SORRY! I didn't mean to leave this story on such a bad spot!

I love coming back and rereading this story -^^- Figured I could set TikTok to the side to work on it again!

I do still want to finish this one but I've got no ideas on an 'ending'... I mean I don't want to end it with Gaster disappearing from existence or anything. I just don't know a good stopping point.

Any ideas are welcome! Even if we go onto another path of altering the future to keep Gaster around- I'm game :D

It wasn't ten minutes before my father showed up at the door. His blue flames cracked in urgency as he apologized for the wait. "Had to close down the bar first."

Gaster waved his words away. "Understandable. Thank you for looking after Papyrus." The taller skeleton was gathering things in his bag, going through papers and tossing aside what seemed to be useless before gathering those back up and making them into a neat pile on the dinner table.

"You said Sans was sick?" Flinter had placed his coat and hat on the stand beside the door.

"A fever and he seems lethargic. Almost couldn't get him out of bed this morning." Gaster finished sorting through things and finally closed his bag. The extra papers on the table he moved to the small bookshelf beside the coat rack, placing Rocky on top of them. "Stay," he said to the 'pet'. He stopped, shook his head, and turned his attention back to us. "Seems it could be something more severe," his eyes darted my way making me stiffen up, "but we'll just have to see."

I let out an inaudible sigh when he turned his attention away from me. "Can I go check on him? While you're still getting ready?"

At first he looked resilient, but something had him stop. "See if you can get him up. I'd like to tell Flinter about Papyrus's schedule."

Without letting him change his mind I rushed up the stairs to their shared room. I gently knocked as I opened the door. It was already well lit for the day, the window open letting the natural light of the Underground in.

A small form slammed into my knees as Papyrus attacked me with an embrace. "Fireman!" He hadn't called me that in a while. "You're here to help out? I'm making Sans all better!" And he left my side to go back to his brother's side of the room.

I stepped fully in and shut the door. It looked like Pap had been hard at work since that morning. All of the socks and toys and opened books were all cleaned up. There was an actual floor now. The only thing that remained on Sans's side of the room was a small self-propelled tornado of shirts, socks, and a single paper ball. It all stayed in that tiny corner of the room tho so- "You didn't clean the clothes-nado?"

Papyrus glanced at the messy twister. He blew a raspberry. "It never makes a mess. It's like a hamper." Turning away from it he mumbled, "a real hamper would be much better."

I finally followed his lead to Sans's bedside. The sheets were up to his chin and he was neatly tucked in. A small way-too-wet towel lay on his forehead. Sans was so far off into dreamland he didn't seem bothered. His face was flushed a dim blue and sockets shut. I pulled the towel off his forehead much to Papyrus's dismay, wrung it out, and placed it back.

Just that small action had the kid flinch and one eye opened. I held my breath when he focused on my face. "Hey, sleepy bones," I whispered with a smile.

The quietest of 'hey's was the only answer I got.

"How're you feeling?" I sat down on the bed. The more I talked to him the more he would maybe wake up.

He shifted under the tightly tucked sheets, then let out a loud huff. "Tired…"

"Well listen, I got some bad news." I took the towel off his forehead again. "You're sick."

The smaller skeleton jumped up. "And Doctor Papyrus is here to help!" He took the offered towel and rushed out of the bedroom leaving the door open.

"Doctor…?" Sans's expression was hard to read. He was obviously out of it. Could be he was just exhausted from his magic use the other day. Then his eyes focused on me again. "Are… Yer…" He finally managed to pull a hand out from under the sheets and rub his eyes and forehead. "Yer here tuh…" The words kept failing him.

I helped untuck him and the skeleton motioned for help pulling the sheets off. "I'm here to help you," I finished for him. I helped him sit up on the side of the bed. When he moved to stand, I easily held him in place. "Just wait a sec."

He held his head in his hands, leaning forward heavily like if I let go he'd just fall on the floor. The blue tint in his face was also present on his neck and parts of his arms. So this is what a fever in skeletons looks like? He'd just been overheating under the sheets.

"Your dad is downstairs. He wants to take you to a doctor."

That alone woke him up. "What…?" He sat up more, looking up at me a moment before having to look back down when the strain was too much.

I scratched my head as I said, "He wants to talk to me about it."

Again he looked up at me, too fast and about fell straight back onto the bed. "What? You- You didn't say…"

I just smiled at him. "I haven't. Yet." There was a faint spark of blue in his eyes, very faint. "Remember the talk you had with my dad? About your condition?" He nodded. "Okay. This is going to be that moment where I'll have to tell him."

An involuntary flash of blue erupted in his eye but there was no energy left in him for it to do anything so it flickered out. "But… You said…"

"That what I do is for your protection." I placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer. "You're my friend. You're like a little brother to me, Sans." Then I shuddered. "I just hope your dad will forgive me for keeping it a secret. See? I'm in just as much trouble if I tell him. You think I want to?"

Sans shook his head.

"Your dad's a good monster. Scary, but dads are just that way when their kids are in danger." I gave him another squeeze and backed off. "You think you can stand up?"

"Maybe…" He didn't move to try.

"Want me to carry you?"

Quiet. Then he nodded.

I scooped the smaller one up. "Where's your jacket?"

"In the twister."

And just as I glanced over I saw a blue jacket whisk by and disappear into the tornado. It just disappeared… Was that thing like a pocket dimension? Weirdly enough as I stepped over and went to reach in, the jacket I'd seen popped back into existence for me to grab. Okay. The tornado thing was cool.

I easily got Sans bundle up without having to put him down and carried him downstairs. Gaster and Flinter didn't notice me until Papyrus jumped up off the couch yelling, "My patient! Where are you taking him! He must rest! Doctor Papyrus's orders!"

"You never came back with that wet towel, Doc," I stopped by the couch, wanting to sit down but saw Gaster grab his bag off the table. "Sorry Dr. Papyrus, but we're gonna need a second opinion."

Papyrus had gone running for the stairs. "I wanna help!"

"No can do, Papyrus." Gaster was buttoning up his coat one handed, the slightest tinge of purple magic lighting his buttons as he went. "You're going to be helping Flinter today."

"Oh?" He hurried back down the stairs. "With what?" he asked his father rather than the blue elemental.

Gaster scratched at his chin, looking to his old college for help.

"W-Why with the bar, of course!" Flinter easily scooped Papyrus up and threw him on his shoulders. "You can help me keep guests company. Sound fun?"

The smaller skele squealed with excitement.

With him happy, Gaster and I could easily slip out the front door. We started on the long walk toward Waterfall. The tension was almost visible in the air. It was hard to try making small talk as they passed through town. The buildings were behind them now and it was the much more familiar area right where snow stopped falling between Snowdin and Waterfall.

"Well?" Gaster's gruff voice cut into the silence. He pulled the hood of his jacket back and purple magic lit up the buttons again opening the jacket as they passed over into Waterfall. "You know exactly what is wrong with my son, correct?" His eyes turned to me and I felt my entire body seize. That magic I'd seen was purple, but the eyes looking at me now were solid yellow and blue.