Disclaimer: Reset AU and Reset!Blue belong to skesgo. The events in this fic are NOT canon to their au, just merely inspired by it. (Go check out their amazing au and art if you haven't already!)

The excerpt that Sans reads is from The Universe in Your Hand by Christophe Galfard.

The innkeeper's daughter had been the first to vanish. Sans would never forget that terrible morning.

The bone-chilling screams that shattered the morning air.

The raw desperation in the mother's eyes.

Her pleading, her begging, her clawing at Papyrus' hoodie to please do something. Find her! Bring her back! PLEASE!

They had spent hours searching in the forest. Sans had done his best to keep up moral and positivity and hope, but he hadn't been able to dislodge the despair in everyone's eyes. They all knew the search was futile.

For the child was gone.

Despite the strange circumstances, despite the distinct lack of dust, they knew that the child wasn't coming back. The empty pyjamas laid out under the duvet covers, sleeves wrapped around the little toy bunny, was proof of that.

But Sans had soldiered on. He had kept searching until he had been the only one left. And would have kept going if Papyrus hadn't forced him back to town.

Sans had cried out in protest. They couldn't just do nothing!

Papyrus had silenced him with a single look. Tears had risen in Sans' eyes but he'd understood. The child was gone, but that didn't mean they couldn't do something. Even if that something was incredibly painful. Even if that something was acceptance.

Sans had followed a pace behind Papyrus' solemn figure back towards the inn. Papyrus paused outside the entrance. He laid a bony hand on the smooth wooden door before closing his eyes and taking a long drag from his cigarette. Sans took a moment to breathe as well. He inhaled deeply and let the icy air course through him, rinsing himself of unwanted emotion, before opening his eyes and bracing himself for what was to come.

Papyrus pushed the door open.

They found the mother crumpled next to the child's bed. Hands clutching the duvet, damp from her tears. Sans' heart fell as the flash of hope in her eyes faded when she saw their expressions. Papyrus knelt down next to her.

'No, no, no.' The mother shook her head. 'She can't be gone.' Her voice grew hysterical. 'There's not even any dust! She can't be gone! No, no…' She collapsed onto Papyrus and burst into tears. Papyrus held her as she wailed into his shoulder. Sans tried his best to shove his emotions down but the mother's grief was infectious. Within no time his cheeks were wet and shining with silent tears.

Eventually the mother's sobs slowed. Papyrus helped her stand up.

'Sans,' Papyrus said without looking at him. Sans hastily wiped his eyes and gazed up at his brother. 'Bring the child's pyjamas and soft toy.'

Sans did as asked, gingerly gathering up the clothes and nestling the little bunny safely among them. Papyrus led them outside. There was a small crowd of concerned townsfolk standing in the snow. Papyrus spoke to them, but Sans didn't hear what was said. He was too busy concentrating on holding the child's belongings like they were the most delicate treasure in the world.

Because at that moment, they were.

The weeping mother clutched onto Papyrus as he traipsed into the forest. Sans followed. The villagers of Snowdin trailed behind.

They walked and walked and walked. Sans lost track of time, focused on his task of holding the delicate treasure. He looked up only when Papyrus stopped. They had reached one of the most beautiful trees in the forest. It was more isolated than the others and stood in the middle of a small clearing. It was a magnificent thing. Its branches reached high and wide and glittered with ice and reflections from the cavern's gemstones as its leaves hung gracefully down and fanned out over them, like it was protecting them from some hidden danger.

The crowd silently filtered out and around. It felt as if the whole underground were holding its breath. Sans felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. His brother nodded and gave him a meaningful gaze. Sans knew what he had to do.

Sans walked forward, his lonely footsteps crunching in the snow, echoing. He knelt down and gently lay the child's belongings at the foot of the tree. He stroked the bunny once before falling back to Papyrus' side.

'Now her essence will live on in the tree,' Papyrus said softly.

The mother burst into tears.

Sans couldn't remember how long they had all stood out in the silent snow, listening to the mother cry, praying that the bunny held enough of the child's essence to allow her to live on.

The mother had vanished the following reset. Sans fell to his knees when he went to check on her. Papyrus closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Sans, apathy taking over his body, had gathered up the clothes and made his way out into the forest. Papyrus didn't follow. Sans had lain the clothes next to the daughter's and knelt in silence as the snow steadily soaked his trousers, numbing both his bones and his mind.

Three more piles of belongings had appeared that day.

Napstaton had started playing hopeful and uplifting speeches after the third reset. Sans had them all memorised by the ninth. Through his motivational music and inspiring sermons, Napstaton was successful at keeping up moral in the underground, however his demeanour suddenly changed after the eleventh reset. Sans couldn't figure out why. Only two relatively unknown monsters had vanished that day: a monster known as Onion-san, and one called Mettablook.

The world reset again. And again. And again.

The little memorial site Papyrus had started grew. And grew. And grew.

Waterfall, Hotland, and New Home all started their own as numbers in the underground decreased.

Undyne had vanished on the twenty-third reset. Papyrus had walked out the door under the pretence of buying cigarettes, but didn't return. Sans spent hours searching for him all over the underground but hadn't been able to find him. He eventually went home and sat on the couch, frozen stiff and wide-awake, until his brother came back. Papyrus finally returned a full twenty-four hours later, not smelling of cigarette smoke like usual, but of dog food. His eyes had been redder than usual, and the shadows under them deep.

On the twenty-fourth reset Alphys had vanished. Sans hadn't believed it. Not Alphys. Not the strong fearless leader of the Royal Guard. No. She couldn't… she can't vanish.

'Tell me it's not true, Papyrus!' He cried as both numbness and hysteria crawled through his bones. 'PAPYRUS! PLEASE!Not Alphys!' Tears streamed down his cheeks. 'Not her! She can't.' He hadn't been able to speak after that. The words got stuck in his throat as sobs wracked his body, wrought with pain. Papyrus held his brother tight. Neither of them had noticed the faint yellow glow in Sans' eyes.

Three weeks into the thirty-ninth reset, Papyrus went missing. Sans knew he hadn't vanished, but he still panicked as he ran all over the underground in search for him, terrible 'what-if' scenarios running riot in his head. Eventually Sans found him outside the entrance to the ruins, slumped against the wall and covered in dirt and brick-dust. The magnificent door had been reduced to rubble. There were damaged bones, both white and orange, half buried in the debris.

Sans ran up to his brother but halted when he saw the purple robe he held in his hands. Papyrus looked up at him, despair clouded his eyes and dirty tears streaked down his face. Sans sat next to his brother and embraced him. Papyrus had curled up and cried on his brother's shoulder for what felt like an eternity.

The underground had fallen silent when Napstaton vanished. It was the fifty-first reset.

Sans had sat in front of the radio, just listening to the static on full blast.

'You can't sit there forever,' Papyrus said.

Sans shook his head fervently. 'He'll be back. And I'll be waiting for him.'

Silence. The sound of grief-stricken exhaustion. Then the slow thud of footsteps as Papyrus headed towards the door. A gust of cold wind washed over Sans as the door opened, momentarily filling the void within him, before gently clicking shut. Sans sat immobile and staring at the wall. His vision went blurry. His body grew numb. His head rang with the static's anaesthetising buzz as he disassociated from reality. The blue in his eyes had faded as they gave way to yellow.

With every reset it was harder and harder to act like normal. But Sans tried, oh how he tried. He'd make breakfast every morning, chat happily with Papyrus, then go out and check his traps. But it was difficult when getting groceries meant raiding the ownerless store (though he always left gold on the counter, just in case). It was a struggle when Papyrus refused to get out of bed, and if he did he'd just sit on the front step and smoke the day away. It was impossible when checking the traps brought back memories of playing with Chara oh so many resets ago. Dreams of what could have been, what should have been, plaguing his mind as he sat huddled in the snow, gazing up at the caverns and imagining the stars.

The queen had vanished on the sixty-seventh reset.

'Papyrus.' Sans turned to face his brother, tears brimming in his eyes. 'There must be a way to go back. To bring them all back.'

Papyrus held his brother's gaze, unable to tell him the truth but not able to lie either. He said nothing.

'I'll bring them back! I'll find a way!' Sans cried in response to Papyrus' silence, his voice taking on an edge of hysteria. 'Even if I have to do it alone!' Papyrus had pulled his distraught brother close and held him tight until both their shoulders were damp with each other's tears.

The world reset relentlessly.

The underground's numbers dwindled drastically.

Hope faded to a tenacious glimmer that existed solely in Sans' yellow-blue eyes.

Sans slowly woke from his fitful sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief, the world hadn't reset. Today was safe. He rolled out of bed and rearranged the sheets before throwing on some clothes and making his way downstairs to cook breakfast, just like normal.

It had been two months since the last reset, the ninety-second reset, and Sans still made every effort to act like he always had.

He hummed as he cooked. He ignored the lack of people outside and the silent radio, choosing instead to focus on enjoying the act of cooking: the whisking of fresh ingredients, the sizzle of oil in the pan, the buttery smell of pancakes.

Once he was done, Sans piled the pancakes high onto a plate and called Papyrus down, just like normal. For once, his brother actually responded. Sans smiled as Papyrus took a seat at the table.

'So I'm thinking of going to check on the traps today!' Sans said enthusiastically, just like normal. He placed two pancakes on Papyrus' plate and three on his. 'Would you like to join me?' Papyrus said nothing as Sans piled cream and fruit onto his own plate, just like normal. Sans handed Papyrus the honey but frowned when his brother poured barely a drizzle over his pancakes. Sans reached over and turned the bottle back upside down so that the pancakes were drowning in the golden syrup. Just like normal.

'I'm thinking about modifying the third one. You know the one with the switches? It could be better designed, what do you think?' When Papyrus failed to reply he continued. 'Also the fifth one gets covered in snow way too easily-'

'-Sans,' Papyrus cut over him, but Sans ignored him and continued his normal conversation.

'Maybe I should build a small snow wall to stop the snow drift? Or I could get some sort of cover I guess-

-Sans,' Papyrus repeated, an edge of desperation in his voice.

Sans swallowed. 'I think I'll decide when I get there,' his voice took on a forced tone, 'after all I don't want to waste time building a wall for noth-

'-Sans, Sans stop.' Papyrus pleaded, 'We have to talk about this.'

Sans chewed slowly. His grip tightened on his knife and fork. 'Talking doesn't work, remember?' he said, dropping all pretence of normalcy. 'Or have you forgotten the last time we tried?'

Papyrus averted his gaze. He clenched his jaw. 'I'm not talking about Chara,' he said as he looked back at Sans, 'I'm talking about you.I'm worried about you.'

'Worried about me?' Sans spluttered with disbelief, 'At least I'm able to get up in the mornings!'

'At least I'm not acting like everything's normal when it so blatantly isn't!' Papyrus' sharp voice cut into Sans.

Sans didn't say anything as he stared down at his half-eaten breakfast, appetite gone. He couldn't do this. Not here. Not now. Why couldn't everything just go back to normal?

Papyrus groaned and ran his hands over his skull. 'I'm sorry,' he said, 'I didn't mean to yell like that.'

'Can we just enjoy the pancakes?' Sans said quietly, 'Please?'

Papyrus looked at his brother in dismay but then forced himself to smile. 'Yeah, okay.'

The metallic clinks of cutlery were the only sounds that broke the solemn silence between the two brothers as they ate their breakfast.

It was anything but normal.

Sans trudged out into the forest by himself, making his way to the traps. Though he soon realised his feet were leading him somewhere else, leading him to the memorial tree. He didn't object and eventually came upon the little clearing. At least a hundred piles of belongings were strung up on the lower branches of the tree and carefully placed about in the snow around the trunk. It was supposed to look beautiful and moving, but the only image it brought to Sans' mind was of a dismal looking Christmas tree.

Sans let the cold air wash over him as he gazed out at the bundles of belongings, all of them frozen stiff. Snow drifts piled up against them while ice drew its patterns in the cloth. Two little bunny ears fluttering by the tree caught his eye. He wondered over and crouched in front of the very first bundle that had been placed here. He gently brushed away the snow that covered the little toy and gave it a little hug to warm away the ice particles. He gently placed it back down so it was resting comfortably against the tree. Sans closed his eyes. The trees whispered and the wind swirled and the gems in the caverns shone coldly down on him as he inhaled and clenched the fabric of his shorts. He was going to bring them all back. He was going to stop Chara. He didn't know how, but he was going to do it. He had to. The alternative was too horrific to even contemplate.

Sans opened his eyes when he heard whimpering behind him. He turned to see a lonely whimsun hovering inches above the snow, clearly distressed.

Sans jumped up and ran over to it. 'Are you okay? What are you doing out here?' Concern laced his voice. 'Are your family gone too?' The whimsun nodded and started to cry. Sans wrapped his arms around it. 'Don't you worry, they'll all come back, just you wait and see.' He pulled back and wiped the whimsun's tears away. 'But in the meantime, would you like to stay with me and my brother?' The whimsun nodded. 'Come on then.' Sans took its trembling hand, frozen with cold, and gently lead it back to Snowdin Town.

Papyrus was sitting on the front step of their house when Sans and the whimsun returned. Cigarette butts littered the snow around him and a freshly lit one was softly smoking in between his fingers. Papyrus' questioning eyes flicked to the whimsun and then back at Sans.

'It's staying with us until everyone comes back,' Sans said.

Papyrus gave his brother a measured look. 'You still believe that, huh?'

Sans shot him a glare as tears rose in the whimsun's eyes. He tightened his grip on the whimsun's hand. 'Of course I do.'

Papyrus flinched as regret sank into his features. 'Sans, I-'

Sans pushed past his brother and led the whimsun into the house.

By the time Papyrus came back inside, Sans had wrapped the whimsun in blankets, made it tea and food, and was now huddled up next to it on the couch, reading it his favourite book. Papyrus sat down at the table and listened in.

'…you now gaze at the stars with the eyes of a child.

'What is the universe made of? What lies in the vicinity of the Earth? And beyond? How far can one look? Is anything known about the universe's history? Does it even have one?

'As the waves gently wash over the shore, as you wonder if one will ever be able to probe these cosmic mysteries, the twinkling of the stars seems to lull your body into a half-conscious state. You can hear your approaching friends' conversations, but, strangely, you already feel the world differently than you did a few minutes ago. Everything seems somehow richer, more profound, as if your mind and body were both part of something much, much, bigger than anything you had ever thought of before. Your hands, your legs, your skin…Matter…Time…Space…Intertwined fields of forces all around you…

'A veil you didn't even know was there has been lifted from the world to reveal a mysterious and unexpected reality. Your mind yearns to be back among the stars, and you have the feeling that some extraordinary journey is about to take you very far away from your home world.'

Sans's words faded into silence. The whimsun had fallen asleep. Sans closed the book and sat up, however as soon as he moved the whimsun started to whimper and tremble as nightmares plagued its mind. Sans placed a hand on the monster's head and gently stroked it while murmuring words of comfort. It immediately relaxed. It nestled into Sans side and breathed easier. Sans continued to stroke it. Papyrus simply watched from his seat at the table, slouched on his side with his head in his hand.

For a moment the only sounds where the gentle snores of the whimsun and Sans' soft strokes on its head. The two brothers couldn't help but feel at peace.

'Do you know how many times Chara has reset the world?' Sans asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Papyrus gave a tired shrug, 'At least fifty since that kid vanished so… a couple hundred since the beginning? Why?'

Sans' hand stilled on the whimsun. 'Four hundred and eighty-three,' he said softly.

Papyrus lifted his head. '…What?' Disbelief clear in his voice.

Sans raised his listless eyes, they bored into Papyrus' unusually wide ones. 'Ninety-two since the inn-keeper's daughter vanished, but four-hundred and eighty-three times since Chara fell. I've been keeping count.'

'What? Why? How?' Papyrus shook his head. 'That doesn't matter, you shouldn't have kept count, it's not good for your sanity!' The air grew cold as Papyrus' words gave way to silence. Sans resumed his stroking of the whimsun.

'It's four hundred and eighty-three times I've not given in,' he said, a sliver of optimism ringing through his words. His eyes grew piercing as he held his brother's gaze. 'You want to know why I'm trying to act like normal? It's because if I don't, it means the others aren't coming back. It means we'll never get to the surface and it means Chara's won. But worst of all, it means I've given up.' His blue eyes shone yellow with grim determination. 'And I won'tlet that happen.' His blazing words hung there, glistening, in front of Papyrus' solemn face.

A peal of laughter rang out.

Sans' eyes widened as Papyrus leant back in his chair and laughed; the soft sound shattered the tense air.

Sans was nonplussed. 'I'm being serious!' he exclaimed.

'Oh I don't doubt it,' Papyrus said, grinning. In an uncharacteristic display of energy, he ran over to his brother and leapt on him, giving him a bone crushing hug.

'Papyrus!' Sans squealed as he was squashed beneath his giant brother. 'You'll wake the whimsun!'

'Oops, sorry.' But Papyrus sounded anything but apologetic as he lazily rolled over and sat up next to Sans, a glimmer of laughter still in his eye.

'What was that all about?' Sans asked, but he was smiling. He felt warmth growing within him as he looked at his happy brother.

'I'm sorry for doubting you,' Papyrus said. 'You are the magnificent Sans after all.' He wrapped his arms around Sans and pulled him close. 'I love you so so much,' he said quietly. 'Please don't ever change.'

Sans returned the hug. 'I'll do my best. I love you too.'

They stayed like that all evening, entwined together on the couch. They were happy, actually happy, something they hadn't felt in a very long time and they held onto it dearly. Sans wished he could have frozen the moment and just stayed there forever. He didn't want this happiness to disappear. But time is cruel.

Especially when controlled by a malevolent demon.

Sans rolled over in his bed. He froze. No.He clenched his eyes shut. No, no, no. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the couch next to his brother, the little whimsun huddled between them. So the fact that he was back in bed…

He burst out his room and slammed his hands to his mouth when he laid eyes on the sofa, empty apart from a little whimsun robe bundled in the middle. 'No, no, no,' he mumbled through his hands as he shook his head in denial.

Papyrus came out of his own room. He paled when he saw the empty whimsun robe. His body swayed. He muttered something about being right back before running down the stairs and flying out the door.

'Papyrus, wait!' Sans cried, confused, and ran out after him, but he had already gone. Sans stood still in the silent snow. His body slowly turned numb with cold. Only when he started shivering did he go back inside and face the vanished whimsun. He sat on the couch and laid the robe in his lap. He didn't know what to do with himself. He sat there for hours, staring down at the robe, unmoving, as his glowing blue eyes flickered yellow.

Eventually Papyrus returned. Sans' head shot up as the door slammed shut. He looked into Papyrus' dark eyes. His brother didn't even need to speak, his expression said it all.

They were the only ones left.

Papyrus staggered and collapsed onto the dining chair as anxiety and dread took over him. Tears shone in his terrified eyes. Sans jumped off the couch when he realised his brother wasn't coping. He gently took Papyrus' hand.

'Come on Papy, let's go put the whimsun with the others.'

Papyrus stared at him in disbelief, but he let Sans lead him out the house and into the forest.

Sans tried not to think about the empty houses they passed, lights still on and clocks still ticking, as if everyone had just popped out for a minute, all at the same time.

He tried not to think about how painfully loud their footsteps were as they trudged through the silent underground. Each crunch a reminder that they were the only living beings left.

He forced himself not to think about what would happen if the world reset again.

They eventually made it to the memorial tree. Sans knelt down in the snow pulled his brother down next to him. Together they laid the little robe in the snow.

Neither of them moved as the trees sighed around them, as if they too mourned. The caverns glittered down upon them, bathing the world in a soft silver and a gentle breeze wrapped itself around them, comforting them in their sorrow.

'Don't worry, Papyrus,' Sans eventually broke the silence. His voice was soft but gritty with determination. 'I'll find a way to bring them all back.'

'I know you will.' Papyrus' voice was a mere whisper on the wind.

Sans clenched his fists as the weight of the mountain suddenly pressed in around him. 'And then we'll get to the surface and we'll have our happy ending, just you wait and see!'

There was silence. Papyrus sniffed and wiped his eyes. 'I wish I could have your hope,' his voice cracked. Sans turned and hugged his brother. Tears started flowing down Papyrus' cheeks and soaked into Sans' shoulder.

'How can you still believe that?' Papyrus sobbed, 'After everything that's happened?'

Sans tightened his grip on his brother. He clenched his teeth and buried his head into Papyrus' shoulder. 'I have to,' he said as he forced his tears down. 'If I don't have hope, then I have nothing.'

Papyrus sucked in his breath. Sans gasped as his brother squeeze him tight. 'Don't say that,' pain was clear in Papyrus' voice. 'You have me. We have each other.'

Sans hugged his brother so hard it hurt. Heat rose behind his eyes as tears spilt. Sans bit down hard on his tongue to stop the unspoken question from slipping through his teeth…

But for how long?

Sans woke suddenly from his sleep. He kept his eyes shut. He didn't move a muscle. He barely even breathed.

He knew it. He didn't need to hear, he didn't need to move, he didn't even need to see, and he knew it.

He curled over and dug his fingers into his skull as he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to cry. He slammed his hands over his mouth as a wail escaped.

He forced himself to breathe. In and out. In. And out.

He tried to reason with himself. Just because the world has reset, doesn't mean everyone is gone. There have been resets before where no monster vanished. This is probably just one of them. He felt sick.

Still, with that thought at the front of his mind, he managed to get out of bed. Getting out his room was another matter though. Ever since the whimsun vanished, he and Papyrus had slept together on the couch. So this door was the only thing between him and the possibility of his worst nightmare. He forced his dark thoughts down. He placed his hand on the handle and took a deep, shuddering breath before pushing the door wide.

His mind went numb. His vision swam. His breath stuck in his throat.

No.

He shortcut down the stairs and appeared in front of the couch.

No.

He raised a trembling hand and reached towards Papyrus' empty jeans and hoodie lying haphazardly on the couch. One arm was flung over the back of the sofa and the other tucked in the pockets. The exact same position he'd been in last night.

Sans tried to cry. He tried to scream. He tried to raise his emotions and destroy the world with its sadistic ways.

But all he could do was stand there in horror.

He couldn't feel anything. Not the worn softness of Papyrus' hoodie as he gently picked it up. Not the bite of icy air as he stepped outside. Not the snow flattening beneath his feet as he made his way out into the forest.

Was it hours or seconds that passed? All Sans knew was that he was at the memorial tree. He gazed out unseeing at the hundreds of piles of belongings.

He fell to his knees.

He stared at the blinding white snow. It contrasted sickeningly with the orange of Papyrus' hoodie in his hands.

Numbness mercilessly pricked his body. All he could feel was a mounting pressure behind his eyes and a ringing in his ears and a wetness on his cheeks.

The memory of the last time he and Papyrus had come here rose foggily to mind, when they had said farewell to the last whimsun - to the last monster.

A bubble of hysterical laughter welled within him. Turns out the answer was twenty-six days. Twenty-six fuckingdays. Not even a month.

A small breeze weaved around him, making the sleeves of Papyrus' hoodie flutter. He tried to lower it onto the snow but his hands started violently trembling. They wouldn't let him put it down. They wouldn't let him accept that Papyrus was gone. They shook and shook as tears flowed down his cheeks and pressure pounded in his head and they shook.

His breathing quickened.

Papyrus was gone.

Sans choked.

Papyrus was gone.

Sans doubled over. His breathing grew shallower and shallower until it stuck in his throat. His eyes grew hot. Sickness churned inside him. Tightness spread across his chest and his throat closed up as his vision swam in front of him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He clawed at his throat but his bony phalanges slid uselessly over his vertebrae as panic and horror flared in his gut. He fell onto all fours and retched into the snow, his body spasming as it denied reality and its horrible truth. Unwanted magic surged within him. It was angry and burnt his insides. Gaster Blasters appeared in the air above him. He groaned as the pressure grated on his soul. His skull throbbed, it pounded, as blaster after blaster filled the space above him. Sans clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth and gave a wordless cry of pain as reality's horrors started to sink in. He gasped. He retched. He sobbed.

Papyrus was gone.

Sans screamed as raw emotion slammed back into his being. Blasters roared; bones crashed; trees uprooted as misery and magic poured out of him, all added to the terrible noise ripping itself from Sans. It was a cacophony of agony, despair and grief. It was the sound of a world being torn to shreds. It was the sound of sanity shattering.

It filled the entire underground.

Sans trembled alone in the snow. He was knelt curled in a ball, head in the snow by his knees, hugging Papyrus' hoodie. He shivered and shook as tears poured silently down his cheeks, steaming slightly as they hit the snow. Ash and leaves and dirty flecks of snow fluttered and settled around him. The forest around him had been decimated. Every tree was either burnt or damaged or entirely non-existent. All except for the memorial tree. Somehow, it had managed to survive completely unscathed. It stood still and silent as it watched over the lonely figure huddled at its feet.

Sans' mind was empty as he lay there. The darkness was warm and his breathing comforting. He would have lain like that forever, unmoving in the snow, if it hadn't been for the laughter.

Sans froze when he heard it ring out, terrified for a moment that the maniacal sound came from himself. But no, he knew that laugh. He sat up. His eyes were orange and flickered like flames in the night.

It was the laugh of a demon.

Sans looked out across the memorial site. Chara stepped out from behind the tree, their blood red eyes glittered dangerously. Sans, shoving his grief aside, jumped to his feet and summoned a bone. He gritted his teeth. He stood his ground. Chara leant against the tree and lazily toyed with a knife. They tossed it into the air. Sans' eyes followed it as it slowly spun, the metal glinting threateningly, before falling back down and landing in Chara's outstretched hand.

Sans turned cold as those demonic eyes turned onto him. Chara grinned.

.

.

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.

.

Sans snapped.

His eyes blazed as rage exploded within him and waves of bones poured from his outstretched arms. First white. Then blue. And then orange.

He cried with fury as blasters fired a thousand beams of light towards the demon and blinded the world.

Tears poured down his cheeks and blurred his vision as he focused on destroying those laughing red eyes belonging to the being who had taken everything from him.

He didn't see the memorial tree get torn up.

He didn't see the piles of belongings go up in smoke.

He didn't see Papyrus' hoodie flutter dangerously close to his wrath.

All he saw was those mocking red eyes as laughter danced around him

Sans' chest heaved as his attack faded and the fire in his eyes dulled. Flakes of fabric and snow drifted around him. The world slowly came back into focus.

Sans' eyes widened as he took in the carnage around him.

No, no, no.

He took a step back. Horrified. He shook his head. What had he done.

He raised his hands to his mouth, but that was when he saw the ruined piece of cloth tangling from his fingers.

He choked.

The hoodie was singed and torn beyond repair. Sans swayed as dizziness clouded his vision.

Laughter rang out around him once more.

Sans wailed. He couldn't do this. He couldn't cope.

Sans ran. He ran and ran and tried to outrun the grief clipping his heels; the pain squeezing his soul; the demonic laughter burning his mind. The torn orange hoodie streamed from his hands and flared out behind him.

He ran through the forest, branches scraping and scratching his bones as he barely bothered to dodge them.

He ran through the empty town and tried not to scream.

The snow turned to slush as he ran into Waterfall, mud splattering his trousers and rain soaking him to the core.

He ran through the glittering caverns, the gemstones shining down on him with indifferent brilliance.

He ran into a field of echo flowers. His foot snagged on a hidden root. He cried out as he tripped and landed face first in the dirt.

The grief caught up with him.

Sans cried out in pain as sobs wracked his body and anguish filled his mind. His tears sank into the earth as he weeped into the cold soil. He cried his heart out as he mourned the lost souls of the underground, mourned his lost brother, mourned his lost hope.

Sans didn't know how long he lay there for on the cold wet ground. Eventually his sobs lessoned as he started to shiver, but he was beyond getting up. As the silence grew around him he started to become aware of whispering around him. He froze with horror, but relaxed when he realised the whisperings were of a peaceful nature.

It was the echo flowers.

He closed his eyes and let the murmurings wash over him.

*I want Dad to come back. That's my wish.

*Despite everything that's happened, I'd still like to climb this mountain we're all buried under.

*Please, I just want my sister back. Is that too much to ask?

*Let's not think about the future. Right now, we still have each other.

His breathing deepened and his tears slowed as the echo flowers calmed and comforted him. With a groan he managed to roll himself onto his back. He opened his eyes. He gazed up at the icy blue flowers leaning over him.

*Do you really think they are all gone? Truly?

*No, I believe that they'll come back one day.

*But so many people have vanished. How can you believe that?

*If something can vanish, why can't it reappear?

Slowly, ever so slowly, Sans started to sit up. The effort was almost beyond him and he started crying again as he forced himself upright. His bones screamed at him in protest. His vision doubled. His chest tightened.

*Someday we'll look at the stars for real. You, me, and everyone that vanished.

Sans took a shuddering breath. As the echo flowers whispered their words, he felt something alight inside of him.

*Someone will save us. I know it.

Hope.

Sans lifted his head. The people of the underground hadn't been erased, not completely. Even if they didn't physically exist, their hopes and dreams still did. Sans gave the barest of smiles. He wasn't alone.

Orange caught the corner of his eye. His smile dropped. He picked up the ruined cloth and hugged it. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered, 'I lost my hope for a second there.' He laid the torn hoodie out in front of him and ripped off a bit of fabric. He tied it around his leg. 'But I won't ever let that happen again,' he said with a quiet intensity. He then started to dig a small hole in front of one of the echo flowers. He inhaled. The smell of fresh flowers and soil cleansed him from the inside. He laid the hoodie in the hole and covered it with earth. He summoned a small blue-orange bone and stuck it half in the dirt, marking the little grave. The echo flower leant over protectively. Its petals were wide and expectant, waiting for Sans' words.

Sans spoke. His words were soft yet determined to the core. The echo flower soaked them up and sung them back at him, adding his voice to the chorus of hopes and dreams in the underground.

'I'll bring you back, Papyrus. I'll bring you all back.'

'I promise.'

I'm so sorry.

But ummm let me know if you liked it?