Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Papyrus woke abruptly, every sense on fire  as he tried to determine what was wrong. It took a moment before he realized that what had disturbed his rest had merely been Tabatha leaving their bed in quite a hurry. A glance at the clock conformed that is was still the early hours of the morning and he tilted his skull in slight confusion. Why had she suddenly left?

Swinging his legs around, the lanky monster got to his feet and followed after his wife, seeing the light on in the bathroom through the open door. As he strode down the hall, he heard a truly wretched noise come from within and prompt ran to cover the remaining distance. What he saw was his human partner kneeling on the floor, head resting on the bowl of the toilet, panting and sweaty.

"BELOVED?" he questioned, trying to keep his voice low for the sake of the other sleeping inhabitants of the manor.

"Hurgh...sorry I woke you," the brunette apologized, shivering as she twisted around. "Just...felt really sick all of a sudden."

"DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE FLU?" Papyrus had very little experience with human sickness, but he had heard of a few that could cause such symptoms."

"M-maybe," Tabatha managed to choke out before she twisted back around, her whole body convulsing violently as she vomited a second time. Helpless to do more than hold her hair back so it didn't get filthy, Papyrus stroked her back and murmured comforting words while his lover struggled to fight down her sickness and stop shaking from the exertion.

"DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ALRIGHT TO RETURN TO BED NOW?" he dared ask when she slumped backwards against him, completely spent.

"I-I think so," his wife breathed out shakily. "But it m-might not be over."

"NEVER FEAR, MY LOVE," the skeleton declared gently, taking her up in his arms. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TEND TO YOU. SHOULD YOU WANT OR NEED ANYTHING, SIMPLY ASK. YOU MUST REST. WE WILL SEE DOCTOR ALPHYS IN THE MORNING TO EVALUATE YOUR CONDITION."

"You're too good to me," Tabatha sighed, snuggling into his embrace as he carried her from the room back to their bed and gently laid her down.

"NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR THE AMAZING MRS. SKELETON," was the cheeky reply he gave, nuzzling his forehead against hers as he tucked her between the sheets. "I WOULD GIVE YOU THE STARS THEMSELVES IF YOU ASKED FOR THEM."

"I think I'll settle for snuggles," the brunette murmured, eyes drifting shut.

"THEN YOU SHALL HAVE THEM."

Papyrus and Tabatha sat waiting outside the smaller of the basement labs for the final results of Alphys' testing. The small monster often felt rushed when anyone was in the room with her and was prone to nervous mistakes, so it was customary to give her space when coming for her advice. Of course it had been close to twenty minutes so either she was rechecking her math for the fifth time or--

The door opened and the fidgeting scientist poked her head outside.

"O-okay, I've g-got some results. Come on I-I'm."

Tabatha let her husband help her up, still feeling a little nauseous and not trusting her feet. Insisting that she take the only other chair in the office, Papyrus stood behind his beloved human with his hands on her shoulders in support.

"W-well I don't really know h-how to say this..." Alphys hedged nervously.

"PLEASE, BE DIRECT," the skeleton insisted.  "IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WE NEED TO KNOW."

"Th-that's the problem," the reptilian monster sighed. "I c-couldn't find anything wrong. Not ph-physically a-anyway."

"What are you saying?" Tabatha pressed. "That it's something wrong with my Soul?"

"I-I'm not the most knowledgeable with hu-human Souls. Th-the most I can tell is that your body is reacting to a ch-change in your S-Soul, b-but I don't know if it's good or bad."

"WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO?"

"D-doctor Gaster w-would probably be able t-to diagnose the sh-shift since humans a-are his area of expertise, b-but other than that, I don't know."

Papyrus wrapped his arms around his wife, whether to comfort himself or her it was hard to tell. She had taken the news fairly well, though the concern in her features was not unwarranted. She may or may not have a problem right down to the core of her being --they was no small matter. Yet nothing was confirmed yet; there was still a chance it was just a minor thing.

But all the same, it was time to see the expert and get his opinion.

Gaster was in his office when the couple knocked on the door, opening it for them with one of his many magical hands so he could finish adding some powder to one of his mixtures.

"IS THIS A BAD TIME, FATHER?" Papyrus asked. "WE CAN LEAVE IF YOU ARE BUSY."

"Not at all; I was just finishing this drug for our next interrogation," was the smooth answer. "Have a seat."

Like in Alphys' office, there was only one extra chair, but rather than stand behind her, this time the tall skeleton sat and took his wife onto his lap. Gaster stuck a stopper in his beaker of chemicals before straightening his lab coat and sitting up with better posture.

"What may I do for you two?" he asked, tone warm.

"THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENING WITH TABATHA," Papyrus hastened to explain. "SHE HAS BEEN FEELING ILL, BUT WHEN WE WENT TO DOCTOR ALPHYS, SHE DETERMINED THERE WAS NOTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG."

"Ah," Gaster nodded in understanding. "You would like me to examine her Soul then?"

"Yes and you have my consent," Tabatha affirmed, familiar with the process. "Do you want to go out to the lab or..."
"This is sufficient for a primary evaluation.  It will only take a minute, so it would be foolish to move."

Shedding his white coat and leaving it on the back of his chair, Gaster stepped around his desk, rolling up his sleeves as Papyrus linked hands with his beloved in a gesture of support. The Soul-summoning happened swiftly enough, Tabatha's kind essence floating freely, the bottom tip nearly dipping through the hole in Gaster's palm.
Visually, nothing was wrong, but the furrowing of the scientist's bony brow suggested otherwise. The green Soul pulsed with anxiety and Gaster frowned slightly.

"I need you to remain calm, please," he requested with a touch of irritation. "It is hard to tell what I am seeing if your emotions interfere."

"Sorry," the human mumbled, taking several deep breaths to try settling herself. Her husband nuzzled his nasal bone against her cheek and began to murmur soothing words which calmed her fears enough that her Soul ceased the panicked beat.

It took several minutes before Gaster seemed satisfied with his examination and released the green energy. Folding his arms and leaning against his desk, he gathered his words.

"Tabatha, how long ago was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?"

Caught off guard, it took the human nearly a minute to answer.

"Uh, a little more than two weeks ago?"

"And...you and Papyrus are actively...having relations? Involving bodies and Souls both?"

"Yes...Gaster, what is going on?"

"There isn't much conclusive evidence yet as I have never seen such Soul changes within a human before," the scientist mused, "but if my suspicions are correct...then I believe the two of you may be expecting a child."

The whole world seemed to hold its breath, then...

"IS...IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!" Papyrus burst suddenly. "I THOUGHT HUMANS AND MONSTERS WERE... INCOMPATIBLE IN THAT REGARD!"

"I will need to monitor the situation for some time to truly confirm my theory, but perhaps through you two merely being with one another has made you compatible. Tabatha's magic concentration has spiked, meaning that she has either absorbed quite a bit through direct magical contact or is retaining higher levels maintain the life of an unformed half-magic being. The morning sickness also supports my belief in her pregnancy."

"A child..." Tabatha breathed, one hand dropping to her stomach. "I never thought..."

"I COULD BE A FATHER!" her husband burst. "OH STARS! A CHILD?! THIS IS THE MOST WONDERFUL OF NEWS!"

"Settle down, Papyrus," Gaster remarked in a fatherly way. "I don't need to remind you two that a hybrid between our races is unheard of. This is going to be unlike anything I or anyone has ever seen before, so I have no idea what to expect. I'm afraid that until we recognize patterns and how this conception is received you will not be permitted to work in the field any longer. I will inform Don Asgore as to what has occurred. Do not be surprised if he begins to smother you with luxuries--he tends to get...excited about such things.”

Tabatha nodded, still in obvious shock as she slowly got to her feet. Papyrus was equally silent, but his excitement was clearly visible in his wider-than-usual grin. The pair left the office without another word, but Gaster could clearly hear the rapid-fire words coming from his younger son from the other side of the door, asking his human partner if they should tell Sans and when and how they should go about it. The old scientist chuckled to himself as he busied himself with cleaning up the serum he'd been making, an extra pair of magical hands going to his bookshelf to retrieve one of his journals. Once the desk space was clear, he picked up a pen and began to write in his symbolic language.

Tabatha came in today. Her Soul indicated a sharp increase of magical concentration and I detected the beginnings of a mutual energy flow in the bond she shares with Papyrus. The usage of my newest compound in her food and water has delivered the desired results: conception has occurred. I had begun to fear that even with enhanced reception to magic Tabatha would be incapable of carrying a half-monster child. My fears have been put to rest; I now can look forward to my grandchild’s arrival and continue to monitor both their development and what changes Tabatha will experience both physically and Soulfully.

Chapter Text

Sans coughed violently as he inhaled his drink rather than swallowing it. When he managed to recover, he stared with wide eyesockets at his brother and sister-in-law.

"uh, care to run that by me again?"

"I'm pregnant, Sans," Tabatha repeated with an amused smile. "Papyrus and I are expecting a child."

The short mobster looked from one of the couple to the other, nothing but absolute shock across his skull.

"h-how long ago did this happen? how long have you two known?"

"WE WERE FIRST AWARE OF SOMETHING GOING ON...WAS IT FOUR WEEKS AGO?" Papyrus confirmed with his wife, who gave an affirmative nod. "SHE HAD A BOUT OF SUDDEN SICKNESS WITHOUT ANY KIND OF ILLNESS THAT DOCTOR ALPHYS COULD FIND, SO WE WENT TO FATHER TO CHECK IF IT WAS SOMETHING IN HER SOUL. HE WASN'T CERTAIN AT THE TIME, BUT HE IS NOW! EVEN THE HUMAN DOCTOR WE WENT TO VISIT CONFIRMED IT!"

"you two..." Sans was lost for words as he shook his head in disbelief. "you're going to be parents...oh stars, i'm gonna be an uncle."

"You about to pass out on me, bad boy?" The brunette teased. "News too much?"

"how is this even possible?" the stocky skeleton asked, his bewilderment obvious. "we're not even..."

"Gaster has some theories, but nothing concrete. Something like I've just provided the physical form while Paps' magic kindled life, but until he's certain its safe to do some tests, we're just in the dark."

"IT IS AN ACTUAL MIRACLE," her husband added, cradling his human's smaller form and gazing at her with pure adoration. "OUR LITTLE MIRACLE."

"right," Sans muttered, his eyelights flicking to the corner of the living room, right on the edge of the kitchen, where the mentioned Doctor was standing with a cup of coffee in one hand. The pair made eye contact and the older skeleton simply turned and strode away, heading in the direction of the basement level of the manor. "i'm gonna need a bit to get used this whole deal...'scuse me."

Getting up off the armchair, the blue-clad monster nodded to his younger sibling and followed after where Gaster had gone. Slipping through a shortcut, he beat the scientist to his office and folded his arms and leaned against the desk, waiting. As soon as the door creaked open, he asked what had crossed his mind upstairs.

"you were the one who caused this...didn't you?"

To his credit, Gaster didn't so much as blink to find the older of his two sons standing before him. Instead, he simply sighed and waved a hand, summoning a pair of phantom hands to fetch a file from his desk.

"Must you always jump to the worst conclusion?' he asked hypothetically with a weary sort of humor, pulling his reading glasses from his breast pocket and securing them on his nasal ridge.

"unheard of occurrences in the human body sound familiar?" Sans shot back, tone dry. "it's your MO in the business. 'sides, you'd never pass up the chance to study a hybrid; not when you have the means to create one in a 'natural' environment."

The younger mobster continued to glare at his father figure while the Doctor flipped through the pages of the file. The way he stood there, it was obvious just how late he had been staying up into the night recently and that it was taking a toll on him.

"You are correct in that I interfered with Tabatha's biology to encourage conception, but I made the utmost certain that it was all within perfectly safe parameters," Gaster explained slowly, plucking up a sheet of paper. "I monitored her for side effects as carefully as I could while ensuring I was not discovered and nothing ill happened to our dear human all the while during my administration of various compounds. Perhaps it will come as a shock to you, but I have no desire to see Tabatha harmed in any way, least of all when I was hoping for this good news as much as anyone."

"...you wanted them to have a kid? just out of the goodness you your heart, i suppose."

That sarcastic statement made Gaster remove his glasses and study Sans with a sorrowful gaze.

"...I know I haven't been the best to you and Papyrus," he admitted. "I have done things wrong against you in the past. But in truth, I was only trying to help. Tabatha...she mentioned how one of her friends gave birth recently and how she's always longed to be a mother when the time was right. She said...she said she didn't think it would ever be possible, both with the species difference and how very full of work both of their lives are. I came to the conclusion that unless she bore the child herself, naturally, then she would simply continue to stifle her desire to be a mother. So...I sought to ensure the odds were in her favor in whatever ways I could."

Silence fell between the pair of skeletons, Sans shifting his line of sight so he stared vaguely at the wall. Gaster moved further into his office and opened a filing cabinet to withdraw a few more folders, pausing when his son spoke.

"is that the only reason you did it?"

The scientist flinched at the question and pulled the files a little closer to his chest.

"Well...there was a selfish motive as well," he admitted. "I remember how much I loved seeing you and Papyrus when you were both infants...so young, so full of life...and I was never able to raise you properly; I missed your childhoods...and perhaps I could somehow rectify it to myself if I were able to guide this new child in some small way. Penance of sorts. A highly illogical course of action, now that I consider it more rationally. I suppose I was in something of an emotional state when I made my plans..."

The doctor trailed off, his shoulders caving a little as his grip on the folders tightened. Sans glanced at the taller monster and pushed up off the desk, striding over and tugging the small burden from Gaster's tight grip.

"heh, yer one crazy old man," the stocky skeleton murmured. "guess it's a good thing ya got some experience handlin' baby bones then--Tabby cat's gonna need all the help she can get if the kid's got magic. 'sides, it'll be good if they can learn a thing or two from their gramps. grandpas are supposed to be totally awesome, right? all the kids brag about 'em."

Gaster dared to look at his son and see the smile stretched across his skull. A reluctant grin of his own began to tug at his mouth and he quickly fingerspelled out six letters with one of his ghostly hands: "T-H-A-N-K-S".

"While we are on the subject, I actually wanted to enlist your help," the scientist added, shifting gears into a more professional attitude. "I have very little insight into the child's development and would prefer to handle things according to the human standard of pregnancy. That means waiting until she has carried the child for several more months and is showing recognizable signs depending upon how far along she is. Even with all my advanced equipment, it would be at least another month before anything will be detectable via my micro-sonar imaging, which I'd suspect is the safest way to see the child developing."

"you want me to keep an eyesocket on the kid's Soul then? the Sight should work so long as there's something to see."

"Good; I was hoping you would agree. Now, considering conception occurred after an increase in magical sensitivity, do you think that..."