SNOW HOME CHAPTER 6:

Gaster was over the moon. It was as clear to Sans as the cracks on his face. His eyes seemed to glitter as he followed every jump of emotion from Frisk. He'd casually asked about the barrier situation, and Frisk had replied with the question of if he wanted to hear the whole thing. Maybe a bit naïvely, Gaster had said yes. The kid was more than happy to tell him every bit of the story.

.

It put a smile on Sans's face to see his kid so animated. She was all alight and had so much energy all of a sudden that it was like nothing was wrong. She underplayed the rough bits— she always did— but, actually, she was a pretty good storyteller. Gaster was leaning on the table, food forgotten, enthralled by her words, even the parts she warned were boring.

.

It was increasingly hilarious that his father had been worried about how she'd react. She wasn't the least bit shy. It was just like they were old friends— in a way, he supposed, they were.

.

When she was done, with a surprisingly proud smile on her face, Gaster wrapped her in a relieved hug, unable to help himself. Sans could feel his grin spreading. Frisk was everything their father had worked for his entire life— a much more powerful and almost perfect version of what Sans's own soul was originally intended to be. A way to freedom in the best possible way.

.

"Saaaaans. Sans? Sans." Frisk reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers, snapping him from his thoughts. "Um. So, uh. This is pretty crazy, right?"

"Yeah, a bit," he said.

"So what do we tell mom? Should I call her? Oh man, and what about Az?" She whipped around to look at Gaster. "You knew him?"

"Ah… I did," he said.

"This is the weirdest thing in the whole world," Frisk said with a laugh. "Saaaaaans?"

"Yeah?" he said.

Her eyes seemed to glitter. In fact, they did. A little of her iris flickered red. They'd been doing that a lot more recently. She gripped tight to his fingers and grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."

He snickered. "Went well, right?"

"Super great," she said with a grin.

"Finish your stuff, huh?"

"Oh!" She grabbed her milkshake and took a swig. "I totally forgot!"

Sans smiled fondly. "Don't choke."

xXxXx

Outside again, the second they hit the cold air, Gaster shivered and bundled up, hood, gloves, scarf and all. Sans shot him a curious look. He shrugged slightly. Sans gently nudged Frisk with his elbow.

"Kiddo, how 'bout you head home, huh?" he said.

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah. Gotta talk to this giant dork," he said, jerking his thumb at Gaster. "Give Paps the update?"

"Oh. Heh. Yeah," she said, smiling bashfully. "I'm gonna cry and then he's gonna cry."

Sans snickered and patted her head. She stood on her toes and he bent down to let her smooch his cheek. She grinned and then beckoned at Gaster. When he bent down, she gave him a kiss, too. His cheekbones went stark with colour and he froze entirely. She grinned, waved, and scampered off down the road.

"See you guys at home!" she called.

.

Gaster stood stiff like he'd been turned to ice. Sans held in a laugh and nudged him with his elbow. He jolted quickly.

"Jeez," Sans said.

The old skeleton looked like he could crumple into a pile of bones. Quickly, he had his arms around his son and squeezed him close. Now Sans couldn't keep in a chuckle.

"That went well," he said.

"Cnámha m'anam." Gaster's voice was even lower and more gravelly than usual. He coughed, then let him go and took a deep breath. "She… She liked me."

"Course she did." Sans nodded up the road in the opposite direction. "C'mon."

.

He started on his way and his father hurriedly moved to follow him. He rubbed the back of his skull and his bones rattled. Sans shot him a sympathetic smile.

"You alright?" he asked.

Gaster nodded. "I never expected her to just…" He waved his hands as if trying to pull words from the air. "To just accept it like that."

"Why?" Sans asked.

"She's clearly a human," he said. "We're clearly not."

"She's been family basically since we met, dude," Sans said with a wink. "I don't think skin or, uh, lack thereof really matters to her."

Gaster sighed deeply, but he started to laugh softly as well. "You're amazing, do you know that?"

Sans shrugged. His father looked at him very seriously.

"I mean it," he said. "After all those other anomalies, you had no way of knowing. And yet you still had enough in you to give that girl your trust."

"Yeah, well." Sans shrugged again and grinned. "What can I say? The time travel messed us both up in ways that made it so we wouldda been like this no matter where she was from. And it's not like this just went one way, huh?"

.

Gaster started to grin. Sans cut his eyes at him.

"What?" he said.

"I see…" Gaster chuckled. He wiped his eyes quickly. "I'm so glad you found each other."

"Yeah, dysfunctional together is almost functional," he said with a wink. "Thank god for Papyrus."

Gaster laughed. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Hm? Oh. Nothin' much, just wanted to give those kids a bit of privacy," Sans said with a shrug. "It'll be emotional enough with just the two of them without us weirdos hangin' around."

"Ah," Gaster said. "Judging by earlier, he must be very close to her. Right?"

Sans nodded. "In her first timeline, when she got booted through the barrier, and we couldn't find her, Paps lost it. Inconsolable for like, a week, until we found her again. Tried not to be apart since, even after a reset. It's kinda clingy but I think it's real good for 'em both."

.

"For everything being such a bloody mess, I'm glad things turned out that way," Gaster said. "That must've been hard. But, at least you were able to remember her, right?"

"Sure," he said. "So did most of our, uh… I dunno, circle, I guess, this last time."

"Right, how on earth did that work?" Gaster asked. "That must've been such a relief, but how is that possible?"

"I found a way to hook into her determination and basically use her as a memory save," Sans said with a shrug. "Wasn't ideal but the world was about to end and I didn't wanna send her backwards with nothin'."

"You… used her as a save," his father repeated, eyes wide. "How is that possible?"

He shrugged. "Kinda used myself as one, too. It wasn't perfect. But, she's so stuck into that time stuff, it just kinda worked since I knew how to do it to begin with," he said. "Our magic or whatever has always been stuck to each other. Combine it, and, well, there you go."

"Sans, that's…"

"I know, sounds weird, but I'm kinda protective of the kid, y'know?" he said. "And if leavin' some weird marks on her could save her, then, I'd do whatever it takes."

.

Sans stalled in his steps as he noticed Gaster had come to a halt. His father seemed stunned, but he was starry-eyed and glowing faintly.

"What's that face for?" Sans asked with a laugh.

"You're… You're a genius. You're a bloody genius," he said, starting to beam. "I… I never even thought… Sans. I'm blown away."

"S'not that big of a deal," he said with a shrug.

"For you to have mastered the temporal energies to that point, disregarding what should have been physical limitations and tapping straight into the— That's… That's phenomenal. I never would have thought to try that."

"Eh. Desperate times," Sans said. "You probably wouldda."

"You are a genius." Gaster's smile only grew brighter. "I'm so proud of you. Oh. Sorry. I hope that doesn't sound patronizing. It's just. I am. Very proud, I mean. Not patronizing. I mean. I hope not."

"Y'know, not all that much has changed since you been gone," Sans said with a grin. "I mean, with the way me and Paps are. S'not like I'd just suddenly think you're a weirdo or something. Oh, c'mon, you don't need to cry."

.

Gaster hurriedly wiped his eyes on the back of his glove again. "It's just… I thought I'd never see you again," he muttered, his voice croaking. "Any of you. Any of this."

"I know," Sans said.

"I was never supposed to come back," he said. "The chances of pulling me out of that hell were so infinitesimally small that I still almost can't believe I'm even here. That I can feel… anything. That I can even think clearly."

"There wasn't any way to fix you besides the kid, huh?" Sans asked.

"I… I couldn't say, really. I doubt it," he said. "It took what would have otherwise been a catastrophic amount of determination."

"Heh. Catastrophic," Sans repeated. "Funny word to describe Frisk with."

"Isn't it?" Gaster laughed tiredly. "I'm still a bit overwhelmed. Forgive me."

"Don't," Sans said. "Looks like you need a breather, too, huh? No worries. Actually. I wanted to ask why you're freezin'."

"I… I don't know," he said. "I haven't been able to get warm since I came back. And I keep having… episodes. I'm sure I'll… Well…"

"Hm. Alright. We'll keep an eye socket on you, huh?" Sans winked. "Come on. I know a spot that's pretty, uh, interestin'. I'll show you where the kid got in. S'full of these golden flowers. And it's definitely warmer than here. I think you'll like it."

xXxXx

The closer Frisk got to home, the slower her steps felt. Her chest was tight and her whole body was numb. Her mind was spending most of its energy trying to reorganize where she fit in the universe. No more blank family tree; no more uncertainty about humans leaving her alone in the cold of the surface world. She was sure she had to be in shock or something, but her focus was on getting home. She had to see Papyrus. She had no idea what to say, but that was fine.

.

When she got there, she hesitated. She had to take a long, deep breath. Told herself not to cry yet. She pushed back the door and braced herself. She didn't know why her heart was beating so quickly.

.

"Hey, Papyrus?" she asked. "I'm back."

"OH! Oh! Little sister! Hello!" He stumbled out of the kitchen, tossing his apron aside so quickly that he almost slipped on it. "H-How are you? Did you have a good time?"

She nodded. "Pretty good time," she said, and she tilted her head "You okay?"

"Oh, yes, perfectly fine! As always," he assured her. He tented his fingers. "So, um. Did you, I don't know, meet anyone interesting out there?" He was a picture of nerves despite trying to hide it.

.

Frisk smiled fondly: he was too honest for keeping secrets like this. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "Found Sans. And I saw Grillby. Annnnd, oh, totally met our dad."

"Our d…?! OH! Oh Frisk!" Papyrus let out a squeaking sound, knelt down, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You met him?! And?! How do you feel?!"

"Still kinda shocked, I think," she said. "But… I'm really happy, bro."

.

Papyrus beamed. He pulled her in against his chest, the pulse of his soul synching close, almost overwhelmingly so. She held onto him tightly. The instant she hoped she wouldn't start crying again was exactly when she did.

"See? Little sister. You were never alone," he cooed quietly. "I'm so happy for you. I'm just… I-I… Oooh no. Nyooo. I'm crying."

"It's okay, me too!" she snickered.

He giggled. He took a little space to wipe his eyes. Frisk laughed and did the same. Her brother grinned and gently squished her cheeks.

"Squishy little skeleton," he joked.

She laughed and squished her hands on his cheekbones in return.

.

"Bet it feels good to have your dad back, huh?" she said.

"Oh. Yes. Definitely," he said. "Weird, though. Weird because I didn't remember. And now I do. I was younger than you are, even, when he vanished. But! Hey. You know what?"

"What?" she asked.

He grinned. "We know when your birthday is now."

"We do?" she asked.

"Yes! The day dad vanished. That's the day you were made!" he said brightly.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess you're right," Frisk said.

"Nyeh heh heh heh! Well. You know. Maybe it was a big mess, but since time was going to break anyway and this is how it all had to go, having you, that's definitely worth it."

Frisk blushed. "Thanks, Papyrus."

"Don't thank me, it is just completely true," he said. "Ooh, you are just going to love having dad as your dad! He's really nice, and smart, and he's a huge dork! And he loves ice cream! Actually. Now that I think about it. You two are quite a bit alike."

"You think?" Frisk asked.

"I know!" he said, and he pulled her snugly into his lap as he sat down. "I'm so happy for you. Really. And I'm so excited! Now no one can ever ever ever steal you away." He looked bashful all of a sudden and pushed his index fingers together. "I always had this little worry deep down inside me. It was a secret. Of course. But, um." He sighed. "I worried that one day some weird humans would just show up and try to say that they were your real family when really we are your real family. And then this whole thing happened and… And I was so worried. Because I could never lose you. And now I never will! It was all really a big relief for me. Does that make sense?"

.

Frisk was taken aback. She'd had no idea this thing with the humans was as much a nightmare for him as it was for her. She should have known. She hugged him and settled close. "No way. We'll always be together. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

"Nyeh heh heh! As if I'd try." He curled up around her and let out a quiet, relaxed sigh. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope, don't think so," she said.

"Want to just stay here for a while?" he asked.

"Yeah, for sure!" She snuggled right in and he seemed so happy he could melt.

"Best timeline," he cooed.

xXxXx

Gaster was sick in the Ruins. That same black sludge. It was some kind of twisted, liquid magic, presumably. It stained the ground and then vanished like nothing had ever been there. Disturbing, in some ways, but then again, neither of the skeletons were really surprised. Sans had never seen the void his father had existed in, but he'd felt it. It had killed him, in fact.

.

Sans offered a shortcut. Really preferred not walking. But, they had some time they needed to kill, and Gaster hadn't seen the Ruins in centuries. It was pleasant and nostalgic to stroll through it until the nausea had hit him.

.

Gaster had to stick his whole head in the river to make himself feel any sort of relief, though the water pouring out of his eye sockets wasn't exactly pleasant afterwards, either. Sans tried not to laugh and thumped his father on the back. Gaster coughed and chuckled, wiping his face on his scarf.

"Well that was… something," he said.

"Excitin'," Sans joked.

Gaster huffed. He rubbed the back of his skull and puffed out a sigh. "Banjaxed," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, you're kinda a mess," Sans said, helping him back to his feet.

"Oh, god, you don't even know," Gaster joked. "You should see my soul. And my leg."

"How many holes you got, now?" Sans said. "Don't have any more secret kids out there, do ya?"

"Pffff. No. No no," he said. "I'm just… a little rough around the edges, is all."

"Rough around the top, too."

Gaster scoffed. "I'd say you're cracking me up, but I've done enough of that myself. Are we almost there?"

Sans snorted out a laugh and pointed up ahead, and his father lit right up.

.

The heavy stone door left ajar in their path lead to a double set of stairs. They framed a patch of red leaves and a bright tear in time that glittered pleasantly. Gaster's eyes lit up, bicoloured and bright, when he saw it.

"They're all over, now, aren't they?" he asked.

"Sure are," Sans said.

"I wonder…" He pulled off a glove and stuck his hand right into it. When he pulled back, the hole in his palm shimmered an extra few seconds with that bright colour. His eye sockets watered and he quickly brushed them with his thumbs. "She wasn't in a good place the last time she was here, was she?"

"Not really," Sans said.

"Poor thing," he said softly. He slipped the glove back on and rubbed his hands together. "Hope this wears off soon…"

"Ask the kid to give you some of the red stuff when we get home," Sans said. "It helps."

.

The deepest section of the mountain wasn't much farther. Gaster expected to see mostly darkness, so he was thoroughly taken aback by the smattering of bright, golden flowers that greeted them. Sans pointed up and his father followed his finger. He gasped and reflexively took a step back.

"She fell from there?!" he said.

"Jumped," Sans corrected.

"How did she s…?!" Gaster's expression turned melancholy. "Oh. She… probably didn't. Was that where this all started?"

"Nah. Down here. She only had to do it once," he said.

"Brave," he muttered, smiling grimly. "I wish I could have helped."

Sans shrugged. "Sure. Me too. Wanna take a look?"

Gaster hesitated. He rolled his fingers over his thumbs, winced, and then put his hand on Sans's shoulder.

.

The cave was wiped away, replaced by a night sky thick with clouds looming down over them, crags of rocks beneath their feet, and an entrance down below to their backs. Gaster took a heavy step backwards, eyes wide, jaw agape. He darted forward and peeked down over the edge to the jutting mountainside and forest below, the treetops bustling in the wind, looking much more like dark water than foliage in the low light. He whipped around to look at Sans and couldn't help a grin.

"It's beautiful," he said.

Sans laughed. He folded his arms and leaned back, cocking his head to the side. "Guess it kinda is."

"And this…" He peeked into the cave. "Oh! It's actually a bit of a drop just in here, isn't it? I suppose down was the only way out."

"Good thing, too," Sans said. "Tori got her right after."

"Right! Right. Of course." He scuffed his gloved fingers across the stone and then peered upwards at the clouds. He shivered. He shot Sans a smile. "I'm grateful for that."

"Me too," Sans said."Welp. What d'you think? That enough time?"

"I hope so."

.

Sans grabbed him and his eyes were instantly readjusting to the cozy light inside the living room. Stunned for a moment, Gaster stood, frozen, as Sans casually flopped on the couch and kicked his feet up.

"Nyeh heh! I'd know that cushion squishing sound anywhere!" Papyrus bounded to meet them from the kitchen, squeezing Gaster into a quick hug and then racing to Sans, grabbing up both of his hands. "Brother. Oh. My. God."

"Doin' alright?" he asked.

"So very alright! Amazingly alright!" he said certainly.

"Where's the kid at, by the way?"

Papyrus pointed at the ceiling. "Saving."

.

Sans wasn't really willing to wait. He blinked upstairs and found the kid at the light in the attic. He sat on a box and she turned at the sound of his weight settling. Her face broke into a bright grin and she ran to him. He gladly accepted her into his arms. She giggled.

"So, I saved," she said. "He's stuck with us."

"Good," he said. "Holdin' up?"

"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm okay. I… I still kinda can't believe that I… That we…" Her voice cracked. Her eyes began to shimmer. "We…" She wiped her face on the back of her arm; coughed to clear her throat and grinned wide up at him. "Aaah, you know! I'm just r-really happy. It's so weird but it's so great!"

"Hm." He bonked his head on hers. "Welp. S'good, though. You have basically forever to get used to him."

"Won't take that long," she said. "Ooh! Is he back, too?"

"Yup," Sans said. "Took a shortcut."

Frisk stared back at him blankly but then grinned wide. "You're so cool, bro."

.

She snuggled into him and their souls sparked a soft purple together. She felt relieved. Content. No guilt. Not even for crying. He couldn't help but beam with pride.

.

Sans plunked them back downstairs and Frisk was almost instantly facing Gaster. He looked thoroughly shocked and she smiled and jumped to her feet on the couch. She looked him up and down, and then got on top of the arm in an attempt to approach his height.

"Hey, look at you!" she said. "C'mere?"

Gaster cautiously pointed at himself. He edged over and Frisk grabbed both of his arms and looked up at him. His cheekbones flushed faintly blue and gold, and the kid tilted her head slightly. She reached up for his face and he bent slightly to allow her to put her hands up against his bones.

"Wow, I mean, it's kinda great, right? How weird is it that you're just, like, here, standing in the house, right? You look so normal now," she said. "Did you look like this before you went in?"

"M-Mostly," he said. "The larger crack is relatively new."

"Oh yeah?" She brushed her thumb over the healed one coming down his cheek. She grinned and then poked her own face. "Look, we're almost the same!"

"Frisky…" he said quietly. He shook his head. "You're much cuter."

She scoffed and laughed. "You look good, though!" she said. "You know, from being all time-melty and going back to being a pretty normal-looking skeleton. I expected you to be super goopy next time I saw you, so this is way better."

"I… I suppose you're right," he said with a tepid smile. He looked like he was trying not to cry. "Frisky, I…" His voice caught.

"Aw, jeez, you're not feelin' good, though, huh?" she said. "C'mere?"

.

She hugged onto him and he was stunned still, only to cautiously scoop her up. She set her hands aglow with red and held him tight. He froze up as the warmth seeped in and his soul instinctively wanted to reach out. He tried to stop it but it glowed faintly, a spiky, out of tune, cold and bristling mess. The kid yelped and then began to laugh.

"Oof, it's still pretty messed up, huh?" she asked sympathetically.

"It's, uh…" He lost his words again. He squeezed the kid gently and almost choked when she relaxed against him despite his awful soul.

.

"Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus thumped Gaster heartily on the shoulder, grinning wide at him even though he stumbled and quickly put the kid down. "You look like you could use a big, hot plate of my special spaghetti. They don't call me Master Chef Papyrus for nothing!" He pulled a big, steaming plate of pasta from somewhere and held it out with a twinkle in his eye. "It'll fix you right up."

"Oh. Th-Thank you," he said, his voice croaking as he took it. His finger bones clattered against the plate and he hurried to sit down at the table to the side of the room.

.

Papyrus thumped him on the back and he took a cautious bite of the food. He broke down almost instantly. The younger skeleton squeaked with surprise.

"I didn't think it was THAT bad!" he said shrilly.

"I-It's fantastic, a stór," Gaster stammered, wiping the streams from his eyes quickly. "Go raibh maith agat." He shovelled pasta into his mouth with more speed than seemed wise.

.

Frisk watched him with pity in her eyes as his shoulders sagged. She shot Sans a worried look, and though he looked mildly sympathetic, he didn't seem overly concerned. She'd follow his lead. He knew his— no, their— father best.

Papyrus dragged over a chair and sat beside him, rubbing his back gently. "Hey, now. You're going to be okay! And you can have as much spaghetti as you like! Forever and ever. Promise! Okay?"

"I'm alright," Gaster said. "Don't worry about me. Aren't you all eating?"

"Ah! Yes, of course, I'll get plates for everyone!" Papyrus leapt to his feet in a hurry and raced away, accompanied by the sounds of clinking cutlery.

.

The tall skeleton reluctantly heaved himself out of his seat again. He hesitated, but he quietly unzipped his coat and took it off to put it near the door with the others. That heavy jacket had made up a lot of the bulk in his shoulders, but he was still a little more physically imposing than Papyrus was despite the typical thinness of tall skeletons like them. Now, he shivered in the faded, black hoodie he was in underneath. The elbows were patched and the front showed a worn logo of some sort— one that vaguely looked like a bunch of beakers framed with a big circle. He folded his arms tight to his chest.

"Hey, if you're still cold…" Sans said.

"It's fine. I mean. I am," Gaster said, "but I'll get accustomed to it."

"Can I help?" Frisk asked worriedly. "Want a blanket or something?"

"I'm alright," he assured her, raising both hands quickly. "It's just… ah…"

"He's still kinda chilled from the whole nothin' void," Sans said.

"Jeez," Frisk said quietly. She looked between the two of them curiously. "Hey, how long have you been back, anyway?"

"A day or so," he said.

"Oh, okay, so that's maybe normal, then, if it hasn't actually been that long," she said. She laughed. "Sorry. I mean. Whatever could maybe be called normal after that. What a weird place, right?"

"Absolutely," Gaster said as he sat down again. "It was good that you could pass through so seamlessly. I am a little surprised."

"Of course she could." Papyrus returned with plates filled with pasta for himself and the others, and dutifully passed them out. "She is a super time kid, after all!"

"Universe's resident time god," Sans joked.

He looked down at the bashfully grinning kid with surprise. His gaze softened and he smiled fondly. "I suppose you are, aren't you?"

"I try to do a good job," she said. "I got superpowers now, so that's kinda helpful."

.

Sans scoffed and laughed. She nudged him with her elbow and he did the same in return. Gaster, however, looked intrigued.

"Superpowers, you say?" he asked. "What kinds of superpowers?"

"Oh! Well. I can glow. And I can make a bubble thing that glows," she said proudly. "And I can give super hugs with my soul feeling thing, everyone seems to like that. I used to be able to borrow Sans's kinda future sight thing or Papyrus's bone attacks, but that doesn't really work anymore. Oh, but I can use time magic I guess, to turn stuff back in time to fix things or freeze stuff if I gotta. It's kinda hard, still, though."

"And her eyes glow sometimes!" Papyrus said. "Though we, um, can't really figure out what makes them do that. And I'm not sure if that counts as a super power but I guess since she's a human…" He shrugged. "Oh also she could do a big hex shield for a couple days but not since then."

"Hex shield?" Gaster tilted his head.

"Yes, like a big shield made of hexagon patterns," Papyrus said.

"Like… Like this?" Gaster held a hand out and the magic in him pooled in the gap in his hand. Suddenly, at his fingertips stretched a barrier of energy, a little distorted and flickering, but shifting black with fragments of gold and blue.

.

Frisk's eyes went wide. Papyrus grinned.

"Yes! Exactly like that, except red!" he said. "Hey, wait a second, how are you doing that?! I don't remember that at all. Can we do that?"

"Not exactly, it's more of a… Well, I mean, maybe, if I can find the spell again," he admitted. "I composed this myself a little bit after the sixth human arrived. I ended up not needing it much." He pulled his fingers away from the magic and it flickered out and dissolved into obsidian sparkles. "Frisky, you…? You had this?"

"Mhm! I got it after we did a determination ex…" Her words trailed and she couldn't help a look of shock. "Oh! It was your determination, wasn't it?! In the basement? You set that all up!"

"Ah. I get it," Sans said.

"I'm very glad it was of use," Gaster said.

.

"So… So, wait." Frisk frowned and crossed her arms. "I had all those messages in skeleton writing on my hand, but I still don't remember where those came from. That was you, right?"

"Oh! God. That. Right," he said quickly. "Don't fret about that. I am glad it helped, though. It… did help?"

"Of course it did!" she said. "Az wouldn't be back if it didn't. And we mightta blown up in the CORE, too. That shield saved us from a ton of rocks."

"Wait. Wait wait. Can we back up for a second. Are you telling me you can just design a new magic and just use it like that?!" Papyrus yelped. "I want to do that! How did you do that?"

"Oh. Well. It's not exactly easy. It's a similar process to learning any new colour of magic, involving soul tuning, though," he explained. "This shield was artificial. It is a little bit like writing music. But using obscene amounts of energy. And a lot of trial and error."

"Wowie." Papyrus's eyes glittered. "That's amazing! I didn't know that was even a thing!"

Gaster nodded. "Unfortunately, it's a bit of a lost medium." His attention turned to the small kid again. "It seems like you've gotten quite used to those powers, hm?"

"Oh, yeah! They were kinda freaky at first but I can use the backwards one to heal people, so that's pretty great," she said.

"To heal?" He looked thoroughly surprised by that. "You can…? Of course. That would make sense… Did you figure that out all on your own?"

"Sans helped," she said.

"Did I ever," he said with a laugh.

Gaster looked between the two of them again. Sans mussed up the kid's hair and she grinned and flopped back into him.

.

Gaster had a million things he wanted to ask; wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't speak. Cold enveloped him and he cupped his hands to his mouth as his teeth began to chatter.

.

All eyes turned on him with concern. He held up one finger with blue and black magic facsimiles of his hands as if to ask them to wait as he silently choked on air behind his real hands. Sans leaned up off the couch and his brow furrowed.

"Uh. You alright?" he asked.

His voice still absent, he sat back on his chair and nodded; shivered hard enough that his bones began to rattle. Papyrus cooed sympathetically and wrapped him in a hug and set his amber magic ablaze. Gaster buckled in his arms.

"I have you," Papyrus assured him. "It's alright. Wait it out."

Frisk looked between her brothers. She tugged Sans's sleeve. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I, uh… Hmm…" He finally got up and shifted over to Gaster, and gently shooed their brother to the side. "Okay. Lemme feel."

.

Gaster sighed breathlessly and sat back and put a quaking hand over his soul. They couldn't see it, but the shrill, backwards sound warbled out loudly. Sans put his hand to the spot and his fingers glowed with blue. Though the tall skeleton was curled up tight on himself, seemingly freezing, his false hands shrugged. Sans snickered.

"You'll be alright. Breathe. And Paps, c'mere," he said. "Focus right in the centre."

Papyrus saluted. "Got it!" He grabbed him again and glowed bright. "Don't worry, dad."

The false hands stuck their thumbs up.

.

Frisk frowned with worry. She folded her arms. Gaster's eyes, shimmering uncomfortably with magic, met hers and he looked, suddenly, cautious and guilty. He opened his mouth but still couldn't say a word. He flinched away. Frisk's heart broke for a moment. She got up and she held his real hands, setting the magic in her fingers aglow to warm him up. He smiled faintly.

"Is this normal?" she asked worriedly.

One of his false hands levelled out and moved from side to side, as if to say, "sort of".

"His soul's a mess," Sans said. "Told you it's, uh, pretty sound-based, right? So. His voice might kinda cut out every once in a while. We'll fix it. Eventually."

"That's scary," she said. "Sorry. Sans's totally right, though, if anyone can help you, it's him. Aaaaand maybe Alphys, I bet."

Gaster's smile widened a bit. He nodded and squeezed her hands gently. His shivering was lessening by the second.

"Ooh! Hey!" Papyrus said loudly. "You're right, I bet if anyone has something that could help, it would be Doctor Alphys, wouldn't it?! Maybe she's got some magic medicine stashed away in the lab! I could take the boat there, I guess, it wouldn't take that long."

"Shouldn't you be doin' the healin'?" Sans asked.

"Pffft, you could use the practice," Papyrus said. "Besides. Maybe Alphys will want to come back with me! She can't go your way."

.

He dashed to the door and swept up his big, purple Delta Rune sweater and ran out with a wave. Gaster huffed out a silent laugh and shot Sans a curious look. He shrugged.

"He's right, I guess," Sans said. "It's startin' to level out a little, actually. Kiddo, you wanna see if you can maybe do somethin' with it?"

"Oh! Yeah!" She hopped up to sit on the table. "Do you mind?" She shook out her hands and let them glow again, shooting him a sheepish smile. "I guess this might be a little ex… experimental," she said, "but I just saved a few minutes ago, so we won't really lose much if I gotta go back. If that's okay with you."

He seemed intrigued. He nodded.

.

Frisk reached out and put one hand on his head and the other on his soul. She closed her eyes and tried to visualize it as her magic snuck through his bones, trying to figure him out. She felt the chill in him. Like it was emanating from the centre of each bone. The picture his hum began to paint in her mind was such a jagged thing. It didn't even look like a soul. It seemed like it was split— out of alignment, like when those old tapes from the human world didn't run right and the picture overlapped and broke in places. She concentrated hard. He'd been fine just a few minutes ago, so she reached from there. His soul flickered in her mind's eye and, to her surprise, resisted. It was absolutely unmoved. She guessed that made sense, in a way. She bit her lip and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Pushed it, just a little more.

.

There was a pressure settling behind her eyes but she let her magic give his soul a good, hard shove. The alignment slid, just a little. Just enough, it seemed, because she instantly heard Gaster let out a relieved sigh.

"Th-That… Oh. There it is. That feels better already," he said. He smiled warmly at her when she opened her eyes. "Oh!" He tentatively cupped her cheek. "Your eyes."

"Black or red?" she joked.

"Red."

"They'll be normal in a minute." She stretched. "Phew!"

"And, here." Sans appeared — though she hadn't realized he'd been gone— and handed her a steaming teacup. "Good work."

"Yeah, guess you're off the hook," she said with a grin.

He winked. "Exactly."

"Should we call Paps back?" she asked.

"Nah, he's probably right about Alph. She may have somethin' to help," he said.

.

Frisk nodded. She tipped back her tea and then let out a loud, deep breath. "Okay! I'm gonna go get some blankets and stuff so the couch'll be extra cozy, it'll be good." She passed Sans back her cup with a grateful smile and then bounded away quickly, though she did stumble on the last step.

.

Sans smiled fondly. "She's somethin' else, huh?"

Gaster touched his hand against his soul spot and he cracked a grin. "Very much so." He let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Stop," Sans said.

"I can't believe it," he muttered. "That's… a lot of power for a child, isn't it?"

"She's got it handled," he said with a shrug.

"Hm." He smiled. "You've helped her a lot, I can see it."

He shrugged again.

"This is… so surreal," he said.

"Tell me about it."

.

Gaster paced the room quietly. He touched his fingertips against the wall. He hurried back into the kitchen and scoffed at the high sink. He took note of the ladder beside one of the counters.

"I can't believe I'm here," he said quietly.

"Yeah, weird," Sans said.

"That you're here," he said quietly. "And Papyrus… He's so… So… everything. Everything I wanted for him."

"Yeah, he's pretty great," Sans said.

"And Frisky, she's just…" He put a hand to his soul. "I… I just wish…" Gaster's eyes traced back to the stairs. He tented his fingers and recoiled nervously onto himself. His bones rattled and he sat down on the table to catch his breath. "There's a lot I want to talk about. I… I want to tell her so much."

"So go," he said.

Gaster drooped even lower. "It's… It's too much, isn't it? I… How do I explain?"

"Explain what?" Sans said.

"…How I left her there," he said softly. "How I… I was there but I couldn't… I couldn't even…"

"Dude. That's useless," Sans said. "She doesn't blame you."

.

Gaster winced. Sans nudged him with his elbow. The tall skeleton lifted his chin and he took a deep breath. He stood up stiffly and then grabbed Sans into a tight hug, causing him to grunt and laugh.

"Okay, okay. Seriously." Sans said. "Think you two need each other right now."

"Doesn't all this frighten her?" he asked sheepishly. "Don't I…? Am I not just some…? I don't know."

Sans rolled his eyes so dramatically that it might as well have been audible. Gaster's bones flushed and he laughed and shook his head.

"Okay, I take your point," he said.

.

He headed for the stairs and then hesitantly looked back at Sans. The short skeleton raised a hand and set blue upon his father's soul and gave him a gentle nudge. Gaster scoffed and forced himself upwards.

.

He knocked on the bedroom door, waiting to open it until he heard some sort of affirmation from the kid. He hesitantly edged in only to see Frisk assembling a pile of blankets and pillows near the bed, along with a couple books which, all together, would have been far too much for her to carry on her own. He watched how she moved, how the light played off her hair; how small she was in relation to everything around her. It was all so strange that is was real. He could see this kid— his daughter— with his own eyes.

"Hey! So, I got you some stuff to keep you warm," she said brightly, kneeling as she stacked up the books, with the largest one on the bottom. "And also to spend some time if you're kinda a night-owl like Paps is sometimes. I'm not sure what kinda books you like, so I grabbed a few. Do you like adventure stories?"

"Those are fine," he said.

.

It was weird, how real it was all feeling. He'd never expected her to know who he was. Never expected to be able to properly answer a single question she asked him. Never dared to hope for this.

.

"Cool! There's this one series called the Trident of Vengeance that's really good. There's like, four books, if you like this one? Me and Sans are on book three right now," she said.

He was snapped from his thoughts. "Oh? He… reads to you, does he?"

"We trade chapters every once in a while," she said. "I'm still learning. But I'm getting a lot better. Annnnd… Um." She turned back to look at him and gently placed a final book down in the small pile. "Hey, are you okay? Does your soul hurt after that? It's not just going back, is it?"

"It's fine for now," he said quietly.

"Phew!" she said.

.

He shuffled awkwardly. Took him a second to get the words out. "Frisky. Um. May I talk to you, for a moment?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Yeah, dude, of course."

He smiled fondly. He sat on the floor and she plunked down across from him. Carefully, he held her hands. She was momentarily fascinated by the holes in his palms. He chuckled.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good," she said.

"Good. Good." He raised a hand towards her head, then paused. "I'm… sorry, I never asked if you mind."

She shook her head. He gently brushed a little hair away from her face. He looked thoughtful. She laughed.

"It's okay, you can touch my head and stuff. Papyrus was pretty interested in my hair when we first met, too," she said.

"It's just… I hope this doesn't come off as too clinical, but you're absolutely fascinating to me," he admitted. "I wonder how this is what you came to look like."

She smiled hesitantly and shrugged.

.

Honestly, the skeleton was enthralled by every aspect of her. Why had the determination picked that specific brown tone for her hair; why this lighter one for her skin? Why this warm chestnut colour for her eyes? Why these cute, sharp little features? All of it was perfect. He was sure whatever she looked like, he would have found it perfect, but even so… He chuckled and gently ruffled her hair. "You're very cute," he said.

She scoffed, her cheeks flushing. "Aw, nah."

He cautiously reached out towards her face. "May I?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," she said.

He curiously cupped her face in both hands. He felt her ears carefully. Then, her eyebrows. Cautiously, he brushed his thumb over the scar near her eye that ran down her cheek. "That mark…" he said quietly.

"Just a magic burn," she said. "From Sans saving my butt one time. No worries."

"Ah, you were lucky, then. Sitting down might have become quite awkward," he said.

She snorted.

.

He tilted her head upwards gently with his fingers under her chin. He looked thoughtful and then held her hands, his fingers focussing particularly on her knuckles and her fingernails. There were a lot of tiny, faint marks scratched on her skin. A particularly light one on the side of her hand stood out. She took the opportunity to gently touch the ridge of the holes in one of his palms.

"A little different, isn't it?" he said, smiling.

"Do they hurt?" she asked.

His smile only grew. "That's funny. When you saw them the first time, that was what you asked me right away," he said. "They don't. Not anymore. Just a little sensitive to the cold."

"Was that how you made Sans and Paps?" she asked. "You took parts of your hands?"

He nodded. "I did. It was a hole thing."

"Pfff! So you're where he gets it from," she teased.

He smiled wide. He held out his left, and then his right. "Sans. And Papyrus. Left first. For no other reason than I'm right-handed. Strange, isn't it?"

"You weren't expecting him, huh?" she asked.

"I wasn't."

"But you expected Papyrus?" she asked.

"You know, back then," he said, "we basically lived in the lab. And, poor Sans, when he was little, all he really had was me. And the King, and an intern or two, every once in a while. So I thought… a little brother, that'd be just right for him, wouldn't it?"

Frisk grinned and nodded. "That's really perfect, actually," she said. "I, um… I'm not sure how I…? Oh." Her cheeks flushed. "Actually. I think I kinda read your diary. About when you made Sans. I mean. I didn't know what that was at the time"

"Diary…? Oh! You mean my subjective experience notes for the experiment." He laughed. "Good, I'm glad, actually. Do you remember it, now?"

"Do I…? Oh! Yeah!" she said. "Wow, that's weird."

.

Gaster chuckled and looked at her fondly. He lifted her hands up again and his eyes roamed her skinny arms. His cool fingertips tested her skin. "These little marks," he muttered.

"From climbing the mountain, mostly," she said a bit shyly. "No big deal."

His brow furrowed a little. His thumb brushed over the faint discolouration of a scar on the side of her neck. "These… These are all scars, correct?"

She nodded.

"How did you get this one?"

"Oh. Umm. You know, I can't really remember," she said apologetically. "Probably from climbing under a fence or something, I dunno. Honestly, half the time I don't even notice getting scratched."

.

He sighed. He pulled back and rubbed at his forehead, like a headache was coming on. "Frisky. Frisk. I… I came up here because I wanted to apologize."

"Um. Okay. What for?" she asked with confusion.

He went quiet for a little; looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts. He put a hand on her shoulder gently. "Do you remember anything at all from when you were…? When you were very, very young?"

Frisk frowned a little. She thought back, and then shrugged and shook her head. "Like, really really little? Dunno. Not very much."

He sighed with relief. "Thank god," he said quietly. "I just… wanted to say, I'm sorry. I couldn't help you. I… tried."

"Hey, that's okay," she said. "I think I turned out okay. I'm a bit short, but that's fine, right?"

.

He smiled a little, but it was poorly masking a heavy sense of heartbreak. He pulled her into his arms and held her, cozy against his chest. "You… You do get enough to eat now, don't you? And… And you stay warm? You've stayed safe, right?" He shuddered and his voice went soft. "I'm… so sorry. Frisky, I'm so sorry."

"What? C'mon," she said quickly. "I'm okay! I'm okay. Everything is okay."

.

She felt his shoulders tremble. He snuggled her and he let out a raspy, tearful huff. Her heart broke for him.

"C'mon," she said gently. "It's okay."

"I… c-couldn't… I couldn't… do anything." His voice was gravelly and quiet. "I c-couldn't even… I couldn't even k-keep you warm. Y-You were… You were always so cold, and… A-And… so tiny, and… sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

.

Frisk was floored. She held him tight and squeezed her eyes shut, glowing as bright as she could. He breathed in sharply at the touch of her soul to his, then let her sink in as close as she could get despite the frozen spikiness of his. She felt his sorrow, his relief; his heartache. That desperate helplessness. The weight of his twisted, melted form; the inability to say a coherent word to those he cared about most in the world. How useless he felt.

She gulped. Her eyes welled up. Her throat felt like sand. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. "Hey. Listen," she said quietly. "It's okay. We're all here. We're all together."

"…It was all… my fault."

"Dad." She pulled back enough to cup his face, red shimmering in her palms.

The tears on his bones were glowing from the mismatched light burning in his eye sockets.

"Hey. Hey," she said. "Look at me. Okay? Look at me right in the eyes."

He did as she asked and she nodded and started to smile.

"I forgive you," she said.

He blinked. "W… What?"

"I forgive you. I know telling you it isn't your fault will never fly, huh? You'll always carry that with you, no matter what words I say. So. I forgive you. And besides." She grinned a little. "Your biggest goof-ups made Sans and me, and because of that we could save Asriel and everyone else, so, I think that's not so bad a record, right?"

.

He stared with shock for a few long seconds. He scooped her up in a hurry, starting to grin, and he let out a dry, raspy laugh. "You're perfect," he said quietly. "You're just perfect."

She giggled and kissed his cheek gently. "Naw, nobody's perfect. Except Papyrus."

He chuckled. He ran his fingers gently through her hair. He went quiet for a little and she clung to him, closing her eyes and letting her energy connect to his. It wasn't like with her brothers, but the familiarity made it all but effortless.

.

He breathed out a long, quiet sigh. "I… I'm sorry. I wish you hadn't seen that," he said.

"No, it was good," she assured him. "Don't hold stuff like that in, dude, you'll get super sick."

"I just…" He sighed. "I wish I could have been… normal."

"But you couldn't, so you did your best, and everything's fine now," she assured him, and she laughed. "Jeez. This is too familiar."

"Frisky, I…" He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand. "Thank you. Honestly. You're… You're very kind. I…" He sighed. "I'm not sure if I deserve that. But. I do appreciate it. Oh. And… A-And, please, if you're uncomfortable at any point, don't… I mean. You don't have to call me…" He drooped, his shoulders trembling. "This must be so incredibly strange for you. I'm sorry, I just— "

"Hey. So. I mean, you remember me, don't you?" Frisk said.

"Wh…What?" he asked.

"You remember everything, right? Like what we talked about and stuff? When you were in the void thing? Or what about when we kinda lived in that shed, or near the riverbank in that town with the big clock tower, huh? Or any of those other places."

"Of course," he said hurriedly.

She grinned and hugged him tighter. "Me too, now. So, you don't gotta act like you're just showing up outta nowhere, you know? Maybe I dunno all the stuff about you, but I feel like that's kinda okay. You know?"

Gaster chuckled softly. "…Hah. Thank you." He had to wipe his eyes once more. "Maybe, could we keep that I had a bit of a moment in here quiet from the others?"

Frisk snickered. "Five gold says Sans totally already knows."

"You're right, I'm certainly not taking that bet," he said.

.

He pulled back to catch his breath and wiped his eyes. "Chuaigh cos," he grumbled. "I never used to be like this. And now I'm bursting into tears at absolutely anything."

Frisk grinned and she started to laugh. She hugged him again. "Me too! Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," he said swiftly.

"I totally cried over Paps's spaghetti, too," she said. "When I came back. Hey. Bet we're pretty alike, huh?"

"I wouldn't be shocked," he said.

.

She looked thoughtful. She stood on her toes and waved him closer. When he leaned down curiously, she grabbed his head and gently bonked it against hers.

"Stole it," she said.

"Wh… What?" he asked.

"Sans does that for me," she said. "Whenever I get too low. It helps."

"A… transfer of thoughts?" he asked.

"It's not real," Frisk said, sticking her tongue out. "But! Pretend it is. And then it's just somewhere else. It helps. Promise."

.

Gaster started at her for a few seconds before he began to smile. He chuckled. "You're lovely. It may take a while, but, honestly, that does help."

"Gotcha covered, dad," she assured him.

He smiled a bit wider, his cheekbones flushing. She grinned.

"I have an idea," she said. "We should ask Sans if we can watch his favourite tape."

"His favourite tape?" he repeated.

Frisk nodded enthusiastically. "It's really funny," she said. "I don't think you've seen it, he found it after your accident, but it's one of my favourites now, too. But I'm sure you'll love it. Might cheer you up a little." She got to her feet.

He slumped a little and then plopped on his back onto the floor. "If I fall to pieces in the meanwhile, just ask Papyrus to reassemble me, alright? He always loved puzzles."

Frisk snickered. "You got it. I'll go ask Sans," she said. "I'm sure he'll say yes. Just catch your breath, okay? You're gonna be just fine. Promise."

"Hah. Thank you."

.

Frisk scurried out of the room and slid down the banister to meet Sans, who was lazing on the couch. "Hey," she said.

"Hey." He smiled a bit. "He okay now? Get some of that guilt outta his system?"

"Getting there," Frisk said. "Do you think we could watch that tape with the robots?"

"Mhm."

She grinned. "He's gonna love it!"

"Guess I'll get it." Sans vanished.

Frisk scampered into the kitchen and put the kettle on and got the packets for the hot chocolate out.

.

By the time she finished making it, Sans was back on the sofa, drowsily holding the remote. She gave him a mug and he raised it gratefully. She shot him a thumbs-up and then hurried back upstairs. Gaster was still on the floor. Still in one piece.

.

"Heya," she said. "You're not in a pile, that's good. Caught your breath at all?"

"A bit," he said. "Thank you."

"Brought you something."

He looked at her curiously and then sat up, rubbing the back of his skull. She passed him the warm mug. He looked at it blankly for a few seconds and then sipped it.

"Ooh. That's nice. Thank you, Frisky. Frisk. Sorry."

"Why sorry?" she asked.

"You chose Frisk."

"That's okay!" she said with a laugh. "Seems like every monster I ever met had a new nickname for me! I don't mind whatever you call me."

.

He smiled bashfully. When he got to his feet, he chugged his drink and patted Frisk gently on the head. "Thank you," he said again.

She grinned and nodded. She grabbed his hand and brought him downstairs.

.

She got him to the couch with Sans and took his mug from him to refill it. He sat down and rubbed at his eyes. Sans shot him a sympathetic smile. He held out his hand. His father raised his brows, but he grabbed it, and Sans grinned and shocked him with a little pulse of blue.

"You alright?" he asked.

Gaster nodded. He rubbed his brow with the heel of his hand. "Croith mé. I… I need to keep it together," he muttered.

"You gotta forgive yourself a little, huh?" Sans said. "Won't do that kid any good if she sees guilt in you whenever you look at her."

"You're right," Gaster said. "I can't hold onto that forever. It'll drive me crazy."

"Drive me crazy, too," Sans said with a wink.

.

Frisk came back with more hot chocolate for Gaster, and then squished herself between the two skeletons quite comfortably. Sans took a sip of his drink and grinned, ruffling her hair.

"Ah, kiddo, you're too good to me," he said.

She shook her head, but grinned wide. "Happy you like it," she said.

"You're not still spiking things with ketchup, are you?" Gaster asked.

"You know it," Sans said.

He rolled his eyes and laughed, giving Frisk a playful nudge with his elbow. "I have no idea where he gets that from," he said.