Final chapter, everyone! At the end, I'll tell you where you can find its continuation. ;)

Chapter Eight

"Ugh, that felt like an eternity…" Undyne muttered, staring out the window. "This is why I hate court stuff."

"WELL," Papyrus said, "IF IT'S ANY CONSOLATION, THE WEEK YOU SPENT IN THE HOSPITAL ALSO FELT LIKE AN ETERNITY…"

"Very funny." Undyne smirked. "At least it's over. All of it."

The skeleton nodded, carefully maneuvering in and out of traffic. "AT LEAST… UH, THE COURT PROCEEDINGS WEREN'T TOO STRESSFUL FOR YOU, WERE THEY?" His brow creased. "IT'S ONLY BEEN THREE WEEKS SINCE YOUR, UH..."

"I could handle it. I was more impressed with you."

"...YOU WERE?"

With a bit of effort, she reached out with her left hand and touched his forearm. "How are you doing? Must have been tough to relive all that."

Papyrus sighed deeply. "IT WAS. BUT WHENEVER I STARTED TO FEEL OVERWHELMED, I LOOKED AT YOU AND SANS AND EVERYONE AND… I REMEMBERED WHY I WAS THERE."

Undyne smiled. "You… remembered a lot of detail about the whole event. I've gotta say, I'm not sure even my memory would've been that good… especially under all that stress." She tightened her right fist. "Sorry about the ugly looks I was throwing around the courtroom; your story was… emotionally investing, and not just because I love you and was a part of it."

"PLEASE JUST TELL ME THEY WEREN'T FOR THE JURY?"

She chuckled. "Oh, heck no, they were for Loren. But you know I would've loved to have given her more than just glaring looks."

"NO KIDDING. BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S SUCH A THING AS AN UGLY LOOK ON YOU."

"...Aw…" The violet tint to her cheeks betrayed her, but only for a moment. She quickly regained her composure. "Well, if anything, they had more than enough evidence to lock her away for life and then some, with your testimony. You're totally a part of the reason people are safe now." She nodded. "I'm proud of you, Papyrus."

"ME? YOU'RE PROUD OF ME?" It was Papyrus' turn to blush now. "IT WAS NOTHING, UNDYNE. I JUST TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. I GOT LUCKY WHEN I CAPTURED HER."

"Lucky?" Undyne readjusted herself in her seat. "Papyrus, that wasn't luck, that was pure instinct! And it was so amazing!" She panted a bit.

"YES, I KNOW YOU LIKED IT A LOT." Papyrus winked at her.

She facepalmed. "Oh man, you are never going to let me live that down, are you?" Shaking her head, she peered over at him through her fingers. "Remind me the next time I'm in the hospital, those guys aren't allowed in my room."

"YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM? I THOUGHT YOU ENJOYED HAVING THEM AS VISITORS!"

"Not if they're gonna razz me about every little thing…" She turned her head, muttering. "Some things are just a little too personal…"

Papyrus smiled. "WELL, IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, I'M GLAD TO KNOW I MAKE YOUR HEART RACE."

Undyne chuckled a bit. "Thanks… wish I could say the same for you, but… I guess the equivalent would be that I'm glad to know that I'm popular with you?"

"THAT WORKS."

"...I'm glad." She sat back in her chair again, sighing. "You know, thinking back to the trial, I'm glad we were there to act as a counterbalance. You heard the horrible things she was saying. I mean, I know I had the same kind of mindset not too long ago, but wow… talk about being so dead-set against humans."

Papyrus was silent for a moment. "DID YOU… REALLY THINK THAT WAY?"

"I wouldn't have put you in danger. But… to some extent, yeah."

He was silent.

"...But obviously things are different now. I mean, I got to know a human, and that really changed my perspective on a lot of things. And, well, thinking about it, I have you to thank for that. Heck, I have you to thank for a lot of things."

"REALLY? WOWIE…"

Undyne nodded. "I'm stubborn, Papyrus. You know that. And you know how to use that to bring out the best in me and show me things I wouldn't give a second chance to otherwise." She bit her lip. "Thinking about it, Loren's probably an example of what could've happened to me had things gone differently. ...That's a scary thought, isn't it?"

Papyrus nodded. "VERY MUCH SO; YOU ARE QUITE TERRIFYING WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES YOU, OR IF YOU'RE MOTIVATED ENOUGH."

"Yeah… hopefully we were all motivated enough to say the right things. The last thing I want is for people to get the wrong idea about monsters. And Loren almost did just that." Undyne said, shaking her head. "We could have ended up in another war between humans and monsters. That's the last thing we need."

Papyrus gripped the steering wheel. "UNDYNE, IF THERE WERE ANOTHER WAR… WHOSE SIDE WOULD YOU BE ON?"

Undyne thought about this for a moment. "Whichever side tries to end it."

"YEAH. I THINK I WOULD BE TOO."

"SO… DINNER?" Papyrus suggested as they walked through the front door.

"Hell yeah." Undyne nodded vigorously.

The skeleton smiled as he headed off to the kitchen. "I HOPE YOU LIKE IT; I'VE BEEN SAVING THIS NEW RECIPE FOR A CELEBRATION. AND WHAT MORE REASON COULD WE NEED THAN PUTTING AWAY A DANGEROUS CRIMINAL?" He got out a pot and a few bowls.

Undyne closed and locked the front door, heading in soon after him. She watched as he began pouring and mixing ingredients, her soul warmed by the sight of him looking so content and happy in his work. But soon, her smile faltered.

"...You know, Papyrus, I've been, uh... giving it some thought. Maybe being on the police force isn't all it's cracked up to be..."

Papyrus almost snapped his neck turning to look at her. "UNDYNE... YOU'RE... NOT THINKING OF QUITTING, ARE YOU?"

She shrugged with her good shoulder.

"UNDYNE, YOU CAN'T..."

"Why not?" she asked, her eye bearing the slightest hint of mistiness. "I mean, look: at most, you almost lost me. The doctors told me everything; that star bullet could've torn my heart open and dusted me instantly. And even on the non-lethal side of things, you've barely been eating, barely been sleeping-though the second thing's not too unusual for you... Papyrus, my job is taking a toll on you. On BOTH of us. And, well... not worrying about my needs, if it makes you happy for me to quit, and keeps us both safe and healthy, then I-"

"STOP!" he shouted.

Undyne almost jumped; her eye was nearly bulging out of its socket. "What?"

He stared at her for a few moments. She wouldn't have readily admitted it, but the slight strain in her voice told Papyrus everything. "UNDYNE, I..." he sighed. "I'VE GIVEN THIS A LOT OF THOUGHT. AND I CAN'T BEAR TO THINK OF YOU UNHAPPY."

"'Unhappy'? What-"

"YOU LOVE YOUR WORK, SO KEEP YOUR JOB. BE A POLICE OFFICER." Undyne hesitated, but Papyrus continued. "I KNOW IT WORRIES ME, BUT... I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU SO HAPPY ASIDE FROM WHEN YOU'RE WITH ME. I SEE THE WAY YOU LIGHT UP WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU HELPED PEOPLE. THE CRIMINALS BROUGHT INTO THE STATION AFTER ROBBING BANKS, THE LOST CHILDREN REUNITED WITH THEIR PARENTS... I... DON'T WANT TO TAKE THAT ALL AWAY FROM YOU JUST TO SPARE MYSELF THE WORRY."

"Papyrus..."

"NO, LET ME FINISH. WHEN I FOUGHT OFF LOREN, I'D NEVER FELT SO POWERFUL. IT GAVE ME THE MOST AMAZING FEELING. IT FELT GOOD TO PROTECT YOU THIS TIME AROUND. IT WAS LIKE… BEING YOU FOR A VERY SHORT TIME AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. IF THAT'S WHAT BEING A COP FEELS LIKE, THEN I WANT YOU TO FEEL THAT WAY EVERY DAY." Papyrus turned on the stove and then fully turned to face her. "I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY ORGANS TO STRESS WITH WORRY. SO PLEASE, UNDYNE; KEEP DOING WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY."

Her eye was starting to moisten even more. "What about everything I just said about dying?"

Papyrus walked up to her. "YOU ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT DEATH WAS JUST AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD. THAT IN THE END, IT DIDN'T MATTER IF YOU DIED SO LONG AS YOU DID IT AS A HERO. YOU TOLD ME IT WAS A RISK YOU WERE WILLING TO TAKE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEEDED YOU. ARE YOU GOING TO LET THEM DOWN AND GIVE UP YOUR PASSION OF PROTECTING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU NEARLY DIED?"

"...Well... I mean..."

Papyrus reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "UNDYNE, I CARE SO VERY DEEPLY ABOUT YOU... BUT FAR BE IT FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO BE SELFISH AND KEEP YOU FROM THE PEOPLE WHO NEED YOUR HELP. BESIDES, YOU KNOW DEEP IN YOUR HEART THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU LOVE DOING."

Her breathing intensified as she tried harder and harder to remain calm, but the more she fought it, the tougher it became. Finally, she gave in, tears slipping down her cheek. She said nothing for several moments, the two of them standing together in a warm, comforting embrace.

"...You're right," she finally said, wiping her cheek.

"I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CRY, UNDYNE. I KEEP DOING THAT."

"I'm sorry for crying like an idiot." Undyne wiped her cheek again, this time more vigorously. "I hate surgery. And hospitals. Let's never go back. Ever."

"I CAN AGREE TO THAT." He gave her one last gentle squeeze and began tending to the stove, dropping some homemade macaroni into the pot. He mixed up a very cheesy sauce in the bowls, cooking it on another burner

"Mmm, comfort food." Undyne hummed. "The true reason I married you."

"NOT MY RUGGED GOOD LOOKS?" Papyrus attempted a flirtatious wink.

"Nah, those were just a plus."

He began draining the pasta. "BUT UNDYNE, DOESN'T YOUR HEART RACE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ME?"

"Well, that's caused more by what you do. You're handsome, but you know I find passion sexier."

"SO IT'S ABOUT WHAT I DO…" He took the strained pasta and carefully dumped it into the pot with the cheese sauce. "YOU KNOW… I HAD A THOUGHT ABOUT SOMETHING WE COULD DO TONIGHT."

"Cuddle? I know, it really has been a while…"

"ACTUALLY, I KIND OF MEANT…" Papyrus faltered for a moment before straightening up and lowering his voice slightly. "WE COULD CUDDLE MORE INTIMATELY."

Undyne grinned. "Why, Papyrus, are you taking charge?"

"GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?" Papyrus drew himself up to his full height and, for the first time, Undyne was slightly disappointed that he was still shorter than her. "I THOUGHT YOU FOUND ME SEXY."

"Maybe I do." Undyne shrugged and turned away so he couldn't see her smiling. "I like people who are assertive. Who can take care of themselves."

"WELL I AM SEXILY MAKING DINNER, WHICH IS A GREAT LIFE SKILL."

"Mmm, nothing more sexy than a skeleton who knows how to rock a 'Kiss the Cook' apron." Undyne gingerly put her arms around him from behind.

"AND AFTER WE HAVE OUR SEXY MEAL, WE CAN GO UP TO OUR ROOM… AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW MUCH MORE SEXY I CAN BE."

She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Aww, show me now."

His eyebrows rose. "ARE YOU SURE? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HANDLE IT."

"I can handle anything."

Papyrus turned around in her arms and, carefully embracing her, began slowly letting her down until she was cradled in his arms, staring up at him. Tenderly, he pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes.

Undyne, surprised by this display of affection, closed her eye. Her scaly skin felt like it was charged with electricity as she tilted her head up toward him, her lips delicately pressed up against his smile. It didn't last long, as she needed to catch her breath. "Wow…" she whispered, looking back up at him.

"YOU'RE BREATHING KIND OF HARD...WAS THAT TOO MUCH?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. No, I think I want more."

"BUT UNDYNE…" he whispered. "THE MACARONI'S READY."

"Ugh, fine," she groaned. "But promise me we can continue this train of thought afterwards?"

"BUT OF COURSE." He winked at her, gently pulling her back up to a standing position.

Meal time didn't last long; being famished from the day's court proceedings, and with Undyne hungry for more than dinner, the comforting Italian macaroni and cheese disappeared quickly.

"That was so good, Papyrus," the fishwoman said, putting her bowl in the sink.

He beamed. "YOU LIKE IT? IT WAS REALLY POPULAR WHEN I TRIED IT WITH THE REGULARS A MONTH AGO. THEY SAID IT WAS RESTAURANT QUALITY!"

"Oh yeah, I liked it a lot." She leaned in closer, her right hand on his shoulder. "But you know what I'd like for dessert."

"CREME BRULEE?" Papyrus asked coyly.

"Nooo…" She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Papyrus blushed. "WOWIE…"

"Are we gonna…?" She motioned toward the stairs with her head. The two of them started walking that way when Undyne said "I'd carry you up the stairs, but you know, with my ribs heali-"

In one quick gesture, Papyrus scooped her up and began charging up the stairs as best-and gently-as he could. Undyne was once again caught off guard, but didn't mind. She loved how unpredictable Papyrus could be, all the little surprises he had ready for her. This was no exception.

The room was quiet, save for the couple's nearly synchronized breathing. It was also dark, save for the emotional glow the two of them felt.

"You know, Papyrus…" Undyne mused, her arm around his shoulders. "After all we've been through lately… we really needed that."

Papyrus nodded, slowly and thoughtfully. "YES… FROM NOW ON, LET'S NOT WAIT SO LONG BETWEEN SOUL SHARINGS."

"I mean, not that there's anything wrong with our usual cuddling, but sometimes it's just not enough. Like, it's closeness, but not the same thing." She shifted her position a bit to get more comfortable. "But yeah, I agree. And we can still make it even better with cuddles, though."

"I COULDN'T AGREE MORE."

She moved her arm a bit to help Papyrus get more comfortable. "Sorry we can't cuddle like we usually do, though. I think it'll be at least a month until then."

"I CAN WAIT AS LONG AS YOU NEED." He glanced up at her, smiling.

"Good. But… you don't have to wait for everything." Undyne reached over with her good arm and opened the drawer to her nightstand, drawing out a stethoscope. "Because look what I swiped from the hospital."

Papyrus' usually hidden eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. "YOU… WHAT?"

"It's not like they don't have a ton of them there."

"YOU'RE A COP!"

Undyne laughed. "Okay, I'll return it. But I'm getting one anyway because you can't put your head on my chest anymore, at least not for a while."

"WHY WOULD A STETHOSCOPE FIX THE PROBLEM?"

"Well… put it on." Undyne put the stethoscope on Papyrus and moved the chestpiece to touch her heart. "I know you like listening to my heartbeat so I thought… what is it?"

Her train of thought had come to a screeching halt when she saw that her husband's eye sockets were wet with tears. They rolled down his cheek bones as he listened to every single thump of her steady heartbeat.

"Papyrus, what's wrong?"

"...YOU'RE OKAY."

She was silent for a moment. "Uhh… I know."

"SORRY, I MEAN…" He moved one of the earpieces to the side to hear Undyne's voice more easily. "YOU'RE OKAY. I'M OKAY. WE'RE BOTH OKAY AND LOREN'S IN JAIL."

"...Ssssso?"

He smiled, tears still streaming down his face. "THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO BE OKAY. A SENSE OF NORMALCY IS RETURNING. WE FACED SO MUCH, AND AGAINST ALL ODDS, WE'RE STILL ALIVE."

"Ahhh…" She tried pulling him a little closer with her right arm, rubbing his back ever so slightly. "Well, if you like thinking of my heartbeat as a symbol of our survival, then it's a symbol I'm gonna carry proudly for you."

"REALLY? WOWIE… I'M GLAD TO KNOW YOUR HEART BEATS ONLY FOR ME, UNDYNE."

"Aww, Papyrus…"

Despite the change in their methods of cuddling, the two of them were as comfortable as ever. It didn't take long before the two of them fell asleep, side by side, Undyne with her good arm around Papyrus, and him with an extended "ear" over her heart. Their dreams were pleasant, peaceful, hopeful… they dreamed about what could happen in the uninhibited future instead of the troubled past. And for the first time in a long time, Papyrus had nothing but sweet dreams. They were home again, with the love of their life.

Hopefully the next adventure would be better... but they believed it would be. After all, they'd be tackling it together.

And that's a wrap!

The story will continue on a certain tumblr blog called ask-baby-fishbones. You can ask anything you like. It's still being set up but it'll be up and running soon! Dobostorte and I would like to thank you for reading this and hope that you'll keep on shipping Undyrus, no matter what anyone says. It's your ship and it's a GREAT ship. :)

~KateMarie999