Sans was peeking out of the curtain again. A head-tilting peek, brief but straight to the point. His eye sockets blinked as he focused out of the front window. As if expecting someone to be watching.
There probably was someone. Their new neighbors were all the more nosy. Judgemental. While moving in, she heard their sneers about the thick curtains and their gossip about what the new guy could entail. It wasn't a classic suburban neighborhood with a decent community and hope for the children. When Jane had stepped out of the car when they first arrived and did a heavy scan across the houses and faces, she knew it was a battleground. People who compared kids, houses, and salaries. Who hid behind smiles as they insulted you behind your back. That type of neighborhood. A wealthy community, with big luxurious buildings, settled on top of the hill behind a gated community. A tad bit risky for serial killers, but they weren't new to the whole 'living normally' thing anymore. As long as they kept their heads down and certain parts of them out of sight, they'd be fine.
The question was why Sans moved here. Before he had no intentions of moving so quickly. Had been looking for a place that would be good for serial killers. Decent home with a lacking police presence. Instead, they moved here.
She knew something was wrong. She could tell. Something startled the man. He saw something, someone, a month or two ago and suddenly was moving them all a few hours away to the first big house he could land upon. Real nice house, three stories with a basement and a large backyard. Had a hot tub. Expensive as hell, though, which led to Ben and Smile Dog withdrawing a lot of money from a lot of rich people pretty quickly. Covered their tracks nicely, at least.
And something was still wrong with him.
At first, Jane kept her mouth shut. Held a supportive smile whenever he would look at her because she wasn't sure what exactly rattled the man. Made sure to go through the cautions of moving, talking over with everyone what exactly to expect. Their cover story. When to know if an officer has a warrant and how to quickly clean weapons and blood. She had been sure this was just a brief reminder of something, of someone. That it would pass. That he would talk to them because they've already established that expectation.
Then time passed. Sans wasn't doing better. The baby was due any day now and he was still paranoid. At first, she had hoped it was just the unbalanced emotions the Doctor had briefly explained, but it had yet to pass. Sans was scared of something and was hiding it. Uprooted all of their lives to run from something that scared him to no end. He tried to hide it, but nightmares were returning. Harsh nightmares left him breathless in the early morning and with dark circles under his eye sockets.
And there he went again. Another glance. Another peek. Eyeing his porch like someone was going to be standing there.
"Is everything alright, Sans?" Jane asked lightly.
Sans jerked under her words as if she startled him. He turned, swift in his movements to look back down at the baby clothes with her. "Yeah, everything is cool. Why don't we go for the shark onesie? That'd be cute as hell."
"Yeah. Let's do that."
She wasn't quite sure what to do anymore. Should she bring it up? Leave it be? Sans may get better after the pregnancy but he may also get worse. Or stay the same. If it was Slenderman or some police-related threat, he would've spilled as soon as he saw. It wasn't that, though. Sans was keeping it close to his chest, which meant it was personal. From his past. A past he wasn't telling them.
Admittedly, Jane was well aware he was withholding some details. When they talked about their pasts, Sans always held this... look. A sorrowful, empty look. Desperate and terrified, all at once. Did it have something to do with the lab? His deceased Father? No, he would have told her about that. Sans was, for the most part, open about that kind of stuff.
It bothered her to no end that he wasn't telling them. Did he not trust them enough? Was trying to protect them? Either way, she didn't like it. Sans was dealing with something alone. Wouldn't talk, and kept pretending everything was alright. She knew he had boundaries and she didn't want to push, but this was starting to impact his daily life.
So she took action into her own hands.
Laughing Jack was never difficult to find. Always with Bean or by Sans' side, usually both at the same time. Today he was with Bean, who had started walking a few days after Sans had declared they were moving. Ever since that started happening, Laughing Jack had been focusing on helping Bean develop further. Helping her walk, reading her stories. She's starting to walk a decent amount of feet before frantically crawling the rest. And that's what she was doing that morning, babbling excitedly as she scampered about the room.
"Hey, Jack. Got a moment?"
Jack glanced over at her, eyes warm and soft from looking at his beloved tiny daughter. Bean was standing once again, a hand steadied against a table as she started taking large, obnoxious steps before promptly falling onto her butt once again.
"Yeah yeah, hold on," The tall man muttered, reaching out a hand to pick up Bean to make sure she was okay from the slight fall. Once she was sure, he stood up and moved to her crib, setting her back down behind her cushiony prison.
Bean glared from behind the bars. Laughing Jack giggled, ruffling her hair slightly.
"What is it?" Jack asked. His voice was low and humming.
"Obviously about what Sans has been doing recently," Jane said. "Think I'll grab Toby as well. Meet me in his room."
Laughing Jack giggled. "Alright."
Sure enough, Toby was in his room. It was more difficult to go out and about when the new neighbors eyed Sans' front door like predators waiting for prey. Wanting to see what the newcomer was really about. Sans knew he would have to step out into the lion's den eventually, and had acknowledged it previously. Needed to have an image with the neighbors so they wouldn't threaten to snoop as the others did.
Toby was sitting on his newly bought bed, tucked against the pillows with a book perched on his lap. Recommended by Zero, though the slight distaste in his eyes gave away what he thought about the book.
"Oh, uh..." Toby eyed her as she stepped into his room, locking the door behind her. "Is there... there something I need to be aware of?"
Laughing Jack appeared in a soft puff of smoke to his left.
Toby stared. "Is... something going on? Do I need to run?"
"No, you're fine," Jane said. "We're meeting as Sans' dates."
It wasn't unusual for Jane and Jack to meet together. They both were dating the same man, after all. Just like it was very usual for Jane and Zero to meet if Clockwork got a bit obsessed with whatever newfound car project she found.
"... Why?" Toby asked, quietly. A shoulder rolled with a tic.
Jane felt an eye twitch at that statement. Toby was a decent man, considering everything he's been through. She knew the story. Deadbeat Dad with a sharp belt, a Mother who was there but never could stop the abuse, followed by Slenderman whisking him away into a life of crime. Toby, as a result, was a smart man with quick reactions and observation skills. However, he and Sans shared one similar trait. They had the emotional intelligence of toddlers. For Sans, it was noticing people's emotions towards him, especially when it came to people he cared about. The rational judgment became nonexistent whenever Papyrus had been around. For Toby, it was emotions in general, though mainly his own emotions were his blindspot. If it wasn't Clockwork, he wouldn't understand.
"He's been hiding something," Laughing Jack murmured.
Of course, Laughing Jack could see more than Toby. Frankly, Jane wasn't sure what she was expecting from him. He was the idiot that thought running away from Slenderman wouldn't have consequences. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet, but she could see the slight scar peeking out from underneath his shirt.
Frankly, Jane wasn't sure how she felt about him dating Sans. She was fine with it, sure since she trusted Clockwork and Clockwork trusted him. They had decent conversations. Though they didn't have much in common outside of Sans and Clockwork. Maybe that's all they needed, though.
"I... I did notice, I don't know... know what, though," Toby muttered. "Do you guys know?"
"We don't," Jane answered swiftly. "That's why we're here. We want to talk about how we're going to approach Sans about this. Since he can be a bit skittish about certain topics."
She knew he had one more secret. She never did pry. Secrets were hidden for a reason, and if it was somehow worse than being experimented on, she could understand his hesitation. But something triggered it. This meant the secret was still a threat, that they couldn't let Sans try to hide this. But he wasn't being honest, and she didn't know why. If it was Slenderman he would've shared, right?
God, she could remember the first time she saw him. That skeleton, sitting on his bed with groggy eye sockets and a blanket clinging to his shoulders. A wide, gaping expression at seeing the intruder. More of intrigue over panic. She didn't see a person, instead, she saw an opportunity. To escape the streets and gain a sense of normality, even if just for a moment. So she kissed him, more out of necessity over want. And she was glad she did because here she is now. He worries her sometimes, but she cares about him, and the kid they're about to have.
It was anxiety-inducing now, waiting out the final days. Knowing she's going to be a Mother. A mom. Full-on mom, with a kid and a boyfriend, and onesies and baby bottles. She wasn't the pregnant one and skeletons couldn't exactly breastfeed.
She knew she liked him when they first started dating. When they agreed to try for a kid. God, Sans was an engrossing man. In the beginning, she always thought he was just some poor victim. But he was so much more. A hidden gem, brilliant and smart and funny in the most simple ways. Someone who was broken but held himself together through sheer will, who looked past titles and murders because he knew what it was like to be rejected and outcast, and couldn't let himself Judge despite being a Judge once upon a time.
And then he got pregnant, and Jane saw the sides to him that was prompted out with the pregnancy.
And she was starting to understand Jack's obsession with him.
Sans was fiercely smart and loyal, clinging to his dates like the world would end and he couldn't possibly let go. He'd sob at the sweetest of stories but would hold a grin regardless. When stripped of hesitation, Sans was a man of unrivaled 'give no shits' sort of energy. Unfortunately, that meant he was more terrified than usual. More paranoid about whatever happened. It wasn't uncommon for Jane to feel a jolt of pain looking at him, and desperately wished he'd talk to her, tell them what they could do to help. Yet he didn't. So she'd drag it out because frankly, he was being a bit stupid.
"He met someone, right, that's what... what brought this about? Right?" Toby asked. "Do any of us know who he met?"
"Jack-" Jane eyed Laughing Jack, who glanced over. "Not him, other Jack, said it sounded like a kid. Young teenager or older child. The question is why some kid would make Sans panic."
"Because they're brats," Jack hissed.
"Thanks for the helpful insight, guy with a kid and another on the way," Jane said.
Laughing Jack smirked. "Thanks."
Raising kids with several polyamorous relationships was a bit... difficult, per se. They had to figure out where exactly to cut the line from parents to step-parents, or to adults that just helped out. Thankfully, though, Sans wasn't cutting himself off from that conversation and they all sat down and hashed out some game plans. Jane, Laughing Jack, and Sans would all be the parents of the two kids. Hardcore Mom and Dad and Dad, since Sans was serious with them both. If Toby became more serious and formed a bond with the kids, he could become a Dad as well. Zero and Clockwork would become Moms if the kids called them that when they grew older.
"I think we should wait until my kids are born to confront him," Jane said. "He's already stressed enough, throwing an intervention onto him won't help right now. What we need to do is calm him down first, though. So I was thinking us three take him out somewhere with Bean."
"Like a date?" Toby asked.
Jane shot him a 'yes, obviously' look. She was growing quite familiar with making that look. Toby faltered under her gaze, biting his lip and looking to the side.
This certainly was still odd to her. This whole situation. Jane was a serial killer. Yet, somehow, she was in decent relationship in a stable house with a kid on the way. The police were steadily forgetting her face in favor of the more active Creepypasta as of late. It was odd, but she would cling to this as much as she could.
One day, she knew this would come crumbling down. She had done some terrible things. Hurt people.
Of course, many of them deserved it, but still. It was odd to think about how comfortable she was in this life.
For now, she'd let herself indulge. It wouldn't hurt, right?