I do not own Undertale. Toby Fox does.

Thanks to R. Moonstalker for editing.

Chapter published 6/24/17.

Two Years Later

Frisk

"Bye, Mrs. Liebling!" he called, opening the door.

"Goodbye Frisk," she said, waving. "See you next week."

He winked at her. "You know it, beautiful," he said, before closing the door and making his way down to the front desk. He passed the soothing yellow walls, which were lined with paintings of natural places. Forests, snowy mountains, and such. They were pretty. He liked them.

After taking a flight of stairs down, he arrived in the front office. Frisk approached the desk, behind which a middle aged man sat at his computer, silently tapping away. A name plate reminded Frisk that his name was Verni Planduster. Verni looked his way as he approached and smiled from ear to ear. "Frisk! There you are. Schedule another appointment?"

He nodded. "Yes please, a week from today. Same time," he said.

The man danced his fingers along the keyboard for a moment, then turned back to Frisk with a smile and a nod. "All set, have a nice day."

Frisk smiled back, already turning. "You too!" he said, walking out of the therapist's office building. He hit the streets, and a wall of noise washed over him.

Trackof City, the nearest major city to Ebott Town, was booming like never before. No surprise with thousands of monsters settling in and around, most notably the Dreemurrs. Cars zipped back and forth on the street next to him, turning and stopping at lights in ways he'd be learning himself in a few short years. For the time being though, he had to settle for walking down the streets with the rest of the pedestrians. Frisk found a street sign, figured out where to go, and headed that way.

The first crosswalk was nothing interesting. Once he crossed the second one though, he frowned and took out his phone to check. Four fifteen, where was she?

"Sorry I'm late!" Chara shouted behind him. He spun around and saw her ducking and weaving between the humans and monsters, maneuvering with... well, superhuman skill. Frisk couldn't help but smile, admiring her. Chara didn't 'age' the way he did, but she'd been manually aging her body along with everyone else. She was... wow.

She finally caught up to him and brushed a strand of her auburn hair away. "I got caught up in some business." Chara came over to his side, and Frisk's right hand found her left. "How was your session?"

He shrugged. "Eh, the usual," he said, his heart slowing and shoulders relaxing as he held her hand. "You look good today. Anyway, should we get going?"

Chara nodded. "Thank you, you too. And definitely."

The two of them continued down the street, melding with the pedestrians. Chara had been out and about often enough that they didn't turn too many heads anymore, though one or two of the monsters they crossed gave her a quiet hello before hurrying on. After a few more minutes of peaceful silence, something caught his eye.

He let go of Chara's hand. "Hang on," he said, rushing over to the green metal box. He fished out a coin from his wallet and fed it to the box, which burped out his newspaper. "Look!" he said, holding it up to Chara while the two of them moved out of the crowd's way.

Chara's ruby eyes found the headline. "First monster admitted to the Skriland Military," she read aloud. The headline in question was attached to a picture of the amalgamate Reaper Bird, towering over a collection of smartly dressed humans at some official ceremony. "What about it?" she asked.

Frisk shook his eyes and moved the newspaper up. "Not that, this!" he said, pointing at a smaller article. "Mysterious dog breaks into another children's hospital, delights patients."

His girlfriend's eyes lit up with comprehension and she grinned. "Ooooh!" She took the newspaper and read over the article before exhaling through her nose. "Well then, it seems our furry friend has been busy!" Crimson light engulfed the newspaper, and when the light faded it was gone. Probably back at his room. "At any rate," Chara said, taking his hand again. "Let us continue."

The rest of their trip went without incident. They turned one more corner, arriving at the restaurant Frisk had picked out. Nestled between two skyscrapers, and with another one growing on top of it was Garlic Lawn. Its logo was elegant cursive with a few leaves around it. He and Chara walked through the glass doors, got in line at the receptionist, and a few minutes later they had a booth table deep in the restaurant, away from any windows. Menus were already placed, they unfolded their napkins for utensils, and they started looking through the menu for something to eat.

Frisk chose a soup made of tomato broth, with some name like... Limestone? Whatever. Chara meanwhile decided on some kind of chicken breast drenched in sauces and vegetables. They ordered their food, and some drinks. M.D. Spice for himself, and chocolate milk for Chara.

"So," Frisk began, taking his knife in one hand and fidgeting with it. "How'd things go today?"

Chara rolled her eyes. "Ugh, there was some eldritch wanna-be trying to get in," she sighed. "Hate it when I get those stupid - "

"Hey," he said, reaching across to take her hand. "You got rid of it, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "I did indeed."

"Well then you did fine! There's nobody else who could've done better." He winked. "Literally." Then he frowned, feeling something tickle the underside of his arm. He pulled back and noticed the table was... actually pretty dusty. Frisk reached into his pocket and pulled out a sanitation wipe and started cleaning the table. Now that he was paying attention there was so much more dust than he'd expected. It covered the table, the utensils, the plates. It glinted in the lamps' light as he furiously wiped and wiped. One swipe wasn't enough to clean an area, he had to go back over and over until he was picking out at each little speck but that was fine because there was so much dust he had to clean and if he didn't his chest would tighten and his breath would thin there was so much dust so much dust -

"Frisk!" Chara hissed, grabbing his attention. He glanced up with a jolt of nausea. Her eyes were upturned in worry.

His heart clenched in shame. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?" he muttered, glancing away and pocketing his used wipe.

"It wasn't as bad as at first, you've gotten a lot better," she reassured.

"It's been two years," he groused. The sickening tension in his chest was fading, at least. "I should be over this. I mean, technically it never even happened!"

"Frisk, you know that doesn't matter," she said, reaching out to put her hand over his. Then she smiled. "But we shouldn't be talking about this, should we? How was school?"

He shrugged. Chara had a point... "Project's killing me," he said. "And I can't read any of Shaker's stuff anyway."

"The language isn't as archaic as you like to pretend," Chara pointed out.

"Yeah, because you grew up in his time, you fossil," he teased. Chara's rosy cheeks blushed dark brown. "It's all gibberish for me. Social studies is easy, at least."

Chara quirked an eyebrow. "Truly? I have been having trouble with it. Think you could help?"

Well on one hand they went to different schools so there was no guarantee he could help. On the other hand... "Sure, it's a date. I'll come over tomorrow. Think you could help me with math while I'm there?"

She smiled widely, lighting up the room. "Sounds good - oh, here comes our food."

She'd said that before the waitress was even visible. But a few seconds later a light pink bunny monster strode in happily, their plates on her hands. "Here you go," she said as she approached. "One Minestrone soup, one Chicken Margherita. If you two need anything let me know!" she said, also handing out their drinks.

"Thanks," he said.

The waitress grinned at him. "Tee hee! No problem!" With that she turned and rushed off to another table, leaving them to their meal.

Frisk and Chara spent the next few minutes eating. His soup was good, he had to admit. Thick and savory. Eventually he took a spoonful and offered some to Chara. "Wanna try?" he asked.

She smiled and took the spoon. "Sure." Chara slurped up the soup and hummed quietly. "It's good!" she said, handing his spoon back. She took a fork and stuck it in her chicken. With her knife - the provided utensil, not the weapon she kept in her pocket - she cut off a chunk and held it out. "Would you like some?"

"Thanks!" he said, grabbing the fork. It was good chicken, covered in sauce and vegetables.

Before long they finished up and ordered dessert, talking excitedly all the while, swapping stories and jokes.

" - she pulls the dog back in through the plane window," he started wrapping up. "What's in its mouth?"

Chara raised an eyebrow, eating at her chocolate lava cake. "The cigar, obviously."

He shook his head. "No, a brick."

Her crimson eyes shifted right for a moment, but then understanding dawned and a brilliant, soul-warming smile split her face. "OOOHH!" She covered her mouth and choked a laugh. "Alright, that's good!" she said, waving a finger at him. "Anyway, should we start getting the check?"

Frisk checked the time on his phone. Yikes, where had the day gone? "That's probably a good idea." He waved down the waitress and asked for said check, and she rushed away to go get it. Frisk and Chara continued to make small talk until it arrived, and Frisk took out his wallet.

His wallet shut itself, blood red light flickering around it. Frisk glanced up to see Chara looking at him bemusedly. "Frisk, I'm flattered, but I've got this."

"I insist."

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Frisk, I can literally conjure money out of nothing," she insisted.

"Which is exactly why I should pay," he said pointedly.

"That makes no sense!"

"It's the principle of the thing! You do enough anyway." That was that; Frisk took out a few Skri - gold wasn't a common currency on the surface, after all - and paid. They got out of the booth and headed to the exit, hand in hand.

Night had indeed fallen while they'd eaten. The sky was black as coal, not a star to be seen thanks to the glow of the city. Cars moved back and forth in the streets like lines of light. But then he and Chara took a step forward and they were back in Ebott Town. He didn't even stumble; Chara had teleported him more times than he could count.

Ebott Town was quieter, darker. The air was cooler and the streets were deserted. A few stars shone above, glittering in the sky. He and Chara walked through the shadowy streets in pleasant, warm silence. It didn't take long for them to reach the orphanage door, where he and Chara turned to each other.

"Thank you for recommending that restaurant, Frisk," she said, grinning. "I had a lot of fun."

"Me too. And, no problem," he replied, his guts twisting and his face warming. "See you tomorrow?"

She dipped her head. "Of course."

With that, he tugged on her arms and pulled Chara closer to him, hugged her closely, and kissed her. His lips tingled electrically, as did his tongue when she leaned in and returned the kiss. They made out on the doorstep for a while longer, arms tight around each other and chests pressed together, before pulling away, both of their faces split by smiles. "Night, Chara," he breathed, opening the door and stepping in.

"Night, Frisk," she panted. When he looked back to close the door, Chara was already gone.

He smiled and went to get dressed for sleep.

Life was good.

Chara

Still tingling from the kiss, she warped back to her parents' house in Trackof. It was near the outskirts of the city, on a lot that had used to house a mansion. But with the aid of some workers - and Chara privately pitching in - Mom and Dad had demolished and sold the behemoth of marble and stone for a simple wooden house like they'd had in the Underground. That, of course, left plenty of open, grassy hills for her and Dad to garden.

Chara arrived in the living room, bouncing on her feet. The lights were off, and the smell of snails still hung in the air. She went around the room a little, and poked her head into her and Asriel's room. Nothing. The guest room in the middle was dark, as was the bathroom on the far side. Mom and Dad's room was lit up, and she could hear them animatedly discussing some project or another.

No sign of her brother, though.

Chara vanished from the house and appeared by the golden flower garden she and Dad maintained together. Still no Asriel. She tried the rose bushes. Still nothing.

Eventually, she found him on a plain, grassy hill. He laid on his back, staring up at the stars. His legs were crossed, the left paw dangling in the air. He glanced towards her as she approached and smiled. "Howdy, Chara," he said.

She dipped her head. "Asriel," she greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure!" He scooted off to the side, leaving a mat of flattened grass for her to lay on. She relaxed her head against the sweetly smelling, wet blades of grass. The stars above were incredibly numerous. Light pollution simply didn't exist in her parents' house. It wasn't something she'd done, either. It was a mystery to everyone. Perhaps an act of God.

"How was your day?" she asked, tracing constellations with her eyes.

"Well, school was fine. I didn't see you in art, though," he pondered.

"I was running some errands for Mr. Bulepson," she explained. "Didn't he tell you?"

His eyes widened. "Gosh, no. Maybe he forgot?"

She smiled. "That sounds like him. Anything else?"

"Well, my session with Mrs. Leibling was good too. How was your date?"

Her grin turned from humored to relaxed. Her demonic muscles unwound and she found herself sinking into the bed of grass. "It was great," she said wistfully. "We ate at this new restaurant, we talked, we joked."

"Right."

A peaceful silence.

"Chara," he began, prompting her to glance over at him. She caught sight of the metal tubes running in and out of his left arm, the price he paid to remain a monster without any soul at all. It crippled his magic and wouldn't give him an afterlife, but he was himself. "So... I have a question."

"Shoot," she said, jokingly removing her knife and morphing it into a sniper rifle.

He rolled his eyes. "Har har." She morphed it back. "So, it's about Cotych and I."

"What about her?" she wondered, her mind turning to the once-goner kid.

"Well, she's been wanting to get... intimate," he said, blushing deeply through his fur. "I just thought, since you and Frisk are too, and I'm pretty unsure if I even want to - "

"Relax," she urged, understanding his troubles at once. "Just talk to her about it. I mean, doesn't Mrs. Leibling say that? I think all therapists do. Just be honest, tell her your feelings, communicate, blah blah blah," she mocked.

Asriel nodded and leaned back, the nubs of his horns poking into the dirt. "Right, that sounds right."

They lapsed into silence again. Chara's thoughts ended up turning to Cotych, and from the gray lizard monster to Dr. Gaster. It was nice to see him as the Royal Scientist again, a small beacon of familiarity in an unfamiliar world. They needed one, after all, ever since Mom fired Alphys. She hadn't checked on him or his followers in a while, though. Chara worried; Asriel had been resetting for eight hundred years, but she knew the amount of time Gaster had experienced and it... made her sick.

But at least they existed again.

Chara thought back to two years ago, and found herself troubled. So much had happened. If she didn't know better, she almost would've said her ill-fated plan worked out for the best. She was omnipotent and immortal, Mom and Dad were still together, Monsters and Humans lived in peace. She was alive, Asriel was alive, she and Frisk were romantic, Gaster and his cohorts could interact with the world again, Asriel had taken care of the personal issues of some of the monsters...

But Frisk and Asriel has undergone horrible things. Gaster endured the ravages of time. Asriel lost his soul, had almost no magic at all, and despite everyone's best efforts they couldn't find a way to ensure he moved on to anywhere at all.

So... maybe it wasn't a perfect ending to Frisk's adventure. But it was certainly a lot better than her plan would've done.

She stared back up, and smiled.

Asriel'd made the right choice, all those years ago.

"Gosh, it's kinda funny," he spoke up. "I keep thinking back to when I fought Frisk, and got the resets back. I keep wondering what would've happened if he didn't die. Things would've been so much better."

She glanced at him. "I don't know. Would they?"

He sighed. "Maybe not." He grinned, showing off his rows of fangs. "Golly, guess I can't regret hard choices my whole life."

"Things worked out," she sighed, glancing at the stars. She sat up and offered a hand to Asriel. "Now come on, we should head back inside. We've got school tomorrow."

He glanced at her hand, then took it. She helped him up and brushed the grass off his back. "Race you back, no cheating!" he shouted, running off.

Her eyes widened as he sprinted away. A moment later she took off after him. "Hey! Get back here!" she returned, chasing Asriel down the hill. As they raced back to the house, Chara couldn't help but smile again.

Sure, maybe it wasn't the best possible ending.

But she'd take it.

THE END

And so it ends.

I had a lot of fun writing this. It started as a question; 'What if Asriel won?' and it flowed from there. I developed what I've privately been calling a 'Forced Genocide' run, and decided to try and give some of the overshadowed characters time in the spotlight; Sans and Undyne get all the love.

Poor Asgore, though. I wanted to do him justice, but against ten billion damage, there's just no way.

I once again hope you've all enjoyed, and wish you all a pleasant day.

Thank you, and good night.