"Sans! Where is my scarf?" Papyrus was standing with the door wide open, wanting to get going as soon as possible.

He gave an exasperated sigh when he received no response. He stomped up the stairs, his red boots echoing inside the house.

"Sans! Answer me, you lazybones!" He opened the door to Sans' door, and was welcomed by the smell of dirty socks.

"Sans, where are you?" Papyrus expected his brother to be laying face-down on the bed, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Sans? Brother! Where are you?" Papyrus called, looking all over the room, but his brother was nowhere to be seen.

Odd,  Papyrus scratched his skull. Is it actually possible he actually got up and went to his post?

But Sans wasn't like that. Usually, Sans would sit in bed until Papyrus carried him outside.

Where is he?

Papyrus started to leave the room, but a cold breeze stopped him. Sans' window was open. The curtains were whipping this way and that.

He peeked out the window, not surprised by the lack of view. He closed the window with a thud.  Papyrus exited the room and made his way to the door, his gloved hand unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck. It was odd to not have the comfort of his scarf there.

"Where could he be?" Papyrus muttered under his breath. He closed the door and stepped out onto the flat snow. He was about to head over to Undyne's house to see if Sans went to his post there, when something stopped him in his tracks. Literally.

There were fresh prints leading to the alleyway behind the inn. Was it possible that Sans went there? But why?

Papyrus jogged over to the inn and turned to head for the alleyway, but was yanked down to his knees by something.

"Hey, what?-" But he was cut off by a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shh," Sans hissed. "She'll hear you,"

Papyrus grunted, and Sans let his hand fall away. They were sitting against the right wall of the alleyway, and there were trashcans tipped over to form a barricade.

"Sans! Where have you been? Who's 'she'? Tell me now!"

"Shh!" Sans put a finger to his non-existing lips. "There's someone behind this barricade, and they're hurt, or... or, injured, or something,"

Papyrus half stood up. "Well, what are we waiting for? We must help a monster in distress!"

"No, Paps, it ain't like that," Sans began, dragging him back down. "Just look,"

Papyrus had no clue on what he was looking for, but he surveyed the scene. Suddenly, a flash of white zoomed above his head. He ducked instinctively, cradling his head, but nothing else came.

He looked up wearily, and found Sans examining something lodged in the side of the wall.

Sans frowned as he looked at the thing, then looked to Papyrus. "Look, it's a skeleton."

Papyrus took a closer look at the object, and realized that it was a translucent, white, razor sharp bone. What?

"But," he stammered. "I thought there's none of us left?"

"I know, that's what I thought too," Sans said. "But only one species of monster is capable of their magic being bones, and that's skeletons. I don't know what else it could be if it weren't."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Papyrus asked suddenly.

Sans looked up. "What?"

"You said that she might hear us. How do you she's a girl?"

Sans pointed to the bone. "It's deformed magic, which means that she's young. And female skeletons have translucent bones when they're young."

Papyrus stared at his brother. "How do you know all this?"

Sans blushed. "I know some things, okay?"

Papyrus decided to let the matter drop. "Okay, so, what do we do about this? We can't leave a young skeleton out in the snow!"

"I dunno!" Sans said, frustrated. "Every time I poke my head out there I nearly get impaled!"

Papyrus groaned, then he brightened as an idea came in his mind. "I know!" he said, nearly jumping up and down. "I'll use my special attack,"

Papyrus stood up, despite Sans' best efforts to keep him seated. He extended his hand, and a blue glow illuminated from him. He felt his right eye flare and he smiled. He loved using his special attack. It filled him with a feeling that made it feel like his soul was flying.

Papyrus concentrated and spread his magic out. He searched for the young skeleton's soul, and felt it throbbing with panic and pain and life. He grasped it and gently dragged it downwards. A small thud sounded behind the barricade of trash bins. A small yelp propelled Papyrus forward. He kept the skeleton's soul on the ground, so she couldn't harm herself, or them.

Sans' footsteps hurried after him.

Papyrus summoned a bone club into his hand and looked at his brother and nodded. Sans held up three fingers. Three, two, one!

Papyrus vaulted over the barricade and landed in a crouch, his bone club ready to swing in any direction. Sans was less graceful. He clumsily climbed over the trash cans and tipped forward, causing him to fall face first onto the ground.

"Ow."

Papyrus grabbed his brother by the hood and dragged him to lay beside him. He looked around for the young skeleton, but there was so much dust around that it clouded his vision.

"Come on out," Papyrus called. "We're not here to hurt you. Are you in need of assistance?"

As the dust cleared, he saw the curled up form of something that had a blue light emanating from it.

Papyrus took a step closer to it, leaving his brother behind. "Paps," Sans hissed. "Get back here,"

"She needs help. She's injured. I won't leave her here."

He continued to crawl towards the skeleton, his bone club dissipating with a thought. He was sure that the skeleton wouldn't harm him in this state.

"cold."

Papyrus stopped. Had the skeleton said that? He was now close enough to touch the skeleton without extending his arm all the way, but he held back.

"so... cold... help."

Papyrus was spurred into action.  How could he help?  As far as he was concerned, skeletons couldn't get cold. They didn't have any skin.

He tentatively reached his hand toward the skeleton, ready to pull it back at any moment. Sans was under- exaggerating when he said that the skeleton was young. Papyrus could almost wrap his whole hand around her rib cage!

"help...please...it's...cold." Papyrus looked on in disbelief as the young skeleton rolled over to face him. She had his scarf wrapped around her shoulders. His scarf! But for once, he didn't mind.

His eyes were riveted on the skeleton's own. Both her eyes were glowing a deep emerald color.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the skeleton and held her close, not caring about the consequences he might receive.

She whimpered at first, but then relaxed. Papyrus tried to give off what little warmth he had to her, but he didn't know if it was working or not.

"Paps?" Sans came up behind him, touching him on the shoulder. "Uh, are you okay?"

Papyrus sniffled, then cleared his throat. "I don't know, Sans. I don't know."

He stood, still cradling the young skeleton in his arms. "She's coming home with us."

"What?" Sans said in surprise. "why? We barely have enough living space for both of us, and we don't even know her! What if her parents come looking for her? We can't afford to take care of-"

He stopped when he saw his brother's heartbroken face.

"Just for a little while, okay?" Sans could barely hear Papyrus' words. "Please, Sans? Just until she's all better."

Sans sighed. He couldn't, and wouldn't leave this helpless skeleton out in the snow. Not in good consciousness.

"Fine."

Papyrus's eyes lit up and he smiled the biggest smile Sans had ever seen.

"At least she won't be bonely with you around, bro."

Papyrus faltered. "Sans. Oh. My. God. Why?"

"'Cause it's fun, annoying the coolest skeleton in the world,"

"Sans, I-" but Papyrus stopped and flushed when he understood his brother's meaning. "Well, I an pretty cool."

"Cool, doesn't even cover it, bro,"

Papyrus strode out of the alleyway with purpose and strode to their home with his head held high, Sans jogging to keep up with his long-legged strides.

"Hey," Sans said. "D'you think she has a name?"

Papyrus frowned. "I don't know, why?"

"Well, she has to have a name, Paps."

"Oh! Alright, how about... uh," Papyrus scratched his head. "I don't know."

Sans bonked him on the elbow. "We'll ask her when she's better, alright?"

Papyrus smiled and nodded. "Of course. But in the meantime, I'll make her some spaghetti! That'll help her feel better in no time,"

Sans grimaced, but then smiled. "Yeah bro. That sounds fine."