You walk through Waterfall once again, passing several monsters you've met before especially Temmie who seems more hyper than usual, but now you've taken a turn off at the turtle vendor. You remember Papyrus talking about the taxi so you thought you should at least see who this person is before you fight Asgore and now seems like the best time to check it out.

You walk down the cool path, the temperature feeling good after the encounter with Grillby, not that you don't like his warmth it's just that the gradual change in temperature felt nice. You stumble upon a river, the calm waters splashing softly against the bank, you remember here. You met someone in purple who you couldn't tell if they were man or woman, and they wouldn't say either, but they were nice and wanted to see your smile. . .and their boat was shaped weird.

"Tra la la. Tra li li." That voice, you recognize it. They're coming!

The boat pulls up to the bank in front of you, the Riverperson as you remember looks to you and claps their hands. They're taller than you remember.

"Ah, the human has returned!" They jump off the boat and hug you rather tightly, you are too constricted to move let alone breathe, "and not that bad human the human I like the smile from." They gleam.

They let you go after a while, you breath hard as you hold your chest but throw a smile at them anyway. A memory starts to appear, one that doesn't seem to fit in with the story line.

The Riverperson stared at you silently, you don't know if they were glaring at you or not but you didn't care, you just wanted to kill him.

"Ah, the human has returned," it sounded more like a hiss, "I would offer you a ride in my boat but you don't seem to want one."

Your sadistic smile grew as you walk closer to him, knife glistening in what little light was in the area. When close enough you lunged for him and slashed his torso, you smirked expecting to hear the hissing like sound that occurs when a monster turns to dust but then you frown. He was still standing, untouched, unscathed. Growling you slashed him again but you see the knife faze through him, you couldn't believe it. A monster you couldn't kill, that's impossible!

"Ah, so you've realized," his body leaned to the left, "that I can't die that is. You must be so upset, I can see it in your face y'know, even behind that weird smile of yours," you growled at him and wanted to stab him out of anger, "but everyone (in this realm and the next) knows that NPCs don't die no matter how hard you try to kill them. Unfortunately I am bound by the same rules, but then again I'm not a fighter, I'm a traveller."

He chuckled to himself, he looked to you once more stepping closer to you. You don't flinch or back down, just tense at how close he is, "but, even though I can't kill you, if you continue resetting and fucking up shit I'll make your life a living hell and trust me I always deliver. I'm not the best taxi in all of Underground for nothing." He growled.

He turned away and walked back to his boat, stepping on it and tapping it lightly for it to move, "now good day Geno human, hopefully if I see you again I can actually kill you." His voice chipper and light despite the heaviness in his words.

He waved at you, his sleeve falling only enough to see his hand. It was boney, a skeleton hand, another skeleton? He realized this and put his hand down, turning in the direction the boat was going and starting to sing again.

"Tra la la Tra li li," he sang, "you'll get what you deserve, you'll see."

River person tilts their head at you seeing you stare off into space, shaking your shoulders to bring you back to earth.

"Hello, smiling human? Whatcha star gazing for?"

You snap out of your gaze and apologize for spacing out.

"Hakuna matata, I'm just glad my smiler is back," he hugs you again making you laugh, "oh, and he laughs too? Brilliant!!!"

Their goofy attitude was something you really need now that Papyrus isn't here to cheer you up, even if you don't exactly know them persay. They let you go again after a while and look up thoughtfully, nodding to themselves quietly.

"Someone is in need of my services so I must go," they slump their shoulders, you frown as well, you don't want them to go yet, "even if I don't want to leave and that's rare but alas I must, but I'll leave you with a word of advice," he leans close and you let him whisper into your ear, "befriend the man who speaks in hands." They say.

Somehow that sends a shiver down your spine, who's this man they speak of and why does he speak in hands? What does that even mean?

They hold your face, a bone hand touching your skin, wait. . .a skelehand?

"And don't forget about those mushrooms I told you about." They say seriously as you struggle to stifle your laugh.

They run off waving their hands wildly, you try to catch them to get answers, what were they talking about- who were they talking about?

"Now I must depart!" They place their hands on their hips and stand valiantly, "and spread my good words to all who needs them," though they don't make sense sometimes, the boat starts to drift off towards what you assume to be Snowdin, "goodbye Human, may we see each other again in a nice timeline!"

They drift down the river laughing proudly, you try to get their attention but give up when they disappeared. They may be a friendly person but that was just rude. You huff as you turn around, thinking to yourself what RP meant, you walk past the turtle vendor again towards the room with the glowing mushrooms. Even when deep in your thoughts you notice something. . .odd. . .more odder than your usual encounter down here (that grammar though). Walking down the hall that you walked with Papyrus before, you notice a grey wooden door.

You remember seeing the door on your first trip with Papyrus and Kid but didn't have the time to check it out. You study the door, it looks old and worn but is there recently, had someone put it there in a matter of hours and how? The handle of the door glitches. Glitches? The fuck????? The rest of the door starts to glitch too, like it isn't supposed to be there. . .

Despite being part cat, curiosity gets the better of you and you slowly reach out to the knob. It stops glitching when you touch it, you take a deep breath through your nose and slowly open the door, inside is completely different than outside. Hell, it doesn't even look like you're in Waterfall anymore. The door slams behind you and you almost jump two feet in the air, you spin around trying to get the door to open again, it won't budge. Stupid door. You hear a raspy hissing behind you, distorted static is all you could describe it as, your ears flatten under the beanie as you gulp dryly, slowly turning your head around to see a hunched figure in black.

It looks more like a black blob than anything else. It keeps getting bigger and smaller as if it's breathing, maybe it's sleeping? You slowly tiptoe towards it as to not wake it up if it really is sleeping, as you get closer you realize the room you're in is white and plush like a padded room for a crazy person. . .this person isn't crazy, right? Well you're a cat-lizard-human hybrid who has a flame uncle, befriended a goat woman, two skeletons, a psychotic fish woman, a weabo dinosaur, and an armless reptilian kid, and had a lap dance from a stripper robot. You're surprised you are still sane.

The blob stops moving suddenly and you stop in your tracks as well, did it hear you coming? The blob is growing taller and leaner, taller than you, taller than Toriel, hell taller than Papyrus, black appendages start to form at the base of the blob and something white pops out of the top, a head maybe? You can feel your soul quiver in your chest at the sight of it. The head slowly turns around and spots you, it doesn't even seem scared to see you. . .just confused. . .or surprised?

The whole body turns around, it seems to be wearing clothes. A white turtleneck and black mass surrounds it like a jacket, the head has black void sockets with a hairline crack from the top of the half lidded right socket leading to the back of his skull and another hairline crack under the elongated left socket that leads down his cheek bone. He has a pair of hands with large circles through the palms but they aren't attached to him. . .strange.

Despite his appearance you don't feel scared anymore, well not that much, but he reminds you of Papyrus and Sans. . .for some reason. He bends down until he's eye level and seems to be examining you, his hands rubbing against themselves, he must be nervous, especially since people see you as a human. Nevertheless you throw him a smile.

*You say it's nice to meet him.

His left socket widens, the right one doesn't seem to move much, he's surprised but why?

'You know sign language too?' His hands moves, it's a bit weird because they aren't attached to him but you ignore it.

He seems really surprised by this though.

*You say yes and ask how he knew.

'I was self taught.' He signs, 'I thought I was the only one who could actually sign.'

He leans in closer, more in your personal bubble, and the appendages at the base twitch every now and then.

'Who are you, Human?' He tilts his head to the side.

*You tell him your name.

Yellow flickers in his sockets but it disappears before you can register it properly.

'My name is W.D G-A-S-T-E-R,' he smiles, 'how did you get in here? '

*You tell him a door from Waterfall lead you here, pointing towards the door that slammed in on you.

He eyes the door, squinting his eyes suspiciously, then looks back to you. He sees Bugle and his left hand grabs your wrist and bring it to his face.

'Papyrus made this for you? He's never done that before.'

You were about to say that he did make it but then it hits you, you didn't tell him anything about Papyrus or the flower so how does he know??

*You gently tug your hand away and ask how he knew about Papyrus and the flower.

'Well because I'm his father, I know my sons' magic anywhere.' He says sheepishly, like he feels awkward about something.

Your eyes widen, he's his father??? That would mean he's Sans' too!!!!! Wait, but if he's their father then how come there are no traces of him at their house or why didn't the skelebros mention him ever???

'They don't remember me. . .it's a long story." He slumps, knowing what you are thinking.

You sit on the ground and give him a smile, you really want to hear what happened to him. He smiles softly and lets out a breathy chuckle, getting shorter and wider. Probably his version of sitting.

He starts with how he was the royal scientist before Alphys, how he fell into the CORE, how he was erased from time and space, how no one not even his own sons remembers him, how it disfigured him and his blasters (he said those were his weapons and Sans inherited them from him, he's not sure if Papyrus can do the same, you remember them but don't want to remember the that experience), how he misses his sons and how much he wants to leave the Void. The Void is where the world sent him after he fell into the CORE.

Just as you had your spirits lifted by a cheerful stranger from a heart wrenching experience, life has to smother you in the feels again. You don't want to cry again but you can feel the tears daring to come out, he sees your face and tries to calm you down so you won't cry although he looks like he's about to panic himself. To save yourself the heartache and headache of crying three times in two days you just give him a hug because hugs are the best medicine, plus he feels like a giant marshmallow. A giant sciency, breathing black marshmallow. Gaster flinches and stiffens in your hold, you guess he hasn't had physical contact in a long time but he slowly wraps his arms around you. Well, places his hands on your back.

After about 5-10 minutes you two pull away, he seems more relaxed now and his smile is growing.

'Thank you,' he grins, 'I needed that.'

*You tell him you don't have to thank him but then ask if there was anyway for you to get him out of the Void.

'I doubt it, nothing leaves the Void, trust me I've tried. . .' he slumps a little but then look up to you again, 'can you do me a favor?' He twiddles his thumbs nervously, you nod trying to make him less anxious, 'could you not tell my sons about me?'

WHAT????????????

'At least until I find a way out of here. Papyrus doesn't remember me at all since he was young when I had to disappear for work in my labs, but Sans remembers me. . .somewhat. . .I know he still has the machine we used to work on when he was still young but knowing him he isn't anywhere close to fixing it. I'm sorry to place such a heavy burden on you after just meeting you but please, for me, for my sons, don't tell them anything.'

He starts giving you the puppy dog eyes, even though he doesn't have eyes the cuteness is just overwhelming you.

*You tell him you won't tell the brothers.

'Thank you,' he smiles, 'I think you should leave now, the door is starting to disappear.'

You look behind you curiously seeing the grey door is in fact fading away, slowly but surely, you're starting to feel panic run through, fearing you would be stuck here if you don't get out but you want to stay to ask him more questions.

'Don't worry, we'll meet again soon,' he signs seeing your disgruntled look, 'go before you're stuck here as well. I wouldn't want Papyrus to forget you too.' He smiles bitterly.

You give him a sad smile, nodding as you stand and he stood with you, you give him one last hug before heading to the door. Looking behind you one last time he gives a small wave and a faint smile that you return, you open the door that almost faded away and step through, entering Waterfall once again. But when the door clicks behind you and you turn around once more it was gone, just a blank wall now. You stare dumbfounded at the space the door was, just as mysteriously the door appeared it disappears without a trace.

You scratch the back of your head, pondering how and why the door appeared there in the first place but you come up empty.

*Meeting the strange and mysterious Gaster adds to your determination to continue you journey.