December 20th

Frisk's POV

Hazy images flashed through Frisk's mind faster than they could fully process them all. A familiar pair of eyes stared at them the whole time. Voices rang in their ears. In a little while, I'll turn back into a flower. Flowey appeared, his usually empty eyes wet with tears. I'll stop being able to feel love again. I'll stop being myself. Flowey disappeared, quickly replaced by Asriel, whose green eyes were similarly watered. Then Flowey took his place, then Asriel, over and over. I don't want to break their hearts all over again. Suddenly, Frisk's arms were wrapped around Asriel, the warmth of his fur pressing against their skin. I don't want to let go.

"My children?" Frisk's eyes popped open. Light was streaming through the door, revealing a furry white face. "Are you awake?"

"Am now," Frisk yawned, stretching their stiff arms out.

"Well, wake up your brother," Toriel replied, pointing at the bottom bunk. "You do not want to be late." Frisk nodded. Right, today's the last day before Winter Break. Toriel turned and disappeared down the hall.

"You okay, Frisk?" Chara asked, floating through the mattress. "That nightmare seemed intense."

"I'm fine," Frisk sighed, climbing down the ladder to the ground. Ace laid in the bottom bunk, stirring and grunting in his sleep.

"Ace…" They murmured, nudging his shoulder. Ace jerked into a sitting position, his blue eyes wide. "Ace?" Ace shook his head. Shaking, he rested his hand on his forehead.

"Sorry…" He pulled his legs into his chest.

"Another nightmare?" Frisk asked, grabbing their hairbrush off the nightstand. Ace nodded. Grabbing his own hairbrush, he ran it through his long hair.

"I've been having less of them lately though," Ace replied, forcing a smile. Frisk put their brush aside with a sigh. As they got ready, thoughts of Asriel haunted their thoughts, their teary green eyes staring into their soul. They struggled to stay focused as guilt stabbed their heart. A sweet smell wafted through the air as Frisk and Ace walked down the stairs. Three plates sat on the table. Each one had a stack of pancakes, topped some sort of liquid.

"What's this?" Ace asked, pointing at the pancakes.

"They are cinnamon pancakes topped with butterscotch," Toriel informed, sitting down in front of a plate of pancakes. "I know I usually make waffles, but I wanted to try something different." Frisk and Ace sat down in front of their plates of pancakes. "How are they?" Frisk scooped a piece of pancake up with their fork. They took a bite.

"Pretty good," they replied with a nod.

"Mmmm." Ace nodded in agreement, a smile plastered on his face. Chara gazed at Frisk's stack of pancakes. Those are probably delicious. Frisk could hear Chara's thoughts as if they were spoken aloud.

Toriel smiled. "Well, eat up. You do not want to be late." Frisk and Ace nodded. The three ate their pancakes swiftly. When they were gone, they grabbed their bags and put on their warmest coats. Then they got in the car. Frisk was silent for the whole ride. Chara sat between Frisk and Ace, struggling not to faze through the car. A cloud of fog obscured the road ahead.

"You excited for winter break, Frisk?" Ace asked.

Frisk shrugged. "Yeah, I guess… I mean, I'm excited for Christmas."

"Me too," Ace replied nodding. "Though I still haven't decided to get Clover."

"But Clover doesn't celebrate Christmas."

"I know," Ace insisted, crossing his arms. "I'm getting him something for Hannukah. I just gotta figure what he would want…" Frisk nodded, barely hearing what he said. Finally, the car skidded to a halt in a parking spot outside the school. Frisk took their seatbelt off. Pushing the door open, Frisk's boots were met snow crunching beneath them. They closed the car door, gripping their arms. A shiver ran down their spine as they pushed themself through the snow, following Toriel and Ace. Pushing open the door, some familiar faces greeted them.

"Hey, Frisk!" Kat greeted with a wave. Teri and Ray stood beside her, waving. "And Ace and Toriel!" Ace waved back.

"Greetings, my children," Toriel replied with a nod. The door closed behind her. "I will see you in class later." She made her way down the hallway.

"You guys excited for winter break?" Ray asked, leading them to a bench.

"Yeah!" Teri replied, sitting down on the bench. "Mettaton's even letting me have time off from the show for Christmas and Kwanzaa!"

"That was nice of him," Kat commented, sitting down next to her. "And yeah, I'm excited too, especially since Frisk and I have less ambassador work over the break. Just a couple of meetings after Christmas."

"Where are Poppy and Clover?" Ace asked, softly.

"Poppy's off writing somewhere," Ray replied, pulling off his mittens. "I haven't seen Clover. I guess he's not here yet." Frisk's friends continued to chat as Frisk fell into deep thought.

"You okay, Frisk?" Kat asked, breaking them from their thoughts. "You haven't said a thing since you got here."

"Sorry," Frisk muttered, pulling off their gloves. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, school tends to do that to people." Frisk tensed as Poppy's voice echoed behind them.

"When did you get here?!" Frisk exclaimed, their eyes wide.

"I've been here for a while now…" Frisk's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "And, um, if I may… there was something I wanted to ask you." Poppy gestured to them. Frisk followed them across the hallway. She leaned against the wall, pulling out her notebook.

"More story details?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow. Poppy nodded. "You're still working on that?"

"Well yeah, I wanted to get everyone's side of the story," Poppy explained, running her fingers over the spiral of her notebook. "And I've done a lot of editing and rewriting to add more details and such." Poppy grabbed a pencil. "But anyway, there's still one thing I haven't been able to get info on. What happened after Flowey absorbed every one's souls?" Frisk's eyes widened. Oh god, not this.

"I… it… uh…" Frisk shook as they spoke.

"It was that traumatic?" Poppy asked, her eyes wide.

"Well… uh…" Frisk was cut off by the bell ringing. "Uh… we'll talk about this later." Frisk slung their backpack over their shoulders and shambled down the hall.

"YOU SAY THAT EVERYTIME I ASK!" Poppy exclaimed.

"She has a good point," Chara remarked, phasing through students as they walked at Frisk's side. "Why won't you tell anyone about Asriel?"

"I don't want word to get to Toriel," Frisk explained, pushing past a line of Moldsmals blocking the hall. "She'll be distraught if she learns that her child is alive but is… Flowey."

"I guess that's true…" Frisk made their way to their desk in their first class: science, not that they really did anything. Sitting in the back, Frisk was lost in thought. Visions of their dreams were coming back to them, flooding their mind with images of Asriel. He was just a child like them… Yet he was forced to suffer a fate worse than death, alone and unable to feel beneath Mt. Ebbot. Why did I leave him? There had to have been something I could've done! These thoughts raced through their head all day.

Hours Later

"Frisk, there's really nothing you can do to help Asriel," Chara grunted, resting their hand on their forehead. "We've been over this so many times."

"I have to at least try something," Frisk sighed, making their way through the hallway. The final bell had just rung and they were on their way out.

"Well, what's your plan then?" Chara asked, hovering after Frisk.

Frisk stopped in front of the door. "I…"

"You don't know?!" Chara exclaimed, throwing their arms into the air. "Seriously?!"

"I'll think of something!" Frisk grunted, pulling their gloves on their hands. "And I won't leave until I do!"

"Good luck explaining that to Mom," Chara replied, crossing their arms.

Shivering, they opened the door to the recess grounds and pushed through the icy wind. They leaped over the fence and ran through the snow. The mountain laid ahead. Crossing a road and another expanse of snow, Frisk reached the mountain. They gripped the rocks with their gloved hands. Placing their feet carefully on the slippery rocks, Frisk pushed and pulled themself up until they finally reached the top. They paused only for a second to catch their breath. They continued through the mountain before stopping in front of the cave where they had first fallen. Kneeling down, they pulled the rope out of their backpack. Frisk tied it to a stiff stalagmite before grabbing it and walking their way down the hole. Feeling their feet touch the ground, Frisk let go of the rope. Flowey was in the patch of golden flowers. He smiled brightly.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower."

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you introduce yourself? We've met several times."

Flowey's eyes widened. Letting out a sigh, he looked down at the ground. "...So you didn't reset?"

"No, why would I do that?" Frisk made their way closer to Flowey. "Everything went perfectly… except for one thing."

"What? Oh, wait... I get it." Flowey's eyes narrowed. "You're pitying me. 'Oh, the poor flower ending up all alone.' Is that it?" Frisk blinked. "Seriously?! I told you, there's nothing you can do to save me! I don't even want to be saved! Just leave me alone!"

"I don't believe that," Frisk insisted, tensing as their soul appeared in front of their chest. "If all you need is a soul, just take mine."

"NO!" Flowey jerked back, unable to move out of the ground. "If you do that, you'll end up just like me: empty, unfeeling… with nothing stopping you from killing everyone."

"He's right," Chara grunted, folding their arms, "Giving him your soul would be trading one problem for another."

"What about half of my soul?" Frisk suggested, resting their hand on it.

"That might seriously damage your body…" Flowey replied, his petals fidgeting a bit. "And besides, half a soul wouldn't be enough." Frisk's eyes widened. They glanced at their soul, running their fingers over it. I should at least try. Grabbing each end of the soul, Frisk struggled to pull it apart. Their blood blazed like fire beneath their skin. Teeth clenched and eyes watering, Frisk did not stop, even as their legs began to wobble beneath them.

"Stop! Stop!" Chara cried. Frisk's hands slipped off their soul. Stumbling in place, Frisk shot a glance at Chara.

"Are you okay?!" Frisk gasped, allowing their soul to disappear back into their chest. Chara shook like leaves in the wind.

"Yeah, yeah," they replied, nodding. "I'm fine." Frisk placed their hand on their chest. Their heart was pounding like a beating drum, constant and banging in their head. I can't do this alone.

"But none of your other friends know about Asriel," Chara argued, crossing their arms. "You've been intentionally keeping it a secret."

"Well… now it's time to tell them." Frisk made their way back toward the hole leading to the exit. They cast a glance at Flowey. "I'll be back soon, Flowey."

"Don't hurry back," Flowey grunted, his petals drooping. Frisk hoisted themself up, their hands gripped firmly on the rope as they walked their way up the cliff.

Clover's POV

Gripping his spear tightly, Clover leaped into position, glaring at Undyne. She glared back, flicking her spear. Clover's yellow soul had turned green and his feet were glued to the ground.

"Ready?" she growled, gripping her spear. Clover nodded, tensing his shoulders. Undyne extended her hand. Spears appeared before her, zipping toward Clover at every angle. Clover pointed his spear at them. They disappeared with dings as Clover moved his spear in every direction. Undyne flicked her spear. Clover lunged away from a line of spears, kicking up snow as he did. More spears rained down from the sky. Clover covered his head with his spears, forcing Undyne's spears to disappear before they could hit. He lunged toward Undyne. The warrior took a step back, flicking her spear to force Clover into place.

"Hey! No fair!" Clover exclaimed, squirming in place.

"Anything's fair battle in battle, punk!" Undyne exclaimed, summoning a barrage of arrows. A line of yellow arrows shot at Clover. He pointed his spear the opposite way, smirking as the yellow arrows flipped over him and collided into the spear. Clover continued to point his spear in opposite directions. Something pierced his side. Clover let out a yelp, stumbling back to see a white arrow on the ground in front of him. His eyes narrowed at Undyne.

"En serio?" he muttered. Another barrage of spears sped toward him before Undyne flicked her spear, allowing Clover to move. Clover lunged at Undyne. Swinging his spear, it clashed against Undyne's spear. She glared at Clover. He moved back and forth as Undyne stabbed the spear forward. Clover swung his spear. Their spears swung together, screeching as they scraped against each other. Undyne flipped her spear around. Eyes wide, Clover lunged back, the tip of Undyne's spear brushing against Clover's stomach. Clover thrust his spear forward. Undyne lunged back, summoning a circle of spears. She flicked her spear. Clover's soul turned green and he was glued in place one final time. He pointed his spear in every direction. Undyne's spears, yellow and white, disappeared on impact with 'dings' before Undyne flicked her spear again. Clover lunged backward. The two spears clashed, screeching against each other like lightsabers. The two fighters let out growls. Undyne shoved him back harder, sliding Clover backward through the snow. He struggled in the snow. Finally, Clover, jumped back, pulling their stomach backward with their breath as Undyne's spear slashed past it. Clover thrust his spear forward with both hands. Undyne leaped aside. Clover flinched as the side of her spear tapped his shoulder.

"I WIN!" She exclaimed, clenching her fists.

"You always win," Clover replied, pushing her spear aside. The spear in his hand disappeared. Footsteps crunched through the snow as the group approached them.

"Good job Clover!" Kat exclaimed, skidding to a halt in front of him. Ray, Teri, and Poppy were at her heels, while Papyrus, Sans, and Alphys were at her sides.

"Good job?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow. "But I lost."

"BUT YOU CAME PRETTY CLOSE TO WINNING!" Papyrus cut in, raising a finger in a matter of factly way. "MUCH CLOSER THAN I'VE EVER COME!"

"Thanks," Clover replied, smiling meekly.

"Anyone else wanna try?" Undyne asked, her sharp fangs sticking out as she grinned. Ray's hand shot into the air. "You've already gone… Twice."

"And lost horribly both times." Poppy nudged Ray's shoulder. He nudged her back, sticking his tongue out.

"Hey!" A new voice filled the air. Frisk dashed through the crunchy snow, panting as they skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Frisk?" Sans asked, turning to face them. "I thought Toriel took you and Ace home."

"I… stayed to finish a little extra ambassador paperwork," they replied, gripping their chest. "So… Mom and Ace went home already?"

"Yeah…" Kat looked away. "She's not gonna like that you went somewhere else without telling her."

"Don't worry, my parents can give you a ride home," Clover replied, raising his hand.

Frisk glanced at him with a smile. "Thanks, Clover."

"We sh-should be heading home too," Alphys suggested, slowly wrapping her claws around Undyne's hand. The warrior grabbed her girlfriend's hand.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod. "Let's get out of this crappy snow!" Clover pulled out his phone, shooting a text to Madre as everyone else began to disperse.

"Alright, Paps." Sans turned to Papyrus. "I'll let you drive, as long as you take it slow. Snow can be pretty tough to drive through."

"I AM WELL AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF SNOW DRIVING!" Papyrus exclaimed, flicking his scarf with his gloved hand. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL BE EXCEEDINGLY CAREFUL ON THESE DANGEROUS ROADS IN ORDER TO GET US HOME."

"Has he even taken driver's ed?" Poppy asked, pointing at Papyrus.

"I am his driver's ed," Sans replied with a wink. Poppy took a step back. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm a fine driver. I didn't take driver's ed… and I've only been driving for like a few months… But I've done it."

"Oh my god," Poppy muttered, facepalming. Clover covered his mouth with his fist as he giggled.

"I can second that!" Ray called, raising his hand. "Sans can drive really well!" He glanced at Poppy. "By the way, can I hang out with Sans and Papyrus?"

"Do I look like mom or dad?"

"Well, yeah, that's how genetics work."

Poppy clenched her fists. "I meant, ask THEM. Not ME." Ray shrugged and pulled out his phone. "Well, anyway…" Poppy glanced at Teri, who had been typing something in her phone. A smirk graced her lips. "Teri, are you seeing your senpai today?"

Teri's cheeks glowed red. "Poppy, I told you not to call him that… And yes, we are going to record something today. I was actually waiting for my dad to pick me up and drop me off at the studio."

"Sounds fun," Poppy replied, obviously forcing a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I should have time… if our filming doesn't take forever." Teri shrugged. Poppy waved before walking off. Ray followed Sans and Papyrus to their bright red car. Only Clover, Frisk, and Teri remained.

"Are your parents on their way?" Frisk asked, glancing at Clover.

"They'll be here soon," Clover answered, pocketing his phone. ���They're out getting stuff ready for the twenty-second."

"What's the twenty-second?"

Clover raised an eyebrow. "The first day of Hanukkah…?"

"Oh! Right!" Frisk looked away, their gloved hand over their face. "Sorry… I've been a bit distracted lately."

"With ambassador stuff I'm guessing?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, it's a stressful job, but Kat's there to help me, so it's not that bad."

"Clover! Frisk!" Clover glanced at the road, where his parents' green car glowed against the snow. "Vamanos!"

"Ya voy!" Clover called, nudging Frisk's shoulder. "Race ya there!" Clover dashed ahead, the snow crunching beneath him. Frisk bolted after him. The two ran side by side through the snow, giggling to themselves. They skidded to a halt in front of the car. Clover pulled the door open, ducking as he pulled himself into the far seat. Frisk sat beside them, pulling their seatbelt on. The two put their backpacks on the ground in front of them.

"So, how was school?" Mom asked, glancing back at Clover.

"It was good," Clover replied, pulling his seatbelt on.

"And your… thing after school?" Madre asked, already driving the car through the gooey slush-filled road.

"It was cool," Clover replied, shrugging. "I almost beat Undyne in sparring today."

"Muy bien!" Madre exclaimed, still not taking her eyes off the road. "Frisk, where do you live, again?"

"Eight five two Highland Avenue," Frisk answered, zipping their backpack open to dig through it. Clover glanced at them. There was a rope in their backpack, on top off all their notebooks.

"What's with the rope?" Clover murmured, leaning toward Frisk.

"MK gave it to me earlier," Frisk replied, zipping their backpack closed again. "You know them and their 'collecting' habits." Clover shrugged. It did seem plausible enough. After all, Monster Kid collected things like hangars, gloves, water bottles, and paper clips. Still, why would they give a rope to Frisk? "Um… it must be nice to have Hanukkah off for once."

"Yeah, it is pretty lucky that Hanukkah falls over Winter Break this year," Mom commented from the front seat.

"And that Toriel cares about it," Clover added, glancing out the window. The snow covered the grass and treetops, hiding any possible flash of green under a blanket of white. Finally, the car came to a halt in front of a light blue house.

"Thanks for the ride," Frisk replied, pushing the door open. They pushed themself out of the car, the snow crunching beneath their feet.

"Buenas tardes, Frisk!" Clover called. Frisk nodded back as they made their way up to their house. Clover pulled the door closed.

Frisk's POV

Frisk pushed the door open.

"I'm home!" they called, looking around as they pushed the door closed behind them. Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

"Frisk, where have you been?!" Toriel gasped, dashing toward them. "I was worried sick about you!"

"Oh boy," Chara murmured.

"I stayed to watch Undyne spar with Clover," Frisk replied, their head hanging low. "Sorry, I should've let you know first."

"It is alright my child," she sighed, resting her paw on Frisk's head. "But, yes, you should let me know where you are going before you just go. I just want to make sure you are safe."

"I know." Frisk wrapped their arms around Toriel, to which she hugged back.

"Hi Frisk," another voice called from the kitchen. Frisk glanced at Ace. He was sitting at the table, scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Glad you're home. Did anyone beat Undyne this time?"

"Clover came close," Frisk replied, sitting down beside him. They glanced at the Christmas Tree in the living room, the rainbow coloured lights shining against the window. Frisk looked at the paper in front of Ace. On the top, were the words: 'To Clover, From Ace, Happy Hanukkah!' and what looked to be a Menorah was drawn beneath it. "Is this your gift for Clover?"

"No, it's just the card," Ace replied, colouring in one of the flames of the candle with a yellow crayon. "I decided to get him some art supplies."

"I'm sure he'd like that," Frisk replied, with a nod. Toriel marched into the dining room, putting a pile of red paper down on the table. She sat down in front of the stack, pulling out a pencil.

"What's that for?" Ace asked, pointing at the paper.

"Oh!" Toriel slid the paper to the side, allowing Frisk and Ace to see it. At the top were the words, 'Holiday Party.' The border was bright green. "I am making invitations for a holiday party on the twenty fifth."

"We're throwing a party?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, who would you like to invite?" Toriel asked, preparing her pencil.

"Well, we have to invite all our friends," Frisk replied, counting them off on their fingers. "Kat, Teri…"

"Clover, Ray, Poppy…" Ace added in.

"Papyrus, Sans…"

"Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton…"

"Napstablook, MK, As-" Frisk shoved their hands over their mouth. Toriel and Ace glanced at them, raising their eyebrows.

"I am sorry, what was that last name?" Toriel asked, tilting her head to the side.

"N-no one," Frisk sighed, looking down at the ground. Toriel shrugged, looking back at the paper and writing down the names.

"Asriel?" Chara asked, raising an eyebrow. Frisk glanced at the ghostly human with a nod. "Pretty sure he can't come… unless you wanna dig him up and put him in a pot."

"He wouldn't appreciate that," Frisk muttered, sitting down on the couch. "He can't appreciate anything as Flowey… except maybe killing." Frisk gripped their chest. They cast a glance at Toriel, who was scribbling something on another sheet of paper. Meanwhile, Ace held out a sharpie.

"Hey, Mom…"

Toriel met Frisk's gaze. "Yes, my child?" Ace took the piece of paper she had been writing on, tracing it in sharpie.

"Do you ever miss your… your first children?"

Toriel stiffened. "Asriel and Chara?" Frisk nodded, casting a glance at Chara, whose eyes were wide. "Yes… I miss them everyday. Why?"

"Just… wondering." Frisk looked away, shoving their hands in their pockets. Chara let out a grunt.