Across the timelines [an Undertale Fanfic] (revised)

What do I do?

  "Alphys, do you know where he is? Do you know where Sans took him?" Frisk asked, knowing his friend would know. Ever since he first fell here, he would notice some cameras in several locations before meeting her. Later on, she did admit that she was watching him, but in a way, it really was a good thing. She looked out for him, and now, she's looking out for Chara. Of course, not in the same way, but more of a keeping tabs kind of way. "I can't let Chara be by himself for long. Not when he's causing so much trouble like this. Monsters are saying that the screams were so loud that they were heard here at hotland."

The scientist couldn't help but feel nervous about this, not wanting to lie to her friend, but not wanting to anger the murderer downstairs. If Frisk knew that he was here, maybe Chara could be stopped. After all, he did promise no killing when Frisk was near. Gathering her courage, she nodded as she met Frisk's eyes, trying very hard to hold in the truth about Sans.

"I do. H-he's downstairs in the true lab." Before Frisk can run off, she took his hand in hers to stop him. "Frisk, p-please don't go down there. Chara... Well, he doesn't want to see anybody right now."

Frisk shook his head no, unable to accept that. "I don't think he'll mind seeing me. We're friends after all, but is Sans with him too?" Alphys hesitated, not wanting to answer the question. She knew how close he was to Sans, and didn't want to be the one to explain that the boy he wanted to save so much had killed the skeleton he considered family. She wouldn't want to explain something like that to anyone. "Alphys? Is there something I should know?"

Tears came to her eyes as she avoided meeting his eyes. "H-he's gone, Frisk. Sans is gone." As the shock came across his face, she met his eyes then, letting her tears fall down her face. "Chara killed him, and I couldn't help him. I'm so sorry!"

Unable to accept her words, Frisk ran off to the elevator, ignoring her cries. His skelebro couldn't be dead. After all, it's Sans they were talking about. There's no way that Chara would've... No, Chara wouldn't have done something like this. It had to be that monster! That monster made Chara do it! It had to be!

Once the elevator was down, Frisk walked out, looking closely at every room until he found his friends. He expected to see Sans standing there with his hands in his pockets, holding Chara up with his magic eye. Instead, what he found was a pile of dust surrounded by Sans's clothes and slippers.

"Sans? Are you really gone?" he asked, falling to his knees beside the dust. Tears started to slip down his cheeks as he couldn't help but reach out for Sans's sweater. "Sans, please don't go! I need you, Sans!"

"It's too late, Frisk. He's gone," a sudden voice said, making Frisk turn around to face them. "I'm glad you're here. Frisk, I need your help with something." Despite the injuries Frisk had taken earlier, he couldn't help but notice how unaffected Chara seemed by it. It's not that he wasn't hurt as well, but more of a whole it doesn't bother him kind of thing. It was like Chara was used to dealing with all the pain on his own. "Frisk, I want to go home. I want to go back to my home village for a while."

Frisk couldn't help but shake his head no as he refused to look up at his friend's familiar red eyes. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill my friend?" With Sans's sweater in hand, Frisk got back to his feet to stand up to the monster in front of him. He couldn't help but feel upset that his friend was acting like nothing was wrong. "Chara, please tell me it was an accident. Please tell me you didn't mean to do this."

"I can't tell you that. I may be a lot of things, evil, the devil's child, a mindless killer, but I'm not a liar." Chara smiled at his friend as he played with the knife in his hands. "He was going to finish me, finish us. I couldn't let him do it, Frisk. I felt how much pain you were in earlier, how our hp dropped suddenly, and I couldn't do that to you."

"So you killed him? Why didn't you just talk to him?" he asked, already knowing the answer. It wasn't Chara's fault for this. Since Flowey pointed it out to him, he was starting to notice whenever Chara's attitude suddenly changed. He began to notice each time Chara was truly himself. If Chara knew what he was really doing, would he approve? "You need to stop hurting everyone. That thing inside you will only make it worse for you if you can't control it."

Chara couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "Control? Do you really think I don't have this under control? This "thing" inside of me is strong, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Does it bother you, buddy? And here I thought you were my friend." With every word, Chara stepped closer his eyes losing color as black took over. With each step, Frisk could see Chara was draining away as the creature inside him began to take over.

Frightened, Frisk wanted to stand his ground, but he couldn't help but cower a bit. "I am your friend, but I want to meet the real you. I want to help you get that thing out of you because it's not the Chara I know."

"And why would I want it out? Like I said, I like having it inside me. I don't have a soul anymore, Frisk. Without that thing, I'll die without getting the chance to come back." Dropping the knife now, Chara looked away as he said, "you need to understand that this thing is more to me than just power. It's my life. Determination won't bring me back if I'm soulless. This is all I have left, and I'm not going to give it up for you."

With that, a new determination arose in Frisk. He knew what he had to do if he wanted to save Chara, but it wasn't going to be easy. Somehow, he has to figure out a way to save his friend's soul. He has to make Chara want to save himself, then maybe they could reset the timeline. Once Chara's him again, everything could go back to normal. Sans would have never died, and the monsters wouldn't doubt his friendship. No one would be dead, and the best of all, Toriel would have her family whole again. The only problem is that he didn't know where to start, and without Sans, he didn't have a single clue.

"I understand that, but what I don't get is why haven't you tried finding your soul before. Maybe someone knows a way to fix a broken soul." Before he could go anywhere, he was shocked when Chara suddenly pulled him behind him. Without saying a word, Chara stared off straight ahead with cautious eyes. "Chara? What's wrong?"

As Chara held his knife in front of him, he said, "we're not alone. Have you ever heard of the man who speaks in hands?" When Frisk didn't answer, Chara sighed. Somehow he figured that Frisk must have heard word about the man who speaks in hands before, but maybe Frisk didn't remember about it. After all, he never did a complete reset like he had. "He's back. When you were up there with Alphys, he showed himself to me. I thought he had left, but looks like I was wrong."

"The man who speaks in hands? Who is he?" Frisk asked, looking around for this new monster. The boat person mentioned him before, but has never actually told him anything about him. All Frisk knew was that something happened a long time ago, but wasn't sure what. "What kind of monster is he?"

"His name is W.D. Gaster, and he was the royal scientist here a long time ago. Actually, he was the one who gave me that monster you guys speak of." Chara glanced back once at Frisk before saying, "if you want something to blame for me being the way I am now, you can blame him."

Just then, Gaster appeared right in front of the two boys, looking down at Chara as he shook his head no. He didn't reappear here to speak to that child again, but in fact, to speak with the true hero behind him. He knew that Chara had no interest in saving himself, so of course, Frisk was the only one capable of saving a troubled soul.

"✋ ⧫❒◆●⍓ ♋❍ ⬧□❒❒⍓ ♐□❒ ⧫♒♋⧫📪 👍♒♋❒♋📬✋⧫ ⬥♋⬧ ■♏❖♏❒ ❍⍓ ♓■⧫♏■⧫♓□■ ⧫□ ♒♋❒❍ ⍓□◆❒ ⬧□◆●📬" (I truly am sorry for that, Chara. It was never my intention to harm your soul.) With that, he gently pushed the boy to the side, wanting to get a better look at the one behind the killer. "☟☜☹☹⚐📪 ✋ ✌💣 🕈📬👎📬☝✌💧❄☜☼ ☞⚐☼💣☜☼ ☼⚐✡✌☹ 💧👍✋☜☠❄✋💧❄📬✋❄ ✋💧 ✌☠ ☟⚐☠☜☼ ❄⚐ 💣☜☜❄ ✡⚐🕆 ☞☼✋💧😐📬" (HELLO, I AM W.D. GASTER FORMER ROYAL SCIENTIST. IT IS AN HONER TO MEET YOU FRISK.)

Unable to understand what he was saying, Frisk couldn't help but look over to his friend, hoping for a translation. It wasn't until he felt the strange creature's hand on him that he wondered if he should be scared or not. This was the first time that he had met the creature with actual intention to. He didn't know whether or not Gaster would bring him harm.

"Yeah right, and I'm supposed to believe you. You got what you wanted, a damned soul, so what do you want now?" Chara asked, before looking over at Frisk. Chara couldn't help but roll his eyes, figuring that since Frisk hasn't met the man who speaks in hands before, he won't understand what Gaster was trying to say to him. "He says hi, and that he's honored to meet you."

With that, Frisk attempted to give him a small smile, but couldn't force it. He was still upset over his skelebro's death to even try. "Hi gaster, why are you honored to meet me? Is there something you need  me to do for you?"

"✋ 🕈✌☠❄ ❄⚐ ☟☜☹🏱 ✡⚐🕆 💧✌✞☜ ❄☟✋💧 👌⚐✡📬✋ 👌☜☹✋☜✞☜ ✋ 😐☠⚐🕈 ⚐☞ ✌ 🕈✌✡ ❄⚐ ☼☜🏱✌✋☼ ☟✋💧 💧⚐🕆☹📬" (I WANT TO HELP YOU SAVE THIS BOY. I BELIEVE I KNOW OF A WAY TO REPAIR HIS SOUL.) Taking his hand away from him now, Gaster knelt down to Frisk's level. "✋☞ ✋ ✌💣 👍⚐☼☼☜👍❄📪 👍☟✌☼✌🕯💧 💧⚐🕆☹ 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 ☼☜❄🕆☼☠ ❄⚐ ☟✋💧 👌⚐👎✡📪 💣✌😐✋☠☝ ☟✋💣 ☟🕆💣✌☠ ⚐☠👍☜ ✌☝✌✋☠📬" (IF I AM CORRECT, CHARA'S SOUL SHOULD RETURN TO HIS BODY, MAKING HIM HUMAN ONCE AGAIN.)

Once again, Frisk looked over at Chara, waiting for him to translate. Chara couldn't help but roll his eyes again as he said, "he wants to help you try to save me, and that he thinks he knows a way." Frisk smiled, more than glad to have someone helping him instead of telling him how hopeless it all was. If this works, everyone could get a happy ending, even Chara. Seeing how happy his friend got, Chara couldn't let them get their hopes up. "Frisk, don't believe him. If there was a way to get my soul back, I would have tried it a long time ago. There is no way."

"✡⚐🕆 👎✋👎☠🕯❄ ☟✌✞☜ ❄☟☜ 👎☜❄☜☼💣✋☠✌❄✋⚐☠ 👌✌👍😐 ❄☟☜☠ ❄⚐ 💧✌✞☜ ✡⚐🕆☼💧☜☹☞📬✡⚐🕆 ☟✌👎 👌☜☹✋☜✞☜👎 ✡⚐🕆 🕈☜☼☜ 👎⚐✋☠☝ ❄☟☜ ☼✋☝☟❄ ❄☟✋☠☝📪 ✌☠👎 ☟✌👎 💧❄✌✡☜👎 👎☜❄☜☼💣✋☠☜👎 ❄⚐ 💧☜☜ ❄☟✌❄ ❄☟☼⚐🕆☝☟📬" (YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE DETERMINATION BACK THEN TO SAVE YOURSELF. YOU HAD BELIEVED YOU WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING, AND HAD STAYED DETERMINED TO SEE THAT THROUGH.) Looking back at Frisk, Gaster placed his hands on both his shoulders and met his eye. "✋☠ ⚐☼👎☜☼ ❄⚐ 💧✌✞☜ ☟✋💧 💧⚐🕆☹📪 ✡⚐🕆 🕈⚐ 🕈✋☹☹ ☠☜☜👎 ❄⚐ ☼☜💧❄⚐☼☜ ☟✋💧 ☟🕆💣✌☠✋❄✡📬🕈☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ ✋💧 🕈☟✌❄ ☟☜ ☹✌👍😐💧📬" (IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS SOUL, YOU WILL NEED TO RESTORE HIS HUMANITY. WHAT YOU HAVE IS WHAT HE LACKS.)

Chara crossed his arms then, annoyed with where this conversation is going. Back then, he did want to save the underground, and his plan was to use his soul to break the barrier keeping them trapped. He didn't know the barrier needed seven souls. He remembered how he died before being able to see his village's flowers one last time, how his soul fused with Asriel's for a while. In a way, Gaster was right. Chara did believe that he was doing the right thing once upon a time, but it had only led to getting him and Asriel killed.

"He says to save me, you would have to restore my humanity, whatever that means. His clue is what you have is what I lack." He couldn't help but glare at the scientist, despite the fact that Gaster was ignoring him. Of course, if it was possible right now, he would be there trying to kill him, but since he promised not to, he can't. Besides, Gaster may be stronger than Sans, and Sans took him a couple of tries each time. "Basically, he's telling you to do what you've already been trying. Wanna tell him how that's working out for you?"

What he has is what Chara lacks. Frisk thought about it carefully, wondering what it was that he has. Friends? No, Chara does have friends. Flowey, Toriel, and he were the only ones who weren't afraid to interact with him. Everyone else didn't trust him. Family? No, because he has the Dreemurs to care for him. After a bit of thinking, he understood what Gaster meant. The answer was right in front of him the whole time. Love is what makes someone human. Their ability to love themselves and each other makes them different from stuff that isn't alive. Humans, monsters, animals, heck, even rocks know how to love, but Chara was different. He was full of hate and anger, loving nothing more than making others suffer.

"I understand. Is that all I'm supposed to do?" Frisk asked, hugging the sweater now. With Gaster's help, Sans will be back in no time, joking around with his brother and playing what Papy calls his incidental music. "Thank you for helping, Gaster. You're really nice."

"❄☟☜☼☜ ✋💧 ⚐☠☜ 💣⚐☼☜ ❄☟✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 😐☠⚐🕈📬👌☜☞⚐☼☜ ☟✋💧 💧⚐🕆☹ ✋💧 ☼☜❄🕆☼☠☜👎 ❄⚐ ☟✋💣📪 ✡⚐🕆 👌⚐✡💧 ☠☜☜👎 ❄⚐ 👌☜ 💧☜🏱✌☼✌❄☜👎📬⚐❄☟☜☼🕈✋💧☜ ❄☟☜ 🏱⚐💧💧✋👌✋☹✋❄✡ ⚐☞ ❄☟✌❄ 💣⚐☠💧❄☼⚐💧✋❄✡ 👍⚐☼☼🕆🏱❄✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💧⚐🕆☹ ☼✋💧☜💧📬" (THERE IS ONE MORE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW. BEFORE HIS SOUL IS RETURNED TO HIM, YOU BOYS NEED TO BE SEPARATED. OTHERWISE THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT MONSTROSITY CORRUPTING YOUR SOUL RISES.) Standing up now, he glances over at Chara before saying, "✋ 👍✌☠ ✌💧💧✋💧❄ ✌☹🏱☟✡💧 ✋☠ ☟☜☼ ☼☜💧☜✌☼👍☟ ✌💧 💣🕆👍☟ ✌💧 ✋ 👍✌☠ ✋☠ 💧☜🏱✌☼✌❄✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 ❄🕈⚐📬💧❄✌✡ ⚐🕆❄ ⚐☞ ❄☼⚐🕆👌☹☜📪 ✌☠👎 ☝⚐⚐👎 ☹🕆👍😐📬✡⚐🕆 🕈✋☹☹ ☠☜☜👎 ✋❄📪 👍☟✌☼✌📬" (I CAN ASSIST ALPHYS IN HER RESEARCH AS MUCH AS I CAN IN SEPARATING YOU TWO. STAY OUT OF TROUBLE, AND GOOD LUCK. YOU WILL NEED IT, CHARA.)

With that, he was gone, leaving the two boys by themselves again. Chara couldn't help but sigh, not believing a word that the man had to say. Although, he did notice how Frisk's determination had been restored due to that talk, and couldn't help but wonder what his friend was thinking. Surely he wasn't going to go through with this, was he? And why would Gaster wish him luck on this? If anything, Frisk is putting himself in danger by doing this, so why not wish him luck?

"Great, another annoying scientist has come to try to save the day. Why are they willing to put in so much effort this time then they do in my timeline? I would have loved the challenge back then." Taking his friend's hand, he started walking them out of the lab. "Come on, let's get out of here before Undyne shows up. I'd rather not fight her when we're low on health."

As they walked side by side, Frisk couldn't help but ask again. "What made you so unhappy with the world? It's filled with really cool things and people. What made you hate it so much?"

"I have my reasons. I hated my life back home, and came down here. After a while, I hated everything down here and just wanted it to stop." Chara didn't bother to look at him, figuring he was listening anyways. Those memories he had only encouraged him to keep quiet. After all, the last thing he wanted was anyone's pity. "Why does it matter? You don't seriously think you can save me, do you?"

Frisk nodded. "I do. My goal ever since I've been down here was to give everyone the happy ending they deserve, and Chara, no one deserves it more than you. I don't think you see it, but I don't think you actually want this life. That thing is making you hurt monsters, monsters that used to be your friends. Don't you feel bad about that?"

"Friends? What friends? All I had was Asriel, and look what happened. He was my brother, and Toriel my mom. If I could go back to that time, I would, but there's also no guarantee that I wouldn't be the one to slaughter them." Chara started to think about it carefully. Ever since he entered this timeline, everything wasn't as predictable as before. Everything was different, including the monsters. In this one, he's spared Toriel, spared Flowey. He's even spared Alphys and Papyrus several times too. Undyne hasn't approached him much since he's got here, and Mettaton has been too busy with his acting career. Even though they knew what he was, they wanted to help him, tried everything to separate the two in order to help him.

Seriously Chara, do you think they did all that for you? Do you really think that the others were trying to help you all this time because they cared? Don't be pathetic. They did that for Frisk's sake, not yours. They couldn't care less about you. In fact, they'd all rather see you dead.

The voice this time was louder in his head, but somehow painful. It was like the monster inside was hurting him, which doesn't usually happen. Usually, the monster praises him whenever he does something bad, so why now all of a sudden?

"What if we can make that time now, Chara? You, me, Flowey, Toriel, and Asgore can be one big happy family." Frisk squeezed his friend's hand, letting him know that he was there for him. The pain that he was feeling was definitely not normal. As Chara looked over at Frisk, he could tell that this sort of pain was his own. Frisk couldn't feel the same pain he did, even with their bond. The monster was hurting him and him alone. "Chara, I promise if you ever need help, you can call out for me. No matter what happens, or how far I am, I will come running to help you. You don't have to do this alone anymore."

Chara instinctively grabbed hold of his locket, stopping in place for the pain to subside before looking over to Frisk. As he locked eyes with his friendly counterpart, Chara couldn't help but shake his head no, not wanting to believe him. "I've been alone ever since I can remember. No one has ever came to my aid before I got here, at least not for my own sake.  How can I believe you when you say that you will come to help me when I need you? We're both connected by this bond we share, so how do I know you're not just trying to help yourself here?"

"Because I'm not a liar either. Mom and I proved it last time when we came to help you." Frisk dropped Chara's hand before wrapping his arms around him. "Chara, please, let me help you, like really help you. I want you to live with us happily with all our friends. I know you can do it, so I need to know everything about you."

Chara felt a slight pain in his heart again, unable to say no to Frisk. He knew what would happen if he agreed to what he was asking. He would have to put down his knife for good, and he wasn't sure if he could. That knife has been with him for so long, that it was like a part of him. How could he give up the whole kill or be killed idea just like that? Maybe it is time for a change...

You will not do this, Chara. There is no change for someone like you, someone like us! We are true evil, we are the ones they all should fear! WE ARE THE TRUE RULERS OF THIS WORLD! After everything you've done, do you really think you deserve happiness?