Gaster straightened himself as he knocked sharply on the door of Asgore's home. Three raps, in quick succession, before the skeleton folded his hands behind his back. Asgore curiously opened the door, then smiled warmly at Gaster, giving him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Ah, you've arrived! Do come in." Gaster nodded as he straightened his coat, stepping inside at Asgore's invitation.

"Thank you again for the invitation, your majesty."

Asgore chuckled. "Oh come on Dings, drop the formalities! You're here as a dinner guest, not official business."

Gaster held his neutral expression. "If you insist Asgore." He slid his black coat off, hanging it up in the coat closet before following Asgore further into his home. It had been nearly twenty years since the war had ended and the monsters had been sealed underground. Gaster had worked day and night ever since they had been trapped, trying to find a way out. There had been several devices he had tried to make, ranging from magic cannons, to battering rams, to drills to pick away at the barrier. However, his efforts had been in vain.

Hope for a quick escape had faded as the weeks stretched into months, which stretched into years. As time went on, Asgore slowly managed to convince him to shift his inventive focus and energies on work to better suit life underground. Gaster now busied himself with smaller experiments.

Toriel looked up as Gaster entered the dining room, carrying a pot of spaghetti. The juicy aroma of the sauce hit Gaster almost immediately. The pure white flecks of the parmesan cheese were just visible on the surface, blending perfectly with the sauce and long stringy noodles. It was one of his favourites, no doubt not an accident. Toriel gave him a sympathetic smile as she spotted him.

"Ah, hello Doctor. How are you doing?" Gaster's thoughts snapped from the delicious smell and he cleared his throat.

"As well as can be, I suppose."

Toriel set the pot down on the table."You are hanging in there? I know this day can be difficult for you."

Gaster sighed. "Day by day." This day marked not just the anniversary of the war's end, but what would have been his 25th anniversary with Amelia. His wife had been a commander in the Royal Guard, and had been killed in the final hours of the war. "A quick, painless death by the blade of a sword", Gerson had said when Gaster received the news at his doorstep, his wife's dust in a ceremonial vase. Usually, Gaster didn't think about, or discuss the past, especially the events of this day in particular; he much preferred to look forward. But, no matter how much he tried to bury the memories, they always found a way of resurfacing.

Realizing how difficult the day would be, as well as hoping to get Gaster out of his shell and maintain a good relationship with his subjects, Asgore had decided to invite Gaster over to the home for dinner.

There was an awkward silence as the trio sat down and began to eat, broken only when Gaster occasionally complimented the queen on her cooking. When they were nearly finished, Toriel glanced over to Asgore, clearing her throat to try to convince him to say something to lighten the mood. Asgore took the hint, and racked his mind for something to say. He tried to think of a way to cheer Gaster up, but he hadn't seen him around for some time. Then he remembered a reason why Gaster didn't come out a whole lot. He didn't know much - only that Gaster was working on a second project, one that he hadn't spoken to Asgore about.

"You've been quite involved in research for the past few months, I've noticed you've made several late night trips to the palace library. You know I woke up in the middle of the night once and saw you up studying."

Gaster looked up for a brief moment, before returning to his meal. "Well, obviously projects require research. I'm simply making sure I know everything I need to know before I fully begin."

Asgore looked curious. "All of your projects you've usually spoken to me about, yet not this one. You've honestly been somewhat quiet for the past few months about...well, everything. Would you mind enlightening us as to the nature of this new project?"

Gaster stiffened, and Asgore noticed the twinge. Gaster usually was very open about his exploits, and enjoyed discussing them. His latest idea, however, was apparently not one of them.

"Please take no offense Asgore, but this project is much more...personal. If it's all the same to you, I would rather not discuss it openly."

Asgore frowned, puzzled by the reaction. It was highly unlike his old friend. Toriel responded before Asgore could.

"Has the library been able to provide you with what you require?"

Gaster seemed satisfied. "As a matter of a fact, it has."

Asgore followed up the question. "I remember at one point you were saying you had a slim thought of potentially hiring an intern. If you would like, I can spread word and try to find you a candidate to assist you! Two minds are often better than one after all."

Gaster nodded. "I appreciate the consideration, but I'll be just fine on my own."

There was another long silence as the meal concluded. Anxious to end on a high note, Toriel decided to break the news.

"Gorey and I have some big news as well."

Gaster was instantly curious. "Oh? Do tell!"

Toriel looked to Asgore who gave a tiny nod to say it was alright to say. "We were not planning on making the announcement for another week, but I feel it is fine to tell you. We, are going to have a child!"

If Gaster had eye sockets, he would have raised them as his eyes brightened.

"That's incredible! How long have you known?"

Asgore responded this time. "Three weeks, we suspect it will be a prince!"

Gaster smiled, the first smile that had been seen from the typically reserved scientist in years. "This is wonderful! Have you decided on a name?"

Toriel smiled broadly at the reaction. "We were thinking...Asriel."

Gaster chuckled once, recognizing the combination of their names. Still, he wanted to hear the king and queen's explanation "It sounds fit for a prince. Why'd you choose Asriel if I may ask?"

Toriel giggled and nudged Asgore. "You know how Gorey is with names. Heaven knows I should have chosen the name for New Home instead of him. He's got the creativity of an acorn."

Gaster found himself giving a snort of amusement at the comment as Asgore grew red in the fact. Still, Asgore was glad to see Gaster laughing. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the scientist in such a bright mood. Still giggling, Toriel stood up.

"Are we ready for desert?" Gaster nodded again, having just finished the plate. Immediately Toriel left, returning moments later with a freshly made pie. Gaster couldn't deny that when it came to baking, Toriel had what could only be described as a gift. The remainder of the meal was much more pleasant, much to Asgore and Toriel's delight. When Gaster finished his second slice of pie, he stood up and pushed the chair back in behind the table.

"I do apologize, but I must make my leave, my work awaits me."

Asgore stood up as well, walking with Gaster to the door as he fetched his white coat.

"I wish you all the best Asgore, this is news that the kingdom will no doubt be more than pleased to hear."

Asgore chuckled. "Thank you, my friend. Good luck on your work!" Gaster started to leave but Asgore spoke after him.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine? I know the...memories that this day brings aren't the most pleasant."

Gaster paused, and hunched his shoulders with a heavy sigh. "I'll be fine. We all have to take one step at a time."

Asgore nodded, speaking to himself. "Indeed…" Gaster heard the door close behind him. He shook his head and straightened himself, beginning the walk across New Home back to his house, one of the few buildings sitting on the outskirts.

He avoided the curious gazes of the other residents of New Home as he walked. His face was certainly known in the community, and drew curious gazes when he was around. His rare appearances gave him an air of mysteriousness, although he was not particularly pleased about that, electing to simply keep his head down as he walked home. Any monster forward enough to wish him a good evening received only a nod, occasionally joined with a quiet grunt. A more elderly voice suddenly called to him.

"Well, look who it is!" Gaster looked up, and spotted Gerson leaning over the counter of a small shop he had set up in a marketplace. Gaster nodded to the retired veteran.

"Good evening Gerson."

Gerson tipped his head. "What brings you into town? You usually don't come around here!"

"I was just visiting a friend. If you'll excuse me, I need to be returning home."

Gerson gave a hearty chuckle, waving. "Alrighty, don't be a stranger!" Gaster gave only a non-verbal acknowledgement, before beginning to walk again.

He much preferred to stay in the solitude of his home office. There had once been a time when he would have been much more open. But, those days were long since passed. Soon he pushed the door open, locking it behind him.

Many of the rooms were darkened and cluttered from various tools, books, and notes scattered around the home. This was where Gaster conducted his small experiments - the ones he was willing to share with the public, should they be brought up.

He removed three books from a bookcase on the wall, and took out a small key he kept in his pocket. Behind the books sat a lock with a pin to keep the bookcase from sliding. He slipped the key into the lock, before pulling the pin back. He slid the bookcase to the side, revealing a staircase spiraling downward behind it. Setting the books back, Gaster walked through the door, turning around to pull the bookcase back into place. He placed one hand on the railing as he began to descend down the flights of stairs.

At the bottom, there was a second locked door, an extra precaution Gaster had. This one was guarded by a simple padlock. The lock gave small clicks as he turned it left, then right, then back to the left again. Soon a louder click sounded as the door unlocked. He pushed it open and pulled it closed, once more locking it behind him.

As Gaster stepped into the underground laboratory, he flipped a switch up on the wall, and overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the palish grey walls. Turning left down the hallway, he made his way to his private study, turning a reading lamp on. Gaster sighed as he took his seat. Books were piled up on the desk, and there were dozens upon dozens of notes accompanying them. He looked over the notes again.

"Soulbirth," he had called the project. The creation of an artificial soul. It had been something on his mind for years; even before the war he had thoughts on the very idea. After the war ended in a monster defeat, he had decided not to go ahead with the project. The grief over losing Amelia had been too much for him to cope with such a large task at the time. Not to mention, with the fall of the kingdom on the surface, he had been forced to abandon his study on the surface, and start with only the few books he had managed to smuggle underground.

With time though, it had begun to creep back into his mind and now, it was just within his grasp. He glanced up to two containment pods, each holding fragments of pale souls. They had yet to be fully formed.

Still though, it was a start. For his ninth attempt, he had to make two souls. Originally he had only started with one soul, to try to understand the scale of the problem. When this soul failed however, he had tried to make several at a time, having a total of eight in pods on the shelves, each one in slightly different conditions. In some cases, the souls never formed. Most of the cases the growth of the soul progressed slowly, and in some cases stopped entirely.

However there was the one soul, what he considered the eighth attempt, that did fully form. But, the soul had been distorted and misshapen, so he had to purge it. When he attempted to do so, the soul had almost looked to be fighting back, and the pod exploded. In the explosion, the other pods sitting close by were damaged beyond repair, and he had to rebuild from scratch. In hindsight, he should've fabricated a protective cover, considering how fragile the glass containers were.

Now though with raw materials required for the project running thin, Gaster was only able to make two more with what he had left. He was hesitant to ask for more, as he knew Asgore might begin to ask questions. It was likely that he would continue to poke around further when Gaster would refuse to answer these questions. So far, everything had been proceeding smoothly. week and the souls would be fully formed. That would leave another problem, the need for hosts for the souls. He shook his head. One thing at a time. Looking away he opened up the journal, turning to the first empty page, and began to write.

"Test 9, day 12, Entry 29: The two souls appear to be coming along nicely. While still fragments, the souls are beginning to take form. Both of them are still stable in the adjusted conditions, a promising start. I increased the pressure inside the pods by 12%, which should encourage growth as according to tests 3 and 5. The soul fragments have now multiplied, and have begun growing more attracted to one another; the largest group is approximately 7 cm in diameter. I am predicting that if all goes well, the souls should be fully formed within another seven days and nine hours. However, I would rather not get my hopes up just yet. After all, seven of the previous nine experiments showed similar signs of progress, and ended up being inadequate. I would be lying if I said I was somewhat anxious for this to work. I've committed years of research into this project. I feel like I'm so close to finding the solution. I fear that if this next experiment fails, I will be forced to abandon the project for good."

He continued to stare at the souls, watching as the fragments floated in the containment pod. Slowly the heavy weight of sleep caught up to him, and he found himself peacefully nodding off at his desk. The battery powered lights suddenly flickered again, before they too went out, leaving the sleeping scientist in the dark.