Sans, Fuku, and Glen sat at a table in one of the rooms in Grillby's meant for small groups and parties. It took an hour for Glen to tell of her adventure, and another for Sans and Fuku to tell her their own. By the time everything was said and done, everyone in the room had a new respect for the diversity of the multiverse.
"So." Fuku said after their stories were exchanged. "The Magnificent Sans, huh?"
"Just Magnificent to his friends." Glen said with a smirk.
Sans sighed, even though he had trouble suppressing a smile at the thought of an alternate version of himself with all the energy and drive of Papyrus. "And Pap ended up with the bunny shopkeeper. Never saw that one coming."
"Infinite dimensions, infinite possibilities." Glen said. "Certainly keeps you on your toes. Still, I didn't forget about you, Sans … or Jake for that matter. I don't suppose he's with you."
"The robot dog? Nah, haven't seen him since we took the shortcut out of my home dimension." Sans's smile faded. "You don't suppose …"
"He's dead? Nah, I doubt it. Probably in some reality where all the monsters live on a beach somewhere. I'm worried, of course, but I was only just able to find you as it was."
"Then your friend, this Jake," Fuku said, "He's lost forever?"
Glen shook her head. "Nah, I'm sure I can hone in on his energy signature if I focus long enough. I just need to find the actual fragment of the Inverse Harmonius before this think breaks."
She pulled the chunk of crystal with the imprint from one of Headache's compartments and set it on the table. "I'm guessing this is what you were going to show me back in your universe, given you've been dimension-hopping too."
"Yeah." Sans said with a nod, "But ours shattered after one use. How'd you keep yours from breaking?"
"Well, I didn't." Glen said, looking at the crystal. There were small cracks in the stone, nothing severe, but she knew it would only get worse. "It's only an echo of a rune; sooner or later, it'll break down. Lucky for me, I have an actual fragment of the Inverse Harmonius."
Glen placed her hand on the table, the fragment of the rune still glimmering.
"Wait," Fuku said, "If you had that all along, couldn't you have jumped back to your own dimension ages ago?"
"Er, no." Glen said, "There's not enough of it, you see. I could probably open a dimensional portal, but it would be totally random where I'd end up. With the rune fragment and the imprint, however, I have a little more control. I can search for things, like the dimensional analyzer I left with you, Sans."
"But I left the analyzer with Alphys," Sans said. "How'd ya find me?"
"Well, I got a bit lucky, to be honest." Glen admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "Arrived in the Ruins, found it in the middle of renovations, and did the only thing I really could do; head towards Snowden. When I heard knocking at the door, I had a hunch, and I was right."
Glen yawned and shook her head. "Mind if we pick this up tomorrow? Punching holes in reality's exhausting when you're part of the power supply."
"Sure thing, landlady." Sans said, rising to his feet. "I got a spare couch if you need a place to crash."
Glen nodded, stifling another yawn. "Sounds good."
Sans lived with his brothers in a nice house on the surface. Ebott was much larger in that dimension, largely due to the success of the UNDR-Ground studios. It was a thriving town, full of the hustle and bustle one might expect in a place that saw the rise and fall of so many dreams. The areas around the entrance to the Underground were devoted to the film industry, containing more studios, large sets, and warehouses full of props and elaborate special effects. The offices came next; bulky, boring buildings where films were cut, pasted, and edited to the director's satisfaction, and the many financial facets of the UNDR-Ground were maintained.
Beyond that was the city itself. Evoking the feel of a resort town, Ebott was a thriving community of humans and monsters working side-by-side. The center of the town proper was all commercial; retail stores and restaurants, as well as the massive Delta Mall. There's some housing here, mostly large block apartments, hotels, and a few penthouse suites for the high rollers.
The outlying sections of town were home to a large number of suburban neighborhoods. Here, the hectic activity of the urban center of Ebott was exchanged for a more peaceful, easygoing existance. It came as no surprise to Glen that Sans preferred living there instead of in the hustle and bustle of the city.
Sans's home was a modest affair, and very reminiscent of his home in Snowden. That was why Sans chose it; it reminded him of home. Two stories, not too big, and equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom (for human visitors), Sans's home wasn't huge, but it was comfortable.
"Wow." Glen said, glancing around the living room. "You keep a clean house."
Fuku let out a snort, probably because the only cleaning that went on in that house was done by her hands. Perhaps it was because Glen was there, but Sans suddenly felt a little guilty about leaving the housework for her.
"Bless you." Glen said before letting out a yawn. "G'night, you two."
Without another world, the Dreamer plopped down on the old green couch and closed her eyes. In moments, she was asleep.
"Wow." Sans said as Fuku pulled a fire retardant quilt from the armchair where she usually sat and spread it over Glen. "She wasn't kidding."
"Well, she did come here from another universe." Fuku said, carefully tucking the blanket around the sleeping Dreamer. "Frisk was asleep for a week after opening the way for us."
Sans watched Glen in silence until he felt Fuku slip her hand in his.
"Hey." She said, "Want to finish our walk while she rests?"
"Sure." He said, smiling at her. "Let's go to Dreemurr park."
Dreemurr park, founded by Lady Toriel, former Queen of the UNDR-Ground. She lived in a small cottage in the park, caring for the trees and bushes and giving friendly advice. It took some digging, but Sans found out that the separation of the King and Queen happened much as it had in his reality; the king wanted to harvest human souls of those who fell into the Underground. Toriel, sickened by the death of the first, left him to live in the Ruins. She wasn't around when the Underground became the UNDR-Ground, and though she occasionally was a guest on various history shows, she had no interest in the glamour that enthralled the rest of the monsters.
They saw her as they entered the park, the tall bossun lady huddled over a flower bed, carefully tending to the blooming flowers. She wasn't alone; six children were working and/or playing near her. Four were human, one was a cat boy and the sixth looked human aside from her bunny-like ears.
One of the children working around her glanced up and spotted the skeleton and his fiery lady. Soon six curious faces were staring with unabashed curiosity. The bunny girl's ears stood up straight, probably reflexively.
Eventually, Toriel noticed her entourage were staring and turned to look at the lovers herself. "Oh! Children, it's rude to stare."
Six sets of eyes quickly looked away, each occasionally darting back to Sans and Fuku. Toriel gave them an apologetic smile and a shrug. Sans chuckled, but said nothing until they were away from the family.
"Sweet of her to care for so many." Fuku said, the flames of her hands licking harmlessly at Sans's skeletal fingers.
"She's a good mother. It's a shame what happened to her own kids."
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Fuku let out a sigh. She glanced around until she spotted one of the park's many benches before pulling Sans to the bench.
"Sans." Fuku said, squeezing his hand. "Don't go."
Sans's eye-sockets widened. "What?"
"I … I don't want you to go." Fuku said, her cheeks blushing bright. "With Glen, I mean. And don't say you weren't thinking about it; I know you, and I know you think Glen can help you find a way to save your brother. Tell me I'm wrong."
Sans looked at her for a long moment before finally saying, "I guess she has had a bit of an effect on me. Half a year ago, I felt hopeless; like nothing I did mattered anymore. She stopped that, and even managed to save me in the process. Honestly, I feel that I owe her something."
"I know." Fuku said, "Believe me, I'm glad you met her. If you hadn't, you'd be dead, and the monsters of my dimension would be worse off. It's just …"
"Yeah?" He asked.
She stared at him for a long moment before saying, "I love you, Sans. I love your kindness, I love your smile, I even love your puns. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose you."
It took a few moments for Sans to reply, "I know. I mean, you know I know, and you know."
"I know what?"
"That … well ..." Sans felt his cheekbones grow warm, quite a feat seeing as he had no blood.
"Yes?" She pressed, taking both of his hands.
"That I love you too." Sans said, taking both of her hands in his. "You could say I've got a fire in my heart."
"Silly Sleepybones." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.
The sound of birdsong, the rustling of leaves, and the distant whispering children were the only sounds between them for about a minute before Sans let out a sigh.
"I'm not going." He said.
Fuku's eyes went wide. "Really?"
"Truth be told, even Glen wasn't absolutely sure about saving Papyrus. It's all well and good to say anything's possible, but some things are damn near improbable. I could jump dimensions for hundreds of years, run into hundreds of Papyrus who are almost the same, but the truth is that my Papyrus is dead. He died trying to help. If he were around, I think he'd want me to stay too."
"Sans …"
They shared a brief kiss before the sound of giggling made them pull away.
Toriel shushed her adopted children and said, "Come along, children, it's time for dinner.
Fuku and Sans kissed again once the bossun woman and her children departed, longer this time.
"But I am going to try my best to help her while she's here." Sans said as he sat back. "I owe her that much."
"Of course." Fuku said, "She looked exhausted. Maybe Alphys can-"
The intro bars to AFI's 'Girl's Not Gray' broke the tranquil silence of the park. Fuku quickly pulled her phone from her skirt pocket and answered it.
"Dad, hi!" She said. "I'm out with Sans. He's ... entertaining an old friend. Oh? Oh really? Hang on, I'll check."
Looking at Sans, Fuku asked, "Are you joining us for dinner tonight?"
"Better not." Sans said, though he couldn't help but be disappointed; Grillby was a good cook. "With Glen and all."
"I could see if dad minds you bringing her."
Sans shook his head. "Nah, wouldn't want to impose. Besides, no telling when she'll wake up."
"He can't make it." Fuku told her father. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Um, sure, I can help if you really need me. All right. All right! I'll be home in a few minutes. All right. Bye, dad."
Sliding the phone back into her skirt pocket, Fuku said, "Sounds like he's preparing something special tonight."
"Maybe he's gonna pop the question to Tori." Sans said, grin widening. "See that? How can I leave when we've gotta make sure they make it to the wedding without having nervous breakdowns."
Fuku laughed and rose to her feet, Sans standing up a moment later. They shared a hug and another kiss before Fuku left the park. She stopped as she reached the outer sidewalk and called out, "Don't you go disappearing on me!"
"And have you get all hot under the collar? Not a chance."
With a final giggle, Fuku departed. Sans stared after her for a long moment before he realized he had an even sillier smile than normal on his face. Shaking his head, he walked toward the other entrance. There was a friend he needed to see.
