"Yes I know. Yes I am very sorry but I will not be there. No, I'm still at the hospital with my daughter..."

After clearing some appointments from her calendar, Toriel clicked her phone off. She really loved this nifty little phone, Frisk had gotten it for her as a Christmas present last year. Aside from her and Alphys teaching her how to use it, she's had so much fun taking pictures and videos. Though she wasn't in the mood to play with her phone right now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Toriel had been here for hours, but it felt as if she still had so much work to do. This was a human hospital after all, and the only reason Frisk got such quick attention was because she was the ambassador. Even if she was so very young. She looked it, laying On the hospital bed bruised and exhausted.

She sat silently in her chair, watching and waiting. Though, it wasn't Frisk she was looking at.

Sans was still here. Granted he really wasn't supposed to be, visiting hours for friends was over, but Sans had managed to hide away while Toriel lead everyone out. She had been there before them, but she avoided Mettaton and the flurry of attention surrounding him. She only wanted to ensure Frisk's safety. But after shooing everyone home and taking a seat by the bed she finally allowed herself time to clear up everything with her duties and talk to Asgore.

Then Sans causally strolled out of the bathroom, looking like a soon to be scolded child.

"I was gonna say you have a skeleton in your closet, but uh, there's no closet here... Joke still works though, heh..." Sans stopped at the foot of the bed, glanced at Frisk quickly before turning and taking a seat in the floor against the wall.

He looked terrible. Even more so when the monitor beeped and he visibly cringed, but went to check it anyway. After seeing nothing was amiss, he returned to his spot by the door.

"I should have guessed you've never left, you always did do whatever you pleased." Tories gave a warm fuzzy smile, eyes warm and understanding. "Well yeah, couldn't leave the ki-" "Say kid and she's likely to wake up and raise hell" Toriel interrupted him with a chuckle. Frisk was very adamant with trying to get Sans (Sans specifically) not to call her a kid, but he did it just to annoy her anyway.

It obviously had nothing to do with the crush she's harbored on him for a good couple years now, Toriel thought with a small fuzzy smile. It had been funny to watch, the failed flirting attempts on both sides. She was sure there was a bet between Undyne and Papyrus too.

"If it'll get her to wake up, heh might even start reading her reciting Disney stories.." With an overly casual shrug her leaned back against the door. Sans was trying to stay compose, but Toriel could see right through his façade.

"I suppose that would be fine, but you'd have to do the voices too. She was pretty upset last time you spoke after all." Chuckling, Toriel got up to check Frisk's monitors. Possibly not the best time to bring up Frisk and Sans argument, but she had been worrying for a long time what went wrong. Now seemed like a good way to get them to patch everything up when Frisk was better. After deeming everything acceptable, she turned back to Sans.

Toriel had never seen a skeleton look as bad as Sans did at that moment. His arms were around his keens, back hunched and head resting on top of his hands. His eyes were the most startling, glowing not blue but a dim gray. Staring straight ahead but not seeing anything.

"I don't... Wanna think that's the last thing she'd think of me." The admission came with a shuddering breath, a quiver that she's never heard his voice make.

Signing, she sat back down in the chair, if she was younger she would have taken a seat next to Sans, but the hard floor wouldn't agree with her back. She fixed Sans with her most caring look, she knew him well. Prying wouldn't work, but waiting... Well, Sans wasn't known for his patience.

He didn't speak for a long time, and when he did his voice was raw with emotion, "It was a stupid thing to fight over too, we never fight... I don't think I handled it well... Probably shoulda talked to her more before I left too. I just, I don't know Tori..."

At least he was talking, though she didn't know exactly what about. She knew they hadn't been on the best of terms but Frisk had been very tight lipped about it.

"What may I ask were-" "She wanted to start dating, me. Start dating me. There's just... That wouldn't work out well, for her. So I shoot her down. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings but... There's just no way." Stiffening slightly Toriel took a moment to compose herself before speaking. It's not every day your daughter gets her heart broken, but to her knowledge Sans had been the only person Frisk ever had been interested in. How had she missed this?

Taking a breath, she spoke softly "Well, it's fine if you don't feel the same way, I'm sure you will still be friend-" "I do." Sans interrupted bluntly. He had that faraway look again.

"You...do what?" Toriel was getting confused. "I do feel the same way. I always have. She's... She's everything Tori, she's smart and funny and clever and everything I don't deserve. She can make friends with anyone, stare down the strongest kings and then go flower picking with Pap. She cares, like really cares, about everyone. She makes time for me, she's the only one to drag me out the house to go look at a tree she found and actually make it fun. She's the only one I want to be with every day, and I don't deserve any of it." Sans said everything while gesturing with his hands, ending with covering his face with both palms allowing his now blue eyes to shine brightly.

To hell with my back

Toriel sat down next to Sans on the floor. He was huffing, emotional distress rolling off of him in waves, and it physically hurt to look at. Frisk's monitor beeped in the background, but Toriel was sure if it was seriously a nurse would come in. This wasn't what she thought it would be at all, but she wasn't about to leave without helping Sans. She had no idea this was what had been plaguing her daughter and friend for all this time.

"Why do you think you don't deserve her, Sans? She seems to think you're her everything too." Toriel's voice was feather light, maybe she could help Sans see reason? Or at least get them talking again, When Frisk awoke that was.

Sans laughed, but for once there wasn't a shred of humor to it. "Yeah, okay. Let's make a why Frisk shouldn't fall in love with a skeleton list. For one, I don't age. She does."

"Planning on leaving her when she gets old?" There was only a little indignation in her voice, only a little. "What? No! Never, just, shouldn't that bother her. It has to, even if she doesn't think about it, yet." Sans answered quickly, turning his whole body sideways to talk.

"Obviously it does not, or she wouldn't have tried. Then that one is out, next?" Toriel would poke holes in every reason if they were as flimsy as this.

"Fine, point to the queen. I'm not exactly someone she can build a normal life with. I'm not human." Toriel considered this for only a half second before shaking her head.

"And her mother and father are the monster queen and king, all her friends are monsters and she grew up in the underground. She's never wanted normal. This-" she waving her hand vaguely at Sans "- is normal. Well the currently accommodations aren't but you understand."

"That's... That isn't fair. Being my friend isn't the same as dating, you know that." Sans was staring at her in mild disbelief.

"You wouldn't, you didn't even try." Toriel leaning closer to him slightly, staring him down the way only a mother could, disapproving frown and all. Shrinking back, Sans knew she was right. Damn, she wasn't the queen for nothing.

"Two points." Mumbling, Sans closed his eyes for a moment. Gathering his thoughts the queen supposed. "I could hurt her. Without meaning too. I could really hurt her." Sans was losing his battle to keep composed, and Toriel didn't like the time he had slipped into.

"Well, you are strong but she does go around with Undyne very often. If she can handle her, well, I think she'd handle you. Plus you would be careful, wouldn't you?" Patiently she tipped her head at him, and he recoiled again.

"I'm always- dammit. You're making this really hard you know. I can't just assume I won't hurt her because I care. I could lose control or... Or... No. I can't risk that."

"But she would. You don't trust her like she trusts you?" Sans leaned his skull back against the wall, cursing under his breath. "It's me I don't trust. But fine. Fine. Fuck. I'm not done thinking about it."

Standing she went to gather her things, she had planned on staying here longer but she was sure Sans wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. She would stop by again with food however. Sans watched with curious eyes, glancing from her to Frisk and back. Walking to the door, she offered a hand to help him up, then opened the door and looked back at him. He hadn't moved, but he looked less like a train wreak and more like Sans, so she didn't feel adverse to giving him one more push.

"Oh, and Sans? You only gave me reasons why you shouldn't date, not why you don't deserve her. You never did answer my question."

She left before he could formulate an answer.

Sinking into the chair, Sans couldn't shake this icy feeling that had settled between his ribs and chilled his throat. He had an answer after all, just not one he could ever say.

Grabbing Frisk's hand as delicately as he could, he wasn't surprised he found it warm.

It was cold once before.

"...I killed her once ..."

Authors Note: Oh geez, I'm really sorry bout the wait guys. Sans was just not cooperating. Jerk. BUT, I'm back, and I'll have another Chapter Tomorrow! Hopefully that makes up for the wait, see you soon!