said, as she found her forth controller and passed it to Marisol.

"Eh, that's fine. This game has a good level up system so I'll be up to your levels in no time," Marisol said, as she was choosing her character.

With the four of them working together, even Sans and Marisol, they all made it to the true final boss. They were beaten down once, but they were determined to win. Marisol and Sans were able to work out a plan, as Curtain was relieved to see them at peace with one another. When they challenged the final boss again and he had a little bit of life left, Curtain and Sans were able to defeat him together, and all four of them began to cheer when they finally won.

"Finally! We beat it!" Marisol said, as she was fake crying.

"Oh my gosh, we really did it. We finally completed it," Curtain said to Marisol.

"That was crazy, but it was fun," Frisk said, as she leaned her back into the sofa since she was sitting on the floor.

"Yeah. That was great," Sans said, as he slouched back on the sofa.

As they watched the ending credits, which also showed what happened to their characters after the end, one of the images showed Sans' guy character and Curtain's girl character standing at an altar while holding hands. Frisk wasn't sure what was going on, Marisol slowly brought her hand to her mouth, and Sans and Curtain's eyes went wide.

"Huh? What is that? He wears a suit, she wears a dress- Ohhh, I get it! They got married," Frisk said, finally understanding the image.

Curtain stood in shock for an extra moment since the images came to an end with the credits still rolling. She looked at Marisol for an explanation as her friend shrugged, and then she looked at Sans as his smile widened.

"Curtain~" Sans said, as he leaned closer to her.

"No..." Curtain said, in a low tone.

"Destiny~" Sans said.

"Sans...!" Curtain said, growing increasing aggravated.

"Even the game knows~" Sans said, as he laid his head on Curtain's shoulder.

"I knew they were girlfriend and boyfriend, but I didn't think they were going to get married at the end," Marisol said, still surprised.

Curtain turned to Marisol with gritted teeth and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I didn't think it was relevant. Not in this way! How was I supposed to know?!" Marisol said, as she lifted her hands in defense from Curtain's furrowed eyebrows.

"We're meant to be sweetheart~" Sans said, as he nuzzled his face on Curtain's shoulder, while Frisk looked at them in surprise.

Curtain turned towards Sans with gritted teeth as her fangs were showing, which made Frisk's jaw drop from seeing that.

'But... she looks human... why does she have a full set of fangs...? Is she not human? But is she a monster? What is she?' Frisk thought.

Curtain stood up from her seat, as Sans almost fell down and stood sitting up. Curtain looked between Marisol and Sans, and then she put her hands together as she took a deep breath in and out with her eyes closed. Then she pointed her hands downward while opening her eyes and said,

"Go."

"What?" -Sans and Marisol

"I'm kicking you all out. I need time to think from all of this trauma and drama. Go now." -Curtain

"Aww, but darling..." -Sans

"Curtain come on! I didn't know..." -Marisol

Curtain flung her hands into the air, as she yelled out to release her aggression,

"Get out Of HERE!"

Marisol and Sans felt chills surging up their spines, as Sans ran to the front door, while Marisol grabbed her bag and quickly headed to the front door as well.

"Do I have to go?" Frisk asked Curtain, as she stood up.

"Well... yeah. I need a little time to be alone for today," Curtain said calmly as she lowered her arms.

"Okay," Frisk said, as she got up and stretched a bit before heading to the front door.

Curtain walked Frisk outside. As they stepped out, they saw Marisol starting her car, as Sans teleported away. Marisol saw them and gave a little wave, as Frisk waved and Curtain pointed towards the direction of her house with a pout. Marisol got the hint, as she sheepishly grinned, and then drove away to her own house. Frisk started walking as she turned to wave at Curtain, and she waved back. Then Frisk opened a small portal, and walked inside as it closed behind her.

Curtain re-entered her house after locking the door. She walked back into her living room, and the game credits had ended. Although she wanted to continue playing, she was a bit annoyed so she shut off the game.

Right before she was going to head into the kitchen, a light flashed above her sofa, as Toriel fell from it onto said sofa.

"Oof! Oh my goodness," Toriel said while laying on the sofa, as the light, which was a portal, faded away.

"What the? Toriel? What are you doing here?" Curtain asked, clearly confused.

"Oh, hello Curtain. I was hoping to come and see you, but I was uncertain where the outside of your house was. I am sorry for dropping in like this," Toriel said, as she sat up from the sofa, while fixing her clothes.

"Heh. Uh, it's fine now. At least no one was on the sofa," Curtain said, as she sat next to Toriel.

"Oh my goodness, I should have been more careful. I could have hurt someone, and even you. My apologies," Toriel said.

"Eh, it's alright. I already kicked everyone out," Curtain said, with a shrug.

"Why have you kicked everyone out of your home?" Toriel asked.

"... I just needed time alone I guess," Curtain said, looking away from her, while Toriel understood that she didn't want to answer directly.

"I see. Oh! Yes, I came to inform you about something Curtain. It is quite important, although we are still trying to identify it," Toriel said.

"What is it?" Curtain asked.

"We have sensed a dark presence appearing and disappearing in this area. Not particularly near your home, but around the area of the harbor and forests. We are concerned because of the high intensity of dark energy, and by how quickly it dissipates. We can not trace it easily, but we can determine that, because it disappears so quickly, that it comes from an experienced and powerful being. I wished to warn you because it is around here, and I am concerned about your safety as well as Sans because he takes on a mortal form when he is with you," Toriel said, as Curtain was intrigued but also concerned since Sans was also at risk.

"So, what do we do if we encounter such a being?" Curtain asked.

"It is best to avoid them, especially since we are unsure of who and what it is. Sans will be informed about this being when he returns home, so he will be prepared and protect you if needed. Also, I am sure that he may want to stay by your side often to keep you safe," Toriel replied.

"He's kind of doing that already, so that's fine. But what about my friends slash family? Will they be alright?" Curtain asked.

"We are going to keep an eye on all of the residents here, your friends included. The dark presence has not targeted or harmed anyone, but we will keep them in check. They seem keen on hiding at the moment. But do not worry yourself too much. We will be watching out for all of you," Toriel said, as she patted Curtain's shoulder.

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know, Toriel. I appreciate that," Curtain said with a smile and nod, and Toriel smiled back.

Curtain offered Toriel food, as she took it gratefully. Afterward, Toriel had to go, and they exchanged good bye.

Day 11

Sans went to the game store to invite Curtain on another date, which she agreed to since Frisk was coming. He left the game store to wait for Curtain to get out of work, and Ciara turned to her and said,

"You best be careful, Curtain. Going on a date usually requires getting to know a person better, and if you start liking him, that could be trouble for you."

"I'm aware of that. I'll be careful," Curtain said, as she grabbed her backpack.

"Be sure he doesn't keep in contact with you, like holding your hand or something. He may be able to sense your feelings. When it comes to all Elements, although some Embodiments also have high sensory ability, they can detect your feelings when they make contact with you, or sense your innermost person. He would have to use it at will since he's an Embodiment, but be cautious," Ciara said, and Curtain nodded.

"Thanks for letting me know Ciara. You’re really knowledgeable," Curtain said, and Ciara nodded with a smile,

“Research research, like the bookworm I am. Have fun, but not too much!”

“Hee hee. Later.”

Later, in the restaurant:

The food was ordered, as Frisk excused herself to wash up in the bathroom since she accidentally spilled her drink on her shirt. As Frisk headed to the bathroom, Curtain raised an eyebrow at Sans, knowing that he caused the accidental spill when he startled them by slapping his hand on the table to speak.

"What?" Sans asked.

"You did that on purpose," Curtain calmly accused him.

"Whaat? How can you say that? She was the one who jumped up with her drink in hand when I called for your attention," Sans said, as he shrugged with a mischievous grin.

"Why do you say no, but then almost admit it right after?" Curtain asked, with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't actually deny your claim, but I can't lie to you, love. That's the first rule of a relationship isn't it?" Sans asked, with a cocky grin.

"Yes, and I highly agree with that. Although, I'm certain you don't mean a romantic relationship with me since we're not in one," Curtain said, as she relaxed her expression while stirring her drink with a straw.

"If you were to agree to one, then that could change," Sans said, as he leaned his chin onto his hand.

"What a tempting offer to lose my soul... nah. I'm fine as I am," Curtain said, as she took a sip of her drink.

Sans sighed and said, "Your soul is you so you can't lose it, and if you want to be specific, your soul would just be... relocating."

"Against my will though," Curtain said, with a shrug.

Sans sighed and said, "It wouldn't be against your will if you love me. You wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Sans, even if I did, and I'm not saying I do because I don't... there's Marisol, my best friends, and then there's my home and job... my whole life. You want me to give it all up so that I could be with you, and that's questionable in this case because I may never see them again. Marisol is a sister to me since we were kids. If Papyrus had the choice to be with you or with someone else and you'd never see him again, how would that feel? If you were in my situation how would you feel?" Curtain asked, more seriously.

Strangely, Curtain saw that Sans seemed confused. As if he couldn't fully comprehend her questions in his mind. Curtain's eyes slightly squinted, as she thought,

'... What... can't he understand other people's feelings? He doesn't seem apathetic... he actually looks confused. Genuinely confused.'

Frisk returned, as she crawled under the table and popped up onto her seat.

"What going on?" Frisk asked, noticing a somewhat tense silence between a squinting Curtain and a confused Sans.

"We were just talking," Curtain said, as she relaxed while taking another drink.

"... yeah. I was just about to ask Curtain about her childhood. Maybe I could understand better if we start from there," Sans said, as he relaxed as well.

Curtain stopped in mid-drink, and she set her cup down as she gulped. She sighed before speaking.

"… Alright. I'll tell you. I lived with my parents in the house I'm living in now. We lived there for thirteen years. I met Marisol when I was I think, four. Our parents were friends and we were able to see each other often, that's why we're so close. We eventually met our other friends when we got into gaming and all. We all were friends by the time I was ten, and everything was fine for the next three years... then, my parents got into a car accident when they were coming to pick me up from Marisol's house. They were driving up across the bridge on the opposite side of the harbor, not the one that's more of a road where I've been driving you and Frisk to get into the city. The other driver lost control of their vehicle and crashed into them as they all fell into the river. My dad was brought to the hospital, but my mom... she dusted by the time they made it since she was a monster. My dad was human so he lasted longer because his physical body was naturally stronger..." Curtain wiped her eyes as she felt a tear roll down, while Frisk and Sans for stunned for different reasons.

Frisk was completely surprised for three reasons: the fact that Curtain's parents died, how they died, and that her mother was a monster and her father was a human. Yet, Sans seemed like he knew this story, and his surprise subsided as he looked downward and spoke in a low-spirited voice,

"Your father had dark brown hair that was spiked and long enough to reach his shoulders and over his eyes, which were burgundy colored. He wore a white, short-sleeved t-shirt with blue jeans and brown boots. Your mother was a bird and partial wolf monster that could fly with blue crystal eyes, fangs, and black feathers that were blue on the ends. She wore a blue dress that reached her knees and black pants, but no shoes since she had clawed feet."

Curtain looked at Sans in shock, and asked, "How… How do you know all of that?"

"... I don't forget those I reap," Sans said, looking up at her.

Curtain placed her hand over her mouth, unsure if she felt angry, sad, or both. Sans continued speaking while laying his forearms on the table,

"I remember that day. It was me and Papyrus together. Your mother dusted during the trip to the hospital and Papyrus was able to help her peacefully move on. On the other hand, your father was strong and wouldn't go with Papyrus willingly. However, before I could take action, he had only one wish that I couldn't ignore. He was brought to the hospital, and me and Papyrus waited on the roof to let him see his daughter one last time. That was his wish... afterward, I laid my hand on his head, and released his soul, but I let Papyrus take care of his soul... I didn't know he was your father, but I didn't know you either, not until recently."

After Sans finished speaking, he looked down at his right hand as he turned it upward. The same hand he used to release her father's soul, and now he looked at it with guilt and sympathy.

Curtain noticed this, as she understood that it wasn't like Sans deliberately took her father's life. It seemed like it was his time, although Sans felt bad about it. She took her hand away from her face, as she placed it over Sans' hand, which made him look up at her.

"It's alright, Sans. I understand. If you and Papyrus were there, most likely, they had to go. I'd prefer for them to have gone in peace together. At least I know that's what happened," Curtain said, with a sad smile, as another tear rolled down her cheek.

However, Sans used his other hand to gently wipe the tear from her face.

"I'm sorry," Sans said, as he looked deep into her purple eyes.

"... thank you," Curtain said, as she looked deep into his dark but luminous pupils.

Yet, Curtain realized that their distance seemed to be decreasing, and she sat back as she took her hand back too.

"Well, that was interesting," Curtain said, as she wiped her eyes again to make sure her tears were gone.

"Yeah," Sans said, as he sat back, not realizing that he was sitting more forward.

The food came and they ate, the conversation was a bit draining for the three as they ate everything pretty quickly. After dinner, they went to Curtain's house, and Sans left since he didn't want to bother her for that day. Frisk left with him, and Curtain decided to go to sleep after looking at a picture she had in her room of her parents, with a smile.

Chapter Text

Day 12

Work was pretty exciting since it was Friday, and it left Joseph, Curtain, and Ciara quite tuckered out. As they were leaving, Curtain got into her car and drove home. Oddly, Sans and Frisk weren't waiting for her, but when she entered her home she found out why. The two were sitting on her sofa while playing a children's card game, and Sans was winning by a little bit.

"What are you two doing here?" Curtain asked, as she walked near the sofa after placing her bag on the floor next to it.

"Well, Frisk hasn't played a card game in a while, so we decided to play it here. Sorry about not picking you up as usual, I'm sure you missed us," Sans said, with a wink, as Curtain slightly frowned at him.

Curtain nearly threw herself on the sofa next to Sans because there was room for her sit, as she sighed.

"Tired?" Sans asked, as he threw down a card that was a final piece he needed to win and Frisk stood in shock of how she lost.

"Yeah. Work was pretty killer today. It would've been the death of me if we would have stood there any longer," Curtain said, as she slouched a bit and slightly smirked.

Sans turned towards her with a smirk and said, "Oh yeah? You were worked to the bone, huh? Tibia honest, I hope you don't have a femur from working so hard."

Sans placed the back of his hand on Curtain's head and said, "You feel pretty warm. Or is that just your pretty face~"

Curtain replied, "You feel pretty cold, and quite humerus today."

As he removed his hand from her forehead, Sans said, "Well, there's a reason for that. Today, I decided to take you somewhere without you having to use your car. I figured you needed a break from driving all the time, and what a perfect day it is."

"Oh really? Where are we going?" Curtain asked, as Sans put his cards in his pocket and stood up.

"Everywhere we can get to," Sans said, as he walked a few feet away from the sofa.

His hand started glowing dark blue, as he closed one eye and the other glowed with a blue iris. Sans turned his hand once, as he was covered with dark energy that soon faded to reveal him in his reaper form. His hood was down, and his glowing hand summoned forth his scythe as he held it while his hand stopped radiating energy. His blue eye returned to a white pupil as he opened his other eye.

Curtain immediately sat up in alarm when he transformed, as Frisk quickly put her cards away and became alert since she didn't know what he was planning.

Sans extended his hand towards Curtain and said, "Come on. There's a lot to see and we wouldn't want the sun to go down too soon."

Curtain was questionable as to whether to go with him or not as she slowly moved her hand towards his.

"Don't be scared. You can't die if we make contact," Sans said, reassuring her.

Curtain decided to take the risk and trust him, as she laid her hand on his. She didn't feel light-headed or anything pertaining to death. She did sense dark energy radiating from him, but it wasn't evil or threatening, instead it was soft and calm. Sans gently tugged Curtain up to her feet, as he used his other hand to push some of her hair behind her ear. Shifting was heard, as Sans looked towards Frisk, who stood next to them with a suspicious expression towards him. Sans casually led Curtain outside while still holding her hand, as Frisk followed them after closing the front door. Curtain gave Frisk her keys from her pocket to lock the door, and Frisk did do as she returned her keys.

"So, what now?" Curtain asked, a little impatient since Sans still hadn't released her hand.

The Skele-reaper turned towards her as he pulled her towards himself. He released her hand while placing his arm around her waist securely. Frisk was about to step in, but Sans moved quicker as he jumped up high, and Curtain naturally latched her arms around his neck so that she wouldn't fall, even though Sans held a good grip around her.

"Sans! What are you doing?!" Frisk called out in surprise.

"I think it's time for me and Curtain to spend this date alone. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself, and I think I proved enough that I can control myself. Don't worry. I'll bring her home safe and sound," Sans replied, as he turned towards Curtain and asked, "Are you alright?"

Curtain nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't expect that you were literally going to sweep me off my feet."

Sans chuckled and said, "I'm full of surprises. Now, let's say we start moving before someone notices us."

Sans started flying higher with Curtain, as they headed towards the city. Frisk wasn't sure what to do, and since she was locked out of the house she was quite dismayed. She decided to open a portal to see Toriel because she wasn't sure what she was going to do now.

Sans flew close to the clouds to draw as little attention to himself and Curtain as possible. He didn't fly right above the city because he was waiting for sunset so that they would be harder to spot. So instead, Sans flew out towards the water of the harbor and kept going out.

"Where are we going, Sans?" Curtain asked, although enjoying the scenery of the sea.

"Anywhere," Sans said, as he flew lower so that they could be closer to the water.

Then a mischievous glance came across his narrowed eyes, as Curtain looked at him and noticed it with a raised eyebrow.

"Sans, what are you- SANS!" Curtain yelled out when he suddenly dove into the water with her.

Curtain held her breath and kept her eyes glued shut, as Sans just looked at her with an amused grin.

"Curtain, open your eyes and breathe," Sans said, as Curtain slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed that the water wasn't touching her and Sans because there was some form of energy around them that pushed the water away. As Curtain started to breathe regularly, she noticed that it was Sans' power that kept the water away from them.

"You didn't think that I was going to dive underwater and risk drowning you, did ya?" Sans asked, and Curtain puffed up her cheeks with an irritated expression.

"Heh. I guess I shouldn't have just lunged into the water like that. Heh heh. But it was worth it to see you get mad~" Sans said, as Curtain turned her face away from him while he continued to chuckle.

Sans brought Curtain all around the water. They went about forty feet deep to see the aquatic life occupying the area. It was a beautiful sight that Curtain was able to behold, as Sans was enjoying himself too. At one point a shark showed up, which made Curtain nervous, but Sans only looked at the shark with a blue glow from one of his eyes and the water-beast swam away for it's life.

After viewing a few corals and sea urchins, Sans flew up above the water as he continued up close to the skies. Curtain firmly held her arms around his neck, as Sans just smiled to himself and thought that he should have done this sooner. They were flying above a forest area with tall trees that Curtain wasn't familiar with.

"What is this place?" Curtain asked, unfamiliar with the new area.

"It's across the harbor. It's pretty far from there though, that's why none of you could see it unless you've been on a ship," Sans said, as he slowly descended towards the ground.

"Oh. I've never been on a ship before," Curtain said.

"No? I've heard there's a cruise ship you could go on in this harbor," Sans asked, as he glanced towards her.

"I never went on the cruise ship. Me and Marisol wanted to, but we just didn't," Curtain said, with a small shrug.

As she admired the scenery of forest and mountains in the distance, Sans smirked at her response.

Sans landed a few yards up a mountain, and they began their walk. Since he flew over everything, Sans decided to walk back from the direction they came so that Curtain can look around. She was very pleased with this, although Curtain didn't really show it besides a smile. They walked around and saw various colored birds and plants, and they found a tree with a width of twenty feet, which surprised both of them. Curtain started climbing up the bark, as Sans noticed hook-like claws on her hands that helped her climb with ease. When she made it on top of a forty-foot high branch, she stood up on two feet to look around and take in the fresh air.

"Enjoying the view?" Sans asked from a higher branch on the opposite side of the tree.

"Yes. It feels so nice, and free," Curtain replied, as she noticed a few birds flying into their nest on another tree.

Sans saw how relaxed Curtain's expression was with a warm smile she held towards the birds. He noticed how her black and blue-tipped hair flowed freely in the soft breeze, and how the sun reflected on her skin that made her seem to glow in a golden hue. His face lightly blushed blue, although he wasn't entirely sure why, but he couldn't take his gaze off of her.

They continued traveling through the forest, as Sans had to save Curtain a few times from tripping because she was more focused on the environment around her than in front of her. When they finally made it through the forest to the open ocean, the sun was reaching the horizon to set. Sans reached his arm out towards Curtain, and she walked over to him and wrapped one arm over his shoulders. He wrapped his one arm around her waist, and then he flew up with her.

They headed back towards the city, high in the sky, as Curtain saw the birds flying by them. Sans landed on the roof of the highest building there, and he set Curtain down.

"Why are we here, Sans?" Curtain asked, as Sans brought over a bench that he placed not too close to the roof edge.

"To watch the sun set. I thought you'd like to see it, and since we're not walking, I won't have to worry about catching you," Sans said, as he sat on one side of the bench.

Curtain pouted, but she shrugged since he was right, and then she sat on the bench, leaving a foot distance between both of them.

As the sun was setting, the two watched as the sky changed in various colors and gradients. The sun was only a slither on the horizon, as the darker hues of light were overtaking the sky. When the sun finally disappeared, the sky was still somewhat illuminated, as Sans glanced towards Curtain. She stood up from her seat as she looked all around the city below them, and Sans stood up.

"What's the matter?" Sans asked.

"I've never seen the city from this high before, so I wanted to get a better look," Curtain said, as she was looking ahead at the harbor.

Sans smirked as a thought crossed his mind, and he slowly approached Curtain at an angle behind her. He stood pretty close, as he looked at her while she was still looking around the harbor. However, Curtain felt that he was close by her, but she wasn't sure how far until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Curtain, you know how I feel about you, and I suspect that you've been having fun hanging out with me, even if you won't admit it..." Sans said, as he rubbed his thumb on her shoulder, while Curtain looked towards him with narrowed eyes although she didn't turn from the view.

"Look at what I can do for you. I can do anything for you. You can see new places, venture beyond this city, beyond this world. Whatever you need, whatever you want, I can give it to you, and I'm willing to. All I ask is for your love, and I will return it to you plus everything else, my dear," Sans said, as Curtain turned her eyes downward, considering his words.

Sans leaned close to her ear while stroking her cheek with his back-hand and whispering,

"You've already captured my heart Curtain, now let me capture yours."

Curtain slowly turned towards Sans, with a calm expression, and asked,

"But I didn't lock your heart in a cage, did I? You’re giving it to me willingly, so why shouldn't I?"

Upon hearing her words, Sans stepped back from Curtain with narrowed eyes, knowing that she was referring to when he tried to take her soul when they first met. Curtain looked away from him while crossing her arms, and Sans sighed and said,

"I'm sorry."

Curtain turned back towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"I shouldn't have tried to steal your soul that night. I'm sorry," Sans said, looking directly at Curtain to show his sincerity.

After taking a moment to think it over, Curtain uncrossed her arms and said, "Alright. I’ll forgive you. Especially since you're making up for it this whole month."

"Heh. Yeah. I'm going to have an empty wallet soon," Sans said, which earned a snicker from Curtain.

The two decided to call it a day, and Sans flew Curtain home.

"So, you got you’re dancing... boots for tomorrow?" -Sans

"Oh yeah, Outer-view. Yes, I'm ready, but they're just normal boots." -Curtain

"That's fine. I'm teaching you basic dances anyway." -Sans

"Alright." -Curtain

"Welp. We're here. I'll fox-trot to your house tomorrow at noon. Just don't get tango-ed up with the time. I'll jig you a call when I'm coming over. I wouldn't want to just bolero in on ya," Sans said with a smile, as he earned a chuckle from Curtain which widened his grin.

Curtain was safe and sound at home as she said bye to Sans, and then he left.

Day 13

"Sans. Why did you leave without Frisk? You agreed that she could accompany you and Curtain. What made you just leave her behind?" -Toriel

"Yeah, heh heh. Sorry about that, Tori. It's just, I haven't really spent time with Curtain alone, so I just picked her up and left. Don't worry though. She's perfectly fine. I wouldn't hurt her ya know." -Sans

"I am sure that you would not harm Curtain, and I can understand if you would like some space, but we did make an agreement, and leaving Frisk behind was... not cool." -Toriel

"I couldn't even go back in her house, I was locked out. But I was more worried about that dark presence finding you two." -Frisk

"Indeed. It may not be safe to travel alone. I was more worried about the dark presence threatening harm to you two. I knew you would protect Curtain, Sans, but we were worried for both of you." -Toriel

"Aw man. I forgot about that dark thing. Sorry for making you two worry." -Sans

"It is quite alright. You two are safe and that is what matters." -Toriel

"Yeah... Also, I think it would be a good idea for me to give Sans and Curtain some space. I mean, I won't leave them alone, but let's say they go out on a date, then maybe I won't sit at their table. I can sit next to their table instead." -Frisk

"Are you certain, Frisk?" -Toriel

"Yes. I trust Sans." -Frisk

"Thanks kid." -Sans

It was Saturday, and Curtain decided to sleep-in later than usual. She woke up with her hair in a mess of tangles, and she went to take a shower to somewhat tame it. After her shower and getting dressed, she took her blow dryer and hairbrush and went into her living room to dry her hair. A knock on the door led her to check who it was by looking through the peephole in the door. It was Sans.

She opened the door and said, "Hey Sans, what's up? It's pretty early for our date isn't it?"

"Hey Curtain. I got a little anxious. I see that you’re already getting ready for it," Sans said, noticing her wet hair and the brush she held in her hand.

"Oh, I just took a shower. My hair was a mess. Hey... why don't you help me dry it? Come on," Curtain said, as she let Sans in.

They sat on the couch, as Curtain passed him the blow dryer, and as Sans followed her brush with the heat, and she would brush through her hair. At one point she tangled the brush with a knot on her hair, as Sans untangled it. When she continued to brush her hair, it ended up getting caught in a knot two more times. Sans decided to take the brush after untangling it, and brush her hair himself.

"I could brush my own hair, Sans," Curtain said, with a little smirk.

"Nah. I got it," Sans said, as he continued brushing her hair.

A knock was heard, and Curtain called for whoever it was to come in since she didn't lock the door because she figured that Frisk was coming, and she felt safe with Sans.

Frisk entered the house, as she stood looking at Curtain and Sans while he was brushing her hair.

"What's going on?" Frisk asked.

"He's brushing my hair because the brush keeps getting tangled," Curtain said, as she closed her eyes while letting Sans continue to brush her hair.

Sans noticed that Curtain seemed to be slightly leaning her head onto the brush, and he asked,

"You really like getting your hair brushed, huh? Or do you just like when someone else does it?"

"A little bit of both I guess," Curtain replied with a wider smirk, as Frisk's eyebrow arched to her expression.

Noticing Frisk's reaction, Sans put the pieces together as his eyes narrowed. He looked from the brush to Curtain's hair, and then he leaned over close to her ear and whispered,

"Were you tangling your hair on purpose so that I could brush it?"

Curtain's eyes widened a little, and she replied, "Um, maaaybe..."

Sans sighed, while Curtain stood still, not knowing what he was going to do. Then she felt his arms wrap around her waist, as Sans laid his head over her shoulder.

"Sans! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Curtain said, her face heating up, as she could hear him chuckling from her discomfort.

"You tricked me, so now I'm paying you back... with snuggles," Sans said, as he started snuggling his face into the back of her head and neck.

"Sans! Stop it!" Curtain protested, as she tried to pry his arms off of her, but he held a strong grip around her.

Frisk realized what Sans was really doing and said, "Um Curtain, he's messing up your hair... a lot."

Hearing those words, Curtain stopped moving as her eyes widened, and Sans also stopped while his smirk grew. Curtain was finally able to pry herself from Sans grasp. She stood up and looked in a mirror that was next to her front door, and her hair was indeed a mess.

"SANS! YOU JERK!" Curtain said, as she turned towards him while he started laughing.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Ha Ha! Do you want me to fix it?" Sans asked as he held up the brush, while Curtain growled.

Frisk held her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud, especially when Curtain sat on the sofa with a pout while Sans hummed with a triumphed smile.

After fixing her hair and deciding to leave it loose instead of in a low ponytail, Curtain went to get dressed in a new clothing set. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt with white bands at the ends of the sleeves, a blue vest corset over the shirt, a blue skirt with a white band at the bottom that reached her knees, black stockings, and tall black boots. Her eye shadow was light purple with black eye liner to compliment her purple eyes.

She walked downstairs after getting dressed while Sans and Frisk were watching the news.

"Hey. What do you guys think? I'm trying something new," Curtain asked, as she stood near the television.

"Oooh, that's nice. The colors match your hair, besides the white," Frisk complimented with a smile.

"That was the idea," Curtain said with a nod of approval to her answer.

Sans could only stare at her, as his eyes trailed down and up her figure. It was odd to him how a change in her wardrobe could leave him in an immobile state. He wished that he could wrap his arms around her again, and lay his head over her shoulder, and embrace and shower her in kisses...

Sans stopped his mind from thinking any further, as he came back into reality and looked away from her. He felt his soul pulsing wildly, not understanding why he suddenly thought and felt that way for her. It was out of his control, and that was something that startled him, but it felt... nice. Something he hadn't felt before, even before...

"Sans?" Curtain called his name, as he snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at her.

She looked at him with a confused expression, as Frisk also looked at him the same way.

"You seem out of it, are you alright?" Curtain asked.

"Yeah! Oh sorry, too loud. Um, yeah, I'm fine. You look great, Curtain," Sans said, as he laid back onto the couch comfortably.

"Thank you. Alrighty then, I'm going to get my purse and stuff, and then we'll go," Curtain said, as she headed back upstairs.

"Are you sure you're alright, Sans?" Frisk asked, and Sans replied,

"Yeah. I think so."

Later, at Outer-view restaurant:

"Follow the beat of the song and you'll get it." -Sans

"Okay, so... one, two, two, one, two, two, three." -Curtain

"There you go." -Sans

Sans and Curtain were dancing once again at Outer-view restaurant, as Sans was helping her to move with the beats of the song. Frisk sat at a table that was near their table, but far enough so that she doesn't eavesdrop as much. She was watching them dance, and she noticed that they moved more and more in sync with the music and each other.

After dancing, the two returned to their table to rest and eat the food that just arrived.

"You're getting the hang of it, Curtain. Did you sneak in some practice without me knowing?" Sans asked.

"No I didn't. You're just a good teacher," Curtain replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"Really? Well, I'm sure you'll be a dancing expert in no time, especially for our wedding..." Sans said, as the last half of his sentence was mumbled from him drinking his drink.

Curtain's eyes narrowed from his unclear sentence, but then they relaxed and she asked,

"So, Sans... when did you first see me? And when did you become interested?"

Sans put his hand under his chin to think for a moment, and then he replied,

"Well, about a year and a half ago, a guy's mother passed, and he mourned over her. I decided to wait a year to see how he would react to visiting his mother's grave. I was trying to understand how people grieve and what happens over time, so I left him alone for a year, and then I came back to the graveyard to see if he was there. He was, and he looked much better than he did before, especially since he was trying to jump into the grave when she was about to be buried. I could see that he was able to move on, even though he missed her. He left the graveyard soon after."

Sans took a gulp from his drink, and then he continued,

"So, I stood around the graveyard for awhile, and that's when I saw someone standing between two graves. I went to a tree that was near the two graves to see who was there, and that's when I saw you. You were visiting your parents' graves. I saw that you gave each one a small bundle of flowers, and what was interesting was that... you had a smile on your face. Like, in your eyes you were a little sad, but you didn't let the fact that they were gone prevent you from smiling when you were there. Then you left, and I followed."

"Yes. I remember that day. I found those flowers in the wilderness park," Curtain said, remembering that day and now realizing that Sans was there that time too.

Sans nodded, and continued, "I followed you for awhile. I wanted to see how your life was that made you see things in a brighter way. I saw that you hanged out with Marisol, with your friends, that woman Caroline. The game store moved up to the second floor, and it was a much bigger space. You took care of your house, you live independently quite easily, and you enjoy taking scenic trips especially of the parks. I found that watching you helped me in a way. After a while, I felt different when I would watch you."

He placed his hand on her hand that rested on the table, and continued, "I felt happier, calmer. I was able to get my mind off of other things and felt more relaxed when I would see you. I felt... much more than I ever did before... and as I was discovering these feelings, I discovered that they were linked to love. I denied it. I thought love was dead to me. I didn't think I had a scythe of a chance to love someone... but I do. I never had feelings for someone as I do for you, and I don't think I ever will if you were gone... there are people who are never the same when they lose someone they love, and I feel that that could easily happen to me if I lost you... I'm not a normal Embodiment, Curtain. I've been through a lot of... stuff. I almost lost myself, my brother, my friends, everything. I didn't want that to happen again. I couldn't bear to let that happen. Do you understand why you’re important to me? Why I can't lose you? I finally opened my heart to love, and I don't want to risk losing that forever."

Curtain looked downward, and then she looked up and said, "But if I'm so important to you, then my decision should have been considered too."

"I considered what you would have wanted, what you have liked, where you would have wanted to go. I thought about you this whole time. " -Sans

"But I never said yes. You want my heart, but you didn't open yours to ME. We didn't talk like how we are now, or anything!" -Curtain

"... I figured that if I had your heart, then you would understand..." -Sans

"If you explained yourself first and weren't so rash when we met, then I wouldn't have needed to make a deal to save my life if I was fine with what you tried to do." -Curtain

"..." -Sans understood her point and said nothing.

"-Sigh- I wish you didn't approach me the way you did before, then maybe, I don't know..." Curtain trailed off.

"You could have loved me..." Sans said in a partial whisper, as he looked down.

"Hey, don't be upset. I can see that you didn't know. I do like you Sans, you're a cool guy, so I hope we could still be friends," Curtain said, trying to cheer him up a bit.

"... Heh. My dear Curtain... I haven't given up on you. I'll still find a way to win your love. I haven't come this far to give up on you. Never," Sans said, as he firmly held Curtain's hand, while looking up at her.

"Sans please. I don't want you to get your hopes up and get shot down by the end of this month," Curtain said.

"... You really care about my feelings, don't you?" Sans asked, a smirk forming on his face.

"W-well, as a friend of course. I'm very caring when it comes to those who are close to me," Curtain said, as a pink blush dusted her cheeks.

"How close am I~?" Sans asked with a wink and a slight blue blush dusting his cheekbones.

"Shut up, Sans," Curtain said, as she pulled her hand away from his with an annoyed expression that made him chuckle.

After dinner, Curtain, Sans, and Frisk left the restaurant, and then returned to their homes.

Day 14

The next day, Sans took Curtain and Frisk on an expedition to a cave deep in the wilderness forest for two reasons: One, Papyrus was going to be around the harbor and he didn't want him to meet Curtain yet, and two, the cave is pretty interesting. He brought them right outside of the cave in his Death form, as Curtain and Frisk became increasingly interested.

"It's big," Curtain commented, noticing that the opening was twenty by twenty feet, but it grew wider inside.

"And blue?" Frisk commented, noticing that the inside and the perimeter of the entrance was dark blue and glistening.

"Yeah to both of those things. I checked out the inside and there's nothing threatening to worry about. Come on," Sans said, as he led the girls inside.

It was pretty dark entering the first part of the cavern, even with the entrance giving off some light. They seemed to be descending a little, and then a new opening to the second half of the cave came into view. There was a light radiating from within the entrance as the three entered.

Curtain and Frisk gasped as they saw the interior of the next cavern, while Sans just laughed a bit at their reactions. It was like being in a mountain that was mostly empty on the inside. The walls were covered in multi-color crystals that acted like stars in the night sky. The walls themselves were blue and had horizon bands from bottom to top, and the whole cavern was circular. There was a large green rock lying lazily near the center of the room in a rectangular shape, and there were smaller, shiny black rocks grouped near the walls of the room.

"Sans, this is amazing. How did you find this place?" Curtain asked, as she was walking closer to the center of the room with Frisk.

"Wow! Why are there diamonds in the walls?" Frisk asked, amazed, as she approached the cave wall to look at the crystals up close.

Curtain noticed that there were two other openings to different areas of the cave. One was more illuminated, and the other echoed a sound.

"This place is pretty big, but don't go in too deep or you won't be able to see anything. The next two I guess 'rooms' are still lit up, but don't go any further, alright?" Sans said, as he approached the two, and they nodded.

They looked at the crystals in that area for awhile to see each color up close, and they even found a multi-color one. Then they headed to the illuminated room, and saw that it was half the size of the crystal area. There was sunlight that made its way into the room in the form of a spotlight that aimed at the center ground. The ground was all dirt, the walls were much smoother, and there were a few flowers in the spotlight.

"A little bit of light, and they still survived," Curtain said, as she looked at the blue-and-white petaled plants.

"Yes. They take what they have and make the most of it," Frisk said, as she bent down to look at the plants close up.

Sans watched over them, as he was keeping his senses up to make sure that the cave was safe, but also to keep tabs on Papyrus. He didn't want to leave him alone, but Papyrus insisted that he would be okay or he'll give him a signal if something is wrong.

Then Frisk and Curtain went to the other room while Sans followed behind them. They figured out that the sound coming from the room was rushing water from a small waterfall that came from the wall into a pool of sparkling water below it. There was a large crystal on the opposite side of the waterfall that glowed with an unknown light, which greatly illuminated the room in golden-white light. After looking at the crystal, but not standing too close because it was sharp, Curtain and Frisk decided to sit near the waterfall pool. There was grass that grew near the water, and they were able to sit on it since the ground there was soft. Frisk was looking in the water to see if there were any fish, and Curtain just looked at her reflection.

She noticed Sans reflection in the water, and that he was looking at her with a loving expression. Her cheeks heated up a bit, as she bit her lip in frustration with her cheeks. She quickly turned towards him, as Sans realized that he was staring at her and quickly turned away with a light blue blush. Curtain thought his blush and the way he turned away was cute, as she smiled and turned back towards the water. Frisk noticed the exchange and bit her lip nervously.

After the cave excavation, the three headed back to Curtain's house. She started up her game console so that they could continue their game since there were extra items and characters to unlock. Frisk and Sans were a bit nervous since what happened the last time they played, but Curtain said that she was over it and won't freak out.

Later on, Sans and Frisk left, and Curtain relaxed at home.

Chapter Text

Day 15

Work was only half a day, and Curtain told her coworkers and boss to come over to her house in the evening and they agreed. Curtain went home and she called Marisol and her other friends to come over at evening, and they all agreed too. She kept the door to the upstairs locked since her room was up there. Sans and Frisk found Curtain in her house at noon and were confused, until she explained herself to them.

"You see, every month all my friends, coworkers, and Boss-bro have a get-together to whichever person or peoples' house and hang out. It's a way for us to get out of work and just take a break to catch up with one another. Especially if a new person or people are added to our group, like you two and Ciara since she works in my same job now. This month is my house, and I cater to everyone," Curtain said, as she was organizing food on the table to prepare for hors d'oeuvres.

"Ohhh. Do you need help?" Frisk volunteered.

"I'll help out too. Seems like a lot of food to make, especially since those guys can eat," Sans also volunteered.

"Sure thing, and you're right. As thin as they are, those dudes can eat a lot, even the girls," Curtain said, and the three got to work.

Evening came, and everyone was in the living room eating some food. Ciara left early from receiving a phone call, and Curtain went into her kitchen to rest for a moment. Frisk went to check on her while Sans stood in the living room to make sure that no one bothered Curtain for a while.

"Hey Curtain, how you're doing?" Frisk said, as she sat across the kitchen table from Curtain while passing her a cup of water.

"I'm alright. Just a little tired is all," Curtain said, and she took a gulp of water.

"Oh okay. Sans is making sure no one comes in to bother you," Frisk said, and Curtain smiled.

Realizing that no one was coming over, Curtain decided to question Frisk about Sans.

"So Frisk, what do you know about Sans? Like, before he met me? What was his life like? I told him about me, so I want to know about him. I should ask him, but considering that me and you are alone, I thought to ask you now," Curtain asked.

Frisk lowered her eyes with a sadness in her expression, and as she shook it off, Curtain looked at her in heightening interest to her response.

"Well, he said it was okay to tell you if you asked... okay. I'll tell you, but let me give you some background information so that you'd understand better..." Frisk said, and then she began,

"First off, of all the Embodiments, the king and queen are the highest authorities, along with their subordinates. The king is Asgore, Embodiment of the Galaxies, and the queen is Toriel, Embodiment of Life as you know. Second to them are Gaster, Embodiment of Magic, and Gerson, Embodiment of Wisdom. Although they are the heads, Asgore always calls in all of the Embodiments to discuss important matters... Secondly, when Embodiments and Elements die, which is mostly from being killed in some way because we can live forever, it is different. Embodiments disperse into pieces that are scattered throughout the galaxy, and after some years later, the parts reunite and the Embodiment comes back alive. Now when an Element dies, they break and are dispersed in the world, then in a few weeks are brought back to life, but they are not the same person..."

"What do you mean?" -Curtain

"Well, I am Frisk, Element of Mercy. But if I'm killed, I'll disperse, and when the pieces come back together, I will not be Frisk. I'll be someone else with a new name, although they will still be the Element of Mercy. They may have faint memories of mine, like how I have the faint memories of the one before me, but that's it. I will be gone, like how regular mortals are."

"My goodness Frisk..." -Curtain

"That's why Embodiments look out for Elements. We don't come back... Thirdly, the queen and king had a son named Asriel, Embement of Hope."

"Embement? And Embodiments can have kids?" -Curtain

"Yes. Embodiments and Elements can have children too when they're older since Elements need to grow up, although Embodiments are already grown up when formed. Embement is what Embodiments have, which is a premature Embodiment with Element qualities, like how we need to train to become stronger, and they can't travel far by portals. When they grow up, the Embement becomes an Embodiment or Element depending on the parents, and they gain their full powers. Now, Asriel was one of my best friends along with Chara, the Element of Power..." -Frisk took a moment to breath, and then she continued,

"You see, one day, me and Asriel were waiting for Chara in the king's court, with Asgore and Toriel tending to their plants that they like to keep around. When Chara finally showed up, Asriel and me were shocked to find her badly beaten up and almost at an inch of her life. Her body was pulsing from her powers trying to keep her moving towards us, but it was hard for her to keep them in control. We wanted to help her, and find who did this, but Chara said she couldn't see who did it because they made her blind for awhile. Papyrus and Sans suddenly arrived and we asked them for help... but, Papyrus started speaking to Chara very sadly, trying to tell her to let go. We were surprised, but Sans explained that the only reason they were there was because there was no way to save her, and only dying could save her from the pain. Asriel was devastated and said that there had to be a way while his parents comforted him, and I pleaded with Sans to have mercy but... I could see in his face that he didn't want to reap her either. Chara was stubborn and didn't want to lose her family: us. Papyrus could no longer help or reap her with his scythe... it was too painful for him... So Sans took it upon himself to do it..."

Curtain passed Frisk a tissue and a glass of water, and Frisk drank some of the water and wiped her moistened eyes. When she was ready, Frisk continued, as Curtain sadly listened,

"Sans raised his scythe to strike her, but he stopped almost midway because he felt so bad about hurting his friend and a friend to us all... but seeing her in pain, he finally continued his strike... yet, Asriel jumped in front of Chara, and both of them were hit. Asriel was hit fully, and Chara partially so she was still alive, but her powers opened another portal to an unknown world and, we never saw her again... Asriel had dispersed, and he was gone. Toriel and Asgore could only watch in tears as their son was gone... Sans felt the worst about it, even though the king and queen knew it was an accident and were not angry with him. His guilt overshadowed him, and he disappeared for a long time, only Papyrus being able to see him but not being able to convince him to come back soon... Asriel eventually returned to the king's court, but since he was an Embement, it was him on the inside, but outside he went from a child goat monster to a yellow-pedaled flower with a face. He became the Embement of Despair, and although he lost his Hope, we kept our hope for his sake. I would visit him, Papyrus would, and his parents would look after him. He's gotten better, but we hope that one day he'll return to normal."

"You still have a chance with him." -Curtain

"Yes... Sans still didn't show himself for awhile, but one day I heard he came back and I went to see him. He was with Papyrus, and I went over to them but... you know how Sans makes jokes, has white dots in his eye holes-"

"White pupils in his eye sockets." -Curtain

"Yes, and he keeps his hood off most of the time and is chill like what Hare said?" -Frisk

"Yeah." -Curtain

"He was always the way he is now before the incident, but when I saw him after that... he wore his hood all the time, his eye sockets were just empty holes, and his smile wasn't genuine. He never changed expression, and he spoke without feeling in it. I asked Papyrus what happened to him and he said that Sans felt that his emotions made him second-guess his actions and that was what resulted in Asriel getting killed, Chara being lost forever, and everyone getting hurt from all of that. He had decided to rid himself of emotions and no longer feeling anything so that they wouldn't get in the way, and that it wouldn't hurt if someone he knows has to be reaped." -Frisk

"W-What? But it wasn't his fault." -Curtain

"The King and Queen tried to reassure him that they didn't blame him and that it wasn't his fault, but nothing could be done. He wouldn't listen. He thought it was better this way so that history wouldn't repeat itself... then, not too long ago, Papyrus went to see Gaster because he felt sick even though he wasn't. Gaster asked for Sans to come in for a check up because Sans hadn't got one in a long time." -Frisk

"A check up?" -Curtain

"The soul is checked to see if the Embodiment is in balance or sick, and Elements can get checked to make sure there is no damage on their soul. Well, Papyrus was fine even though his soul was beating too fast, but Sans... His soul was withering. It was as if it was peeling and chipping away, as I overheard Gaster tell Gerson. He was very sick on the inside, even though he was fine outside. If his soul was to continue to wither, he would break apart one day, and it may take many years before he could come back together... or never. Papyrus was heartbroken, and the rest of us were devastated. It took Papyrus pleading with Sans, and even crying, for him to finally agree to get help for his soul and not hurt his brother and the rest of us. Gaster, Papyrus, Toriel, and I were set to watch over Sans, and to help him recover himself and his emotions. It was years at the time since he had any emotions, so we knew it would take a while for him to get them back, especially since he forgot how to feel." -Frisk

"Then what did you guys do?" -Curtain

"We talked to him, and he would hang out with us. We usually didn't leave him alone for awhile, and he eventually became annoyed which was a great first step in his recovery. Then we talked about all the different emotions, and he would watch how we would express our emotions like smiling when you're happy or talking loud and a lot like Papyrus. We would show him a lot of things, and we would take about a month to show him one to two emotions at a time, so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed. Eventually he slowly started feeling his own emotions, but it was really tough. Then Gaster decided to let Sans see how mortals felt and expressed emotions so that he would have a different perspective, and we all agreed because we thought he was doing much better and it would help him. He would take time to watch people living their lives and he would see how they expressed their emotions, whether it was happy, sad, angry, in pain, or grieving." -Frisk

"The man at the cemetery... so Gaster told him to watch people, and you all agreed so... you're all the reason why he found me," Curtain said with narrowed eyes and one eyebrow raised.

"-Sigh- Yes. That's why Toriel wanted to help you more and me too because we're all to blame for him finding you. We didn't think he was going to fall in love, and especially not try to just take you away, but it's understandable though... Sans never felt love as he does for you. He loves his brother and us but we're family, although Papyrus is more family since they're related. So, I think the reason he thought he could take you was because he never felt love before, and he's a very powerful Embodiment so..." Frisk said, as she weighed her hands.

"That's why he thought it was okay, huh... He didn't really know what love was like and what to do... but then... does he really love me?" Curtain asked, a little sadness in her voice that Frisk didn't pick up.

"I think he definitely feels strong affection towards you. I think he's understanding love when he's around you to be honest," Frisk said, and Curtain nodded.

Suddenly, Sans almost busted through the kitchen door, as Curtain and Frisk almost choked on their drinks.

"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow. That Dark presence is near," Sans said, and then he teleported away.

"What? It's close? Curtain, stay indoors, I will be back to tell you when everything is safe," Frisk said, and she ran out.

Curtain drank the rest of her drink, and she moved into the living room. She was able to keep her friends there longer when she challenged them to a brawling game and they accepted. Frisk returned to the house to tell Curtain that the coast was clear, and that they were safe for now. Everyone returned to their homes, and Frisk left as well.

When going to bed that night, Curtain only worried if Sans was okay since he didn't come back to see her.

Chapter Text

Day 16

Curtain was at work, a little quieter than usual since she hadn't heard word from Sans, but she wasn't so worried since she knew he could handle himself. However, from Frisk revealing Sans' past to her, Curtain felt a little different towards him. She felt sympathy and less hardened in her heart towards him because she understood him better, yet she was still stubborn towards their deal.

After work was over, Curtain went to her car, and before she could open the car door, a familiar voice said,

"Hey sweetheart. How ya doing today?"

Curtain quickly turned around to see Sans walking towards her.

"Sans, you're.. why didn't you call to tell me that you were okay?" Curtain asked, relieved, as she walked towards him.

"I don't have your number, and I would have come back, but Frisk told me you were fine so I didn't worry much," Sans replied.

"Here then. Take my number," Curtain said, as she took out her cellphone to look for her number, which surprised Sans.

After exchanging phone numbers, Curtain and Sans entered her car.

"Where's Frisk?" Curtain asked.

"Scoping the area. She'll meet us later," Sans replied.

“Did you find that dark presence?”

“I was chasing after them but they just disappeared suddenly. Almost like they melted away… that’s the best explanation I can give, but hopefully chasing them away makes them stay away.”

"Well, that’s good in a way… So, where are we going? I've got nothing to do today," Curtain asked.

"Let's go to that cafe you guys went to earlier. I didn't try anything, and it's not that far," Sans suggested, and Curtain nodded.

When they came to a red light, Curtain turned to Sans and softly said,

"I'm sorry."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow bone, until Curtain clarified by saying,

"For what happened to your friends: The Element of Power, and Embement of Hope."

Sans froze, and he looked downward silently. Curtain waited for his response, and then Sans looked towards her more seriously and said,

"So that's what you and Frisk were talking about in the kitchen, huh? I guess you asked about me and she told you."

"Yes, but don't be mad at her," Curtain said.

"Nah. I'm not mad. I told her if you wanted to know that she could tell you if you asked," Sans said, a softer expression on his face.

"Okay... it's no wonder you're weird," Curtain said, trying to lighten the mood as she turned forward to drive with a smirk.

"Wha- I'm not weird. I'm like any normal being with problems," Sans said, with an amused smile while relaxing in his seat.

"Because every being can say that they lost their emotions and are relearning how to use them," Curtain said, with an arched eyebrow.

"Hey. I've made a skeleton of progress," Sans said, and Curtain snickered.

They ate at the cafe and just talked about random nonsense. Frisk entered the cafe right when the two finished eating, but they didn't mind staying longer to let Frisk eat. Afterward, they walked around the city for awhile until it was late, and then they all headed home.

Day 17

Sans was at home, looking around his house and tidying up a few things for once. When he was content with how the house looked inside and out, he went to buy some food from his friend Grillby, and he went to gather extra groceries as well. He placed the food in it's proper places in the kitchen, and then he left to pick up Frisk first, and then Curtain.

After picking them up:

"Let's go to my place this time," Sans said, as they got out of the car.

"What? Really? In Cosmos?" Curtain asked, and he nodded.

"That's a great idea! We can show Curtain where we all live, but would that be alright?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be. It's not like we're going to tell anyone anyway, besides my bro," Sans replied.

"Okay, so when are we going?" Curtain asked.

"Now," Sans said, as he disappeared for a moment, and then he reappeared in his reaper form as he wrapped an arm around Curtain's waist.

A portal opened in midair by Frisk, and Sans flew through with Curtain as Frisk jumped up. As the portal closed, the three jumped out of it and landed on solid ground. Sans released Curtain as she looked around. The floor looked to be made of colorful glass that looked polished and shined up. There was some form of cloud that floated about a foot above the floor from light pink to purple shades, the sky was a dark mass filled with stars too numerous to count, and the land stretched out for miles. When looking down, Curtain could see a large mass of green and white light in a sphere under the glass floor about a quarter mile down. There was a dark space around the sphere, although no stars were present with it. Curtain looked around in surprise and amazement at the vast, new environment she was in.

"Come on. Let me show you the town first and then we'll go to my house," Sans said, as he gently grabbed Curtain's arm to lead her and she followed with Frisk in tow.

The town wasn't covered in as much cloud fog as the rest of the land, although the cloud around the town was mostly red and pink. There were buildings that seemed to glisten at any angle, and each had their own set of colors.

"You see that large wooden one over there? With the red roof? That's Grillby's place, which is basically my second home. Over there, you see that burgundy building with the Purple roof? That's Muffet's place. Don't go there unless you have money to spend. Those other houses around here belong to Elements who decided to live here, although the Embodiments usually open up shops around here too. There are Elements who have shops depending on their element," Sans said, as they were walking around the outskirts of the town.

"It's cute. A whole community in another world. It's nice," Curtain said, with a smile.

"You see the blue house there? With the pink roof? That's my house," Frisk said, as she pointed to her home.

"Oh it's lovely, and big. Two stories, just like mi- you have a patio too! That's cool," Curtain replied pointing at the house while Frisk smiled brightly.

"Welp, that's as far as we go. Let's go to my house before we're noticed. Pap should be home now," Sans said.

They walked towards a certain direction, and the clouds that were pink and purple began to turn gray and almost black. The glassy ground changed to cobblestone, and floating light orbs served as the only light on the road. There was a large dark structure before them, and when they came closer to it, they could see that it was a castle-like fort, with a tall black wall surrounding it. There was a trench of murky waters surrounding the wall, and a closed draw bridge made of wood.

They stood before the bridge as Sans raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The bridge made a loud thud, which startled Curtain as Frisk held her arm and patted it to let her know that they were fine. The bridge lowered over the trench, and Sans startled walking across it while Curtain and Frisk followed him. When they walked passed the wall, they were met by a large open area that held a fountain in the center. The grass was black, the ground was silver, the walkway that went across from the drawbridge to the fountain to the front doors of the castle were stone, and there were burgundy trees without leaves near the walls. The fountain was a darker gray on the outer bowl that held normal water, and the statue in the center was of a vase with a large outer top that shot water from the top. There were little, round marble lights that rose up from the grass and water on their own and disappeared, only to reappear and float up again. The castle was mostly comprised of light gray stone, while the doors were black, and the windows had black curtains. It was about six stories high, but the tower that stood in the center was ten stories. The tower was cylinder, large, and had a black roof with many spiky points on top of various sizes. There was a large balcony just above the center of the tower, although it was closed with black sliding doors.

"What... what is this? It's so cool... and freaking huge," Curtain said, as she looked around in awe.

"Heh. Thanks," Sans said, a little bashful, as he started walking towards the fountain with Curtain and Frisk following.

"It's really big out here, but wait until you get inside! There's a giant kitchen on the third floor, and a lounge on the second floor. Oh! And there's a science room, and a training floor, and a backyard that's for outdoor stuff like the maze garden, and a pool-" Frisk was informing Curtain, but Sans cut her off by saying,

"Woah kid. Don't overwhelm her. She just got here. She can see for herself."

Just as Frisk calmed down and they stood in front of the fountain, a familiar voice said, "Sans! Is that you?! We need to talk! Now I know you may be busy, but I have been quite patient this passed week! When am I going to meet your lady-friend?! You haven't given me a set time or date, or even an approximation! I have grown very curious to meet-"

Papyrus was walking and talking towards the fountain and around it to see Sans, but his speech was halted when he saw Curtain and Frisk, especially Curtain.

Sans stood next to his brother with an amused grin and introduced them, "Papyrus, this is my dearest friend Curtain. Curtain, this is my cool brother Papyrus."

Curtain looked upward, since Papyrus was about a head taller than she was. He wore a black flowing robe over a white shirt, with black pants like Sans but longer. He wore a red sash across his waist, and a red scarf on his neck that flowed. His hands were covered with white gloves that reached his elbows. Papyrus was indeed a skeleton, with a more square-shaped jawbone, and his eyes were smaller than Sans with no pupils. Whenever he spoke, his mouth actually opened to form the words, unlike Sans who could do that but was more of a ventriloquist.

"Hello Papyrus. Sans told me about you," Curtain said, as she extended her hand towards him.

Papyrus reached over and took her hand to shake as he said, "Hello Ms. Curtain! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I was wondering when I would get the chance, and here you are! I am the Greeaat Papyrus!"

After shaking hands, Papyrus posed with his hand on his chest and the other on his hip in a fist. Curtain nodded with a smile, and said, "Then it's great to meet you, Papyrus."

"What a lovely lady you are! You’re quite the catch for my brother Sans!" Papyrus said with a cheery grin, as Sans blushed, and Curtain did as well.

"Come! Come inside! I'll show you around and we can all get acquainted! Hello Frisk! Join us!" Papyrus said, as he took the lead to bring them inside, and the three followed.

"Do my eye sockets deceive me, or was that a blush I spotted..." Sans whispered to Curtain with a sly smirk.

"First of all, it's a bit cold so my face is probably a little red, and second, he gave me a nice and innocent compliment," Curtain said, while looking away from him with a pout, and Sans just snickered.

Inside, Papyrus gave Curtain a tour of the castle, and everything Frisk said was true. Also, there was a library where the books were floating across the room on their own, as if they were living, and portal doors on one floor that could bring you to different rooms throughout the castle.

Sans and Papyrus' rooms were at the top of the tower, although there were two extra rooms on the first floor just in case if they were tired or if Sans was too lazy to go to his actual room. As they scaled the tower, they came across a room with a table and chairs, and black sliding doors. Papyrus opened the sliding doors to let them step onto the balcony to see the view of Cosmos. A blue gate that was waist high would prevent them from falling down.

The view showed the town, but it also showed other lands that almost circled around the town with castle-and-skyscraper-like structures covered in light-colored mists. In the dark sky, the stars shone brighter, and they would flicker on and off in a new position.

"Wow," was all Curtain could say as her breath was taken away by the sight.

"This place is way bigger than I ever thought," Curtain said, as she noticed that she couldn't see the end of some of them.

"Those misty places are where the other Embodiments live. I think we already told you how the world here works when it comes to Embodiments, like how more space is added if another one is born. You see that side over there, the largest one. That one is where Mr. Asgore and Miss Toriel live. Since they are married, they morphed their lands together, which makes it twice the size of other Embodiments' places. Of course, since Sans and Papyrus are two, this land is about one and a half sizes bigger than a lone Embodiment," Frisk explained, as she and Curtain laid their hands on the gate.

"Yes indeed! There is a smaller castle-house passed the maze we have in the backyard! That's where we store our most precious valuables and weapons!" Papyrus said.

"I think it's getting kind of late, Papyrus. I have to take Curtain home soon," Sans said.

"Aww. Well, can she stay for dinner? I can make her some of my famous spaghetti!" Papyrus asked.

'Infamous...' Sans thought, but then he said, "I don't know, Pap. The smell of your spaghetti might attract the others and we can't let them know that she's here. It's best if I take her home now."

"-Sigh- Yes, you make a fair point... okay! Then let me get something for her before she leaves. A gift," Papyrus said, as he left.

While Sans watched his brother leave, Curtain and Frisk continued talking.

"So, now that you've seen Cosmos, what do you think?" Frisk asked, a little anxious to hear her answer.

"It's awesome. It's still kind of mysterious to me since I do have some questions, but it's beautiful. I can't believe a place like this exists... I would love to live here," Curtain replied.

However, she clamped her mouth shut when she realized what she said and hoped that Sans didn't hear her. Frisk was surprised by her answer, but she was happy too since she hoped that her new friend would like her home. That is, until she turned around and saw Sans looking at Curtain in surprise, as a wide smirk grew on his face.

"What was that, Curtain~?" Sans asked, as he walked towards her while placing his left hand on her left shoulder, and his right hand next to her right hand on the gate.

"Nothing," Curtain said, as she looked away from him.

"Funny, I thought I heard you say that you'd love to live here... am I wrong~?" Sans asked as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You could be," Curtain said in an almost whisper, as she lightly tugged away from him.

Sans let her go, with a smirk still present on his face as he said, "I'll keep that in mind."

He placed his hands in his pocket and left with a little triumph in his eyes that Frisk noticed. Frisk looked at Curtain and noticed that she was looking at her right hand, and as she looked back at the view, she held that hand with her left one close to her chest.

"Curtain. Are you okay?" Frisk asked in a quieter voice.

Curtain lowered her hands, as if ignoring herself, and replied, "I'm fine. Perfectly fine. L-Let's go. I'm pretty tired."

Frisk led Curtain through the castle to where Sans and Papyrus were. Papyrus gave Curtain a gift, which was a black flowing cloak with a hood and white strings to tie it on, and she happily accepted it.
After saying goodbye to Papyrus, Sans took Curtain home with Frisk tagging along. They were outside of her house, as Curtain was opening her front door.

"You know, you could live there if you really wanted to," Sans said, more serious, as Curtain became still.

As a moment of silence hung in the air, Frisk wasn't sure what to say or do, whether to tell Sans to leave her alone or not. However, she didn't have to intervene since Curtain replied,

"I appreciate your offer, Sans. I really do, but I know the cost for all of that, and just saying 'I love you' won't cut it... and I'm not entirely convinced that you even do. Goodnight."

Curtain entered her house and closed her door to lock it. Sans didn't move for awhile, contemplating on what she just said, as Frisk waited for his reaction. He turned and opened a portal as he said to her,

"Let's go, kid."

Frisk could tell that Sans wanted to be alone to think, and she knew it would be better if he figured this out for himself. They both walked into the portal to Cosmos, and then they went their separate ways to their homes.

Day 18

Of course, Curtain went to work like usual, giving Sans time to get ready to pick her up since he would often take a nap in the morning. This time, he decided to head into town since he didn't feel like sleeping. He made it to the fountain area, as he saw his brother there with his scythe leaning next to the fountain.

"Sans! You’re up early! It's been awhile," Papyrus said, as he picked up his scythe, which was made of mahogany wood with a steel, curved blade.

"Yeah. I'm going to Grillby's. Do you want anything bro?" Sans asked, as he summoned his scythe.

"Oh no, nothing for me! I already ate," Papyrus said.

"Eh, alright. More for me then," Sans said, as he tossed up a gold piece from his pocket and caught it.

"Don't stay too long. I don't want to have to carry you home like that one time," Papyrus said, with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Nah bro. You know I'm a new skeleton. My emotions are better now than before," Sans said, recalling when he felt guilt not too long ago and stood at Grillby's drinking numerous bottles of ketchup until he passed out.

"Alright then! I'm going out today. There are a few people who's time is up," Papyrus said, as he opened a portal.

"Okay. See ya later bro," Sans said.

"Indeed brother. Have a nice day with Curtain. Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus said, as he entered the portal while Sans smile widened a bit and he nodded.

At Grillby's:

The whole place was in three sections: the bar on the opposite wall of the door, a restaurant-side with tables and chairs on the left, and a lounge side with couches on the right side. Space was made between each section so that no one would disturb each other. Sans sat at the bar as he was waiting for his order from Grillby on a stool. The counter was made of blue and black marble while the rest was made of wood, and the stools had blue cushions with black stools. Sans sat near one side of the bar, where wooden shelves with various shiny glasses stood on the wall.

Grillby, the Embodiment of Hearth, which is for homey and relaxed environments and feelings, was walking towards Sans from behind the bar. He was a fire monster, with his whole body made of fire and his head in a candle-fire form, and a black and gray tux-vest that wouldn't burn. His mouth wasn't visible unless he spoke, he wore glasses that shielded his yellow eyes, and he had no nose. In his hand was a blue glass bottle of ketchup that he set before Sans.

"Thanks Grillz. You can put it on my tab right?" Sans asked, as he wrapped his fingers around the bottle.

Grillby looked at him with narrowed eyes, but he just sighed and nodded. He took a cup and cloth from under the counter, as he polished the cup while overlooking the whole place to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves.

Sans took a drink of the ketchup, and then he asked Grillby, "Hey Grillby. Let me ask ya something: what is love to you? And how would you express it so that the other person knows it?"

Grillby gave Sans a puzzled look, but then he relaxed his expression and said, "… ... that depends on if it is family, friend, or lover."

Sans looked away in silence, pondering if he should tell him, but he knew Grillby could keep a secret.

"Lover," Sans replied, and Grillby nodded, although this time he hid his surprise.

"... well, that relationship is based on adoration, trust, loyalty, and unity between two sides. It works on respecting one another, defending one another, and working together as if you two were indeed one... this type of love is sensitive, and needs reassurance and comfort... if you want your love to realize your feelings... then heed to her will and not just your own. Give her gifts that she would appreciate, take her places that she has never seen but would admire, show her the you that no one else really knows… since she is so special that you would love her, then treat her like the most precious love of your life," Grillby said, as he finished polishing the glass cup and moved on to another, while Sans looked at him in surprise.

"Woah. That's true poetry, Grillz. Thanks," Sans said, as he took another drink of his ketchup.

"... you’re welcome... I hope all goes well for you and your lady-'friend,'" Grillby said, with a small smirk.

"... Papyrus told you, didn't he?" Sans said, as he smiled and partially covered his face in embarrassment.

"... ... yes," Grillby replied.

After drinking the rest of his ketchup, Sans left Grillby's and headed to a more secluded area in the Cosmos village. When he was out of sight, he opened a portal and went through to the mortal world. Someone saw Sans travel through the portal, but he decided to keep that to himself and head to Grillby's.

Sans met Papyrus and asked him if he told anyone else besides Grillby about Curtain. Papyrus said that he only told Grillby, and he was sorry about telling him, but Sans wasn't mad about it, especially since Grillby wouldn't rat them out. After spending a little time with Papyrus, Sans left to get ready to pick up Curtain, and he changed into his mortal form in an alley before heading out.

Coincidentally, as Sans was walking across the street, the car that was waiting at the red light beeped a few times. Sans looked towards the driver and smiled, as he saw that the driver was Joseph, with Karol in the passenger seat. Joseph also smiled and called Sans over to offer him a ride, which Sans accepted and sat in the backseat.

"Hey Sans, what's up?" Joseph said.

"Hiya Sans. How you've been?" Karol asked.

"Hey guys. I've been alright. Just taking a stroll to the mall," Sans replied.

"Ah. We were just heading there too. I had to deliver some packages for work today," Joseph said.

"And I'm just tagging along," Karol replied.

"That's cool," Sans said.

Karol held a smirk on her face, as she turned towards Sans and asked,

"So Sans, you and Curtain... are you a thing?"

Sans looked at her questionably and asked, "A thing? We're two people."

Karol looked at him with widened eyes, as Joseph stopped at the red light. When he looked at her, he snickered from her expression, as she lightly nudged his shoulder to stop.

"What I mean is, are you and Curtain going out?" Karol asked.

"Well, we've been going outside almost everyday," Sans replied, as Karol rubbed her face in an attempt to hide her face-palm, while Joseph chuckled.

"I mean, are you and Curtain dating?!" Karol asked boldly, as Sans finally understood what she was saying and laughed, as Joseph laughed with him.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't know what you were asking... Well, if you must know, I don't know. I mean, we've been going out to places, all different restaurants and whatever with Frisk, but she wouldn't call it a date. I do, but she doesn't," Sans finally replied.

"How is going out to dinner not a date? What is wrong with her?" Karol said, as she face-palmed.

"Eh, you know Curtain. She's never really dated anyone before, so she doesn't know. Of course, she's stubborn, so maybe she won't admit it, especially to you since you’re a shipper," Joseph said, as Karol looked towards him with skepticism, but then she nodded.

"A shipper?" Sans asked.

"You don't know?! Then let me enlighten you! A shipper like me is someone who ships characters together. I'm kind of a match maker in my own mind. I would either pair two people in real life, or pair characters and oc," Karol explained.

"OC?" Sans asked.

"You're sheltered man, but I kind of wish I still was," Joseph said as he looked towards Karol, and she made a face at him as he laughed.

"An OC is an original character created by someone in their own world. In my case, I could imagine a character and put them in any story, and I could ship them with another oc or canon character if I wanted to. A canon character is already part of a story that's not my own," Karol explained, and Sans nodded in understanding.

"She ships you and Curtain," Joseph bluntly said, and Karol nodded in agreement with him.

Sans was surprised, but his grin slightly widened and he said,

"Oh yeah? Me and Curtain huh... tibia frank, I ship us too, but I don't think she does."

"Really?! Yes! Then it is meant to be! You must go out with her again, and this time you two should go alone and it should be as romantic as possible! I know a place you two can go to that is beautiful! Joseph and me go there almost all the time because it's wonderful. It's not too far from the mall actually," Karol suggested, as Sans nodded.

"That sounds great. I would love to bring her there, but she wouldn't agree to going on a date with me if we're alone," Sans said.

"Hmmm... we'll seeee," Karol said, with a smile that disturbed Sans a bit since it felt malicious with how she spoke.

"Karol," Joseph said, noticing in the rear-view mirror that Sans was disturbed and was trying to hide it.

"Oh, sorry my darling," Karol said, as she kissed Joseph on the cheek.

"It's alright. Thank you, sweetheart," Joseph said, as he took her hand and kissed it.

Sans watched their interaction, as his heart felt heavy since he wished for him and Curtain to be close like them. He saw how they looked at each other with love and trust, and he longed for the same thing, but he knew that Curtain needed time, and he didn't help by trying to take her soul unwillingly. He looked out the window at the sky, his heart feeling a little better since he wasn't looking at them, and Joseph and Karol noticed how he looked at them and then longingly out the window.

As they entered the mall, Joseph and Karol went straight to the game store, while Sans lazily followed behind them. They all entered the game store, as Ciara was dealing with a customer from behind the counter, and Curtain was looking for something in the backroom.

"Hey Ciara." -Joseph

"Hi Ciara." -Karol

"Sup." -Sans

The three greeted her, as Ciara greeted back, "Hello there dearies. Oh, Sans. Curtain is in the back room if you're looking for her."

"Thank you," Sans said, as he was heading over there.

"Oh, hold on! Only employees can enter the back room," Ciara said.

"Eh, let him go," Joseph said, and Sans nodded towards him as he continued towards the open door of the backroom.

"You're sure Joe wouldn't mind?" Ciara asked.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Joseph said.

In the backroom:

Sans walked in and saw a pretty large room with shelves of boxes, and each section labeled. He walked across the room, and he noticed Curtain holding a clipboard and overlooking some of the boxes. She was just finishing up counting when she turned around.

"Hey, sweety," Sans said, as Curtain jumped.

"Sans! You scared the life outta me!" Curtain yelled.

"Nah, you're still alive. I should know," Sans said jokingly, as Curtain pouted, but then she smiled.

"What are you doing here? I'm still working," Curtain asked, as she walked over to him.

"I hitched a ride with Joseph and Karol. They offered, so I just took it. Got here earlier than expected," Sans replied, and she nodded.

"Okay. Um, you can hang around the mall if you'd like. It's been a slow day, so it's kind of boring," Curtain said, as she moved a part of her hair over her ear.

"I'm sure it's not that bad, besides, you're here and so am I, right?" Sans said with a wink, and Curtain snickered.

"Yeah. Well, I guess you can stay if you want to, but remember that I'm still working," Curtain said, and Sans nodded.

Work lasted for about an hour and a half longer, and then the three employees and boss were free after closing up shop. Joseph, Karol, and Joe left together, while Ciara was waiting to be picked up, and Curtain and Sans left in her car with Frisk who just arrived to meet them.

They hung out at Curtain's house for awhile.

"So, Karol is a shipper," Sans said to Curtain as they were playing a different video game that was two players, so Frisk decided to wait her turn to play.

"Oh yeah, they dropped you off. Yes, she's a shipper, and not just fiction but of real life. She likes being a match maker, but I'm just like 'leave me be,'" Curtain said, almost annoyed, as she was rapidly pressing the buttons on her controller.

"I heard. She was telling me about it," Sans said, as he was quick and careful with pressing buttons on his own controller.

"... You know she ships us right?" Sans asked, as Curtain gasped and Frisk was surprised.

"I freaking knew she would do that! Darn it, Karol! Why! It must have been when they listened in to our conversation, Frisk," Curtain said, as her character became more aggressive in game play.

"That's right. She was pretty excited when she and Rini found out that Sans likes you," Frisk said, which caught Sans attention.

"You told them? That's why she asked if we were going out, on dates you know," Sans said.

"Oh my goodness, she did not ask you if we were dating. Did she?" Curtain asked, and Sans replied yes.

"Uugghhhhh," Curtain said in annoyance, as her character stopped moving.

Before her character was attacked, Sans' character jumped in and saved her.

"Thanks," Curtain said, noticing that.

"I'll always protect you," Sans said, more serious as he kept playing, while Curtain looked towards him with a softer gaze.

She turned back towards the screen and continued to play, as Frisk noticed how she looked at Sans, but left it alone.

After game night, Curtain went to get ready for bed, and Sans took Frisk home. The two were standing in front of Frisk's house, when she turned to him and asked,

"You really care about her, do you?"

"... yes," Sans replied, surprised by her sudden question.

"That's nice... I hope you'll make the right decision then, cause she's my friend too," Frisk said, as she started walking towards her house.

"What do you mean?" Sans asked.

"... She's a great friend. I would like to be able to see her again after this... but, I want her to be happy. If she's with you and can be happy then okay, if she doesn't want to and can still be happy then okay. But no matter what, it's going to hurt. If she doesn't want to be with you, you'll be sad, and I may not see her often... and if she does want to be with you, her friends may be sad and I like them too. It's going to hurt..." Frisk said, her back still turned while her voice became weak as she entered her home.

"G-Goodnight Sans," Frisk said, and she closed the door.

Sans stood silent for a while, he pondered what Frisk told him, and he started walking towards his house. He also changed to his reaper-form.

'... it's going to hurt...' Sans repeated what Frisk said in his mind, as he took out the locket heart that he kept tucked under his shirt.

Chapter Text

Day 19

Another day at work was cut an hour early since a few friends were returning to the city. The two Joe's, Karol, Rini, Hare, Marisol, and Curtain were heading out together to meet Kelvin, his brother, and his friend, who returned from out of town. They were all going to the park, but before they left, Curtain was able to isolate herself for a moment to call Sans.

In Cosmos, Sans was walking with Papyrus and Frisk around town when his phone rang. He answered,

"Hello?"

"Sans? Is that you? It's Curtain," Curtain spoke over the phone.

"Curtain? I thought an angel called the wrong number for a second there," Sans said with a widening grin, as Frisk chuckled a bit, and Papyrus just shook his head with a smile.

"Oh my gosh, Sans. Stop," Curtain said as he could hear her snickering about it.

"Alright. What's up?" Sans asked.

"I'm out of work early today. I'm going with my friends to see another friend of ours who just came back to town. We'll be at the park if you want to come," Curtain replied.

"Sure thing. I'll meet you there soon," Sans said.

"Okay. Frisk is coming with you?" Curtain asked.

"Of course. She's our chaperone after all," Sans said.

"Heh. Alright, I'll see you later," Curtain said.

"'Kay. See ya there," Sans said, as they hung up.

"She's out of work early?" Papyrus asked, clarifying.

"Yeah. I'm going to meet her later," Sans said, as he put his phone away.

"You should not keep a lady waiting. Go to her, Sans," Papyrus said, as he placed one hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You sure, Pap? I wouldn't want to leave ya hanging," Sans said.

"Of course not. I know how much she means to you, and how much your happiness means to me. I'll be perfectly content! Just don't forget about the meeting tonight. They're expecting both of us," Papyrus said, and Sans nodded.

"Let's go Frisk," Sans said, and Frisk nodded.

At the park:

Curtain and her peeps waited in the park for Kelvin and his peeps to finally arrive. When they did, the guys greeted each other first with bumping fists, man hugs, and compliments that all ended with 'dude.' The gals greeted them with low-five handshakes, fist bumps, and compliments that ended with nods. When Kelvin spotted Curtain, he started walking towards her.

Now, Kelvin is almost a foot shorter than Curtain, his jet-black hair was spiked upward with spiky bangs around his light blue eyes too, and he wore all black with a leather jacket and dark-blue combat boots. Kelvin was also with his brother Corvin, and his best friend Jonathan. Corvin's black hair was spiked over his hazel eyes, and he wore all black with a dark green leather jacket. Jonathan's eyes were blue-green, he wore a blue shirt and jeans with a green jacket and sneakers, and his hair was light blue and somewhat messy.

"Hello dearest Curtain. How have you been? I'm certain you weren't lonely at all since you've been hanging out with that Sans-guy," Kelvin said, with a hint of frustration, as he and Curtain shook hands.

"Hey Kelvin. I've been perfectly fine, and Sans has been too. How was your trip?" Curtain asked, ignoring him, which was a warning to him to leave her alone, and he completely obliged since he was scared of her too.

"Oh man, it was a battle! We traveled freaking far and almost got stuck when our car just shut down in the middle of the road. Thankfully, two guys and a dog came driving over and gave us a boost. Of course the dog wanted to bite my leg like a chew toy, but in the end I kept my leg and we continued until we almost crashed into a parked truck," Kelvin replied, as Curtain looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you guys made it back in one piece," Marisol said, as she stood next to Curtain.

"Weeelll..." Kelvin turned to his brother, who showed them that half of his pinky was cut off and healed that way.

"Ssssssss," was the sound everyone made to seeing the missing pinky.

"Wait a minute, he always had that! Remember the hiking incident? And the snake that slithered away who we thought took his finger and that's why we couldn't put it back!" Joe said, as Joseph and Hare remembered, and then they nudged Corvin a few times as he started laughing.

Sans and Frisk arrived at the park, looking for Curtain and her friends. They arrived at the area where they were, and Sans almost froze as Frisk was confused. Kelvin turned his attention back to Curtain on one knee, and was telling her how beautiful she is. Curtain scoffed at his words and looked annoyed, which Frisk noticed, but Sans wasn't happy about the situation. Sans continued walking over, as Frisk followed.

When close enough, Marisol noticed Sans and Frisk, and she noticed an unusual annoyance on Sans' face that came from his narrowed eye sockets. She looked towards where he was looking to see Kelvin standing up and talking to Curtain while her arms were crossed. Marisol decided to let things play out, considering that she was tired of Kelvin bothering Curtain too.

The others noticed Sans, as Joseph, Joe, and Hare were the first to greet him, and suddenly Sans' annoyance was masked very well under his calm demeanor and smile.

"Hey guys, what's up? Hanging out?" Sans asked.

"Something like that," Joseph replied.

"We were meeting up with our friends. They just came back from their trip," Hare said.

"Really? I'd like to meet them," Sans said.

"Sure dude. Yo! Jonathan, Corvin, Kelvin! Meet a friend of ours. Well, actually two," Joe said, as the three guys came over.

"This is Frisk, and this is Sans," Joseph said, pointing to each one when he said their name.

"We heard Frisk over the phone. Hey there. Nice to finally meet you," Jonathan said, as each guy shook hands with her.

"Oh, and you are Sans. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Jonathan," Jonathan shook Sans hand, as well as Corvin, who introduced himself with just his name.

Kelvin looked at Sans, examining him with interest to see that he was a skeleton, and trying to read what kind of personality he had by looking at him. Sans looked at Kelvin, noticing that he was smaller than him, and seeing that he wasn't a bad person... although he wasn't sure at this point. Curtain noticed how they were looking at each other, and she saw Sans' eyes narrowed a little.

"You’re Sans huh? Well, hey there dude. Name's Kelvin," Kelvin said, while extending his hand towards him with a half-smile.

At this point, Marisol was talking with the others about a place for everyone to eat after this, which was more of a distraction that Curtain noticed.

Sans looked at Kelvin's hand, and then he smiled with an ambiguous air around him, as he slowly extended his hand towards him. Curtain noticed that Sans' hand glowed black for a moment, although Kelvin didn't noticed.

"Nice to meet ya Kelvin. You already know my name of course," Sans said, as his smile almost morphed into a smirk but he held it back.

Before their hands could make contact, Curtain intervened by grabbing Sans' wrist and pushing his hand down as she spoke to Kelvin.

"Hey Kelvin, they're talking about eating food without you!" Curtain said quickly, and Kelvin gasped and turned towards the others.

"What?! Talking about food without me! Hold up guys! Let me get in on this!" Kelvin said as he quickly walked towards the others.

When everyone was paying little attention to them besides Frisk, Curtain and Sans looked towards one another.

"I saw your hand glowing. Were you trying to kill him?" Curtain whisper-asked.

"What? Nooo... I was just going to let him sleep for a while. He would wake up tomorrow… probably," Sans whispered-replied, and Curtain grabbed his hand as her grip tightened.

"Sans! Are you serious?! You can't just knock him out for no reason!" Curtain whisper-yelled, as Sans' grip tightened on her hand.

"No reason huh? The way he lowered himself to you... offering himself like a sick puppy, and yet you're saying I have no reason?!" Sans whisper-yelled back.

"He wasn't offering himself, he was just complimenting me! He knows I don't like him like that! It's a joke!" Curtain whisper-yelled again with narrowed eyes.

"Well maybe that shouldn't be a joke anymore!" Sans whisper-yelled once more with a more annoyed expression.

Curtain looked at Sans and a realization hit her, as she asked in a low voice,

"Sans, are you... jealous?"

Sans was surprised by her question, and he defensively answered, "What? No. Jealous of a mortal? Tck. Never. I'm better than that."

She noticed his cheekbones turning a light blue and frustration entering his eyes as he spoke, which made Curtain almost sigh to how cute he looked. However, Curtain suppressed the sigh and asked,

"Sans. You said the first rule of a relationship is not to lie to each other. Be honest with me, are you feeling jealous? Did you feel upset when you saw him near me?"

Sans looked away from her to think about it, and then he sighed. He looked back up at her with a more serious expression and replied,

"Yes."

Curtain softened her grip on his hand, as he did with her hand.

"Sans. Don't be jealous. It's not good for you, and I would never go out with someone else if I'm already going out with you. I know I say 'we're not in a relationship,' but considering that we are dating, I respect that, and I respect you," Curtain said in a soft, sincere tone, as Sans was lulled by her voice into a calm state of mind.

"Hey guys... ah, so it's true. You finally have a boyfriend, Curtain," Corvin said as he approached them.

"Wha? Corvin, w-what are you talking about?" Curtain asked, with one hand on her hip since her other hand held Sans' hand.

"You’re dating, and you like each other. So that makes him your boyfriend, right?" Corvin asked, with a slight smirk.

"W-Well, we… um... don't make assumptions! Go back to your brother!" Curtain said as her cheeks were pink, and Corvin just shrugged and walked away.

Curtain turned back towards Sans and she noticed that he was looking at her in surprise.

"What?" Curtain asked, as Sans smiled and replied,

"I'm your boyfriend."

"What are you talking about? You're not... well... we're not like that okay!" Curtain said as her cheeks turned red, and then she noticed that they were holding hands.

"You didn't deny it, and I'm sure after what you told me about a relationship, you wouldn't lie~" Sans said, as he brought up her hand and placed it on his teeth, since that's where his lips would've been.

Curtain bit her lip as her face remained red, but then she sighed with a smile and said,

"Shut up, Sans."

Sans chuckled, and then he lowered his hand along with her own.

"Um, c-could I have my hand back?" Curtain asked.

"Hm, m-maybe," Sans stuttered on purpose with a smirk, as Curtain pouted.

"It's okay to hold hands, isn't it? We're technically together, so that wouldn't be wrong, right?" Sans asked.

"Stop trying to confuse me," Curtain said, as she lightly tugged her hand back to signal for Sans to let go.

He looked at her for a moment, and then he let her hand go.

"Just know, I'll always be there to give you a hand, Curtain," Sans said, and then he started walking towards the others with Curtain and Frisk.

"You just hand to take the opportunity to make a pun, didn't you," Curtain said, as she nudged his shoulder and Sans snickered.

Frisk watched their interaction in amazement and wonder. The first time she saw them together, there was a distance between them, even with Sans' feelings clearly being known. It was as if his feelings hadn't matured yet, and Curtain hadn't felt anything. However, today the two are walking side-by-side, giving each other genuine smiles, and not talking back at one another much. Something was different, with both of them, and Frisk was starting to see it.

The large group of friends hung out at an eatery until sunset. They all returned to their homes safely, and Curtain and Marisol were brought home by Sans and Frisk.

Outside of Marisol's house, Curtain asked Marisol why she distracted everyone from Sans, and Marisol honesty replied that Kelvin's admiration was annoying and she left Sans to deal with him. Curtain explained that Sans was going to knock him out or possibly kill him if she didn't intervene, and Marisol was surprised.

"Geez, he was dead serious," Marisol said.

"That's what I've been telling you," Curtain said, and then both of them started laughing when they realized Marisol's accidentally pun.

After leaving Marisol at her home, the three headed to Curtain's house. When she was secure in her home, Sans and Frisk returned to Cosmos.

Day 20

"You've improved," Sans said, as he dipped Curtain on the decrescendo of the song in Outer-view restaurant.

"Of course. This is fun," Curtain said, as Sans brought her back up on two feet.

"You might dance better than me if you keep this up," Sans said, as he kept his arm wrapped around her waist while they were walking back to their table.

"Yeah. I might have to teach you some moves," Curtain said with an amused smile, as Sans snickered.

"Oh, before I forget, next weekend the reservation is for Sunday. They said something about closing the restaurant next Saturday to get supplies for a... festival?" Sans said.

"-Gasp- Oh my gosh, I almost forgot the Blue-Harbor Festival. They have one every year at the pier on the last day of this month. It's on a Tuesday I think. I actually get four days off of work: Monday to Thursday," Curtain said.

"Huh. That sounds like fun," Sans said.

"Yeah. We should definitely go, I can show you everything..." Curtain trailed off when realization hit her as they sat at their table.

"Last day of this month... last day for our deal," Sans said.

"... already? It hasn't been that long, has it?" Curtain asked, in a softer tone.

"Hmm. Today makes twenty days," Sans said, as he was stirring his drink with the straw.

"Ten days left..." Curtain said, while looking towards the sea.

"Yup. Ten days..." Sans said, looking at his drink.

They stood silent for a moment.

Then Curtain smirked and said, "Well, I'm still here. Doesn't look like you're trying hard enough, Sans."

Sans looked up at her, and then he smirked too and said, "We'll see, sweetheart. I still have ten days left. That's probably way more than enough though."

"We'll see then," Curtain said with a smug smile, as she took a sip of her drink with confidence.

"We will," Sans said with a cheeky grin, as he also sipped his drink with just as much confidence as her.

They ate their meal and watched the sunset from where they were. When it was time to go, they had to wake up Frisk because she was sleeping at her table. She said she didn't really sleep much as of late, so Sans took her home after bringing Curtain back to her house.

Day 21

Sans and Curtain were walking around the city at noon and just talking. Frisk had business to take care of, so that left just Curtain and Sans wondering around and not doing much since Curtain had to work the next day. As they walked around, they came across a black cat with a single gray stripe on it's back, and it was curled up and shaking weakly.

"Aww, poor dear. He doesn't look very good," Curtain said, as she cautiously approached the feline, who only looked at her weakly with his blue eyes, and then lowered his head.

Sans stood next to Curtain as she knelt down and stroke the cat's head. She noticed a black collar on his neck, and she realized that he must belong to someone.

"Poor thing. Separated from your family and having nowhere to go. That's sad," Curtain said softly, feeling sort-of empathetic for the little critter.

"His time is near. He won't last long like this... I'll take him now," Sans said, his hand glowing black.

Curtain looked up at him and noticed his hand.

"Sans no. Let me see what I can do," Curtain said, as she took off her black jacket and placed the cat on it so that she could carry him.

"Are you sure?" Sans asked, and Curtain nodded as they started walking.

Then Sans decided to ask Curtain a few things to see her perspective:

"It's just a cat."

"Cat or not, he shouldn't have to die like that." -Curtain

"Why bother? He might get lost again." -Sans

"And if he doesn't? It doesn't matter how many times he gets lost, I won't let him die because of that. He deserves another chance." -Curtain

"What if the owner doesn't want him?" -Sans

"Then it's a good thing he's not with them." -Curtain

"Would you keep him?" -Sans

"I might, or I'll see if Karol wants him. She likes animals." -Curtain

"What if he dies any way?" -Sans

"Then at least he dies in the arms of someone who cares about him." -Curtain

Sans smiled while looking towards her, as Curtain was petting the cat.

"You’re a gem, Curtain," Sans said, as she looked towards him and smiled.

When Curtain turned forward, Sans felt something inside his chest, something weighing down on his soul. He stiffened his shoulder blades, recognizing this feeling but not wanting to feel it again. He looked away from her and shook his head, and when he looked back, the weight was gone.

'What was that? Why did I feel g...? Eh, it's gone now,' Sans thought, and then they entered a pet clinic.

Curtain brought in the cat, and one of the vets recognized the feline and took him in. She said that the owners reported the cat missing and they were very worried about him. They examined him, as Sans and Curtain waited in the waiting room. The pets stood near the opposite side of the room where Sans was, shaken by his presence, as he just chuckled and Curtain slowly shook her head. When they were called in to see the cat, he was in a cage with blankets and water, and he looked much better.

Curtain reached her fingers into the cage, as the cat licked her fingers in gratitude. Sans did the same, as the cat rubbed his head on his fingers, as if he was saying thanks. The owners of the cat came in, a man and woman and their young teenager. The teenage girl looked into the cage and yelped in delight to see her cat again. She stuck her face on the cage, as her cat happily licked her cheek. The parents were relieved to see their daughter so happy to be reunited with her loving pet.

"She was so sad without Tomorrow around. I'm so glad he's safe," the mother said to the vet.

"Don't thank us. Thank these two. They were the ones who brought him in," the vet said, gesturing to Sans and Curtain.

The brown-haired teen turned towards them and smiled brightly. She walked over and hugged both of them.

"Thank you so much for bringing him here. You saved him!" She cried, and then let them go.

"You’re very welcome," Curtain said, with a smile.

Sans was too surprised to speak so he nodded in agreement with Curtain.

"Thank you so much for saving Tomorrow and saving our baby girl's happiness," the father said, as he shook each of their hands.

"Oh! We have an award for whoever found him," the mother said, rummaging through her purse.

"Keep it. I was unaware of the reward, and I didn't save him for that. You'll need it to take care of him anyway," Curtain said, gesturing to the cat, and the parents nodded gratefully.

Curtain and Sans left the family with their beloved pet, and continued walking around.

"... it's weird. I never really saved a life before," Sans said.

"Well, there you go. You just saved a life today by having mercy," Curtain said, as she rubbed his shoulder with her hand.

"Yeah, there's a first for everything I suppose..." Sans trailed off, as he stopped walking which made Curtain stop in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Curtain asked.

"Mercy... Frisk get out here!" Sans said, turning around.

Out from an alley, Frisk peeked out at first, and then she stepped out fully.

"Hey guys," Frisk said, with a sheepish grin.

"Have you been following us? Or did you have something to do with us finding that cat?" Sans asked, with narrowed eyes.

"Umm... latter," Frisk said, while rubbing the back of her head.

"Why Frisk?" Curtain asked.

"I figured you were going to save him, and I thought you could stop Sans from reaping him," Frisk answered.

Sans just arched an eyebrow and turned away, as Curtain said, "Aww, that's sweet of you, Frisk."

Curtain turned towards Sans and said, "And that was sweet of you too, Sans. Whether you wanted to or not, thank you for letting me save him."

Sans looked towards her with a smile and said, "Anything to make you happy."

Curtain turned away with a smile, as Sans just snickered and they all started walking together.

After Sans and Frisk left Curtain at home that night, Marisol called Curtain so that they could just talk. At one point in their conversation, Marisol asked why Sans was so intent on hanging out with Curtain all the time, and Curtain finally revealed to her the deal. She asked Marisol not to worry the others by telling them, and Marisol agreed not to tell them, although she was very worried. Curtain reassured her that she would be okay before hanging up to go to sleep.

Day 22

In a restaurant:

"After we won, we dumped water on Caroline and ran for our lives when she started chasing us. But we all had a laugh so that's why me and Marisol are still alive," Curtain said with a smile and drank her water.

"That's amazing. Coach Caroline really knows how to train you guys huh," Sans said, and he took a drink of ketchup.

"Yeah. She's the best teacher, and babysitter too when we were younger. We all respect Caroline," Curtain said.

"It's too bad she's not here. I would have liked to meet her, especially since she was the one who took care of you, along with Marisol and her parents," Sans said.

"Yeah. I'm grateful to them all," Curtain said, and then the waiter brought them their order.

"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said with a nod, and then he went to wait on other tables.

"-Sigh- You know, it's really nice here. I like this sort of indoor-garden-thing," Curtain said, observing her surroundings.

The restaurant was two floors and had a garden setting on the second floor balcony. There was a transparent roof so that the plants that hung on the ceiling and stood around the ground had sunlight. Curtain and Sans were seated on the balcony, and they could look out to see the city since the balcony had no walls, only a gate.

"Yeah. It's nice. Peaceful too," Sans said, looking around.

"Especially with you," Curtain said, but she bit her tongue to silence herself.

Sans was surprised by her nice comment as he looked at her, and she felt frozen looking at him. Yet, Sans snickered with a smile and said,

"Thanks."

Curtain softly breathed out and said, "You’re welcome."

After eating, Sans brought Curtain back to her house where Frisk was waiting for them. They played a few video games and were guessing answers to television question shows, and then it was time for Sans and Frisk to go.

Frisk walked out first, waiting for Sans, while he stood at Curtain's doorway.

"You know... you make me feel the same way," Sans said, referring to earlier, as he looked at her with a gentle expression and a warm smile.

Curtain's cheeks turned pink, as Sans waved and she waved back. He went out the door to meet Frisk, and he turned towards the house one more time before leaving. Curtain looked through the peephole of her door to see Sans, and she saw him look towards the house before he and Frisk departed through a portal. She sighed and re-entered her living room, as she placed her hand on her chest. A fuzzy feeling was filling her heart, but she decided to disregard it at the moment and get herself a glass of water.

Cosmos:

Sans and Frisk entered their home world, and Frisk decided that she was going to visit a few friends before seeing Toriel. She told Sans about what she was going to do, but he seemed to not be paying attention. His mind was conflicted, and it was easy to tell by his facial expression.

"Sans. Are you okay? You seem troubled?" Frisk asked while snapping her fingers which seemed to bring Sans back from his thoughts.

"Oh... uh, yeah I'm fine. You're going to see your friends and Toriel right?" Sans asked, slightly surprising Frisk that he did pay attention to what she said.

"Yes. I was going to go now. Are you sure you'll be alright?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine, kid. Go ahead," Sans replied with a nod.

Frisk nodded back, and then she set off on her own, although she was still concerned about Sans.

Day 23

"Alright guys. Good work today. On Thursday we're going to start tidying up the store for when we close next week due to the festival. Let's make sure all the orders are sent out, and the dates on incoming orders will begin at the end of next week since the store will reopen next Friday. See you guys tomorrow. Drive home safely," Joe said to his employees, and they understood and said goodbye.

As Curtain and Ciara were walking out, Ciara said,

"So Curtain, how have you been, you and the Reaper? Since you're still here I can guess that you're succeeding the deal."

"Um, yeah... we've been fine. He's not so bad. He's actually pretty nice once you get to know him. Of course, I say that as a friend," Curtain said, mostly hiding what was really in her mind, and Ciara raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're saying that as a friend? You seem a bit... unsure," Ciara asked.

"I do mean that as a friend. Of course I do," Curtain said, a little too quickly, which Ciara picked up.

"Curtain, in my opinion as your friend, I think you need to be cautious now. You're sounding unsure, and when I first asked you about this, you said that you didn't love him and that you didn't want to leave your friends and life. I'm sure you still feel the same since they are like family to you, especially Marisol. I hope you stay determined Curtain, for your sake, and theirs. It's going to hurt them too if you go," Ciara said in a gentle voice.

Curtain looked at Ciara with a little sadness in her eyes, but she smiled back with a nod.

Later:

"Where are we going, Sans?" Curtain asked, as the Skele-reaper brought Curtain and Frisk across the harbor through a portal.

They were in the center area of a grass field, as Sans sat on the ground.

"We're here. Go ahead, take a load off," Sans said.

Curtain and Frisk sat down, with Curtain sitting on one side of Sans, and Frisk sitting on the other side of him.

"What are we doing here? Besides having a picnic," Curtain said with a smirk, as she stretched out her legs and laid one over the other.

Sans smirked and said, "I came back here one night a little while ago and found this spot. I looked up, and I thought you would appreciate it too."

Curtain became curious, as she looked up at the dark purple sky.

"What's up there?" Frisk asked, also looking up.

"The sun needs to fully set," Sans said, as he snapped his fingers and a basket appeared before them.

"So this is a picnic," Frisk said.

They took a few sandwiches from the basket and ate, as the sun fully set. In that moment, the dark sky revealed little lights that were scattered throughout its vast body. The glittering stars and masses of sparkling clusters stretched passed the trees, and a shooting star happened to pass by in that moment.

Sans looked at Curtain and Frisk as he laughed at their awe-struck expressions.

"Oh. My. Gosh," Frisk said, as she lightly mushed her sandwich on her cheek, but then she finally looked down and brought her sandwich to her mouth.

"Oh. Wow..." Curtain said, as she moved her hand towards Sans and patted his arm until she reached his shoulder since she wasn't looking at him.

"Sans... this is amazing. It's the perfect view," Curtain said, as her eyes reflected the lights in the sky.

Sans smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it."

The three finished their food and laid on their backs as they observed the stars above. Sans laid the back of his skull on both hands, while Curtain laid on one of her hands, and Frisk just kept her arms spread out. They talked and observed the night sky, and a light blue comet passed by in the distance that grabbed their attention.

Frisk and Curtain sat up to look at the comet, while Sans stood laying down and gazing at Curtain. He saw how her expression was care-free and relaxed, much softer than how she was earlier this month when she was skeptical of everything and everywhere Sans took her. She was free, and Sans felt a warmness inside seeing her in such a way. Then the weight in his heart returned, a little stronger than before, as the smile he held towards her slowly turned into a small, sad frown. He turned towards the sky, as he breathed in and out softly, taking a moment to reflect on himself.

Frisk looked down at Sans, as she saw that his eyes were closed. Curtain also turned and saw that Sans' eyes were closed, and she wondered if he was sleeping. Curtain moved her hand with her pointer finger towards Sans' face, and she lightly poked his cheekbone. It was softer than she thought it would be, as Sans opened his eyes and looked towards her.

"It looks like I'll have to take you home, sleepybones," Curtain said with a chuckle, and Sans smiled.

Then Sans eyes narrowed a bit as his smile slightly widened, and he asked, "You're taking me home with you~?"

Curtain's cheeks reddened and her brows furrowed as she replied, "No! I mean to take you to your h- Wait a minute, you know what I mean!"

Sans laughed, and Curtain did the same, while Frisk smiled. Sans brought Curtain home, and then he brought Frisk to see her friends. He went out afterward to see his brother because they had extra work to attend to.

Chapter Text

Day 24

"The Blue Harbor Festival will soon be upon us my brethren, and that means we have a lot of sorting and stuff to do in the game shop my co-brethren. It may be a long time before we see each other again after the festival, but hold strong my friends. Hold strong! For we shall never truly be apart, no matter the distance. Our hearts will always beat as one! Toast it up, my peeps," Joseph declared in a strong voice, as he and the rest of the group toasted with soda cans as they were walking together.

"That was great, Joseph," Karol said, as she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, if you're going on a quest to save the princess in another castle," Hare said, as everyone laughed.

"That's a perfect way to put it actually," Rini said.

"Hey, hey. Cut me some slack! The Blue Harbor Festival lasts two days and the last day it ends at twelve o'clock at night. We're probably not waking up until Friday morning," Joseph said.

"That's true. Actually, they closed a little later than usual last year," Curtain said, as she finished drinking her soda.

"It was still fun though. That's when I slept over your house that time," Marisol said, and she crushed her empty can of soda with her bare hand.

"Oh yeah, your room was being remodeled," Curtain said, as she crushed her can of soda on the side of her head.

"Curtain, why-are you okay?" Frisk asked, looking at her head.

"I'm fine, Frisk. What's up?" Curtain asked.

"The can didn't hurt you?" Frisk asked.

"No. I wouldn't have done that if it did," Curtain replied, not sure why she was worried.

"Well, mortals are more delicate than we are, so I wanted to make sure you were okay," Frisk said, as Sans was listening in while drinking the last bit of his soda.

"Well I'm sure that's true to an extent, but I can take a few hits and still be fine. Right, Marisol?" Curtain said, as she turned to her friend.

"Oh yeah. We've got into some great fights. Lasted hours in combat," Marisol said, while turning towards Curtain.

"What? You two fought before?" Frisk asked, as the group stood in front of a restaurant.

"Oh yeah. Those two are like, equals in kickboxing, karate, parkor, all of that. At this point, which was since a few years ago, the only fair fight is if they fought each other," Karol said.

"Yes. They've grown quite strong, and last a long time too," Rini said.

"Oh, but you're great too, Rini. You got skills and brains to win over your opponents," Marisol said, as Rini flushed in embarrassment.

"You've all been in fights?" Sans asked.

"Yeah. Not like a street brawl or rough-housing, but we all went to classes in boxing and all that for about... five years, and then we chose our own thing to further study in," Joseph said.

"Interesting," Sans said, and then they all started walking into the restaurant.

Curtain and Sans were last, as Curtain turned to him while holding open the door. Sans held his soda can and it instantly set on fire into ashes. Curtain was surprised by that, as he walked to the door and placed his hand on it.

"No wonder you're so resistant to me. You're used to fighting... so am I, as you know," Sans said, with narrowed eyes and a smirk.

Curtain turned towards Sans with narrowed eyes and a smile as she said, "Oh, I know that. That's what makes this fun, Sans. I have a challenge~"

Curtain rubbed her thumb softly across Sans' cheekbone, and then she turned and walked inside. Sans' cheekbones lit up in a blue blush with widened eyes as he followed behind her, and Curtain held a smile on her face.

The group sat together at a rectangular table, as Sans concealed his blush, although he had a hard time looking away from Curtain since she sat across from him. While everyone was busy talking, Curtain looked towards Sans and noticed a light blue hue on his face when he looked back at her. She kept a straight face at first, and then she smiled and winked at him, as his blush grew a little more vivid. Curtain looked back towards her friends, as Marisol was looking at her with an arched eyebrow and open mouth.

"What?" Curtain asked.

"What are you doing?" Marisol asked.

"Nothing. Just having fun," Curtain simply replied.

"We've established that he's 'dead serious' before, and now you're tempting him to basically kidnap you!" Marisol whispered under gritted teeth.

"I know he is, but he wouldn't do that. I know he won't," Curtain whispered.

"Oh? You know he wants your soul right? And that he's a reaper with the power to kill people by touching them right? Why do you insist on playing with fire?!" Marisol continued to whisper.

"..." Curtain didn't respond, as she looked down with a nervous gaze to trace the table cloth design with her finger.

Marisol recognized that gesture, as her gritted teeth relaxed into surprise.

"Curtain... no. No you don't. You lo..." Marisol whispered a little louder.

"I never said I did, cause I don't," Curtain whispered, as she stopped tracing the table cloth.

Meanwhile:

"Sans! What are you doing?!" Frisk whisper-yelled.

"I'm not doing anything!" Sans whispered back.

"Why is she winking at you?! Did you use a love potion or something?!" Frisk whisper-asked.

"No! I didn't do anything, she's willingly... willingly flirting with me?!" Sans whisper-yelled as his cheekbones turned a darker shade of blue.

"But why? What did you do?" Frisk whisper-asked.

"Nothing. I just said that since she's a fighter that explains why she's stubborn, and she told me that I'm a challenge. That's all," Sans whispered-replied, as he rubbed his face to calm his blush.

Frisk thought about what he told her, and she realized that Sans didn't seem to understand the depth of what Curtain said: For Curtain to call Sans a challenge, that meant that her growing feelings for Sans were making it harder for her to resist loving him. Frisk definitely had to tell Toriel about this.

As they were all sitting together, Curtain stopped flirting with Sans and kept her composure since Marisol helped her realize what she was doing.

After a while, Curtain noticed that the group was getting smaller. Karol had asked Marisol to help her with something, Joseph and Hare left to the bathroom, and Rini asked Frisk if she wanted to see the chefs cooking on another side of the restaurant and she said yes. Sans and Curtain stood alone, and the waiter brought them one plate of food, which they didn't order.

"Um, we didn't order anything yet," Curtain said to the waiter.

"Ah, but this was ordered for you two," the waiter said, as he started to walk away.

The food was spaghetti and heart-shaped meatballs on a red, heart-shaped plate, which the two noticed. They looked from the plate to each other, and then the waiter returned and said,

"I almost forgot to mention, enjoy the Meal of Lovers."

As the waiter walked away, Curtain and Sans looked back at the plate and then each other again. Sans smiled with a blush on his face, as Curtain blushed with gritted teeth.

"You set this up..." Curtain said, with narrowed eyes.

"Nah, it wasn't me," Sans said, shaking his head.

"Then why did everyone leave, and what is this?!" Curtain said, gesturing to the plate with both hands.

"Curtain, I've never been here before. I didn't know this place existed or had a 'Meal of Lovers'... but... I might know who does," Sans said, scratching the back of his skull.

"Who?" Curtain asked, as Sans looked at her and pointed to a certain seat.

Curtain remembered who sat there, and she face-palmed and said,

"Darn it, Karol."

"Hey, it's not so bad. I mean, I'm sure she's paying for the food, and she's only looking out for your best interest~" Sans said, with a wink as he pointed to himself.

Curtain looked at him with a straight-face and annoyance in her eyes. She took her fork and started twirling the spaghetti.

"I'm only eating now because I'm hungry. But they are sooo going to Hear It From ME," Curtain said, and Sans just shrugged and started eating the food with her.

Outside, Karol stood with Marisol as she was talking to her mother on Marisol's cell phone. She hung up and gave her her phone, but she stopped Marisol from entering the restaurant. She was explaining the plan she made with the others to set up Curtain and Sans, which alarmed Marisol.

"WHAT?! Do you even realize what you're DOING?!" Marisol yelled with worry as she was going to run inside, but Karol grabbed her arm.

"NOOOOO! Let them BEEEEE! It's destinyyyy!" Karol whined.

"Then I'm rewriting it!" Marisol yelled, trying to get to the door while almost dragging Karol.

"What's going on?" Joseph asked, as he, Hare, Rini, and Frisk stepped outside.

"You guys set up Curtain to date Sans?! You don't even know him that well!" Marisol protested, as she stopped moving so that Karol would let go of her arm.

"Well, Curtain seems to know him well, and even Frisk knows him too. He's not bad, right Frisk?" Joseph asked as he looked at Frisk and she nodded.

"But still!" Marisol said, frustrated that she couldn't tell them about Sans because Curtain asked her not to.

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant quickly opened to reveal Curtain and Sans stepping out, with Curtain's face stern and eyebrows furrowed. She had her hands on her hips, with half-lidded eyes, as the others were nervous besides Frisk and Marisol, which gave her an indication of who set her up. She sighed at first, and then she raised her voice and said,

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Everyone was pretty startled, as Marisol placed her hand on Frisk's shoulder to lead her next to Sans and out of Curtain's range.

"Aww Curtain. We were only trying to help you," Karol said, trying to sooth her friend's rage.

"Yes. Please do not be upset. We just want you to be happy," Rini said.

"And not kill us right now," Hare said, in his usual nonchalant expression.

"... I should be the one who decides who I date. Instead of being back stabbed by my best friends!" Curtain said, clearly still upset.

Her words made her friends feel bad, which was obvious on their expressions. Sans saw this and he felt sorry for them. He also realized that he may have played a part in starting this ever since his conversation with Karol and Joseph when they gave him a lift to the Game store. Sans set his hand on Curtain's shoulder as she looked towards him with an arched eyebrow.

"Curtain, don't be upset with them. They care about you. They had no ill-intentions of arranging this. Especially since they don't know," Sans said, although his last sentence was low enough for no one else to hear.

Curtain took his words in consideration. She realized that she was being a little too hard on her friends. After all, they all look out for each other, and they only wanted to help her. They are also unaware of the deal between her and Sans, so Curtain decided to cut them a break. She softly signed and relaxed her posture and expression, as Sans removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Alright, alright. I forgive you jerks. Hugs. Now," Curtain said, as she reached towards her friends and they smiled and came towards her to give hugs.

As they did so, Frisk looked at Sans and she noticed that he held a smile on his face as he watched Curtain making peace with her friends. She saw that his smile was genuine, but then his smile slowly faded into a slight frown. As Frisk walked over to him, Sans thought,

'They're good people. All of them... and, I was going to break them apart, like if it was nothing... like if all the years they've spent together were nothing...?'

He felt a tug on his sleeve, as he looked down at Frisk.

"What's the matter, Sans?" Frisk asked.

"N-Noth... I'm just glad Curtain isn't mad at her friends. I know how she can be when she gets mad," Sans said, with a snicker, and Frisk nodded, not realizing that he was hiding his true thoughts from her.

Later:

Everyone went their separate ways to their homes, as Curtain, Frisk, and Sans stood in front of Marisol's house. Curtain and Marisol were exchanging phone numbers with Frisk since she showed them her new phone. As they were doing this, Sans received a phone call as he stood out of ear-shot from the girls. After hanging up, Sans joined the girls.

"Hey Curtain. I need to talk to ya. I was going to tell you tomorrow, but that would be too late now," Sans said, as Curtain walked closer to him.

"Oh no, who died?" Curtain asked.

"Wha-no one died! Really, Curtain. I'm not reaping ALL day," Sans said with a pout, and Curtain giggled.

"Sorry, I had to. What is it, really?" Curtain asked with a smile, showing that she was listening.

"Okay. So, I got a reservation for two on the cruise boat this Friday, but I got a call from them saying that they had room for two tomorrow from a canceled reservation. They called me because I asked them for the earliest reservations they had before... so... do you want to go with me tomorrow? It'll be from four to nine o'clock, so you'll have time to get ready in the morning," Sans said, as he rubbed the back of his head.

Curtain looked at him in surprise, as Marisol and Frisk were also quite shocked.

"Yes, of course! I always wanted to go on that cruise ship! But that must have cost a lot," Curtain said.

"Eh, it was reasonable. Besides, I have cash to spare. I live in a castle for a reason," Sans said, with a wink.

Then Sans turned to Marisol and Frisk and said, "I still have the two reservations for Friday if you two want to take them. I already paid for them, so you can take'em."

"Really? I'd love to go!" Frisk said, excited.

Marisol was shocked by this generous offer, especially since they didn't see eye to eye.

"You would really offer me that? I mean of course I will take it, but we've never really seen eye to eye-socket so..." Marisol said, as she trailed off a bit.

"I know. That's why I wanted to make it up to you. Your Curtain's closest friend and you've known her longer than me, so I respect that," Sans said, which made Marisol respect him.

"Oh. Thanks dude," Marisol said with a nod, and Sans nodded back.

After leaving Marisol at her house, the three went to Curtain's house. As Curtain went into her house, Sans and Frisk were about to enter a portal to Cosmos.

Day 25

Curtain finished work as she quickly headed out so that she could get ready for the cruise. She was almost running out of the mall when she bumped into Sans while at the front door. They would have fallen down, but Sans quickly grabbed the door with one hand as he wrapped his other arm around her waist in a dipping form. Curtain held one arm around Sans' waist as her other arm wrapped onto his shoulder. They were a few inches apart as they looked into each others' eyes in surprise for a moment. Curtain sheepishly smiled with a little blush and said,

"H-Hey Sans. Um, sorry for bumping into you like that. I didn't want to be late, you know."

Sans also smiled with a small blush on his cheekbones and said, "It's alright. I actually hurried over here too."

They stood upright as Curtain smoothed out her clothes.

"Frisk said she hopes we'll have fun. She'll come later to pick us up from the harbor," Sans said, as he put his hands into his pockets.

"Oh okay. Marisol text me the same thing this morning," Curtain said, and Sans nodded.

The two headed back to Curtain's house, and she was able to change out of her work clothes into the new outfit she wore before. When she came downstairs after changing, Curtain was surprised to see that Sans had changed his clothes as well: he wore a black sweater with a blue shirt underneath, blue pants with a white stripe on the sides, and black boots with the pants stuffed in them. Although he just changed his clothes, Curtain thought he looked quite handsome in this new outfit.

"You're looking good, Sans. What's the occasion?" Curtain asked with a smirk.

"Thanks, and you are~" Sans said, as he smirked back.

"Oh? Little old me? How sweet of you," Curtain said, as she and Sans headed for the front door.

"You're dressed up too. Could I assume that it's for me?" Sans asked, as they stood outside after Curtain locked the front door.

"Maybe~ But I think we should hurry up. We might be late," Curtain said, noticing the time on a watch she wore on her wrist.

"Don't worry. I got it," Sans said, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and teleported.

They ended up on the roof of a building first, and then Sans brought them closer to the pier. They stood on line going up to the large vessel, until they made it to where the captain stood with the check-in crew member. Sans talked to them, and they let him and Curtain on board. They were each given a wristband to identify and keep in check who is on the ship. Afterward, they stood on the sun deck with other passengers who also wore the wristbands.

There was a top level on the sun deck, where tables and chairs were laid out to sit, and a lower level where there were umbrellas and lounge chairs around a large pool in the center. The opposite side of the top level was the second top level that was for lounging and enjoying the ocean view with lounge chairs, umbrellas, and tables to charge electronic devices.

Within the vessel had various activities like watching movies in the theater, playing tennis and pool, and bowling. There was a bar as well, but the drinks were all non-alcoholic since getting drunk and swimming or falling off the ship would be a bad idea. There was also a spa area, and when the ship started moving, Sans quickly teleported there to get Curtain first in line. Right before she went in, Curtain hugged Sans as a thank you and went inside. He blushed and then went to look around to see what else they could do on the ship.

After her spa treatment, Curtain went outside and saw Sans waiting for her with a smoothie in a curvy glass cup. He stood speechless at first since it seemed like her skin was glowing, until she took the cup he offered. Afterward, they went to the movie theater to watch and laugh at the film playing since they thought it was a corny love story.

After enjoying a few more of the indoor activities, they decided to take a swim in the pool. Curtain wore her bathing suit under her clothes, which was a purple one piece with black shorts. Sans noticed that she had a few scars on her legs and he asked her what happened. She informed him that she and Marisol would travel in the wilderness or another park with Marisol's parents and climbed or raced in the forest. Sometimes they would accidentally get hurt, and they each had scars from their more risky adventures. Although they didn't mind the scars, they didn't want to attract attention, so they decided to hide them under long sleeves or pants. They figured kids might think they were cool and want scars too, or people may question them about them all the time.

After her explanation, Sans took off his sweater and boots, and they both dived into the pool... actually Sans grabbed Curtain around her waist and dived in with her. Curtain panicked at first, but then she realized that she could breath as Sans was using his power to help them do so. Sans let go of Curtain, as his power formed a bubble-like sphere around her head. She told him to stop tossing her in water like that, and Sans laughed and said that he couldn't promise that, which made Curtain's eyebrow twitch a bit. After swimming and talking for a while, Curtain and Sans exited the water, as a couple noticed how long they were down there and concluded that they were Olympic swimmers since they could hold their breaths for a long time.

All of the excitement and events left the two pretty tired, so they went to the second top level to relax on the lounge chairs. Curtain replied to Marisol's texts asking if she was okay, as Sans replied to texts from Toriel by Frisk since they were fast texts, also asking if they were okay. They drank two more drinks that the waiter brought, and then they sat back and talked while enjoying the view.

"How did they live?" Curtain asked.

"It was a mirror. Those sneaky foxes... once I hit it, it cracked, and I heard them snickering at me from behind. But since it was a mirror, I actually saw where they were from the cracked pieces and was able to teleport behind them. You could say that they, died of fright. At least that's what the vets thought when they examined those foxes," Sans said.

"Wow. They were really a challenge for you huh?" Curtain said, and Sans signed and nodded.

They didn't realize that during their conversation, they were laying closer to the edge of their chairs towards each other.

"So, what other places are there that you told me about? You know, when we first met, and when you and Frisk were talking about other dimensions and stuff," Curtain asked, feeling a little nervous to ask but not from fear.

"Well, there are other worlds out there. Light worlds with some of them literally made of light, dark worlds with some of them literally made of darkness. Some worlds are neutral, like this one, that are in balance. Although some dark and light worlds are in balance as they are. Then there are dimensions that can be light, neutral, or dark which inhabit odd creatures, or universes that are different but the same as this one. Alternate universes. But you don't have to worry about those. That's a different story, and they can't link to us," Sans replied.

"Link? Is that how you reach other dimensions and universes?" Curtain asked.

"Yeah. It's like a bridge that connects universes and dimensions so that, those who can travel between them, can access other places. However, since our link is short, which means it's stronger by concentration, other beings can't connect well so no one comes here from other places," Sans replied.

"Interesting. Can you travel to those other places though?" Curtain asked.

"Yeah. Being an Embodiment, I can make my own path that only I can create and use. All Embodiments can do that, although Elements are limited to how far they can travel, so they don't go beyond the dimensions in this universe," Sans replied.

"Hm... then that means you're really strong aren't you. You weren't kidding," Curtain said, leaning closer to Sans.

"Nope. Not kidding at all, sweetheart," Sans said, leaning closer to Curtain.

However, the chairs couldn't handle their weights on one side, as Curtain and Sans ended up flopping over on their stomachs, while their chairs flipped on the sides.

"Oof! Well... that was unexpected," Curtain said, as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Yeah. We really fell into this situation," Sans said, as he stood on one knee while Curtain snickered.

"Are you alright?" Sans asked, as he offered his hand, which Curtain took to get on her knees.

"Yeah, I'm good. Are you okay?" Curtain asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Sans said.

Curtain's grip on Sans' hand tightened a bit, and she softly said, "Why wouldn't I?"

Their eyes locked, with Curtain's sincerity reflecting from her eyes and Sans' surprise clearly visible in his. Sans smiled as he slowly moved his other hand towards her cheek, but he refrained from doing so since he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. It was already surprising enough that she agreed to go on the cruise with him, and he didn't want to over-step any boundaries she may still have. Curtain did feel relief that he didn't touch her face, although a fuzzy feeling inside her chest wished that he had.

"Oh my! Are you two okay?" A woman asked, as she saw that their chairs were toppled.

"Oh, we're alright," Sans replied, as he and Curtain stood up.

"Here, let us help you," A man, who was with the woman, said as the two helped Sans and Curtain fix the chairs.

"Thank you for your help," Curtain said, as she and Sans sat down.

"No problem," The man said.

"Oh! Actually, we came to ask you two if we could have your autographs," The woman said, bringing out a pen and paper pad.

Sans and Curtain were confused, until the man explained, "You guys held your breaths for so long underwater that we assume that you were part of the Olympics. If you get famous, we'd love to have your autographs."

"Even if you don't, it would give us a story to tell, and a way to remember this wonderful cruise," the woman added.

Sans and Curtain looked towards one another as they smiled to hide their laughs. After signing autographs, Sans and Curtain went back to lounging, this time watching how they sit.

Later:

Marisol was waiting for Curtain and Sans to arrive at port, as she stood on the upper part of the harbor with her car behind her. Frisk text her that she was coming soon, so Marisol was waiting by herself. A car pulled up behind her own, although she wasn't so attentive towards it, until the person in the car came out and called,

"Hey Marisol! What's up, Flower Bud?"

Marisol instantly recognized the voice and turned to see Caroline.

"C-Caroline! You came back! Earlier than expected," Marisol said, as she greeted her coach and friend with a hug.

"Yeah, I'm back, little bud. I wanted to have time to rest and then go to the Blue-Harbor festival," Caroline said, as she petted Marisol's head.

"So, what are you doing here? Does anyone else know?" Marisol asked, as she released Caroline.

"Nope. Not yet. I want to surprise everyone so don't say anything. I was going to head home since the trip back was pretty exhausting," Caroline said, with her hands on her hips in fists.

Caroline was a foot taller than Marisol, and she had blonde hair that curled on the ends and reached her shoulders. She had an athlete's built, and she wore a green long-sleeved shirt with a yellow square on the center. She wore brown, heeled boots that reached her knees, with blue jeans.

"So, what'cha doing here?" Caroline asked.

"Uhhh. I'm waiting for Curtain and her friend to get back from the cruise," Marisol replied.

"Her friend? Oh! Is it that Sans guy that the others were texting me about? Corvin told me he's Curtain's boyfriend, Karol said she ships them, Joseph thinks they're a good pair, Hare doesn't care but is protective, Rini thinks they should have more time to go on dates, Joe doesn't mind, and Kelvin was writing me poetry of heartbreak but Jonathan said he was being over-dramatic. Well, that's what they told me. My gosh I had so many messages... of course, I'd like to meet this guy," Caroline said, as she stood besides Marisol to look out towards the pier.

"Yeah... everyone seems to like him since he's actually a cool guy..." Marisol said, and looked downward.

"I know that tone, Marisol. You know something else. I suspected that since you didn't text me even to complain. What do you know?" Caroline asked, casually.

"Well, I wouldn't want to say anything, cause I think Curtain can tell you better, but I think she's a bit... compromised..." Marisol said.

"Tell me your side, since you seem better informed than the others, and then I'll talk to Curtain another day. I'm pretty tired from the trip coming back, so I'm resting tonight and unpacking tomorrow," Caroline said.

Marisol decided to tell Caroline about what was going on, since Caroline was very trustworthy and just. She told Caroline that Sans was the Embodiment of Death and that he was in love with Curtain and trying to make her fall in love with him within a month to take her soul. Curtain was being quite resistant for the most part so that she could take a part of his soul to be immune to death, but then Marisol noticed Curtain being a little flirty with him, and it bothered her because she didn't want her friend to start liking him and be taken away. Even though he was actually nice to her although they kind of fought before, Marisol felt conflicted about him at this point.

"My goodness Marisol. That's a lot to take in, and a lot for you to go through too. Are you okay?" Caroline asked.

"I just... I want Curtain to be happy, but... I don't want to lose her. She's my best friend," Marisol said, holding back tears.

Caroline placed her hand on her shoulder and said, "I can understand that. I feel the same way for all of you kids. All of you are like little kids and I'm the crazy but awesome aunt who loves all of you. When y'all were younger I hoped that y'all would grow up and find someone special in your lives that you would love and who loves you. Seeing all of you grown up, traveling, working, dating like Joseph and Karol, and living well is all wonderful and good to me. Of course, we are all protective of each other, and that's why I'm proud of you, Marisol. You still wish for Curtain's best interest, and you were open to her about it. You're even here to help her, even with your confliction. I'm sure Curtain appreciates that, no matter what decision she makes, cause in the end... it is her choice."

Marisol took her words to heart, as she looked downward with a sad smile. Caroline looked ahead and saw Curtain exiting the cruise boat with a skeleton who she assumed to be Sans. Her eyes widened as she saw them together talking and laughing, occasionally seeing Curtain leaning her arm on him, as Sans kept his hand on her back to prevent them from accidentally separating. Her silence made Marisol look up at her and ask,

"What's the matter, Coach Caroline?"

She noticed that Caroline quickly wiped her eyes as she replied with a smile, "It's just that... I was only gone for a few weeks and I can see that Curtain looks much happier than when I left. It was like I was looking at Verdana and Seff again..."

Marisol's eyes widened to that response, since those were the names of Curtain's parents. Caroline turned and started heading to her car.

"I'll see ya later Marisol. I have sleeping and unpacking to do. Make sure not to tell anyone I'm back yet, especially Curtain, okay?" Caroline asked as she opened her car door and looked towards Marisol.

"I will CC. I'll see you later," Marisol replied, and then Caroline went in her car and left.

Frisk appeared soon after Caroline left and stood with Marisol. Curtain and Sans arrived and soon all of them were in Marisol's car. Sans and Curtain spoke about the cruise, briefly since they didn't want to spoil anything for when Frisk and Marisol go. In front of Curtain's house, Sans and Frisk exited the vehicle. Marisol turned to see that Curtain was still there.

"Are you okay, Mari? You seem... sad," Curtain asked in concern.

"Oh, no, I'm okay. I'm glad you're still here ya'know? Means you still have your soul," Marisol said, a little sadness present in her voice.

"Aw Marisol. You see, this is why I didn't want to tell you at first about the deal. I didn't want you to feel all worried and sad... but I knew I had to, just in case," Curtain said, as she side-hugged her friend since they were sitting side-by-side.

"I'm glad you told me though. It would be better to know than to think you just disappeared or were kidnapped," Marisol said, returning the side hug.

"I'm sorry, Marisol," Curtain said.

"Don't be. You did what you had to do. Just... just be safe okay?" Marisol asked, and Curtain agreed.

After Marisol left, Curtain went into her house as Sans had to leave. Frisk stood for a while, and Curtain decided to let her sleep over since she was going on the cruise with Marisol tomorrow. Frisk made her bed on the sofa, and Curtain went to sleep in her room when it was pretty late.

Chapter Text

Day 26

While working at the cash register, Curtain was dealing with customers, as some of them complimented on how friendly and happy she was that day. Curtain continued to cheerily work, as Ciara and Joseph noticed and were surprised. The last person on line stood waiting, as Curtain was putting something under the register. When she stood up, she was shocked to see Caroline standing there smiling at her.

"Hey Curtain, what's up?" Caroline said, with a wave of her hand.

"Oh my gosh, Caroline! When did you get back?" Curtain asked, as she jumped over the counter and slapped hands with Caroline.

"Last night. I was too tired to see a lot of ya, so I went home and went to sleep," Caroline replied.

"Wow, it's great to have you back. We missed you, all of us," Curtain said, as Caroline noticed that her eyes seemed brighter.

"Hmm, I don't know, Curtain. You seem much happier than before I left. Did something happen while I was gone?" Caroline asked, as Curtain held a half-smile while her cheeks tinted pink.

"Umm... yeah... Alright, yes. This Skele-reaper came into my house the night you left and he wanted to take my soul because he's in love with me, but to save my life I made a deal with him that in thirty days he'll have to make me fall in love with him and then he could have my soul. But if he can't, then I take a part of his soul so that he won't be able to take mine again. I also think it would be cool to be immune to Death, but never mind that. The thing is... he's actually really cool, and I like him, as a friend! So-" Curtain was kindly cut off by Caroline, who said,

"Bring him over to my apartment tomorrow. I want to meet him."

"Uhh! Are you sure?" Curtain asked.

"Yes. I'd like to meet your lovely Skele-reaper... what is his name?" -Caroline

"Sans," -Curtain

"Yes, your lovely Skele-reaper Sans," Caroline said, and then she left the game store.

"Okay. Hey wait! He's not... mine... right...?" Curtain said, not sure why she was unsure.

Upon hearing Curtain say that, Ciara was placing a box near the cash register as she said,

"Hmm, your friends are at peace with Sans now, but I wonder how they'll feel if he takes your Soul."

Curtain bit her lip without a reply, as Ciara left to continue her work.

After work, Curtain returned home to pick up Frisk since she stayed overnight at her house. As they went in Curtain's car, Sans suddenly appeared in the backseat of the car, startling Curtain and Frisk.

After scolding Sans about popping out of nowhere again, Curtain drove to Marisol's house to pick her up. Marisol just walked outside when she saw them and entered the backseat since Frisk was sitting in the front.

Curtain and Sans waved off Marisol and Frisk as they walked up the stairway onto the cruise ship. When on the ship, Marisol and Frisk became a bit feverish since they were excited.

Sans and Curtain decided to hang out with the others since they had to wait a few hours for the cruise ship to come back to port. They stood with Karol and Joseph for awhile, and Joe joined them as well.

Afterward, Sans and Curtain went to hang out with Rini and Hare, and Jonathan joined them as well. Later, Kelvin and Corvin jumped in to hang out, although Kelvin and Sans were struggling to smile when greeting each other, but then they started laughing from the goofy expressions they were making at each other.

The cruise ship was returning to port, as Sans and Curtain were waiting for it to return in the same spot where Marisol and Frisk had waited for them before. When the two arrived, Curtain and Sans were surprised to see that the two looked so relaxed and almost glowing. They suspected that they went to the spa that Curtain went to.

During the car ride, Marisol and Frisk were talking about everything they did, and how Frisk was able to get Marisol and herself to the front of the line of the spa by secreting walking through a portal when no one was looking. They all continued to talk and laugh, not realizing that Curtain drove right by Marisol's house.

When Marisol was finally brought home, Curtain drove to her house, and the three entered her home. After awhile, Frisk fell asleep on the couch, and Curtain decided to let her sleep over another night. Sans left Frisk to stay at Curtain's house, but before he left, Curtain told him that they were going to meet Caroline tomorrow since she came back, and Sans agreed to meet her. Then Sans returned home to Cosmos.

Day 27

Caroline called Curtain to tell her to be at her apartment with Sans at noon. Curtain also asked her if Frisk could come, and Caroline agreed. The three headed to Caroline's apartment complex in the city, which was more of a condo on the top floor. Caroline greeted them at the door while wearing a yellow apron with pink lace on the sides. She was just finishing up making lunch for all of them, and they settled on the long red couch. As they were eating, Caroline took the apron off, and she sat down to eat with them.

"So dears, how's the food so far?" Caroline asked.

"It's great!" Frisk said, almost tearing up from chewing the best sandwich of all time.

"You never cease to amaze me, Coach," Curtain said, eating a salad wrap.

"How did you make this food so good?" Sans asked, eating a different sandwich.

"Aww, thank you. But it's nothing special I did to make it good. I just... made it," Caroline said, taking a single bite of her wrap.

Caroline began to ask some questions, like how Curtain met Sans and Frisk, where they are from, and what have they all been doing. Curtain replied that she met them unexpectedly when Sans decided to invade her room one night to take her soul, which surprised Sans and Frisk how coolly she said that. Caroline nodded her head and told Curtain to continue, which was extraordinary to Sans and Frisk how calm she was too.

Curtain continued to explain that the Life Embodiment Toriel saved her life, and she sent Frisk to watch over Sans and herself for the duration of the month. Also, Curtain mentioned that they've all been hanging out and having good times, but she's still there so Sans isn't doing so well. Sans retaliated by mentioning that Curtain was flirting with him at the restaurant, of which Curtain said that she was playing, but Sans said that she stood with him to eat the "Meal of Lovers." Curtain said that she was hungry and that he had been flirting with her since day one, and Sans said that he was trying to be charming, more so considering the deal, and what was her excuse to flirt back.

Caroline and Frisk were actually enjoying themselves, until Caroline saw that Sans and Curtain stood a few inches from the others' face when they stood up to retaliate one another. She stood up and told Sans and Curtain to calm down. They did, but then Caroline asked to talk to Sans alone on her balcony, and Sans agreed with some reluctance since he was unsure why she wanted to talk to him. Curtain was concerned about him too, but Frisk stood with her to keep her company.

On the balcony, Caroline was leaning her forearms on the gate, as Sans laid one of his forearms on the gate.

"... so, what do you want to talk about," Sans asked, a bit nervous.

"Just wanted to talk to ya," Caroline said, as she looked out at the view of the city and the ocean.

"… about what?" Sans asked, relaxing a little bit since the view was so serene.

"Well... I've been hearing things. A lot of things from the others. Besides Marisol and Curtain, the others have sent me messages of a 'mystery guy that Curtain knows,' and that he's a 'cool guy,' and 'who is this guy,' and 'I ship it,' and all that. They were curious and cautious at first, but then they started to really like you. I didn't get word from Curtain directly of course, but the others have been talking a LOT. So, I wanted to meet you to get to know you myself. Some of them say they're not totally sure with you and Curtain, and some of them say yes. I have no opinion because I haven't met you and I don't take sides," Caroline said, as she looked towards him.

Sans looked down at his other hand, and then he made a decision.

"We don't really have a lot of time, but that could be fixed. Instead of telling you everything, I can show you. I'll send my memories into your mind to make it easier. Don't worry, it won't be personal memories. I'm sure there won't be side effects, but just don't touch any living thing for twenty-four hours, like plants and delicate life," Sans said, as his hand started glowing light blue.

Caroline thought about it for a moment, and then she agreed with a nod as she took her arms off the gate. She bend her head down, since she was taller than Sans, and he placed his hand on her head. A cool sensation encompassed her head, as Caroline shook a bit from the coldness, and then it stopped when Sans removed his hand from her head. Although she didn't feel very cold, there was still a coolness on her head, but it didn't bother her much.

Then Caroline began to see in her mind memories of Sans first seeing Curtain at the graveyard, when he decided he wanted her soul, when Curtain rejected him with a head-shove, the deal, seeing Toriel, the times he and Curtain spent together this whole month up until this moment. It all surged in her mind at a rapid pace, but it didn't overwhelm her, as if it was already a part of her memories.

When it stopped, Caroline looked at Sans and she saw him rub the back of his head with a half-smile.

"That was freaking cool," Caroline said, making a pun since she now knew that was something Sans liked to do, and he laughed.

"Yeah. It's a Sans-sational ability," Sans said, and Caroline laughed with him.

"Alright. Now let's get a little serious..." Caroline said, and that grabbed Sans' attention.

"I can see that you've taken care of Curtain, and I'm glad for that because you better take care of her if you want her to be with you. I'm also glad that you regard her in high-esteem, and that you're willing to do anything to make her happy and protect her. I can say that I trust you, if she chooses you of course," Caroline said, and Sans nodded, almost jumping for joy since he wanted her to approve of him most of all.

"Alrighty then. Let's get inside so that the girls don't worry too much," Caroline said, and Sans nodded.

Unbeknownst to Sans, Caroline was able to sense his feelings in all the memories she showed him. She concluded that it was a side effect, but she was glad for it because she knows that Sans' feelings for Curtain was genuine. His feelings evolved from the beginning of the month into true love, and not just admiration. It warmed her heart to know that he cares for Curtain like that, and that they could be happy together…

When it was time for them to go, after convincing Curtain and Frisk that everything was fine, they were heading towards the front door to leave. Caroline opened the door and let them pass: Frisk first, Sans second, and Curtain last. Before walking out Curtain gave Caroline a hug, as Caroline wrapped one arm over her shoulders since the other was holding the door. When Caroline's hand made contact with Curtain's arm, she was able to sense Curtain's feelings, as she held back a surprised gasp.

Curtain released Caroline and smiled at her, as Caroline smiled back, and then Curtain left. Caroline closed the door and locked it, and then she slowly headed towards the balcony, looking at her hand. When out on the balcony, she leaned one arm on the gate and thought,

'It's the same... what he feels for her, and what she feels for him... heh… She's all grown up... it's her decision now, but I hope she makes the best one... for both of them... hm..'

Caroline took her cell phone out of her pocket, as she made a few calls. Although something bothered her, like a presence was nearby for a moment. A darkness of some sort. But she figured it was a side effect and continued to make her phone calls.

Day 28

The next day, Frisk was sleeping on the couch like a bum, and she woke up to the sound of low volume music. She stretched and sat up from the couch as her hair was in a puffy mess. Although Embodiments didn't need to sleep unless they wanted to, Elements needed rest, and sleeping was the best way to do so. Frisk followed the music on her tiptoes, as she peeked into the kitchen. She saw that Curtain was cooking breakfast for both of them, but she was also spinning around and moving her feet to the beat of the song.

Entering the kitchen while hiding a big smile, Frisk stood in the doorway. Curtain did another spin, and when she saw Frisk in the doorway, she froze. During their momentary stare down, Curtain paused the music on her phone, and then she sheepishly smiled.

"M-Morning Frisk," Curtain said, with a little wave of her spatula.

Frisk couldn't help but smile and ask, "You've been practicing to dance with Sans, haven't you Curtain?"

Curtain blushed as she rubbed the back of her head, which made Frisk giggle because that was her way of answering yes.

Frisk and Curtain hanged out at the house for a while until noon, and then Sans came over. He stood with them until it was time to go to Outer-view restaurant for his date with Curtain.

At Outer-view restaurant, Curtain and Sans began dancing as Frisk watched from her seat, which was at their same table this time. They were both in such light-hearted moods, that Frisk was flummoxed at first, but she couldn't help but smile at them.

The first few songs were slow-dancing songs, but they gradually became faster. Sans and Curtain had their hands interlocked by their fingers, while Sans kept his other hand above her waist as Curtain kept her other hand on his shoulder. They started as the songs did, from slow to faster steps, and they kept their eyes mostly on each other, not having to look down at their feet this time.

As they danced, they talked:

"Well, now there's only three days left. Time flies when you're having fun I suppose," Sans said.

"Yeah, it does. It was really fun, and informative too. I wish it could have lasted longer," Curtain said with a half-smile, as the music became slower.

"If only you would have said a few months," Sans said with a small smile, as he dipped Curtain near the end of the song.

'...or forever,' the two thought simultaneously, as they slowly stood up straight while the gap between their faces was shortening.

Frisk's eyes and mouth widened in shock as her voice was locked in her throat seeing Sans and Curtain about to close their eyes and make contact, teeth to lips.

However, they realized what was happening, as their eyes widened and they pulled back and looked away from one another. Frisk shook her head to relieve herself from her torpor, but she held an incredulous expression as to why would Curtain almost kiss Sans, and why would Sans pull away too. It was a lot for her to take in, but Frisk snapped back to a calmer state of mind when she noticed that Sans and Curtain were heading towards the table with nervous expressions and occasionally rubbing the back of their head or neck.

"Come on kid. We're going," Sans said to Frisk, although he wasn't looking at her.

Frisk stood up, and she noticed that Curtain wasn't exactly looking at her or Sans either, but she noticed that Sans' face was all blue, while Curtain's face almost looked purple. Sans grabbed both of their hands and teleported straight to the front of Curtain's house. Frisk followed Curtain to the front of her house, and then Curtain ushered her into the house. Curtain turned back towards Sans and said,

"I'm sorry. I just... I do care about you, Sans, but..."

Sans walked over to Curtain and gently placed his hand on her cheek and said,

"Curtain, it's alright... Tomorrow I'm going to do extra work so that we could spend the day after together at the festival. I'll let you know if I'll be gone all day tomorrow... just... let's have fun when we go, okay?"

Curtain slowly nodded, as he moved his hand from her cheek and turned around. As he was walking away, Curtain placed her hand on her cheek. Sans opened a portal, and he looked at her one more time with a smile, as she smiled back. After Sans went through the portal, Curtain entered her home as Frisk ran from the doorway so that she didn't know that she was listening-in from sheer nosy-ness.

That night, Curtain had a hard time sleeping as she thought about Sans, and Sans stood at the balcony of his home as he thought about Curtain.

Day 29

The next day, Curtain and Frisk ate breakfast, and they played a video game while waiting for Marisol, since she called earlier to see if she could come over.

Marisol arrived and hung out with Frisk and Curtain for a while as they finished up their game. Then Marisol and Curtain headed for the kitchen as they were preparing lunch, while Frisk waited in the living room. It was a little after twelve when they started making lunch as the bell rang. Curtain answered the door to see Sans standing there. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Sans asked,

"Um, Curtain. I uh... came over to tell you that I'm working pretty late today, so I'll pick you up tomorrow to go to the festival. When should I come over?"

"Oh! Um... come at ten thirty in the morning. The festival starts at twelve noon, but by the time we gather everyone together to go, that may take a while. Thank you," Curtain said, and Sans nodded and started walking away.

"Bye," Sans said, and Curtain replied, "Bye," as Sans teleported away.

Curtain closed her door and sighed almost sadly, as she turned to see Marisol standing not too far from the door.

"Wh- Marisol, were you just eavesdropping?" Curtain asked.

Marisol didn't say anything at first as she looked at Curtain with a sadness in her eyes that Curtain immediately noticed. She gestured towards the kitchen, and Curtain followed her, as she looked at Frisk, who didn't really know what was going on but was going to find out. Marisol and Curtain entered the kitchen as Marisol sat down and Curtain stood up leaning on the counter, with Frisk staying outside of the kitchen doorway to listen in while taking out her cellphone.

"What's going on, Marisol?" Curtain asked, becoming a little more worried.

"... Curtain. The day before yesterday, Caroline called and said that she wanted to meet with me and everyone yesterday. We went out to lunch at some garden restaurant on the top floor. Caroline was saying hello to everyone at first and everything was fine. Then they started wondering why you weren't there, and she told us that she saw you the day before with Sans and Frisk. She also asked us what were our opinions if you and Sans became a couple," Marisol replied, as she looked at Curtain briefly to see that she was utterly surprised.

Marisol continued, "So... Hare said that he approved so long as Sans always treats you very well. Rini said that she feels that you two should take extra time to get to know each other and continue to go on dates just to be sure. Joseph that he approved as long as you and Sans behaved until the wedding, and always respect each other. Karol agreed with Joseph and said that as long as you two are happy together she's for it. Joe said that he would happy for you two, and that you should always talk to each other about everything and keep your promises. Jonathan doesn't mind. Kelvin said that as long as Sans loves, cherishes, and adores you as you would for him, then he approves with happy tears in his eyes, and Corvin agreed with him. Of course, everyone agreed to leave it up to you two to be together or not. Oh, and Caroline said that she believes in you to make your own decision..."

Curtain placed her hand over her mouth, thinking about her friends who were basically like family, and felt tears ready to fall from her eyes. She looked at Marisol and asked,

"What do you think?"

Marisol looked down for a moment, and then she stood up from her seat and looked at Curtain. She could no longer contain herself, as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Curtain's eyes widened when she saw that, as she reached out to Marisol and asked,

"What? Marisol! Why are you-"

"I just want you to be happy! I don't care if you want to be with him! He's not a jerk, mooching, rip-off of a man! Even Caroline knows that and she just got here! She said she got some powers from Sans to see his memories and all to know what’s been going on and that she knows he isn’t lying…"

Marisol began to cry more, as Curtain hugged her and she hugged back.

"Don't let us be the reason you won't let yourself be happy, Curtain. We support you, so don’t let us be a factor. If you love him, then tell him. Be with him. He loves you. He'll take care of you, or I'll kick his metaphorical you-know-what," Marisol said, with a smile as her tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Curtain laughed, as her tears also poured from her eyes, “Oh Mari…”

“I… I know I’ll miss you always when you do go with him, but… just visit always. Whatever you decide, okay?”

“Okay…okay.”

Frisk was holding her phone near her ear, as Toriel was on the other end.

"Frisk? Frisk! What is going on? Are you okay, dear? Is Curtain okay?" Toriel asked, in concern.

Frisk wasn't able to answer her because she too started crying when she heard and peeked to see Marisol and Curtain crying.

"-Sniffle- T-Toriel. Curtain, she... I think she... for Sans... I think she really..." Frisk said, as Toriel could hear Frisk sniffling.

"Calm yourself, my child. Breathe, and then speak," Toriel said, patiently.

"It's just... Marisol said that Curtain shouldn't factor herself and their friends as a reason to not be with Sans because as long as they love each other they don't mind. I know Sans loves Curtain, and I think the feeling is possibly... mutual. If that is the word for being alike," Frisk said, sniffling a few times.

"... I understand, and you are correct, my child," Toriel said, placing her hand over her chest with a small smile.

After settling down, Curtain and Marisol were finally able to finish lunch, and they went to the living room to eat with Frisk. She was able to settle down too after her phone call with Toriel, and they hung out until Marisol headed home after dinner.

Afternoon/Cosmos:

Sans went to Grillby's after working with Papyrus, and he stood there for a couple of hours. He was sitting by the bar, ordering ketchup bottles and drinking them while gradually laying his head on the table and staring at the bottle in deep thought. He looked happy some of the time, and then he looked sad some of the time. Grillby recognized that something was definitely bothering Sans to his core, but he waited a while before asking to see if Sans would say anything.

After drinking another ketchup bottle, Sans asked Grillby for another, but this time Grillby placed his hand on his shoulder and asked,

"...what's wrong?"

Sans looked up at him, and he smiled, but it was clear that it was filled with sadness. Grillby removed his hand from his shoulder, as Sans held the almost empty ketchup bottle he had and replied,

"Grillby, do you know what it feels like? Longing to see someone? To hear their voice, to see their hair flowing in the wind? To look at her and feel like time will never end? Like, if your heart suddenly felt lighter, and you sigh because of that wonderful and fluffy sensation in your chest when you say her name? Heh. It's funny how that works... heh heh... and then, you have the choice to keep that beautiful creature caged or not and you just… just... want what's best for her..."

"...I couldn't say I completely understand, for I have no one to compare this to... but can you clarify this a little clearer to me?" Grillby asked.

"I'm in love, Grillby. I feel like my soul can't go on without her. I thought I loved her before, but now I know for sure that I do. It's wonderful, even though it hurts, it's beautiful… heh. Who would've thought that I would have fallen in love, right? I was skeptical in almost everything, love included. But now... I'm at it's mercy," Sans said, as he laid his hand over his forehead.

"... What are you going to do?" Grillby asked.

"I... I want her to be happy. I want her to live her life. I want her to be all that she wants and can be... And I hope that, after all of this, that she'll still see me as someone she can rely on if she needs anything... or if not... if she wants me to go, then I'll go..." Sans said, lowering his hand but still looking down.

"...Sans, do you mean..." Grillby trailed off.

"I love her Grillby. Even if I have to let her go. As much as it hurts... I love her more," Sans said, as he placed the ketchup bottle away from himself and hung his head low.

Grillby left Sans alone for awhile, and after a while, Sans fell asleep at his seat with dried marks under his eyes. He figured that Sans was tired out from all the melancholy weighing in on his soul. Grillby signed as he looked down, but when he lifted his head back up, he saw Papyrus standing near Sans.

"... Papyrus. He-" Grillby was cut off by Papyrus, who said,

"It's alright, Grillby. I heard everything. I just waited for him to fall asleep. It'll be easier to take him home now at least."

Although Papyrus kept a smile on his face, he felt sorry for his brother, especially since he could sense his feelings. He gently flopped Sans over his shoulder and carried him out of Grillby's, back to their home.

Chapter Text

Day 30

The next day, Sans arrived at Curtain's house ten minutes early, but Curtain and Frisk didn't mind since they were dressed and ready to go. They left to pick up the others, although the car was getting full, so Joe got his car to pick up everyone else. They eventually found parking, and they all set off on foot to the festival as it just started.

The Blue-Harbor festival took over the whole harbor. There were rides, various game booths, food stands, seafood stands, decorations based on the color blue all around, and water games like racing with motor skies. Many humans and monsters gathered to join in the festivities, even from other cities.

The group was wondering around, taking on the rides, trying all the different foods, and even playing the partially ripped-off game booths and the rigged claw game, which Sans won with a little input of his powers.

As the day formed to night, the group slowly headed towards an upper area from the harbor to see the ocean view and sit at tables that were left for anyone to eat and rest. Curtain and Sans were unaware of their friends attempts of getting them to sit at a table alone, but it was mostly since their minds were focused on the nearing end of the day.

Finally, Sans and Curtain were sitting alone at a table, while people at other tables were slowly heading towards the harbor where the firework show was going to take place. They only spoke a few words, as Sans twirled the straw in his drink, and Curtain twirled her thumbs as her hands rested on her lap.

The others were hidden behind a tree and a few bushes that were not too far from the table, which were there for aesthetic purposes. They couldn't hear very well from there, but they were waiting to see what they would do. The others started playing cards on the ground, as Frisk, Marisol, and Caroline were watching Curtain and Sans, with Frisk and Marisol near the bushes and Caroline leaning on the tree. On a roof not too far from the area, Toriel had arrived to see what was going to happen, while calling Frisk to let her know that she was there.

Curtain looked towards the harbor, and then she turned to Sans and asked,

"So... how did you like the festival? It's nice, isn't it?"

Sans replied, "Yeah. It was great. All the hustle and bustle and excitement... it was fun."

Sans looked up at Curtain with a smile and added, "Especially with you, and our friends. All of us together. It was the best time I had... besides being with my bro of course."

Curtain smiled and nodded. Then Sans said,

"I'm glad I was able to spend this time with all of you... and I'm really happy that I was able to be with you, Curtain. Even after what I tried to do, thank you for spending this time with me..."

Sans stopped stirring his drink as he looked downward with a sad expression.

"You... sound as if you’re saying... goodbye," Curtain said, as she placed her hand on his, with a concerned expression.

Sans looked up at her, and said, "Curtain, every moment I spent with you made me realize how wonderful and how loved you really are. You're a gem, Curtain. A gem unlike any other..."

Sans held Curtain's hand, as he notice that the watch on her wrist was fifteen minutes before twelve o'clock. He looked into her eyes and brushed his other hand gently on her cheek and said,

"I love you, Curtain. I will love you forever. Whatever you do, where ever you go... whom ever you love... I will always be there for you. You can always call on me if you need anything, and I'll be there. For as long as you want me... or if you don't, just say the word."

Curtain couldn't speak, her voice was silenced by every word he spoke that was full of love and sadness. Her heart overflowed with compassion for him, and she could feel and see the sorrow that he held inside his eyes.

Sans moved his hands away from Curtain, and he took off the heart locket that he wore around his neck and under his shirt. He looked at the locket, and then he looked up at Curtain, as she also looked at the locket and then up at him.

"Curtain, I don't want to keep you if you won't be happy. I don't want you to be my prisoner. You deserve to be free... and that's what I'll ensure!" Sans said, and he raised his hand with the locket and slammed it on the table.

The glass crushed inward and the gold frame also shattered. Sans removed his hand from the crushed remains, as the shattered glass heart disintegrated by a dark shadow that he left on it. He stood up after the shattered glass was gone, and he placed his hand on Curtain's shoulder and said,

"Cherish your life, Curtain, because someone really cares about you."

He smiled, turned, and started walking away. The others that were hiding were astonished by this, and Frisk was holding her cell phone a foot away from the group as she was telling Toriel what was happening.

Seeing how Sans portrayed his immense love by letting her go and breaking the locket, Curtain could no longer contain the feelings she had locked in her heart for him. With ten minutes until twelve displayed on her watch, Curtain sprang up from her seat and said,

"Sans! You wonderful jerk! How could my life be complete if you captured my heart?!"

Frozen in his steps upon hearing her words, Sans turned around as he looked at Curtain in shock. The others went quiet. As Curtain slowly approached him, she said,

"Every moment I spent with you felt different every time. I suddenly couldn't think of you without wanting to smile, I worried about you, I get flustered when I'm around you, I can't think of you without feeling a wonderful warmness in my heart! Even when I see you, and hold your hand... I can't help but feel more secure, and feel more alive when I'm with you, and that's saying something because you're the Embodiment of Death! I don't want to be separated from you Sans! I want to be with you forever! I LOVE YOU!"

Curtain tackled Sans as they fell on the ground.

The others were shocked, although Karol horrayed that her ship set sail, and then everyone came back to reality. Kelvin cried sort’of happy tears, Corvin was patting his brother on the shoulder, Jonathan was secretly happy since he started shipping them too, Joseph was even more happy to see that Karol was happy, Hare and Rini just smiled, and Caroline closed her eyes and smirked. Marisol looked at them a while longer in surprise, but then she smiled and wiped a lone tear from her eye. Frisk also wiped a tear from her own eyes, glad to see that the others weren't taking it so hard and that she would be able to see Curtain again. Toriel smiled warmly, and she decided that she was going to leave and return in a little bit as she turned to walk away, since she was actually watching from a distance.

Curtain sat up as she helped Sans sit up as well. She rested her hand on his cheekbone with the other on his shoulder, as he placed his hand on her own that stood on his cheek while the his other hand stood on her shoulder.

"Y-You really want to be with me, Curtain?" Sans asked, a smile forming on his face.

"Yes, Sans. I really do. I want to be with you," Curtain replied, with a loving smile.

They looked deep into each others' eyes for a little longer, and Curtain kissed him on his teeth, as Sans smiled into her kiss. Their affection radiated to each other through the kiss, and they felt relieved that the truth was out. They slowly pulled away from the kiss, and they both stood up while holding hands. Curtain looked at her watch, and it was five minutes until twelve o'clock.

"I guess I didn't make it in time, but I'm glad I didn't," Curtain said.

"Yeah, me too," Sans said.

Then, a sudden pain hit within Sans and Curtain as they felt weakened by it and fell on their knees. Their hands separated as they grabbed at their chest and were shaking, although Curtain shook more than Sans.

"Wh-What is happening?" Curtain asked, the pain worsening.

"Wh-Why... this can't..." Sans said, as he looked at his arm and saw the glowing eye from the String of Completion.

Then two heart-shaped souls sprung forth from Sans and Curtain, as they stood just before them. Sans' soul was a bluish black with blue radiating from the bottom like ice, and Curtain's soul was purple all around the edges towards a pure white center. A quick cut passed each soul, as the bottom portion in the shape of a diamond separated from the rest of each of their souls. In a flash, the diamond portions switched places with the other, and then locked in it's new place. Now Sans had a diamond of white and purple as a part of his soul, and Curtain had a diamond of bluish black with radiating ice as part of her soul. The two souls rushed into their owners, as Sans and Curtain felt gravely weak from the Deathly Exchange.

Curtain looked at her watch and saw that it was still a few minutes before twelve.

"Th-This doesn't make sense... it's not twelve!" Curtain said, as Sans looked at her watch too.

"Hee hee hee hee hee~" a sudden voice was heard, as Sans and Curtain turned to see someone approaching them with an odd mechanism in their hand.

The mechanism was a large gun-like thing that would take two hands to use. There was a black handle on the bottom that connected to a red back-section of the gun, and a trigger part that connected to a familiar glass-section attached in front of the back-section. The glass was in the shape of a rectangular box with gold straps on the ends of it. Connected to the front of the glass box was a barrel of red and black stripes, and there was a smaller silver barrel connected to the front of that one.

"Well Well, look what I found here: an embodiment and a mortal, in love. How sweet! Hee hee hee Ha HA!" She said, as she held the gun mechanism in both hands.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sans asked with a more threatening expression.

"What is going on, Ciara?" Curtain asked, surprised to see the same woman who worked in the game store holding a more sinister glow in her eyes.

"Aww, you’re mad. How adorable! Well, sweetie pies, let me explain: with my extensive knowledge of Embodiments and Elements, I suspected that Sans was the Embodiment of Death when I first saw him! So I relayed some of that information to you, Curtain, so that you would trust me enough to tell me what was going on. Isn't manipulation wonderful? Of course, I have great experience in that field. Haha!" Ciara said, as she laughed and used one hand to partially cover her mouth.

Sans and Curtain looked towards one another, as Curtain looked at him with a sorry expression, which Sans slightly shook his head to say that it wasn't her fault.

Ciara continued, "But when I found out that you two made a deal and that the Strings of Completion were a part of it, that almost ruined everything! The Strings of Completion can override basically anything! I knew I couldn't capture Sans at all when I tried to lure him away! So I had to wait for this deal to end."

Sans and Curtain were alarmed by this, as they realized that the dark presence had to be Ciara's doing.

"So the dark presence... was you trying to get Sans?" Curtain asked, surprising Sans since she asked the same question that he thought to say.

"Why yes, of course! What other reason would he have come if the Embodiment of Life wasn't sooo concerned about mortal safety," Ciara said, as she laid her hand dramatically on her head.

During this time, the others were too shocked by the soul exchange and Ciara coming in to move much. Frisk was frantically telling Toriel about the soul exchange, and that Ciara was after Sans and caused the dark presence but it didn't make sense because she was mortal.

"She couldn't be working alone then... then... GUYS YOU HAVE TO GO!" Frisk said, calling out to the group as they turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Rini asked.

"What's going on Frisk?" Corvin asked.

"That woman, Ciara, I don't think she's working alone! For all of your safeties, you have to leave!" Frisk said.

"But what about Curtain? and Sans?" Karol asked.

"I'll see what I can do. I'm not alone either," Frisk said.

"But you're just a kid," Joseph said, while Frisk moved closer towards Sans and Curtain.

"I'm not just a kid," Frisk said more seriously as she turned towards them, and they could feel how serious she was.

"Now go! Curtain and Sans will be fine. They can't die... at least Curtain can't anymore," Frisk said, and the others wanted to question, but Marisol said,

"Let's go guys. They'll be fine."

"You too, Marisol? What's going on?" Jonathan asked, but she waved it off and said,

"I'm not totally sure what's going on, but I think it's best if we get out of the way for that reason. Let's go while we can!"

"Come on guys! You heard them. We'll get a better explanation later. Let's go go go!" Caroline said as she took charge and started herding the group away.

Frisk looked after them for a while, and then she turned her attention back towards the others. However, she caught a glimpse of something red behind the tree that was not too far from herself. She slowly approached the tree while hanging up her phone, and looked behind it to see nothing. As she placed her phone in her pocket, she heard a small giggle and noticed someone in a black cloak spring out of the tree branches and towards the harbor. Frisk sensed that this person had a dark, yet familiar aura around them, and she pursued them to find out more.

"Any hoo, considering how powerful you are Sans, I really preferred that you and Curtain traded parts of your souls, but I considered that Curtain may break down too soon. What a weird casanova you became from having no emotions, huh? That's when I decided to flip everyone's watches and phones back ten minutes. Of course I couldn't reach your phone, Sans, but as I've observed, you don't look at it much," Ciara said, with a widened grin.

Curtain looked at her watch as Sans brought out his phone. The time on Curtain's watch actually was backed up by ten minutes. Even when she brought out her phone, it was still ten minutes behind.

"How? How did you... do that? You were really watching us the whole time?" Curtain asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I have all of your phone numbers, besides Sans, so it was EASY to make the connection and hack into theeeem. And why wouldn’t I observe my prey closely? Hm?" Ciara replied, as she held her gun upward with both hands.

"Now. Sans. I figured swapping your soul with Curtain would have made you weak enough so that I could acquire your soul in this gun and use it to enforce your power on others..." Ciara said, pointing the gun towards him.

Sans reverted himself to his reaper form, but he was still weakened from the soul exchange.

"Buuuut, your soul is still frustratingly too strong for this weapon to absorb..." Ciara said, as she turned her narrowed eyes and wicked grin towards Curtain.

"That's why I'm taking HER soul instead!" Ciara yelled as she pressed a button on the bottom of the handle and a net shot forth from the gun on Curtain.

"HEY! What do you mean?! GET THIS OFF! Help!" Curtain yelled out from the net, as it dragged her towards the weapon.

"Curtain!" Sans yelled, as he summoned his scythe and was going to cut the net.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you’re not getting in the way NOW!" Ciara said, as she kicked Sans away from the net before he could cut it.

He fell back, but he quickly stood up, although he sunk to his knees since he was still recovering. His eyes widened as he saw Curtain glowing in various colors and then her body disappeared into light.

"SANS!" Curtain called out, as the net returned into the gun with the light.

"CURTAIN!" Sans shouted again, but he was momentarily blinded by the light and covered his eyes.

The group turned around when they heard shouting, and they too blocked their eyes from the light. When they were able to see again, they were surprised.

Sans removed his arm from his eye-sockets and was shocked to see Curtain's soul, which still had his piece, in the glass chamber of the gun with the light swirling around it.

"You see Sans, she is half monster and half human, so her body and soul are connected in such a way that taking her soul would make her body fade out into a different form until she's in a suitable environment to recover it. To put it simply: she's fine, especially with part of your soul that can't die," Ciara said, as she turned the gun and aimed it randomly at buildings.

"Of course, I still have to test the part of your soul that she has...!" Ciara said, as she aimed towards the harbor and pulled the trigger.

Sans tried to jump at her, but there was a pulse that suddenly came forth after the gun was fired that pushed him back. The glass chamber glowed, which had Curtain's soul momentarily, and from the barrel shot forth a blast of dark purple energy that sparked blue and red. In a fit of maniacal laughter from the power she now wielded, Ciara spun around with the weapon still firing, and when she did a three-sixty she released the trigger to stop the gun fire.

Sans was kneeling still, but he felt like something was hurting him inside, as he heard an outcry a few yards away.

"You hear that Sans…?" Ciara said as she put one hand to her ear with a sickening grin, "That's the cry of mortals in shock and grief to see that their loved ones were killed instantly. Isn't it exhilarating?"

Sans was shocked, not just by the cries and ability of the weapon, but also by the familiar sadistic expression on Ciara's face. He then heard cries not too far away, as he turned and felt like his soul was jabbed at with a knife.

Joseph had tears streaming down his cheeks with his glasses off for the first time, as he held a motionless Karol in his arms. Rini was crying tears like rain from her eyes, as she kept shaking a motionless Hare that lied on the ground. Corvin was trying to wake up a motionless Kelvin, not realizing that his tears were coming down. Caroline looked at all of them with Sans same expression and watery eyes as she held a motionless Jonathan since he was close to her. Marisol was looking between all of them, seeing that half of her friends were gone in an instant. She wasn't sure what to do, as she turned towards Sans. Their eyes locked, as Marisol's tears began to fall, and Sans couldn't help but let his own blue tears fall just as hers did.

"Aww, you feel bad for them. You got close... tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You let your guard down. Now you're in pain. Boo hoo... even though it's your fault," Ciara said, with a calmer but still malicious expression.

"You shouldn't have to go through this pain, Sans. If you wouldn't have meddled with mortals, you would have been fine. Buuut it can't be helped. You still have a heart like your brother. Too kind to realize your potential. The power you have to rule over all, or destroy it. Either or is fine, but you two haven't realized what you can accomplish," Ciara said, with her orange eyes, and yellow lines that reached from above her eyes to her forehead.

"Don't you see Sans? You wouldn't be in pain if you ruled everything. You would be in charge. You can set everyone in their places. They can't fight you. One tap and bam! Dead. Gone. In a way, I did you a favor. I got rid of that boy you were jealous of too. Double wammy! Hee hee hee hee! Isn't it grand? You can take over everything, and no one can stop you! Mortal, Embodiment, Element. NO ONE can stand in your way! Why do you think some of the Embodiments didn't like you or your brother at first, and you still have some problems with them, don't you? Because they FEAR you! You can use that to CONQUER them!" Ciara said, as she held up a clenched fist with a grin.

Sans was still on his knees, looking downward with blank eye-sockets, as Ciara continued,

"Or you can destroy them! Causing disorder, madness, death, destruction... CHAOS! It will be glorious! And I can keep Curtain safe for you, so that she won't get hurt, or get involved so she'll be fine. She's already where you originally wanted to put her. A glass shell to house her lovely soul. How nice for you, isn't it?"

Silence followed for a moment, and then Sans stood up while turning towards her and saying,

"You're really... CRAZY, aren't you? You captured my woman, caged her in a weapon, are using my power through her, especially against her will, and KILLED innocent people... and now you're trying to MANIPULATE me to think that this is FINE? You're a sick, demented, delirious, and obnoxiously, sadistic maniac! I don’t know why you’re doing this or this crazy about it, but I'd rather send ya to the depths and risk shattering my soul X number of times then to EVER follow or consider joining YOU!"

Sans summoned another scythe, as a chain appeared between the bottoms of both scythes in front of him.

"Aww Sans, that's hurtful… Hahahaha!" Ciara said with black drips starting to fall from the edges of her eyes.

Ciara held her gun with both hands, as Sans was ready to attack her, although he still felt weak. Suddenly a large fireball came down, as Ciara jumped back to dodge it. Sans was surprised, but he recognized the fire, as Toriel stood before him with flames on her arms.

"Sans, are you alright? I am sorry I came too late, I was about to return to Cosmos when Frisk alerted me that something was wrong," Toriel said, as she stood protectively before him.

"I've been in better circumstances, but I'm alright," Sans said, and he looked around to see where Frisk was.

He saw that she was chasing someone over the harbor water, but he couldn't help her now since he had to get Curtain back from a weirdo.

"Oh, deary dear. If it isn't the Life Embodiment herself. Come to play? Or get in the way?" Ciara said, with a smug grin after the fire disappeared.

"You. What is your intent? Why steal an innocent soul and kill innocent mortals? Why do you wish for Sans' aid? Who are you?" Toriel insisted, as the fire on her arms blazed.

"Oh hohoho! I thought you were too 'kind' and 'delicate' to be tough, but then again you weren't one to mess with anyway. But my business doesn't concern a queen with no heirs and married to the king of galaxies, who won't exist soon~" Ciara said, in a light tone and a very devious expression.

Toriel gasped in shock and pain upon hearing her words, as Sans was shocked by how well informed Ciara was.

"You... you vile woman! No... who-whatever you may be... Why do you speak as if you know me? How could you know this? A mortal can't know! Only an Element or Embodiment could..." Toriel said as she trailed off.

Ciara looked at her with her eyes widened anxiously when she said the last sentence. Her sick grin revealed fangs, as Toriel recalled someone who showed her that same expression many, many years ago.

"No... You... can't be like her... you can't be like her... or are y-you..." Toriel stuttered out, as her fire quieted down on her arms.

Sans was confused by Toriel's reaction, but seeing how Ciara's face is becoming more sinister, he realized that she wasn't like any mortal, or wasn't mortal at all.

"Come now, Queen Toriel! Hit me with your savage fire that couldn't kill anyone because you’re Life! I mean, I'll get burned, but it wouldn't kill me now would it?" Ciara said, with a taunting smirk.

"I may not be able to kill, but I CAN harm evil creatures that wish harm on other lives!" Toriel said, as the fire on her arms and palms re-ignited.

Toriel shot numerous fire balls at Ciara, as she managed to dodge most of them. The ones that hit did burn, but Ciara didn't really notice the pain. Then Ciara started running towards Toriel, as she threw more fire her way and a wall of flames. Any living thing, like the trees and plants in the area of fire, didn't burn at all.

Ciara dived through the wall of fire with a leap that brought her before Toriel. She kicked the Life Embodiment in a swift movement that Toriel barely had time to block. She was kicked over to her side on the ground.

'How could she have that much power in a kick with a mortal vessel?' Toriel thought, but when she turned over to get up, Ciara's foot planted itself on her stomach to keep her on the ground.

She aimed the gun towards Toriel's face with a lopsided grin.

"Sooo... if I kill Life... does that effect every other life in this world? Would children be unable to be born? Would mortals fail to grow? Could all mortals perish along with you? Hm... LET'S FIND OUT! AH hahahahaHA!" Ciara cackled, as she aimed the gun barrel towards Toriel's chest, where her soul would be.

Toriel struggled to get up as the gun charged, but Ciara's strength seemed to grow as she kept her on the ground. However, in her fit of madness, Ciara forgot about Sans as his scythe flew around her waist and hooked on her. He pulled on his other scythe since it was chained and was able to yank Ciara up in the air and into a streetlight nearby, denting it with her body. Toriel was able to get up on one knee, although her body was shaken from the previous threat. Sans pulled back his scythe, as Ciara flopped on the ground, with the gun sliding a few feet away from her. Sans saw this as an opportunity, as he un-summoned his scythes and flew after the gun.

'He can make it!' Toriel thought, but she gasped when she saw Ciara lift up her head suddenly.

When she saw Sans going for the gun, Ciara sprang up and grabbed for it as well. The two had both hands on the gun: one on the handle, and one on the barrel. They were tugging the guns back and forth, and then Ciara tried to push the gun forward to hit Sans in the face with it, as he tried to do the same. The struggle was real, as Sans couldn't understand why her strength seemed to grow every moment.

Frisk had returned after the mystery cloak-wearer disappeared when Ciara was kicked into the streetlight. There seemed to be concern as they fell into their shadow and were gone, so Frisk quickly ran back to the others. She stood with the group of friends to watch over them, as they began cheering Sans on:

"Take her down Sans," Joseph said through his tears as he still held Karol close to himself, with Joe next to him.

"Come on, Sans. You can do it!" Joe said.

"Please, stop her," Rini also said, as she hugged her brother.

"Don't let that traitor go..." Caroline said, with furrowed brows while still holding Jonathan.

"Come on, man! You can do it!" Corvin said, tears still falling while clinging to his brother.

"Get her back. GET CURTAIN BACK, SANS!" Marisol shouted.

"DON'T GIVE UP, SANS!" Frisk also cheered.

Sans and Ciara heard their cheers, as Ciara looked at them with a scowl and said,

"Naive fools. I'll deal with them after you!"

Hearing their cheers, Sans could feel his soul react, but he realized that it was the new part of his soul that was reacting the most. He looked at the glass cage and saw Curtain's soul moving towards him, as if it was banging the glass.

He heard a voice from his soul say, 'Your scythe... get me out... it's not unbreakable... your strong enough... we are strong enough... your scythe...'

Sans recognized the voice to be Curtain, and he immediately pulled back and let go of the gun, while Ciara stumbled forward but still held the gun. As she got her footing and looked up, Sans quickly summoned one scythe and swung it at the glass box. It stabbed into the glass, as Sans let go of the scythe and stood back. Ciara stumbled back a few steps, and was surprised to see that the scythe pierced the glass.

The gun started to shake as rays of light shined through the cracks, and one light ray hit Ciara on the arm as she screeched and released the gun to hold her damaged arm. The gun spun upward, horizontally, along with the scythe about twenty feet in the air. When it reached its peak, the gun cracked and burst into pieces that fell in various parts on the ground.

As the swirling light and scythe slowly came down, the light began to take shape, with Curtain's soul in the center. Everyone looked on in surprise, as Ciara finally looked up with widened eyes. The light finally reverted back to normal as Curtain appeared, although she was still flipping while holding the scythe.

With one quick slice, Curtain slashed at Ciara with the scythe in fury as she finally landed on her feet. Ciara and Curtain stood frozen in place, with Curtain holding the scythe downward while Ciara's eyes were widened.

A slashing sound was heard, as a glowing blue cut marked from the top of Ciara's head to her chest, symmetrical all the way down. Ciara screamed in a deeper voice that didn't sound completely normal, as a mist of red popped from the cut around the front and the back of her head.

"NOO!" Ciara howled, as she reached a shaken hand towards Curtain.

Curtain straightened her stance as she looked at Ciara with serious disgust.

Suddenly a dark portal opened up behind Ciara, as Sans jump-kicked her inside. She screamed as she fell into the portal, and then it closed up with her inside. After a moment of silence to make sure no other threats were around, Sans and Curtain turned towards one another. Sans noticed that Curtain had a belt made of black fur and feathers that extended out like a cape skirt just above her ankles. Curtain noticed that Sans' pants were blue, as well as the skull on his belt.

However, they would discuss this later because they were so happy to see each other, safe and sound. With watery eyes, Sans and Curtain hugged, never wanting to let go and risk being separated again.

As they did this, Frisk helped Toriel onto her feet.

"Thank you, my child. I am glad they are safe... I have work to do now," Toriel said, looking towards the group of friends who held their lifeless friends.

"What are you going to do, Miss Toriel?" Frisk asked.

"Revive... it is not their times. They can all still return," Toriel said, as her hands glowed white-gold while she lifted them up and they shined brighter.

While doing so, the lifeless humans and monsters began to breathe and move again with life. A cry of happiness filled the air, also coming from the harbor, as all of the lifeless ones were revived.

"Karol! Babe!" Joseph cried out, as he stood up and twirled Karol around in his arms.

"Oh Joey!" Karol also cried out as he stopped twirling her and they hugged.

"Oh thank goodness!" Joe said, tears streaming down his eyes, as he hugged both of them.

Rini was crying in Hare's arms, as he hugged her to comfort her, while a few tears fell from his eyes.

"OhgoshwhathappenedCarolineIthoughtIwasdead! I'msohappytobealive!" Jonathan said, crying, as Caroline was hugging him with a smile while also looking at everyone else.

"Dude, don't ever die like that again!" Corvin said, hugging his bro with a serious expression and tears.

"I will become the greatest dodger of random beams in the world bro. I'm so happy to be back," Kelvin said, also hugging his bro with a serious expression and tears.

Frisk was happy to see everyone alive and well. She saw a movement of red, as she looked to see Marisol running straight towards Sans and Curtain when she was sure that everyone else was alive.

"Curtain!" Marisol called, with happy tears to see that she was alright.

Curtain and Sans pulled away from one another, and when Curtain saw Marisol, she started running towards her friend.

"Marisol!" Curtain called out, and the two were able to hug.

"You're alive! You're okay!" Marisol said.

"Yeah! You guys are too! I'm so happy!" Curtain said.

After a moment, they separated from their hug, as Sans walked over and stood next to Curtain. Marisol looked towards him and hugged him, which surprised Sans.

"Thank you for saving her. You really are a good guy," Marisol said to him, and Sans smiled and patted her back.

"SANS!" A familiar voice called, as Marisol pulled away from Sans.

The three looked around, and then they noticed Papyrus running towards them.

"Papyrus?" Sans said, as Papyrus picked him up and hugged him.

"Oh my gosh, Sans! I was so worried when I felt a shift and I knew you were in trouble so I came straight over! I'm so glad you're okay! And Curtain too! All of you!" Papyrus said, as his eyes watered, and Sans petted his brother's head to calm him down.

"Any lost lives have been restored. I am glad to see that you two are alright," Toriel said, as she approached them with Frisk.

"Lady Toriel! You are here as well!" Papyrus said, as he put Sans down while Toriel nodded.

"How is that?" Curtain asked.

"I revived them. Their lives were not meant to be lost, and it had just occurred, which makes it easier to do so," Toriel said, and Marisol hugged her.

"Thank you," Marisol said, as Toriel hugged her back with a smile.

After Marisol released Toriel, Sans and Curtain stood side by side.

"What shall you two do now?" Toriel asked them.

Sans and Curtain looked at each other and held hands.

"We want to..." Curtain said, as they smiled at each other.

"Be together," Sans said, as they laid their foreheads together.

Toriel smiled and nodded, as Frisk smiled along with Marisol and Papyrus. Then Curtain and Sans kissed, as the four looked away to give them privacy.

Marisol felt that someone was looking at her, as she turned to look at Papyrus. Their eyes locked on one another, as they couldn't tear their gazes away for even a moment.

"H-Hello, Ms..." Papyrus said, with a light orange blush and a nervous smile.

"H-Hello, um Papyrus, right? I'm Marisol," Marisol said, with a light pink blush and a small smile.

"Marisol… that is truly a lovely name," Papyrus said, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Thank you… your name is unique as well," Marisol said, as she softly rubbed her forearm.

"Why thank you. It's very nice to m-meet you," Papyrus said, extending his hand towards her.

"It's very nice to meet you too," Marisol said, shaking his hand.

Although they stopped shaking hands, their hands stood together as their eyes didn't look away from one another.

Sans and Curtain separated from their sweet kiss, and they turned to the others, noticing Papyrus and Marisol holding hands and staring at one another. Sans was surprised at their interaction, as Curtain's mouth was open in surprise.

"Eh hem," Sans said, bringing the two back to reality as they released hands while their blushes darkened.

"Oh, um, hey brother. Heh. I was just greeting Ms. Marisol," Papyrus said, rubbing the back of his neck, while Sans smiled.

"Ohhh, I see how it is, Marisol. If you want to date a Skele-reaper, that's fine. But when I want to date a Skele-reaper, everyone loses their minds!" Curtain said, with her hands raised, although she was smiling from her own joke.

"Your situation wasn't the same! And I never said I wanted to date him! We just met!" Marisol said, with her hands as fists on her hips and a darker blush.

"Y-Yes! I agree. We have just met," Papyrus said, and then he looked at his brother with narrowed eye sockets and added,

"And if we decide to date, I won't make a locket or attempt a kiss-of-death."

Sans rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, as everyone else chuckled.

When everyone was settled, the other friends were finally informed about what was going on. They were all asking questions, although Toriel had to leave because she needed to inform Asgore of what had happened, especially since Ciara was involved. Sans decided that it would be best to tell him, although he was concerned if the other Embodiments found out about Curtain. Toriel reassured him that no one would bother her under her watch, and Sans thanked her for that. After she left, Frisk was answering everyone's questions along with Papyrus, while he and Marisol were standing next to each other without realizing it.

Sans and Curtain looked on at all of them, and they were glad that they were safe. They held hands, as they looked towards one another and smiled. Sans reached with his other hand and placed it on Curtain's cheek as Curtain placed her hand on his cheek bone.

"Thank you for saving me," Curtain said, with a loving gaze.

"Heh. Well, you were the one who told me to use my scythe," Sans said, as he gave her a loving smile.

"You really heard me… Huh, that's interesting," Curtain said.

"Yeah. It looks like there's a lot more to this soul exchange then we thought," Sans said.

"Well, on the bright side, we could figure this out together," Curtain said, as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Heh. That makes this even better," Sans said.

"I love you, Sans."

"I love you too, Curtain."

Chapter Text

She laid on the ground, looking up at the dark blue abyss that ruled the 'sky.' The 'walls' seemed endless, and the dark tint became brighter as it reached the floor. The floor itself was white with gray pieces shattered in it's design.

Ciara continued to lie there, with the slash that went through her head and down to above her chest still present, although it was like a charred scar now. Her eyebrows were furrowed, although the rest of her face was calm. Some of her hair also covered over one of her eyes.

A sound of a portal opening was heard, although she didn't flinch to it, as Sans stepped through with his scythe in hand. The portal closed as he stood about five feet away from her, with a dark but calm expression.

"Just know, Ciara, I didn't come here with second thoughts, so don't get your hopes up. I came to finish the job. Don't take it personal though..." Sans said, as he reflected her face in the blade of the scythe.

"It's just business," Sans said, with a dark smile.

"Hah! Oh sweetie, you are so ignorant, but you can blame the council for that. I'm completely sure now that they didn't tell you anything about me... about MY time on the council," Ciara said with a smile, as she rose straight up from the ground.

Sans' eyes widened in surprise to how she knew about the council of Embodiments, but then he realized what she was really saying.

"You're... you really are an Embodiment? But of what?" Sans asked.

"Well I was around before you and your brother were formed, but the reason for you two being created was my fault… They let you form as a way to protect you two, but those fools didn't seem to realize that I take vengeance quite seriously," Ciara said, as she slowly started walking towards Sans while he instinctively backed up.

Then Ciara seemed to teleport right in front of Sans, as she laid one finger under his chin while grinning with all sharp teeth and said,

"Besides, they did take what was mine. They took the Soul of Death right from me, and attacked until I had no choice but to retreat and act as though I was destroyed... but that didn't stop me from plotting my revenge, and possibly taking you two back... Don't worry, Sans, I'll still keep your answer on hold if you’ll join. After all..."

She moved the hair that covered her eye behind her ear to show that half of her face was burning off like paper, revealing part of her true face. Her skin was dark peach, the white of her eye was like a black pool that was overfilled and spilling over around her eye in dripping mists, and her irises were bright red with the pupil glowing orange. Yellow lines were still present on her head to her eye, but it was lost in the mass of darkness on her eye, as well as red lines that went from her eye down to her chin. The hair she moved began to defy gravity as it seemed longer.

"Death can cause chaos, and being the Embodiment of Chaos... well, I think you get the picture. Heeheehee!" Ciara said, as she floated backwards with a sinister grin that disturbed Sans.

"Bye bye for now, Sans. I'm sure we'll see each other again, when the time is right. So enjoy yourself, live a little. We'll see you later," Ciara said, and a dark portal opened as she flew backwards into it, while the portal closed afterward.

Sans was too stunned to move, although he did notice that a hooded person was on the other side of the portal, and a chill ran through his spine. He quickly opened a portal to Cosmos and left.

'This is more serious than I thought…'