A/N: Full title: Let's Re-Star-t (Unexpected, but Not Totally Unwelcome.)

Takes place after "The Sleepover Gets Awkward"

A farting noise woke Sans from his nap. He blinked slowly in confusion wondering if perhaps Frisk had farted in their sleep, but he remembered he was alone tonight. Frisk was with one of their parents and Papyrus was spending the night at one of his friends' houses. That left his phone. He rolled over and blindly patted the rug around his bed until he found his shorts from yesterday. He dragged them closer and felt the pockets, but only found his pet rock hiding in them. Damn. The rock must have moved the phone.

Sans tried to think of where the phone would've gone, but must have dozed off again. Another farting noise woke him up. He glanced and saw his phone lighting up on the floor not far away. Reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed. He flopped face first onto the ground and rolled onto his back. With his foot, he dragged his pet rock across the floor to grab it before using it to extend his reach just enough to drag his phone close. He clicked it on and looked at the message on it.

Sans? I know it's, like, really late, but can you come up to the mountain? Where we all left the underground? *hopeful face*

...Sans?

Sans rubbed at his face and double-checked who the sender was. It was Alphys. That was surprising. She never messaged him. Usually anything she had to say was relayed through Papyrus. Even when they had been at the sleepover, she had pretty much ignored him. Other than the occasional comment, of course, because she wasn't rude. But every time she failed to say something to him, Undyne seemed to pick up on it. Apparently she had been on high alert for any changes in the scientist.

But why was she calling him to Mt. Ebott? It was worth his attention. Had something occurred? He doubted that, though. She wouldn't have sounded so casual if so. But it was enough for him to get up and actually put some clothing on. He then left the house to get his moped and start driving. He yawned on the way up, but he was already almost awake. He had only been taking a nap, after all. He had plans to go back down into the lab. He had some ideas he wanted to work on.

When he arrived at the location, he found a very bundled up and nervous Alphys standing next to a rather fancy telescope. Sans recognized her thermal wear. He supposed it probably was really cold for people with skin out in this mid-February air.

"sup." He said, turning off his moped and dropping his helmet onto the seat.

"O-Oh! Um, there you are! I was...worried you wouldn't come." Despite the cold, Alphys seemed to be sweating. Her glasses were fogging up a tiny bit around the edges.

"you usually don't ask for me to go anywhere...so i figured it was important." He smiled lazily. He was still wary to be around Alphys, but not nearly as much as she apparently was.

"N-N-No! It's not, um, super important!" She fretted, rubbing her hands together. "It's just...um...Fr-Frisk told me you like...stars. And I, um, recently studied them? Y-You know, the," she swallowed, "telescopes?" She motioned to the telescope next to her. "So I thought..."

Well. This was interesting. "you wanna stargaze?"

"Ohhh, this was a stupid idea!" She muttered to herself, rubbing a gloved hand over her face. "I shouldn't have done this...!"

"chill." Sans said, walking up to her. "although...your clothes keep you warm, right?" He winked.

She gave a tiny smile before it dropped. She seemed slightly more relaxed. "S-Sorry to drag you out here...but this, um, has..." She looked up at the sky, and Sans joined her. This far away from major cities, there were an amazing amount of stars. Tonight was clear, and even the moon was dark. He recalled one of the first times he came out to look at actual stars. He had been overwhelmed at the sheer enormity of the world and the knowledge that there was so much out there. There were so many things outside of this planet, and he had been born underground. Trapped away from the palette of the sky. He loved the stars because of what they represented: everyone's dreams, the science of their creation and their destruction, their beauty, and the symbolism of stars. Guides of the night. Shapes in the sky. Constellations that tell stories.

"show me." He told her. And she smiled before leading him over to the telescope. Alphys showed him all kinds of constellations. She pointed out where the planets would be in the sky, and the ones that could currently be seen. She told him stories that she had read made by human scientists. She told him the stories behind the shapes in the sky. About the Greeks, and about the few stories she had found on monster constellations. Sans in turn told her about the science behind stars. About the museums he and Papyrus had visited when they had escaped the underground.

"When did you do that?" Alphys asked. She was smiling and finally relaxed. It reminded Sans of them together in the past, when he would have scientist nights. Where all of them would gather together and just go drinking or just chat. No work. They had all been friends.

Sans fell quiet, realizing he had slipped. That hadn't happened in this life. Alphys picked up on it immediately. She watched him, wary of his change in mod. They had been getting along easier...but Sans could still feel the weight in between them. The horrible rip in their relationship. Sans had people to rely on...but Alphys clearly hadn't told anyone her story. The Amalgamates were her biggest mistake (whereas it was completely Sans's failure with Gaster), but she had been there that day. She, too, bared the burden of knowledge. He would've thought she would've told at least Undyne, but apparently not.

Sans didn't respond, instead staring out over the sea of trees. The stars were silent, but their presence seemed to whisper to him. He had wondered out loud to Alphys earlier about if the stars were maybe made of magic just like they were, but she hadn't been able to answer. How was it, then, that so many monsters resonated with the lights in the sky? Was it just because they seemed magical?

"...I told...Undyne." Alphys said quietly. Sans didn't turn to her. "She was surprised...but I think she'll, um, stop hassling you now."

"s'cool. she doesn't bother me." Sans said. He doubted she would actually hurt him just because it would upset Papyrus.

"She took it...a lot like the Amalgamates. Really well..." She paused, "I'm, um...glad."

"good."

Alphys hesitated. Sans could practically feel her question wanting to be voiced. He looked at her and waited. She sighed and straightened a little. There was a hardened look in her eye. Determination, Sans recognized. But also a cautiousness. "Sans...Papyrus and Frisk both know about Dr. Gaster too."

"yep." He confirmed.

"You wouldn't...tell them without some kind of prompting." Damn it. She knew him too well. "Sans...what happened?"

Sans closed his eyes and lowered his head in resignation. There was no use fighting or avoiding the topic. Alphys could be like a dog with a bone sometimes. Sans didn't doubt that Frisk had let something slip at one time or another. The two of them weren't holding their secrets as close to their chests as maybe they should be.

"gaster happened." He said. She gasped quietly next to him. He didn't open his eyes as he explained to her what had happened down in the Core. He explained about the missing memories and how Frisk had found the mysterious door. He explained Gaster's confrontation with Frisk and the resulting jumping. Quietly, he added the information about how he had tried and failed to fix the time machine...and about his subsequent loss of control.

"So that's how Frisk got their scar. And why they were injured!" Alphys breathed, understanding dawning on her. She seemed shocked by everything. Sans wasn't sure if it was because of Gaster, or hearing about his loss of control. Sans controlled his magic extremely well for someone who didn't train, and Alphys knew this. Alphys swallowed. "So Dr. Gaster is...after Frisk?"

"probably." Sans muttered. He didn't feel comfortable with explaining any of this aloud. Gaster could be anywhere and anywhen. Did he already know any plans that Sans was developing? Or had developed? Or will develop?

Alphys took off her glasses and cleaned them with her jacket as she thought. "...So we need to...make something to defend Frisk."

Sans couldn't help his grin. Frisk really had made some great friends. There was no question involved that Alphys would help them. "that's what i was thinkin', yeah."

"That, um, ring Frisk has. That's anti-time metal." Alphys stated. So she had recognized it. "Was that part of...?"

Sans nodded. He had chosen that metal for a reason, after all. One, because if Frisk ever RESET or loaded a SAVE, the ring would go with them. And maybe remind them if they forgot this timeline. And two, because it should keep Frisk stable in case they're attacked again. Alphys should already understand the second reason.

Alphys put her glasses back on. She leaned back on her hands to stare at the stars. "We need to...tell everyone. This isn't something we can keep secret."

"i know. but there are...other things." Sans said. He gazed at the vague outline of the new moon. "things that...frisk isn't ready to tell. so. we're waiting. and then we'll tell everyone together."

Alphys watched him for a moment before saying, "Hopefully soon." Sans didn't respond. She wrapped her hands around her tail. "We'll tell them about Dr. Gaster...together. The king and queen."

"does asgore know? about anything?"

"No." She sighed. "He doesn't remember Dr. Gaster at all." That was a shame. Sans had been somewhat hoping the old king had. It was a pointless hope anyway. "B-But in the meantime...I want to help you. My lab...is available. If yours is still under repair." She smiled at him hesitantly.

He smiled back. "careful. i might lab-or under the impression you wanna hang with me."

Alphys rolled her eyes good-naturedly and pushed his shoulder a little. "Only if you want to."

"sure, then. i might take you up on that." Sans looked back at the stars and pointed to one. "so...that one's a monster?"

"O-Oh! Yes! Look, see the wings?"

A/N: I believe someone(s) requested "Stargazing" and "Alphys and Sans".