It has to be SOMEWHERE in here, Gaster signed absently with one hand as he flipped through his dictionary with the other. He had the perfect phrase to be used in the textbook, but confound it, even with nearly two hundred years of speaking Monster, he could not translate the stupid thing. And he wagered that the future students reading the text wouldn't appreciate a string of random symbols.

He shut the dictionary with a huff before getting to his feet. Forget it, he signed to himself. I'll rewrite it later.

A little giggle came from the other side of the lab. He blinked.

"Hello?"

No answer. He glanced down at his hands, then half-smiled. He shrugged before signing, I guess it's just my imagination. He heard another little giggle, then smiled as he began to sign the first few lines of "The Femur's March".

"Woah!"

"I told you he did this when no one looks."

"Golly, I never even knew…"

"Yeah, he does it all the time when he talks to Mom about us."

Ah, so he did have visitors. Quietly, he walked over to the table where the voices were coming from. Abruptly, he leaned down to look at the two intruders.

"Who does what when he speaks to your mother?"

"Ah!" Asriel fell back in surprise, then let out a loud laugh. "Dr. Gaster, you scared me!"

He smiled. "My apologies, Asriel," he said as he crouched down.

"You didn't scare me."

Gaster's gaze went to the other child. Chara smiled back at him, dark eyes glinting. He let out a breath.

"Yes, well, I suppose it would take more than that to scare you, Chara." He stood up, watching the two as they crawled out from under the table. "Did your parents send you here?"

"No, Chara just wanted to show me your hand thing," Asriel said, dusting off his striped shirt. "I didn't believe them."

"That's because you don't pay attention to things," Chara said matter-of-factly as they pulled themself up onto a stool.

"I do, too!"

Chara laughed. "Okay, sure, Asriel."

It really was quite remarkable how much of a difference six months made with the human. Anyone who met the rosy-cheeked, smiling child here would never guess that they were the same pale, quiet child that had fallen down into the ruins. They were friendly enough to everyone, and obviously adored Asriel, but even so…Gaster couldn't trust them. They weren't proving themself to be like other humans, but something about their eyes…

"So is your hand thing why your hands are like that?" Asriel asked abruptly, pulling Gaster out of his thoughts.

"Er…well…no," he said, automatically rubbing one of the jagged holes with his thumb. "It is from an…er, accident. Since you two are here, we should try—"

"Was it from when the Core blew up?" Chara asked quietly.

Gaster's back went ramrod straight, and he looked down at the child with wide sockets. "How did you—?"

"It blew up?" Asriel exclaimed, then puffed and gave his adopted sibling a little shove. "You're lying, Chara! I'd know if it blew up."

"It did," Chara insisted. "There's a plaque at the entrance!"

"I've never seen it!"

"Because you don't look!"

As they bickered playfully, Gaster relaxed. Of course. He'd forgotten about the plaque. And really, it was silly of him to think Chara would just know.

"Chara is right," he said once he recovered from his shock. "But that was quite a long time ago, and I am sure you will hear more about it in school." He clapped his mangled hands together, putting on a smile. "And besides, there are much more interesting things to do. Asriel, your mother tells me that you are starting to play with magic."

Asriel made a face and scratched his ear. "Not really. Not like Mom and Dad."

"He can make his hands smoke," Chara said with a smile. "It's kinda cool."

"It's not that cool!"

Gaster chuckled as he pulled over a stool to sit across from the two children. "Soon enough, you will be lighting the stove. Let us see if we can nudge you a little closer to that point."

Both Asriel and Chara looked up with bright eyes. "We're gonna practice magic?" Asriel squeaked out.

"Well, the laboratory is the safest area in the Underground. I see no better opportunity than the present," Gaster said as he sat down. He tapped his fingertips together as he looked at the two children. "Now, one thing you will need to keep in mind is that, while you are still growing and getting used to your magic, you may find that it responds well to strong thoughts or emotions." He chuckled. "But be careful. I broke my mother's favorite vase during a particularly bad fight with my sister."

Asriel smiled and pulled Chara into a hug. "That won't happen. Chara and I never have real fights."

Chara smiled at Asriel, but then looked to Gaster with a frown. "You can't do magic, though."

Gaster blinked. "Why not?"

"Because you're a scientist. Scientists don't believe in magic."

Gaster half-smiled. "Ah. Well, I am afraid that is not true. With Monsters, magic and science are intertwined. With the amount of magic down here, as well as our biology, it needs to be."

"Prove it," Chara said, meeting his sockets defiantly.

His browbone rose, but he shrugged. "Very well. I suppose I brought the burden of proof on myself." He turned slightly to look at an empty corner of the lab, then flicked up his hand. Immediately, several bones shot up from the ground, just barely missing a lamp overhead. He swiped his hand quickly to dismiss the attack, then turned back to the children. "Is that proof enough?"

Both were silent, looking up at him with wide eyes. Asriel immediately sat up straight.

"I wanna try!"

Gaster smiled. "All right. First, hold out your hand."

Asriel did so, looking at his paw with laser focus.

"Now, focus on your Soul."

Asriel shut his eyes tightly and nodded. Chara looked at him for a moment, then did the same.

"Now, do you feel it…er…that…erm…" Oh, god, what was the word?

Asriel scrunched his nose. "It feels like my Soul's kinda getting bigger."

"Yes, good! That is what you want! Now, push that feeling out of your chest and to your hand…"

Asriel screwed up his face, clearly focusing. After a moment, a little white pellet appeared above his hand, spinning in a lazy circle. Gaster clapped.

"It worked, Asriel! You did it! Look!"

Asriel opened his eyes with a bright grin. "I did?" He looked down at his hand, then frowned at the little pellet. "Oh, that's lame. I thought I'd have fire."

Gaster chuckled. "It will come in time, Asriel. Now, since you are ab—"

"It's not working!"

Both Gaster and Asriel looked up at Chara's outburst. They stared hard at their hand, then shut their eyes and grimaced, fingers twitching. After a moment, the hand clenched into a fist.

"It's not working," they repeated angrily. "The instructions must be wrong!"

Gaster tapped his fingertips together. Ah. Well…that was interesting, but, when he thought about it, not all that surprising.

"Well…in my experience, humans are not able to use magic the same way we are," he explained. "Our bodies are comprised of mostly magic, while humans…"

"That's stupid," Chara snapped. Asriel quickly wrapped an arm around them.

"No, no! It's fine, Chara. Look, I won't use my magic, that much, so we—"

Chara let out an irritated noise as crossed their arms. "No. You should use your magic."

"But Cha—"

"I don't want your pity, Asriel!" they snapped.

Asriel blinked. After a moment, his lips trembled slightly. Chara's eyes widened.

"Oh, Azzy, don't."

Asriel rubbed his eyes. "I'm not crying!"

"You're a really bad liar." With a sigh, Chara reached back to rub Asriel's back as he sniffled. "Jeez, Asriel, it's not that bad."

This was all entirely out of Gaster's comfort zone. He looked between the two, then let out a little breath. "Perhaps…now would be a good time for you to head back."

Chara looked up at him, then nodded. "Yeah, Mom's gonna be worried." They gave Asriel's back one last rub, then hopped down from the stool. Asriel followed. They both dutifully said their goodbyes, then left the lab.

Gaster tapped his fingers together as he thought. Well. He wasn't keen on Chara, but this did seem like an interesting quirk to look into. A human's lack of magic, despite being in a place heavily saturated with magic, was surely something that could fit into his textbook.

"I feel as if I've completely abandoned you, my friend!"

Gaster kept his gaze on his teacup as Toriel filled it. After nearly a decade, he really should be used to the changes, but every time he visited, he was jarred by his friend's appearance. After all, the two hundreds were the prime of a monster's life, but here she was: soft and motherly, comfortable with the fact that old age was right around the corner. Really, how could he not be startled when his friend was somehow both his age and nearly old enough to be his mother?

He took a sip of tea to get out of his head, then smiled at her.

"You should not worry. I have been…er, well, I suppose I have never been good at…is the term 'reaching out'?

Toriel nodded with a smile as she filled her own cup. She sat down, settling back in her seat. "Well, I have the children, you have your textbook...who knew those would be such commitments?"

Gaster half-smiled and nodded before sipping his tea again. "Speaking of my book…" he said slowly, setting his cup down. "I would…like to ask you something."

"Of course, Gaster. How can I help?" She leaned forward with a smile, eyes bright and interested. There was an odd twist in Gaster's middle as he caught a glimpse of a much younger Toriel. He traced the top of his cup.

"Well…I have noticed something…curious with Chara. If you do not mind, I would like to look into why they are not able…"

"They are a late bloomer." Toriel's voice was flat and cold. He frowned.

"You know that is not true."

"It is a perfectly reasonable explanation," Toriel defended. "Asriel is a Boss Monster; both Asgore and I were more advanced than our peers and…" She trailed off as she met Gaster's skeptical look. She let out a quick huff. "We do not know for sure."

"Yes, we do, Toriel."

"Humans used magic! That is how the Barrier came to be!"

"Wizards used magic. My knowledge on Mankind is not extensive, but I do know that they had to study for a very long time to marginally use magic. Most humans, if you will recall, used weapons."

Toriel let out a breath, sinking back in her seat. "It will not be a problem for some time. Most monsters do not have a grasp on magic until they are fourteen, and perhaps by that point…"

Gaster stared as she spoke, and he abruptly waved a hand to stop her. "So you will lie to them?" She didn't answer. "That is cruel, Toriel, even I can see that."

"It is not! I know what I am doing, Gaster!" Toriel shot back. "Asgore and I have agreed that this is the best course of action."

"Oh, of course, the best course of action is to raise their hopes only to smash th—"

"This is not your child, Wing Ding," Toriel snapped.

Gaster drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, staring hard at her. After a moment, he huffed out a breath. "No. I suppose they are not."

They fell into a silence, both taking their cups and sipping their tea without looking at the other. After a few moments, Gaster set down his empty cup. Toriel glanced down at it, then leaned over to refill it.

"You know," she murmured, "none of the new generation knows that you are not a monster."

He looked up at her. "And you think the same will happen with Chara."

Toriel refilled her own cup. "Yes. I do."

Gaster looked down at his cup, then slowly leaned over to take it. He watched the steam curl into the air. "It is possible, I suppose." He hesitated, then set the cup back down. "I really should get back to the lab. Thank you for the tea, Toriel."

As he got to his feet, Toriel quietly said, "We do not want to risk alienating them."

Gaster paused, but remained silent. He glanced back at Toriel, who fiddled with a teaspoon.

"They…it was not an accident that they fell down," she said with some difficulty. "Their life above ground was not…they decided to…" She covered her mouth, looking close to tears.

"They decided to…?" At Toriel's distraught look, he let out a soft, "Oh."

She let out a quick huff, shaking her head. "There was a reason they survived. They need to be loved, Gaster. And we cannot do that by making them feel like they do not belong."

Gaster stood in the doorway for a moment, his hands half-forming a thought before he flexed them and dismissed it. It wasn't what Toriel needed to hear. He let out a long breath.

"Even so…give Chara the respect they deserve," he said. "They are clever. They will find out on their own if not from you." He glanced back at Toriel. "Thank you for the tea. I…had missed our talks."

Before she could respond, he was already heading to the door. As he left, he swore he saw dark eyes watch him leave.

Some months of peace followed the talk. While Gaster drew up some hypotheses on Chara's development in a magic-based environment and their lack of any magical inclinations, he never translated them out of his language. It just wasn't worth the risk.

Not that there would be a chance for him to say anything. The last few visits to the Dreemurrs' house left him feeling muzzled; if the slightest mention of Chara not being a Monster was brought up, both Toriel and Asgore gave looks that reminded him that they were, in fact, the strongest Monsters in the Underground. So, lately, he'd been politely declining, and spending his time in the quiet of the lab as he worked on his textbook. Or, in today's case, putting the final touches on some Core updates.

Naturally, then, when the doors slammed open with a bang, he nearly dissolved from surprise.

"Are Mom and Dad gonna die?!"

He blinked, alarmed at the shouting and stomps and crashes as chairs were shoved out of the way. He quickly got to his feet, only for a small mass to run right into his middle. He stumbled back, then looked down once he caught his balance.

"Chara?"

The child looked up at him with fierce eyes. "Are Mom and Dad gonna die?" they repeated.

"Er…not immediately, to the best of my knowledge."

"No! When Asriel grows up! Are they really gonna die?" they demanded.

Gaster blinked again, then rubbed his skull awkwardly.

"Er, I…I think this is a conversation you should have with your parents."

They shook their head violently. "No, it's gotta be you. You're the only one who'll tell me the truth."

"What?"

"Mom and Dad lie to me all the time! Even Asriel's starting to do that! You don't care if you hurt my feelings, so you can tell me!"

Gaster blinked, then sighed. He wasn't surprised; he had warned Toriel about underestimating the child, after all. But god, why did he have to be the one they turned to?

He sat down on one of the stools, then motioned for Chara to sit. Once they climbed up and sat, he met their gaze seriously. "Yes. In order for Asriel to grow up, your mother and father will need to die."

"That's stupid!"

"It is not. It is the way their biology works," Gaster said evenly. "I am sure there is a reason for it, even if it is not one we can understand." He clasped his hands together. "How old are you?"

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

"I'm almost eleven."

Gaster nodded. "So you will be close to twenty-one when they dissolve. That is plenty of time."

Chara frowned. "No, it's not! I need more!"

"You do not get more. Not unless Asriel dies."

Chara blinked, then frowned as they looked down at their hands. "I…I don't want that."

"I did not think so." He stood up. "Now, you should…" He trailed off as the lab's phone rang. He frowned; it wasn't often he got phone calls. He glanced at Chara, who seemed to be curling in on themselves. He frowned, then got up and answered it.

"Dr. Gaster speaking."

"I am so, so sorry to bother you, Dr. Gaster," came a breathless voice on the other end. "We, I…uh…this is Miss Wyvern, from the school."

"Yes?"

"Well, um…well, you see, Chara's gone missing. And we're trying to contact everyone we can…"

Gaster looked over in alarm at Chara, who seemed to be trying to hide in their sweater. "Missing?"

"Yes, they just ran out of the classroom! We haven't contacted the King and Queen yet, but…well, I know you have monitoring equipment a-and…"

He furrowed his browbone at Chara. Over the collar of their striped sweater, their dark eyes were wide and pleading. He sighed.

"I am sorry, that is my fault. I meant to send a notice," he said.

"A…notice?"

"Yes. They are interested in my work on the Core, so I arranged to take them on a…field trip, I think, is the term. I forgot to send a note."

"Dr. Gaster, I don't really thi—"

"Is there a problem, Miss Wyvern?" Gaster asked, using his most official, scientist-sounding tone.

"Er…no! No. I'll…I'll just let the staff know. Um…thank you, Dr. Gaster. Enjoy the field trip." The phone clicked and went dead. Gaster sighed as he hung up the receiver. Chara's face popped back out from under the sweater's collar.

"Did…did you just lie for me?"

"Yes, and do not expect it often," he said shortly, going back to his work desk and gathering his supplies.

"Why? You don't like me."

Gaster blinked. "I…Chara, I…"

"Don't lie," they said as they hopped down from the stool. "I can tell."

Gaster looked at them for a long moment, then let out a breath. "Well. I am not petty. Come here and hold out your arms."

Chara hesitated, but did as Gaster asked. "Why?" They'd barely gotten the word out before a mound of wires and tools were dropped into their arms.

"Because we are going on a field trip to the Core, and you may as well be useful."

There had been a strict rule about children not being allowed in the Core, so Chara was in silent, wide-eyed amazement for most of the time Gaster spent fixing up odds and ends. But after some time, they got bored enough to start asking questions. First it was just simple things about the Core, then some more advanced questions about magma and energy.

But then, as they climbed up to the Core's highest point, Chara hit him with a hard one.

"Do you ever feel…weird? About being with Monsters?"

He stopped as they reached the top of the catwalk. "Do I…I-I do not understand."

"I'm not stupid. I know you're not a monster," they said. "You've got your weird hand thing and weird code writing. And…" They grimaced a bit. "…and you kinda look the way I feel whenever there are events. Like you don't really fit in."

Gaster swallowed, then looked down at the Core below. "Well…I suppose I…" He looked up as the railing shook, and his heart flipped as he saw Chara climbing up onto it. "Chara, stop!"

They looked up, then half-smiled as they moved to sit on the lower bar of the railing, resting their arms on the top. "So I'm guessing Mom told you about how I got here." They rested their chin on their arms, dark eyes reflecting the red of the magma below. "Don't worry. I won't jump."

Gaster watched them for a moment longer, then let out a breath as he leaned against the railing, keeping an arm's distance between himself and Chara. He was silent for quite some time, then said, "Yes. I do."

Chara looked up, then frowned a bit. "Does it ever get easier? Do you ever forget you're not a Monster?"

Gaster shook his head.

Chara sighed, once again resting their chin on their arms. "Did you hate the other skeletons?"

"What?" Gaster stood up straight. "God, no. They…my village was destroyed in the war. As far as I am aware, I am the only one left."

"Did Humans kill them?" Chara asked softly.

"Yes."

Chara let out an angry breath. "I hate humans. They ruin everything. I mean, you guys shouldn't be down here! It's only because they don't like things that aren't them!"

Gaster blinked. Were…they serious? They couldn't be. Who could hate their own race that much?

Meanwhile, Chara just frowned harder. "Why didn't you guys fight harder? You could have killed them all!"

"We did fight," Gaster corrected. "I fought…"

"You don't count, you're not a Monster."

"Well, your father fought, as did Gerson and several others."

"But it wasn't enough!" Chara exclaimed. "If they'd fought harder, they would have won."

Gaster sighed. He couldn't say he disagreed with the child. "True, but…it is not in a Monster's nature to fight. They do not enjoy it; honestly, it is hard enough for them to even start a fight."

"Why? Humans fight! What's stopping Monsters?"

Gaster blinked. There was no why. It just always was. Right? "I…have never asked myself that. I do not know."

Chara huffed, chin once again on their arms. "Well, it should've been the other way around. You guys should've stayed above ground."

Gaster gave a small, bitter laugh as he leaned against the railing. "I cannot disagree with that."

The two sat in silence, watching the roiling magma and steaming machines down below. Gaster couldn't imagine what Chara was thinking, but he was already far down the road of another hypothesis. Why did humans find it so much easier to fight? Perhaps there was something in their being…maybe even their Soul…

"I should get going. Mom's going to freak out soon."

Gaster looked up as Chara swung around and lightly jumped down from the railing.

"Do you need me to guide you back?"

"Nah, I paid attention." Chara puffed out their cheeks, looking off to the side. "Thanks, I guess. For not snitching on me."

"It was only fair," Gaster said with a shrug. "Tell your parents 'hello' for me."

Chara nodded, starting to go down the stairs. After a few steps, they stopped.

"Dr. Gaster?"

"Yes, Chara?"

"Do you…are you glad you live with the Monsters? Even though you…don't feel right?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes, absolutely," he said. He drummed his fingers on the railing. "The more effort you put in to acclimate to their culture, the easier it becomes."

Chara put on a resolute face and nodded. "I'm gonna fit in," they said. "I'm…I'm determined to be one of them, even if I can't do magic. Thanks, Dr. Gaster."

Gaster blinked as Chara ran down the stairs.

Determined to be a Monster.

Well, that was a funny thought, wasn't it?