Papyrus was fussing around with his phone when Sans strolled back into the lab. He looked up quickly and swiftly pocketed the thing, hopping back onto his feet.
"Sans! There you are," he said. "You alright?"
"Mhm." He stole a glance around. "Where's the Doc?"
"Ooh. Basement," he said. "She just left. She's grabbing some things, I think? She said I should wait here for you just in case."
"Hm. Good plan," he said. "I, uh, got a surprise. Big one."
"Ooh. A surprise? I love surprises," Papyrus said. "I mean, reasonable surprises, not jump-out-of-your-closet-with-a-trombone-in-the-middle-of-the-night surprises. What is it?"
"He's just outside," Sans said. "Tryin' not to have a panic attack, probably."
Papyrus tilted his head. "Does this surprise person need a hug? I am very good at those, they are good for anxiety," he said.
Sans grinned. "He'll love that, dude," he said. "Just, uh, gimme one sec?"
Sans backtracked to the door at the east end of the lab and opened it. Gaster was pinned up against the wall, worry all over his face, his bones rattling faintly.
"Dude, c'mon," Sans said. "Let's go." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
"He's... H-He's in there?" he asked softly.
"Yeah."
"Maybe I should just—"
"Get inside?" Sans suggested.
"I will, but—"
"Look. That's your kid, right? Nothin' to be worried about." Sans nudged him. "He's gonna flip."
"I'm going to flip," Gaster joked weakly. He forced himself to stand up straight and readjusted his glasses, and followed Sans back into the lab with just a hint of trepidation in his steps.
His smile was bashful, though he froze and his eyes welled up at the sight of his son. Papyrus tilted his head. He blinked with surprise. His jaw dropped and he pointed, at a loss for words for a long few seconds.
"D... Dad?" he stammered. "DAD?!"
Before Gaster could answer, Papyrus sprinted over and stopped mere inches from him to stare him in the face. He looked like he couldn't quite believe his eyes.
"H-Hi, Paps," he said quietly. He grunted when Papyrus grabbed him and squeezed him tight. He laughed quietly and held him close. Tears began to stream down his face, but he was smiling. "You're so tall."
"YOU ARE SO NOT MISSING!" Papyrus said loudly. "OH. MY. GOD."
They glowed together, so bright it lit up the room in a burst. Gaster held the back of his son's head and breathed a sigh of relief. Papyrus trembled. He squeezed him tight and hid his face against his shoulder. The man cooed gently and brushed his fingers over his skull reassuringly, his magic flowing out, warm and soothing.
Sans couldn't help the grin on his face growing wide. It was like that missing time hadn't made a difference in the least, with the exception of his brother's height.
Papyrus looked up into their father's face, eyes glowing bright amber; tears streaming down his cheeks. "I m-missed you. I didn't know, but I missed you," he squeaked. "I-I'm so glad to see you!"
Gaster smiled. He gently used his thumbs to brush away Papyrus's tears. "Oh, kiddo..." He laughed. "You're so cute. God. I missed you, too."
"C-Cute?!" Papyrus scoffed, but he was beaming anyway. "Come on, now, surely cool is better w-word to... Oh. You know, never mind, I'll take it."
Gaster laughed. "You're my kid, I'll always think you're cute. Here." He drew back and held him by his shoulders. "Let me look at you, Paps."
Papyrus stared at him with wide eyes and his cheekbones flushed as Gaster gently took his chin and tilted his head to check him over. The younger skeleton hurriedly wiped his eyes on the back of his glove.
"You barely changed at all, did you?" Gaster said.
"Well, I did grow just a bit," Papyrus joked. "But you... Your head..." He reached up and gently brushed his fingers over the crack that ran upwards from Gaster's right eye. "That's new, isn't it?"
Instead of answering, Gaster gently grabbed onto his son's purple sweatshirt to straighten out the front and pattern. "Are you wearing the Delta Rune?" he asked curiously.
"Y-Yes! Um! Mom... Toriel. Mom made it for me," he said. "Don't deflect! That's a big crack!"
Gaster chuckled and hugged him again. Papyrus sighed and clung tight.
"We... We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" Gaster said. "I'm so sorry I missed so much."
"Well, obviously you couldn't have helped it, or you would've been here," Papyrus said quickly. "But where were you? What happened? Why did I forget you were ever here? I mean, you're our dad, that shouldn't have ever happened, right?"
"That is... a long story," he said.
"What a coincidence, I love long stories," Papyrus said.
Before Gaster could elaborate, they heard the elevator ding. Papyrus hurriedly wiped his eyes again and Gaster turned as Alphys wandered out back into the main room, eyes fixed on her phone. Gaster found himself starting to beam.
"Hey, Doc," Sans said, grinning.
"Oh. Sans, welcome back, how did it—?" The second she look up, she froze to the spot and her jaw dropped. It was like her mind crashed and had to take a moment to reboot. "Uh. Uhhhh... Oh. Oh my g-god. Oh. My. GOD. G-G-G-Gaster?!"
"Alphys!" he said brightly. "It's very good to see you again. I'm sorry I am a bit of a mess."
She gawked. Stammered something incoherent and dropped her phone as she came closer and looked up at him. "O-Oh my g-g-god!" she said shrilly. "C-Can I hug you?! I'm hugging y-you."
She grabbed him and he chuckled and squeezed the little lizard close. He glowed softly. She made a shrill snorting noise.
"O-Oh my g-g-god, G-G-Gaster, I c— I c-can't... H-Holy. Crap."
Gaster smiled fondly. "I missed you, too," he said gently.
She choked out a warbling, nasally laugh.
"So guess who was causin' the CORE problems," Sans said with a grin.
"Y-You?!" Alphys pulled back, holding Gaster's arms.
"Me. I'm sorry to have worried you," he said. "I can assure you, the CORE is fine."
"Forget about the CORE, oh m-my god!" she shrieked. "You're... You're..." She grasped her head and took a deep breath. "H-How the hell do my memories feel itchy?!"
Sans burst out laughing and Gaster grinned apologetically, biting back a laugh himself. Alphys took a deep, steadying breath.
"Okay, Alphys. Okay. B-Breathe. Breeeeathe." She squished her own cheeks. "I can't believe... You r-realize you were...? Of c-course you do. Wh-what the hell is g-going on? You...! You v-vanished? I didn't... I didn't r-remember y-you at all! But then I saw you and I... Oh my god! You were...! Everything was...! But why couldn't I r-remember you?!"
"You aren't the only one," Papyrus said quickly, and he had to wipe his eyes again. "Phew! My gosh. What a day. I can't believe it. I haven't seen you since forever."
"I know. I know. I'm... I'm so sorry, Paps," he said.
"No, no, don't be!" he said. "It's just so weird! Especially since you seemed so much taller before and now you seem just a little taller. It's kind of surreal for me!"
"And you," Gaster said, holding the boy's face in both hands, "are practically a full-grown skeleton now."
Papyrus blushed. His eyes seemed to glitter with stars. He grabbed the man around the chest again and squeezed him tightly. He blew out a relieved sigh and bounced back before his father could react. "So what the heck is going on right now?" He looked between Gaster and Sans.
Sans shrugged. "Ask this guy."
"Oh m-my god I'm s-so confused," Alphys muttered.
"I apologize," Gaster said. "Would you like me to ex—?"
"YES! Yes. Please," the lizard insisted.
"It's a long story. Should we sit down?" He raised a hand, which glowed blue, and four of the chairs scattered around the lab gently plunked in around them as magic facsimiles of his hands in that same blue and black pulled them all over. He sat down and gestured for the other to do the same. He bounced on the seat briefly and then settled back.
"Alright. Where should I begin?" he said.
"Where you've been would be good," Sans suggested. "What happened?"
Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.
"Well. The CORE happened," Gaster said.
"Th-The malfunction?" Alphys asked. "Oh. G-God. Right, there...! There was a serious problem and... A-And you and Sans went in, b-but only he came out. R-Right?"
Gaster nodded and took a deep breath. His expression became serious. "I'll get straight to it. I designed the CORE with a massive flaw that didn't become clear until a long time later. Its magic tapped into time— or, the space between. Bloated it," he said. "The error, ten years ago? It happened because of me. I pushed it too hard long before that. It was reaching critical mass. I realized it too late."
"So what happened? D-Did you fall in?" Papyrus asked. "I mean, it was an accident, right?"
"Not quite. I—"
"No?! Did someone push you in?! Why?! What?!" Papyrus asked at a mile a minute.
Gaster chuckled. He shook his head. "I studied it. Realized I had to allow myself to be taken by it, or else it would've consumed the mountain. Then everything else. And by everything, I mean that very literally. Time had to be carefully ripped from the inside. Relieving the pressure, in a sense." He rubbed the back of his skull and suddenly looked exhausted. "Unfortunately, that caused a whole host of other problems. Timelines dividing outside of the natural rhythm. My own... circumstances. The time anomalies we tracked. There was no other way."
"And it... I-It erased y-you from all our memories?" Alphys asked.
"From time itself, superficially," he said. "Because there were still some remnants, obviously. Or else you two would not be here." He gestured at the other skeletons.
"Weird," Sans said.
Gaster laughed quietly.
"So... So, that night you came home all dizzy," Papyrus said, frowning thoughtfully at his brother. "When I was just a little Papyrus. That... That was when that happened, wasn't it?"
Sans nodded. Alphys put her hands to her mouth.
"S-Sans... That's why you left," she said quietly. "You... You s-saw your dad get hurt by the CORE. I guess on s-some level, you must've j-just been devastated."
"Must've been," Sans said with a shrug, and he turned his gaze on Gaster. "So. What were you doin' in there just now?"
"Ah. Thank you again, by the way," Gaster said. "When I reformed, it was a little premature. I had one more large split to make in time. Which I did. Things on that front should be stable now."
"B-But. Okay. Dad," Papyrus said. "If you got basically pulled out of time, how the heck did you come back?!"
Gaster smiled fondly and he folded his arms as if to warm his chest. "It's thanks to Frisky."
"You... know F-Frisk?" Alphys asked.
"Know her? Of course, she's my..." He looked at Sans with a sudden, startled sense of realization on his face. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"Nope," he said.
"Tell anyone what?" Papyrus asked.
Gaster put his face in his hands for a moment and then began to laugh. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eye sockets. "Couldn't have made this easy for me, could you?" he joked.
"Hey, sorry, you didn't exist," Sans said with a shrug. "Made havin' to explain a huge chore. Didn't bother."
"Like most chores," Papyrus retorted. "Explain what, exactly?"
Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little blue. He clenched his hands together. Sans put his chin on his fist and his grin widened.
"You're gonna like this a lot," he told his brother.
Gaster hesitated. "Should I tell them, or you, or...?"
Sans gestured at him to continue. He took a deep breath.
"Frisky is... She's my daughter," Gaster said. "Your sister, Papyrus."
Alphys dropped her jaw and her glasses, Sans grinned wide, and Papyrus laughed.
"Well, that's a weird coincidence, because Frisk is already my..." It seemed to settle on him very abruptly. "WAIT, WHAT?!" He grabbed Sans and shook him a little.
"Dude," Sans laughed.
"Is he serious?!" His voice was very shrill. "He's serious, isn't he?!"
"Yup," Sans said.
"W-W-WHAT?!" Alphys shrieked.
"...Wait, WHAT?!" Papyrus said, almost in tandem. "But she's a...?! Oh my god. Skeleton on the inside. OH MY GOD. IT WAS FORESHADOWING ALL ALONG BUT IN REAL LIFE!" He put his hands on his head and gawked.
Gaster's smile was sympathetic, but he was clearly trying hard not to laugh. Alphys put her hands to her mouth and started making a weird, alarmed snorting noise.
"H-How?! How c-could...?!" Alphys couldn't even finish. She just stammered shrilly.
"S-So. Wait. WAIT. Oh my god," Papyrus said. "You...? You made her?! Like you made us?!"
"It's complicated," he said. "Frisky came about when I... When I was destroyed, I suppose. My determination pulled out of me and from the CORE, as well as all that energy out in time that it tapped into. It shot out into the world and... fused. Multiplied exponentially until it somehow became a new soul, based somewhat on an inverse of my own. I... I suppose, in this version of our world, she was the only form it could ever take, really. She's... Hah. Unexpected. But. I wouldn't change her for anything. Second time this has happened to me, actually."
"Heh. Yeah, she's my favourite accident, for sure," Sans said with a wink.
"Well, I suppose that once I made the CORE, she was more of an inevitability," Gaster said. "Of course, there was no way to know when I began, but, with the flaw that developed quite early in production, it really was just a matter of time before she was created. She is a necessary component of our universe, after all. But. I take your point. Except when it comes to something like that, I have two favourite accidents." He smiled at the short skeleton fondly.
Papyrus stared, uncharacteristically silent. Alphys stammered incoherently for a moment, fumbled for her glasses and put them back on before rolling forward on her chair and grasping tight to Gaster's hands.
"Y-You're... You're her dad..." She sounded like she could barely believe it. "Is... Is she even human, then?"
"She is," he said. "Only a human can contain that much determination."
"B-But how?!" she squeaked.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," he said. "But... it all worked out, thankfully. Though, honestly, my ideal situation would have been to not explode over time and space and just have her born under the mountain with us. Though that's purely fantasy, mind you."
"Oh. My. God," she said softly. "H-How...? B-But... Oh my god. Sans. Sh-She... She really w-was... No wonder y-you were the closest th-thing to a d-dad she had."
"Sans has always been good like that," Gaster said rather proudly. "And Papyrus was always so protective and sweet. I knew if she made it here after I sent her, she'd be in good hands."
Sans shrugged, but couldn't conceal that he was rather flattered— not that he tried very hard.
Rather suddenly, Papyrus lurched forward. He put his face in his hands and began rattling so hard the chair under him shook, too. He made a whimpering sound.
"Whoa, uh..." Sans said. "Bro?"
Papyrus started to sob and everyone froze.
"P-Papyrus, what's wrong?" Gaster asked shrilly.
He got to his feet, but Sans beat him to it, holding up one hand to get them to wait. He held Papyrus's shoulder with one hand and the back of his skull with the other.
"You okay?" he asked.
Papyrus took a trembling breath and began to babble, so fast and stuttering that it was almost impossible to understand. Sans nodded anyway.
"S'alright," he said. "Slow up a bit. Take a breath."
Papyrus tried. His shoulders heaved. His brother stroked his head, and Papyrus made a sort of hiccoughing sound.
"Sh-She'll... She'll n-never have that nightmare again," he said. "Never, never, never. And sh-she's safe... She's s-s-safe! She's safe."
Though Gaster looked puzzled and worried, Sans smiled and laughed quietly, pulsing gentle blue through his hands.
"Yeah. That's right," he said.
"Oh, my gosh, th-that's so sweet," Alphys said quietly.
"What does that mean?" Gaster asked quietly.
"Tell you later," Sans assured him.
Gaster looked between them, brow furrowed a little, but his face relaxed when, somewhere in between sobbing, Papyrus started laughing. The two sounds were a little hard to separate.
"I... I c-can't stop!" he said.
"I know, just keep your head down, don't need any sloshin', right?" Sans said.
"EW. S-SANS."
Sans laughed.
"H-He's very sensitive when it c-comes to Frisk," Alphys told Gaster quietly.
Before he could say a word, Papyrus finally sat up again and hugged Sans quickly, and then got up and grabbed his father's shoulders.
"This day is really good," he said. He was beaming. "Thank you. For coming back. And for giving us our sister. She's going to be happier than ever to know that."
Gaster smiled and gave him a hug. He snickered, took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes when he pulled back.
"Got it all out?" Sans asked.
"Mostly. I... I think," Papyrus said.
"A stór, conas atá tú?" Gaster asked gently.
"I'm fantastic," Papyrus assured him. "Oh wow, I totally forgot that until just now. Pffft, how weird! Tá brón orm! Oh! I speak it, too! Sans, do you?!"
"Ní thuigim," he replied with a grin and a shrug, making Alphys snicker.
"Oh, stop it, of course you do, you're speaking it right now!" Papyrus said, rolling his eyes.
"Then why'd you ask, bro?" Sans said.
"Ugh, never mind, you're impossible," he sighed.
Gaster chuckled and shook his head. He smiled fondly as he took his seat again. "You two don't change a bit," he said. "Papyrus, I am sorry, though. I never meant to shock you that badly."
"It's alright. I mostly cry when I'm happy, if I'm honest," he said. "I just got a bit overwhelmed, is all. To know that Frisk is really... I mean. I know you weren't here for this, but she always felt a little out of place, and to know that she's really, really not? That's going to be the best thing for her, you can't even imagine. Especially with that thing tomorrow. Thank you." He wiped his eyes again and laughed at himself, though his voice was still a little hoarse.
"What thing tomorrow?" Gaster asked, his brow furrowing.
"Ah. Yeah. That," Sans said. "So, humans out there got a little confused on what was up with her and put a rehabilitation thing in one of the treaties before Asgore made them take it out. But I guess to make sure she's eatin' her greens or whatever, they're sendin' someone to talk to her tomorrow."
"...Did they threaten to take her?" The skeleton bristled.
"Nah. Kinda just a miscommunication, it'll be fine," Sans said. "Told her. She doesn't belong there. No one's got a family claim on her. Obviously, 'cause, uh, we do."
"Oh, poor thing, that must be so stressful," he said quietly.
"She'll be just fine now, though!" Papyrus said brightly, though his voice was still crackling. "Because you're here! And... And..." He had to cough.
"Oh! Hey, Papyrus, let m-me make you some tea," Alphys said. "I-It'll help. Actually. I'll make tea for everyone."
"Thank you so much, Doctor," Papyrus said as he settled back down, wiping his eyes again.
"Oh! Gaster, I'll make you some coffee," Alphys said. "A-Actually! I still have some of your favourite i-instant brand around in the c-cupboard."
"Do you?" Gaster asked with surprise.
"Yeah, I... I c-could never bring myself to g-get rid of it, or use it myself," she said, shooting him a smile. "Didn't know why."
"You could have had some!" he assured her.
"I know, b-but... I'm glad I still have it," she said as she put the kettle on her hotplate. "This shouldn't take long. Two sugars, right?"
Gaster smiled. His eyes seemed to glitter. "So... The little details, they've come back, too."
"Did you think they wouldn't?" Papyrus asked worriedly.
"I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I was almost expecting to return to no one even recognizing me."
"What? Why?" he asked worriedly. "This place where you were, it sounds like it was no fun at all.
"It wasn't. But it was necessary," he said.
"I guess it was. If that's what made Frisk," Papyrus said quietly. "We really needed her. I really needed her. But Sans probably needed her most."
"Hm. I didn't expect that strong of a reaction," Gaster said.
"Oh, G-Gaster, Frisk and P-Papyrus are basically inseparable," Alphys said with a laugh. "Th-The only reason she isn't here is that she's w-walking Asriel to h-his dad's place."
Gaster looked like he'd been punched in the back. "A-Asriel?!" he repeated loudly. "Oh. God. Sorry, my mind just went... You couldn't mean... Never mind, I—"
"Oh. Right. Probably shouldda mentioned," Sans said. "There's this other kid. Think you might know him. Kinda like our, uh, little brother, I guess. Latched right onto Frisk, mostly, but Paps and I, we're getting pretty comfortable with him."
Papyrus nodded. Gaster's cheekbones flushed a little.
"You aren't serious," he said.
"Tori and Asgore's kid," Sans said. "I mentioned Tori kinda adopted us, huh?"
Gaster nodded stiffly, and he quickly wiped a tear from his eye. "Asriel's... alive."
"Thanks to Doctor Alphys," Papyrus said brightly.
Gaster's brow furrowed with confusion, and Alphys's cheeks flushed and she busied herself making the drinks so as not to make eye contact.
"We'll cover that later," Sans said, "but it's kinda of a big part of the reason the barrier's down to begin with. Him and Frisk ended up being the key to all this."
"Oh... My god. And... And Chara...?"
Sans shook his head. Gaster sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Is...? Is he okay without her?" he asked quietly.
"He's fine," Sans said. "As much as he can be. Think Frisk fills part of the hole, at least."
"And he lives with you," Gaster sounded slightly awed. "He... Huh. A little brother..."
"Welp. He calls us "bro" and Frisk "sis", so guess that's where we stand," Sans said with a grin.
Papyrus nodded and smiled quite brightly. Gaster looked relieved.
"There's more, too! We ended up with quite a big family, in fact!" Papyrus said brightly.
"Oh, yeah, there's also this fish girl that Asgore kinda adopted, too, which plunks her right into that Asriel circle," Sans said with a grin, "which basically means we got a, uh, fish-sis, in a way. And she and Alphys are a thing, so..."
"Oh, wow, honestly?" Gaster smiled at the lizard. "Well! Welcome to the family, then."
"Pfffft! Th-Thanks," she said.
Alphys brought over the hot drinks and Gaster immediately knocked back half of the steaming mug. He took a deep, contented breath. His magic in the shape of hands snuck over to the fridge and returned to him with a ginger soda, popping the tab.
"I guess a lot of things are going to be surprising to all of us," he said as he poured a large glug of it into the coffee, causing it to froth up into a fluffy foam, before passing the rest to Sans.
"Absolutely. Oh! I bet you're eager to see Frisk, right?" Papyrus said. "We should call her and get her to come here, don't you think? Or! We could go up to the King's place and say hi!"
"Oh! Oh. I... I don't know what to say, yet," Gaster said quickly. "I... I'm not prepared, I—"
"Y-You talked l-like maybe you knew her, though?" Alphys asked.
"I do! I do," he said, "I... It's hard to explain."
"He was the mystery dude," Sans said. "Shadowman. Y'know, as if that weren't obvious by this point?"
"Y-Yeah, I... I figured," Alphys said. She nudged Gaster with her elbow. "You know, you really sc-scared the hell out of us."
"I'm sorry. I... I didn't know how else to help, but I had to try," he said. "I'm aware it was a total mess. And my energy was so twisted that prolonged exposure could do heavy damage. Sans. I am truly sorry. I hurt you, didn't I? I'm sure I did."
"Eh, forget it," he said, waving a hand dismissively.
"S-So you were... I mean? You knew wh-what was going on?" Alphys pushed.
"Somewhat," he said. "As I said, my mind was mostly in pieces and running in a non-linear fashion for the majority of it. Parts are a bit foggy, now. Except for Frisky, of course. But overall, my eyes weren't exactly functioning correctly. I was completely blind, aside from her, for what seems like quite a lot of it."
"But... B-But you helped me with my calculations, r-right?" Alphys said.
"Oh! You got them. Good," he said. "Hopefully they came at the right time?"
"They did! Th-Thank you so much," she said. "How did you know I n-needed help?"
"I transitioned through several phases during my time out of time," he admitted. "As my power began to grow through my connection with Frisky, I was able to manipulate the electro-magic signals in the air to tap into the UnderNet. It was nauseating, to be honest, but that allowed me access to computers and phones, for a short time. I read your notes. I saw an error. I remembered... Heh. For just a minute, I remembered a little yellow someone that I felt some affection for, and I wanted to help."
Alphys blushed and smiled shyly.
"So why'd you stop?" Sans asked.
"Keeping focus was difficult," he said. "Strangely, while my mind was operating outside of a linear perception of time, it was easier because everything in my existence was confusing and blurry. The experience didn't bother me simply because I had no sense of time. But as I got stronger, I started to come out of the fog. It was much easier to visit in person or through dreams, and I actually completely forgot that it was a thing I was able to do. All of my memories continually reset themselves. I didn't even really know who I was for most of the time."
"That sounds awful!" Papyrus said shrilly.
"It was," Gaster said with a laugh. He sipped his coffee concoction. "Fully banjaxed, for sure."
"Was any of this not awful?!" he insisted.
"You. Your brother. Your sister," he said.
Papyrus frowned. He pouted and sipped his tea. His brows raised. "Wait, wait, did I hear this right? You also said y-you sent Frisk to the mountain, though? You said that, right?"
"I did." Gaster nodded. "Well. It was more of a suggestion. It was her idea. She decided to make the trip on her own. If I would've remembered the mountain earlier, I might have tried to get her there, but at the same time, I'm not sure she would've made it. Even then, she was only ten, but her body wasn't v... In any case, she was very small, physically. And I couldn't help her."
"Not at all?" Papyrus asked worriedly.
Gaster went a little stiff. "It was... complicated. I was around frequently. I suppose I was more of a shadow than anything else. I wasn't always able to even make myself perceptible. Physically interacting was almost completely out of the question. I remember her mumbling one day. About how much she hated where we were. How she'd heard of the mountain. It brought some of it back to me for a short time. I suggested she come here. I had her write it down several times, I think. I gave her some initial directions. Had to do some tricks to even get it in English, mind you."
"So you were there with her the whole time?" Papyrus said.
"It's complicated. Sorry, I will be saying that a lot," he said. "I was, but often unconsciously. I wasn't always aware. But once she reached the mountain and hooked into one of the tears for the first time, suddenly I was... something again."
"So you've been stuck to her for a long time, then," Sans said.
"Because of what happened to me, I was linked to her. It's hard to explain. My existence was... scattered? And my mind was fractured. It was... dismally lonely. And maddening, in some ways," he explained. "It always felt like the awful shock of when it first began, and the weight and hopelessness of having been there for eternity, all at once. I had this feeling of knowing I had two boys waiting for me, and a small red someone that needed me. I knew she forgot me, though, and I forgot myself. Quite regularly, in fact. I sometimes didn't know when I was, or where, or even who, just that that I needed to rip time where I could."
"Wow, that sounds more and more awful the more you explain it," Papyrus said sympathetically.
"It... wasn't exactly pleasant," Gaster said, though he laughed a little and rubbed his head. "When I visited a few months ago, those were all during brief moments of lucidity. I found that the more Frisk was connected into that fractured CORE energy— the more she tuned her soul to resonate paired with magic— the more clearly I could reach her. I started to fall back into time, like things were finally starting to happen in order for me. I could touch on her soul, mostly when she was dreaming, at first, and she would start to retain tiny pieces of me. The more she could remember, and the more real I could make myself."
"So. You drew power straight from her," Sans said. "That suddenly makes a ton of sense."
"It wasn't intentional. Not at first," he said. "But when I realized what was happening, how strong she was getting, I... I couldn't help myself. But, what it must've put her though... I feel awful about it."
"You wanted to b-be with your family," Alphys said gently. "No one could blame you for that."
"But what I did..." He looked at Sans. "Do you remember? I spoke through her."
"...Oh. Shit. Yeah. Guess that does make sense." Sans frowned. "What the hell was that about?"
"I was so selfish," he said quietly. "She understood me for the first time and I knew... I knew I had a place in reality again. I was desperate and I seeped in too close. That's why I asked that flower to send me back to the v—"
"I think I missed this completely," Papyrus said, wide-eyed. "Didn't I?"
"Don't worry about it, Paps," Sans said. He turned his eyes on his father.
"Please don't tell her how weak I was," he muttered. "It must've made her so sick."
"Honestly? Yeah. It did. But she'd be relieved that she helped," Sans said. "She's weird like that."
"Yes! Dad, Frisk loves helping. It makes her really happy," Papyrus said. "Even, ummm, if it's not exactly the healthiest for her. But she helped you! I mean. You left some glowy bits on her but, I'm sure she'd understand. You need to see her."
"Glowy...? I know, but I'm... I'm not sure how to even approach her with this sudden dump of information and what will undoubtedly be a rather traumatizing experience," he said.
Sans laughed. "Traumatizin'? You're kiddin', right?"
The tall skeleton was thoroughly taken aback. Before he could protest, Alphys reached out and held his hand.
"G-Gaster, the most important thing to Frisk has always been h-her friends and f-family," she said. "She's a great kid. R-Really. Papyrus is right, she'll be so happy to know sh-she even has a dad. I mean, correct m-me if I'm wrong, guys, but she always had that little hangup about h-how she didn't know if her parents just left her somewhere or what."
Sans nodded. "You know she remembers you, right?" he said. "After that night she saw you melt, she remembered everything. Even from when she was a kid. I mean, y'know, a smaller kid."
"She did?" A hopeful look crossed his face. "That carried over? Seriously? She remembered me?"
"She did. Loved you to death, y'know," Sans said. "Really tore her up when she saw you melt in that weird time void place."
"Oh my god," he breathed. He looked like he could cry, but the smile on his face quickly fell to worry. "Oh. God, but I... I was a ghost. Some twisted thing that disrupted her memories. I couldn't even speak to her, I sounded like something out of a horror film. How do I even begin to explain?"
"You should just say it, I think," Papyrus said. "Frisk is very smart, she'll understand."
"She won't even recognize me," he muttered.
"Bet she will," Sans said, and he pointed at Gaster's face. "Your skull still has those cracks in it. She'll recognize you."
"...You think so?" He didn't look so sure, but he couldn't help the little glimmer of hope deep in his dark eyes as he rested his fingers gingerly on the crack that went down his cheek.
Papyrus took out his phone. "Would you like to see her? I have many photos. We like to take selfies, sometimes! Or just stuff to send to mom, things like that."
Gaster froze. He looked uncertain. "I... um..." He took a deep breath. "I do."
Papyrus scooted over to his side and queued up the pictures, and then handed it over.
Gaster stared; clenched it in his fingers tightly. There she was, in a slightly lopsided frame, slumped, napping on Sans on that old green couch he remembered. Tiny little thing. Still scrawny, under a squishy grey sweatshirt. Light brown skin, dark brown hair, cut straight and just barely to her shoulders. There was a scar on her cheek; a magic burn. He took a moment to process it. That was his little Frisk. With the exception of that mark, she was exactly as he remembered her. His mind hadn't just filled in the blanks. Something had stuck. He gently touched the screen, trying to ignore the tears in his eyes, and he swiped to the next photo.
A selfie with Papyrus. She had warm, brown eyes. Her smile was bright— brighter than he had ever hoped. In another, he could see the shine of her soul. Red. Vibrant, shining, red. A similar photo showed pinpricks of iridescent white glimmering it it, like starlight. And there, too, was Asriel, as they seemed to be engaged in a mock-battle. The boy was a little different than he remembered, but close enough that he felt his breath become short.
More selfies. Papyrus and Alphys, Papyrus and a blue fish monster he was sure he recognized but couldn't grasp the name of. A shot of Toriel baking. He smiled. It was good to see her. She looked happy. Then, a selfie of Papyrus, and behind him, Sans holding Frisk as they read a book together.
Gaster blew out a trembling breath. He bent his head and couldn't help the tears. Alphys touched his shoulder gently.
"A-Are you okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "I am," he huffed. "B-Better to do it now than... than in front of her. Oh god, I'm a bloody m-mess."
"It's going to be just fine," Papyrus assured him, dragging him into a hug. "Frisk will love you. She'll be so happy to meet you for real, I just know it. Don't worry."
He nodded again. "Sh-She's... She's getting enough to eat, right?" he asked softly. "And... And staying warm? Her skin, it's... it's more sensitive than our bones are, and—"
"She's fine," Sans said. "Chill. There was a learnin' curve, but we made do."
Gaster took another few moments to catch his breath. Alphys brought him some tissues and he smiled gratefully and wiped his face.
"Thank you," he said. He poured the rest of his coffee into his mouth. "I'll be alright."
She nodded. "Sh-She's actually, um..." Alphys said gently. "She's actually v-very strong."
"We have a really good kid," Sans said.
"Hah. I'm sure we do," Gaster said.
The front door of the lab burst open suddenly with a loud bang. Alphys and Gaster jumped.
"Hey, nerds!" Undyne said loudly, tossing some metal onto the floor. "Babe, I found you some cool crap and..." She seemed to forget what she was saying when she took note of the group sitting close to the fridge.
Sans grinned and tried not to laugh as Undyne's finger traced in the air between the skeletons.
"Uhh... Oh. Hi," she said, walking closer, ear-fins perked and curious. "Sorry, Paps, I thought... you and Sans were the only skeletons left."
"Ah! Not quite," Gaster said.
He got to his feet and Undyne smiled and tilted her head.
"Oh. Hey, you're... I recognize you. You're that scientist, right?" she asked, offering him her hand. "Oh! Shit, you're their dad. Right?"
"Dead on!" He shook her hand, unable to help a smile. "I'm so sorry, a name isn't coming to me."
"I'm Undyne."
"Undyne? Really?!" He began to absolutely beam and he clapped her strongly on the shoulder. "My god, it's been so long since...! I hardly recognized you! The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl!"
"Think I was closer to a teenager, dude," she said with a laugh.
"And now look at you! You're a fighter of some kind? A Guard?"
"Guard Captain," Undyne said.
"Guard Captain?! That's amazing. Asgore must be so proud," he said. "Congratulations."
"Hah! Thanks." She grinned. "I do alright."
"Really enjoyin' how chill she is about this," Sans said.
Undyne laughed. "You're, uh... Huh. Oh yeah, Gaster. Right? I... huh... Weird, my memories are, like, itchy, but yeah, I remember you comin' around a lot. Asgore's best friend. Right?"
"Dead on, again," he said as, behind him, Alphys pointed at Undyne and tapped Sans with her knuckles, looking excited and mouthing the word itchy. "Actually, that's a relief that someone not directly connected to me can remember me now."
"Must be. So where were you at all this time?" she asked. "Because I think I remember you bein' the one to patch up my face when I got hurt. Right?" She pointed at the spot hidden under her eyepatch.
"I was!" He smiled. "As for the "memory thing", I was stuck outside of time and space. It was all very complicated and unpleasant."
"Huh. Frisk stuff, huh?" she said.
Gaster couldn't help but look taken aback. "How did you know?"
She shrugged and thumped his shoulder. "Anything weird and time related, that's got that kid written all over it," she said. "Well. Welcome back, then! Guess you guys are pretty hyped, huh?"
"Absolutely!" Papyrus said.
Undyne grinned and grabbed Papyrus into a hug. He snickered, bones flushing.
"I'm so happy," he mumbled.
"Yeah, I bet!" she said. "I'm real glad for you."
"Awww," Alphys cooed.
"By the way. She's the, uh, fish I mentioned," Sans said.
"Oh really?!" Gaster looked between Alphys and Undyne. He smiled brightly. "Well! Welcome to the family to you, too!"
"OH! Right! Hey, thanks," Undyne said with a laugh. "Funny how that all played out, huh?"
"Nyeh heh! I, for one, think it's just fantastic!" Papyrus said brightly. "I mean, it's pretty hilarious that you ended up being Asriel's older sister in a way, which technically made you ours as well. I mean, except for Sans, I guess he would be your older brother?! And Alphys can be everyone's sister-in-law!"
Sans snickered and Undyne smiled sideways, patting the skeleton on the shoulder.
"Man, we didn't need just that plus-one to be family, though," she said. "But. Hey. For a technicality, I dig it."
"Nyeh heh heh! I know! Who wouldn't want a brother as cool as me, anyway?!" Papyrus said.
Alphys giggled. She held Undyne's hand. "Oh! O-Oh, Gaster, can I t-tell her, too?"
"It's not a secret," Sans said with a grin.
"Tell me what?" Undyne asked.
"Undyne. This is, um, kinda big but, D-Doctor Gaster... he's also F-Frisk's father," she said.
Undyne stared blankly for a few seconds. She looked at Gaster and tilted her head."Huh. Big shark jump. Okay." She looked at Sans and Papyrus curiously. "How long you known that?"
"Few months," Sans said.
"WHAT?! I only knew since just now!" Papyrus said shrilly, whirling on his brother with wide eyes. "Sans, why didn't you say anything?"
"Would it have changed anything?" Sans asked.
"Well, not really, but—"
"There you go." Sans grinned and pointed at his father. "Biggest deal is for Frisk and this dude."
"You should really tell me these things!" Papyrus said, pouting and folding his arms tight. "I would have made her my special celebration spaghetti."
"You can still do that," Sans said.
"So, wait, she doesn't know either?" Undyne asked. "Sheesh. She's gonna cry like a baby, dudes."
"You're not surprised?" Gaster asked.
Undyne shrugged. "I mean, yeah, of course," she admitted. "How's a monster make a human, anyway? Is there another parent? A mom? Dad two?"
"Just him," Sans said.
"Yeah, what the hell is that all about?" Undyne asked.
"He was such a huge lonely nerd that he figured out how to make monsters out of himself," he joked.
"Well, I... Technically. That's true," Gaster said. "Though Frisk is not a monster. It's a long story."
"Basically, he blew up, his determination that was already stupid high got slapped out of him and mashed with some other junk in the CORE, it went through some weird exponential time spiral, and somehow became the kiddo," Sans said, shrugging.
"That's...! Surprisingly accurate," Gaster said, putting a hand to his brow.
"S'pretty weird. Probably had to make a human body so it wouldn't just disintegrate," Sans mused, tapping his teeth. He winked. "I'm literally not exageratin' when I call her a time god, y'know."
"Whoa. That's messed up," Undyne said. "But she'll be real happy to hear all that, actually."
"I'm not so sure," Gaster said worriedly.
"Dad! Come on, what have we been saying?" Papyrus insisted, grabbing his sleeve. "Frisk thought she was alone! She was so scared she maybe had secretly dead or terrible parents. And then she was scared that the surface humans would try to make her go somewhere and we'd have to go on the run and...! If she has you instead, she's going to be so, so happy. She already likes you and everything!"
Gaster looked relieved. He rubbed the back of his skull. "I certainly hope so."
"Don't even doubt it for a second!" Papyrus said loudly. "Ooh! We should go home! We can meet her there! I'll make some spaghetti and we can introduce you at dinner or something! What do you say?"
Gaster froze up. He rubbed his hands together nervously. Alphys shot him a sympathetic smile.
"Um, P-Papyrus, I think y-your dad might be thinking of s-something maybe a l-little, um... quieter?" she said gently. "Th-This can't be easy."
"Why? What's hard about it?" Papyrus asked curiously. "You love her, right?"
"Of course," Gaster said, "but—"
"And she loves you! Of course she does! She just needs to know you're back, right?"
"You could always take her somewhere quiet," Undyne said with a shrug. "Explain everything."
"I... I could. She loves Waterfall. The wishing rooms, right?" He looked thoughtful. "I... I'm not sure... Maybe I could... get her to meet me there?"
"That sounds like it's gettin' overly complicated already, dude," Sans said.
"I d-dunno, that c-could be really s-sweet, you know?" Alphys said. "If... G-Gaster, i-if you're not s-sure what to say at first, you could always take some time to write a l-letter to her, you know? To, um... T-To get your thoughts straight? You could leave it somewhere for h-her, or P-Papyrus or s-someone could g-give it to her. That would give you a little time to g-get ready before she goes to meet you."
Gaster looked intrigued. Sans rubbed the back of his skull.
"Or, y'know, you could just, uh, tell her?" Sans said. "I'll do it if you don't want to."
"I can do this," Gaster said. "Maybe I... Maybe I will write a note."
"Would you like some help?!" Papyrus asked.
Gaster laughed and shook his head. "That's nice of you, Paps, but... I think this is something I should do on my own," he said quietly. "I'll... Hah. Grillby's still around?"
"You know it," Sans said.
"I'll... take a walk there," he said. "Get my thoughts sorted in Snowdin, I suppose."
"I'll walk with you!" Papyrus said brightly.
Gaster smiled and nodded. "I would like that very much," he said. "We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?"
"We do!" Papyrus said brightly. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, then snatched his father's hand and then pulled him towards the door. "Come on! Ooh! I can tell you all about my puzzles, and my guard training. I'm getting very good, you know? And I'll tell you all about mom and Asriel, and you can come see our room before you go to the bar, how's that? And—"
They lost Papyrus's words as the lab door slammed closed behind them. Undyne grinned sideways and cast her eye towards Sans. He was still in his seat, looking rather content and a little bit amused.
"W-Wow..." Alphys muttered. She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. She wandered over to Sans and, before he could say a word, she pulled him off his chair and hugged him tight.
He laughed. "What's this for?"
"I... I'm, um... Whew. I'm s-so glad he's... here. I d-didn't even r-realize... Wow. Th-This is big."
"It is. But it's fine," he said.
"But... B-But this whole thing with Frisk, it's..." She pulled back and turned away to wipe her eyes again and she laughed. "Oh g-god. I can't stop."
Undyne scoffed and strolled closer, stretching her arms above her head. "How d'you think the kid's gonna take it?"
"She'll cry and then she'll be fine," he said with a shrug. "Probably that. On loop for a bit."
"Seriously, though, you knew for months?" Undyne said.
"Yeah," he said.
"How?!" Undyne said. "If no one remembered your dad existed, then...? I don't get it."
"It was kinda obvious," he said with a shrug.
"Well? Fill us in," Undyne said.
"She's my little sis, I dunno," he said.
"Sans," Undyne said sternly.
Sans laughed. He paused for a moment as if to consider his words. "Welp. Alright. Kinda long and boring though. Might doze off partway through."
"I'm gonna dunk you right in the garbage if you do," Undyne said.
"Oh, cool, right where I belong." He winked. "Okay. Goes like this. Kiddo mentioned those cracks in dad's skull a while ago, before she remembered him. That started it for me. When the CORE blew and my memories were a mess, I drew a picture of someone. Same eye cracks. Guessed he was important. Also, emphasis on cracks, in this case," he said, shrugging again. "Considerin' all the other factors, it means skeleton."
"R-Right, right, because who else c-could have a c-cracked face like that?" Alphys muttered. "S-So... So... What made you think he w-was your dad when y-you couldn't remember?"
"Welp. Part of it was that drawing. Makes sense that if I thought I was losin' my memory that the first thing I would do was make sure I had somethin' of my brother. But who else would be important enough to me that I would go outta my way to draw him with enough detail that those eye cracks would be so prominent? Gotta be family," Sans said. "Paps and I, we were the only skeletons accordin' to every other monster ever. But, we all know that's not possible since we even exist at all, huh? Couldn't even remember how I got Papyrus. He's younger than me, so, that's weird, isn't it? I remembered him bein' born in the lab, remembered waitin' for him before that, but not who was makin' him. So, fill that in, and it's the skeleton with cracks in his skull who's gotta be our dad, right? Can't come from nothin', so, he's gotta be a missin' piece."
Alphys's eyes went wide. She nodded and watched him eagerly. He shrugged and started counting on his fingers, like he was keeping track of the steps in his head.
"Then, Alph, you and me figured out we knew him. He worked with us. I was pretty sure who he was right then. When Frisk remembered him; that he'd been with her for her whole life, she told me a conversation they had. Monster with the cracked face, he's real affectionate with her. Said he's got three kids. Calls her Frisky instead of Frisk."
"That's a big deal?" Undyne asked.
"Skeletons used to name each other based on a sort of... It's hard to explain. A visualization of their voice and hum, I guess," Sans explained. "We can kinda see it in our heads if we try to. That's how dad named me, and how I named Paps. And here's the thing. Frisk's name in skeleton, it's Frisky."
"S-So a... a skeleton gave her her name, and th-there's no other skeletons," Alphys said, eyes wide. "Oh... S-So at the very least! Y-You could have assumed he knew her when she was really young, c-couldn't you? E-Even if she didn't remember at the t-time."
Sans nodded. "So, I already knew that the guy with the cracked face, he's a skeleton. One that I knew, and well, too. And he's got three kids. Two accounted for: me and Paps. And now we have a weird little human made of determination with time travel powers, no human parents, with a name given by a skeleton. Who just happens to have a special connection to the monster with the cracked face. And who, once her energy shifted enough, could sync with me and Paps the same way we could with each other. No effort whatsoever. Gee. What a strange series of coincidences, huh?" He raised his brows.
Alphys gawked. "O-Oh my g-god, that's nuts! That's like... th-that's like... a weird, skeleton dad algebra equation!" she said.
Sans laughed and shrugged. "Now it's more like weird skeleton dad-dition," he said.
Alphys could't help snorting out a giggle.
Undyne folded her arms. "And you never thought to mention this?"
"Does it make sense to try to explain it if Gaster wasn't real?" Sans wondered. "Imaginary numbers are one thing. Imaginary skeletons, maybe a bit more complicated, huh?"
Undyne grimaced. "Guess you're right. But why didn't you tell her?"
"Tell her what? That she's my sister? She already knows that," he said. "I tell her that all the time."
"Yeah, but, for real though," Undyne said.
"It was always for real. Never felt any different. I mean, maybe if we never did the whole bone dragon thing, I would've pushed it a little harder, but... She knows how it is." He smiled and rubbed the back of his skull. "At least that was one thing she never had to be insecure about."
"W-Wow, S-S-Sans, that's super sweet," Alphys said.
He grinned. "Nah, just true," he said. "Bet you're kinda happy too, huh?"
Alphys's cheeks went red. She nodded. Undyne tilted her head, her ear-fins perking.
"You were close, too, huh?" she asked.
"Uh-huh," she said bashfully. "It's... I-It's really nice to, um... To see him again. He was my mentor. H-He, um, made me f-feel like family, too. When I st-started working here. Oh my god this is crazy, isn't it? Isn't it just nuts? It's so weird, it's like... I really, seriously c-can't believe it."
"Sans, uh... You sure you're okay?" Undyne asked.
"Yup," he said.
"It's kinda funny, now that I think about it," she said.
"I know, right?" he said.
"O-Oh my god, we have so much c-catching up to do," Alphys said. "Oh, and we'll need to get him a new phone! And... And! Oh, I'm sure I have an extra around here s-somewhere." She dove into a box of junk head-first and began to loudly rifle around. "And I'll h-have to update him on ten years of research and... Oh! I guess I'll n-need to include him on my determination thesis, b-because he came up with that word, right? And h-he'll need to learn about portable dimension b-boxes and conversion powder and...! OH!" She kicked her feet and yanked herself back out of the box with an old phone clasped in both hands before turning to Sans. "We'll need to tell him all about Frisk and the barrier, right?"
"Kinda touched on it," Sans said. "But yeah, guess so."
"You gonna tell him about your time crap, too?" Undyne asked.
"Don't have to, he used to have better premonition dreams than I do now," he said.
"Oh, wow, really?" Alphys asked. "That... That explains a lot, actually."
"So, is Papyrus seriously the most normal of you four?" Undyne joked.
"Nah, he's pretty extraordinary himself, actually," Sans said with a grin. "He's just not stuck in time-hell with the rest of us losers."
Alphys was starry-eyed. She hugged Sans again and scrambled away to her work table. "This won't take long!" she called. "Should I give him his old number?"
"Probably," he said.
A sound of buzzing and clinking erupted from upstairs and Alphys began to hum.
Sans turned to Undyne and raised his brows. "Hey, uh, you heard what's up tomorrow?" he asked.
"Nnnnno, why?" she said.
"Some human's comin' in. Gonna talk to Frisk. She's not exactly thrilled, so if you wouldn't mind showin' up..."
"Oh. Shit. Yeah. Of course," Undyne said. "Asgore know?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Okay, I'll get the deets from him," she said. "Jeez. What happened?"
"They didn't realize she lives here somehow," he said.
"For god's sake." Undyne rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "Hope the panic attacks didn't get her."
"Did. Just one so far, though," he said.
"Jeez, poor kid," Undyne said. "Yeah, don't worry, you guys can count on me. Oh. But... Hey, what about your dad?"
"What about 'im?" Sans asked.
"Well, like... I mean. What're they gonna even say, exactly? She's got a mom and a dad and three brothers, like... The King is basically her uncle or step-dad or something; I don't even know what they'd expect to do."
Sans shrugged. The big monster paced for a few seconds and then rubbed her head again. Her brows lifted and her ears drooped.
"She's gonna have two real heavy days, huh?" she said.
"Yup," Sans said.
She jabbed her thumb into her own chest. "I got her back."
"Thanks a million," he said.