Chapter 10

“You need to rest…”

“No, I don't.” Piper glared at Grillby as he wrapped a blanket around her. Alphys had let him use her pillows to make her couch more suitable to sleep on. Most of them were weird body pillows with anime characters on them. “Grillby, I'm fine.”

“When was the last time you slept…?” He sat in a chair next to the couch.

“I don't know? A day ago? Maybe two?”

“Then you certainly need it…” He gently pushed her down onto the couch. She didn't fight him, but she kept glaring anyway. “You've had a rough day… You are an incredibly strong person, and I admire that… but even the strongest need rest…”

She huffed at him, looking away.

“… this is about what the flower said to you, isn't it…?”

“Grillby…”

“What did it say to you…?”

“It ain’t important.” She rolled over to face away from him.

“Piper, please… what did it tell you…?”

She sighed softly and pulled the blanket over her head. “He… he called me worthless… talked about things I’ve done to live… he said that no one would miss me if I died, and they wouldn’t care..”

He gently stroked her hair. “You know that’s not true… Your friends would care…”

“What friends?”

“Well, Undyne would… and Dr. Alphys seems to consider you one… The skeleton brothers seem to think highly of you… I certainly know that I would miss you…”

Piper rolled over and looked up at him with wide eyes. “You would…?”

“Very much…” He gently cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her cheek bone.

“You consider me yer friend…?”

“Well, it isn’t every day I walk through Waterfall because someone called me…” He smiled softly, his fire brightening a bit. “I care deeply about you… I don’t want anything bad to happen to you…”

She blushed brightly at his words and the intimate contact between them. If Grillby noticed, he didn’t mention it.

“Please rest… Dr. Alphys and Undyne will find Frisk while you rest…”

“Will ya stay?”

“I will stay by your side until you wish me to go… Just rest…”

She nodded and settled down. “Will ya wake me up when they find ‘em?”

“Of course…”

She smiled and yawned. It wasn’t long until her exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep.

Grillby smiled softly at the sight and removed his hand. He got up and left Piper so she could sleep in peace.

He went to Alphys’s computer and leaned over the little lizard at work. “Any sign of them…?”

“N-Not yet. I’m close, though. They haven’t g-gotten to New Home yet.”

“Maybe they’re trying to get something?” Undyne suggested.

“Maybe… They c-could be trying to heal up.”

Grillby frowned. “Who did they fight prior to this…?”

“M-Mettaton. You ever see his show?”

“Occasionally… How did the fight go…?”

Undyne snorted. “Flashy and over dramatic, but with more fighting. Papyrus live-streamed it on UnderNet.”

Alphys couldn’t help but chuckle. “I saw that…”

“Wait!” Grillby grabbed the mouse and clicked on one of the Core cameras. They saw a fleeting image of a child with a blue and purple sweater and short brown hair. “There they are…”

“Alphy, do ya got their number?” Undyne asked. “We could call them and tell them to come to yer lab!”

“That is a very good idea…”

Alphys nodded and pulled out her phone. She dialed up the human child while the taller monsters followed Frisk on the cameras. The child stopped and answered their phone.

“H-Hello? Frisk?” Alphys also watched the screen. “I-I need you to c-come to my lab for a bit. I-I’ve got something important to tell you that can’t b-be said over the phone.”

Grillby watched the child nod and say something, but their voice was so quiet that the camera didn’t pick it up. They hung up and immediately started heading in the opposite direction.

“Brilliant, Dr. Alphys… It won’t be long until they arrive…”

“How is she, anyway?” Undyne asked.

“Better, though still a bit shaken… These last few days haven’t been kind to her.”

The girls nodded sadly. “She really needs a break from all this…” Alphys murmured.

“Yeah… but… what will you do if she leaves and the barrier stays the same?” Undyne and Alphys looked at him sadly. They both knew this could be an option.

He just sighed softly. “I don’t know… but I can’t stop her from leaving… She and Frisk need to go home and lead normal, stable lives… Neither really belongs down here…”

“Would you want her to stay?”

“Do you really have to ask…?”