Hey Everyone!

Interference in bold, puns and memories in italics, magic is underlined.

-text- indicates either texts, or mental "talking".

All Undertale stuff owned by Toby Fox, else me or a reference.

I'm back! Yays! I'm going to try for at least one new chapter every two weeks, although it may be more or less, and randomly spaced. Order and I have an interesting and complex relationship.

You catch a glimpse of the plaque. Not enough to make out the artist, but enough for the picture's name. It's called, "Our Hopes are Shattering Apart".

Toriel

Alphys and I lean into the living room of the skeleton brothers' house, our eyes equally anxious as we peer in at the mountain of blankets and pillows on the couch. The muffled rattling within which alerted us is slowing now. Sans is still buried deep under the protective mound of soft fluff. Whatever dream or pain it was that startled him, it was not enough to cause him to fully wake up. I am not certain whether that is an encouraging sign or a concerning one.

"He's st-t-till not waking up, is he?"

I let out a distressed huff, "No, Doctor Alphys, he is not. I am not sure what to think of that. Yesterday Papyrus was fretting that his brother had not slept for more than half an hour at a time all day, and now…"

The silence stretches, long and thin, between us. I catch sight of Alphys scratching nervously at the inside of her wrist. I push the thought that I might be being a tad too rude to the scientist aside. It is far too late to reconsider my actions when we first arrived on the surface. Other than rescinding my angry and somewhat misjudged words at the time, I do not think there is anything I can do to allow my relationship with Doctor Alphys to improve.

"Um...T-t-toriel?"

My eyes focus back on Alphys, who fliches. I fight down the urge to soothe her - the few times I have tried in the past have not turned out as I had wished.

Alphys, still nervously, continues, "Do you, um...well, I n-n-noticed that, um...do you think that, um, he's, um...there's...um…"

Her shaking is beginning to worry me. Do I really look that intimidating? Or is it that she truly has come to expect nothing but angry words from me? I need to do something about this!

"Alphys, please tell me what you are thinking. I would not have accepted our help if I did not value your expertise. Please, do not remain silent for fear of me."

She refuses to meet my eyes, "Well, um, it, um, sees weird? How much sleep he's gotten, and...and it isn't, um...it isn't really doing much. You t-t-told me this morning that his arm isn't-t-t setting. None of his injuries are, um...improving at all? And he still d-d-doesn't, um...hasn't...um, his reserves. They're...not there? Not even a litt-t-tle, and...yeah."

My brow furrows, and she pulls back. I gesture reassuringly, "No, no, Alphys. You are most certainly right. Even short naps such as he was taking previously should have marginally built up his reserves. This sleep troubles me. It is almost as though his body is shutting down."

Alphys' eyes grow wide, alarmingly so, and I hastily add, "It is not like he is Falling Down, although the effect may appear somewhat similar. It is a state wherein all unnecessary functions, such as thinking and healing, are shut down by the SOUL because it has too smallen an amount of magic available to it for the monster in question to do anything other than simply survive. Without external help, the monster will die. This state is so rarely seen that it is no wonder you have not heard of it. Even in my younger days it was quite rare."

My voice breaks as I continue, "But this...he should not be like this! His injuries are not enough to cause him to go into this state. In any case, both Papyrus and I have been healing him. Even my son has contributed. By all the stars, he should not be like this; where is it all going? It is...he...I…"

What have I been doing wrong? I could have missed a leak, could I not? They can be quite small...if it were dumping fast enough, then perhaps…

But would Papyrus miss such a thing? If there was ever a more careful monster, I cannot bring them to mind. He has greater control over his magic than I would have believed possible. I do not think he would miss such a thing, especially as this matter concerned his brother. They're relationship was absolutely adorable, so loving and understanding. No, she did not think he would miss something like that.

I watch as Alphys opens her mouth, no doubt to correct- no. I need to move past this style of thinking. As much as her actions as Royal Scientist disappoint me, she has never intended to cause harm, nor does she have the confidence to assert herself. If anything, she must be trying to find the words to comfort me, or to find some reason, some solution to this mess. She is not an unkind monster, only one whose mistakes far outgrew her ability to cope, and she is far from the only monster I know to have suffered that. My own mistakes...

Before the doctor can summon the words, however, vibrations in my pocket alert me to an incoming text message. From the way she jumps and scrambles at her pocket, her phone is going off as well. I sigh. I love my children and all our friends, but sometimes the sheer magnitude of trouble and misadventure they manage to get themselves into is simply staggering. One would think that they could manage one day alone in the house. One would be mistaken.

My phone informs me that it is Frisk who is contacting me, not unusually. I open up the message. The first line is simple enough.

-Help the boys are panicking.-

The following picture makes me snort. Frisk truly has a way of capturing the perfect moment for such things. In it, Mettaton is posing on the hood of his limo in front of Silver, whose expression is very typical of her moments of complete and utter incomprehension and panic. Slightly closer to the camera and farther to the left is Papyrus, wringing his gloved hands and staring down at Asriel, who has his father under the glow of a healing spell.

It does not surprise me that Asgore fainted, not with Chara in the foreground, and is that...it is, is it not? Ama, no, Justice, that is what she wished to be called. As much as I dislike violence, I am certain that the punch is not without provocation. Chara is perhaps too eager to put up a fight.

I sigh, "Oh dear. Things really have fallen to pieces without us, have they not?"

Alphys gives me a look I know well. I have no doubt her text is a similar appeal for help. I smile compensatorily at her, for once not having to purposefully not show fang at the woman. As much as her mistakes disgust me, she is still one of the most perseverant monsters I know, and quite capable as a doctor, if not as much of a healer as myself or my son. That her girlfriend calls to her as my child does to me only confirms this.

She smiles hesitantly back, "W-w-we should probably go...but, um...there's still Sans."

She looks torn, and I feel the same. To leave him here would either mean he would have no one to watch him in case of a problem, or that one of us must stay, and with the sheer chaos in that photo it will take all able bodied hands available to bring peace back to my house. To bring him along, on the other hand, would keep him under our eyes, but there are so many people there, so much noise. I do not think he would be able to sleep...although perhaps I am underestimating Sans' abilities as a snoozer.

"We bring him," I nod firmly, "Newer Home is almost to the point of a military camp. We will without doubt be setting up an infirmary. He may as well sleep there, and seeing him may bring some level of comfort to his brother. At the very least it will reduce the number of places we are needed, and it is not as though this is the first time that the skeleton...that my godchildren have spent the night."

She nods, quickly, drops of sweat flying around the room. I smile at her, then move swiftly back over to the couch, scooping Sans and his nest up into my arms. It is still disconcerting how light he is. My body knows he should not be like this, and yet he is. Then again, I suppose there are many things about this situation that are disconcerting.

The two of us and the sleeping bundle head out of the skeleton home, ready to deal with whatever mess my children have managed to cause now.