One day has passed since Gaster and the boys came to the surface and stared up at the stars. Gaster refuses to leave the Underground for more than a few minutes. It's becoming uncomfortable for him... So much has changed and his head hurts. And so Gaster will only go as far as Asgore's throne room before he begins to act strangely. Sans and Papyrus can't put their fingers on exactly what he's feeling, but they know enough that they won't force their father to do anything he doesn't want to. This all worries Papyrus though. He went and looked at the stars with them after all! So why is he getting nervous NOW?... The only reason they stopped looking at the stars is because Gaster suddenly had a wave of anxiety hit him. The darkness freaked him out pretty bad and he retreated to the underground so fast the boys wondered where he'd gone for a few moments. They found him in the last corridor covering his ears…

Today in Snowdin outside of their home, Papyrus was ready to ask if there was ANYONE that Gaster knew that was still here but Sans quickly intervened before his brother could mention it to their old man.

"I dunno Pap, I think we should give him a little more time to adjust. He hasn't had light or sound for a long time and… I dunno I guess I worry that he'll get even more bombarded and I'm not sure he's ready for that yet. He still doesn't feel well I think." Sans fiddles with his hands in his hoody pockets and looks over at their dad through the front window.

Gaster is slouching in the corner of the living room next to the table. He stares off into the distance not looking at anything in particular and he appears to be curling in on himself with every passing minute.

"Everything is still sinking in. And I… I think that part of him thinks that this is all a dream, or one of his 'scenes' you know?" Sans looks up at his brother and Papyrus folds his arms in thought. He nods.

"YES… I WISH THERE WERE SOME WAY WE COULD CONVINCE HIM. I WISH I UNDERSTOOD HOW HE FELT SO I COULD HELP! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO HELP MY OWN FATHER!" Papyrus says with increasing exasperation and worry. The father he remembers was getting older towards the fall, but he still had a pep in his step and a cheerful tone when talking to them. Now he's a mess… He's being completely overwhelmed by everything and he's scared. Unsure of himself. Jumpy. The switch from their father to this glob of goop was so quick. Just 24 hours since his return.

Sans nods. He wants to help too…

"I WONDER BROTHER, PERHAPS IF WE SHOWED HIM PICTURES? OR MAYBE WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING WE USED TO DO TOGETHER!" Pap flings a finger in the air with a sudden big smile. Sans isn't so confident. He's certain that that would just make Gaster feel bad about his current self. About everything he's missed.

"We gotta be careful bro. We have to think everything out so we don't freak him out." Sans rubs his chin and sighs. How could they go about this? Papyrus watches his brother think and folds his arms again. The two "Hmmm" out loud.

()

Inside, Gaster stares at their green couch and the TV. This… He knows it's real. He knows that this is real and that this is his home and those are his children standing outside talking. But… he can't stop the sinking feeling that the void is toying with his memories and his fantasies of escape. And yet he can feel. He can hear and see more than just darkness now.

To his left is the table with the pet rock on it. Gaster reaches over with his disconnected hand and grabs the rock up and then brings it to his chest. He stares at it and feels the rough earthy texture with his skeletal thumbs. It's still strange to remember what he used to look like. His hands weren't this globby before. There must be some way he can reform himself or something! Maybe magic?

Gaster puts the rock back onto the table and he sits up a little more. With what little magic he has regained, he focuses it all into his body and tries to put his old body back together. But the most he can get is a few extra inches of height. It's exhausting… He tries again and gains a few more inches of his posture. Failure. But he think if he keeps trying he can get it right…

Talking to his sons about how he feels is a good idea. One that he's already done a little bit of. But… Maybe… Hm. Gaster recalls several times where he'd go talk to Asgore. Mostly to help HIM out! But he wonders if this time he should actually reveal himself to his King. Let his presence be known to his old boss… His friend. But won't Asgore be scared of him? Would he see this ugly form and… No, Asgore isn't like that. Maybe it's worth a try.

()

The front door opens and Gaster peeks out. Snow. The bite of the snow is so calming to the old scientist. So familiar and peaceful. Home.

"Oh dad, what's up? You uh… you alright?" Sans asks, a bit startled. He was POSITIVIE that Gaster would sit in that corner all day.

"[[AH YES. I'M… ALRIGHT. I'VE DECIDED THAT I MUST SEE THE KING.]]"

"WOW, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ASGORE? THIS IS A DELIGHTFUL TURN OF EVENTS!" Papyrus shouts happily. He's very pleased to see his dad up and about finally! Worry was setting in… Gaster nods to his son and smiles.

"[[AH… YES. I'M SORRY ABOUT ALL OF THIS, BOYS. I'M STILL ADJUSTING. I'LL DO MY BEST NOT TO WORRY YOU ANYMORE.]]"

Sans shakes his head. "Don't be sorry! We understand, really. But… I know we've said this a bunch already, but if you need anything or… ANYTHING, then we've got your back."

"INDEED! WE KNOW THIINGS ARE DIFFICULT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW… AND WE REALLY WANT TO HELP IN ANY WAY THAT WE ARE ABLE. LUCKILY FOR YOU, ONE OF YOUR SONS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

Gaster finally lets out a breathy laugh. God he loves his sons. "Missing them" doesn't even cover how he feels. "[[AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS' HELP I SHALL ASK FOR WHEN I NEED IT. WHICH IS NOW. YOU TOO SANS. I AH…]]" The doctor looks off to the side and tries to sort his thoughts. But Sans and Papyrus already know. He doesn't want to be alone. The two nod at each other and start walking. Gaster loves that his boys can read his mind.

()

A nice long quiet walk through the underground settles Gaster down a bit. The brothers are wary and watchful. Well… Sans is anyway. Papyrus is busy marching.

"What exactly are you marchin' for bro?" Sans asks.

"SIMPLE MY BROTHER! I AM ASSISTING IN ESCORTING THE ROYAL SCIENTIST TO HIS DESTINATION. YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME BY NOT MARCHING AS WELL! I SUPPOSE ONLY ONE OF US IS ROYAL GUARD MATERIAL." Papyrus puts one gloved hand to his chest dramatically.

Sans chuckles and gives a little bit of the ol' razzle dazzle to his step just to appease his bro.

"That's true. But Asgore DID say that the Royal Guard has been disbanded. What are you gonna do now?"

Papyrus puts a hand to his long chin and HMMMM'S loudly. "THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. MY LIFE LONG DREAM HAS BEEN SHATTERED EVEN MORE THAN THE BARRIER."

"[[THAT JUST GIVES YOU MORE OPPORTUNITIES, PAPYRUS. NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS YOU CAN BE.]]" "If the human world has truly changed anyway" he decides not to add in. Papyrus likes this answer.

"LOTS? WOWWIE I CAN BE ANYTHING I WANT? WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE?"

"[[I COULDN'T TELL YOU. THE VISIONS NEVER SHOWED ME THE SURFACE WORLD SO I HAVE NO CLUE HOW THE HUMANS AND SOCIETY HAS CHANGED. BUT I KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU TWO END UP DOING, YOU'LL BE THE BEST AT IT.]]" He smiles at each of his boys and takes their hands. The brothers glow with pride.

Finally at Asgore's castle, they see that the sun is out. High noon. The family stops just inside the mountain's new exit and the brothers look to their father. He seems much less upset than he was at night time.

"Do you uh… think you can come out? It looks pretty bright out. Right? Is that how it works?" Sans has seen the sunset and the stars now. Nothing more. Gaster smiles and nods.

"[[YES. I BELIEVE I CAN GO OUTSIDE. THE SKY IS STILL A BIT FRIGHTENING, BUT IT'S BROAD DAYLIGHT. YOU TWO WILL LIKE IT.]]" Gaster finally stands outside with his sons and they look at the lush green of the trees in regular daylight. The city in the distance shimmers with glass windows and a light warm breeze passes them. Even without skin all of them can tell that the suns light is warm.

"[[SUMMER TIME… I ALWAYS LIKED THIS TIME OF YEAR.]]"

"SUMMER? TIME OF YEAR?" Those are the only words that are really able to form for Papyrus right now. The surface keeps surprising him and he hasn't even gone past the ledge where they all stand now! Gaster takes a deep breath and then sighs it out happily.

"[[I WON'T SPOIL MUCH FOR YOU. EXPERIENCING IT YOURSELF IS THE BEST PART… AH. NOW WHERE WOULD ASGORE HAVE GONE? I'VE AVOIDED HIM FOR A WHOLE DAY… THERE'S NO TELLING WHERE HE IS.]]"

"Hello there?" Comes the deep familiar voice. Sans and Papyrus turn and see their king coming out of a room that was not there yesterday. It's the old kitchen he used to have before he blocked it off with a thin wall. Everyone thinks "What timing!"

"Hey Asgore." Sans says casually. Papyrus gives an overly dramatic bow and then shoots up straight.

"YOUR HIGHNESS! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU! WHAT AMAZING TIMING YOU HAVE!"

The king smiles at the two—and of course then he spots the black glob not facing him.

"Ah, who is this? I do not believe we have met."

Sans and Papyrus look at each other and then at their dad. He seems nervous. Asgore picks up on the tension easily. "Would you all like a cup of tea?" he says quickly to mask the growing awkwardness. Gaster clears his throat and slowly turns around.

"[[I THINK THAT WOULD BE DELIGHTFUL YOUR HIGHNESS.]]" A small smile creeps onto his poor old cracked face. Asgore's eyes widen a bit, seeming to be remembering something. Sans watches closely. He loves watching the expressions of someone remembering his super cool dad.

"[[I… I KNOW I'M A BIT HARD TO RECOGNIZE… BUT—]]

"Doctor Wingdings Gaster…" Asgore says. It's coming back. It's flooding back! The scientist scolded him many times and helped him many more times. "Oh my. Wingdings! Where… What happened? Where have you been?"

"Uhm, long story." Sans says just loud enough to be heard.

"[[INDEED. BUT IT HARDLY MATTERS NOW. I'M BACK AND I HAVE MISSED YOU. I THOUGHT THAT WE COULD TALK. LIKE WE USED TO.]]"

Asgore stands there still in shock. The pieces aren't falling into place properly. Gaster was there one day and then he wasn't. And he forgot all about the scientist. About his very good friend! What has happened that has deformed his body so? Asgore shakes his head quickly and smiles widely.

"I shall make more tea! We'll drink outside today if that's alright!" Asgore puts the tea on quickly and then rushes to Gaster, swooping him up in a big hug. The doc's gotten used to the pain by now. (Papyrus hugs VERY tightly.)

"I am not sure what's happened, but I am overjoyed that you've returned!" Gaster hugs back and gives him a pat on the back. Asgore sets him down and looks him over. "I cannot lie to you, I forgot… I forgot you. And I don't understand why. But many memories are coming back to me all at once."

"[[YES THAT IS A… A SIDE EFFECT OF ME DISAPPEARING. I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING LATER.]]" Several minutes of small talk go bye and the tea is handed out and consumed. Delicious golden flower tea as always. They don't even make it outside.

"Papyrus!" An angry woman calls. The group looks over at the silhouette of Undyne standing at the exit of the underground. Woops. Papyrus didn't call her.

"Where the HELL have you been? You never called me and you never answered MY calls! You worried me you idiot!" She screams and stomps back down. Undyne surveys the room. Papyrus looking doofy and apologetic, Sans being watchful for WHATEVER, Asgore standing behind a black glob. The glob turns and faces her though…. She squints… and then quickly looks at Sans. He smirks at her. It's all coming back and the same look in her eye is forming.

"Hey….. Hey! HEY! YOU!" She points at Gaster. Papyrus steps back a few steps, shocked. Undyne and his father know each other?

"[[A-AH HELLO UNDYNE. YOU GREW UP TO BE A FINE YOUNG WOMAN. I HAD A FEELING YOU'D BE GREAT-]]" Undyne rushes over and hugs him tightly. Even tighter than Papyrus and Asgore put together. It is QUITE painful. She hoists him up and gives him two shakes to either side before putting him down.

"DOC! Doc I can't believe it! I get it now! I get all the feelings that I had before! I dunno where you went, but I could feel that deep in my soul there was someone I had to thank for something and now I know that it was you! Thank you so much for what you did for me!" She says loudly, a big toothy grin on her face.

"[[Y…YOU'RE WELCOME I SUPPOSE. I'M GLAD THAT THE LITTLE I WAS ABLE TO DO HELPED YOU.]]"

"Not just me! It helped the whole underground! I don't mean to brag but-… Wait YES I DO! Without me being super awesome and strong, the Underground just wouldn't be the same! And you helped me get there!"

Asgore and Papyrus stand slightly confused. Pap leans in and whispers to Sans.

"BROTHER, I GATHER THAT THESE TWO KNOW EACH OTHER, BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. I DON'T REMEMBER UNDYNE FROM OUR CHILDHOOD AT ALL. I DON'T REMEMBER DAD HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER!" Sans leans in and whispers back.

"Another long story that he should tell ya, not me." He shrugs at his taller brother and Pap just accepts it. No matter what it is, this is great! This is now the fourth reunion their father has had and he deserves so many more.

"[[YOU WORKED VERY HARD ALONE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AS WELL. FOR TEACHING PAPYRUS MANY THINGS AND FOR BEFRIENDING HIM. IT REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT TO ME.]]" Gaster smiles at Undyne and gives a small bow. Undyne just flicks her wrist with a "PSH".

"Of course! This guy is a giant goofball and I still can't believe these two are your sons, but gosh dangit if they're not some of my best friends! You should know that Papyrus is a very hard and determined worker! Sans on the other hand…" She says partly joking and partly not. Sans just shrugs. He knows.

"FATHER, HOW EXACTLY DO YOU KNOW UNDYNE?" Papyrus finally asks. Gaster's expression falls a tiny bit and Sans elbows his brother.

"Ah!" Asgore says suddenly. "I recall Undyne telling me that someone was giving her special training before she came to spar with me! That was YOU Wingdings?" The poor fluffy king is oblivious. Gaster decides that he should just spill the beans. He's not working for the royal family anymore so there's no fear of being fired! Not that it matters at this point.

"[[CLOSE ENOUGH. I MET UNDYNE IN WATERFALL. SHE'D HEARD ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH SANS AND THE GREEN SOUL HUMAN.]]"

"Dad." Sans says. Gaster looks over at him. Did Sans know?... Of course he did, the smart bonehead. Gaster should have known better. He nods to Sans to signal that this is okay.

"[[SHE ASKED ME TO HELP HER, HOPING THAT SHE COULD GET THE SAME RESULTS AS SANS. KEEPING HER HP AT A CERTAIN NUMBER. SO I DID SOME TESTING ON HER. I USED THE RED LIQUID TO INJECT HER TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.]]"

Asgore's eyes grow wide and so do Papyrus'. Undyne stands there shocked. She remembers before that Gaster said if anything happened to her he'd pretend she never existed and that they never met. But here the doctor is, completely taking the wrap for her!

"Undyne is this true?" Asgore says a bit quieter. Undyne knows she must confirm!

"It sure is! When Sans and I were in school together that human attacked him and there were rumors from some kids that Sans' HP was stuck at one. And that Gaster had done something. And I was so angry at that kid for hurting one of my schoolmates that I wanted in on whatever saved Sans' life. I thought that if I could raise my HP and keep it at the number it was that I would never die and I could protect everyone! So I bumped into Gaster and told him to use me. He insisted for a while that he wouldn't do it because he knew he'd get in trouble. But I stood there for an entire half an hour and pretty much begged him until he said yes." Undyne stands tall and nods affirmatively.

Sans watches this whole thing unfold with wary eyes. He knows where everyone is coming from but he just doesn't want any more stress piled onto his dad. And onto Papyrus for that matter. But with a quick look at his brother, Sans sees that Papyrus is amazed in the good way.

"I see… I'm not really sure what to make of all of this…. That makes two."

"TWO?" Papyrus asks.

"Two scientists that have performed monster experimentation with that liquid. And the two of you didn't even know each other. Right?"

"[[AH DOCTOR ALPHYS. I DID NOT KNOW HER.]]"

"I believe we should keep this a secret from Toriel…" Asgore says solemnly. Papyrus looks at Sans and then his dad with slight worry. Would the queen be angry at his father?

"WHY? SECRETS ARE BAD!" The skeleton says.

"Well she did already fire Alphys for the experiments SHE conducted…" Gaster finally lets out a laugh. But it's not a joyful laugh. It's bitter.

"[[RIDICULOUS.]]" The doctor says, enunciating every syllable. Sans finally releases a grin. He knows THIS side of his dad. That is for DAMN sure. And he can't wait to see it again. Wait. Crap, Gaster can't stand Toriel.

"[[I SHOULD LIKE TO FIND ALPHYS AND SPEAK TO HER. WE HAVE MUCH IN COMMON. AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I CAN SET SOME OF HER WORRIES AT EASE.]]"

"She's up top. Waiting for me actually, she's gonna start worrying where I am…" Undyne says. Gaster nods decisively. "[[THEN WE SHAN'T KEEP HER WAITING ANY LONGER. ASGORE, WHERE IS TORIEL CURRENTLY?]]" He asks. Asgore shakes his head.

"I am not exactly sure. But I'm at least a little sure that she is outside talking to the humans with Frisk. Ah, have you met Frisk, Gaster?"

"[[I HAVE. PART OF THE LONG STORY.]]"

"Goodness! I see. There is still so much that I must learn. Uhm… I suppose I'll let you all go? And I will be seeing you later, Wingdings? For our catching up talk?"

Gaster nods. The group walk off and leave Asgore behind to clean up all the tea cups and such.

()

Outside, the trees sway and relax with the breeze. Papyrus is still amazed at everything. Grass, flowers and weeds, bugs, Undyne and his father working together, DIFFERENT TREES? SUNLIGHT? It's all so much for him to take in. Sans can't stop himself from looking around too. He get distracted with his brother at some animals in the trees. Birds they've never seen before and a squirrel. There are a few fruit trees that lead the brothers away, leaving Undyne and Gaster.

"You got a beef with the queen, Doc?"

"[[THAT'S ONE WAY TO PUT IT. FIRING ALPHYS FOR DOING HER JOB ANGERS ME GREATLY. HOW LIKE TORIEL. ABANDON HER HUSBAND AND THE ENTIRE KINGDOM WHEN THEY ALL NEEDED HER THE MOST AND LEFT EVERY RESPONSIBILITY TO AN EQUALLY DISTRAUGHT FATHER. SHE HAS THE GUAL! THE AUDACITY TO COME BACK AND PRETEND THAT SHE STILL HAS AUTHORITY OVER ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS KINGDOM! NOT ONLY THAT BUT SHE LET THOSE HUMAN CHILDREN IN! A FEW OF WHICH WERE BAD! ONE OF THEM, OH I DON'T KNOW, NEARLY MURDERING MY SON? THE NERVE OF THAT WOMAN, HONESTLY! SHE WILL BE HEARING FROM ME AND THAT IS A CERTAINTY!]]"

Undyne snerks a few times in that spiel of Gaster's. It's been years but she remembers that this is the type of guy Gaster was. Curt and irritated. Articulate. Firm in his beliefs. Just like her.

Gaster looks up at her. "[[WHAT?]]" He says flatly.

"Hehe. Nothin' nothin'. It's just nice to have you back is all. I don't have a comment on any of that really but at least you know what you want! Hearing you put it all that way gives more context on why you hated Toriel. Which I didn't know until five minutes ago but yeah. I get it. You're passionate and I LIKE IT!" Undyne hasn't said much on Toriel, but inside she feels the same way a little. She feels like she was the only one that gave Asgore the time of day. She looked up to her king and respected him greatly. Toriel ran away like a coward… So she understands where Gaster is coming from.

"[[I SHOULD THINK SO. ANY SMART MONSTER WOULD GET IT.]]"

"Oh, there's Alphys up there. Look at that nerd, watching her cartoons."

"[[DON'T LIE, I KNOW YOU LOVE WATCHING MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE WITH HER.]]" Undyne gasps and stops dead in her tracks. Gaster just smirks at her as well as he's able to with his cracked face. The fish girl just folds her arms and looks away.

"That's not creepy at all… Hey Alphys! I have someone for you to meet!" Undyne yells. Just twenty feet away is Alphys, sitting on a pink and white polka dotted blanket which covers a perfect patch of grass with sunlight filtering through. The yellow lizard scientist looks up from her phone at the approaching monsters. Undyne and… someone she's never met.

"O-Oh! H-h-uh-heeeeyy! I'm uh… I'm Alphys."

"[[DOCTOR. DOCTOR ALPHYS.]]" Gaster corrects. Alphys looks down a little and rubs one of her arms.

"H-heh. Not anymore. But I appreciate the sentiment. And who are y-you?"

Gaster and Undyne finally make it all the way up to the blanket and the blue scaled girl plops down on it and crosses her legs. Gaster of course chooses to stand. Alphys quickly gets up and straightens out her extremely old black tank top. It's got holes in the shoulders it's so old.

"[[I AM THE ONE WHO MADE THE BLUEPRINTS THAT YOU FOLLOWED. DOCTOR WINGDINGS GASTER. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.]]"

Alphys gasps. "N-n-no-no way. Y-you were th-the first Royal s-scientist! I… I found—I mean how did you—thank you! A-and also—"

"[[AND ALSO 'CURSE YOU FOR MAKING BLUEPRINTS THAT GOT ME FIRED IN THE END?']]" Gaster finishes for her with a tiny playful smirk. Alphys gulps. She wasn't actually going to say it, but a small small part of her thought it. She shakes her head.

"No! I-I mean yes a little—but no no no! I'm still the one that made the choice to use them instead of finding out some other way…"

"[[THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY. THAT WAS THE ONLY OUTCOME THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. TRUST ME. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU DOTOR ALPHYS, IF I HAD BEEN ABLE TO STAY IN THE UNDERGROUND FOR LONGER, STILL WORKING WITH-… A SIDE PROJECT," Gaster says. He decides that telling Undyne's girlfriend what he did is not appropriate at this time. "[[I WOULD HAVE GONE THE SAME EXACT ROUTE YOU DID… AND I KNOW YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT IT. IT'S A HEAVY BURDEN TO CARRY IN SECRET ISN'T IT?]]"

Alphys stares at Gaster in awe. He may be a glob but he carries himself with confidence. With wisdom beyond her years. Someone who knows what she went through. Who knows how she feels about it all… Alphys was sure someone like this did not exist.

"It… it was. It was lonely. And scary. I felt so alone, never being able to tell anyone what horrible things I was doing… What an awful thing I'd done to the prince's dust!"

"[[YOU ARE A SCIENTIST.]]" Gaster says firmly. "[[YOU WERE ORDERED BY YOUR KING TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT. AND YOU DID. YOU EXPERIMENTED AND YOU TRIED AND YOU FAILED. THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SCIENTIST. YOU FAIL AND YOU FAIL AND YOU FAIL UNTIL YOU DO IT RIGHT.]]"

"I… I never GOT it right though." Alphys rubs her arm a little more. She can't help but feel intimidated and star struck at the same time by the original Royal Scientist.

"[[THOSE MONSTERS ARE ALIVE AND WITH THEIR FAMILIES NOW. THAT'S A SUCCESS IN MY BOOK, ALPHYS DEAR.]]" He gives her a small reassuring smile and Alphys finally looks him in the eyes. They ARE alive and with their families… He's right.

Undyne watches the two with a smile. She's glad that Alphys has another giant nerd to talk to about nerdy science things!

"[[I WANTED TO SAY THAT AND ALSO NO MATTER WHAT 'QUEEN' TORIEL SAYS, YOU BEING 86'D DOES NOT STOP YOU FROM BEING A SCIENTIST. YOU CAN WORK FOR ANY SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION AND BE HAILED AS A GENIUS! I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MORE INTELLIGENT THAN ANYONE ELSE COULD EVER KNOW. YOU JUST NEED THE CORRECT OUTLET TO SHOW EVERYONE WHAT A SHINING STAR YOU ARE.]]"

Alphys' whole body turns red slowly, not used to being showered with praise. ESPECIALLY from the MAN WHO LITERALLY HELPED THE UNDERGROUND SURVIVE IN AT LEAST MILD COMFORT. She nearly passes out.

"Th-th-thank you… so much. Y-you really are t-too kind. I… I don't deserve such h-high praise from you. B-but… I…" Alphys struggles to find the confidence… but she grasps it and gives Gaster a determined smile.

"I think when I do something amazing on the surface world… that's when I'll take your compliments."

Gaster nods and smiles at her. "[[VERY GOOD… AH? WHERE DID MY BOYS GO?]]" He looks around and Sans and Papyrus are not near him at all. It's a little scary to be honest. No no, pull yourself together Wingdings.

"Your boys?" Alphys asks with a cocked eyebrow.

"[[YES, SANS AND PAPYRUS. I SEEM TO HAVE LOST THEM.]]"

"Wait they're your sons?"

()

A quick search of the trees from Gaster and he finds his grown adult children chasing around a blue and white butterfly. He decides not to say anything and let them have their fun. As long as he knows where they are…

Ah this brings back memories. Many from a different time and place from when he was a child. It took longer than he'd hoped, but finally they're here…

Gaster notices that he appears to be a few inches taller. Interstiiiinng OH GOD HE'S REFORMING? He lets out a loud gasp and the brothers are alerted to his presence OH GOD THEIR DAD IS BECOMING A SHAPE THAT IS NOT A BLOB. They run over and prepare to do something. They aren't sure what but DAMMIT THEY ARE READY.

"DAD WHAT'S GOING ON?" Papyrus says loudly.

"[[HOLD ON HOLD ON, I THINK I'M ON TO SOMETHING HERE.]]" Like in Snowdin two hours earlier, he focuses his magic and closes his eyes.

[[Legs… Legs. 1, 2, 1, 2. Step step step step. Pants. Shoes. Arms! Ah glorious arms. Button up the cuff on the sleeve. "Jump, I'll catch you in my arms!" Pull the favorite black jacket onto the arms and over the shoulders. Shoulders. Don't drop Papyrus off of your shoulders, he's wiggly. Torso. Button up the shirt and jacket over the torso. Ah, a tight hug around his torso from each son. Neck. Don't forget that last button on the neck. Put on your tie properly. "It's crooked old man." Yes Sans.]]

Behind Gaster's intense thoughts, he can hear the brothers chattering very quietly to each other. No, Focus. You can do it.

Papyrus leans into Sans and whispers loudly into his ear hole. "SANS LOOK, HE'S DOING IT! HE'S PUTTING HIMSELF BACK TOGETHER!"

"It sure looks like it don't it? Oh man look, the goo looks like it's goin' away."

"HIS ARMS!" Papyrus gasps. Sans shushes him and the two watch intently. Finally after about three long minutes, Gaster opens his eyes. He looks down at himself…

"[[AH! I... I HAVE LE-LEGS!]]" He brings his hands in front of him. They're no longer disconnected. They're attached to his wrists. His clothes are back to normal. He's got no shoes though. Those are gone for some reason. His feet and the holes in them are back! Gaster pats his chest. A thudding sound. Ribs. Bones. He used so much of his magic that finally he has his form back…

"[[I HAVE ARMS… CLOTHES… AH!]]" Gaster flails and yanks his jacket off, so tired of seeing black clothes. He thinks he may just wear all white or bright neon colors or something. ANYTHING but black. His cream white turtleneck reflects the sunlight nicely and he can't stop a huge smile. He feels his face and it's mostly back to normal. The cracks are still larger than they were before he fell, but they're not nearly as big as when he was a glob. The only thing that didn't go back to normal was his right eye. It still droops a little, but a bit less than it used to.

Gaster stares at his arms and legs in shock. How can this be real? What triggered his reformation?... He isn't sure, but he's back… He's back! Gaster looks up at his boys and the two have the biggest smiles on their faces he thinks he's ever seen. Even bigger than the first vacation they all had and they returned to their house in Snowdin for the first time in years.

"Dad! Dad you did it! You… You look like your old self again!"

"FATHER I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" The two seem ready to jump out of their figurative skin in excitement. Gaster laughs and throws out his arms. His ARRRRMMSSS.

"[[LET US HAVE A PROPPER HUG BOYS!]]" The brothers are more than happy to accept the embrace. They crash into their father and hug him tightly. As Papyrus guessed earlier, Gaster is taller than the both of them, a few inches above Papyrus.

The feeling of a real hug with his body back is almost more than Gaster can handle. This is love incarnate. The three monster's souls beat in unison and none of them want to let go.

But alas after several perfect minutes, the three separate.

"[[GOODNESS. I WASN'T SURE I WOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN TO NORMAL SO SOON! I TRIED EARLIER WITH… WELL FAILURE. YET HERE I AM ALMOST AS GOOD AS NEW. KEEPING THIS FORM ISN'T USING ANY OF MY MAGIC EITHER. HOW INTERESTING! I MUST TEST THIS.]]"

"How about you DON'T do that and just let it be old man." Sans says with a nervous chuckle. As Papyrus looks at his father nearly exactly as he remembers him, he can see now what Sans meant about him taking after Gaster in looks and height. It makes him so full of pride he feels he may burst.

"[[I SUPPOSE THAT'S A WISE IDEA. I'LL LEAVE IT BE FOR NOW.]]"

"Oh? Who is this?" Comes a woman's voice. Lighter and slightly higher pitched. The three look over. Toriel is coming up a dirt path with Frisk. While Toriel looks confused, Frisk's eyebrows shoot up. He looks much different, but his face gives away exactly who he is. Frisk runs over and stands in front of Gaster excitedly. He looks down at them with mild worry. Toriel walks over looking between Gaster and Frisk a few times. But she assumes that if Frisk is okay with this monster then she is as well.

"Toriel, this is my dad." Sans says with a smile. He knows this is probably not gonna go well AT ALL. And he's not sure that he wants to be present. Luckily Gaster is more confrontational than his sons and he speaks calmly and quietly. Again Sans recognizes this tone. YEP THIS ISN'T GONNA GO WELL.

"[[CHILDREN, WOULD YOU ALL EXCUSE US FOR A MOMENT? I'D LIKE TO TALK TO TORIEL PRIVATELY.]]" He says with a creepy cheerful smile. Sans nods a bunch.

"Yep, we're outtie 5000 BYE." Sans says quickly and grabs Papyrus by the hand. He walks away so dang fast. Frisk is a bit surprised and they stare up at Gaster. He just nods to them and Frisk rushes after the boys. Toriel stares at Gaster confused.

"I'm sorry, have we met before sir?"

"[[NOT REALLY. AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE A FEW WORDS WITH YOU.]]" Even though Gaster is speaking calmly, Toriel can easily sense that Gaster means business. She also happens to notice that Gaster is a BOSS monster…

"Then please, speak freely." Gaster almost says "I don't need your permission" but holds back…

"[[TELL ME, WHY DID YOU FIRE ALPHYS?]]"

"I found out that she had done some very awful things. And I can't let a Royal Scientist do such horrible things."

"[[WHAT EXACTLY MAKES YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY?]]"

Toriel roots her feet into the ground. This man is obviously upset with her. She must remain calm though.

"I am the Queen of monsters sir." Toriel says, her voice becoming tighter.

"[[YOU GAVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO THE THRONE WHEN YOU RAN AWAY ALL THOSE YEARS AGO. YOU RAN LIKE A COWARD. HID AWAY FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES. LOCKED YOURSELF IN THE RUINS SELFISHLY WHILE YOUR KING SUFFERED ALONE. YOU HUSBAND.]]"

Toriel's eyes get a bit large. "Who ARE you? I do not like this tone you are taking with me…"

"[[I AM WINGDINGS GASTER. ROYAL SCIENTIST. I DID USED TO WORK FOR YOU AND THE KING AFTER ALL. AH, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING IF YOU HADN'T ABANDONED YOUR POST.]]" Gaster says. Toriel thinks back. The Royal Scientist, Gaster… Oh. She recalls now that her and Asgore found Gaster after he accidentally blew something up in the dumps of Waterfall. Experimenting. He had no home and two babies. They were all starving. Toriel wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved, but Asgore insisted that perhaps they help. Maybe they needed someone to figure out how the barrier could be broken, and Gaster seemed to know more about science stuff than they did. So she gave in and the two of them hired Gaster.

"I remember now… Asgore and I HELPED YOU. Why on earth are you acting this way?"

"[[YOU COULD HAVE HELPED SO MANY MORE MONSTERS IF YOU HAD STAYED. BUT YOU LEFT. YOU DIDN'T ASK QUESTIONS. YOU ASSUMED SOME TERRIBLE THINGS AND YOU RAN. I UNDERSTOOD THE GRIEF OF LOOSING BOTH OF THE CHILDREN. EVERYONE DID. ASGORE DECLARED WAR. AND THEN GOT COLD FEET. AND THEN OTHER HUMAN SOULS STARTED APPEARING. THE HUMAN SOULS THAT WE NEEDED TO ESCAPE. YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY HAD COME FROM SO YOU ASSUMED THAT ASGORE WAS TAKING DRASTIC MEASURES AFTER HE REDECLARED WAR ON THE HUMANS AND WERE TAKING THEIR SOULS.]]"

"I couldn't bear any more children being killed! I couldn't handle Asgore killing defenseless children!"

"[[ASGORE DID NOT KILL A. SINGLE. HUMAN. CHILD.]]" Gaster says through gritted teeth. Toriel stares quietly for a moment.

"What?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT?!' ASGORE NEVER KILLED A SINGLE CHILD! AND YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IF YOU HAD ASKED! COMMUNICATED! THE CHILDREN THAT CAME IN ALL DIED OF EITHER NATURAL CAUSES OR ACCIDENTS. THE ONLY MONSTER THAT KILLED ANY HUMANS WAS ME.]]" Toriel tightens her jaw and looks down her nose at him.

"Which ones…"

"[[GREEN AND YELLOW. I KILLED THE GREEN ONE BECAUSE /YOU/ LET THEM THROUGH AND THEY KILLED A HANDFUL OF MONSTERS.]]"

"Wh-what? They… They were a bit aggressive but they would never—"

"[[THEY ALMOST KILLED SANS WHEN HE WAS YOUNG.]]"

Toriel's eyes go huge… The green soul child almost killed Sans?...

"[[HAVEN'T YOU WONDERED WHY HE ONLY HAD 1 HP? BECAUSE OF THAT HUMAN YOU ALLOWED THROUGH, MY SON WAS ALMOST MURDERED BEFORE MY EYES.]]" This… Gaster will NEVER let that go. It hurt him and his family too much to ever forgive. He absolutely blames Toriel for letting such a horrible person into their lives. Toriel can't believe it. She let through a child that went on to murder a handful of monsters and nearly her friend from beyond the door?

"[[SO DON'T YOU /DARE/ TELL ME THEY WERE 'DEFENSELESS' CHILDREN. THE YELLOW SOUL CHILD CAME THROUGH WITH A GUN. IF IT WAS LOADED AND THEY HAD ILL INTENSIONS WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE THEN?... NOTHING. BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY BEING A COWARD. LUCKILY FOR YOU, THE YELLOW SOUL CHILD WAS KIND.]]"

"And you still killed them."

"[[THEY OFFERED THEMSELVES UP. ASGORE COULDN'T DO IT. SO I INSISTED THAT I BE THE ONE TO DO IT. AND I DID. NO ONE ELSE WAS GOING TO MAKE THE NECESSARY SACRIFICES, SO IT FELL UPON ME. BUT HERE YOU ARE STILL IGNORING THE FACT THAT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO LET THEM THROUGH… YOU'RE PRETENDING TO BE A GOOD PERSON BUT I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID.]]" Gaster pauses while Toriel stands there, slowly shrinking. Heard what she said?

"[['If you really wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE soul, taken six souls from the humans then come back and freed everyone peacefully.' YOU WEREN'T MAD THAT HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY KILLING HUMANS. YOU WERE MAD THAT HE WASN'T KILLING SURFACE HUMANS FAST ENOUGH. DO YOU HONESTLY THINK HE COULD HAVE FREED EVERYONE 'PEACEFULLY' IF HE WENT UP AND STOLE SOULS FROM THE HUMANS? THEY WOULD NOTICE. THERE ARE BILLIONS OF THEM YOU FOOL! WAR WOULD HAVE BEEN WAGED AGAIN! THEY WOULD HAVE EASILY SEALED US IN THE UNDERGROUND A SECOND TIME. BUT NOT BEFORE KILLING WHAT WAS LEFT OF OUR ALREADY PITIFULLY SMALL RACE! IF ASGORE HAD DONE WHAT YOU SUGGESTED, WE ALL WOULD HAVE DIED. AND THEN WHAT? WHAT IF ASGORE WAS KILLED IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE HUMAN SOULS? I HONESTLY THINK YOU STILL WOULD HAVE RUN AWAY, LEAVING THE UNDERGROUND LEADERLESS, YOU DAMN COWARD.]]" Gaster is half shouting at this point, his hands balled into fists.

Toriel just stands there silently. She can tell that Gaster has been thinking about this for a long time… His words sting. But she knows that what he says is true…

"[[YOU ARE NO QUEEN. NO QUEEN OF MINE. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO GIVE ORDERS TO A KINGDOM YOU ABANDONED.]]"

With her head down, Toriel fiddles with her hands in front of her. He's right. She is a coward. She did something terrible to her kingdom… To Asgore.

"You… you are right. I don't-… There is-… What I have done is inexcusable. And I was not aware that Asgore had in fact not killed any children. I should have looked into it more. I should have asked. Talked everything through… I truly owe him an apology. I owe everyone an apology for leaving the way I did."

Gaster wants to say "You're damn right you do." But he decides to let her have her piece.

"And I… must apologize to you and Sans. If… If I had known beforehand that when the child left me they would murder several Monsters including Sans, then I—"

"[[YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING. YOU WOULD JUST HOPE FOR THE BEST AND THAT THINGS WOULD CHANGE. BUT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE… TORIEL, YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ME, BUT I HAVE SEEN… MORE THAN I CAN EXPLAIN. I HAVE SEEN EVERY ROAD. EVERY CHOICE YOU MAKE CREATES A DIFFERENT PATH. AND IN EVERY PATH WITH YOU IN IT, YOU ALWAYS LET THE CHILD GO. EVEN IF YOU KNEW THAT KILLING THE CHILD WOULD PROTECT THE REST OF US YOU STILL WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING.]]" Gaster says quietly. The truth of his words are in his eyes…

Toriel's eyes begin to fill with tears. If what he says is true, that means that she'd be indirectly killing residents of her own kingdom because she couldn't make herself kill a human…

"[[I'M ALMOST CERTAIN THAT YOU AND ASGORE WILL NOT RETURN TO THE WAY YOU WERE BEFORE. BUT HE LOVES YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF HIS BEING. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH TORIEL. AND BECAUSE OF THAT HE WILL NEVER DEFEND HIMSELF AND TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG. SO I WILL DO IT FOR HIM. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH HIM AND WITH YOUR KINGDOM, YOU /BOTH/ SHOULD GIVE YOUR MOST HEARTFELT APOLOGIES. SEVERE LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU TWO HAS HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH IMPACT ON OUR SPECIES. SO PLEASE. DON'T MESS UP AGAIN.]]"

Gaster's left eye glows a faint purple... Toriel gulps a little bit. She's a boss monster too, but in battle she would easily fall against Gaster. His stats are off the charts… His HP is 1,515 times hers… His attack and defense is 833 times hers… She has no doubt that if Gaster even flicked her while in battle she would be dusted.

"I understand… The Undergr-… The Monster race deserves a Queen that can help and protect them. I will truly do my best to make up for my wrong doing." Toriel lifts her head a bit, a new resolve beginning to gleam in her eyes. Gaster lowers his magic and nods.

"[[VERY GOOD. I EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM YOU TORIEL… UGH.]]" He puts a hand to his face and sighs. That sounded so pompous and douche-baggy…. But he really doesn't consider her his Queen at all, and to him she's really a lower raking monster anyway.

"[[ANYWAY, ASGORE IS WAITING FOR YOU. SANS AND PAPYRUS SHALL WATCH OVER FRISK.]]"

With some reluctance about the Frisk comment… she leaves, only once looking back at Gaster. He faces away from her now looking up into the trees.

"Mr. Gaster… Have you ever experienced such loss?"

"[[THE WAR TOOK MY WIFE. AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN AT THE LOSS OF YOUR CHILDREN. A MILLION TIMES OVER…]]" She stares at him and can hear the pain in his voice. Toriel looks back in front of her and stares at the grass. A million times over?... She isn't quite sure what he means, but she can tell he's being truthful. Losing Chara was a terrible blow. But then Asriel in the same day? Both of them at once?... She can't imagine doing that a million times… Toriel shakes her head of the memories.

"I'm sorry… I do hope we can… fix this. Make things right."

"[[WITH A PROPER TALK, I THINK THINGS WILL GO SMOOTHLY.]]" Gaster doesn't face her still. Toriel nods a little. He's right really. The grief of the kids dying completely sent her over the edge. She didn't even think about how Asgore was feeling the same exact way… Not talking to each other seems to have been the biggest mistake of their lives. Toriel walks off to the mountain.

Gaster of course is planning on talking to the human as well. So once he senses that Toriel's magic is near Asgore's magic, he makes his move and walks over to where his sons and Frisk are playing with some bugs. Frisk is showing them and telling them what everything is.

"A mosquito? Wow. Such a tiny little thing can suck blood out of a human? Heh, I'm pretty glad that we don't have skin right about now. Ey Papyrus?"

"INDEED! GOODNESS THE SURFACE HAS SO MANY SCARY BUGS! HOW HAVE THE HUMANS NOT COMPLETELY DIED OUT AS A SPECIES YET?" Papyrus leans in closely to the mosquito that has landed on Sans' finger and squints at it. Frisk just giggles. But they look over and See Gaster watching them all. They look at the brothers and tell them that they're going to talk to Gaster. Sans and Papyrus nod. Of course Sans looks directly into Gaster's eyes, looking for some sort of clue as to what went down exactly. He has an idea since the old man used to whine about Toriel often when Sans was a kid. But naturally his father gives nothing away. Sorta. The fact that he's not all smiles is an indicator that he completely went off on Toriel and absolutely emptied his reservoir of complaints. He feels a little bad for the queen. His father's scolding's are… intense. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Either way, he continues to mess around with Papyrus and watches him attempt to climb one of the trees.

Frisk runs up to Gaster and stops in front of him with a big smile. Gaster wants to give them a smile back, but he knows the child's secrets… He is incredibly wary.

"[[HELLO FRISK. I'M SURE YOU KNOW MY NAME AND SUCH.]]" They nod.

"[[GOOD, WE CAN ELIMINATE THE FORMALITIES. FRISK… I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE RESET THOUSANDS OF TIMELINES. THOUSANDS OF GLITCHED GAMES, THOUSANDS OF PERFECT HAPPY ENDINGS…]]"

Frisk's eyebrows shoot up and they tense a little. So not only does Sans know, but this one knows too? What a bothersome family!

But they look down and mess with the hem of their sweater. They nod. Gaster is silent for several long seconds… before he crouches down and sits on both of his legs, on his knees.

"[[FRISK… I AM BEGGING YOU. PLEASE DO NOT RESET. YOU MIGHT NOT LISTEN TO ME IN THE END, BUT I HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY TO CONVINCE YOU. I KNOW THAT MANY OF THE TIMES YOU RESET, IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SAVE ASRIEL. TO KEEP HIM IN HIS TRUE FORM AND TO BRING HIM BACK TO ASGORE AND TORIEL.]]"

Frisk grits their teeth a little. It's true. They REALLY wanted to save Asriel. They tried everything they could think of. But no matter what, Asriel's fate was to return to being Flowey… Frisk nods again.

"[[IF I TOLD YOU I HAD AT LEAST A PARTIAL SOLUTION TO YOUR WORRIES, WOULD YOU PROMISE NOT TO RESET?]]" Frisk looks up at Gaster with slight confusion. A partial solution?

"[[IF WE UPROOTED FLOWEY FROM THE GROUND AND PUT HIM IN A POT, YOU COULD KEEP HIM CLOSE. KEEP HIM COMPANY. HE'D SEE NEW THINGS ALL THE TIME SO HE WOULD NEVER GET BORED. HE COULD BE WITH ASGORE AND TORIEL AND YOU. IT WON'T BRING ASRIEL THE WAY YOU WANT HIM BACK, BUT I THINK EVEN HE WILL BE HAPPY IN THE END IF YOU TOOK HIM WITH YOU LIKE THAT.]]"

Frisk can't believe their ears! That's… a really weird idea? They never thought of that before. Would such a thing work? Would Flowey even accept such a fate, to be a potted plant?... But… Frisk has to try! It's an idea that they hadn't thought of. They nod quickly to Gaster and smile brightly.

"[[THIS WAY, EVERYONE CAN BE PRESENT FOR THE HAPPY ENDING…]]" He won't say it out loud, but Gaster is doing this for several reasons. He doesn't want to see his boys die anymore. He doesn't want to watch Undyne and Asgore be killed anymore… But more than anything in the world, HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE PUT BACK INTO THE VOID. He knows it's selfish. But the void is hell. No, Hell is better… And he'll do nearly anything to avoid going back.

HE WILL NOT GO BACK.

Frisk can hear it in his voice when he says "EVERYONE". They nod and take one of his hands… This ending seems to be the best one so far. They may not ever get such a good ending ever again… Jeopardizing this amazing ending would be a real shame… If they can get Flowey into a pot then they would never have to reset again. Everyone would be here. Frisk nods, determined to make this work. And the mysterious man from the randomly appearing gray room is here! It's all coming together.

Frisk gives Gaster's hand a solid shake and then rush off back to the mountain. They have a lot of traveling to do, but it'll all be worth it if they can get Asrie-FLOWEY into a pot!

Gaster watches them go and sighs… He hopes that everything gets to stay like this. He walks about 15 feet over to Sans and looks up into the tree where Papyrus is climbing.

"[[MY GOODNESS. HE'S A NATURAL.]]" He says with a smile. Sans looks over at his dad and nods.

"For sure… So uh… did you get everything off of your chest? I haven't seen that scolding look in your eye for years. Even before the fall. At least not with such intensity…" Gaster just chuckles airily to himself and shrugs.

"[[I GOT MY POINT ACROSS… SANS MY BOY, DO YOU THINK THE HUMAN WILL ACTUALLY… LISTEN TO MY REQUEST? TO STOP RESETTING?]]" He looks down at Sans and can see the skepticism in his sockets. Of course he'd be wary. This has happened many times for Sans. It's only natural he'd be unsure.

"I really don't know. Before this, I'd actually lost almost all hope for a happy ending that'll stay. And now I'm just scared. If they reset…." Sans grips Gaster's turtleneck sleeve at the elbow and looks down.

"I don't know if I'll be able to-….." Gaster hums affirmatively and rubs Sans' skull like he used to when his son was upset or feeling sick.

"[[I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL. I'D REALLY RATHER NOT RETURN TO THE VOID…]]"

"But you know… even if the kid does reset again and you are thrown back into that place… I'll bring you back every single time. Papyrus and I BOTH will…" Sans wraps an arm around his dad's waist as a sort of side hug. Gaster hugs him back and gives a "clack" skeleton kiss to the top of his head.

The two stand in silence for a while until Papyrus comes back down.

"FATHER! SANS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE SIGHT FROM ON TOP OF A TREE! IT'S FANTASTIC!.. AH HAVE I STUMBLED ONTO SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T HAVE?" Papyrus says, talking quieter. Gaster just smiles and holds an arm out for him. Papyrus walks close and joins the big hug party.

"[[NOT AT ALL MY BOY. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE IT'S TIME TO TELL YOU BOYS SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.]]" They both stare up at him. Sans gasps a little. He knows.

"About mom?" Papyrus gasps loudly at Sans' words and he gets starry eyed. Gaster nods.

"[[YES. IT'S A LONG STORY, BUT YOU BOTH DESERVE TO KNOW. IT'S FINALLY TIME TO TELL YOU BOTH EVERYTHING.]]"

And so, the skeleton family sits down in a sunny patch of grass and Gaster begins the story of how he and their mother met. Sans and Papyrus listen with the most focused faces that Gaster has ever seen on either of them.

There were no more resets.