I woke up early the following morning. My dad was setting up the bar so I slipped out without him noticing. Snow glittered the air, falling in soft sheets. I kept my hood dawned so the small flakes wouldn't melt on me. Being a fire family I often wondered why we lived in a cold, wet place.

I felt that Gaster had already left for work as well - a type of sixth sense - and knocked.

"Who's there?" Came the small voice.

"Harry."

There was a pause, then a second voice. "Harry who?"

"Harry up! It's cold out here!"

A fit of laughter and an angry huff. The door clicked and opened. Sans was grinning ear to.. Well he doesn't have ears. But he was smiling. "Hey Grillbz."

I smiled back. "Want to come practice outside? We don't want to blow up anything in here."

"I mean sure. You can't get all FIRED up inside, right?" Sans said with a cute smirk.

"Sounds right to me." I showed them outside and around the outside of town. It was an area between Snowdin and Waterfall where the snow stopped falling. It was open where not many people went and out of sight of the other monsters.

I stopped on that long stretch and turned to the boys. "Okay, what makes that skull appear?"

Sans looked down at his sneakers. "Fear."

"Okay. Think of things you're scared of. Like telling your dad about take-"

A blue glow ebbed from under the skele's hoodie. It trailed up and in a blurred swarm of light the skull solidified. One eye glowed bright, brilliant blue in the socket. The skull gave a low growl as it floated.

"Okay, good..." I moved out of the way of any possible attacks. "Now, try to focus your fear on something. Like a tree or rock."

The boy looked up, eye glowing blue. The yellow of his other eye was dull, fading. He was terrified. The expression was something I didn't like. For a moment his eyes settled on me and the skull did the same. But then the next moment he glanced and the skull shot off destroying a nearby tree with a sickening crack and zoom. The blast itself was blue almost white. It vibrated the skull with the force of it, making a deep zoom of noise.

Sans was even more scared now, the yellow of his bad eye glittering brighter. He didn't like the power he controlled. I watched as he looked back to his brother, but the skull was facing himself.

A glow emitted from the skull and-

"SANS!" I was only just able to grab his hood and throw him out of the way of the blast.

It exploded into the ground, rupturing the surface and sending rock and dirt scattering. I pushed the skeleton's face into my chest. With my other hand I threw up a fire wall.

When the dust cleared I noticed several things jutting out from the ground, stuck fast in and through the skull. Several were blue but most were white. Bones?

"Sans? Grillby?" Papyrus was beside us having gotten out of the way himself.

"We're okay." I sat up staring at the bones piercing the skull. After a moment it hazed away. Sans clung to me like I were his mother, protecting him from harm. "It's okay, Sans. It's gone."

"The great Papyrus took care of it! Nyeh heh heh heh!" That was when I saw the burning glow around his eye sockets. He didn't have any 'eyes' like Sans did instead it was just a glow that surrounded his sockets.

"You did that?"

He nodded triumphantly.

"It's a good thing we have you with us then." I offered a kind smile before turning my full attention back to Sans. "You okay?"

His small frame was shaking. The yellow glow of his eye remained but the blue had vanished. Glimmers of tears echoed from within his skull, building but not overflowing. His bones rattled with himself.

I rubbed a hand over his jacket, my flames weak enough not to burn him. "It's oaky. I can teach you how to control it. I promise."

The rest of that day we practiced. We took several breaks when the skele got tired so I let Papy run around and show me the few attacks he could do. Eventually it happened.

The skull appeared and...floated there. Sans was no longer terrified by it having summoned the thing so many times. When it did nothing but have a small glow in its eye, Sans glanced up at it. The skull looked back at him and made a...purr? Sans blinked and suddenly the skull was rubbing itself against him, purring and grumbling happily. "G-Grillby? What's happening?"

"I'm not sure. I think it likes you." I cautiously stepped over and the skull turned to me, purring still. "You're a good little skull aren't you?" I asked and the thing head butted me, purring and cooing. "It's like a dog."

Sans gave a weak smile. "It's kinda cute...almost."

"Well, at least we know it's not always a weapon. Looks like it almost has a mind of its own." I pat its soft surface. The creature was still purring, grumbling from within. It was a weirdly cute sound. I couldn't help the smile I had. "You want to name it?"

"Huh?"

"It's your weapon. You should name it."

Sans pondered. "I don't know. What do you call your attacks? Er... weapons?"

"I've got Fire Blitz, Inferno, a few others like that. It doesn't have to be bone related, you can name it whatever you want. Like Charley or something." The skull drifted away from me to float back over to its owner.

Sans stared at it kindly, reaching out to it. "Well, you're kind of like a gift I guess. Even though I stole you." His fingertips touched the smooth surface. "How about... Gaster Blaster?" At the mention of the name the creature grumbled and rubbed its muzzle against his face. "I think he likes it!"

I kept on smiling. "Cute name."

Papyrus finally spoke up after forever. "No fare! I want one!"

"Sorry Pap, you'll get your own weapon when you get older." I came over and knelt down beside him. "And it will be even better than the Gaster Blaster, I whispered making him squeal with excitement.

They played with the skull for a while before I decided I'd had enough cold and took them home. The blaster followed Sans all the way only to bump into the door frame. It was too big to get inside. The skull whimpered and whined until Sans pat it and it was satisfied and vanished.

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'controlled' but it's a good start." I knelt down to the short skele. "Try to control when it appears. You don't want your dad seeing it or else you'll have to explain a femur things." I winked and he laughed.

"Thanks Grillby." Sans had a tint of blue touch his cheekbones. "I...uh... Thanks for not telling my dad."

I pat his head. He was so shy about it, I couldn't help find him adorable. Like a little brother I never had. "Any time my boney bud." The front door opened and in came Gaster. Right on time. "Oh! Evening, sir!" I smiled at him.

He looked tired. Worn out. Something was off. I pushed it away as a bad day at work. "Sorry but could you leave." His voice was demanding but I felt he wasn't trying to be.

"Uh.. Yeah sure. Bye Sans, Papyrus." I rubbed the much shorter skele's head before leaving the house.

Gaster must just be tired, was all I could think as I started the short trek home. He hadn't been short with me when he asked me to leave yet at the same time I couldn't help feeling something had been off. Getting back home the bar was still open and dad was busy with a customer. Seeing me he stopped and waved me over. "Hey dad," I said warmly.

"I didn't see you head out this morning," he mentioned before saying to the monster across the counter, "This is my son, Grillby."

The other, a dog with lightly grayed over eyes, nodded. "I've heard good things from your father. You'll be taking over the bar?"

I shrugged. "So I've heard. Nothing much else to do down here." I smiled though. The bar was wonderful. It wasn't that I was unhappy about being in charge of the bar; I'd get to meet monsters all the time and keep myself busy. Though a part of me thought that I wouldn't be able to hang around my friends. They could just come visit me.

"You'll do a fine job." He offered his paw. "I'm Doggo. Just started my new sentry post outside of Snowdin."

I shook the paw. "New member of the royal guard?"

"Oh no, I use to work in the capital, but since my eyesight has started to go they thought I'd much more like the quiet country." He sipped on his coffee. "I've slowly been losing sight of still things, so waiting for a human to pass by is something much easier to do on a less busy street."

I nodded. So he could only see moving things. Strange condition but I could see with his eyes glazed over. "Well you're welcome in the bar anytime, sir."

He let out a hardy laugh. "Good! As long as you don't mind me smoking outside from time to time," he wiggles a dog treat between his toes, the end of it blackened from fire.

I had to snicker then. "I'm always smoking so I don't see a problem." The three of us shared a good laugh at that and I left my dad to work. He said it was slow enough he didn't need my help.

I made my way upstairs to my room. Cold yet warm. I laid down unable to sleep. My mind was on Sans and his weapon. Sure he was able to control it today but that didn't automatically mean it was a constant. Tomorrow it could go out of control again. I mean for Asgore's sake- he almost shot himself! His soul is already weak from changing colors.. there's no telling how much health he even had. Plus without being able to tell his father about it.. I didn't feel right keeping that big of a secret from the skeleton. I'd gotten Sans's trust and I didn't want to ruin that. Perhaps I could talk to my dad about it. He was a reasonable elemental. Maybe...