Against All Odds

Part 1: Chapter 7

It was about fifteen minutes later when Undyne's SUV cruiser pulled into the parking lot of a small, picturesque diner nestled into the Appalachian mountains. They didn't want to walk anymore but it was just a small price to pay for the breakfast that awaited them inside. It being not too long after the crack of dawn, there weren't many customers, but that was how they liked it.

"We want a booth as far away from the rest of the diners as possible, if you can." Undyne specified to the hostess.

She nodded and grabbed a handful of menus. "Can do; right this way, please!" She led them to the large, round booth off in the corner of the restaurant. It was nicely decorated in a simple country style and there was plenty of space for them all to slide in.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" asked a nearby waitress, getting out a small pad of paper.

"Coffee," said five voices in unison (and one "HOT CHOCOLATE" from Papyrus).

"Make sure this guy gets extra whipped cream," Sans told her, patting his brother's shoulder.

"Why, Sans," Toriel said as the waitress walked away, "how very... sweet of you."

Sans snorted, Alphys, Asgore, and Undyne groaned, and Papyrus half smiled, probably because it was the first genuine smile on Sans' face in the last day and night.

"So are you okay?" Undyne rubbed Papyrus' back. "I know all this happened so fast; you sure you're all right?"

Papyrus was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her. "...IS IT ALL RIGHT IF THE ANSWER RIGHT NOW IS 'I DON'T KNOW'?"

"Of course." Undyne reached down and took his hand. "Take all the time you need."

He nodded thoughtfully. "IF I MAY ASK... WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS GONE? WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG TO REACH ME?"

"Well," Undyne began. "It's a long story... Whoever took you made it a point to be a huge... uh, jerk, by leaving us clues on some kind of wild goose chase." As she and the others continued to tell Papyrus the story of their anxiety-riddled "scavenger hunt", his eye sockets became wider and wider. He couldn't hold back the tears when they reached the part about his old home, and by the time their food arrived and the story was nearing its conclusion, it was as though he had twin waterfalls cascading down his face.

"Y-YOU DID ALL THAT J-JUST FOR ME?" Papyrus asked, wiping his eyes with his napkin. "ALL OF YOU?"

"Of course," said Toriel.

"come on, bro; we weren't gonna just leave you out there." Sans took a sip of his coffee. "we agonized over it for every minute of those twelve hours he made us wait in your room."

"YOU HEARD EVERYTHING?" Papyrus sniffed.

"He made us listen," Undyne said, her face scrunched up in a pained expression. "Hearing all that and knowing that there was literally nothing I could do to help you at that moment... that was the worst night of my entire life." Papyrus let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "Oh, it's fine."

"NO, YOU NEED HUGS TOO." Papyrus pulled her in close and she rested her head on his still padded shoulder. "I'M SO SORRY I PUT YOU ALL THROUGH THAT."

Undyne shook her head lightly. "Aw, Papyrus, no, it wasn't your fault. None of this is. It's that... Starlight Killer."

Everyone stiffened slightly. "Who d-do you think it is?" asked Alphys.

"No idea. But after this whole crazy mess, I know one thing for sure." Undyne sighed. "It definitely wasn't a human."

Silence.