Daddy's a Serial Killer

Chapter 36 - Settling Down

Laughing Jack was always so careful with Sans and Bean. Tilting his claws away to make sure he wouldn't accidentally impale them. And he did the same with the little soulling hovering next to Sans', looking at it like it was everything to him. His smile was so wide and heart-melting, the clown murmuring quiet little joyful words to the orange human soul.

"What did you name him?" Laughing Jack asked, gently hovering his hands so the two souls could return to Sans' chest.

Sans was, as expected, sick. Why wouldn't he be? He spent three days under stress, while pregnant and half-naked. So there he sat, having breakfast in bed as he shivered and coughed. His skull ached, throbbing occasionally with the headache he got. Jeff was nice enough to figure out how to make ketchup pancakes. The kid was talented, Sans would give him that. They tasted pretty damn good. And he got them all to himself because no one else would eat them.

"Cole," Jane hummed, a persistent smile on her face as she set down a cup of milk next to Sans. "Now that we know you're pregnant, we should schedule a doctor's appointment as soon as you're better."

"That's what I was thinking. We did that last time with Bean when she was conceived. I'd like to do it sooner than wait a full month like last time." Sans let a cough rattle through his body, frowning at the experience. He hadn't been sick in years, now suddenly he was getting sick every few months. Was there a new outbreak of sicknesses going on or something?

"But, before we do that, I think it's about time we talked about... the more in-depth details of what happened during your extended leave," Jane said, sitting down next to Sans and Laughing Jack. "And what to do to prevent it."

Sans felt a slight wave of relief wash over him. It would be nice to finally get everything out and settle down again. It almost felt like everyone was holding their breaths after he had returned. Not wanting to complicate the situation, but waiting. And now the waiting was over.

"Yeah, I think so too," Sans said. He set aside his fork, pancakes soon forgotten as he had something else to prioritize. "It was the Puppeteer that kidnapped me. I'll get that right out of the way. He used that rose so it'd be easier to transport me, and then he brought me to this random ass, old abandoned greenhouse to try and have me hook up with a friend of his."

"We both know about that, Toby and Clockwork filled us in on every detail they saw when we woke up early today," Jane said. "They already explained that Helen was an unwilling participant and that he was the reason you all got away without a bigger fight happening. We talked about it and decided that if the Puppeteer is found, we'll let Laughing Jack... ah, deal with him."

"Without killing him," Sans clarified, looking between the two. "Keep him alive. I don't care what ya do beyond that."

Laughing Jack whined, giving Sans a long, desperate look.

"Helen... reminds me a lot of myself. He needs his friend. Trust me, I don't like that puppet guy either. But just keep him alive. You can certainly toss him around a bit, he kidnapped me. Fuck him," Sans said, lightly coughing after he took a quick pause.

"... Fine," Laughing Jack said, narrowly glaring at the wall as if it was the reason his beloved family was kidnapped.

"So what happened over the stay?" Jane asked. "Did they treat you alright? Did they say anything weird?"

"Briefly the Puppeteer threatened me once or twice. Threatened to kill Bean and little Cole so I wouldn't run. Obviously, he put that magic restraint onto me." Sans glanced down towards the somewhat faded bruises on his wrist. "But most of the time it was just awkwardly sitting with Helen. He was just really lonely, I guess. So we just sort of... vibed?"