AN: Hey! Sorry it took SO SO SOOO Long to get this out to you! I could make a ton of excuses, but I'm not. THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HERE NOW! That's the important part, right!?

That being said, I cannot stress this enough! WE ARE IN SUPER SPOILER TERRITORY! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE CORE OF THE MATTER YET, DO IT NOW BEFORE EVEN LAYING EYES ON THE CONTENT BELOW THIS CHAPTER'S TITLE! YOU WILL BE 100% SPOILED!

Alrighty, you've been warned! And I'll try to get the next chapter edited and ready much sooner so I don't leave you hanging for so long between times. Enjoy for now, and I'll see you for the next installment!

Chapter 4

The Next Step

*Outside*

On the top of the hill, where the sun was making its final descent behind the horizon, four friends lay in a circle watching for what promised to be an exciting night. Just a few feet away, a telescope had been set up. It was the ideal place for watching the meteor shower.

Until it began, however, it left them with plenty of time to chat. With the beginning of summer on its way, the friends were looking forward to having some free time.

Only one, the owner of the telescope, seemed a bit reserved about his summer plans.

This did not go unnoticed by the others. One person, in particular made a motion to take the boy's hand when she noticed he was being unusually quiet.

"Hey, how about you, Simm?" She asked with a bit of a smile. Ava laced her fingers with the boy and turned her attention to look at him directly.

"Eh," The boy responded with a shrug, "Ya'know, the usual. Random summer jobs where I can find them. Maybe hit the beach . . . head out to Ebott to prep for next semester."

At first there was little response as the others tried to search for the joke in the boy's speech. One even made a "pfft" sound. "Ebott?" he scoffed, "Really? Good one."

The boy's grip tightened only slightly around the girl's hand, but it was enough to let her know that he wasn't joking. Not about this.

"Oh wow." She commented, trying to absorb the impact and the shock, "You're moving? And Ebott is so far away!" Her hand squeezed back, "Why?"

"Aw, c'mon, Ava," a shorter blonde girl named Ali chided, "This is Simm we're talking about! I mean, he's your boyfriend. Wouldn't you know that-"

"He's not joking."

A deafening silence took over for a few moments with all four friends staring upward. Simm could feel a heavy weight over him at the sheer emptiness. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid. Of course, he knew he'd have to tell them eventually, but he had to do something.

"Geez, guys." He scoffed, "I'm moving! I'm not dying or anything! And Ebott's not that far away! I can still come back and see you guys! Or, hey, you know, you can come and see me too and I'll show you around."

"So you finally did it . . ." Said the fourth friend, a dark-skinned boy named Ike as he rested his head on his hands. "Early graduation. Congrats, and all that. But dang, dude. Do you know how boring it's gonna be without you? Not only are you leaving us in that hell hole of a school, but you're ditching us for a whole new city!"

"Yeah . . . Except for the ditching part. There's a program at Ebott U that seemed right up my alley, so, just as a 'what-if' I decided to go for it. I guess I said the right things or something, 'cause I got in! I even got a letter from the Dean of the department and everything."

"And you'll be living on campus then? Or do you have a place lined up already?" Ava asked, the slightest bit of concern lacing her words. Though Simm never talked about it, he'd never really had the best living arrangement. She and the others didn't know the full extent, but she did suspect as much. He never talked about home or parents, he didn't seem to have a curfew or anyone he needed to check in with, and he never invited his friends over. She and the others respected his right to privacy and never pried answers out of him. Though, they did check in with him and make sure he was okay.

"I'll be fine, Sunshine." He answered with a bit of a smirk and a shrug, catching that concern easily enough. "It's a work-study program, so I'll have a steady job and I might do some tutoring for some extra cash. I'll be in the dorms and I'm applying for grants and scholarships left and right. Don't worry about me, 'kay?"

Ava hummed, blushing a bit at the nickname. Still, it was a relief to hear he was on a good path. Things were finally starting to look up for him. Finally, some good news. He deserved it.

"So, when's D-day?" Ali prodded already in contemplation mode, "When are you heading out? If you're going off to college, we need to have a proper send-off!"

Simm could already hear the gears turning in her head as she began to plan for his going away party. That girl always could find any little thing to celebrate if it meant she could plan a party for it!

"Probably about a month and a half. I wanna be in and settled before classes start up."

"So soon . . ." Ava sighed.

"Hey, but look at it this way." Ike pushed, "At least, now we know and we can prepare for the apocalypse! At least it's not like the day before or something."

"Psh, yeah, Kara!" Ali groaned, "Just straight up ditched us without saying anything!"

"Just don't turn into another one of her and you'll be fine!" Ike chided.

"Heh, yeah." Simm chuckled, "No problems there, bro!"

The friends continued to talk, planning for their summers and their futures until more stars started to peek through and something bright streaked across the darkened sky. It was followed shortly after by another streak and another.

"Guys!" Simm pointed, cutting himself off mid-sentence, "Guys, look! It's starting!"

All conversation died as they all looked skyward to witness as several little streaks flew across the sky in quick progression.

"Dang!" Ike sighed, "Look at that!"

Ali giggled as she shifted to be closer to Ike. "It's incredible!"

Simm was the only one not looking directly upward. He tore himself away from the meteor shower to turn his attention to the girl at his side. Her green eyes were fixed upward and her face wore a look of complete astonishment as the reflection of the shower shined in her glasses. Her mouth was turned upward at the corners and whether she realized it or not, her grip on Simm's hand had gotten so tight that Simm was starting to lose feeling in the tips of his fingers. His own smile spread as he watched her. More beautiful and more enchanting than the stars themselves.

He squeezed her hand back as he raised it to his lips, giving a quick kiss to her fingers.

"Make a wish, Sunshine." He hummed.

Shocked out of the spectacle, Ava broke away from watching the meteor shower to look toward Simm instead. His smile was absolutely contagious even as he turned back to watch the show.

As she watched him now, she did make her wish. She wished that no matter what happened in the future, after he moved to Ebott, after he started school and began the next chapter of his life, that Simm would be happy.

She wished for him to smile like that all the time.

The room was dark and quiet when she opened the door to peek inside. He was still sleeping then. Good.

She slipped inside, making sure the door closed nearly silently behind her. Just as silently, she changed into her nightgown, removing and hanging up the date-night outfit that didn't even get to see the outside of their home.

Next time.

When she was changed, it was like a heavy weight had fallen off of her shoulders and her back. Even with that weight gone, however, she still felt as if there was a grip on her chest. No matter what she did to try to distract herself, the night kept playing back in her mind on an endless loop and it ended with that sharp sound . . . that sound of her losing her grip on herself. That sound of impulse.

And the look on Corbel's face when he pulled away from her. He wasn't upset or angry or even sad. It was as if all life had been drained from him as he looked back at her. The fury from his speech had been pushed aside and in its place there was . . . well, there was nothing in its place. He'd gone completely blank.

She looked again at her hands as it all played another time.

What had she done? She clenched her hand into a fist. She didn't mean to strike him. He hadn't deserved that . . . and the fact that it even crossed his mind that he did deserve it weighed heavily on her as well.

He'd gone to his room after that, so quietly and she'd just sat there, like a statue, as he passed her. Why hadn't she followed him? Why hadn't she checked on him? Even before coming in here? She should have made sure he was okay.

What was happening? To her? To her son? To her family? It was all spiraling out of control . . .

"Wingdings . . . ?" She said quietly, her arms wrapping around her. She could feel herself falling apart at the seams and even though he was supposed to be resting . . . he was the only one she could turn to in a time like this.

"Wingdings?" She called again, a little more solidly than before, "Wingdings, honey?"

She approached the side of the bed and knelt down to his eye level. She stroked his skull and framed his face in her hand as she touched her head to his.

"I'm sorry . . . but I need you to wake up. Please."

She shook him gently and finally, he seemed to stir. His face contorted into a frown and he let out a breath as he opened his eyes to slits.

Seconds later, his eyes opened completely and he was startled awake. He pulled away to attempt to sit up, nearly tossing the covers away.

"Did I oversleep!? Am I late!?"

"Shhh. Honey!" Nyala answered with a bit of a sigh, his reaction only solidifying her resolve. "Calm down. It's still night."

"Then . . . then what's wrong?" He asked, trying to stifle a yawn, "What happened?"

Nyala remained quiet for a few moments, trying to find the best words. The only thing she knew for certain was that this couldn't wait another day. Something had to be done.

"Wingdings, honey . . ." She began, "We need to talk."

From that moment, something in the air changed. Gaster already knew the severity of those four words and knew nothing good could come after them. On top of that, he could feel the serious tone in his wife's voice and the slight tremble she was trying to conceal. She'd been crying recently. Something was . . . incredibly wrong.

"What happened?" He repeated, shifting in his spot on the bed to make room, "Come up here with me."

Nyala accepted the invitation, climbing into bed and into her husband's embrace. He wrapped an arm around her as she rested on his chest. Even as she settled in, he could feel that she was still struggling with how to say what she needed to.

"Just start from the beginning." Gaster's sigh answered for her as he lightly stroked her humerus with the tips of his fingers. It was a comforting gesture he hoped would calm her nerves. "Does this have to do with our date night . . . ? If so, you know that I am terribly sorry that-"

"That's not it." Nyala jumped in, but the moment she said it, she could feel the pull of a lie tugging at her soul. "Or, rather, that's not all of it . . ."

She explained the evening, everything that kept repeating in her head and everything that had been gripping onto her all evening. And once she started, she found it easier to keep going. She explained about Corbel and everything he said. She explained how there had been tears in Corbel's eyes when he came back from the dance and how those same tears had threatened to show through again during his rant. They weren't tears of sadness, but of rage.

"He was so . . . angry." She explained, her own emotion coming up to bite at her voice, cutting her off in some places, ". . . so . . . so upset, and in so much pain that it hurt. It hurt so much to see him like that, to hear him go after you so harshly . . . and after me. But instead of helping him . . . instead of calming him and talking him through . . . I . . . I hit him. I struck him hard across the face . . . "

Gaster's soft strokes paused for a moment and his grip around her tightened. He had heard her correctly, hadn't he?

Nyala's shoulders shook as she tried to keep her composure.

"I-I didn't mean to." She confessed. "I acted before I could stop myself. But what bothers me is that it was my first reaction to physically retaliate against my own son. I shouldn't have done that and I know I can't take it back now, but . . . after that . . . He just . . . Shut down. Everything stopped. W-when I tried to apologize, he wouldn't accept it; he told me he deserved it. Then, he just walked away and went to bed."

A long silence passed between the two of them as they each tried to figure out how to proceed.

"What's happening, Wingdings?" Nyala pleaded, "What's happening to this family? I don't want us to fall apart. I love you and Corbel too much to let that happen . . . But what can I do? How can I fix this?"

"Nyala . . ." Gaster frowned, resuming the slow strokes to her arm, "First things first: you need to calm down. It's late and you're tired and upset. I know part of that is my fault and I'm truly sorry for that. Second: know that this isn't something you can fix. This isn't something that any one person can fix. Things have been . . . turbulent for a while now. We have a teenager now, after all. Turbulence is to be expected. I should have seen something like this coming . . . I did see something like this coming, and yet, I did nothing to prevent it."

"Honey, no." Nyala said in a near snap. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this!"

"Whether or not I am to blame is irrelevant. The issue here is that Corbel pits the blame on me. He sees me as directly responsible for your unhappiness. It seems as if he feels he has to protect you and your well-being from anyone who threatens it . . . Including me . . . No, e-especially me."

Nyala silenced, thinking it over. Why would their son put something like that on himself? Why would he think himself responsible for keeping her happy? He was just a child. Her child!

But the more she thought about it, the more Gaster's words made sense. Especially with how passionate he'd been tonight and even why he would think he "deserved" to be physically punished. If he'd elected himself as the guardian of her well-being, and he failed her and himself . . . If she saw a reason for the punishment . . . Then . . . It would make some sort of sense for him to think so too . . . Wouldn't it . . .?

But still . . . That wasn't the way things were supposed to be! He was only fifteen, he had other things to worry about other than whether or not she was happy.

"Something's got to change." She nearly whispered, the fatigue finally setting in hardcore. She had been slowly drifting from the moment she climbed into bed with Gaster. Her husband's embrace and slow arm strokes did their jobs well and she let herself be soothed by the closeness and the calm aura that seemed to radiate from him.

"I couldn't agree more." He sighed in response, "And . . . I believe I may even have a temporary solution, but for right now, for this moment, you need your rest, love. Stay here with me. And in the morning, we'll face this together. The three of us."

Nyala nodded, but didn't answer out loud. She was suddenly too tired to respond. As she rested against Gaster's chest, she finally relaxed enough to fall soundly asleep. It was with a little help from Gaster that she was able to finally find that peace. That calming aura had been his magic lulling her, relaxing her after being so tightly wound and upset. She needed it and it was the least he could do for her after the night she'd had.

He continued to stroke her arm as she slept, making sure he soaked in the feeling of having her close. She was absolutely right. Their family was spiraling, quickly falling out of control and if something didn't change soon, it was quite possible that they would be driven apart. The thought both scared and humbled him.

Not only that, but Corbel was onto something as well. A lot of their current problems stemmed from Gaster himself. He thought he was providing for his family. Having a steady job as the Royal Scientist paid extremely well. Well enough that he could provide financially with no difficulty. Even Nyala didn't have to work at the school. She was a teacher because she wanted to be, not because they needed the extra income. She loved her students and it kept her occupied . . .

. . . but was it enough to keep her happy?

Again, he stopped stroking her arm for a second and his grip tightened momentarily before he continued. His wife, his love, the light of his life and the mother of his son . . . she was suffering. She was battling loneliness and it was his fault.

He didn't sleep again for the rest of the night, but held Nyala close, unwilling to let her go.

The next morning came and there was a knock on the door.

Corbel stirred with a groan. He hadn't slept the night before either. He just couldn't find the calm after the conversation he had with his mom the night before. More than once, his fingers found the stinging spot on his cheek. It didn't really hurt much, but it was still a little sensitive.

Maybe he had gone a little overboard. Maybe he was out of line . . . especially after he said he wouldn't go into that mindframe again that night. He was supposed to have gotten all of that out back at Undyne's place . . . and if he was going to fight with anyone . . . it shouldn't have been his mother.

She just reminded him of that. That's all.

There was another knock and a voice that followed it. "Corbel?" His mother called timidly, "Baby, are you awake?"

Corbel let out a long breath. "Yeah." he answered.

The door creaked open and Nyala pushed her way into the threshold. After a moment of study and of calming herself, she spoke again.

"You didn't sleep well?" she deduced.

"No." He answered tersely.

With the door open, Corbel noticed something else- a smell that came through the hallway. Instinctively, he frowned.

"Is that . . . coffee?"

He knew for a fact that his mother prefered tea and would make it in the mornings for her pick-me-up instead of the bolder and more pungent scent. That smell could only mean one thing.

"He's still here?"

"You mean your father? Yes, he's here."

"What a shocker." Corbel droned as he pushed himself to the side of his bed and sat on the edge, "I thought for sure he would've been at work at least 4 hours ago."

"Corbel, please. He took the day off for this."

Corbel hummed a short note, his brows actually raising for a moment. "He can actually do that? Just randomly decide to stay home on a whim . . . and if he can, how come he hasn't done it before?"

"Your father-"

"Is a very important monster with a very important and demanding job. Yes, I know."

"But not more important to him than you are. He stayed home today because you are upset. Because you wanted to talk. So, that's what we're going to do. We're calling a family meeting."

"Oh joy." Corbel groaned as he stood completely. He wore his plaid pajama pants and a plain white T-shirt. Luckily enough, his pants had pockets for him to shove his hands in. He really didn't want to grab his cuffs or his prosthetics. And besides, they were still charging.

So, with his hands in his pockets, he followed his mother into the living room and with every step he took, he could feel a pounding in his chest that progressively got more and more intense. The coffee scent got stronger as well.

This was actually happening then . . .

He took the time to mentally prepare himself for what could happen. And right away, he made a promise to himself not to let things get out of hand like he did last night. He needed to remain calm, otherwise he had no idea what it could turn into.

As soon as he'd made that promise to himself, his resolve was tested as he stepped into the living room with his mother to find Gaster sitting already in the couch lining the innermost wall, a fresh cup of coffee in his hands as he waited patiently for the others.

What was left of his hand instinctively twitched in his pocket and he had to take a long and steady breath in order to keep his cool. Maybe Undyne was right. He was bitter, but he had no idea how bitter until he saw the guy just sitting there with his leg crossed, lounging on the couch like nothing was wrong. Did he even understand what this whole thing was about!?

This time, it was Metta's words that replayed in his head and even his own words from the night before.

'He won't know unless I tell him.'

His mother took a seat on the couch right next to the doctor so they were both sitting to face him. She picked up her already-prepared tea and took a long sip from the mug. In turn, Corbel plopped into the love seat across from them. It was the seat he and his mother sat in last night when they had their talk. Now, he sat alone on the seat while his parents seemed to team up against him. He felt like he was on trial or something . . .

. . . Or maybe it was therapy . . .

Corbel eyed the glass of orange juice on the table. Nice of them to think about including him in the morning drink idea . . . A part of him wanted to take the cup. Maybe the sugar would wake him up enough to do this.

But the larger part of him just let the cup sit as he glared down his nose at it.

"Good morning, Son." Gaster greeted, uncrossing his legs and setting his mug on the table in front of him. "Mom says there's something you wish to discuss with me?"

"Yeah." Corbel groaned as he crossed his ankle over his knee and leaned back into the seat "Let's just get this over with."