#the first bonus chapter would've been a month later on the surface and they would've soul bonded

[imtrashraccoon]

Been a long time coming but I was too busy with Bad Sansuary to finish this last one up. I had originally planned two more bonus chapters but I think the story ends nicely here. Besides, I'm ready to wrap up this project.

This chapter happens immediately after Chapter 30: Souls btw.

First Day & Previous Day.

Bonus 3: Respite

You let Papyrus go with Sans so they could talk with Gaster on their own. It just seemed fair to you somehow.

Instead, you turned your attention to Frisk who was still standing near the King and Queen. While you were still a bit lightheaded, you were able to stand up and walk so long as you were careful.

Frisk glanced over as soon as you approached and a bright grin immediately broke out over their face. They turned and practically went to tackle you, except you scooped them up into a fierce bear hug and embraced them.

"I'm so glad you're safe..." you whispered. Your voice trembled and you couldn't manage to hold everything together any longer. While you normally hated crying in front of strangers, you no longer cared if anyone thought badly of you.

It was finally over. Against all odds, you'd both survived. Surely, this was the best possible ending... You couldn't imagine how things could be any better at least.

Frisk loosened their hold on you and lightly patted your shoulder to get your attention. When you let go slightly and pulled back, you could see that they had been crying as well from the tear tracks running down their cheeks. They vigorously wiped their face on their sweater sleeves and smiled weakly.

"I tried so hard..." they signed slowly. "This is it now... We can't go back anymore."

Your eyes widened slightly at the realization of what they meant set it. This was permanent and there would be no more resets. Now it was your turn to get them through the days ahead and, while you were a little anxious, you were glad to put this whole difficult journey behind you.

"You did so good, Frisk. I couldn't have done any of this without you," you responded. "Thank you..."

They seemed relieved to hear that and smiled more genuinely. "I love you..." they signed.

With a slight chuckle, you ruffled their fluffy hair and pressed a quick kiss on the top of their head, much to their embarrassment. "I love you too, kiddo."

Your self awareness suddenly kicked in and you glanced up to find the three goat monsters just quietly watching you and Frisk's reunion. You swallowed nervously and out of habit pulled Frisk a bit closer again, except they resisted and pushed off your chest much to your surprise.

"This is Asriel, my best friend," they signed and motioned to the little goat monster you'd never seen before.

The goat child glanced at Toriel before approaching you apprehensively. He had similar scruffy white fur as his parents did, long floppy ears, and a pair of fangs that slightly poked out of his mouth. He also had a pair of sharp but stubby horns on the top of his head and his eyes were yellow with a red ring around the black sclera. You couldn't be sure of his age, but from his green and yellow striped sweater and black overalls, he seemed older than Frisk, maybe eight or nine?

"Um, hi... It's nice to meet you properly this time," he said. His voice was a bit gruffer than you'd initially expected and while he seemed rather shy right now, there was a bit of a teasing lilt in his tone.

"Sorry, we've met before?" Turning to Frisk, you asked, "And when did you make a best friend?"

Frisk grinned in a mischievous way before responding. "He was trapped in a flower until now. Remember Flowey?" When you nodded, they added, "Well, I gave him a small piece of my soul so he could return to his true form."

To say you were concerned was a bit of an understatement. While you still didn't know much about souls in general, even you knew that a person's soul was not something that could just be given away carelessly.

Glancing between both children, you couldn't help the slight frown that flickered across your face. "Frisk...how? Are you okay...?" You had no idea how to respond to this situation and your tongue couldn't seem to form any substantial sentences at the moment.

While Asriel couldn't maintain eye contact with you, Frisk seemed confident with their decision. They nodded vigorously and quickly tried to reassure you. "I had a lot of Determination, much more than most people do, so I gave Asriel some of it to form a soul for him. Which is why I can't do that...thing anymore. We'll be fine, okay?"

You didn't really understand what they meant but if Frisk was so sure that everything would be okay, then you would do your best to trust them. They had been responsible for freeing everyone after all, the least you could do was believe them, right?

"Alright then. While I don't fully understand all this, I'm glad you both seem to be fine." With a smile, you turned to Asriel again, "Nice to meet you then. I apologize but I had no idea you and Frisk were so close."

"It's alright..." The goat child smiled sheepishly and rubbed the fur on the back of his neck. "I'll be honest, I didn't know they thought of me that way either. They're really amazing, aren't they?"

You grinned and moved some stray hair strands out of Frisk's face. "They really are..." you murmured.

Toriel placed a furry paw on Asriel's shoulder and squeezed him in an affectionate way. "I... Or rather we, are so, so grateful to have our son back. Thank you, Frisk..."

Asgore had been very quiet after everything that had happened. If you were to guess, he seemed to be the strong and stoic type who rarely showed any emotion. Still, he had shed more than a few tears earlier when first reunited with his son, so he wasn't completely heartless at least. You still didn't like him though and that probably wouldn't change any time soon.

He knelt down in front of Frisk and bowed his head slightly, but he was still much taller than them even like this. "Thank you...Frisk, for bringing Asriel back. And thank you for breaking the barrier when we could not," he said solemnly.

Frisk smiled sweetly up at the now humbled king. They lightly patted his massive furry paw with their much smaller hand before answering. "You're welcome!"

The King turned his gaze to you, his yellow eyes still glistening with emotions, but that air of solemn duty he had been exuding earlier was back. "I want to do what is best for my people and I believe right now peace with your kind is the right thing to do. Forgive me, but would you be willing to help with the negotiations with the human government? Like an ambassador of sorts?" he asked.

Frisk nodded excitedly but you frowned and put your hand on their shoulder, which got their attention. Squaring your shoulders, you addressed the King of Monsters for the second time today.

"I am going to have to decline your offer on the basis that neither of us have any experience with politics and Frisk isn't even seven." You held up a finger before he could interject, "However, I am willing to help for the sake of all the friends I've made and to make a better world for everyone."

While he seemed a little disappointed, Asgore seemed to take your rejection pretty well. He stood up again and gave you a firm nod. "Very well... I suppose it was presumptuous of me to ask, especially after everything you've both been through."

He pressed his furry paw against his gold plated chestplate before adding, "I will make a decree that no monster is to harm a human. If there is to be true peace, we must prove to your kind that we are willing to put aside our past grievances."

"For the sake of our son and our people, I will assist in negotiating with the humans," Toriel stated. Her tone of voice had turned cold as she turned to address Asgore but there was still a spark of hope in her eyes, despite the obvious tension between them.

The King seemed momentarily taken aback and he started to say something, but stopped himself. "We should sit down and discuss how things will be going forward," he mentioned with a bit of an awkward cough.

Toriel only let out a low hum in agreement and narrowed her yellow eyes at him.

You felt incredibly awkward all of the sudden, wanting to be anywhere but next to the bitter former couple. You didn't want to just walk away, although you didn't know what or if you should say anything.

Fortunately, you were saved from making a fool of yourself when Undyne scooped both Frisk and Asriel up in each arm. The goat child let out a startled bleat and flailed his arms for a bit until he realized he wasn't going to fall. Undyne then shifted both children so they were sitting on each of her shoulders and chuckled, flashing a sharp toothed grin at you as she did so.

"I don't know how you did it, but congrats! The barrier is gone!" she exclaimed. Her grin faltered a little and in a quieter voice she added, "I wasn't so sure I'd ever get to see it for myself and if I did, never like this."

Frisk attempted to give the fish lady a hug but could only wrap their arms around her head. They ended up just leaning down and resting their upper body and head on top of hers, earning a quiet chuckle from her.

You couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight. "I don't understand it myself but I suppose it doesn't really matter. We're here and we managed to do so without much bloodshed. I'm just so happy..."

You trailed off as you felt your throat start to close up again and the familiar sting of tears at the corners of your eyes. Taking a deep breath, you managed to blink away your tears before they could flow down your cheeks. Alphys then appeared next you and placed one of her clawed hands on your arm in a reassuring manner.

"I don't know how to begin to thank either of you for being willing to support us. The chances of our plan even working were slim and if we'd failed, I know it would have cost both of you greatly," you finally said, doing your best to keep your voice even, although it was a bit difficult.

Undyne carefully set the kids back onto the ground and scratched the back of her neck. "Ah, well, of course we'd help. Friends stick by each other..." she murmured in a much quieter voice than she usually did. Her gills and cheekbones seemed to become a deeper blue and she was having a hard time actually looking at you all of the sudden.

For once, Alphys didn't seem like the more shy one of the two women and she gave you a gentle smile. "I'd been working on finding a way to break the barrier for my whole tenure as Royal Scientist. I'm just very glad it's all over and that we can finally have peace." She grew thoughtful for a moment before adding, "Even if this hadn't worked, it was worth a try I think. I'm just glad we could help you and put an end to the violence."

"Me too," you hummed.

When the skeletons eventually rejoined the group, you began to sense a sort of anticipation in the air. You felt a similar sense of excitement as it had been months since you'd seen the sun and had all but given up on seeing it again. You thought the monsters actually seemed a little hesitant though, as if they were afraid to take the first step outside in possibly a millenia or more.

Frisk tugged at your sleeve and motioned to the opening in the cave. You gave them a gentle nod and they instantly grabbed one of Asriel's paws, beginning to pull him towards the fading sunlight. That seemed to be the push the others needed and they began to follow the children to the surface. The older monsters followed at a slower pace and you noticed how solemn their expressions had become.

Papyrus glanced back at you and tilted his skull. When you realized he was waiting, you darted over and gave him a hug. He smiled and pressed a skeleton kiss against the top of your head, before wrapping an arm around you and guiding you towards the sunlight.

The sun had sunk halfway below the horizon, colouring the sky with a canvas of reds, oranges, and yellows. You took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air but instead of focusing on the sunset, you turned to see the reactions of your friends instead.

Asgore and Toriel still seemed solemn and you could see their eyes once again glistening with tears of joy. You couldn't help but wonder what the world had been like back before the war that had trapped them Underground. Hopefully, things would be better now.

Asriel had a small frown on his face and you noticed he seemed a little sad. At least Frisk was quick to comfort them but your heart went out to the poor goat child. No one deserved to be sad, let alone children, and you hoped he would be okay.

Undyne was completely silent for once but you swore you could see her good eye sparkling with unbridled excitement. There was a wide grin plastered across her face and while her body was tense, it was as if she was trying to desperately contain herself while everyone took in the view.

Alphys seemed awestruck as well and her jaw dropped which she quickly covered with her hands. The glow of the last few rays of sunshine reflected off her round glasses and you couldn't look directly at her for very long. She caught your eye and you saw her cheeks flush a bright pink, although she quickly looked up at Undyne rather than try to duck away from embarrassment.

Gaster's expression seemed rather clinical and he had propped up his chin with one hand in silent contemplation. You couldn't imagine what was going through his skull right now and you weren't about to ask either. Maybe he was thinking about the future? You would have to sit down and have a proper conversation to get to know him at some point.

Sans wore the widest grin you'd ever seen on his face. His hands were stuffed into his gray hoodie's pockets as he slowly rocked back and forth on his heels. You realized he'd noticed you staring at him when he turned his skull slightly to look at you out of the corner of his eye sockets. His crimson eyelights seemed to glitter with an almost childlike wonder and you couldn't help but smile back at him.

Papyrus' scarlet pinpricks were similarly sparkling but the expression he wore was more serious than that of his brother. He couldn't seem to tear his eye sockets away from the sky or the sunset even for a moment. His arm was still wrapped around your waist but his grip on you had slackened as he took in as much of the beautiful sight as he could.

"Sans..." he finally murmured. "Is That...?"

His brother hummed quietly in agreement. "yep, that's the sun..."

"I Never Thought I Would Actually See It..."

You slid one of your hands up his back and leaned against his chestplate in an attempt to get even closer together. "You can see the real stars too if we wait long enough," you remarked softly, although your voice was still loud enough for the others to hear.

There were quiet murmurs of agreement, although some were more enthusiastic than others, and you couldn't help but smile to yourself.

It didn't take long for the sun to finally dip below the horizon and the last of the brilliant colours to give way to twilight. By then, everyone had gotten settled into various groups on the mountainside to wait for the first star to make its presence known.

You took this moment to have a bit of a silent reflection. So much had changed over the last several months, you'd made several new friends, learned a ton about an entirely new culture, helped set a civilization free to rejoin humanity, found out you actually had magic, and now you were technically engaged with a monster. Your life had definitely taken a turn for the better and while the reintegration of Monsters into Human society likely wouldn't be easy, you were ultimately hopeful for what the future held.

At some point, Frisk made their way back to you and Papyrus trailed behind them. You smiled and made room so they could sit in the soft grass next to you. Frisk was all to happy to sit in your lap and sprawl out on top of you, which you didn't mind in the slightest. Papyrus on the other hand seemed content to just hold you close and rest his clavicle on the top of your head.

You could hear quiet gasps of surprise from the other monsters when the first stars appeared. It didn't take long for the sky to be dotted with hundreds of little twinkling lights and even you found yourself in awe at the sight. The light pollution in the city had never allowed you to see nearly this many, even on clearer nights like this one.

Frisk suddenly patted your arm to get your attention and when you glanced down at them, they grinned up at you. "Thank you for being there and always encouraging me...Mom..."

For a second, you wondered if they'd made a mistake and used the wrong sign or if you'd misinterpreted them. But no, they had tapped their thumb to their chin with an open hand and by the way their cheeks had flushed a light pink, you realized it wasn't that kind of mistake.

You didn't know what to say for several long seconds. Once you'd managed to find your voice, you gave their fluffy hair a gentle pat. "Do you see me like that, kiddo? As a parent...?" you asked quietly.

They looked surprised for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Do you want me to be?"

"Yes! I would!" they signed excitedly as a wide grin broke across their face. "I love you so much!"

You smiled and moved some stray locks of their hair out of their face. "Alright then, I'll try looking into seeing if your parents will allow me to become your guardian, okay?"

Papyrus let out a soft chuckle and pulled away from you a little bit. "I Told You So, Precious," he teased.

You huffed and gave him a bit of a playful swat. "Yeah, you did, multiple times in fact! I didn't want to promise something I couldn't make good on, okay?" You sighed and looked away from both of them before adding, "I'm not even sure if your parents will agree to this, but I'm going to try my hardest. I guess...after everything, I've come to see you as my own... I love you so much, Frisk."

Frisk wrapped their arms around your waist and buried their face in your sweater. You gave them a gentle hug back as best you could in this position.

Glancing back at Papyrus, you furrowed your brows slightly as a realization occured to you. "Are you okay with this? I know in the past you expressed that you don't like kids very much..."

He shook his skull and gave Frisk an affectionate pat on their back. "I Like Frisk And I Would Be Willing To Try Being In Their Life. Whether That Means Being An Actual Father Figure Or Just Continuing Supporting Both Of You Like I Have Already," he said.

You smiled and put your hand on top of his. This seemed like a great arrangement and you couldn't help feeling a little excited at the idea of having a family.

Things would turn out okay.