Stone had so many thoughts running around his skull, as he made his way through the maze of hallways in Sci's lab.

Break's plan of trying to pass Solace off as an adult poof baby did have a lot of holes within it, but at the same time, it could work...

Solace talked like a toddler, and they even ate like one, their body found it easier to absorb what it needed from simple foods, fruit purees, and Dino nuggets.

Their Magic even felt like a toddler's Magic, so it wouldn't be that hard to pass them off as a poof baby, if it wasn't for the fact that they had appeared in an Adult's body...

But then again, considering how the shift in power had destabilised a lot of things in their Multiverse, Break could be right in saying that they could pass off the adult body as a side effect of the unstable Multiverse being unable to delay the growth of their body, while it waited for a safe, and stable enough, point in time to do the poof part of creating a poof baby...

If they could get Sci on their side, then it would be easier for them to pass Solace off as an adult poof baby, but that wasn't what worried Stone the most...

What worried him the most would be the Council's reaction to learning about Solace's existence...

They would be so, so, so treasured by all of them, even the fight hungry members of the Council, due to being the first ever 'child' born during their rule.

They wouldn't even care that Solace wasn't a normal poof baby, because of what their appearance would mean to them...

They would be the first sign that the Multiverse was finally stabilizing itself after they had risen to power...

Heck, Solace's 'birth' could even be the spark for a new war since the entire Council would fight each other for the right to raise them, treating them like they were a piece of property to be won.

Stone would much rather prefer to raise Solace in secret, and release them into the Multiverse when they were old enough to make their own choices, but the Little Petal needed medical care, and tools, that one could only get through the Council. The Neutrals just didn't have what they would need, to help the Little Petal live a normal life.

And that meant that the Council would have to learn about Solace's existence, so that the Little Petal could get the help that they needed.

Stone prayed that one of the more reasonable members of the Council were visiting Sci right now. They wouldn't say anything about Solace's existence, unless they didn't have a choice, and they would be happy to leave the Little Petal alone...

But if it was one of the more unreasonable members of the Council, then he was turning around, and going back home. He could come back another day to talk with Sci about the moved appointment.

He knew that the more violent members of the Council wouldn't hesitate in turning Solace into a weapon, or a bargaining chip, to get what they wanted.

He took a deep breath as he opened the door to Sci's office.

-----

Red was softly chatting to Sci when he heard the door open, he looked over to it, to tell whoever was coming in to get out since he was here first, only to stop when he saw that it was Stone.

Red didn't tell the other members of the Council that he had a soft spot for the physical therapist that showed a few signs of being from a Lust based AU.

Red had been one of the few Council members that had been against burning Lusttale, and other Lust based AUs, to the ground. It wasn't their fault that the Sanses of that AU were who they were, and they didn't have the right to judge them for something that they didn't like, or understand.

But they had been outvoted, and so, Lusttale had been destroyed.

Red had hid the smirk on his face when the Council's forces came back with less Sanses that they had left with. It served them right for thinking that Lusttale would go down without a fight.

Honestly, with how feisty the Fell Lusts could be in a bed, it should have a clue that the pretty faces wouldn't go down without a fight... Heck, most of the Fell Lusts had performed kamikaze attacks, taking out several Sanses with them, when they realized that they were here to kill them.

Those members of the Council were morons. Red still laughed behind their backs whenever they threw tantrums about Lust slaughtering the group that they sent to kill him. He also made fun of them for losing Lust, after the pretty face managed to survive the firey demise of his AU, and had disappeared without a trace.

Red just knew that one day, the Council would be overthrown by those that were tired of their shit, and their stupid rules.

If their Multiverse didn't crash and take them with it...

Because honestly, even if the balances that they had talked about didn't exist, something like that existing would explain how their Multiverse worked.

"Ah, Stone! This is a suprise!" Sci smiled. "What brings you here? You're a bit early for the equipment pick up. My appointment's next week."

Stone sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with the palm of his gloved left hand. "Well, about that, I kinda need that slot for an emergency appointment. I've got this Sans that can't feel anything below their thighs. I did the Ecto test, and their Ecto is not normal."

"Oh my! That does sound serious!" Sci cried. "And since you're in the area, and I have the tools that you need, you want to do my appointment now, and use the equipment for your emergency patient?"

"Of course!" Stone smiled. "And since my annual health check up is about five days after your original appointment, I can bring them with me, and you can do the health check part of having to rearrange the appointment then!"

"I should have enough time to give them a health check up after your appointment." Sci nodded his head. "You are my only client for a health check up on the day in question. How about you give me all of their details while we go through my physical therapy? I can have a file ready for them if I start it now."

"Well..." Red saw the unease and worry in Stone's eyelights as they flickered, when they moved to look at him. What was he so worried about? Red would approve the request to use the equipment for this unknown Sans. It was his way of making up for what his side had done to the Lust based AUs, but what had made Stone so worried, that Red could see the worry in his usual stone like eyelights? "It's complicated Sci... Their name is Solace, and apart from their body, they're technically a poof baby..."

Then, there was the sound of brains being rebooted, Red didn't know if it was his brain, or Sci's, because it felt like the ground under his feet was jelly, or was that just the aftermath of him almost fainting?

Stars above... A poof baby... A child! The first since the Council's takeover of the Multiverse, and Reapertale taking the kids in as political refugees....

"Stone.... This is... How?!" Sci eventually asked, saying one of the questions that Red wanted to ask.

"I don't know...." Stone said. "I do know that it's my kid... Mine and Break's... They got the purple Magic colour from him, two eyelights from me... But there must be a third, or even more than one, extra parent, because they don't physically look like us, but other than that... We don't just know!

The unrest must have delayed their poofing, Break and I aren't even dating yet! He still hasn't seen that I'm courting him, and we were surrounded by other skeletons, and one of them, or even one than more of them, could be the other parent! Break's Magic wasn't stable enough to support a Babybones back then, when they should have poofed, but they didn't!

Their physical development didn't stop, thanks to the Multiverse being so unstable, so they're basically a Babybones in an Adult's body, and we're worried that the delayed poofing has more side effects than the lack of feeling below their thighs!"

Stone took a deep breath. "They've just started speaking, and like all toddlers, they have to repeat anything, and everything, that they hear! They're using the F word to describe everything, or they're calling everything, and everyone, 'Puppy'!"

Sci chuckled. "So, like any other child then?"

"Yes, but adult sized." Stone flopped into a seat. "Break's absolutely thrilled, he lost contract with a group of Skeletons that he was caring for, during the Unrest, so to have another little one to care for, is good for his mental health."

"Of course it would be, judging from what you have told me of him." Sci smiled.

Stone frowned. "But as much as we want to raise them without outside help, we just can't... Medically, we need outside help, especially if we have to adjust our houses to accommodate for Solace needing a wheelchair to get around. House adjustments can be expensive without the help of a grant, or other sources of funding, to help cover the bills without destroying our savings."

Sci winced. "Yeah, that would destroy your savings. It was hell on mine just to buy what I needed to temporary adjust my house when Pap broke his legs, and needed a wheelchair for a few months, and this was before the grants, and funding, were available to cover for that."

Stone slumped in his seat. "Break is not going to be pleased about random strangers being in his house, especially if they send more time cooing over Solace. The kid is sociable now, but that's only because they know that me and Break are safe..."

"Toddlers don't react well when their safe spaces are invaded." Sci frowned. "Their Magic doesn't like it... And since you say that Solace has an Adult body, they may accidentally hurt the builders by summoning bone attacks that they can't control."

"And that will get us in trouble, opening us up to the risk of someone else trying to take over the custody of Solace, which could have devastating side effects on their development." Stone growled. "And just finding someone that can build a customised permanent wheelchair, is going to take out most of the medical grant funds, if Solace needs one!"

Sci tilted his skull. "How about we do my physical therapy appointment first? I should have some free time afterwards, that I can use to start designing that wheelchair for you, so that you have it if Solace needs it."

"You're a lifesaver Sci. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. I owe you one for giving Pap physical therapy, and it is the sort of thing that will be useful in the future. It would be nice to do something different for a change."

Stone smiled. "Yeah. It would be nice to do something different for a change."

----

Red slipped out while Sci had his physical therapy appointment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard...

A baby... An actual poof baby! The first one since the Council had started their takeover of the Multiverse...

Not even the news of the baby having the body of an Adult, or being potentially permanently disabled below their thighs, would stop them from celebrating...

He knew that Stone had seen him, but his professional responsibilities came first, so Red knew that he would get a chance to gather the information that the Council would need, when he was done...

To be honest, Red would have even approved of Stone using Sci's old appointment to treat an emergency case, even before he knew that it was a kid that needed it.

He had so many sins resting on his shoulders... He had never agreed to the whole takeover plan, from the moment that it was born...

But he had been outvoted, and outnumbered. Too many of them had agreed to the plan... And not enough of them had spoken up, against it, at the time...

By the time that reality hit for a lot of them, it was too late to stop it...

Their inaction in stepping up, and speaking against the plan, had left them with sins on their shoulders.

Red didn't even know how they managed to get Reaper of all Sanses, to step back, and let this happen! The plan had caused many to die, but Reaper didn't even try to stop them!

Red was still pissed that the Council had made the Star Sanses their attack dogs, and that thing that controlled them... That... That wasn't Swap.

Red didn't know what had happened, but those closest to Swap knew that 'Blue' wasn't him. Swap would never do anything to hurt his cherished Mates, Red was one of the few to know... Maybe he was the only one that knew... That the Star Sanses were more than just 'best friends'...

He had told Boss that they should go something about the fake Swap, but Boss always told him to wait... That it wasn't the right time.

Boss was higher up in the Council's hierarchy than Red was... Maybe he saw something that Red missed? Or he knew something that Red didn't know... And he was waiting for the right time to strike... Or the Council could have found a way to keep his brother under their thumb... Red just didn't know...

But what Red did know, was that they were being lazy... The wrong kind of lazy... None of them were doing anything to fix the mess that they were in, they were just sitting back, and complaining about the current state of the Multiverse, and expecting someone else to fix the mess that they had made...

Red was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the door opening, and he looked up to see that it was Stone, the physical therapist didn't have a smile on his face, and Red couldn't see any emotions in his eyelights.

"Red."

"Stone." Red's hands twitched, he wished that he had a toothpick, or even a cigarette, to chew on. He needed something to act as a stress toy, he had a feeling that this conversation was going to be a difficult one.

"I'm not going to tell the shits about ya Kid." He eventually said. "Not yet... Can't put it off forever, but I can give you a headstart."

"Thanks." Stone relaxed. "I appreciate that. If I had my way, then you guys would only know about Solace when they were old enough to tell you to leave them alone, without any repercussions, but with the current condition of their bones, I don't have a choice. They need the medic help from the Council..."

"Because the Netruals don't have the resources to provide it?" Red asked, and Stone froze.

"How did you know about that?!" He hissed at the Underfell Skeleton.

"How do you think that the Netruals have been able to get away with starting the collection of those resources?" Red grinned. "Me, Boss, and a few friends, have been running inference. We don't agree on just how much you should have, but we do agree that you should be able to take care of your minor injuries, without relying on us."

Stone scoffed. "I appreciate that, but if you really cared, you would get rid of the Council."

Red flinched. "It's not that easy... We don't know where to start, or what to do! You can't overthrow the Council without a plan!"

Stone tchhed. "So, you're just going to be lazy and wait for someone else to do it for you. You're just a coward Red, hiding behind all your efforts to 'help' those that aren't part of the Council. Show me that you still have some fucking balls, and that you aren't one of the Council's neutered pets!" Stone grabbed Red by the collar of his turtleneck, and held him up by it, so that he could look Red in the eyelights. "Take the first damn step you coward, and do something about the fucking mess that you, and so many others, have created for yourselves!"

"But---"

"I don't give a fuck about what you're going to tell me Red, I know how this song and dance goes. A new Skeleton, that's practically a child, appearing when it should be almost impossible for that to happen, equals that child being the one who has to clean up this shitty mess!

And that is not going to happen. Solace is just a kid, and they are going to stay that way. They are going to complain about eating their veggies, about having a bed time, and about being grounded. I am not going to let my baby do someone's dirty work for them! Get your ass off of your damn couch, and do your fucking job Red!

Solace's job right now is to heal and recover, I don't know who they were before they came here, but I know that they have loved ones that are worried sick about them! I'm going to make sure that when they see them again, that they are happy, healthy, and on the road to recovery."

Stone dropped Red, and the Underfell Skeleton landed on his tailbone. "Get up, and start fucking doing something." Stone turned around, and he started to walk away, with the heels of his flat boots making a clicking sound, as if he was wearing stiletto high heels, reminding Red of a certain Sans, that had a pretty face, and wouldn't hesitate to shove the toe of one of those heels, into a tailbone, of any Sanses that he felt needed that kick to make them get up, and do something about whatever they were complaining about...

Which was probably why the Council got rid of the Lustverses...

Because of their ability to shove sharp and pointy shoes into tailbones, which they did to get others to do things...

Things that they may not like, but needed to be done.

Red sighed. He needed a drink, but he knew one thing...

'May the Angel have mercy on the unlucky shits that try to take Stone's baby from him, because he won't have any to give...'