Flashback

Gaster was resting on the couch when it happened. The alarm in his watch started vibrating widely and making frantic beeps. He nearly rolled off the couch in surprise. Bring the watch closer to his face, his eyes widened and he nearly ran through the door trying to leave.

"No, no, no, no!" he muttered to himself. "Did they get out? Or did… oh stars, did someone get in? I have to get to Alphys!" Gaster jumped down every other stair to try and get outside, his healing leg demanding he slowed down but he could deal with the after effects later. Forcing the doors to the apartment building open, Gaster began to run/walk fast with a limp down the several blocks to Alphys' house. It was a cozy two story building near the older part of the city, closer to the mayor's office. A cab pulled up next to him when a light cut him off.

"Hey bud! You in a rush?" The cabbie asked. It was a yellow monster with a black checkered pattern over his arms.

"Yes, very much so. But I don't want to bother you, it's only a few more blocks." Gaster stared intensely at the light, forcing it to change.

"I can get you there faster. No charge for mob bosses."

Gaster cringed a bit from the title, but did give in and got in the cab. "I'll tell you when to stop."

The cabbie smiled up at him through the rearview mirror, "Hope you're fast." The light turned and the car flew down the road.

Gaster stepped out of the cab feeling woozy. He looked up to see Alphys' home. "Thank you good sir," he said not looking back at the monster.

"No problem, have a nice day." He drove off.

Gaster tried to shake away the dizziness while he walked up and knocked on Alphys' door.

"Who's there!" A high-pitched voice called from within.

"It's Gaster! Please open the door, it's an emergency!" He leaned against the door frame for a moment before it was swung inward. He stepped on his bad leg to keep from falling. He let out a grunt of pain.

"Oh my stars! Gaster, why are you here? You're hurt! Come in!" Alphys gestured for him to enter. "I'll get some pain medication."

"It's quite alright, dear. No need to worry, I've had worse. But I'm here because the lab was opened."

Alphys stopped her trek to the medication. Gaster managed to close the door before she freaked out. "What! Oh no, did they get out? Or did someone get in? Oh stars!" Gaster almost smiled at the young doctor's antics, then he remembered he reacted the same way. "We have to go now! Wait can you go?"

"Yes, I just need to rest for a bit. You go ahead, I'll follow in a few minutes. You didn't change the password right?"

"Of course I didn't. Ok, I hope nothing bad happened." Alphys ran down the hall and stopped at a regular looking wood door. When she unlocked and opened it, it revealed a sleek metal door with a keypad in the center of it. Quickly putting in a pass-code the door slid open and Alphys went inside. Pressing the basement button, she waited.

The door slid open and Alphys immediately dashed again. Using a scanner from she had grabbed from the elevator, she tracked down any souls in the lab. There was one, in the Amalgamate's resting room! "Oh no! Don't worry *huff* whoever you are *huff* I'll be there soon!" She heard the elevator ding again and hoped Gaster found another scanner or he could hear her heavy footsteps. She quickly came to a door and swung it open to find the Amalgamates gathered around something, or someone. "Gah! Back up, back up! I have chips!" She grabbed a bag of chips from her lab coat and threw it across the room. All the Amalgamations went after it, except for Endogeny. They were standing next to a young robot. "Tok?!" Alphys screamed before she dropped to her knees, almost out of breath.

"Alphys? What are you doing here, and how did you know I was here?" Tok was previously petting the Endogeny, but now she rushed over to her friend and helped her stand.

"I *huff* kinda *huff* work here." Alphys leaned into Tok, she easily held both their weight.

"Alphys! Is anyone dead?" Gaster burst through the door, looking around frantically. His eyes landed on Tok holding up Alphys. "Aren't you a dancer at Muffet's?"

Tok nodded. Alphys stood back up and faced Gaster, "This is Tok, yes she is dancer."

"Ah okay. Why is she here?"

"I honestly don't know how I got here," Tok said, slowly letting Alphys go. "I got knocked out in an alley by some buzzing noise that I guess short circuited me for a while. When I woke up, I was here. Not in this room, but in this… place."

"It's my old lab. Alphys' now." Gaster said approaching the robot. He examined her carefully. "Did Alphys make you?"

The question caught Tok off guard, but she still answered, "No, she didn't. She fixed me. Topic change: What are these things and why are they down here."

That question seemed to make something click in Gaster's head, "Shit! I almost forgot. Grillby called me a few minutes ago."

"Grillby? Oh right, you're their mechanic aren't you?"

"Yes I am, but that's not important. Grillby called off the cease-fire."

"What?!" Tok and Alphys yelled, making the Amalgamates look over at them with worry. "What do you mean he called it off?" Tok questioned while advancing on Gaster. "What did he do?"

"I don't know for sure. But apparently, Muffet shot at Undyne and Papyrus."

"Whose Undyne?" Alphys asked. She was still leaning against the wall, still breathing heavily.

"Oh, she's pretty new I guess. You wouldn't have met her any time, keeps to herself mostly. Plenty feisty though."

"Is Papyrus that skeleton that flirted with Mettaton?" Tok asked.

"I don't know? He's the tall one."

"Yep he flirted."

"Not important!" Gaster yelled suddenly. "We have to get you back up there before the fighting starts!"

"What about these guys though?" Tok gestured at the Amalgamations. "Why are they down here, and what are they?"

"No use trying to hide it now I guess. Alphys you want to explain? She might take it better from a friend."

"Yes Gaster, I'll explain."

Alphys quickly explained everything about the Amalgamations; from the experimenting to when everything went wrong.

"Why would you so something like that?" Tok asked. During the explanation, the Amalgamates had returned from their snack and the Endogeny nudged Tok. "Oh my stars… you were someone's family." Tok felt her eye start to water. She quickly wiped away.

"It started as an order from Asgore himself," Gaster explained. On Amalgamate, one who Tok now knew was Snowdrake's mother, went up to Gaster. "Hello miss, how are you doing?"

"When can I see my son again?" She garbled out.

That seemed to make all the other Amalgamates antsy and they started asking Gaster more questions. "Everyone please, be quiet." Gaster covered his non-existent ears.

A low tune filled the room. The sound of a piano. Everyone turned to Tok, who was the one emitting the sound. A panel in her chest had opened to reveal a music box.

"What is that?" Gaster asked stepping closer to study it.

"She had it before she met me," Alphys explained, "but I don't know the tune."

"Now that everyone is calm again, continue your explanation. Why did the mayor want you to do this?"

Gaster sighed, "He wanted to try and stop monsters from dying using human Determination. We were dying left and right from human drive-bys back then, so who could blame him. But we couldn't get any Human Determination, so I made some. Then Grillby found me, I joined his mob, had two boys, notwithhimmindyou, and Alphys took over my job."

"After I became the one to make the Determination, I thought I had gotten it right. Asgore found some families whose members had fallen down. I tried the Determination on them and well…you can see what happened."

Tok gazed at the Endogeny, he looked back at her. "We're taking them up there."

"What!?" Gaster and Alphys yelled.

"No, don't argue. These were once monsters, they still are. They shouldn't be kept from their families. And we don't have much time to argue either, with the whole cease-fire thing." Gaster and Alphys looked at each other, then nodded. "Alright then, let's go."

(A/N So this was a shorter one, huh? Well it wasn't meant to be too long. Also I know I'm kinda messing with the lore a bit here, but I'm writing it as it fits with the AU, so don't hate me too much. Thanks for keeping up with the story, and don't worry, loose ends shall be tied up soon. Luv ya'll!)