AN: Hello-hello, ladies and gentlemen and monsters of all ages! Welcome back to another chapter! It's been a fantastic journey so far and we're not done yet! As always, thank you for coming back time and again! Thank you for reading, following, reviewing and returning!

A few updates: I'm happy to say that Surpassing Origins is selling fairly well so thank you to those of you who have gone to see what it's all about! The title is available on Amazon for 13.99. If you would like to know more about the story, feel free to comment or PM me! I'm always here to answer questions! BTW, You WILL get sick of me promoting this! But hey, that's my job!

Also, I have decided to start doing illustrations for this fic! You can find them on my Deviantart page at the- black- moomba. Right now, there are two images for this story as well as several characters and illustrations from Surpassing Origins! (*hint-hint. Wink-wink*) and some fan art I did a while ago for Kingdom Hearts! I will continue to update you when there is new material. Feel free to go check it out whenever you like!

All of that being said, this chapter is relatively short in comparison to the others. My hope is that it will lead into the next section. So this could technically be considered "filler" but I do NOT recommend skipping it! Alright! Enough of all that! You guys enjoy and I'll see you next chapter!

Chapter 10

Moving On

Sans and Papyrus spent hours just trying to figure out where to begin cleaning. In the meantime, while brainstorming the options, Sans used the time to call the other assistants and let them know that there would be no work for them in the morning. Most of them seemed a bit out of it, and at 4am, Sans figured that it was to be expected, but he needed to get the word out before people started showing up. He didn't explain much of why the lab would be closed. He just informed them that there was an accident and Gaster told everyone to stay away from the lab until he said otherwise.

He toyed with the idea of leaving Gaines out of the communication just to see the look on his face when he realized that he'd gotten up, gotten dressed and had come to work just to be turned away. Sans would've gotten a laugh out of it . . . but still. He didn't want to stir up those toxic feelings with his colleague again. May as well call him too.

The cleaning was slow-going. Once they started to move things around, they noticed just how much of the blue goo was all over the place . . . still glowing . . . still hot to the touch. They collected the little marble-like tablets and set them in a dish, wishing they knew a bit more about what exactly they were supposed to do with it.

In the end, they decided to just pitch everything in the room and start from scratch. The equipment would need to be replaced and the whole room scoured from top to bottom. May as well start with an empty room. So, while Papyrus was occupied with moving the debris from the explosion, Sans was busy cleaning what he could of the goo. He was sure Gaster would want to salvage as much of it as possible . . . and with a lot of hesitation and a lot of internal debate over whether or not the idea was really a good one, Sans started filling test tubes and vials with the stuff and setting them aside. Even as he did it, there was a stern frown in place just behind the smile. There was nothing about the doctor's dealings with the human Soul that he liked and even as he tried to see the bright side to it all, that the doctor would be using this and the information he's gathered in order to free all monsters . . . the fact that he was putting it before his own health, the fact that the soul he was using once belonged to a little girl, the fact that it was literally and figuratively eating away at Gaster . . . none of it felt right to Sans.

If the doctor kept on the way he was, these experiments could kill him . . . it had nearly claimed his life already. He needed help.

But even so, given the nature of this project . . . Sans doubted that he would be able to bring himself to be that help . . .

Best to leave the big decisions for later. He had to focus on clearing the room. He was able to find the soul a new container and he stored it and the goo away . . . for future use. The sooner it was out of sight, the better Sans would feel about it.

Even days later, after the room had been cleared, Sans and Papyrus struggled to clean it. It was like no matter what they did, what happened in that room couldn't be washed away, so the final step was to repaint it before it could be refurbished, restocked, and operational again.

After so many long days, both Sans and Papyrus were showing signs of fatigue- Sans especially. He still hadn't been able to catch up on his sleep and it was starting to show in his posture and in his speech and in his movements. But still, he worked to get the lab in working order once again so they could continue on the projects without falling too far behind schedule.

And when he wasn't working on that, he was busy taking care of Papyrus. After all, it was his full-time responsibility to make sure he was happy and occupied. And if he wasn't with Papyrus, Sans was visiting Gaster . . . who was slow to recover after the explosion.

For a few days, the doctor had been wearing bandages around his head, covering his eye and making sure his skull stayed intact. Part of him, admittedly, was terrified that the split in his skull would lengthen and, like Sans had said, he would lose half of his face, but after a few days and some very controlled mild experimentation, Gaster was reasonably confident that his worry was for nothing. And that wasn't even the best news. After some rest and some work into the issue, Gaster had regained at least partial sight in his eye! Granted, it wasn't at 100%, and he doubted it ever would be again, but he could make out fuzzy colors and blurry shapes using that eye and if he strained it a bit, he could even make out a few vague details.

"That's great news, doc." Sans acknowledged through a sleepy grin, "It's definitely an improvement from last week!"

"Indeed it is," Gaster responded. The doctor was sitting at his desk, going through some of the paperwork Sans had been working on, reviewing the contents extracting the pertinent information and setting aside to use in his report for the king.

It was nice for Sans to see him up and working again. It meant that he was still driven and dedicated to his job, despite his injury. Even through his drive, Sans noticed, however, that the doctor would have to take more and more breaks; the pages upon pages of paperwork gave him more frequent headaches now that he was unable to focus the same way. It took him longer to read through the pages and in some instances, he had to squint to read the writing clearly. In a low mumble, Gaster had even mentioned investing in glasses. Sans chuckled a little at the idea, finding it difficult to imagine, but when Gaster shot a look toward him, Sans had quickly stifled his laughter, keeping it limited to a slight bounce in his shoulders.

As Gaster worked, Sans continued to keep company, taking to lying down on the couch and skimming through one of the books Gaster had lying on the coffee table.

He actually had a little time to kill. Earlier that day, Sans had sent Papyrus out to get a start on his map while he took care of some stuff in the lab. He started repainting the examination room and Gaster had even been out to see it. At first, he seemed a little too quiet as he looked it over and for a moment, Sans was worried about what he would say about it. But after a moment or two of staring intently into the room, his eye analyzing every corner, he had finally given an approving nod and Sans was able to relax a little more.

"Really, it's a good thing we did Spring Cleaning so recently." Gaster had mused on their way back, "We have that room's inventory catalogued so we already know what needs to be replaced. Good work, Sans."

"Heh, thanks, Doc." Sans shrugged with his hands in his pockets, "But I'd be lying if I took all the credit. Papyrus did a lot of the heavy lifting. And we took the debris to be destroyed together."

"I see," Gaster hummed, "Well, good work all the same."

That had been maybe four hours ago, and now, Gaster was absorbed in his paperwork while Sans was reading through a dusty book as he laid back on the old green couch, taking a bit of a break.

It wasn't until Sans felt something moving unexpectedly that he realized that he'd drifted off. When he opened his eyes again, it was to a softly smiling Gaster lifting the book from where it had been splayed opened over his chest.

"Oh, good morning, Sans." The doctor acknowledged. "Did you rest well?"

Sans frowned a little, trying to piece together what was going on. Eventually, he drew in a long breath and stretched.

"Doc . . . ?" He asked, still groggy, "How long was I out?"

"Only an hour or two, but it looked like you needed it." Gaster let out a faint chuckle. "Do you even remember what the book you were reading was about?"

Sans took a moment to sit up, "Eh . . . Something about field rotation and what grows best in the fall. . . something like that . . . Were you just gonna let me sleep here?"

"As long as you needed." Gaster answered, "Like I said, you seemed to really need it. You've been working yourself ragged as of late and it was the least I could do."

"Oh . . ." Sans chuckled quietly to himself, suddenly finding something very interesting in the hem of his shirt, "Well, thanks, Doc. But I've still got quite a bit to do before we open up again. We're bringin' everyone back tomorrow, right?"

"About that," Gaster mused, replacing the book onto the shelf to join the rest of his collection, "I've been thinking we could hold off one more day before we open the doors again. It would give us both another day to recalibrate and start fresh. What do you say?"

"You're . . . suggesting we take a day off?"

"I am. So, what do you say, Sans?"

Sans laughed outright, "You know me! When have I ever turned down a day off?"

"It's settled then! Tomorrow, you use the day to rest so that we can start fresh and continue our projects the next day."

"Sounds like a plan to me, doc!" Sans agreed as he pulled himself to his feet. "Ha! Don't expect to see me at all tomorrow. As of right now, I'm off the clock!"

"Good night, Sans." Gaster called with a light chuckle to his voice, "Rest well."

"See ya!"

Gathering himself and straightening out his clothing once again, Sans made for the door.

"Sans . . . ?" Gaster called again just as his apprentice was about to close the behind him, "Before you start off . . . I wonder if you'll do me a favor . . ."

"What's there to wonder about?" Sans responded automatically, keeping the door propped open. His smile, though, had faded slightly when he heard the saddened hesitation in Gaster's request. When he turned around again, he found Gaster with a small stack of books. All of them had covers of cartoonish creatures against brightly-colored backdrops and scenery and all of them seemed to be meant for a child's enjoyment.

"I want you to take these, Sans." The doctor began slowly, "Please . . . There is also a . . . a box down in the sub-basement. I want you to take all of it. Take it to Snowdin and place it all underneath the Giftmas Tree."

Sans looked back at Gaster with a shocked expression and for a split second, his attention flashed over to the picture on Gaster's cabinet. When he looked, he could see that it had been completely wiped clean and it seemed to be more prominently displayed. Gaster had been looking at it recently.

"Doc . . . Gaster, are you sure?"

Gaster nodded once with a slow dip of his skull. "Absolutely. I believe seeing the prince so excited about the pail, really helped. Those things have not been doing any good locked up and hidden away . . . and they never will as long as they are here. Besides, it is approaching that time of year. Perhaps they can go to children who will enjoy them. That way, perhaps, they will get another chance at life."

Sans halted once again as he looked back to the stack on Gaster's desk. As he did, he remembered the box of toys and clothing in the sub-basement . . . the pail he'd given away to the prince. All of that kid stuff . . . did all of it belong to Gaster? To his son . . . ? The little boy in that picture? Had the doctor been keeping it here all this time, hiding it and any sign of his past life from him and from anyone who would think to ask about it? Had he been silently suffering with the weight of his loss this entire time? Why hadn't he mentioned any of this before? Did it hurt that much to think about?

And now . . . he was entrusting Sans with such a deep and personal secret- letting go of his son's possessions and sending them out. A part of Sans could sense the deep hesitation within Gaster at the gesture. This was a huge step for him. He was not only alluding to a subject that was still very painful for him, but he was doing something about it. Something productive!

As Sans focused on the books, his smile spread once again and a bit of pride for the doctor joined in with the expression as well. "Alright, then," He grinned, doubling back to collect the stack, "You got it. And don't worry, G. You're absolutely right. These things are going to do a lot of good and help out a lot of kids."

Though he was curious and wanted to ask Gaster question after question about his past life, about his family, about his wife and about the boy, about the toys in the sub-basement, Sans knew that now was not the best time. Gaster was placing a lot of faith in him just to do this one thing . . . and this one thing was obviously stinging him. Sans felt it best not to poke at that sore spot.

Gaster's smile spread as well as he watched his apprentice gather up the books in his arms. "Thank you, Sans." He said with a sigh.

With that, Sans took the books and headed out to find the box in the sub-basement once again. He would take Papyrus with him once he got back. They could grab dinner at Grillby's. He'd been craving a good burger.

Once Sans was gone, and the door had closed behind him with a click, Gaster let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping slightly as he leaned back against his desk, though the soft smile remained intact. In the moments that followed, his attention went back to the framed photo on the file cabinet.

"It's done." He said quietly to the smallest Skeleton, "It really is what you would've wanted isn't it? I'm sorry it took so long."

When Papyrus returned to the lab, he was greeted in the atrium by his brother, wearing old Converse tennis shoes, an old T-shirt, a holey pair of jeans and his regular blue jacket. As he sat on one of the counters lining the walls, Papyrus noticed that Sans was definitely dressed to go somewhere. On the floor beside him was a decently sized cardboard box.

"Hey, bro." Sans greeted, kicking his feet as they dangled over the edge of the counter. "You feel like helping me with something?"

Papyrus tilted his head in curiosity. What could they possibly be doing with that box of . . . well, he couldn't quite see what was in the box as Sans had tried to close off the top by folding over the opening flaps of the cardboard. They didn't quite close all the way, so Papyrus was able to make out the corner of something.

As he approached the box and his brother, he could see the corner of a book. It was one of the cartoonish children's books from Dr. Gaster's office!

"He's not throwing these away, is he!?" Papyrus nearly exclaimed, concern taking over. "He can't get rid of these!"

Sans halted for a moment, his brow raised as regarded Papyrus' genuine dislike of the idea. Why would he care so much what the doctor chose to do with his own stuff?

"I didn't know you cared so much about this stuff." Sans answered slowly, "I already promised the doc to take it to Snowdin. But if it makes you feel better. He's not throwing it away. He's giving it away to the kids who can get good use out of it. Like that bucket we gave to the prince. Remember how happy he was to get it?"

Papyrus nodded, a bit of his worry falling away as he looked back to Sans. His smile held pride and a bit of contentment. He was convinced that this was the right thing to do and that made him feel good about it. Papyrus tried to latch on a bit to that feeling as well.

"So," he began again, "This is like that time with the bucket? But with more things and more children, right?"

"Exactly, bro! Doesn't that sound good?"

Papyrus nodded. For some reason, the same kind of enthusiasm didn't come as easily to him . . . at least about this particular venture.

"How about before we go to Snowdin, we go through this box once. You can pick out one thing to keep, but the rest has to go."

Papyrus nodded with renewed resolve. "I like that idea."

"Then we have a deal!"

It didn't take long at all. Within five minutes, Papyrus seemed to find the thing that caught his eye the most. The toys were cool, the glittering geodes were pretty, and he would get absolutely no use out of the clothing or shoes, because they were far too small, though Papyrus did think the sense of style was top-notch. But what really drew his attention were the books! They all seemed like such good stories, but of course, there was one that stood out even above the others.

"This is the one, Brother!" Papyrus proclaimed after those five minutes were through, "This is the one I'll keep."

He handed it to Sans where the other Skeleton looked over the cover and flipped through the pages.

"Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny . . . ?" Sans questioned, again, trying not to let his own thoughts of the book reflect in his tone. If this was what Papyrus liked, then who was he to tell him 'no'? "Good find, Paps."

Papyrus smiled as he closed off the ends of the box once again. "Thank you, Brother! Now, I'll put this away and we'll take the rest of them to Snowdin!"

Once again, Sans and Papyrus decided it would probably be best to employ the services of the Riverperson in order to get to Snowdin in a timely fashion. Right away, the two noticed something a bit off about their guide. Instead of the cheerful "Tra-la-la" to which they were accustomed, the Riverperson was nearly silent as they navigated the waters. It made the entire trip longer and more awkward not to have that cheery chime to occupy the time. But finally, they arrived at the port for Snowdin Town.

Even as they walked, carrying the box into the town, the dreary air hadn't subsided. Everything felt thick and heavy like a debilitating fog had descended over the area. The streets were abandoned and the lights had nearly all been extinguished. The few people who were left shuffling through the streets seemed slow and downtrodden with no purpose behind their movements.

As they'd come to do, Sans and Papyrus traversed the town, making note of the atypical atmosphere and how the feeling of dread seemed to be contagious. Snowdin was usually such a cheerful and peaceful town . . . but now, just being within its limits seemed to drain the HP right out of them! What could've happened that had the ability to change an entire town like this? Not only the town, but the Riverperson too!

"Hey, Paps." Sans asked in a hushed tone, "Were people like this when you came out for your map mission today?"

Papyrus had to think it over for a second or two, "There weren't many people when I was out before. Just like now. But those I saw were looking away, like they didn't want to talk or say hello."

Sans nodded. Maybe it would be better to get in, do what they came to do and get out.

So, with little more conversation, the brothers continued on their mission. They found the Giftmas tree in the middle of town and set the box of old clothing, toys and books down by its trunk. The opened the cardboard flaps and "fluffed" the contents, making it visible to those who would pass by. The items in the box were free game to whoever wanted them and they wanted to make sure the others knew that.

They didn't know what they were expecting when they made their delivery, but it wasn't the dark glares from the few monsters who were around the area. They were looking at them as if they'd done something distasteful or downright disrespectful. And the fact that they had the nerve to come in, make a display and smile about it was offensive.

A large bit of that resolve from before was eaten away by those looks. Was it a mistake to travel to Snowdin today . . . ? Maybe a shortened visit really was best.

Though Sans had really been looking forward to going to Grillby's . . . perhaps another time. Still, he stole a glance inside through the large glass pane in the front of the establishment to see what was going on in there. Even the few people inside of Grillby's had their heads hung low and it didn't look as if they wanted to chatter or eat much. They seemed distraught. What the heck was going on around here!?

They had to get to the bottom of it.

Outside of the bar, stood a tall Bear monster. He always seemed to be here no matter what, and he was always good for a bit of new information. Though his specialty seemed to lie in politics. Today, he was standing outside of Grillby's discussing current events with a young Horse monster with sunglasses. They both had their hands shoved in their pockets as they spoke in hushed tones.

"Yeah, but I wonder what this means as far as the rest of us are concerned."

"Well, whatever comes of it, we'll just have to carry on and be as supportive as we can. They would do the same for any of us. That's what makes a good leader. That's politics."

As Sans and Papyrus approached, both of the other monsters let out audible sighs.

"I guess we'll just have to see." The Horse resigned as he stood up completely to walk away. Seeing the Skeletons approaching, he found it in his best interest to find something else to do somewhere else. He shot another heated look to them before walking past them without a word.

The brothers watched him pass and let him go uninterrupted, but they both noted the scathing looks. Sans let out a scoff, a bit perturbed by the seemingly unmerited aggression. Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed more nervous than anything that maybe he had done something to offend the monster.

But pushing aside the reaction of the Horse monster and continuing on with their quest, they approached the Bear.

"Hey, buddy." Sans greeted evenly, knowing better than most, not to force false cheer in a situation such as this, "What gives? What's got everyone so depressed and grim-like? And what's with all the death stares? What the hell bit this town in the ass?"

The Bear had yet to lift his face, but his eyes shifted to see Sans. "Well, you're less comical than I remember you being."

"Gee, I wonder why." Sans retorted, "Must be a bad audience."

"Truth be told," the Bear hummed, "I had a few questions of my own I wanted to ask, but you just answered them all so quickly and effortlessly. It was as if you knew just what I was going to ask."

Sans let out a breath as he turned to face the same direction of the Bear, his foot propped against the brick wall of Grillby's as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared out toward the Giftmas tree. "I don't suppose you wanna tell me what those questions are, do you?"

"Well, there's no need anymore now that they have been answered. But for your benefit, I can. I was going to ask what in the world possessed you two to come to Snowdin today of all days carrying that?" He nodded toward the box by the tree. "Children's toys? Giftmas presents? Considering everything that's happened, it seems the least appropriate thing to be doing right now. But judging by your questions, you have absolutely no idea what happened, do you?"

Sans shrugged his response. "If I knew, I woudn't've asked."

To his surprise, the Bear chuckled, "No, I suppose not. Well, let me ask you this instead: How much do you know about the royal family? Their kids in particular?"

When Sans and Papyrus returned from Snowdin, it was to an empty lab. They called and called and paged and searched for Dr. Gaster to pass along to him the information that the Bear monster had shared with them. No matter how many times they called for him, however, there was no response.

It wasn't until much later that night, after hours of pacing and fidgeting, that Gaster finally walked through the front doors of the Lab. His posture was slightly hunched and he seemed distracted as he nearly walked right past Sans and Papyrus where they stood in the atrium. His attentions were refocused when Sans called to him.

"Oh," Gaster sighed lifelessly, "Hello, Sans. Papyrus."

On any other occasion, Sans would have been elated to hear the doctor using Papyrus' name in contrast to any of the other dissociative and negative things he's called him in the past, however, this was neither the time nor the place for it.

"Doc . . ." Sans began slowly, "Did you hear? About the kids?"

Gaster nodded. "I received a call from the king earlier. It seems that early this morning, their adoptive human child died of a terrible sickness. The prince disappeared not long afterward. The king wanted to know if I had seen him. Of course I hadn't . . . however . . ."

There was a long pause in Gaster's words and though he fought to remain in control of his personal feelings through the recount, the deep sadness and complete furious rage in some sections was unmistakable.

"This evening . . . the prince . . . Asriel returned."

"They found him!" Sans answered a little too quickly and a little too enthusiastically. After all, the tone in Gaster's voice was still so dark and solemn that there was no way that anything that was going to follow was anything good.

Gaster neither nodded nor shook his head. He only continued with the report. "It seems as if the prince had taken the child's soul, absorbed it, fused with it . . . how he even knew to do that at such a young age is . . . I suppose he really had been learning a lot . . .

"Using the human's soul, Asriel crossed the barrier to take the body back to their village. He only wanted to bury the child . . . Lay them to rest in a familiar environment . . .

". . . But those damned humans. It's ALWAYS, those damned humans! They . . . attacked him brutally. They hit him with everything they had! Just a child! But, the soul had transformed him . . . and the humans . . . they didn't even bother asking questions! They just assumed . . . They just . . .

". . . Asriel got away from the attack and came back home, still clutching the human child's body tightly. However, not much later, he was overcome by the severity of his wounds."

"Then that means . . ." Sans breathed, his sockets wide and his heart beating like a jackhammer behind his ribs.

Gaster let out a steadying breath as he concluded.

"Prince Asriel is dead."