Three days into your 'vacation' and you are bored witless. It's a wonder Papyrus has gone completely mad by now. You're sure if he had had any hair he would have torn it out by now - or, at least, that's what you're about to do.

Papyrus, bless him to the ends of the earth, keeps trying to entertain you with puzzles he's made that most kindergarteners could solve. You do them every time, though, drawing the line only when he finally starts changing the passwords to things like the computer and home security system (though it is funny when you tried to explain that one to the police.)

Other than that, you've been up to almost nothing. The star going supernova seems to be holding off for now, and you're grateful but anxious at the same time, constantly checking the feed on your computer for updates. If it keeps building up energy like this you may be able to see it from earth without the telescopes. You certainly would love to observe that, preferably when everyone is back in the office to get a good look at it.

Melody's limp is going away, and you are relieved. The events of weeks ago still bother you, but you let Melody have her way. Maybe you are a bad guardian, but you just do not want to fight melody on this one. You are just glad she hasn't come back like that again because then you would have no choice but to intervene, and confrontation is not one of your strong suits.

On the morning of the fourth day, you get the call from the office.

You're making breakfast with Papyrus, who is having trouble with the concept of making eggs without the egg shells in them.

"THEY ARE A GOOD SOURCE OF GRIT AND RESOLVE!" He claims.

"I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but I don't think that is how those things work," you tell him.

"UNDYNE TAUGHT ME THAT," Papyrus says. "AND SHE HASN'T STEERED ME WRONG ON COOKING YET."

You feel a little colder when he mentions Undyne's name. You subconsciously rub your neck, trying not to think of the woman who almost killed you to save her girlfriend. You still haven't told Papyrus about what really happened, keeping the story at the 'there was a break in' level. Papyrus is not-so-subtlely worried about you, but much like you are with Mel, he lets it go, and you are thankful for that. You just don't think you could handle telling Papyrus what happened to Undyne.

Thankfully, that was when the phone rang and you excused yourself.

"Hello?" You answer.

The familiar voice of your boss asks to speak with you.

"Speaking?" You pace into the other room.

"Hey, it's good to hear you sounding so well," he says. "How are you recovering?"

"I'm doing well," you say. "Still a little dazed."

"I bet," he says. There is an awkward silence before he continues. "I know this is a bit of an odd request but," there's a beat of silence. "I was hoping you could come in for a few hours today."

You are ectatic. "Yes, sure, absolutely!" You have been bored out of your mind and the thought of going back to work was just too tempting. "What'd you need me to do?"

You hear an awkward noise over the line, and your excitement turns to concern. Before you can ask, your boss speaks up. "You see," he says, puffing some air. "We need you to talk to Alphys."

What?

"What?"

"Something's wrong with her; she hasn't been eating since the attack and she won't respond much when we try to talk to her."

Oh.

Oh wow.

Oh shit, no no no. You are not the right person for this.

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude," you say, "but I don't think there's much I can do. I'm a physicist, not a psychologist."

"Please," he says, "I'm running out of options. Alphys gets along with you, and you do have a reputation of being a sort of 'monster whisperer'."

You do?

"I... I don't know," you say, and you really don't. It's not that you don't want to help, it's that you don't think you can. Alphys is your friend, and you are definitely worried about her, but you are no good with emotions. Hell, you can hardly handle your own emotions, how are you supposed to handle hers? You'd just end up making things worse - but you just can't stand the idea of her being there all alone like that. You have a good idea of what will happen to her if something doesn't happen fast, and so you make your decision. "Alright," you say. "I'll talk to her."

"Great, thank you so much!" He says.

You tell him you'll be there as soon as you've finished breakfast, and you hang up the phone.

Crap.

What the hell have you just gotten yourself into?

You're at your office not 50 minutes later. You told Papyrus that you were going by the office to take care of a few things and that you'd be back soon.

When you get to your building, you have to go through the back door since the public entrance is covered in police tape. You make your way down the empty halls. It's so quiet you can hear your shoes clack on the tile; it's unsettling. This place is usually so full of life, but it's empty now and it just makes the attack feel more real somehow. You swallow down your discomfort; you're here for Alphys. You find your boss's door and lightly knock.

"Come in." You comply. He's sitting at his desk and sorting through papers. When he sees it's you, he instantly stands up, taking out a set of keys. "Two doors down to the right. You should see a staircase right as you walk in. Alphys' room is the first door straight across."

You nod and walk off, stopping at the break room to heat up a packet of instant noodles. You make sure to get Alphys' favorite flavor. You put a lid over the bowl and carry it with you. You make your way to the large metal door that leads to the basement. You fumble with the key and unlock the door. Despite years of working here, you've never been in the basement before. There's nothing down there; you think you heard that it was once a radiation center, but you're not sure. Either way, it was empty for years before you started working here, and then Alphys... moved in.

You find Alphys' door easily enough, and you look through the window on her door. She's lying on top of her sheets with her hands folded across her chest, glasses still on her face, though slightly squewed. She's staring at the ceiling like it has the secrets of the universe stored in the polystyrene tiles.

You knock as quietly as you can, trying not to startle her. When she doesn't answer or even so much as move you open the door and walk inside. Alphys turns her head to acknowledge you, but doesn't say anything.

"Hey, Alphys," you say, looking around. The room looks like an old office that was converted into a cell - that's probably what it is. There is only a bed in the room, so there is nowhere for you to sit or put the noodles. You end up just positioning yourself on the edge of the bed after a minute of awkward shuffling. You drum your fingers on the lid of the ramen, wishing that Alphys would say something so you could get started. You weren't made for these kinds of things! You were made to solve equations, not people problems!

"Are you... Well...?" You start, trying to get through to her.

She doesn't answer.

You sit there another minute.

"I brought you something," you say, motioning to the bowl in your lap. "It's ramen. I heard you were having trouble eating and this is your favorite so I thought maybe you'd want some. It's kind of hot, actually - it's burning my lap... haha"

Damn, you sound like you'd taken speech classes from Melody.

There is another too long silence before Alphys speaks. "Why are you here?"

You sigh. "I was worried about you," you answer honestly.

"He called you, didn't he?" She says, referring to your boss.

"Yeah," you admit. "He's worried about you too."

Another silence.

"You should just go," Alphys says. "It's obvious you don't want to be here."

You shake your head. "You know I can't do that, Al."

Alphys sits up and hugs her knees. She sits there like that for a moment, but for looking up at you. Her eyes widen in shock, and you're confused before you realize you didn't wear a scarf.

Shit

"Haha, yeah," you say, touching your neck where the fading purple was. "Your girlfriend certainly has a tight grip on her."

Wrong thing to say. Alphys looks back down and clams up. Right, reminding her that the love of her life had been not 30 feet away looking for her is probably not the best thing to say to her right now.

"I'm sorry," she surprises you by saying.

"For what?" You ask.

She doesn't answer, instead she just repeats herself.

"Alphys?" You put the noodles on the ground and reach over to her, rubbing her back. "Alphys, hey, this isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."

She sits there, shaking, but she leans into your touch, so you count that as a victory.

"You hate me," she mutters.

"I don't," you tell her. "I never have."

"I just want to go home," Alphys buries herself further into her legs. "I- I can't. I can't do this. It's just too much." You hear a little sniff and you feel trapped. You aren't the person for this. You really aren't. Melody would be great at this, ever the people person she is. She would be able to get Alphys out of her shell in a heartbeat. The only other person you've met like her would have to be Papyrus...

...who was a mutual friend with Undyne...

You think for a moment.

"Alphys, sweetie," you say. "I'm going to step out for a moment then I'll be right back."

She doesn't respond and you try not let your heart sink. Once as you are outside you quickly fish out your phone and dial your home number.

"HELLO?" Papyrus says. "WHO IS THIS?"

"It's me," you say.

"ME? HELLO ME!" Papyrus says cheerfully and you giggle.

You give him your name.

"HUMAN! IT IS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG." It's been less than an hour, and yet you know he's being sincere. Yes, this was definitely a good idea. Now you just have to find out if...

"Papyrus," you say, getting to the point. "I need to know, do you know anyone named Alphys? Short reptilian monster? Likes anime?"

"HMM," Papyrus thinks for a moment. You hold your breath. "AH YES. YOU MEAN UNDYNE'S SPECIAL FRIEND!"

You celebrate in your head. "Yes that one."

"I REMEMBER HER. SHE WOULD STAY OVER AT UNDYNE'S HOUSE SOMETIMES. SHE WOULD ALWAYS GET TO SLEEP IN UNDYNE'S BED, WHICH IS UNFAIR BECAUSE I WOULD ALWAYS GET THE COUCH."

You smile. This is going to work.

"Well, she's actually a coworker of mine," you tell him.

"REALLY?" He says with his normal level of enthusiasm.

"Yeah, and she's... Uh... Not feeling well right now," you choose your words carefully, not wanting to give away too much.

"OH NO!"

"Oh no is right. I was hoping that maybe you could talk with her. It might make her feel better."

"OF COURSE!" He agrees. "A CHAT WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS A GREAT WAY TO CURE THE BLUES!"

You smile. You hope you're doing the right thing.

"Okay, I'll go get her," you tell him and enter back into Alphy's depressing little room. She is just how you left her, but she does look up a little when you enter the room, probably genuinely surprised that you came back. You reach out with the phone and she looks at it quizzically. With a little prompting, she takes the box and puts it up to her ear.

"H- hello?"

The look on her face is the best thing you had seen all day. The apathy and despair is gone in an instant - replaced with a look of hope and shock.

"Papyrus!?" She grips the phone with both hands as if she's afraid she'll lose it.

"Y- yes, I am..." She says, close to tears again. "N-no, I didn't... How am I? How are you !?"

You decide it would be best if you left the room. You wait outside and lean against the door, thankful that it is thick enough to muffle their conversation. Privacy has always been a virtue that you respected.

After a while, the talking stops and you open the door back up. Alphys is sitting much more animatedly, holding your phone in front of her.

"I- I didn't know Papyrus was on the surface," she says.

You nod, taking the phone back. "Caught me off guard too. He's really nice."

Alphys nods in agreement.

There is another silence, and for a moment you are afraid that she's gone back, but then she speaks.

"T- thank you," Alphys says. "It- it was n- nice to talk t- to - to..." She trails off, then picks up softly, "...to someone I knew before."

You sit there together for a small while. You're glad you could help, even if you didn't actually do much of the helping. There's just one more thing to take care of...

"You know I'm not leaving until you eat something," you say. Alphys chuckles.

"Figures," she says, hopping off the bed and picking up the bowl.

"If it's cold I'll go back up and heat it," you tell her but she waves you off.

"It's fine," she takes the pair of offered chopsticks and eats. She's always been a bit of a messy eater, and now that you've spent some time with Papyrus you wonder if monsters have a different set of manners from humans when it comes to eating; not that it bothers you. You've always had a strong stomach, and right now there was nothing you wanted to see more than Alphys eating again.

Alphys' mood has improved so dramatically after just that one phone call it's almost unbelievable.

When she's finished she sits there for a moment, fiddling with the bowl.

"If you're still hungry, I can get you some more," You offer. She politely declines. Her pleasant contentedness slowly fades, though this time into a kind of heartbroken sadness instead of the depression and apathy you had been before.

"When I found out what had happened," Alphys says, looking down at her claws. "I-I was really upset. I was u-upset because she g-got h-h-hurt because of me. " Alphys curls in on herself. "S-she came back for me. She was the hero of the Underground; she was vital in this time of crisis, b-but for whatever reason, she- she came back for me. She came back for me and I know I'm not worth it."

You are at a loss for words. You have nothing to say to that. There isn't anything to say to that. You sit on the ground next to her and wrap your arms around her. Huh, when was the last time you initiated a hug? It had to have been with your sister, and it couldn't have been too long ago, could it have? A year ago, maybe two?

Alphys sinks into your arms and she begins sobbing. You count this as progress, since it is a thousand times preferable to the apathy that you had seen her display before. You pat her back and let her cry.

"I don't- I can't understand what you must be going through, Alphys," You tell her. "But I think you're worth it. I know Undyne thought you were worth it."

Alphys sobs become intertwined with frequent "I'm sorry"s and you continue to comfort her. You decide that now is as good a time as ever to ask.

"Alphys," you say lightly. "I'm going to talk to my boss about letting you stay with me at night; would you like that?"

Alphys' breathing almost stops completely. She seems too stunned to speak. She looks up at you and for a moment seems completely at a loss for words, though not for a lack of trying.

"I- I, I d- don'- I don't w-w-want to be-"

"Papyrus will be there, and I'll be there, and my sister will be there," You say, continuing to rub her back comfortingly. "I told you about my sister. She's a real big anime fan."

Alphys still looks in shock, but she quickly nods her head.

You smile.

"I can't make any promises right now," You say, "But I'll try my best to get you out of this place." And you don't mean just for the nights, but one step at a time.

Alphys looks down and mutters, "Thank you." It's the best she can do right now, but you don't think she could have said anything that would have made you happier. You start to get up to leave, but Alphys puts a hand on your arm.

"Don't leave just yet," She says before becoming quickly embarrassed and quickly pulling back her yellow digits. "S-sorry, I just…"

"It's fine," You say, sitting back down. "Take your time, Al. I'll stay as long as you need."

She smiles. "Thanks."

"What are friends for?" You shrug.

"Friends…" Alphys mutters nostalgically. "It's been awhile since it felt right to use that word."

You feel a terrible wave of pity wash over you, but it is quickly washed over with a wave of guilt and shame.

"I'm glad you can still think of me as a friend," You say, picking at your neck. "It's my fault you're still here."

Alphys shakes her head. "You were just d-doing what you h-had to do. I don't blame you at all." She huffs in a kind of mock laugh. "Undyne can be a bit… rough when she's passionate about something."

"No kidding," You fake a laugh to hide your fear. "You sure know how to pick 'em"

Alphys smiles. "O-oh, she's nice when you get to know her. Scared the crap out of me when we first met."

"Oh?"

Alphys dives into the story about how she and Undyne discovered each other. The conversation is so normal it almost makes you forget that the person you two are talking about tried to kill you less than a week ago. You push down your residual fear; it's pointless now and you know it. You're here for Alphys' sake, not to relive one of the most traumatic moments of your life. You smile and nod along to Alphys' story, and when she's finished she looks exhausted.

"I'm sorry," She says, stifling a yawn. "I don't know why I'm so tired."

"You've had a… an emotional day," You say understandingly. "Why don't you rest and I'll go talk to the boss, okay."

She nods sleepily and thanks you again. You slip out the door and Alphys settles down on the sheets. You make your way up to your boss' office.

"How is she?" He asks as you enter.

"Better," You tell him. "I got her to eat something. She's sleeping now."

"Good," He says, looking genuinely relieved. Your boss is a lot of things, and he may not be a monster lover like you, but he's certainly got a soft spot for Alphys. That will make this next part easier, at least.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," You tell him, taking a seat across from him. "It's about Alphys'... living conditions." He urges you forward and you continue. "You see, sir, I don't think that living in those closed quarters is good for her health, not to mention the isolation and the light depravation. I believe it somewhat might have lead to this… episode."

He sighs and nods. "I've been thinking that too, but I don't have anywhere else to house her that's secure."

You see your opportunity.

"Well, that's just it," you say. "I was thinking that maybe she could stay with me. I've been housing a of my own monster for some time now, and it wouldn't be too much trouble to take in one more."

Your boss seems to think on it for a moment.

"I would take full responsibility for her," You assure him. "I could take care of meals, as well; it wouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm," he thinks. "I guess that could work. You would have to come into work an hour early to take her."

"That would be fine," You tell him.

"And she would have to stay here over the weekends," He says.

"Not preferable, but still doable," you answer honestly.

Your boss chuckles, "If you're sure you want to put her up, I'll talk to the head of the company, see what they say. It's not a definite yes, but I'll see what I can do about setting it up.

You want to jump for joy.

You thank your boss one last time, and he thanks you for coming in to help. You find yourself in your car and on your way home before you know it.

You did it! Not only did you get Alphys to feel better, but you also now have a real, tangible chance of really helping her. You may not be able to get her back to the underground, but you can still try to make her life a little better. She needs the help in this world, just like Papyrus.

You make it home before noon and as you approach the front door you hear muffled voices. Strange, it sounds like two people, but neither of them sound like Papyrus. One of them sounds like Melody, though…

You open the door quietly and listen.

"...and then Papyrus tells me that Sans said-" Melody notices you standing in the door. "Oh, Hey! I thought you were going to be out a little longer."

There are two people on your couch. One is Melody and the other is someone you've never met before. They are about your age, with brunette hair and wearing a striped jacket. Their eyes lock with yours and you feel… vulnerable.

"Who's your friend, Mel?" You ask, not breaking eye contact with the stranger.

"Oh, I'm sorry," She quickly stands up and motions towards the person. "This is Francis, Francis, my sibling."

"Pleasure to meet you," Their voice is low and smooth, and you step forward to shake their hand.

"Likewise," You nod. So this was the teacher Melody was so enamored with? You didn't think that they would be so… creepy. "Is… Francis your first name?"

"Yes," They say, "I think using first names is a good way to connect with your students."

"Yeah," you agree half-heartedly. What is with them? They are so unnaturally calm it's like they're not even human. In a fluid motion, Francis moves past you towards the door. You have to fight to suppress a shiver that is trying to make it's way down your spine.

"I think I should be going," Francis says. "It was nice seeing you again, Melody."

Mel gives an overly enthusiastic wave. "Come back soon!"

You are left alone with Melody. Her enthusiasm slowly fades to an awkward shuffle. "So… That was Francis."

You nod. "They're… friendly."

Melody nods. "Oh you wouldn't believe it! They're super friendly once you get to know them. They're not very talkative but they are really good at listening and solving problems and they have been helping me with English and they're a big Monster's RIghts supporter but when they met Papyrus they got really quiet I don't know why…"

"Where is Papyrus, anyways," You say, suddenly remembering. "I need to talk to him about something."

"Oh?" Melody looks curious.

You smile. "We might be getting a new guest in the house." Melody looks excited, then confused and disappointed.

"You didn't buy another monster, did you?" She deadpans.

You shake your head, blushing. "No, nothing like that. You remember Alphys from work?" Melody nods. They've met once or twice, and you've talked about her enough for Melody to have a good idea of who you're talking about. "Well, the office is thinking about housing her here."

Melody squeals with joy. "THATS AWESOME!"

"WHAT IS AWESOME? IS IT ME?" Papyrus' voice booms from upstairs.

"YEAH," Mel calls back to him. "IT IS! AND WE'RE GETTING A ROOMMATE!"

"GOODIE! I LOVE COMPANY!"

Mel rushes up the stairs, presumably to tell Papyrus about the good news. You smile. Your family is getting bigger, and you love it. You can't even imagine life without Papyrus now. Alphys will be happy here. She and Melody will get along great.

You are still a little rattled by Francis, but you push it out of your mind. There is no reason to be bothered by them. Melody likes them well enough, and while she might not be the best judge in a person's character, she can typically tell when someone has bad intentions.

You shake your head. No, that's not good enough. You have a bad feeling about them, and while you aren't typically one to judge based on feelings, you make an exception for the creepy adult that has made their way into Melody's life. You're going to have to have a talk with Francis if you're going to keep letting Mel go over to their house. You just need to get to know them better, that's all.

You make your way up stairs and lay down on your bed, listening to the muffled sounds of Papyrus' and Melody's enthusiastic conversation. You close your eyes and think on all that's happened today. Frustration and excitement mix and you don't have a name for the feelings you are experiencing right now. A lot has happened in the past week, and your life is changing more rapidly than you are comfortable with or would even like. You don't want to think about it right now, though; you're exhausted, and it doesn't take long for you to slip into a sleep.