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.

"I agree." Asgore said after a few seconds. "No human could possibly have known so much about us. Even Frisk could not have known the answers to many of those riddles and clues."

"Or to the ins and outs of how the Underground is constructed," Undyne muttered. "Maybe it's-"

"Undyne," Alphys interrupted. "I-I'm gonna go ahead and g-guess that you're thinking M-Mettaton. I-I know you don't like him, b-but he's the last person possible who could've done this. B-Besides, he's in Rio right now."

"I wasn't seriously thinking it but... you're right. Couldn't have been him. He's annoying but harmless."

"AND HE LOVES HIS FANS. HE WOULDN'T KIDNAP ONE."

"And you're right."

"But then who did you think it was?" Alphys adjusted her glasses.

Undyne exhaled. "...I... I really don't know at this point."

"Asriel had an ability pertaining to stars." Toriel said softly. "Perhaps someone else with a similar ability?"

"In that case, it looks like I'm gonna have to run a database search of the area's registered monsters. It's a lot of legwork, but I'm willing to give that a shot. Don't know why we didn't start there in the first place, actually..."

"Cross reference everyone who was in the area at the time." Toriel suggested. "Although, I imagine that would take a long time."

Undyne clenched her fists. "However long it takes, it has to get done. Lives are at stake. I'm gonna see this through and get that guy, no matter what."

"PLEASE DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER ON MY ACCOUNT." Papyrus said, a twinge of anxiety in his voice. "I JUST GOT YOU BACK. I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU AGAIN."

"Same here, Papyrus... but that's why I've gotta find this creep. So it doesn't happen again, not to us, and not to anyone else." She grabbed his right hand and gave it a squeeze.

"So... are you g-going to quit the police?" Alphys asked.

The fishwoman shook her head. "Are you kidding me? If anything, this dude has shown himself to be a threat. I have to get him. Even if it wasn't for the sake of the city, at the very least, it's personal now." She grabbed her coffee cup and chugged the rest of its contents. "Much like how I used to set our kitchen on fire, this dude's lit a fire under me. Only way to put it out is by bringing him to justice."

After they'd finished their breakfasts and several more cups of coffee (and a few of hot chocolate), they hit the road for the rest of the nearly three hour drive back to the city. There was a feeling of sweet relief when Undyne pulled into her driveway and realized they were on the way back to a sense of normalcy in their lives.

...Except the living room was disheveled and covered in bones. Papyrus blushed. "I, UH, I'M SORRY ABOUT THE MESS..."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Undyne gave him a quick squeeze of a hug. "You were only doing what you could. Anyway, I gotta call the station to let them know that you're back."

It might've been the energy given to them by the coffee, but Toriel, Sans, Asgore, and Alphys all started cleaning up the room pretty quickly, assisted by "THE GREAT PAPYRUS", as he'd started chiming when they asked him to do something. Undyne smiled every time she heard him say it; it seemed that he was starting to ease back into his old self once more.

"Chief Barkley speaking," came the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Chief, it's Asgoreman. We got Papyrus back home safe and sound..."

As soon as the room was cleaned, Sans began rearranging the couch cushions.

Toriel looked rather surprised. "What are you doing?"

"well..." he said. "we're all gonna have to sleep soon, and i was thinking, hey, after being left alone for so long, papyrus probably doesn't want to spend time sleeping all by himself. so i'm making a fort. wanna help, tori?"

Toriel smiled at this prospect and grabbed some blankets from a nearby closet. Papyrus looked deeply touched.

"YOU ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I NEED, SANS." he said, thankfully not tearful this time.

Undyne- just off the phone and, according to Barkley, given the day off- Alphys, and Asgore joined them in covering the whole room in every blanket they could find. The fort was truly glorious. Even Sans had never seen such a magnificent example of fabric-based craftsmanship, and he knew his forts.

Alphys yawned. "W-Well, either that was weak coffee, o-or I'm just so tired after this whole thing all it could do was give me enough e-energy for the fort. I-Is anyone else ready for a nap?"

"don't have to ask me twice," Sans said, walking out to a pile of pillows and dropping down on it. He was out almost immediately.

Toriel giggled. "I do believe it is a marvelous suggestion. May we all have pleasant dreams." She found a spot close to Sans and made herself comfortable.

After Alphys and Asgore had found their respective spots, Undyne grabbed Papyrus' hand and led him out to the center of it all, in the middle of all four's spots. "I say we cuddle; goodness knows I could use that right about now."

Papyrus smiled and threw his arms around Undyne, holding her close. "I'D LOVE TO, UNDYNE."

The two of them got comfy, Undyne propped up against a pillow with her arms around Papyrus, and Papyrus with his arms around her, his head on her chest. They held each other close, and were about to fall asleep when Undyne asked, "...You really waited outside my house eight times before you approached me?"

The skeleton blushed. "I JUST COULDN'T FIND THE COURAGE-OR THE RIGHT WORDS FOR THAT MATTER-UNTIL THAT POINT. IT'S... PRETTY EMBARRASSING."

Undyne smiled. "Are you kidding me? That's some grade-A perseverance right there. You kept going when I'm sure so many other monsters would've quit. And we may not have even become friends had you not done that. We wouldn't have even dated."

"WELL THEN, I THINK IT MIGHT BE THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE."

"Yep. And do you want to know the best decision I ever made?"

"WHAT?"

Undyne kissed him and held him closer.

"WOWIE..." Contented, Papyrus drifted off to sleep with the sweetest smile on his face.

The sight of her fiancé so at peace melted Undyne's heart. She knew with the workload ahead of her to catch the Starlight Killer, things were only going to be uphill from there. But for now, this moment of bliss was more than she ever could've wanted.

Two Months Later

All eyes watched in awe as Toriel entered the ballroom, a sizable tiered cake on the cart she was pushing. She brought it up to the table and carefully put it in the center for all to see.

"I hope you enjoy this cake I have made," she said, turning to the bride and groom. "It is a Bananas Foster cake."

Papyrus was amazed. "WOWIE, IT LOOKS AMAZING! THE FROSTING EVEN LOOKS LIKE SPAGHETTI! THANK YOU, TORIEL!"

Undyne smiled. "Yeah, thank you, Toriel." But her eye absolutely lit up when Toriel pulled a large pan and a blowtorch out from a lower, unseen tier of the cart.

She placed a small portable cooktop on a nearby table that had plenty of clearance, placed the frying pan on it, and turned back to Undyne. "I picked Bananas Foster because I knew it would be something you'd like." She held the blowtorch out towards her. "Will you do the honors?"

The bride nearly fell out of her chair. "OH MY GOD YES! YES I WILL!" She scrambled out from behind the table, dashed on over to where Toriel was, and-

FWOOOOSH

The entire pan lit up in bright orange and blue flames, illuminating the gleeful grin on Undyne's face. Toriel worked with the pan until the flames had gone out and they had a delicious sauce of bananas, walnuts, and rum to put over the cake.

"If you would like, you may cut the cake now," Toriel said, motioning to the tower of pastry.

Papyrus stood up and was shortly joined by Undyne. Together, they grabbed the knife and sliced through a little section, both taking some cake from it. Carefully and gently, Papyrus was about to feed Undyne her cake, when she playfully mushed it all over his face. Papyrus, seeing that decorum had been broken, promptly mushed the piece he was about to feed her into her face.

"Ahh, that's the spirit, Papyrus! FUHUHUHUHU!" She grabbed him and pulled him close for a smooch.

Everyone applauded. After Undyne and Papyrus came back from taking care of their sticky faces, the rest cake was sliced, drizzled with the previously-torched banana nut sauce, and passed out to everyone.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, the bride and groom took their cake and slipped out of the ballroom, hoping to get a moment to themselves.

Undyne was moved. "Maaaaaan, that was so sweet of Toriel, letting me torch the sauce like that!"

"Y'KNOW, I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU ABOUT THAT." Papyrus said, winking at his new wife. "HOW COME YOU DIDN'T GET THAT EXCITED WHEN ASGORE PRONOUNCED US HUSBAND AND WIFE?"

"That was planned. This was a surprise. Besides..." she put an arm around him. "I had that same reaction when you popped the question."

"AH YES, I REMEMBER." Papyrus nudged her shoulder. "YOU KNOCKED ME OVER."

Undyne chuckled sheepishly. "I said I was sorry; you just got me too excited."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THAT."

"Sometimes I feel like I do." Undyne took her arm off of Papyrus and shifted her weight. "Have you ever thought that maybe... I dunno. Forget I said anything."

"MAYBE WHAT?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Maybe being with me is more trouble than it's worth." Her eye cast downward, she sighed. "I mean we're married so it's kinda too late to go back now."

"THAT'S CRAZY TALK, UNDYNE."

"Is it?"

He nodded. "WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION A THOUSAND TIMES. AND, IF NECESSARY, WE'LL HAVE IT A THOUSAND MORE."

"...Man, how did I ever get so lucky?"

"I'M THE LUCKY ONE."

She chuckled and, wrapping her arm around him once more, pulled him in for a kiss. The two sat in silence for a while.

Until Undyne spoke up. "I'm... still scared what happened 2 months ago will happen again. And I do not scare easy."

"I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT."

"It's okay if you are."

Papyrus looked thoughtful for a moment. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THAT DOESN'T SCARE ME?"

"Why not?"

The skeleton rested his head on her shoulder, looking up at her. "BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO COME GET ME."

Undyne turned a serious shade of plum. "Dang it, Papyrus, stop making me love you so much!"

"BUT WE JUST GOT MARRIED!"

"Then keep making me love you so much!" She put her cake plate down, grabbed her husband by the waist, and stood up, noogie-ing him affectionately.

"OH NO, NOOGIES?" Papyrus yelped, laughing as he stumbled to his feet.

"Yep! And a marriage suplex for good measure!" She hoisted him up from behind, falling backwards towards the ground.

One of the staff members who happened to be walking by witnessed this event, but didn't dare speak of it to anyone. When Undyne had helped him up, Papyrus turned around to face her, his cheekbones tinged red. "DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE RECEPTION?"

"Hmm, one more thing."

"IT'S NOT ANOTHER NOOGIE, IS IT?" he asked, sweat flying.

In one swift motion, Undyne grabbed him, dipped him, and gave him a sweet, tender kiss. "I love you, Papyrus." She gently pulled him back up, and the two stood there, hands on each other's hips, foreheads gently touching.

"...I LOVE YOU TOO, UNDYNE."

The beautiful moment they'd found themselves in lasted for a little longer, until Undyne asked "How about we head back inside now? They're probably driving themselves crazy wondering where we are."

"ALL RIGHTY!"

Undyne and Papyrus picked up their cake plates, linked arms, and strolled back inside the building together, ready to continue a night centered around celebrating their love.