And here comes the final chapter of this fanfiction! It must be my favourite one of all. I have nothing much to say, just… enjoy the resolution of this story! :D
Noelle barely registered when the silver blade shone in her eyes. One swift move and then… Noelle fell on the ground, and the magic bones that prevented her family to come closer dissipated. Her SOUL hovered over her body, with an unusually bright shine. Before anyone could react to what just happened, the SOUL started to emit sparkles that grew brighter every second. It almost resembled a firework. Everyone, including Chara, was surprised and confused by what was happening. Then, the magic emitted by Noelle's SOUL intensified and a huge flash of light followed. Everyone closed their eyes as everything went white. As Chara was blinded by the bright light, she also felt like that same light was burning right through her whole body. Chara guessed it was surely her end, and she let out one last loud yet croaked scream. Eventually, her scream died and the light faded away. Frisk was the first to react, as she rushed to her daughter. As she knelt down to the lifeless Noelle, she started to call out for her and beg to come back while stroking her cheek with a trembling hand.
"Noelle..! Oh gods, why..? Noelle, my babe, open your eyes… You can do it, come back..!"
"NOELLE, PLEASE WAKE UP..!" - Papyrus said as he was already on Noelle's side too - "PLEASE... YOU CAN'T LEAVE US ALL NOW... IF YOU WAKE UP NOW, I PROMISE I WON'T GET MAD AT YOU FOR LEAVING WITHOUT TELLING US..!"
"kid..? kiddo, come on, come back to us..!" - Sans said on his turn as he slowly approached, his vision blurred by tears.
Frisk and Papyrus looked up at the SOUL hovering above almost in despair. Their eyes reflected heartbreak and despair. Sans turned his head, unable to watch how the couple was crying over their daughter. He then noticed that Gaster, who was standing not very far from him, had an expression of shock and grief on his face. His eyes were glowing yellow and the good one was open wide. A shaky hand covered his mouth. Sans tilted his head, as he could swear he saw tears glimmer in the former scientist's eyes.
"No... She can't be… Not her…" - Gaster said, his voice almost a whisper.
Piper was sobbing uncontrollably by now and then gripped tightly into her father's coat and burried her face into its white fabric. Sam wasn't as loud as his sister, but he was sniffing every two seconds. Asriel, standing behind the crying Frisk, was just looking down and silently whiping away his tears, only for more to come. The family wasn't sure for how long they stood there. Time seemed to be slowed down at a moment like this one. But then, the SOUL glowed a bit brighter for a short moment. Sam noticed, and said:
"The SOUL..! It's…"
Everyone looked at the floating heart and saw that it seemed a little more… livid? Then, it slowly lowered until it touched Noelle's chest. With a soft glow, the SOUL fused back with the body. Everyone bent closer as they watched Noelle's cheeks twitch. It took another moment for the Savior to slowly open her green eyes. Her parents were the first faces she saw.
"Mom... Dad…" - she said weakly.
She then tried to sit up, which Papyrus helped her with. Noelle looked at everyone around her. Nobody said a word for a moment, as they were all a little stunned due to the loops of emotions they just went through. Noelle's eyes went from her parents to Sans, then to Gaster and the twins, before resting on Asriel. She mentally noted that they had no injuries of any sort.
"I'm so glad… You're not hurt…" - Noelle said with relief.
"Noelle, why… why do you make it about us when you almost died on us?!" - Frisk exclaimed as more tears streamed down her cheeks, then pulled Noelle in a tight hug - "What would I do if you..? What would we all do?"
"Mom… I'm sorry…" - Noelle returned the embrace - "I'm really sorry about that, everyone."
"NOELLE, WE'RE SO GLAD YOU MADE IT!" - Papyrus said, whiping away his own tears - "WE ALL THOUGHT WE DEFINITELY LOST YOU..! YOU MADE US CRY SO MUCH!"
"yeah, even gaster cried for you." - Sans added with a look of mischief in his eyes.
Sans wouldn't miss such a great opportunity to embarass his creator. And it worked. Gaster blushed and his eyesockets glowed pink.
"No, it's not true..! I didn't…" - he tried to protest in vain.
Noelle looked at him, slightly amused, and Gaster turned his gaze away from her, feeling too embarassed.
"Alright, I... might have shed one tear or two." - he admitted reluctantly, still not daring to meet Noelle's eyes.
"It was actually nice from you…" - Noelle said with a tender smile.
Gaster could see in Noelle's eyes that she was moved by this. As if she liked to know that he cared. This made some of his tension ease a bit. Sam and Piper knelt down to their mother and hugged her tightly on their turn.
"Mom, please don't scare us like that again!" - Sam requested.
"I won't… I don't think I'll ever have a chance anyway, now that Chara's no longer a threat to-… wait." - Noelle paused - "What did Chara become? Is she..?"
The group immediately turned their heads in the direction where Chara had been standing before the flash of light. After thinking that Noelle died and the relief that she actually made it, they completely forgot about Chara. They saw a green and brown figure lie unmoving on the ground. Asriel dared to make a few steps towards her, to see if she was alive or not. Everyone grew nervous at this. Sam and Piper tightened their hold around Noelle, Frisk put a hand over her shoulder, Papyrus and Gaster stood protectively in front of them, and Sans had his left eye glow blue brightly. Asriel knelt down to Chara and as he got a closer look on her, he let out a gasp. He unvoluntarily fell back on his butt, which made the others worry.
"What is it, Asriel?" - Frisk asked.
"What state she's in..?" - Noelle asked on her turn, tightening her grip on the twins' shoulders.
Asriel turned his head to the group, with a surprised and shocked look on his face, and said:
"Guys, you won't believe it, but she…"
A quiet soft moan got heard. It was the kind of sound made when waking up from a deep long sleep. It was Chara. Asriel backed away just a little, as Chara weakly and slowly sat down. Now the others could see her too and they quickly understood what shocked Asriel so much. Chara looked like a thirteen years old girl. She was wearing her favourite green shirt with a yellow stripe. Gaster, who had knew the girl before she died, was especially shocked. His eyes widened and he breathed out:
"Impossible..."
Chara rubbed her eyes, then lifted her head just enough to see a baffled Asriel in front of her.
"Asriel..?" - she asked, then she paused as she realized her brother no longer looked the same - "What… What's going on..? Why do you look so old..? W-Where am I..?"
As Asriel couldn't bring himself to answer, Chara took a moment to look around. The first thing she noticed was the fact that her surroundings didn't look like the Underground. She understood that she was on the Surface. But why? And how? Then, her eyes widened as she laid those on the group of people behind Asriel. Those people were humans and monsters. Chara was especially surprised to see Gaster there too. This was all very confusing and nonsensical. What happened exactly? Did the plan work? But why did Asriel look older? And why was she alive? The confusion and disorientation made Chara slide backwards, in a defensive manner.
"I... I'm confused… Why are we on the Surface..? Why are you older than me, Asriel? Who are those people behind you..? A-Answer me..!"
Asriel was totally speechless at the moment. What could he possibly tell her? How could he even explain the situation? Plus, Chara's revertion to the state prior her death was by itself very confusing.
"Please say something..!" - Chara's voice grew begging - "Your silence is scaring me..!"
"Don't claim you don't know what happened!" - Gaster spoke up firmly - "You couldn't have just forgot what you did!"
"Doctor Gaster, I... I really don't understand..!" - Chara replied with a frantic look.
"If you think pretending will save you…" - the skeleton started, but then Noelle pulled at his sleeve.
"Gaster, she's not pretending…" - Noelle said calmly - "She really doesn't remember what happened."
"What..?" - Gaster gave her a curious look.
"how do you know?" - Sans asked, interested too.
"Before Chara hit me with the knife, I had this strong desire to bring her back to the light. Sadly, she confirmed what I feared - she was too far corrupted for that. And yet… I still wanted to save her despite everything. All I was thinking was: 'If only she could just start everything over from a blank page.' It looks like just that happened. She's given another chance by becoming a child again."
"AMAZING..." - Papyrus breathed out.
Chara was trembling, as the things she just heard Noelle say didn't make any sense to her. She really didn't understand what was going on, but she had a feeling that there was a long and dark story behind all this. Chara froze as Asriel approached her again and offered her his hand. Asriel looked at her with the usual tenderness and love (and forgiveness..?), and said:
"Come on, Chara. We're going home."
"Home..?" - she asked.
"Yes. Mom and Dad will be happy to see you again." - Asriel said.
Chara looked down, uncertain. Then, she timidely reached Asriel's hand to take it. The prince helped her to get up and, seeing that she was a little weak to walk, picked her up bridal style. Chara turned her head to Asriel's chest, as though wanting to avoid the gazes of Gaster and all those other people she didn't know. Asriel looked at everyone in a way as if he was asking them to understand his decision. The group caught his silent message, but Sans immediately spoke his mind.
"are you really just taking her home with you? after everything she's done?" - he asked, clearly not fond of the idea.
"Sans... The Chara who did all the bad things is gone." - Noelle said quietly, shaking her head - "Who we see here is just a child who needs help and guidance."
Sans was still very reluctant about all this but, seeing that the others trusted Noelle's judgement, he sighed. Sans would let things be that way, but he'd still keep an eye on the kid for a while, since he didn't trust her (yet). As Asriel, with Chara in his arms, started to walk away in the direction of New Home, the group turned their heads back to Noelle.
"How..? How did you do this?" - Frisk asked - "I get it was that magic coming from your SOUL, but… where did this power come from?"
"I'm curious as well." - Gaster added - "I've never seen any SOUL emit a magic this strong in such quantities."
"I suppose it's a mystery related to my Savior condition?" - Noelle replied with a shrug and a mischievous smile.
"liar." - Sans narrowed his eyes - "you definitely know the answer."
"NOELLE, YOU'RE NASTY, LYING IN OUR FACES!" - Papyrus playfully reprimended his daughter - "PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR MAGIC!"
"Please, tell us! Tell us!" - Piper joined in - "I wanna know!"
"Alright…" - Noelle chuckled at everyone's curiousity - "The truth is… the magic came from my love for you all. It might sound cliché, but… as I kept fighting Chara, my mind was replaying all the good memories I had about all of you. I was thinking about how much you all mean to me and… it overwhelmed my heart and SOUL with love. And somehow… that feeling of love gave me that power I needed."
Everyone was looking at her with surprised and moved eyes. Papyrus then couldn't take all the emotions he was feeling, so he almost painfully wrapped his arms around Noelle.
"AWW, IT'S ONE OF THE SWEETEST LOVE CONFESSIONS I EVER HEARD!" - he yelled, tears coming up to his eyes - "YOU'RE MAKING ME CRY AGAIN!"
"Dang it. This is why I didn't want to tell you..!" - Noelle said jokingly.
The others giggled or grinned at her words. Sans thought again about Noelle's words. So, this meant that it was her love for them that saved them all?
"love is more powerful than LOVE after all..." - he said to himself.
For once in his life, that conclusion was fully satisfying to him. Gaster seemed to think the same, as he had a small wistful smile on his face. The scientist felt good to see that the beliefs of his younger self turned out to not be worthless. After Papyrus finally released Noelle from his embrace, Frisk asked:
"In the end, did you find the answer to your questions? Do you know what makes you the Savior?"
"I think that... there's more than just one thing that makes me what I am. It's partially because I want to save the people around, even those who want to kill me. But there's something else. It's also the knowledge that I have many people I can rely on, which gives me hope. I maybe wouldn't be the Savior if I didn't have you all in my life. When you're around, I can find the light in the darkest hours, and I feel like I do matter." - Noelle explained with a smile - "I'm... not sure if it makes complete sense."
"Trust me, it makes perfect sense." - Gaster replied, making Noelle's smile grow.
"I'm not sure to fully understand, but okay." - Sam said, frowning a bit.
"As long as it makes sense to Mom…" - Piper added with a shrug.
Noelle chuckled and told the kids she would try to explain this to them another time. The family then decided that they should go back to their houses. Papyrus helped Noelle to stand up and allowed her to lean on him for support. Noticing that she was a bit unsteady, Gaster offered Noelle to do a checkup on her, to see if her health hadn't been altered after what she just went through. But Noelle shook her head and replied that she was mostly just tired. She thanked him for his concern though, and promised that she'd go to him if she didn't feel better. That night, everyone slept peacefully, knowing that the threat was gone.
When Asriel made it to New Home, the first thing he heard was Toriel's voice, scolding him for not answering any of her texting. She stood from her armchair and crossed the living room to her son, who was standing near the doorframe.
"I sent you at least five messages! You got me worried! What's the point of having a cellphone if you don't even anws-..."
Toriel stopped mid-sentance as soon as she saw a younger Chara in Asriel's arms. She brought her hands to her mouth and her eyes widened. Chara looked up at the goat monster who she saw as a mother figure, and after a moment she dared to say, with her low voice:
"H-hello, Toriel..."
"Chara..? How… How can that be…?" - Toriel breathed out, then looked up at Asriel and asked - "What happened out there..?"
"Mom, it's Noelle, she... It's difficult to explain, but she somehow managed to magically revert Chara to her age before we… you know." - Asriel answered.
"Oh goodness... Is Noelle alright?" - Toriel asked, then looked at Chara - "Are you alright, Chara? How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"
"I... I don't know... I'm so very confused, Toriel…" - Chara shuddered.
"I suppose there are many things we'll have to explain her..." - Asriel stated.
They surely were. But how explain all those things was another, pretty delicate, question. It didn't take long before Asgore showed up too, and he got equally shocked as Toriel when he saw that Chara turned back into a child. But he was also very moved, happy that his other lost child came back. Asgore, Toriel and Asriel spent the entire evening to explain Chara everything that had happened since she poisoned herself with buttercups. Well, everything except the part when Chara had attempted to kill everyone and took Frisk's place to seduce her husband. They just told her that she had been revived in a parallel timeline and was accidently brought in theirs, and that Noelle's magic de-aged her to erase all the bad memories. Chara wasn't dumb, she knew that there was much more to that. But she didn't dare to ask, because she honestly wasn't sure she wanted to know. What she had been told was already too much to digest. Her brother was an adult and the world around changed. It would take time to adapt to all the changes. Toriel and Asgore, on the other hand, decided they would do their best to help Chara and raise her to become a good person. They knew she had her flaws, but it was not something they couldn't work on together.
Two weeks passed since the final battle between Noelle and Chara. Life resumed its normal course. Asgore and Toriel were fullfilling their duty of the king and queen, while helping Chara. Asriel was coming out of his shell and started to go outside more often. He was no longer as uncomfortable around people, while his subjects would always say how goodhearted he was. There was no doubt Asriel would become a very kind and beloved king later. Not much changed for Frisk and Papyrus. They kept being good embassadors and they were as happy together as they've always been. Sans started to work more and to enjoy all the good things life had to offer, instead of constantly fearing the next day. Well, he was still suspicious around Chara, but this aside, he was getting out of his paranoia. Noelle, having realized how she became who she was, found her calling. Noelle decided she'd work in the area of the adoption and foster system. She wasn't yet sure how, but she knew that she wanted to improve it. (Toriel told her that they would work on a plan together.) Noelle wanted to promote the diversity within families and encourage interspecies adoption. She wanted that any child, human or monster, would find a family who'd look at them as someone special. Sam and Piper were just being carefree children. With their both parents in their lives, they had nothing much to worry about. After all, they were only ten. And Gaster… he spent lots of time to reflect on his life after experiencing amnesia. At first, he was having moments of self-directed anger, for the attitude he had displayed towards the twins at the hospital. But eventually, he made the parallel between how he snapped out of his amnesia and how Noelle saved everyone. Gaster realized that despite his distrust in humanity, Sam and Piper would always find their way to his (methaphorical) heart. Even when he didn't remember them and the years together, they managed to show him the best humanity can offer. They offered him kindness and love, something only his younger innocent self could expect from humans. The twins could prove to the skeptical person he was that humans could not only be cruel or ill-disposed. This experience someway made their family bond stronger.
But even though his mind was at peace, Gaster still felt like some part of him was missing since the day he left the hospital. But he couldn't tell why he felt that way. It was with a certain melancholy that he was now walking long the supermarket aisles, distantly picking groceries from the shelves. When the groceries were being scanned at the cash desk, Gaster noticed that he once again picket a box of red jelly dessert powder. "It's the second time now…" - he mentally noted. Gaster had never been that much fond of jello, so why did it attract him so much lately? He had a little idea of why, but he chased the thought away. "It's too foolish." Picking up the bag of groceries, he walked out of the supermarket and in the direction of his house. Halfay from home, Gaster stopped as something caught his attention. Or rather someone, to be more exact. On a nearby bench, was sitting a too familiar person. He'd know that light purple figure and blonde hair anywhere.
"Patty..." - he breathed out in surprise.
Without waiting longer, he walked up to her. He noted that she was wearing her usual PJs and disposable slippers. Patty also was holding the Ralsei plushie in her arms. This could mean only one thing. Gaster spoke up, making the cat monster blench.
"Patty? Did you... run away from the hospital?"
Patty looked up to see Gaster stand right in front of her. Her golden eyes rounded, then her momentary shock turned into joy. She smiled widely, revealing the tips of her canines, and said:
"Gaster... It's you..! It's really you!"
Gaster noticed there were fresh tearstains on Patty's cheeks. But he had no time to ask about it, as Patty almost jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him. The gesture was so sudden that Gaster almost dropped his groceries.
"B-be careful..!" - he instructed her.
"I'm so glad to see you!" - Patty exclaimed - "You have no idea how happy I am now!"
"Um... Are you alright?" - Gaster asked, looking at her - "Have you been crying? What happened?"
"I... I ran away... from the hospital." - Patty said with a sadder tone - "I couldn't stay there any longer... I had to get out of there, I had to…"
"What about you tell me about this at my home?" - Gaster suggested gently.
Patty looked at him and then nodded slowly. Without thinking, Gaster wrapped his free arm around her, while the other one was holding the bag. It was only when they started walking that Gaster realized his gesture. He wanted to retrieve his arm, but he just couldn't do so when he saw how comfortable Patty looked leaned against him. Luckily, it didn't take long to arrive at Gaster's house. When he unlocked the door, Sam and Piper turned to him and got very surprised looks when they saw Patty being there too. As they asked what happened, Gaster requested the kids to stow the groceries while he'd sink a bath for Patty. He had noticed she'd been shivering, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the cool weather or stress. Either way, Patty needed to relax for a while. While the twins were busy in the kitchen, Gaster found a plum bathrobe in his wardrobe and handed it to the cat monster. Normally, Gaster wasn't the kind of person who'd gladly share his clothes, but he figured he'd make an exception for Patty.
"Thank you, Gaster." - the cat woman said as she accepted the piece of clothing - "It feels soft, I like it."
"Glad you do. Now, I'll leave you be." - Gaster said, as he gestured for Patty to enter the bathroom - "You can take your time."
"I must warn you: sometimes I fall asleep in the bathtub."
"Please don't do that." - Gaster faked an annoyed look, though Patty saw right through it.
Gaster then closed the door, and shortly after he heard it to be locked on the other side. He then went down the stairs and walked in the kitchen. Sam and Piper turned to him, and the boy said:
"We stowed almost everything. There are things we're not sure where to put…"
"Leave it to me. You've done enough." - Gaster replied gratefully.
"How is she doing?" - Piper asked - "What happened to her?"
"She seems better than the moment I found her." - her father answered - "I'll ask Patty what happened after she's done upstairs."
"Well, I hope it's nothing too bad." - Sam commented.
"I hope so too." - Gaster replied thoughtfully, then requested - "Now, if you two go play in your room meantime?"
The kids nodded, then did as their father asked. Gaster stowed the remaining groceries where it belonged, then he sat down for a moment and started to think about some things, notably the changes he noticed in his own behaviour. Thoses changes occured notably around Patty. Gaster has never been the most social person in general, and it usually took him a while to properly bond with new people. And yet, it took less than two weeks for him to befriend Patty. Despite not having always been very nice to her, things have always been pretty easy between them. But why? Why did he wrap his arm around her so naturally earlier? Why was it so okay for him to lend her his clothes? And why did he always care that much if Patty was sad or happy? Those were questions Gaster couldn't easily come up with an answer to. After his long pondering, he decided to boil some water for tea. When he had problems, tea would help him at some degree with body tension. So he concluded that Patty would probably need it too. And again, he caught himself at thinking about her wellbeing as naturally as when it came to Sam and Piper. A few moments, later Gaster heard footsteps near the doorframe. He turned around, to see Patty standing there. She was looking at him with a soft expression, wearing nothing but his plum bathrobe, the ends of her blonde hair wet. Gaster stared at her for a moment, before saying:
"Didn't fall asleep, I see?"
"Hehe, not this time..." - Patty replied shyly - "And thank you again, Gaster."
"You're welcome. Do you want some tea? I'm making some now."
"Yes, please. Oh, and… is it possible with a bit of cream?"
Gaster nodded in response, then asked Patty to wait him in the living room. When she went away to sit on the couch, Gaster opened the fridge to pick the cream. It took him one minute or two before he was done with the two cups of tea. After he stirred the sugar cubes into the hot liquid, he walked up to Patty, his hands holding the cups in his hands. He handed Patty the cup meant for her, which she accepted with a smile. Gaster sat down next to her and for a moment, he just looked her savor her tea. Then, he asked:
"Patty, why did you run away from the hospital?"
The cat monster didn't answer immediately. She let a short moment pass, before putting her cup down on the coffee table. With a small sigh, she started, without looking at Gaster directly:
"I... I just couldn't be there all alone anymore… I realized I was deprived of everything that mattered to me… My mind can't think as well as before, and y-…"
Patty stopped. Gaster looked at her curiously, then he asked:
"I assume you started to take your pills. Did you willingly?"
"Yes... I thought that if I took the pills without making a fuss about it, the doctors would allow me out soon." - Patty explained - "After a week or so, I asked when I could go out. The doctor answered they still had to make sure I follow the treatment. The next day I asked the same question again. And then again. But they all kept saying that it was too soon. They didn't get it… I wanted to go out so badly…"
As she was telling her story, Patty looked very upset. Gaster knew that it took longer than just one week to validate the observations and that the doctors' reluctance was normal, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
"And so, I decided to escape. Miraculously, I succeeded. But my thinking is slow… I quickly got lost… not knowing where to go… After some time wandering around, I just gave up… Then, you found me."
"But... why did you want to get free so badly? I mean, it wasn't much of a problem before for you to spend months or years in there. What changed?"
"What changed is... I knew you."
A silence follwed the cat's words. Gaster was stunned by what she said, but then he asked:
"What do you mean..?"
"Before you left, you told me to rely on my imagination, just like before. But as I spent days in the hospital alone, I realized that imagining you being there with me wasn't enough. I need the real you. That's why ran away from the hospital, I wanted to see you again."
"Patty, what are you saying..?"
"What I'm trying to tell you now is that... I love you, Gaster." - Patty confessed, looking straight into his eyes - "And my feelings don't change whether I'm on pills or not."
Gaster was speechless. He really didn't expect to hear a love confession from Patty. Then, before he could register, Patty leaned to him and kissed him on the mouth. Gaster froze. His SOUL skipped a beat. In the time of a few fractions of seconds, he felt like he was hot and cold at the same time. He lost all ability to think at that moment. When Patty moved her lips against his teeth, he closed his eyes without even realizing it. Then, working on their own accord, his arms wrapped themselves around the woman and pulled her closer to him. Gaster lost himself in the kiss. He started to reciprocate, timidely. Patty soon pulled away, needing to catch her breath.
"Hehe, sorry if it's a bit random... I just wanted you to know how I feel so badly..." - Patty muttered, blushing hardly - "I didn't even ask you how you feel about me."
"I... I've never been in love before. And I'm not sure how it's supposed to feel like... But considering that I wasn't repulsed by your kiss and... Well, I've noticed that I don't behave normally when I'm with you. So I suppose that means I... like you that way." - Gaster said, his cheekbones getting a red taint at his last words.
Patty's eyes shone happily at what Gaster just said. He didn't exactly say "I love you", but it was more than enough for her. She was blushing and giggling at the overwhelming feelings. Gaster gave her an amused look, while a light smile on his own formed itself. Patty then looked at him playfully and declared:
"Never been in love before? Sweet! This means no exes to be jealous of!"
Gaster couldn't help but chuckle at this. He then wrapped one arm around her to bring her closer. Patty rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being with him. But she quickly got mischievous, so she raised her head and, before Gaster could ask her what she had to say, kissed him again. Gaster was again surprised, but this time he reacted faster. The two were taking their time to explore the new sensations and didn't even register when Gaster ended up on the top of Patty, who had her head pressed against the soft armrest. But the two got pulled out from the dream-like state of mind, when they heard Sam's voice.
"'As close as two mental patients can be', huh?" - the boy commented.
The couple broke the kiss and looked up. They saw Sam and Piper standing on the stairs, with looks of wonder on their faces. Gaster quickly recalled what Sam was referring to. Many days ago, when he was still in the hospital, Sam had asked him how close he and Patty were. So of course Gaster came up with some lame answer.
"Does that mean Patty's staying with us?" - Piper asked curiously.
The question caught Gaster a little off guard, but his mind got quickly made up. So he asked his children:
"Would you mind if she did?"
"If she makes you happy, of course she can stay!" - Piper replied with a wide grin.
"I'll have to get used to have a new person in the house but… I'm okay with that." - Sam said with a shrug - "As long as things are cool between us all..."
Gaster then looked at Patty, took her soft hand in his bony one and asked:
"What do you say about it, Patty? How about I take care of you from now on?"
"Please." - was all Patty said, before pulling Gaster into a tight hug.
The twins grinned at the sight, then went back upstairs. Gaster rested his hands on Patty's shoulders and closed his eyes. Now that she was near him, he realized he felt complete again. True, the new feelings he was experiencing were a bit confusing and unknown, but he'd be glad to learn them, with the pretty cat monster to help him. He would have to contact the hospital and have a long talk with its staff, but that could wait until tomorrow. As he held Patty close, Gaster felt as if his life was only beginning.
A/N: ...The end!
I'm so glad I could finally share the whole story with you, guys. Now that the main story has been fully published on this site, I'll be able to share all my other one-shots! :D Thank you to anyone who's been reading this story. Special thanks to Dragonsrule18 who's reviewed throughout the story (who's also a good writer and Papyrisk shipper like me)! ^^
Now about Chara's "rebirth". It might seem lame that I saved her too, but the fight between Noelle and Chara was actually directly inspired from the final battle between Emma and Gideon in "Once Upon A Time". In the show, the Savior's sacrifice made Gideon reborn as a baby. Here, I did similarily, only instead of being reborn as a baby, Chara reverted to the point of her life right before she died. How did Noelle's SOUL do that? It's basically because of Noelle's strong desire to save Chara mixed with the magic generated by love, and since she's the Savior, I figured out that she would have the power to sort of "reinitialize" Chara. (Since the Annoying Dog - the God of the universe - can code and uncode things and people, why couldn't Noelle - a Savior - have similar powers in some circumstances?) I could've made Noelle win in a classical way, that is kill off the villain, but that would be boring and it would've contradicted with the message I was trying to communicate with this story. This is why I made Chara experience a rebirth of a sort.
And yes, Patty is now Gaster's girlfriend! :D Why give Gaster a love interest, you may ask? Because why not, lol.