Forgotten Phoenix (New Purpose Sequel)

Chapter 11- You're Not Him

(~Your POV~)

The motion of a child snuggling close pulls me from the comfort of sleep. I open one eye and see Roman. He hides his face in my shirt with his arms wrapped tightly around me.

'When did he come down here?'

Doesn't matter to me. The dark and silent room around us reminds me that it's still the middle of the night. I start to question why Roman is up.

'Nightmares again?'

I hum gently and place a hand on his skull. "H-Hi, Pumpkin." I hear his muffled voice, "I love you, Mama." Even if it's still late, this has always been the best thing to wake up to.

'I don't understand. Normally when this happens he goes to Serif???'

I sit up, making sure to hold Roman close as I do so. I rub his back as I check on my eldest. His spot on the couch is empty. "Where's y-your b-brother?" I ask. "I don't know." Roman answers in a tired voice. Fear starts to creep in quickly.

'Where is my child?!'

One of my worst fears is finding out that Serif passed away in his sleep. Why else would he just disappear in the middle of the night? With his soul deficiency, there's no telling what could happen. There is no trace of dust on the couch but I still feel myself guessing the worst. "Serif?! Serif, w-w-where are you?!" I look around frantically for a sign of my son.

(~Honey's POV~)

I jolt awake due to a sudden movement by my side. I open my eyes to see Y/N taking the sleeping Serif away from me. Her expression is cold. The only way I can see her is the light seeping in from the hallway. I try to assure her that Serif sleeping here didn't bother me. "Ya didn't have to move him. It was alright-" "What are y-y-you d-doing with t-things that don't belong to you?" She asks harshly. Her gaze is locked on the book to my side.

I sigh, "Look, the kid brought it for me to see. I'm the one who wrote it-" Y/N's posture goes rigidly tense real fast. Her face shifts to one of intense anger, "YOU ARE NOT HIM..!" Her voice comes out as a loud growl since she can't scream with the kid in her arms. I must've struck a nerve. I understand why she's angry. Still, I won't back down from what I saw. "Y/N, listen to me-" "No- T-Tell me t-this, P-Papyrus. What are y-you hoping to a-accomplish with this? Is going t-t-through m-my stuff and attaching y-y-yourself to my kids s-supposed to make you feel better about yourself? What do y-you want from me?!"

I raise my voice as I get frustrated, "Just- SMILE, Y/N!" I sigh as things go quiet between us. It truly feels like I'll never manage to get through to her.

'Without my memories, she'll always tear herself apart and she'll always be angry at me...'

".... You used to smile.." I mumble sadly. Y/N places a hand over her forehead and scoffs softly. She looks away from me with a disbelieving expression. "That's a-all, hm? I suppose you're r-right." She sighs in between speaking, "I-I'm sorry for the t-things I said. You're a n-n-nice guy and I'm j-just.. I don't know. S-Stressed."

'I know.'

"Can I-I just say s-something stupid before I g-g-go? For c-closure?" She asks, unsure. Honestly, with all she's going through, I know she needs it. I nod. Y/N tightens her grip on Serif. She continues to avoid eye contact with me. "I know I-I-I've been u-unfair to you. D-Deep d-down, I guess I'm still m-mad at you. I can't c-change that. A-At least, not right now. You were gone. E-Even if it w-w-wasn't your fault, y-you had to l-l-leave us behind. Everything c-changed. I had to raise the t-twins on my own, w-w-without you. Finally, I had f-forced m-myself to m-move on but now you're back and... Quite frankly, I-I don't know what to do with m-myself. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it?"

"It's not pathetic." I answer her boldly. She takes a long and deep breath. "I'm so tired, P-Papyrus. I'm mentally e-exhausted. I don't know h-h-how m-much more my s-soul can take of this. A-A-All of this f-feels like a n-nightmare that I can't wake up from." Finally, she's opening up. "Well, if you'd like to accept the help, I'd say you're not alone anymore." I offer. Y/N pauses for a moment. Then, she approaches the bed and lays Serif down in his original place by my side. Pieces of her (h/c) hair fall gently in her face as she tucks him in.

I wrap my arm around the child again. He slowly nuzzles into my side before going still again. I want to talk to Y/N more. I want her to know that things are going to be okay. I don't want her to be so stressed. "Y/N-" "Just m-make s-sure he's up b-b-before lunch. I didn't raise my b-boys to be a lazybones like y-you a-are." That's all she said to me before walking out.

'Heh, that's a good thing.'

(~Time Skip~)

I watch as both of the boys each wrap themselves onto one of Y/N's legs. "Mamaaaaaa, we're boreddddd!" Serif chimes. "Mama! Play with us!!!" Roman adds. She struggles to walk with those two weights on her. I'm surprised she hasn't fallen yet. "Geez, when d-did you t-two get so big?" She jokes. Both twins giggle at her struggle like little hyenas. Still, she pushes herself to walk in order to entertain them.

Y/N's really good at hiding it but I know she didn't sleep after the conversation we had last night. The bags under her eyes of proof of that. I worry for her. After everything she told me, one thing is clear in my mind.

'She needs a break.'

"Hey bro?" I peek into the kitchen. Blue has been pretty out of it since what happened yesterday. I had to force him to call in today. The last thing I need is for Alphys to accidentally hurt him during training.

Sans is cooking breakfast while still in his pajamas. His pajamas look really comfy. He's in a long sleeve navy blue shirt with some fuzzy gray pants that have glow in the dark stars on them. I saw him flinch slightly when I called him. "How ya feeling?" I say while reaching my hands into my pockets.

"I'm okay, Brother. I'm just confused... That's all.. Such a thing has never happened before." He's right. The possibility that he actually remembered something before I did.

'Something is really off about this timeline.'

"How would you feel about taking a walk? Get some fresh air?" I lean on the doorframe, waiting for his response. "Actually.. I might like that." He replies softly.

'A long walk always helps me to clear my head.'

I smirk, "And what do you think about bringing the twins?" Sans looks to me, concerned, "I don't know, brother. Serif is-..." His pupils flicker again as he looks at the floor.

'Serif is what?'

I speak in an urgent tone, "Sans?"

'Did it just happen again?!'

Suddenly, he smiles to me, "No worries, Brother! I'm sure they would enjoy it! Besides, you could use the exercise if you are to stay awake for an entire morning!" His thought process and mood just completely flipped.

'Okay... That was weird.'

"What a-are you g-guys talking about?" Y/N asks. She's reached the kitchen doorway but she is completely out of breath. I already feel myself getting nervous. Sure, I got Sans to agree to this. Telling Y/N that we want to separate her from her kids for a little while is a whole different story.