Alright. This story is actually what kept me busy for almost a year! I'm a huge fan of both the tv show "Once Upon A Time" and the video game "Undertale". One day, I thought: "Hey, why not trying to make a story about the Undertale characters ending up in our (real) world, as humans, not remembering that they have been monsters, but still keeping their personnalities? Like in OUAT, they'd be "cursed" and only one person can undo that." But there was a problem; none of he Undertale characters did fit to be the curse caster. Their didn't have the motive, nor the skills to do so. One day, I came across the fan-comic "Handplates" and I instantly fell in love with it! Gaster's character is just so amazing and complex… I love this guy! So, it hit me. HP!Gaster is the only one who could do something like the Dark Curse. And so, the concept started to develop itself in my head. At first, I didn't even plan to write and actual and full fanfiction, but it happened! I was so inspired by the idea and so taken in the AU that I created that I managed to finish the story in less than a year! You heard me, the story's actually FINISHED. Which means that you won't have to wait an eternity in between chapters. All I'll have to do is to make some "cosmetic" improvements (fixing some grammar mistakes or typos). This story comes from my Deviantart page. I wasn't posting it here, in order to avoid getting too much pressure. But now, I'll post the story here too, with small improvements here and there. I know, the concept might sound bizarre, but this story is very important to my heart. So please don't be mean when/if you review. The story is actually divided in three arcs. The three shall be put in one book. There are also many side one-shots that I wrote related to this timeline. Those will be uploaded as separated stories, and in the order in which I wrote them (instead of the chronological order). Anyway, that's enough talking. So… enjoy if you can! :D
Disclaimer: I own nthing. The OUAT show and its concept belongs to ABC studios (Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis). Undertale belongs to Toby Fox, and Handplates belongs to Zarla.
Noelle, a young woman put her jeans jacket over her waitress uniform and walked out of the diner she worked in. It was late in the evening and she was tired. She wished her life was easier. Noelle was a person who didn't have the opportunities others had, she never went to college. So she had no choice but having some small job. But that didn't stop her from reading a lot, to extend her knowledge. As Noelle made it to her tiny apartment, she turned the key in the lock and she entered with a sigh of relief. Finally she was home. She barely sat on her couch as she heard her doorbell. Noelle stood up with annoyance and went to open the door. She was a bit surprised to see two young children standing threshold, a boy and a girl.
"Um... Can I help you..?"
"Hi. You're name's Noelle, right?" - the boy asked.
"Yes. But who are you?" - Noelle asked back.
"My name's Piper, and he's Sam." - the girl introduced herself and her brother - "We're your children!"
"W-wait… I don't have children…"
"Didn't you give up two children for adoption nine years ago?" - Sam asked.
Noelle felt her blood stop cold within her body. No… They couldn't be...
"...I did."
The twins just smiled at her in response. Noelle knew that her past just caught up on her. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say or do at that moment. While she stood there dumbfounded, the two children took the opportunity to walk in without invitation. Noelle got quickly pulled out of her transe-like state and closed the door. She approached the twins and said:
"What..? What are you doing here? How did you find me? Why-?"
"We'll explain everything on our way." - Sam replied.
"On our way where?" - Noelle asked, still trying to process the arrival of her children.
"You must drive us back home." - Piper stated as if it was obvious.
"N-no! I didn't ask for you to come here! You're not even supposed to know who I am! I-"
"Please? It's dark outside, we cannot go home by ourselves." - Sam pointed out, then added with a sly grin - "You cannot let something bad happen to us, right?"
Noelle glared at him, not in anger but rather in annoyance, and sighed. The boy had a point. If something happened to them, the trail would lead the police to her and she'd be in big trouble. It wasn't like she had the money to afford a lawyer.
"Alright…" - Noelle said with a defeated tone - "Let's get over with it. Where do you live?"
"In Undertown."
"Hmm... Never heard of that place…" - the woman said thoughtfully.
The twins smiled. Noelle took a few minutes to change her clothes, after what the three went out of the building and walked up to Noelle's car. It was a simple car, colored cherry. After Noelle started the car, she and the children didn't say a word to each other for some time. Except when the kids indicated her which way she had to drive. At some point, Noelle noticed the twins reading some comic book.
"What are you reading?" - she asked curiously.
"The reason why we came for you." - Piper answered.
"You looked for me because of some comics?" - Noelle asked with bewildrement.
"It's not just a comic book!" - Sam said - "The story it's telling actually happened."
"How so?"
"The town we live in isn't a common place. The people who live there are all characters from that comic book." - Piper explained.
"You know that comics are not real." - Noelle said, not sure if the kids were just messing with her or if they were being serious.
"Well, this comic is!" - Piper insisted.
"We got enough prooves before looking for you." - Sam added - "Most of its characters are very similar to the people we know in our town."
"It's normal to associate fictional characters with people we know." - Noelle said with a slight frown - "But comics aren't real."
"When we arrive, you'll see that we're right." - Piper said with a beaming smile.
"Oh gosh, what did I get myself into…?" - Noelle mentally asked herself.
They didn't pursue the debate until they finally arrived to Under Town. Noelle had to stop her car to ask the kids where they lived. Sam replied with a grin:
"Number 66, but not telling the street name."
"Guys, I don't have time for your games!" - Noelle said with an annoyed groan - "Do you realize it's already very late and that I'll have to face your adoptive parents?"
"Not parents, just a father." - Piper corrected her - "And yeah, you should be worried about him. He's…"
Piper hesitated at describing her father. Noelle raised an eyebrow at her and urged her to contine.
"He's what?"
"He's distant, secretive, self-centered and arrogant." - Sam described his father's traits without shame - "But on top of all that, he's an evil scientist."
"But he can be nice too…" - Piper disagreed - "But yeah, he's the scientist from the comic book, who did many bad things."
"Alright guys, don't think that because your father has his flaws, he's evil." - Noelle said with a nervous chuckle - "You know, he's just human. But that doesn't make him an evil person, and even less a science-fiction villain."
"He's in fact not really a human." - Sam replied - "You see, almost all of the characters from the comic book are monsters. But they got de-coded from their world by our father and now, they do not remember their past life."
"Are you saying now that all the inhabitants of this town are monsters?" - the young woman asked, trying to fight back a grin of amusement.
"Yes, but in this world, they look like regular humans." - Piper answered.
"Yeah, needless to say." - Noelle said with slight sarcasm.
"That's why we brought you here, so you can help us to undo our dad's work, to code those people back into their world." - the girl explained.
"Yeah, well, can I first drive you to your home and then we see about the de-code thing?" - Noelle suggested as she started to get a slight headache.
"Sure thing." - Sam answered - "We'll show you the way."
This time, the kids showed Noelle the direction to take and soon, they reached their home. The first thing that caught their attention was that there was a police car standing in front of the house. Noelle gave the twins a glare, who shrugged in apology. The three went out of the car and walked to the opened gate of the barrier that surround the house. Noelle was impressed by the size of the house. It was clear that the children she gave up had a comfy life, which reassured her. The house had a huge garden, grass surrounding the path that led to the front door. There was even a high fir growing on the left side. Noelle mentally wondered if the family decorated it for Christmas holidays. She got pulled out of her thougts as she saw the front door open and a man, wearing a white doctor coat, stepped out the house.
"Sam..! Piper..!" - the man, presumingly their father, exclaimed as he saw his children - "You didn't return home after school… Do you realize the slightest bit the scare you gave me?! I thought something happened to you!"
He then bent down and tightly hugged the twins, feeling relief washing over his being.
"Thank… thank goodness… You're alright… I'm so relieved. You…" - he said then pulled away, his hands still over the kids' shoulders, and said sternly - "You are grounded. I'm not sure for how long yet."
Something about his hands caught Noelle's attention. Even in the faint light, she could see that on each of his hands there was a big cross-shaped scar. "His hands… What strange scars…" - Noelle thought with a frown.
"Can I at least know your lame excuse for running away?" - the doctor asked.
"Well, guess what? We found our real parent, our mother!" - Sam said defiantly.
"Sam! That was a bit too straight-forward…" - Piper remarked.
"Who?! The… mother?"
He looked up at Noelle, who was standing a few steps behind the twins. She was nothing special, just a young woman, wearing simple clothes. Jeans, brown boots, a black sweater with a red stripe, and a jeans coat. Her half-long brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she had green eyes.
"So... I suppose you are the m-... her?" - the doctor asked with a quiet tone.
"G-guilty..." - Noelle replied, looking down.
She could feel the sharpness of his gaze on her and she felt like she was in big trouble.
"Piper, Sam. Go to your room." - the man ordered - "I must have a talk with that woman."
"But..." - Piper started, slightly worried, but got shushed.
"Quiet."
The two kids sighed and giving Noelle one last look went inside the house. Noelle had a good look on Gaster, thanks to the moonlight and all the first floor windows being lit up. She noticed that his right eye was pale blue, without a pupil, so she could guess it was blind. She could also see two scars on his face, one going from his right eye and across his forehead, another going from his left eye and down to his upper lip. He was wearing glasses and had dark hair. Even though he didn't seem that old, he already had many grey hairs. Did he have a stressful life?
"So. My name's Will Dean Gaster." - the man introduced himself - "Doctor Gaster."
"I'm Noelle. No titles, 'cause I'm not a... person of success or anything… haha…"
"Pretty obvious." - Dr Gaster commented with an unfazed expression.
Noelle's face was flushing in embarrassement. She felt so little in front of Dr Gaster. He certainly had a certain presence she could never confront just by herself. After what seemed to be a long awkward silence, W.D. Gaster finally said:
"Why don't you come in for a moment?"
"O-okay..." - Noelle replied nervously.
The two went inside and Noelle couldn't help but let her eyes wander around. She had never been in an abode bigger than a two-room apartment. (The orphanage didn't count.) Gaster sent a red-haired policewoman home, since the incident was solved. Noelle then saw a woman descend the stairs. She was about a head shorter than Gaster (but she was on heels), she had blond hair styled in a boyish cut, and round brown eyes. She also was wearing glasses.
"Y-your kids went to bed, Dr Gaster…" - she said.
"Good. I'll have a long talk with them tomorrow." - Gaster replied with a serious tone - "You can go home now, Alicia."
"G-good night, Dr Gaster." - Alicia said with a naturally nervous tone and then nodded awkwardly in Noelle's direction.
Alicia left the house, so Gaster and Noelle could have a talk without getting interrupted. Gaster looked at the young woman for a moment, then asked:
"I hope the… 'procreator' won't show up tomorrow."
"No, that won't happen." - Noelle shook her head.
"Good. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Should I get concerned that you'd invade our life?" - Gaster asked, his expression unreadable.
"No, of course not… Why would I give the twins for a closed adoption then?"
"True. But now that you saw them, I hope you won't get some inappropriate ideas."
"...I'm not, honestly." - Noelle lowered her gaze again, as she felt pressure from Gaster - "I wonder how they found me though?"
"I wish I knew." - Gaster said as he lit up a cigarette and offered one to Noelle - "Do you want one?"
"No, I don't smoke."
"I'm not as concerned by how they found you as by why they did." - Gaster said as he inhaled.
"Don't be too harsh with them tomorrow. They just wanted to know their origins." - Noelle advised - "I'm sure they didn't do it to upset you."
"Didn't they?" - Gaster asked - "They think I'm a bad father."
Noelle didn't reply, as she got transfixed by the sight of his hands again. She even tilted her head without realizing it. Gaster noticed Noelle's stare and he somewhat felt self-conscious about his hands, but he didn't show it to her.
"I'm a man of research, so any sort of incident can happen." - he said casually.
"Ow, I-I'm sorry..." - Noelle looked away, her cheeks flushing.
"The bones of my hands got severely damaged." - Gaster pursued - "Others at first thought there was no way my hands could work normally again. But I suppose a great mind can overcome any physical limitation."
"I suppose..."
"Same with my right eye. I might be half-blind, but I'm still very aware of details." - Gaster pursued - "I saw you stare at my face too. It's not polite, you know. Good thing you haven't get to raise Sam and Piper."
"S-sorry... I just wondered what could've happened…"
"Is the sight of it uncomfortable? I usually wear a lens to avoid that for my children. But as you can guess, tonight I had other concerns." - Gaster said the last part with a hint of reproach.
"I didn't ask to be found by them, you know." - Noelle said as she crossed her arms.
"No. Yet, they did find you, and what for? I did my best to raise them. I am a very busy man, I might not be as present as they want me to be. I might be strict sometimes, only to make them become great people. But I don't get why they see me as a bad person."
"Hmm... I think that's just because they think you're an evil scientist or something." - Noelle chuckled nervously.
"What?"
"They have a comic book and they for some reason believe that all its characters are real. As if everyone in this town used to be a monster, but got 'de-coded' from their world by a scientist. That guy would be you." - Noelle explained.
Gaster felt some invisible weight on his body. He felt as if there was not enough air. He tried to think of a way to quickly close this conversation and make Noelle leave. Thanksfully, she was the one who did that.
"But that's not my business I guess, it's yours. Since you're their parent." - Noelle said as she made a step in the direction of the door - "I shall go now. I stayed for too long."
"Right. Farewell, miss." - Gaster said as he tried to keep his breathing steady - "Remember, you're not supposed to-"
"I know. I shouldn't have known where the kids live. I got it, I won't ever come back." - Noelle said.
That was an understanding. He was grateful when she finally left the house. The timing was perfect because as soon as the door closed, Gaster started to hyperventilate, unable to control his breathing anymore. "A book..? Would it be about..? But how?" - he thought as he tried to regain control over his breathing. He went up the stairs and straight to his children's bedroom. He acted quietly in order to not wake them up. He finally found what he was looking for, it was under Sam's pillow. His eyes widened as he read the title of the comic: "Handplates". "No... No, no, no, no…!" - his mind screamed. He quickly put down the book and rushed out of the twins' room. It became even more difficult to breathe. He went to the bathroom, grabbed the sink with his both hands as if his life depended on it and looked at himself in the mirror. It was the first panic attack he ever had in twenty-two years, that is since the De-Code.
In the morning, Dr Gaster, already fully dressed for work, was lecturing his children for their behaviour of the previous day. The twins were sitting on their beds as their father talked. Piper was feeling a bit ashamed for hurting Gaster's feelings like that. Sam, on the other hand, couldn't care less what Gaster was saying.
"Am I not enough for you two? After everything that I did for you, like any father would?" - Gaster said - "Yet, you prefer the company of the woman who abandoned you at your birth! That woman is no mother for you."
"You're not our father either." - Sam said, his arms crossed over his chest.
"That woman has a bad influence on you." - Gaster said, unpleased by the lack of respect from his son.
"It's not about her, but about what you've done." - Sam replied bitterly.
"Alright, listen. Apparently you believe some comic book to be real. But I did my best to make of you rational people. I expected more from you than confusing fiction and reality."
The twins just stared at him without saying a word. Dr Gaster then sighed, realizing that the conversation was pointless for now, since he had to go to work. Before leaving his room, he said:
"Forget your illusions, we live in the real world. And you two are forbidden from going outside today. I hope you'll take this day to think about your behaviour."
With those words, he left. The kids just looked at each other in silence. They then could hear their father's car start and drive away. After a moment, Piper asked her brother:
"Sam... Do you think Noelle will come back?"
"I don't know, Piper." - Sam replied - "But let's hope she will."
Dr Gaster entered Griffin's, the cafe of the town, to get his daily cup of coffee. But then he froze as he saw that at one of the tables, was sitting and having breakfast… Noelle. Gaster quickly composed himself and walked towards her.
"I thought you were long gone." - he commented.
Noelle looked up and coughed awkwardly out of surprise. She looked down for a short moment, then looked at the man again and answered.
"I stayed the night here. It was very late when I left your house, so I couldn't take the risk to fall asleep while driving and get myself killed in a car accident."
"I see." - Dr Gaster said simply.
He then quickly made his usual order, while Noelle took another sip of her tea, her eyes never leaving him. His presence didn't put her at ease. After Gaster paid for his coffee, he turned to Noelle again and said:
"Finish your food and leave the town. I hope I made myself clear."
Noelle only nodded in response. She really didn't know what she could say to him. It was a relief when Gaster finally left the cafe and Noelle felt all the tension leave her body. She put her head in her hands as she breathed out. It wasn't a good idea to stay for much longer. Suddenly, she heard a male voice ask.
"Miss, are you ok?"
Noelle looked around to see that it was a man who was sitting at the counter table, looking straight at her. He was short, had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He couldn't get called fat, but he did have a... round shape. His face also wasn't shaved.
"Y-yes, I'm fine." - Noelle replied unsurely.
"What did the doctor want from you?" - the man asked curiously - "It seems he doesn't like you."
"Uh... It's a private matter." - the young woman replied as she turned her gaze away from him.
She wouldn't share her problems with a stranger. Noelle tried to focus on her food, but then she heard the man approach her. The man apologized with an easy tone:
"Aw, sorry. I've been nosey, right? I didn't even introduce myself! My name's Sancho."
"Nice to meet you… My name is Noelle."
"Noelle... It's a very pretty name." - Sancho replied as he smiled widely.
Noelle immediately felt more at ease with him. His smile had something that permitted to relax. So she smiled timidely in response and asked:
"You know Dr Gaster?"
"The town isn't that big. Everyone knows him, he's considered as a genius. But he's not the most pleasant person."
"So, you maybe know he has two kids."
"Yeah, two adorable kiddos." - Sancho replied with a smile - "Sam and Piper."
"Well, it turns out I'm their… mother."
"I thought they didn't have a mo- oh!" - Sancho exclaimed as he understood - "You're the…?"
"Yes. I am." - Noelle replied nervously - "They found me and brought me here yesterday. So, you can guess it didn't please Dr Gaster. But he has a point. I'm not the kids' parent anymore. I cannot invade their life now."
"The doc's wrong." - Sancho said seriously, making Noelle look at him curiously - "You wanna stay, right?"
"I... I don't know."
"Why dontcha stay for a short while, to figure that out?" - Sancho suggested - "The doc works until late evening. Today's your only chance."
Noelle wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, she knew better than follow an advice from a stranger. But on the other hand… she felt like Sancho was right. If she just left now… she would possibly regret it later. Noelle gave up her twins for a reason, and it was her duty to check if they got the life they deserved. So, she made up her mind. She stood up, paid her tab and went in the direction of the door.
"What shall you do now?" - Sancho asked curiously.
"Follow your advice, I guess." - Noelle replied before exiting the cafe.
Noelle found the house she had been in last night, but as she stood in front of the open gate, she hesistated. Maybe it wasn't a good idea after all? She'd be in big trouble if the doctor found out. So, she nervously paced in front of the house, trying to make a decision.
At that moment in the twins' room, Piper looked out the window and gasped as she saw a familiar figure at the gate. She called for her brother, getting excited:
"Sam! Sam, Noelle's here!"
"What?"
"Look, she's standing near the gate!" - Piper exclaimed, while Sam joined her and saw Noelle too - "I knew it! I knew she'd come see us again!"
"Undertown does have a chance, after all." - Sam said.
The twins then opened their window and called out Noelle's name. The woman looked up and saw the kids waving at her. She waved back and smiled a little.
"Why are you standing at the gate! Come closer!" - Sam yelled.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea...!" - Noelle replied - "I shouldn't be here!"
"Yet, you came!" - Piper pointed out with a happy smile.
"I did… But if you want to talk, you should come down instead!" - Noelle suggested.
The twins looked worryingly at each other. They had been grounded, they couldn't comply to Noelle's request. But after a few moments of hesitation, Sam said to his sister:
"Okay, Piper. We're going out."
"What? No, we can't!" - Piper protested - "Dad forbid us to go out."
"If we come back home before he does, he'll never find out." - Sam said with a grin - "Come on, Piper. Think about it as if it was a secret mission."
"Alright… But it's the only time we disobey." - Piper agreed reluctantly.
"No. From now on, we'll have to disobey. Or it will never work." - Sam said seriously.
"Right. Let's do this, Sam." - Piper said with more enthousiasm.
The kids looked out the window again, and saw Noelle looking at them while expecting an answer from them.
"We'll be down in a minute!" - Sam shouted.
Noelle smiled, and the kids closed their window. Sam and Piper quickly put their shoes and coats on and rushed down the stairs. They soon joined Noelle outside and the three started to walk away.
"So, how are you doing?" - Noelle asked - "Wasn't your father too harsh on you?"
"A little." - Piper replied.
"So, about the De-Code." - Sam got to business - "You are the only person who can undo Dr Gaster's work."
"Ok, so you said last night that all the Undertown inhabitants are actually monsters from another world, but they don't know..?" - Noelle asked.
"Yes, they forgot their true past." - Piper said - "But even their fake past is blurred."
"Blurred? How so?"
"You see, when you try to ask anyone about their life, or how they got their position, their answer is always the same: 'I'm here for as long as I remember'." - Piper explained.
"The worst part is that they think it's normal." - Sam pursued - "But I suspect the town is frozen in time."
"What makes you believe that?" - Noelle asked.
"Because no one ever ages here." - Sam answered.
"Well, except for Sam and I." - Piper added.
"I think I got the situation... But why me? Why out of all people, only I can undo your father's De-Code?" - Noelle asked.
"You see, you're from their world too. You just don't remember it 'cause you were way too young when it happened." - Sam explained, getting a shocked look from Noelle - "But it's true."
"Wait, wait, wait... Now you're telling me that... I am in that book too..?" - the woman scoffed in bewildrement.
"Uh-uh. But luckily, dad didn't find out yet." - Piper said with a beaming expression - "As long as he doesn't, you're safe."
"Okay, then why didn't I end up here with the others?" - the woman challenged the kids' theory.
"Because you have been saved before the De-Code happened, thus you weren't affected." - Sam replied proudly.
"And who saved me?"
"A cute white dog!" - Piper replied with a beaming smile.
"Alright... Uh… Is there a place where you'd like to go?" - Noelle suggested, wanting to move on from the awkward topic.
The kids beamed at the suggestion. It was true that they needed her to help the town, but they no less wanted to spend time with their mother. Noelle, Sam and Piper sat in the cherry car, the twins deciding that they'd show Noelle around. Maybe if she visited the town, she'd decide to stay?
Meanwhile, Dr Gaster couldn't concentrate properly on his work, which was unusual. It was all because of the mother who showed up last night. But what concerned him even more was what link there was between her and the comic book. That book was also a mystery. It seemed to contain all the information about himself, his past and all the rest. How was it possible? But the worst part of all this was that his children believed in the story, which was dangerous. Did the comic book motivate them to find their biological mother? "The mother. I need to know more about her." - Gaster thought. He then dialed a number and waited for a couple of minutes before the person on the other line finally answered.
"Hello? How can I help you, darling?"
"Metananda, I need your services." - Gaster said, ignoring that he'd been called 'darling' - "You're always very good at finding information for your scoops."
"But of course! Or my radio and tv programms would be so dull." - Metananda replied with pride.
"Yes, yes, but now I need those skills to find information about one person specifically." - Dr Gaster said seriously.
"Ooh, sounds interesting. Who would that be?"
"The woman who gave birth to my children." - Gaster replied - "Her first name's Noelle, but I don't know her surname. She gave the twins for adoption nine years ago. I'll send you the adoption papers, so you can track from here."
"It looks like I'm for an exciting research. I'll wait for those papers, darling!"
"Don't call me that. And please, take this task seriously."
"I always do, da- erm, doctor." - Metananda replied with a glamorous voice.
With a sigh, Dr Gaster ended the conversation and proceeded to send what Metananda would need. Now that the process had been launched, the doctor could get that out of his head for a couple of hours and do his work.
Alicia walked towards her collegue's house, intending to check on the twins. Gaster told her in the morning that they would be in the house the whole day, so Alicia thought it was her duty to make sure they didn't feel too lonely. After all, she was the origin of this mess. She was the one who gave them the comic book, thinking it would help them to overcome their inner problems. But it had a reverse effect. Sam and Piper trusted their father even less, just because they took a story too seriously. Alicia couldn't help but blame herself for creating a dark climate in the little family. She had been like an elder sibling for the twins, often entertaining them with animes and other stuff. Sam and Piper adored her, and Alicia loved them too, so it pained her to see them going through crisis. She tried to help, but ended up making things worse. And she hated herself for that. Alicia opened the door of Gaster's house and called the twins' names.
"Piper? Sam? I came to see how you're doing!"
But she got no response. Alicia frowned, thinking that it was strange. She went up the stairs, then long the corridor to finally reach the kids' bedroom. She knocked on the closed door, but nobody answered. After a short hesitation, Alicia opened the door and gasped, seeing that the room was empty.
"Oh no... They ran away again..?" - she said to herself.
Just to be sure, she checked the other rooms of the house, but the twins were nowhere to be seen. "Oh no… What do I do…? Should I inform Dr Gaster..?" - she wondered as she started to sweat in nervousness - "That's not good… He won't like this…" So, Alicia was just staring at her phone for a few minutes before finally deciding to dial Gaster's number.
"Hello, Alicia."
"Dr... Dr G-Gaster…" - the woman said nervously - "I... I-I don't know h-how to tell you this… you won't like it, b-but uh… well, Sam and Piper, they… they're not at home…"
"What?"
"I'm sorry...! I... It's all my fault! That's all happening because of me, I screwed your family up, I-"
"Alicia, calm down!" - Gaster instructed her firmly - "Trust me, you are not to blame in that story. *sigh* I'll try to get home sooner, but right now isn't possible. If you care, go to the town and find them. Can you do that for me, Alicia?"
"Y-yes, Dr Gaster... I'll find them." - Alicia replied nervously.
"Good. I have a feeling they didn't go far. Just calm down and check the places they love to frequent. I trust you."
"A-alright. I'll do that."
They ended the conversation, after what Alicia rushed out of the house, intending to find the kids wherever they were.
Meantime, Noelle and the twins were sitting at the bench of the local park. It had a particular calm aura. The density of the trees made the surroundings darker, and the huge lake was surrounded by a variety of plants. The predominant type were cyan flowers, their color adding a charm to the landscape. They've been sitting in silence for a few minutes, until Noelle asked:
"So, it's one of your favourite places?"
"Yes, when we're here, things seem not as sad." - Piper replied with a smile.
"But this place is cooler in the evening, when fireflies show up." - Sam added - "Too bad we have to show it to you now."
"Hmm... What makes you so sad to often come here?" - Noelle asked curiously.
"It's because of our father." - Sam answered bitterly - "He doesn't care for us. He claims he does, but we know the truth."
"Is it because of the comics? Is that what makes you think that?"
"No, it's not just the book..! It's... He's just so... ugh..!"
"He doesn't hug us like other kids' parents do." - Piper explained - "He always paid more attention to his work than us…"
"Why did he even adopt us if he doesn't know how to love?!" - Sam exclaimed.
Noelle wasn't sure what to say. She saw that both Sam and Piper were on edge of tears and the sight made her want to cry too. She got reminded of her own inner pain, being an orphan too. But then, she decided that she had to snap the twins out of their lament. She stood up and faced them.
"You two don't even realize how lucky you are…! You… you have a house where you're welcome! Your father might not be the best, but he willingly made you part of his family! He wants to have you. You are desired children. Not like I..."
Noelle couldn't prevent her tears from falling. She proceeded to wipe them away with her bare hands as Sam and Piper looked at her with compassion.
"I... I wasn't desired..!" - Noelle pursued in a croaked voice - "My parents abandoned me at a gas station when I was only three! They… they didn't have the guts to properly present me to an orphanage… those cowards…"
"No... no, that's not what happened." - Piper hurried to take Noelle's hand in hers - "They didn't do that. You appeared randomly at the gas station when your family was saving you from the De-Code!"
"I thought it was a white dog who saved me." - Noelle commented with a sad chuckle.
"Him too. It's complicated."
Noelle managed a tiny smile. Her heart melted, seeing how Piper was attempting to make her feel better. Sam grabbed Noelle's other hand and said:
"We all will make it. If you stay, not just us but you too will be happy again."
Noelle nodded before sniffing one last time. She didn't believe the stuff the twins believed in, but she knew that if they did, they probably were not that happy with their father.
"Sam! Piper! There you are..!"
The three people saw that it was Alicia. She had a relieved expression as she ran towards them.
"Alicia? What's wrong?" - Piper asked.
"You weren't at home, so I looked for you everywhere..!" - Alicia replied breathing heavily, having been running - "Your father asked me to bring you back home…"
"Oh no! You told him!" - Sam explaimed as he sighed in annoyance.
"I'm sorryyy..." - Alicia apologized, immediately realizing that she did something that bothered her favourite kids - "When I came to your house to check on you and saw you were gone, I panicked, I just didn't know what to do…! So I called him, and-"
"It's alright. You did the right and responsible thing." - Noelle reassured the nervous woman.
"Really...? Ugh, then why doesn't it feel that way?" - Alicia asked herself, then realized they had never been introduced to each other - "By the way, I'm Alicia, Dr Gaster's collegue and friend."
"My name's Noelle. And I'm, uh…"
"I-I know. Dr Gaster told me about you." - Alicia replied shyly.
The group then walked back in the direction of Gaster's house. When they arrived, the doctor was already there. He ordered the kids to go inside, but his expression was more annoyed than angry. Alicia went in too, to keep an eye on the twins. Gaster on the other hand needed to have a word with Noelle. He stared at her for a few moments, until Noelle couldn't take it and said:
"Look, I swear I had no idea they've been grounded. If I knew, I wouldn't-"
"I believe you. Sam and Piper got too drawn by you, so it cannot be helped. I know the feeling, since after all I am a brilliant scientist and others often get caught up by my charisma, especially young ladies…" - Gaster noticed Noelle raise an eyebrow at him - "But I digress. I want to make myself clearer. You don't seem to have understood me well the first time."
"I just wanted to be sure-"
"No. If you really cared about Sam and Piper's well being, you wouldn't have given them up in the first place." - Gaster said firmly - "But you did. So now, you have no rights regarding them, because you're not their parent anymore. Truth be told, you have never been. They don't understand that yet, but you should. If you still don't get it, I'll be straight: get out of the town."
"You know what's funny?" - Noelle asked after a short silence - "The more you ask me to leave, the more I am determined to stay."
"Don't you dare..."
"I really have no bad intentions towards you, Dr Gaster. Honestly. But... if I gave the twins up, it was because I wanted someone to give them a life I couln't give. I'm sorry to say that, but I have the right to know if they did get it. And now, seeing that they believe in fiction more than in reality makes me wonder if they're happy."
"After nine years of absence, you remembered they existed." - Gaster commented sarcastically - "If you really grew to care after only a few hours together, so you'll make the right decision to leave. Get out of their lives before they get hurt. Good day, miss."
Gaster made clear the conversation was over. He went inside the house, closing the door behind, and leaving Noelle to stand thoughtful. Dr Gaster didn't seem to be as bad as the kids saw him, but Noelle could sense that he had things to hide. Noelle's mind was made up. She would stay in Undertown. Not forever, temporarily, just to make sure the kids would be okay with Gaster. The young woman walked away from the house, in no particular direction. She had many things to sort out in her head. Suddenly, she came across a cute furry white dog. The animal was staring at her, almost… curiously? Noelle couldn't help but smile, because she loved dogs. She knelt down to him and petted his head gently.
"Hello little guy. What's your name? Oh, but you can't tell me, you can't talk, hehe." - Noelle said with a funny voice, as she always acted silly around dogs.
Noelle noticed that the dog was wearing a police vest, but that didn't stop her from petting him.
"Oh, so you're a policeman. Nice to meet you, Officer. My name's Noelle." - she said with a smile.
As soon as she said her name, the dog started to wag his tail. The dog's expression even seemed more ecstatic. Suddenly, a voice called for the dog.
"Toby..!"
The white police dog ran to the voice, and Noelle saw two police officers further down the street. Noelle couldn't see their faces properly, since they were too far from her, but she could see that one of them was a woman with red hair styled in a high ponytail, and the other was a man with black hair and was wearing a red scarf that contrasted with his uniform. She smiled as she could hear the man scold the dog for being 'annoying' by running away. Noelle kept walking until she found her car. She questioned one last time if she should go or stay. She decided the latter. Knowing that Sam and Piper might need her filled her with determination.
A/N: FILE SAVED! (lol)
So, more concretely about the AU! Dr W.D. Gaster's secret got at some point discovered, which led to his rejection by other monsters. Years passed and Gaster reached a point where the weight of his sins became too heavy to bear. So, he decided to work on something called "De-Code". By de-coding the Undertale characters, he takes everyone in our world. A world where there's no magic, etc. Our world. Once there, monsters don't remember their true identities, even though they have names similar to their true ones. Gaster changed his own first name too, but he kept his original last name. His name's now Will Dean Gaster. In our world, no one remembers about Gaster's sins, so he can now live in peace, talk with others without problem, everyone is nice and respectful towards him again. It's important to say that the little town the UT characters live in is isolated, they barely have contact with the rest of the world. And time stands still. So no one ages. Gaster is seemingly content with his new life, but years passed and he realized that he had sort of a void within his soul (lol) he cannot explain. His friend and collegue, Alicia (Alphys), suggested that it was perhaps even though he had a comfy life, he had no one to share it with. He basically needed a family. After long thinking, Dr Gaster decided to adopt a child. He ended up adopting twins, who he strangely felt some connection (I wonder why… *wink, wink*). He named them Sam and Piper. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?) But there's always a catch with things like de-coding. It's not permanent. If the right person, the Savior, comes, it's the end of Gaster's work. The UT characters will be coded back into their universe/"the game" again. Gaster didn't worry much about it, confident of himself. He raised the twins until they started to notice that nobody besides them ever changed, and found out they've been adopted. They decided to find their biological mother, which they did. They basically forced her to drive them back home, which resulted in her meeting Dr W.D. Gaster.
A few things about Gaster. He doesn't hug the twins very often, since he's a distant person and all, like his canon self. But in this first chapter he did, because he got alarmed by their disappearance and then got relieved that they were okay. Oh, and this is the only instance when he doesn't wear his lens to cover his blind eye. And he didn't take the decision to de-code the world spontaneously. He had long thought about it and did it only when he couldn't bear it anymore. But who is he actually trying to make forget: the others or himself..?
A little remark regarding Mettaton. When I first saw him in his EX form, I immediately associated him with some asian pop star. That's why his De-Coded alter-ego would be Asian. I looked through Japanese names first, but none of them sounded right to me. So, I gave him a Thaï name instead, Metananda.
The Annoying Dog is important in that story. Don't forget that he represents Toby Fox, which means he's sort of the "god" of Undertale, since he's its creator. He was the first being to code that universe, so it made sense that he could save one person from the De-Code.
Noelle's an OC I created for this story, but she comes from the UT universe. You'll have to read further to find out who she is! :) By the way, her name comes from the french word "Noël", which means "Christmas".