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Chapter Text

It has been a long and very eventful summer for Mason "Dipper" and Mabel Pines, a pair of very recently 13-year old twins. One full of meetings, emotions, and surprising events. After a long, but relaxing bus trip, they finally arrive back in their Californian home, on September 2nd, with a smile on their faces and a new pet pig.

They reach home for the first time in what feels like an eternity, happily greeting their parents, who are very glad to reunite with them after the summer break. The two kids had to justify the pig, but it was barely an inconvenience since all Mabel had to do was to promise she'd do all the necessities whenever she's home and look sad in case they disagree.

As the parents ask if anything bad happened to them, the kids brush the question away, saying it was a regular summer enjoying the place and making friends. They left out all of the oddities away, both in order to not have them worry, and also in order to get a chance to visit the next year.

The two kids then enter their bedroom and take time to unpack everything with a lot of emotion in their hearts. Mabel then sees Dipper staring at something in silence and she surprises him from behind.

"Hey, what's this, Dipper?"

Her brother jumped from the question, and she can see he's holding an envelope.

"Oh, it's, uh... It's something Wendy gave me at the last moment before we left."

"Wendy, eh?" Mabel felt in a bit of a teasing mood. "Did your desire come true...?"

"No, not like that..." Dipper groans of annoyance. "Okay, sorry you didn't get the chance to see it before, but... just take a look."

Mabel opens the letter and as soon as she sees all the written farewells, her smile of eagerness turns to her looking teary-eyed.

Dipper acts both comforting and stern about this as he grabs her shoulder. "Sis, we've already gone through this... This isn't the end. We'll visit the place again! We'll see them in person again! And don't forget we can contact them whenever we want!"

Mabel wipes her tears away, getting a smile back. "You're right. Thanks, Dipper..."

Dipper then puts the envelope and other souvenirs from their vacation in a safe corner of the bedroom, finishing to unpack everything and making themselves back at home. He puts Wendy's hat in it as well, fearing to lose it for some reason. He did have an extra cap identical to his old green one on his wardrobe, which feels a bit bittersweet to him, but he still takes it gladly.

As the kids settle for the rest of the day, they hear the house's doorbell, and one of their parents calling.

"KIDS! Someone's here for you!"

They come down the stairs to meet a bushy dark-haired boy their age, that arrived with a backpack, clearly eager to see the two again. The feeling is definitely mutual.

"SAMUEL!!!" The two kids speak in unison and run to hug him.

"I really missed you guys...", says the boy, who's very overjoyed.

"What have you been up to?", asks Mabel, immediately.

Dipper, as impatient as he is, takes the logical approach to the situation. "Wait, come to our room, we'll have all the place to talk!"

"Good idea! I'll get snacks!" His sister runs to the kitchen immediately.

Samuel notices, amused. "I see you're both as chipper as always."

Dipper smiles. "You know it..."

Once they reach the bedroom, Samuel's first reaction is to notice the elephant, or rather pig, in the room.

"Oh, who's the little guy?"

Dipper answers. "His name's Waddles. We met him during our vacation, but it's a long story..."

The guest gets approached by the animal.

"Aww, he likes you..." Mabel almost squees as the three sit down to talk.

Samuel then asks the most important question right now: "So, how was summer?"

The two kids are a little... concerned about everything they've seen happen. So they focus on the positive as they speak almost at the same time. "We met a relative...", "We made very good friends...", "We went camping...", "We helped at a shop..."

Dipper concludes saying cheerfully: "It was very eventful. You wouldn't believe how much!" His tone suddenly gets serious: "Trust me, you wouldn't!"

Samuel giggles it away as a joke. "It seems you guys had a great time! I'm happy for you! My summer was a lot more chill, but I still had a blast!" He then reaches his bag. "I did promise it and, this is for you!" He takes out something covered in wrap. "Happy birthday!"

The two kids are touched, but also confused. "What do you mean, you promised it?", asks Mabel.

Samuel is taken aback. "I tried to call you for your birthday without success, and I ended up leaving a mail stating it. Did you miss that?"

Mabel thinks about what happened around their birthday. "Weeeell..."

Dipper invents a small lie on the spot. "Excuse us, our birthday was coupled with our preparations for leaving, it was a very eventful time period, so we just... didn't think to check for this kind of stuff at the moment."

"Oh well, I get it, no problem..." Their friend is very understanding of the situation.

Dipper concludes by taking the gift with gratitude. "Thanks, Sammy! We'll open it this evening if you don't mind!"

Samuel brings up a question that he feels might make them a bit nervous. "So, what about school? It's a new year tomorrow, are you... concerned...?"

Mabel shrugs it off. "It'll be okay, even if I would've taken a couple days of free time at home..."

"I wonder if we'll all be in the same class this year...", wonders Dipper.

Samuel concludes in a positive note. "Oh, even if we aren't, we still have the recesses and the time outside school. I'll always be there for you two, you know?"

The statement turns out to hit a little too close at home, but they find his optimism to be the biggest takeaway of the sentence.

After some more talk, Samuel ends up leaving home as the evening starts. "See you two tomorrow!"

He waves goodbye, and the twins do too before being called for dinner preparations. They then get some well deserved sleep as the night comes, a peaceful sleep before the first day of school.

But someone, from somewhere in a void, lets its loud voice echoing in a cheerful tone.

"Oooh, a best friend, eh...? I think I'm going to have FUN!!!!!" Ensues evil laughter...

Chapter Text

It's the first Monday of the school year, and the three kids are happy to reunite. What's more, Sammy is noticing that the twins are wearing custom friendship bracelets. Dipper has a blue one and Mabel has a pink one. He reacts with a lot of joy in his heart.

"Aww, you like these?"

"Of course we do! You made them for our birthday. And they're so cute, we couldn't resist.", answers a cheerful Mabel.

Dipper gives a subdued, but genuine smile as he looks at his. "You mean a lot to us, so no way we wouldn't wear them!"

Samuel feels a little down. "I feel bad that I couldn't think of something else... We didn't hang out for a while, so I didn't have any other idea..."

"Hey now, it's a great gift you made for us, don't feel bad!" Dipper looks at his friend with a serious stare about it.

"They're handmade by yourself, so you put a lot of heart into our gift. And that's all that's needed!" Mabel reacts with a smile.

Sammy has the biggest smile on his face. "Well now I'll have to get one for myself. I'll do that during the week!"

"Also also..." Mabel says, still cheerfully. "We got cellphones from our parents for our 13th birthday!"

"Oh yeah, true..." Dipper shows his alongside his sister.

"Awesome!" Their friend notes and the three exchange their contacts, since Sammy got a cellphone himself near the end of the previous school year.

The bell rings and the three look at each other.

"Alright, time to face a new school year! We can do this!", encourages Dipper.

The three enter the building to find out something that does ruin a bit of the happiness.

"Aww, what? Looks like I'm not in the same class as you guys...", claims Mabel, who's very disappointed about it.

Her brother is quick to cheer her up. "Don't worry too much, we'll still reunite every day for the breaks and stuff. You know it doesn't mean anything..."

The message is enough to reassure her as she goes to her classroom while Samuel gets curious. "Say, the way you told her that makes it seem like she's scared..."

Dipper quickly explains. "You see... near the end of the vacation, she got quite a fear from feeling of abandonment, and... I feel like she might still be struggling to recover."

"Oh, I see..." Samuel gets a little concerned, but keeps it to himself for now as the two friends naturally sit together in class.

After several hours, it is lunch break and in the middle of their usual playful banter, Sammy asks something unusual. "Say, Mabel, can I speak to you?" He looks at her brother. "Alone, if you don't mind?"

Dipper doesn't object despite his curiosity. As the two reach a place out of his earsight, Sammy starts speaking and he can't see his sister's reaction to whatever he's saying, but he sees her returning fairly upbeat. Thanks to that factor alone, he doesn't really question anything.

It is now Thursday afternoon and it is time for recess. Sammy exits the classroom followed by Dipper, who seems a little off. He indeed looks at his shoes and his body seems tense.

Sammy notices: "Uh, that's odd, is Mabel late? Well, maybe she's still stuck in her class. I don't think she'd be mad if we take a little headstart on recess, right, friend?"

Dipper is mainly silent, but his body language implies "you're annoying me...". As the two boys walk in the hallway, out of nowhere and without witnesses, he violently grabs Samuel to enter a barely lit closet.

Samuel gasps. "Dipper? What gives?" The boy in question answers by grabbing his friend by his shirt collar and pinning him against the wall.

The brown haired boy raises his head and he looks... creepy. He has a very sadistic smile on his face, one that Samuel would've never thought possible from his best friend. It was enough to give him chills on his entire body.

"SHUT UP!!!", orders Dipper.

Samuel feels a bone-chilling fear. "B-but... Di..."

"I said... SHUT UP!!!!" Dipper punches the wall very close to Sammy's face, adding even more terror, if that was even possible.

Sammy feels petrified. He did not understand a thing, and he's unable to speak.

In a sinister way, he states... "Time is ticking for you, my so-called... friend..." He seems disgusted as he said the word. "I will turn your life into a living nightmare, Fuzzball!". This is a nickname that he made up on the spot, referring to his hair.

Sammy is confused and gets the courage to speak a few words. "W-what d-did y-yo...?"

Dipper makes one last threat with a very angry expression. "What... don't you understand... when I say...? SHUT UP!!!!! The next time you dare cut me off, I'll do the same by cutting that stupid tongue of yours!"

The terror in Samuel's body gets so high that he faints on the spot, with Dipper looking very satisfied as he leaves him alone in the closet.

Barely two minutes later, Mabel goes outside and meets her brother. "Hey bro, where's Sammy?"

Dipper reacts with his usual behavior. "I don't know, we left the classroom together and I feel like he just... vanished? I assumed he went to wait for you, but he's not with you either..."

Concerned, the two enter the building and explore the halls, asking the teachers and other faculty they come across if they've seen their friend. Then, as they walk, Dipper hears a faint sound coming from the closet. They open the door nervously.

"SAMMY! What happened?" They see their friend laying on the ground, barely managing to move. He's shaking of terror, unable to stand by himself.

"I... I..." He gets a comforting pat on the shoulder from both of his friends to encourage him.

"Come, we have to lead you to the principal's office so you can explain this", states Mabel as she grabs her friend's arm to help him move.

After what seems to be hours of anticipation, Sammy exits the office and he guessed the obvious question on his friends minds, so he wastes no time and repeats his explanation.

"I got bullied... Someone dragged me on that closet and scared me so much I fainted! It was so scary I... somehow forgot who the culprit behind this was..."

"Oh my gosh... What kind of monster could do such a thing?", asks a disgusted Dipper. "Are you gonna be okay now?"

Samuel answers: "Given the circumstances, the principal allowed me to skip the final hours of class so I could take time to relax."

Mabel smiles. "Oh, that's really generous! Shoot, speaking of, I gotta hurry back to class! We'll talk more real soon, okay?" She storms off.

"Yeah, same for me, my friend... I'll provide the few hours of lectures and homework you might miss. Meanwhile, try to relax..." He leaves his friend alone in the hallways, where he can get a seat and breathe. But he now feels a sense of dread and insecurity around him, like if someone's out there to get him.

In the evening, Samuel reaches home and he tells his parents about what happened. He promised that he would report anything he knows should this situation happen again. While his parents are understandingly worried, they do trust their son for doing the right thing and don't bring the subject much more. The kid gets a faint smile about it as he still feels unsafe. He gets his mind off this for a little bit as he makes himself a purple friendship bracelet to match his friends.

In that void space, the same ominous and loud voices cheers. "That was lovely, wasn't it? And the fun is only BEGINNING!!!" The sentence is followed by a loud evil laugh.

Chapter Text

The Friday of school passes without any more issue, and the week-end is close without any of the kids realizing it. Samuel has shown to be very happy about showcasing his purple friendship bracelet to match the ones he made for his friends.

As they leave school, he suggests: "Say, should we try to do a sleepover? It's been so long since I got to hang around you guys like that."

"Oh, of course! We missed that too..." claims Mabel.
"We'll have to ask our parents, but I'm sure it'll be fine..." says Dipper with a smile. "You'll do the same, I hope it'll happen."

They part ways with that optimism, and they all get the approval of their families for the Saturday night.

On Saturday evening, Sammy arrives at the Pines residence with his stuff, very eager. He's wearing his usual dark green shirt and blue pants, as he greets the Pines parents. He goes to the bedroom where he sees a guest mattress between the two beds, which gives him a feeling of comfort. He settles down and the three kids have gotten in their night attires.

The twins are taking the opportunity to tell their friend more about their summer and the people they met, from family to friends, to people they helped get into a brighter path.

Samuel listens, very interested, and claims: "They all sound like a lively bunch. I bet you didn't even miss me much with that many people around!"

Dipper reacts seriously. "Don't be silly... It's true that they kept us busy, and we loved their company... but of course we missed you too!"

Mabel nods and Samuel reveals with a smile. "I was half joking, don't worry!".

Dipper then suggests: "Well, how about some entertainment now? We can seek if we find something good on TV."

Mabel stands up. "Good idea, I'll prepare some night snacks! Sammy, feel free to search while I'm away, I don't mind."
She gets a slightly teasing "Yeah, right..." from her brother, which she ignores.

Sammy surfes the channels and finds a cartoon marathon. "Oh, neat. You'll like that, right?"

Out of nowhere, Dipper reacts disgusted. "Yuck, stupid cartoons...".

This obviously makes Sammy confused. "Uh, what do you mean?"

He gets kind of a big rant for an answer. "It's so boring and predictable. It's like..." he makes a mocking voice to continue "we have our boring heroes to follow, watch their stupid heroic acts and get to witness the pathetic defeats of very well-written and competent villains that should've won" he goes back to an angry voice "... if only the producers had the guts to write a logical ending where the villains get their deserved victory, that'd be a lot better. Boring heroes winning all the time against superior characters in style, personality, powers and motives is awful!"

Sammy feels... appaled. "But... you always told me you admired heroes..."

Dipper feels almost offended. "Me? You can't be serious! They're so bland..."

As Samuel takes time to process everything he's heard, Mabel comes back with a platter, unaware of the conversation. "Alright, I got cookies, fruits and... Oh geez, I forgot the milk..."

Dipper stands up. "Don't worry Sis, I got this!" He leaves the room in a hurry and Samuel takes the opportunity to question Mabel after a few moments of hesitating silence.

"Say, has Dipper... changed a lot during your vacation?"

Mabel is confused about what he means and, still avoiding to reveal things, she answers "In a way, we both changed somewhat from discovering new things, but why do you ask?"
Samuel starts explaining what just happened. "Because... you see, while you were away, he..." But then, his sentence is stopped by very convenient timing.

"I got the milk, fresh right out of the fridge!" Dipper carries a platter with the three glasses and the other two forget about the discussion for now. He hands over the glasses, giving the center glass to Samuel. "Let's dive in!" The three drink their milk together and then start watching TV with the snacks.

After around 20 minutes, Samuel suddenly hears his stomach making weird sounds. "Ow..."

Mabel turns around. "What's wrong, Sammy?"

"I feel like something is wrong with my stomach... It..." The pain only intensifies from there. "OW!!! It hurts!!!!" He goes from a sitting position to laying on the mattress, his hands on his stomach, clearly being in pain. Mabel watches worried while Dipper... smirks, unnoticed.

Mabel is very scared, trying her best to figure out what's going on with her friend. Meanwhile, from behind her, Dipper looks very satisfied. He's guilty of all that and he's clearly enjoying this.

Dipper suddenly switches to a look of fake worry when Mabel looks at him from a distance. "We all ate the same things tonight, this is really weird only he has a problem... I suppose he ate something bad earlier today. Maybe there's some kind of digestive medication in the kitchen. I better ask mom!" She runs outside as she hears the screams of pain from her friend really forcing her to hurry. Dipper takes the opportunity to take a knee.

Samuel speaks between many groans of pain. "D-Dipper, my friend... I don't feel good...". The kid extends his hand to seek comfort in the pain, but instead...

Dipper grabs his hand in a fairly rough way and speaks in a sinister manner, while also sounding like he's enjoying what he sees. "Relax... Your pain... Let it work... Give in... Scream in agony... It is... a beautiful sight..." He lets out a sinister giggle before Sammy stops moving after many groans of pain. The poison he put on the milk did its job.

Mabel enters back a few moments later with the appropriate medication, and she sees the end of the scene. "Oh no... Am I too late...?"
Dipper lies about what happened, from a reasonable distance from her face. "Don't worry, it's alright... I comforted him to help him fall asleep..."

Mabel believes this with some levels of relief and goes to sleep alongside her brother, being so concerned that she gives Waddles a goodnight pat instead of a hug. Dipper, from the other corner of the room, makes another fake reassurance with an interesting choice of words as he goes to bed.

"Don't worry. His pain... is over..."

And with that, an evil laugh echoes away from the situation.

Chapter Text

In a dream he's having that night, Samuel finds himself on a deserted playground. He recognizes it as the one where he first met Mabel and Mason. He recalls the day with fondness, and the memory makes him feel heartwarmed.

Suddenly, he notices that he isn't alone. Dipper is standing ominously in the middle of the deserted area, showing his back to his friend. "Dipper!!!" He starts running with a smile towards him. But suddenly...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." a creepy laugh makes him stop in place as he was about to reach his friend. He looks around and sees nothing, and in the meantime, the representation of his friend is gone.

"WELL, WELL, WELL..." The voice is loud and scary, and Sammy looks around confused, as no one is there to do these sounds. But then, as he looks in front of him one last time...

He comes face to face with a giant floating one-eyed yellow triangle with limbs, a top hat, a bowtie and a cane. Their eyes to eye contact is dangerously close. And that creature speaks with a small and taunting... "Boo!!!"

Samuel is so terrified that he falls on the floor from his jump of terror, with a very appropriate scream of horror too. "W-WHO...? W-WHAT ARE YOU??? WHAT'S GOING ON???"

The triangle switches to a cheerfully mocking attitude. "Relax! It's nice to get the chance to properly introduce myself to you, kiddo! Name's Bill Cipher! You better be ready because I'm coming for you!" Bill touches the kid's face in an unsettling manner. Sammy stays stunned, incapable of doing a thing. Bill then leaves a creepy message. "Your friend is gone forever! All that's left is an empty shell of him! If you don't want to join him... You must destroy the puppet!"

Samuel hears in complete horror. "What do you mean, my friend is gone? What is that talk of puppet even supposed to mean???" He looks confused, and not knowing leads to him being terrified.

Bill gives a teasing answer. "You'll figure it out soon enough, smarty pants. For now... Just know that your world will crumble by my hands. This is what it costs you to be someone those two kids care about!"

"Those two kids... You mean my best friends? But why...?"

The boy has way too many questions that he doesn't have the time to ask. The triangle being throws something at the ground, and the place dear to Samuel's heart catches fire in blue flames while the demon stares at it circling the human. And there's nothing he can do than burn alive and scream.

Sammy wakes up in a cold sweat, seeing that it was just a nightmare with a lot of relief. He realizes it's morning and that his two friends are already awake and outside the bedroom. He still feels some pain from before he fell asleep, bringing back his fear.

And this is when Dipper enters gleefully. "Morning, sleepyhead!", says he in a mocking manner as he shuts the door.

Samuel feels a strong unease... "Dipper, I'm scared... It feels like something is after me... Regardless if it's at school, here or... I had a creepy nightmare too..."

Dipper says something... very freaky. "Oh, don't worry... I know!"

"Uh? What do you mean...?" Dipper giggles scaringly as his friend is scared. He gets closer to Samuel's face with a sadistic smile, and the proximity causes the kid to notice... "Wait, are your eyes...? A little off?"

With a smirk, Dipper answers. "You're quite observant, Fuzzball!"

The name brings up the terrifying flashback of what happened at school. He then remembers... who did this. He remembers Dipper pinning him against the wall and threatening him very badly. He speaks up, horrified. "It was you..."

His friend then laughs evilly. "HAHA! You got a flashback to THAT, uh? It was a glorious moment, wouldn't you say?" He looks at him with the creepiest smile.

In a state of terror, Samuel runs to reach the door and ask for help. "Mabel...? MABEL!!!" He turns and shakes the doorknob, but without any success.

"Looking for this?" Dipper shows the key, which he stores in his pocket, and Samuel is frozen. "No one will help you! We're alone, face to face!" He shows a wicked grin.

Mabel reached the door, as she heard a call, but she can't open it. "Dipper, Sammy? What's going on?" She doesn't get an answer and gets worried. As her parents are absent for now, she remembers that they have a spare key of the room somewhere and goes to seek it.

Desperate, Samuel tries to reason with him. "Dipper... my best friend..."

He speaks furiously. "I am NOT your friend, you worthless waste of existence!"

Samuel shakes... The kid is terrified. "What do you want...?"

"I know you had that nightmare... Because I caused it!" Pretty much everything he says is petrifying Samuel more and more. "I caused that school incident, as well as your stomach ache! I want you GONE!" He laughs evilly. After some silence he says. "But, you have a solution..."

He pauses once again to make his words even more impactful. "Your friend is gone forever! All that's left is an empty shell of him! If you don't want to join him... You must destroy the puppet!"

The eerie echoing from his nightmare, it wasn't a lie... The new Dipper somehow manipulated it to his advantage. He approaches and starts choking Sammy. "Go on, defend yourself..."

The kid answers, trying to grasp at the air he can. "I can't... You're... my friend...".

This causes """Dipper""" to get frustrated and letting him go. "Won't you understand? I am NOT your friend! He is gone! And you'll finish the job to ensure he won't come back!"

Samuel breathes hard. He feels sadness, despair, anger... building... He starts feeling like he has no choice but to fight back if he wants to survive...

Dipper gets ecstatic. "Yes, YES! Let it build! But maybe you still need... A little more motivation..." He lets out one of his most sadistic smirks yet. He then takes off the friendship bracelet of Dipper, and Sammy has an idea about where this is going, but...

Dipper rips the bracelet completely with a lot of evil satisfaction, and Samuel feels his heart broken to pieces alongside it. "Your bracelet was pathetic! I can't believe you wasted your time and were braindead enough to think such a garbage piece of cloth means anything of value!"

Adding to all the emotion from before, this causes Samuel to jump at his friend's body with the energy of a feral beast, beating him up very badly, all while the one controlling the body is clearly enjoying this. "Here it is! Here's your rage!" He takes great pleasure at witnessing it and laughs at how insane the human kid acts at injuring him.

After a little bit, Dipper was beaten unconscious and Bill ends up revealing himself. Samuel breathes his anger out, making the connection between his nightmare and everything that happened. He figures out that it wasn't his friend making him suffer willingly. "Well congratulations, kid! Didn't think you had it in you!"

Samuel with most of his rage gone, realizes what he has just done as Bill explains what he felt while using his puppet. "You couldn't destroy it, but I didn't expect a kid to be able to do that without using a sharp item anyway. You certainly left a big amount of bruises and a couple of broken bones! I'll take it as a success!"

The dark-haired kid cries as he falls to his knees. "No... Dipper..." He grabs his body with a lot of sorrow. "It can't be... If anyone finds out I did this... I'll be in a lot of trouble..."

Bill approaches his face, acting surprisingly friendly. "Relax, Fuzzball, I can fix that for you..."

Sammy is very wary for very good reasons, but he wants to see a glimmer of hope. "You... can...? How? And why would you do that?"

The demon acts sneaky while holding his cane. "How about... we make a deal...?"

"A... deal?" The kid is both confused and untrustful, but he's willing to hear him out.

"I'm the only one that can fix the mess you caused." Samuel frowns with anger at the triangle being for very obvious reasons, given who started the whole thing. But Bill ignores the stare. "I can very easily fix all the bruises you caused, and have your friend become himself again with no memories of what just happened. It would only cost you... a little something..."

"A-and what would that be...?"

Bill answers in the most casual way possible. "You yield your body to me forever! You'll let me control it over you!"

Samuel is horrified. "NO! I CAN'T DO THAT!!! WHY WOULD I???"

Bill acts reassuring, manipulating his emotions perfectly. "Because if you don't... people will find out what you did to your best friend... Everyone will blame you... They won't buy your explanation... And if that happens, then you won't see your friends again... You won't ever make friends again... And your family won't trust you and will punish you for life... So you either do this, or you live a life of misery... It's your call, Fuzzball!" The demon then extends his right hand to the boy, and it starts catching fire with blue flames. "Do we have a deal...?"

Thoughts are racing in the kid's mind, but he feels very doubtful. No way he would accept these conditions... Declining would however mean being framed as a bully and losing his best friends' trust. Then he hears a sound... Mabel found the spare key at last, and she's starting to try to unlock the door.

Bill taunts. "Whoops, tick tock, tick tock...". As he says that, his bowtie turns into the picture of a bomb with a very short fuse.

Sammy snaps. "ALRIGHT, I'll do it in one condition... Don't get my friends physically harmed again!"

"Deal, kid!" The two shake hands, a blue fire engulfing the alliance. The kid is very displeased about the whole thing, but he had no choice.

"Yes, YES!!!" In a matter of seconds, Bill disappears, entering Sammy's body. And Dipper heals and wakes up on his bed, not being sure what happened. Even the friendship bracelet got fixed and is back on his wrist. Mabel opens the door barely a second too late to know what happened.

She looks very emotive. "What game were you guys playing? You locked me out and I had no answer! I got so worried..."

Dipper stands up again. "Gee, I'm sorry, Sis... I don't know what happened..."

Sammy speaks up. "I do..." He manages to invent a lie on the spot. "Dipper locked the door because he wanted to tell me something important. He didn't feel too confident about you finding out what it was, so he left you out for a bit. Then, he fell asleep again while you were preparing breakfast, and I didn't think about taking the key and unlocking the door."

Dipper feels drowsy from the experience, and he can't deny that story because he doesn't remember at all and does feel like it makes sense.

Sammy approaches Mabel with a comforting pat. "I'm sorry we got you worried, alright?" She hugs him, signifying there are no hard feelings.

The three take their breakfast, and it is now time for Samuel to go home.

After he said goodbye to Mabel, he gets escorted to the door by Dipper.
"So, we see each other tomorrow at school, alright?" Dipper says with a smile.

"We sure will. See you soon, my friend..." Suddenly, Samuel's eyes turn into Bill's for a very split second, a "blink and you miss it" moment. This causes Dipper to gasp of shock, and his opened jaw gets noticed.

"What's wrong, buddy?", asks the boy with concern and warmth in his voice.

Dipper thinks about how tired he feels and notices his friend's regular behavior immediately. With that, he writes it off as something his mind made up to trick him. "Oh, nothing, don't worry... Have a nice Sunday. Can't wait to see you tomorrow!" He closes the door after waving goodbye.

As Samuel is alone and walks away, Bill takes full control of the body, his eyes staying permanently to signify his control. "Oh, I cannot wait either..." Bill's voice comes out before he giggles evilly to himself.

Chapter Text

It is now the beginning of a new school week. Mason enters with Mabel, not having a single idea of what awaits him today.

"Well I'll see you later, Bro-bro!" She waves with a smile.
"See you at recess, Sis!" He says with a smile and reaches the hallway and finds the class waiting to enter the classroom

He finds his friend standing away from the others, facing the opposing direction. And so he goes to join him and greet him with enthusiasm. "Hey, Sammy!"

But as soon as those words leave his mouth... Samuel's head slowly turns around and he slowly says, with a lot of sadism and delight in his face... "Suuuuuuuuup, Pinetree!!!"

Dipper gets a good look at the creepy yellow eyes and couldn't believe what he sees. He gets scared, shaky, frozen in place... He wishes he was having a nightmare, but it is real... Bill Cipher is in front of him, and he took over the body of his best friend.

"Y-y-you... H-H-HOW???" Many, many questions race on his mind as Sammy's body approaches him in a taunting manner.

"You are so funny when you're freaking out!", he says as he smiles. "Hey, I did something for you last night, and I think you'll just loooooooooove it..." He seems very sadistic as he says that.

Dipper can't speak except going "U-uh...?"

Bill then reveals with a devilish smile "Remember these?". He shows a sock puppet representing Samuel on his hand and the boy reacts in horror, having terrible flashbacks of the day he got tricked into becoming Bill's puppet. It causes him to tear up in fear.

Bill is loving what he sees and approaches his hand to Dipper's face, taking a very stupid sounding voice to represent Samuel. "No no no, I don't want my friend to be sad!!!!!" He gets closer with the puppet, pretending to wipe the tears, much to the boy's discomfort. "I'm gonna do everything so he'd be happy! Even if it means..."

Dipper talks, very scared and also angry. "If it means... what?"

Bill then makes the sock puppet disintegrate with a snap of his fingers, driving the point home that the boy's best friend is gone. Dipper stays there, devastated and speechless, while Bill enters the classroom.

After a few moments, Dipper gets called out for being late to enter. As he enters the room, he recalls something horrible... He's sitting right next to Samuel, so he looks to find him tapping the seat with a creepy smile on his face as he awaits. Dipper sits very uncomfortably next to him as his fake friend acts cheery. "Come on... We'll have a veeeeery fun day together!" He gives his neighbor a shoulder bump, one that doesn't help ease the discomfort.

At some point during a math exercise, Bill asks quietly with a smirk. "Hey now, Pinetree, why being so nervous?"

Dipper gets angry. So much that he almost forgets to stay quiet. "You're kidding me, right? I should be fine when I'm sitting next to a demon posing as my best friend?"

Bill giggles. "Still a drama king! Glad to see you haven't changed! You have nothing to fear..."

Dipper speaks loud enough to be heard by the whole class. "Of course I do, I'm next to a demon!"

After a few seconds of silence, as stares of judgement start to form, Samuel speaks up with a lie. "Sorry about that, he was telling me that he had an awful nightmare and he couldn't keep the emotions to himself. Please forgive him..."

The boy is very frustrated to have been caught up like that, and to see that everyone buys Bill's explanation as the puppet master manages to be completely undetected.

The teacher speaks up: "Alright class, I need someone at the board. Um... Samuel!"

"Right away, Sir!" Samuel stands up fairly cheery as he grabs the board's marker. He gets asked the exercise's complex geometry question to solve, which he sees with a smile on his face. "Ooh, a triangle! That's the best shape!" With how big Bill's knowledge is, he's able to do the calculations and provide the correct answer in a matter of seconds, as if he was asked how many corners the shape has. He gets some applause while Dipper is furious at how blind everyone seems to be, right before recess rings.

Everyone leaves the classroom for now, with Dipper looking very frustrated. But Samuel stops for a second with a grin on his face...

Dipper joins recess, and he was so worried in his thoughts that he didn't think about going to see his sister. He feels uneasy about Samuel in so many ways. And then he finds out he's actually late for recess, as he comes outside a few minutes later.

Samuel arrives to be greeted by an angry and suspicious Mason. "What were you doing?"

Sammy doesn't have a single worry to show. "Nothing to worry about, you should just chill. Everything's fine..."

Even more frustration builds on the kid's body. "You're lying! I can tell! What are you plotting?"

Nothing changes about Sammy's behavior. "You're truly paranoid! It's kinda cute to see." He giggles.

"ANSWER ME!!!", he yells, only to not get a proper answer. He decides to catch his breath for a bit and think things through. He feels fear, anger, and anxiety, also hopeless because he thinks no one can help him, and he doesn't want to get his sister worried about that for now.

As he goes in the hallways after recess, he catches some interesting talks from his classmates. It seems something is up inside the classroom, and as he enters to see the board... He lets out a huge yell in front of everyone. Just before joining recess, Bill vandalized the exercise from earlier to draw his demon form, adding his eye, limbs and accessories. He yells "It's the mark of a beast!!!! A demon!!!! Who did this????"

Between this and the disruption from earlier, talks from his classmates are heard. "What's wrong with this guy?", "Why is Mason scared of a dumb prank someone did?", "Has he lost his mind?", "He's definitely looking for attention...", "He's being such a lunatic..." and so on... And he feels even more frustrated and sad as he struggles to catch his breath.

Samuel enters the room with an evil grin. He's enjoying the pure terror in the kid's face. But once again, he lies to the class and the teacher, playing them like a fiddle.
"Please don't be too harsh on him. He's kind of... not himself today!"

The choice of words make him even more furious. They sound incredibly sadistic given the circumstances, and he lets it out. "SHUT UP!!! YOU'RE NOT SAMUEL!!!". It definitely doesn't help his case.

The teacher has every reason to think he's the one guilty for chaos. "Mason Pines! You calm down, and apologize to your friend right now!"

Dipper is about to yell back at the teacher, but Samuel shuts him up quickly enough. "It's okay, Sir, he's had a rough night, that's all..."

"I better not hear anything more out of you, Mason! And I don't know who did this on the board and thought this was funny, but it isn't!" The drawing gets erased, somehow calming Dipper down just a bit. But he is not happy. He has tears of frustration waiting to come out.

As the two sit together again, Samuel acts serious. "You should be thanking me... I'm avoiding you a one way ticket to an asylum..."

Dipper remains furious. "Thank you...? Thank you??? Why did you even do that anyway?"

Samuel acts nonchalent. "I just thought you missed seeing my true form, my actual prettiness instead of that bag of flesh and bones I'm using. And you're really way too easy to get to this state." He gives a taunting smile. Dipper is about to explode from the situation and all the arrogance his fake friend is showing.

Yet the taunting is only beginning... "You should admit, this was a good drawing, no? For using human arms, it was quite pretty."

Dipper says silently. "Shut... up..."

"Aww, what's your problem? I don't please you? You want me to do more with you?"

Still silently: "Shut... UP...!"

"How about, outside school, I go and cause some more chaos to make your life even more interesting? Doesn't that sound like... like an interesting deal, my friend?"

These last words are all that was needed for Dipper to finally snap, and pin Samuel against the ground violently. To the shock of the entire class. And at this point... The teacher couldn't deal with this behavior anymore and separated the two boys.

"MASON PINES!!! Disrupting class is one thing, same with yelling at your classmate. But physical assault? You've done it! You're expelled for the rest of the week!"

Dipper gasps and feels his heart broken... This is the first time he got in such trouble. As he exits the classroom with his stuff without a word, he gives one last furious glare at Samuel and leaves the school early to wander on the streets for now.

The rest of the school day went on without another issue after Dipper left. At the different break times, Mabel is worried to not see her brother anywhere. And when she asks Samuel about it... He lies saying he doesn't know, while he knows he's forced to eat very little outside.

Then comes the end of the day and Samuel leaves for home. Barely a few steps away from the staircase, he gets greeted by a furious Dipper.

"I bet you had fun... Planning my demise... Watching everyone get fooled by you... Ruining my image... I take it, you are proud of yourself..."

Samuel looks at him with amusement. "It wasn't even something I planned. I even tried to avoid it. But I must admit... you were entertaining to watch, Pinetree!" He lets out a laugh just as he leaves, leaving Dipper with angry and conflicted emotions.

Mabel sees him from the distance and she runs to join him, very worried. "Bro-bro, I didn't see you all day! I was so scared! What happened?"

Her brother is, however, in a mood with zero chills, as he answers with a rage she never saw before. "It's... none... of your... business...!!!"

"Uh?" She looks genuinely shocked at seeing this kind of answer, and it only gets worse from there. "What do you mea...?"

"It's not your business!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!" These words are heavy to listen for his sister, and she just walks home alone, not saying anything other than crying to herself.

Dipper arrives home, hiding everything about the situation to his family. And likewise, Mabel didn't say a thing about what her brother said to her, only leaving him alone as he requested.

Once at Samuel's home, Bill starts thinking. "It was so funny seeing Pinetree getting so mad. I didn't even try to make it happen, maybe I'm just that good!!!" He laughs evilly. "But now what am I gonna do without him tomorrow...?" He takes time to think. "I'll definitely figure out something wicked to do..." He says as he gets an evil grin and his eyes start shining in the evening's darkness.

Chapter Text

A rough night for the two twins passes. Mabel woke up quickly and left the bedroom without a sound to get ready for a day, since she does not want to speak to her brother again, per his request. Dipper wakes up grumpy and puts up a lie to his parents about joining school. So he leaves home and, with a giant sigh, he just stands alone on the nearest park during the school hours, looking angry and feeling defeated for hours.

In Samuel's class, Bill feels incredibly bored without having his precious "pal" around... It was a long boring day of him just thinking about other things to do to have his fun. And during the breaks, he notices that Mabel doesn't ask Samuel anything about Dipper's whereabouts, making it clear to him that it went wrong between the two.

The last class of the day is art class, and finding this out gives him a glorious idea. Using his knowledge, he manages to steal something from the chemistry classroom to put it on one of the paint buckets. It'd be a long process, but he knows it'd be worth it and knows it'll happen near the end of the school hours.

After what felt like an agonizing wait during the class... The chemicals work, causing a big explosion, and the content of the bucket of red paint splatters all across the art room and on the students, including Samuel himself. He chose a fairly interesting color for the imagery too, and Bill laughs hard internally and he hears the panic and disgust around him.

The teacher has good reasons to be unhappy. "Who did this??? Somebody better confess!!!" Obviously, Bill doesn't. "If everyone stays silent, then I have no choice but to give detention to the entire class on Saturday!!"

The whole class make sounds of complaining, pain and disappointment, while Bill lets out a gigantic "YES!!!!!" inside.

But then, suddenly... "I bet it was Mason!". The statement causes Bill to go "Wait, what...?"

Other voices from the classroom get heard. "That boy acted like such a weirdo, that's likely". "He acted like a freak, he could definitely do something like that". Bill gets confused.

He then hears "We need to have him confirm he's guilty!", which causes Samuel to stand up.

"Alright, everyone! I'll do it! As his best friend, I'll go meet him and get him to confess in front of everyone!" He says that with a lot of conviction as the end of the school day rings.

Bill leaves the school with a determined look on Samuel's face as he makes his way to the Pines residence. On the inside, he keeps telling himself. "I'll get Pinetree, and I'll make him the scapegoat to the entire class! Who cares, his school reputation is already ruined anyway!"

And so he reaches his destination, but it takes him some time to think. On the inside, Dipper got home without telling anyone where he was, locking himself in his room, and Mabel is minding her own business in the living room with Waddles. After a lot of thoughts on how to proceed, he finally pushes the doorbell.

Mabel opens the door. "Oh, hey Sammy!!!" She acts fairly cheerful to him. "What are you doing here? You didn't tell me about a visit."

Samuel goes straight to the point. "Hey, sorry to intrude, but I need to see your brother!"

Mabel groans a bit, being reminded of what's going on with him. "Why is that?"

He doesn't answer directly. "It's complicated..."

She gets a little curious about that. He usually doesn't keep secrets from her. "What do you mean? You can tell me...". And then she notices something. "Wait, what's that on your shirt?"

He avoids answering the question in details. "Nothing big, just some paint..."

She gets more and more serious in her concerns. "What happened? Have you done something?"

Bill actually gets nervous, thinking: "Darn, she's on to me...". So he answers. "No, why?"

She puts her face closer to Samuel's in suspicion, which makes Bill think "Oh no...". He closes his eyes to prevent her from noticing the possession, which only does make him look more untrustworthy.

The girl stares at him pretty close with her eyes squinted while she tries to figure things out. "Are you... hiding something from me...?"

He actually gets a bit nervous, feeling some pressure. A very rare occurance for the overconfident demon. He avoids answering again. "Tell me where your brother is! After I meet him, I'll explain it to you."

She gets stern. "No! Tell me! There's something you're not telling me! You're hiding something!!!"

Samuel answers with a question. "What could possibly make you think something so silly, Shooti...?" It was at this split second, this exact moment, that Bill wanted to bite the human tongue he uses, because it did a fatal slip here. Mabel gasps and takes a step back, raising her eyebrows and she looks shocked.

She speaks in disbelief, wanting her hearing to have been wrong. "... Are...? What did you...? What were you... going to call me...?"

Samuel groans and sighs in resignation. He starts speaking loudly again. "I guess you got me fooled, Shooting star...!" He slowly opens his eyes to confirm, as Mabel shakes in horror at what she's seeing... "I am Bill! Bill Cipher!"

"Y-you're back..." She gets scared and wants to find a defensive item in the room. "What have you done to Sammy...?"

He acts cold, but not threatening. "I told you what you wanted to know, now where's your brother?"

The girl has no choice but to be true to her word. She does so with a huge distrust. "He's locked in his room. Good luck getting him to talk! He's been avoiding dialogue with everyone since yesterday!"

"Good, then. I'll pay him a little visit..." He walks up the stairs, keeping his straight face and knocks at the door. He gets no answer. So he tries again with no better results.

He thinks to himself. "Guess I have to do it the hard way..." He takes some momentum and runs against the door, hurting himself in the process. "Pain is fun, so I can do that all day if he wants to be stubborn!"

He does that a second time, even harder than the first. And this does get a reaction as Dipper start unlocking the door, annoyed, without looking. "Mabel, are you seriously about to get your shoulder broken just so you can...?" He then notices who did this, and he is livid. "YOU???"

Samuel stands up, staring at Dipper and his angry face with his yellow eyes, with a fairly cold stare. After a few seconds of silence, Dipper starts ranting. "You got a lot of nerve, following me to my home after what you did. First you ruin my summer, then you make my best friend disappear, then you get my reputation ruined. What more do you want to do to ruin my life, you absolute psycho???" He starts clenching his fists "Get out of here before I..." Bill gets him to shut up out of nowhere, by... suddenly making Samuel give him a hug. A warm, heartfelt hug...

Chapter Text

Following this unexpected act, there are a few seconds of awkward silence.

Dipper gets freaked out at first, but for some reason... He recognizes some of Samuel's kindness in the move, and so he doesn't actually object much, only finding the strenght to say... "Why, Bill...?"

Between strong breaths of sorrow, he lets out a small "I'm sorry..."

Dipper can't believe what he hears. "Wait, what do you mean, sorry?" As he stares at the emotion in Bill's eyes... He feels like he's seeing Samuel himself again, despite Bill being the one in control of everything.

Bill speaks with genuine regret in his voice. "I didn't mean to get you expelled... I even defended you... And yet, here you are suffering because of me. And... I accidentally did something worse today..."

Dipper still feels some distrust, but he still finds the heart to answer... "Look, explain the whole thing to me..."

With that, the boy let the demon possessing his best friend inside the bedroom, closing the door.

And so, Bill begins an explanation about what happened, how he possessed Dipper's body periodically to mess with Sammy's feelings, and how he managed to guilt trip him into being his permanent vessel.

"You... used my body... to terrorize and trick my best friend?" The news is obviously not pleasant to hear for him "YOU MONSTER!!!!!" Bill stays silent, letting him express his justified anger before he continues.

"... This was two days ago, and you know what happened yesterday... But I only wanted to mess with you, I didn't mean for you to get in that much trouble... I promise, I tried to help you... But I couldn't show it then... But now I have to, because..." He talks about the prank he did, and how it accidentally lead to the whole class blaming him for this.

Dipper actually finds the paint bomb prank amusing to some degree. "That does sound like something you'd do... But... why are you... actually feeling regret?"

Bill gets angry, he actually has yet to figure out an answer to that. "You think I know???"

The boy asks him a different question. "And... why are you even telling me this?"

The demon answers with a bit of a grumpy tone and expression. "Part of the deal I had with Fuzzball is that I wouldn't get you or your sister in too much trouble."

He gets surprised. "... Fuzzball...? What the...?" He then remembers how Bill uses nicknames, and he looks at Samuel's hair and gets it. "I... see... And... is there another reason why... you're doing this?" Bill avoids the question and looks away, not realizing he makes Sammy's cheeks blush. "Are you... feeling ashamed of something?"

He gives an annoyed stare for an answer. "I think YOU should feel ashamed for losing your temper yesterday, Pinetree! Everyone sees you as someone crazy now and we have to fix this."

Dipper gets hit with a realization. "Oh... Oh wow, I... I did, uh...?" He gets sadder still. "And I..."

Bill makes the human body he uses raises an eyebrow. "And you...?"

He tears up a lot. "Not only lost my temper, did something horrible in front of the whole class... I also..."

Seeing these emotions makes Bill annoyed. "Gee, calm the waterworks or we'll drown, Pinetree!"

The sentence actually makes him giggle a bit, giving him the strenght to continue. "I was a jerk to my sweet sister because I was letting my rage get the best of me... I don't think she'll forgive me..."

Bill acts surprisingly serious about something. "She will." He starts standing up. "Because I'll apologize to her! And maybe it'll prove to you how sincere I am about all of this."

The brown-haired boy can't believe what he just heard. "You would actually do that...?"

Avoiding to answer, Sammy goes down the stairs, finding Mabel keeping her mind busy with a magazine. She hears a fairly scary voice without noticing.

"Hey!!! Shooting star!" She gets startled and finds Sammy standing there. He doesn't look threatening, and she can tell that Bill isn't looking directly at her because he seems to lack confidence.

Mabel stays still for the most part, not knowing what to be expecting. All the while, Dipper is listening to the conversation from upstairs in a mixture of being worried and in disbelief of what's going on.

"... Yes...?" She's a little scared, and definitely not prepared for what she's about to hear.

He goes straight to the point. "Yesterday and today, your brother has been a bit of a... let's say, jerk to you, hasn't he?"

Mabel starts tearing up as she thinks about it again, causing Bill to react with annoyance. "Oh gee, why is it like that with you? Is every generation of your family like this?"

Mabel stays silent, fearing a bit, so Bill continues with a shocking honesty. "Either way, please don't hold him responsible for that... The culprit is me... I drove him angry, and that's why he's been like that to you. It was my fault, and you did nothing wrong... So I apologize..." He says it with some disgust, but he is mostly honest about this.

Mabel still cries, but... there's a part of happiness in those tears now. She's shocked to find Bill saying and doing something so brave and kind. But he can't tell that, so Bill gets closer, touching her arm gently and looking at her directly. "You believe me, right?"

Between some tears, Mabel nods. "... Uh-uh..."

Bill is glad this is over and avoids more embarassment from the situation by looking away. "Good... Catchya later..." He goes back up, and Dipper is shocked.

As he sees Samuel in front of him, he is speechless. He feels shocked, relieved, confused, happy... all at once. And he does something he never thought possible in a million years. He goes to hug him. "Thank you... Bill..."

Bill showcases annoyance to get out of this situation. "Cut the pity out, Pinetree! We need to think on how to prove your innocence tomorrow!"

Dipper recognizes what he's doing and states. "I think I have an idea. Trust me on this..."

Sammy just doesn't question anything and he says. "We'll meet at school tomorrow then... And was I mistaken, or did you seem... amused at my prank?"

The kid admits "I mean, it's not something I'd do, but... I have to admit, you have a pretty funny humor when you don't seek to physically harm others."

Bill gets surprised. "You like my wicked sense of humor? The more you know..."

"ONLY when you're not doing things that are too evil..." The boy frowns as he says this.

Bill rolls the eyes and Dipper finds this amusing. "So now what? How will we prove you're not guilty?"

He gets an answer with optimism "Don't you worry about that! I'm sure it will go perfectly fine! I'll just make an honest declaration of apology."

"Alright then..." He gets closer to the door. "Are you sure you're okay? Can I leave?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I'm amazed of what you've done, Bill! Thanks you..."

"Sure thing..." He stops before leaving the room. "But one more thing..."

Dipper answers with a smile. "Yes? Anything else you wanna say?"

Bill takes his scariest tone possible through Sammy's body. "I WILL BE DESTROYING YOUR SOUL THE NEXT TIME YOU DARE ANGER ME!!!!!"

Dipper gets chills and a massive scare in his entire body. Bill then gets his normal tone again with belly laughs: "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! You should've seen the look on your face...! HAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!"

The kid now has a very cold stare and speaks with a lot of anger. "That... wasn't... FUNNY!"

Samuel's body gets a confused look. "Uh? But you just said you like my grim humor, didn't you?"

This doesn't change a thing to how he feels. "That wasn't funny... AT ALL!!!"

Bill sighs. "Humans are so complicated..."

Dipper glares with hatred and anger as a reaction to the terror he just felt. "Don't you EVER do something like that again! DO YOU UNDERSTAND???"

Bill's usual demeanor... kind of breaks... As he is using Sammy's body, he feels something new... He wonders to himself... "What is this feeling in my stomach...?". He's suddenly unable to control his breathing. And for the first time ever... he feels tears rising from the human body he's using.

The boy remains angry, but he feels... very intrigued. "Wait, are you... crying...?" He can't believe what he just said...

Samuel's head looks down to hide his shameful tears. "I... I'm sorry, Dipper... Really, really sorry..."

Dipper gets shocked from that behavior. "You feel sorry because...?" As he starts speaking, something just hit him. "Wait... did you just call me...?"

Bill feels very frustrated with himself for ruining the mood of trust he started to get with the two kids. He yells, clearly upset with himself: "I'M STUPID!!! I don't deserve your kindness!!!" He runs away out of the house, so fast that it's like he teleported away. Except he didn't because the front door was left open.

Dipper is flabbergasted... All he did was react to how he normally would to Bill's antics, and... he didn't expect anything like that as a result. It felt like how Samuel would react if his best friend did break his heart by yelling at him...

Mabel arrives in the living room after being gone for the time to feed Waddles. "Hey bro, what happened? Why are you standing in front of the door?"

Her brother knows it won't sound credible, but he answers honestly. "I... Sammy... Or rather, Bill... left... He was.. crying."

She reacts just like how he was expecting. "What? You're kidding me, right? Him, crying?"

She sees her brother feeling guilty. "I got furious at him, let him know, and then... It's like Sammy himself reacted to my anger."

Mabel takes a few seconds to think. "Could he be... feeling Samuel's feelings to some extent now...?"

Her brother thinks about it, and how he thought himself that he behaved like his best friend. "Maybe you're right... I hope I can fix that tomorrow, before we go to school..."

Mabel gets a little cautious. "Well, be careful, he's still Bill... However... There were some weird vibes from him today, so hopefully, it'll be okay..."

Samuel walks home, wiping tears, being angry with himself. "What the heck was that? Humans being angry at me is supposed to be amazing, and yet... it made me feel... vulnerable, just like them... How could I be feeling such a bad thing about Pinetree?"

As night comes, posing as a regular boy to the kid's family, he meets drowziness fairly early in the night from the emotions he had for the day.

Chapter Text

Morning lights show up in Samuel's bedroom, and Bill wakes up hearing a doorbell. He groans, remembering what was planned today.
"Oh right... I'm supposed to meet Pinetree and prove his innocence for the prank. Ugh..." With annoyance, he gets ready to find Dipper waiting at the door, and he joins him with... some discomfort regarding the incident from yesterday. He still expects the brown-haired boy to be furious and stays silent because he's concerned.

"Hey, Sam... I mean, Bill..." Dipper still feels very disgusted about the idea that his best friend is very much gone and replaced with his demon. Yet, he witnesses the behaviour of his friend right now, as Samuel's body looks very shameful of himself instead of answering like Bill would.

On the way to school, the boy takes the courage to speak up after what felt an eternity of silence, taking all his courage.

"When I... got angry at you... for your joke... I never knew... how much it would hurt you... But... I have no hard feelings..." After a few seconds, he tries a silly joke. "Hey, do you know why bicycles fall over? They're "two-tired"!" He giggles a bit, hoping that it'd be contagious, but Bill... still has a stern look to his face. So he thinks... "I need something more... his style..."

"Do you know it's stupid to break someone's heart? There's only one, but you can break hundreds of bones instead!" This... is definitely not something Dipper would laugh at, and yet... it seems to give Samuel's body... a bit of an amused smirk.

Seeing that, the boy feels encouraged and tries to continue "Did you know fishes can dance outside the water? Only once for a few seconds, though." Once again, this isn't the boy's type of humor, but he hears a small chuckle coming from Bill. And thinking about what he did yesterday, he decides to take the risk of going for broke as he gets angry

"Bill... You're... the most... awful person I've ever met in my life!!! The most horrific... the most hateful... the most, terrible person in the entire world!!! I HATE you, Bill, and I hope you disappear forever!!!!!"

Bill stops with anger, and a loud grunt sounding like annoyance is heard as he stares at Dipper, who gets concerned as Samuel's body is clenching his fists. "... UM..."

But then, after some seconds of silence...
"Um... um um... um... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Oh, Pinetree... You really got me! I didn't think you were able to handle this twisted humor that well!"

Dipper expected this reaction, he was faking anger to see if that would've worked, and... to his surprise, he thinks... "Wow, he does find this stuff funny..."

Samuel's body breathe and smiles at him. "Thank you, I needed that!"

The boy now feels a lot better, as he managed to fix his mistake from yesterday. He feels warmth in his heart. They now walk towards the school and Bill brings up an interesting topic.

"Say, Pinetree... Your usual nickname, could you tell me where it comes from?"

"Oh, "Dipper"? Well... I suppose my friends and my sister find me "dippy", so they adopted that." He says with a smile.

Bill knows it's a lie. "You sure about that...?"

Dipper gets concerned. "Yes, why?"

"Isn't there... another reason...?" He looks at Mason's hair.

Dipper goes "Oh right, he would know..." in his mind with an annoyed feeling, but he answers. "Sorry I lied, but if you know, why do you bother asking...?"
Bill lets it slide. "Wanted some talk, I suppose." He recognizes his annoyance and adds just in case. "If that makes you feel better, Bill isn't my real name either..."

Dipper is fairly surprised at it. "Oh? What is it then?"

Bill looks away. "You can't hear it. Humans couldn't handle it."

"Uh? How come?" Dipper asks, but then he sees Samuel's face close to his with a serious stare.

"Bill is a name I picked so you skin puppets could have a way to call me by a name. My real name is too dangerous for non-demons to hear. So for your sake... Don't ask anything more!"

"Uh, alright..." The boy is confused and would really like to hear more, but he obliges.

The two boys then reach the school and prepare to go inside. "So, here goes..."

The two of them enter the classroom, in presence of the entire class and the teachers that were doubtful of Mason's innoncence.
"You can do it!", says Bill, before he enters the classroom first. Samuel's body then announces "Everyone, I brought you the one and only..." He gestures to Dipper, who enters the classroom.

Dipper takes a deep breath and starts his announcement. In spite of a couple of lies, he acts genuinely apologetic. "My dear classmates, and teachers... I owe you all an apology for my behavior this Monday... I wanna say sorry to all of you as much as it is necessary for you to believe, I am fine. I think I lost some of my senses because... I was heavily troubled... I can't believe it lead me to yell and attack my best friend, but... He forgave me. And I do hope you all find it in your heart to please forgive this shameful behavior that wasn't reflective of me..."

There are some talks around, but they all seem to talk about how he doesn't act the same and seems genuine.

The math teacher is the one to ask. "And then, what was troubling you so much that day, if that was the case?"

Dipper wants to be the most honest possible. "You see... It's tough to believe, but... I had terrible nightmares the night before... Samuel tried to calm me down, but... It was too heavy for me, and I snapped, being lead by my feelings... I did get his forgiveness, and now I hope I can get yours..."

The teacher takes time to think and says. "Okay, then. I can tell your emotions today are genuine, and you're a smart boy. I trust you to never do stuff like that again, or at least seek an adult's ear if you feel troubled about something."

"I promise!", immediately confirms Dipper.

The arts teacher bring the remaining issue. "But if you are just a boy that felt troubled for the day, I don't suppose you'd be guilty of coming back to the school and cause a paint explosion as revenge for being punished..."

"Of course not!", yells Dipper, firmly.

"Then... who could've done it?"

Dipper smirks a bit. "Oh, that... I know it's hard to believe, but this whole time... This class was being invaded by a demon!"

Bill thinks a huge "WHAT??? WHAT IS HE DOING???"

"It sounds crazy, insane, and such, but there was a demon around us that whole time. The most evil and the most horrible person alive… he's the one to blame for all of this…"

Bill freaks out inside: "Is he crazy??? He's doing exactly what got him in trouble in the first place!"

"He is very despicable, and he has done many evils... But don't worry, I can get rid of him. For all of us!" He suddenly stares at Samuel with a smirk, which makes Bill worried. No one really dares to interrupt this.

Bill, confused about the whole things, manages to keep the mask. "Um... Are you okay, buddy?"

The kid remains confident. "Oh, I'm fine... perfectly fine..." He gives a fairly scary stare at him. "The one who isn't fine... is the evil whose reign of terror is about to end!" Samuel backs down a bit, feeling threatened, as Dipper continues. "You're scared. Are you gonna run away? Or stay?"

Bill can't believe he actually feels really threatened, like a demon of justice was possessing Dipper and about to end his existence. He feels nervous sweat on his skull, as he manages to play innocent some more. "Come on, my bestie, stop jesting like that... You do realize the whole class is judging you, right?" This statement did not bother him one bit as he stares at him intensively and confidently. Bill gives up, as he makes Sammy shrug and say. "Alright, you got me..."

He stands up to everyone. "I have a confession, everyone... My friend was speaking in codes here, because he knows the truth... I made that prank! And I'm willing to get the punishment I deserve if it clears his name from all of this!"

The teachers are surprised about the honesty. He gets asked if he's saying the truth.

"Yes, I'm honest. I did the prank alone, and I should be the only one to face consequences!" The whole class is also surprised, with some chatter talking about how much of a great friend he is to Mason after all. It does slightly irritate Dipper, however, that he manages to fool everyone with his identity.

"In this case, then this will be an entire morning of detention Saturday... And cleaning duty in the art room to repair the mess you caused."

Samuel's body shrugs. "Okay, sounds fair!" He adds. "And maybe my friend wasn't completely speaking in metaphors... Maybe there indeed is... some kind of demon inside me!"

Everyone is taken aback and Dipper feels hopeful for a bit, but then Samuel adds... "You know, that was a bit... devilish of me to do. This is why I'm saying this, I was just following my buddy's lead."

Dipper frowns, but still considers what happened a victory. After Samuel accepts the punishment, he goes to shake his friend's hand, proving to everyone that the fight is settled. But Bill's grasp turns just a little too tight as he whispers to the boy angrily, but also with a slight hint of respect... "... Well played, Pinetree..."

The Wednesday of school now resumes, Mason's name is cleaned and he's allowed back at school early while Samuel, stands awkwardly next to him in class. And he has to spend the recess cleaning the art room for what he did.

Mabel asks what Bill is doing now, and her brother only answers he can't go on recess, and doesn't add anything. He seems to not want to show his pride about outing him for his misfits.

Chapter Text

After this confrontation, the rest of the day passes, and as the school day ends earlier on Wednesday than the rest of the week, Mabel is eager to invite Sammy and speak some more with Bill, as she wants to find out more as to why he's been acting oddly... not evilly. As she reaches home, she notices how much he and her brother are sharing stares of discomfort as she sits.

Despite the odd situation she's facing, she actually holds a smile. "So, I believe you both have a lot of catching up to give me, so I'm all ears!"

Bill makes Samuel act a bit grumpy. "Well I spent the day's breaks on cleaning duty and I have an entire morning of detention thanks to your brother, but that's fine!"

Dipper acts cold too. "You totally deserved it, though, so don't be mad at me!"

Mabel feels a good amount of tension between them and tries to joke around. "It seems you two sure have an... interesting relationship."

Samuel looks at her with an annoyed stare, making her wonder if she said something bad. He wants her to stare at the eyes so she'd get a reminder of who he really is. Seeing this, Mabel feels very concerned and tense, and Dipper lets him do, unless Bill should do or say something dangerous.

Bill wants to act reassuring, since he doesn't have bad intentions. "Calm down, Shooting star, I'm not gonna harm you! I just thought that maybe you would have needed a reminder about me..."

Mabel feels better, but she still acts a little concerned. "Reminder of...?" She answers softly, but she's also half scared.

He answers nonchalently about very sensitive topics for the two kids. "Who I am and what I did! You know, the deal with Gideon, the puppet show, possessing your brother, tricking you to get the dimensional rift, Weirdmageddon, Mabeland..." He concludes with the same uncaring attitude. "All that funny stuff!"

The way he casually brings up all the horrible things he's done to her and her family... She feels a strong feeling of discomfort and actually gets a little afraid, but she wants to be polite and answers with bad feelings. "Yes... I remember..."

"Good... Because if you didn't..." He grows more menacing. "I'd have to ensure you'd relive them for a little refresher!" She gets a surge of fear in her body, but Bill quickly changes his tone. "Kidding, kidding... But yeah, you understand that with such history, your brother has some... let's say complicated feelings about me being here. Let alone in the body of your former best friend."

Mabel answers, relieved. "Yes, I understand... But then you'd have to explain to me... What happened with Samuel? How did you... end up possessing him?"

Bill is annoyed... "Ugh, I'm really gonna have to do that whole explanation twice...? Fine I'll tell you... After your return home, I used your brother's body to terrorize him. His school bullying was me. His milk poisoning that night he spent with you was me as well. And I had him severely beat up your bro's body before I revealed myself to him, so he'd make a deal with me and I'd replace him. That's why you were locked out of the bedroom that morning."

Mabel rarely feels anger, but hearing Bill's exploits... It genuinely makes a part of her boil for harming her brother and her best friend at the same time. But instead, she brings an important question. "But wait... How did you manage to possess Dipper? Surely, he didn't make a deal with you for that..."

Dipper feels a little stupid when he hears the question... "Wait, she's right, I was so caught up in emotions that I never thought about that."

Bill looks at Dipper, he explains things, but it also sounds like he's taunting him. "If you recall, Pinetree, our deal from back then was never truly off. You never ended it, meaning I could've possessed you again at any point if I wanted to. Which is what I did recently for the reasons you know."

The information he just heard gives Dipper the chills... Not only he could've just ended the deal before it got too bad that day, but also... the thought that Bill could've used his body again whenever he wanted to... It's very creepy to him.

Another important question gets raised in his head, however. "Wait, there's something else... How did you... end up free after your defeat?"

Bill is very angry to be reminded of his failure, but he tries his best to keep his composure to answer. "I have to admit, my knowledge might be near unlimited, but I might pull a blank here." He starts thinking... "Unless..."

"Unless what? You got a lead?", asks Mabel, encouragingly.

"This is only a theory, but... Did you happen to see my statue before you left for home?"

Mabel is confused. "... What statue...?"
Dipper is mute out of concern, but still asks... "... why...?"

"That statue was the remains of my previous physical form, and it's quite likely that it stored my consciousness to some extent before my reawakening... So if Pinetree approached it... Maybe he did cause my return through his mind."

Dipper is just frozen and shocked, as he recalls finding the statue.

Shortly before leaving the town, Dipper did one last visit of the forest, and he remembers finding the statue, which did have him rejoiced. He remembers approaching it.
"You finally got your comeuppence, you stupid monster!" He recalls giving a punch on the statue's eye. "Ow... That's very solid...", he says as he rubs the pain in his hand. Right after, he hears Mabel calling him with the walkie-talkie in his bag and decides to move on. But then...

As he turns around too quickly, he ends up tripping by crossing his feet. He managed to prevent himself from falling with the only support for that being the statue's hand... And at the time, his only thought was to taunt the statue. "Uh, turns out you're more nice and helpful as a statue than alive. Who could've guessed?" as he ran away that day, thinking that would be the last time he'd have to face Bill's presence.

His flashback is interrupted by Mabel's voice. "Bro-bro, are you okay...?"

Dipper feels miserable and struggles not to cry from the guilt... "Yes, I did find that statue... I did... I did touch it... I did touch the hand... accidentally... It's all my fault... If Bill returned... If Samuel is gone now... I'm the one to blame...!"

His sister tries to be comforting. "Dipper, it's not your fault... You didn't know..."

"Fuzzball was very kind-hearted, he made the sacrifice to ensure you were safe. I must say, you did choose a good friend..." Bill gives Samuel's face a mischievous grin. "Or... was he, just a friend...?"

As Bill implies something scary, Dipper gets angry. "What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Mabel, starts putting two and two together. "Wait, I remember you can go inside minds. And if you fused with Sammy, that means... you have access to everything about him... Every memory, every liking, every fear, every regret..." She freaks out a bit. "... every secret..."

Bill nods. "I indeed do..."

"Even...?" She gets cut off by Bill because he just knows what she's thinking off. "Yes, Shooting star... Even that!"

Mabel sits silently and looks very uncomfortable, and Bill stays shut, since saying more would be wasting the body's vocal chords. She's isn't scared, but she's visibly troubled emotionally.

"What have you done to her?" Dipper asks angrily.

"Just ask her..." Bill leaves the room to go to the kitchen in case the siblings need a little privacy.

Dipper rushes to his sister. "What's wrong? What did Bill do?" Mabel gets too scared to answer. The feeling of her panicked heartbeat is too much to be able to focus on the question. "Are you okay? Why are you feeling so panicked? I swear, if he hurt you, I'm not gonna let it slide!" He says that with a very serious tone, and anger in his voice and stare if he's right.

Mabel starts breathing in her panic, trying her best to reassure him. "Dipper... He didn't hurt me... It's just..." She feels a lot of discomfort about what she needs to explains, and it shows on her face. "He... knows something..."

Dipper gets confused, asking curiously. "What do you mean...? What could possibly cause you to feel like that?"

His sister starts answering. "You see, before Samuel fused with Bill, he told me something. And... you don't know about it..."

Dipper gets a tiny bit frustrated as his patience runs thin. "Look, I appreciate your honesty in answering me, but this isn't really helping me understand why you feel like that... If you don't tell me, though, I'll give that demon a piece of my mind, body of Samuel or not!"

"Dipper, Bill is innocent in my current discomfort, okay? What happened is that in the first day of school, he went to talk to me in private and he said..." She says something unintelligible...

Her brother didn't get to hear a thing. "He said... what?"

She has had enough of his questioning, so she get straight to the point. "He said he felt things for me! Samuel has a crush on me! You understand that???"

Dipper, feeling bad for questioning her this much, gives her a comforting hug. "Sis... Thanks for being honest... Sorry if I was pestering you..." He feels sorry about this, but he also feels some very negative feelings about the whole thing.

Samuel enters the living room back, feeding on a cracker. He stays silent to not ruin the moment. And as soon as Dipper notices, he stops the hug and look at him in a hateful mood. "YOU..."

He answers, without being concerned "Yes, Pinetree? Something you wanna tell me?"

Dipper is furious. "You... like... my sister...?" He clenches his fist.

Bill answers immediately, finding the situation ridiculous. "What??? Don't be insane, of course I don't!" He takes time to look at her and tell her "No offense! I mean in the way he means..."

Mabel understands and Dipper remains angry. "What do you think is the way I'm referring to here...?"

"Like, um..." He feels an opportunity to tease him, so he jumps on the occasion to do just that "... Like the way you used to be with that redhead..." He smirks, but Dipper ignores the tease. "I don't think of your sister the way you were then. But Fuzzball, though... Let's say he did have some thoughts in his heart about her..."

The boy lets his mixed feelings and anger of the revelation get the best of him. He feels furious, frustrated, betrayed, many different feelings preventing him from thinking straight.

Bill notices and gets confused. "Why are you so upset about this, Pinetree? Shouldn't you be happy for your sister?"

"Happy? HAPPY??? Why should I be happy???" He breathes very loudly out of his anger.

Bill uses his intelligence and logic to act like a wise man without malice, for a change: "Because if you truly cared about your sister's well-being... You wouldn't feel mad that a nice kid might have had some kind of feelings for her, especially if they are shared from her side! If you told her to her face that you wouldn't want that happiness for her... Then I'm afraid you'd be more heartless than most monsters out there!"

It takes every ounce of strength for Dipper to not yell at Bill right now for what he said. But then, out of nowhere, he hears... "Bill is right..."

Mabel approached him to tell him that, and he feels betrayed. "You're agreeing with a terrible demon... over your own brother? YOU'RE TURNING TO HIS SIDE????"

Bill is surprised. He knows Dipper has shown some lack of judgement under the emotions, but to see him so paranoid about his own sibling is something he considers a new low. Sammy is quick to react, shielding Mabel from his stare "Hey, Pinetree, calm down! You're really starting to act insane, and not in an entertaining way!"

"Don't talk to me, demon!!!"

"You're the evil one here, treating your family like that!"

"SHUT UP!!!!!"

Mabel wants to hold her brother's hand gently. "Dipper... Don't..."

Bill cuts her accidentally. "Your sister cares about you! And I care about you! We both don't want you to act like this!"

Dipper takes time to let it all process inside him, thinking out loud. "Bill is the worst... and Mabel... she's defending him?"

Bill brings up a very logical argument. "And why does it matter when it's over something that isn't twisted and evil? She did defend me, true, but with her own, unchanged heart and mind! This is your sweet sister acting like that, she's not under a spell or anything!"

Mabel tries to speak her worries. "Bro, you get too emotive... It got you thinking wrong and saying awful things..."

"SHUT UP, you demon-supporting traitor!!!!" Right after saying that, he gasps and puts his hands against his mouth, realizing how far he has come. Which isn't helped by how Mabel gets teary-eyed quickly. It does help to awake her brother's heart.
"Oh no... Mabel..." He starts crying, even harder than his sister. "I'm... I'm so sorry... All that discomfort towards Bill, Samuel's situation... It got me acting very stupidly... I'm sorry I yelled at you, again... I'm the worst..." He then turns to Bill, and says something he didn't expect. "And... I'm sorry I said these things, Bill... For once... I was the one with the black heart..."

Mabel hugs her brother, she accepts the apology. But she adds, seriously... "Bill or not, don't you ever get carried away like that again, okay? This is not good for you or anyone else!"

Bill then does something... unexpected... He makes two sock puppets appear, one of Dipper and one of Sammy... And he makes the two hug, which is something... he'd actually want?

Dipper giggles. "Yes, you can join in..." Samuel hugs Dipper, who closes his eyes in gratitude.

"Thank you, both of you... I... I'll try my best to improve my behavior" He breathes in comfort. But then, after a little bit during the hug... He feels something strange. "Wait... How come...?"

Chapter Text

In the middle of the comforting hug, Dipper suddenly felt something troubling him. "Wait, how come...? I'm feeling an extra arm touching me...?"

As he kept his eyes closed, he hears Bill's voice half-tauntingly saying... "Just open your eyes to find out!"

He slowly opens his eyes, kinda worried, and looks a little above his head. He sees a sight he wished he would never see again, ever... "Bill..."

Bill is floating with his triangular form, touching Dipper's shoulder. His presence takes so much of the boy's attention that he no longer thinks about the question he was wondering seconds ago.

"Been a while since you've been able to admire my true form, eh, Pinetree? You love to see it, don't you?" He's teasing the kid, who, despite the genuine moments from before, still isn't very comfortable about it.

Mabel insists in reassuring him. "It's all good, Bro bro..."

And right after that, he hears... "Yeah, don't worry... Everything's fine!" He turns his head, and the one who just said that turns out to be... Samuel himself, not being under Bill's control anymore.

He stares at his friends eyes, they are back to normal. To say that Dipper is shocked would be a massive understatement. "S-Samuel? But how? How are you... here...? As yourself...?"

Sammy just smiles in a genuine expression that Dipper hasn't seen on that face in a while. "Don't worry, my friend..."

Dipper still feels forced to say from his panic. "... You're... You're not... suddenly gonna turn around... and show that you're Bill... right? RIGHT???"

Bill is a bit annoyed by the stupidity of the question and floats downwards, next to Samuel's face. "I'm floating right here, Pinetree! It's obviously Fuzzball himself!"

The brown-haired boy stares that the floating demon in disbelief. "How did you... bring Sammy back?"

The triangle being gives a straightforward answer. "He never completely left. He was somehow in there the entire time!"

Dipper can't believe it. "But... But you said... That he was gone forever... That you replaced him..."

Bill acts smug and sarcastic about this. "Oh I did, uh? Did I lie? Oh, silly me..." He cackles after that.

Dipper is shocked and annoyed, but Samuel grabs his shoulders. "The deal was that I'd become a vessel for him. But that didn't mean erasing me. I was there, I just... let him do as he pleases for a little while"

This kindness and feeling of reassurance... is something he hasn't felt in a long while, and he speaks with a lot of relief. "You were, always, in there...?"

Samuel feels guilty. "Yes, and... Mason, buddy, I'm sorry I had to injure your body to get Bill out..."

Mabel is quick to reassure him from her own experience. "I had to do it once too, so it's probably okay."

Samuel is confused about this, but Dipper can't help but smile as he witnesses his friend being himself again. "I accept your apology, and he explained it to me... He forced you as a trick, so I understand... So you made that deal in order to heal me."

"Yes, but also... As I accepted, I had him promise that he wouldn't endanger you and your sister..."

Dipper gets positive emotions flowing through his body. "You made that deal... mainly for our sake...?"

Samuel nods. "Sacrificing most of my will was worth it to ensure that he wouldn't get you in danger... I care about you guys wellbeing that much!" After a pause, he adds "I really wanted you safe..." Suddenly, he blushes. "Also, this was one heck of a way for you to find out about... that..." He looks away, losing his smile a bit.

Bill shrugs. "Sorry kid, blame the girl for being too emotive and selling the secret." Mabel stares at him annoyingly, causing him to answer. "Hey, you started it by getting freaked out over me knowing, you know? Not my fault, Shooting star!" Mabel can't deny he has a point, but still.

Dipper acts understanding to his friend. "Why... Why didn't you tell me that?"

Sammy is very emotive about it. "I wanted to wait... and see how genuine these feelings could become... because... because I'm really scared..." He doesn't even dare to make eye contact.

And as Dipper is confused and worried, his sister continues the explanation to ease Sammy's mind. "He was worried that should things not work out, it could ruin our friendship. Not just between the two of us, but... Between you boys as well... He was scared that it'd make our relationship uncomfortable."

"Oh, so that's what you were thinking..." Dipper looks at his friend and speaks very honestly. "No matter what happens, we won't let that affect our friendship, okay? If you end up dating Mabel, and even if it ends up not working... We'll work through it. I don't want to lose your friendship either..."

Samuel feels a lot better from hearing that, and the two boys give themselves a hug of comfort.

Bill breaks the silence from the scene with a fairly sarcastic and mocking "Aww, ain't that cute...?", just to see Pinetree's reaction

And as he expected, Dipper looks at him annoyed before looking at his friend again. "If you don't mind, I think Mabel and I need some more explanations..."

Mabel indeed finds it odd that Bill has just been... floating there, without doing anything bad except some mockery. "Yeah, we'd like to know what's been going on between you two."

And Sammy adds. "I understand, and I think... you owe me some explanations too..."

The three kids sit in the bedroom, while Bill just keeps floating silently, crossing his legs and putting his hands under his back with a relaxed stare.

Samuel asks a straightforward question. "So, this guy seems to have personal history with you two... How...?"

His friends look ashamed for a bit. "As it turns out, we did hide some things that happened during our vacation from you...", implies Dipper.

"Or a lot of things...", adds Mabel.

Trying their best to not do a story that's too long, the twins let their best friend know about most of the crazy stuff that happened during their summer vacation, switching sides to narrate, sometimes arguing about minor details, but they try to explain as much as they can without being too long. Then they get to the point of the question and let him know about their encounters with Bill and what happened with him. All the while, Samuel is entirely speechless. If he didn't meet Bill himself with some first hand experience about how he is, he could think his friends are taking him for a giant fool.

His only answer once they're done is... "It all sounds like it comes out of some stupidly bad cartoon..."

Mabel is quick to answer, fully agreeing on that. "I know, right?".

"So, you understand why we didn't tell you anything, at first. Right...?" Dipper is uncertain.

"Don't worry, I understand." Samuel wants to be as reassuring as he can.

All the while, Bill just floats there in silence, watching his fingers and waiting for things to move along. He couldn't help but feel annoyed about being reminded of the failure of Weirdmageddon, but he does his best not to show it.

Dipper is quick to ask, staring at Bill for a few seconds. "So now we know how you met him, as well as how and why you made that deal together. But there's something I don't get... Bill is being... odd since then..."

Mabel adds. "Yeah, I mean, he's showcased regrets, affection, apologies, maybe even some cuteness. It's so unlike a monster like him."

"HEY!!!", yells Bill to remind them of his presence.

Samuel answers. "Well, you know how our deal went. Since then, we're more or less chained together by magic. He can't go too far away from me anymore now that he can use my body as a vessel."

Dipper ponders after hearing the information. "But would that explain...? Just a couple weeks ago, he would've tried to harm us or scare us away just for being in the same room as him."

Bill then moves forward at blinding speed with a threatening voice. "Oh, since you asked so nicely!!!" He snaps his fingers and makes a dozen bowling balls appear above the twins, causing them to scream and hug each other while waiting for the impact.

After quivering for a few seconds, they open their eyes curiously, realizing they weren't hurt. The dangerous items just vanished into thin air as they were about to make contact with their bodies.

"Wait, what happened...?", asks a relieved Dipper.

Samuel answers. "It's the deal I made with him. I told you, he can't use his magic to physically harm you anymore!"

Dipper yells at Bill. "WHY DID YOU SCARE US LIKE THAT???".
Mabel is still quivering. "That was terrible..."

Bill acts like he doesn't care. "It was funnier to demonstrate than just reminding you, y'know?"

Dipper looks at Samuel, annoyed. "And you let him do that?".

To that, Sammy answers, apologetically. "I knew what the outcome was going to be, so I thought I wouldn't stop him."

Bill then approaches Dipper's face. "It doesn't mean I can no longer mess with you! I can still do that..." He rubs his head violently. "Whoops, your hair are an even bigger mess now!" He then pinches his cheeks. "See, I can still annoy you, Pinetree!"

Dipper actually... giggles a bit, but hides it as being frustrated and pushes the demon's hands away. "Bill, stop it, you stupid goofball!"

Bill takes offense. "Hey Pinetree, don't be rude!" He approaches the boy, puts his arm around his shoulders and then adds... "... The word you're looking for is gooftriangle!"

The brown-haired boy actually lets out an honest laugh. "That would be more appropriate, yeah!"

Mabel can't believe what she sees. Her brother and the triangular demon himself, genuinely laughing together while making a physical contact. She wishes she could take a picture of that. But then, she suddenly smiles even more as she realizes. "So that means... He might pull pranks, but he won't be able to harm anymore! Bro-bro, this is amazing news!"

Dipper is confused. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Of course! Don't you realize what it means?" She says with conviction. "Bill is no longer a bad guy!"

Bill is unhappy about that statement. "How dare you say such a foolish thing???" He acts grumpy instead of furious, crossing his arms. "I'm still evil, maybe it's just that..." He turns around before adding. "...I got nothing left to lose...?" He appears like he was mumbling to himself there, but he was still heard.

The twins look at each other in complete confusion.

"What... What did you mean with this last part...?", asks Mabel, genuinely concerned.

Bill is furious about having been heard and doesn't want to make himself look even more miserable. "I won't answer!"

"Bill, please be nice...", says Samuel.

"Why would I be nice to them, Fuzzball? Why would I be honest? It's not like they'll want to believe me!"

The human boy then says something... very interesting. "If it makes it easier for you... Use me..."

Bill opens his eye in disbelief, Sammy is serious. So they shake hands and fuse. Seeing the yellow eyes and slit pupils on Samuel again makes Dipper defensive, but Mabel grabs his hand and says. "It's okay... he agreed to that and we know it's temporary..."

Samuel's body sits closer to them, wanting to talk. And Mabel repeats her question in an encouraging, compassionate way. "What did you mean when you said... you got nothing to lose...?"

Bill starts to talk, the human breath he uses is very shaky. "Do you have any idea what it feels like... To be very close from achieving your lifetime's dream...? To finally have access to your version of paradise...? Only to have it taken away from you...? Do you know what it's like to be an all-knowing powerful demon... and be outdone by a bunch of humans?" As he speaks, he feels more and more human feelings, and it feels like he could break down crying at any moment as he gets more and more frustrated with each word. "Do you know how it feels to get a new home for you and your friends, only for it to be undone and be separated from those friends forever...?"

The twins look at themselves, feeling confused, worried, surprised... A lot of things together. And Dipper asks. "Your friends, you mean... Those creatures you sent to the town when the rift was opened? They weren't minions?"

Bill starts crying through Samuel's body as he's reminded of the Henchmaniacs. "Of course not!! They were my friends!!! And now I lost contact with them forever..."

Mabel touches Samuel's body with a lot of sorrow in her voice. "I'm sorry that happened, Bill..."

Despite his feelings about Bill, Dipper cannot completely disagree. Losing your closest friends isn't something he'd wish to his worst enemy.

Bill reacts with sarcasm. "Yeah right, you're sorry... Next thing you'll say is that you feel bad for ending Weirdmageddon..."

Mabel admits... "Well, maybe..." Knowing her brother would disagree, she immediately adds... "I mean, I don't agree with terrorizing people, turning them into statues, causing destruction, but... if all you needed was a new home for you and your friends... maybe there would've been a way for things to work out differently..."

Her brother is obviously conflicted about all of this, but he can't deny that his sister is making some good points.

Bill asks, very interested. "So if I was to recreate Weirdmageddon... Would you let me do?"

This felt like a threat, and Mabel doesn't hesitate. "Of course not!"

"Yeah, figures..." Bill groans through Samuel. "So much for understanding, am I right...?"

Mabel continues, speaking more seriously than she usually does. "You might have had some noble desires for you and your friends, but it doesn't give you the right to invade a dimension and cause misery for everyone there, just for the sake of your amusement! Would you like it if, out of nowhere, your home was destroyed forever?"

Bill feels yet another new feeling in the human body. It's a feeling of pain that he takes no fun in. Mabel's question was like a needle in his heart. "No, I wouldn't... I know what it's like..." The girl gasps as he continues. "I did lose my home dimension, my family and my friends there. And I don't have any way to go back to this life..."

Bill does hide a lot of details here. But even still, his grief is a very deeply hidden sincere emotion he doesn't showcase. Hearing this, Mabel tries to reach Samuel's hand for comfort.

Seeing all this, Dipper feels forced to remind her. "Mabel, don't forget... he tried to get us eliminated if it meant world domination success for him!"

"Yeah, about that..." he says through Samuel's body, not daring to look at them. "I got... something to confess... Something difficult..."

Dipper raises his eyebrow in disbelief, fearing a bit, but he stays silent to let him continue.

"It's true I caused you a giant scare, chasing you, swearing I'd have you destroyed. But, here's the thing... It was all a giant act to begin with..."

Dipper gets angry about being reminded, and even more hearing that. "So you toyed with our lives... FOR FUN?????"

Samuel cries harder and Mabel looks at her brother. "Please let him talk... I think... there's something else to that..."

Bill speaks through Samuel's body, having very troubled breath every few words, and trying his best to hold back tears. "I wanted Sixer... to help me... I needed his help... to expand Weirdmageddon... And this stubborn fool wouldn't accept... no matter what I tried... Kindness, menace... and even..." He has a lot of trouble saying the following. "... even... torture... nothing worked... So I thought my only chance left... was to threaten you two... I never truly meant to do what I said... It was all a ruse in hope that Fordsy would give up to protect you and help me... And if he did... I would've let you go..."

Dipper is still very doubtful... However, Bill might be a giant trickster and manipulator, in a human body, there is no way he could fake these feelings. So, much to his surprise, he states. "I believe you..."

Mabel definitely did not expect to hear her brother say that either, and Bill ends up leaving Samuel's body, as he's done enough explaining. So the kid gets control of his body back while Bill just floats looking away, out of shame for what just happened.

Sammy's first reaction is to wipe the tears. He doesn't completely know what happened, but based on his teary eyes and his friends reactions... there were some very heavy topics being talked about. So he asks. "You guys are okay? He didn't mess with you, right?"

His friends are reassuring. "No, it's fine... we are just... very surprised of what he said.", answers Mabel. She also thinks. "And what my brother said..."

Dipper starts speaking again. "I would like to ask something more, Bill... What is...?"

His question gets cut short when his friend Sammy looks at the time. "Oh shoot, I should really hurry home now! Sorry, guys!"

They don't mind that their friend has to go, but Dipper finds it unfortunate as he had a very important question. Still, he's very happy to see that Bill didn't outright get rid of his best friend, and the three kids hug goodbye.

"Come, Bill...", says Sammy. Bill doesn't answer or says any sort of goodbye to the twins. He just vanishes into a shadow following his vessel.

Once she's alone with him, Mabel brings up the topic for the final time of the day, as she can't get over what her brother said. "You said... you believed and understood him? I never thought..."

Dipper nods and doesn't really want to talk about it. "I'm mostly glad our friend isn't gone. But maybe Bill is... different..."

Chapter Text

Nighttime arrived. At the Pines' bedroom, Mabel is already sleeping with a lot of peacefulness in her mind, after finding out that Samuel still has free will, and that Bill won't do anything horrible anymore. But Dipper remains awake... while he does feel some relief... he can't help but find the entire situation incredibly weird.

"It's not like it could be another trick, can it...?" He takes some time to think about it. "Samuel would never allow it to be one... and him not harming us is something Bill HAS to do as his share of the deal..." He starts relaxing, but just before falling asleep, he thinks... "I'd better be careful, but maybe... maybe tomorrow will be bright..."

Meanwhile, in Samuel's bedroom, the boy is sleeping very deeply. After all, through the host in control of his body, today was a very eventful day of showcasing emotions, so that was definitely expected that his body would need to recover.

Bill just floats around, managing to not glow too much to not disturb. In a way, he dislikes the night. Most humans are using it to recover their strenght, but a being of pure energy has no need to replenish it... So he just stays there being bored. "Ugh, humans are annoying with their snoring...", he complains to himself.

He approaches his vessel, trying to find a way to stop it. He tries to touch his hair to wake him up. "Hey Fuzzball..." He talks too quietly for that and instead, it has the effect of causing an asleep Sammy to grab his hand in his sleep. Bill starts yelling. "HEY, LEMM..." he stops himself for now. Yelling him awake would be a bad idea and a good way to make him angry, while he could get away lying after using a gentler method. So he just stays there on the bed and groans, his right arm being stuck in that position.

"There must be something I can do about this..." He starts thinking and realizes... in a way, he's being treated like a plush right now. So he uses his telekinesis magic to grab a piece of the bedsheet, and very carefully makes an exchange in his grasp. He floats away quickly and sees the human didn't wake up. "That was close..." He's still as annoyed as before, however, which makes him feel frustrated. "This is boring, I need some fun!" Saying this, he turns into an ominous shadow, entering Samuel's mindscape.

Bill travels inside Samuel's mind. The place consists of a recreation of his home being set very close to important places of his life. The yellow demon is used to travelling through minds and he starts exploring the doors. He approaches a door in particular... "I have a feeling this one is recent..."

He opens the door and finds the scenery to be a mostly empty street on late May from earlier this year. He sees from above the twins with a lot of bags, waiting in a bus stop that's completely empty except for the two of them. The bus finally arrives.

Dipper speaks with some uncertainty. "Here goes..." But as the kids were about to board...

"MABEL!!! DIPPER!!!" The two turn around to see where the voice comes from. Samuel has been riding his bike and is visibly exhausted.

"Sammy? What are you doing here?", asks a surprised Dipper.

The boy quickly gets off the bike and removes his helmet. He appears very emotional. "Your parents just told me... You guys are leaving...? For the ENTIRE SUMMER???"

Mabel nods. "Yeah, it's a bit sudden for us too, but what can we do?"

Her friend acts frustrated. "And you didn't tell me goodbye, or even warn me...?"

Dipper is embarassed. "As she just said, it was awfully sudden... I'm sorry."

The bus driver, while not being a jerk about it, is forced to remind the passengers. "Kids, you have to enter or we'll be too off-schedule."

Samuel realizes this and says. "Oh, sorry Sir, my fault... I promise it'll take just a minute!" He hugs his friends, saying softly. "I'll be fine... Promise me to have fun... and I'll be happy!"

After a short warm hug, the two kids enter the bus, and Samuel waves cheerfully at them as it departs, holding a big smile. "Have a great summer, guys!" His waves are being returned, and then, as the bus is out of view... his smile breaks slowly, and he starts sobbing for a little bit before he's able to move on... "I... I'll be fine..."

Bill stares at the entire memory from above, feeling conflicted. "That's weird... Usually, human misery like this always get an amusement out of me... Yet I feel empty right now..."

He leaves the memory thinking... "It seems he really cares about these two... I wonder..." He goes to explore beyond and finds himself in what looks like a school, but not the one he's visited while possessing him. It seems like a different one, and he finds a memory door larger than most, posing as a school gate and being brightly lit.

"It looks like he values this memory a lot. Let's see..."

As he pushes the door, he finds himself in a kindergarten playground, with kids all over the place. "Ugh, too many people around..." Bill thinks to himself, adding "Looks like I need a disguise..." He morphs into a blonde kid with bangs covering his right eye. He's wearing a black shirt with a triangle on it. "Okay, that should do...", and he starts walking around. Then, near a door from which some kids go by to go to recess, he hears...

"Hey, curly boy, move out of the way!", says an ordering kid voice.

Bill approaches the scene and thinks. "Is that kid...?"

He recognizes a 4 years old Samuel getting pushed around by some other kid. To which his only response is a shy and unassuming "Sorry..." before he moves on without arguing.

He gets a "You better be." as an answer when the kid leaves.

Bill thinks. "Wow, he's a little too nice for his own good... You could walk all over him and he still wouldn't fight back. Um..."

Before he's able to be lost in thoughts, he follows little Samuel from a distance, seeing him sitting alone with nothing to do. But it doesn't last, because his attention is then taken by some sound.

He starts moving until he finds an unpleasant sight... A brown-haired boy is breaking down in tears in front of another kid, while a girl the same age is trying her best to comfort him.

Bill follows and thinks to himself... "Is that Pinetree and Shooting star? What's going on?"

The young Samuel has reached the two as they were talking to another kid. He asks the boy "What's wrong?"

The kid in front of them is mocking little Mason Pines. "Nothing, it's just that this guy can't handle the fact that he looks weird! He won't accept being told that!"

As Mason keeps crying, Samuel gets curious. "He... looks weird? I don't know what you mean, but it's not nice to say this kind of things! You should leave him alone instead of acting like a big meanie!"

The kid gets threatening to Sammy. "Don't tell me what I have to do, okay?"

The boy feels quite nervous, he never did fend for himself before, but seeing this kid's tears gives him the courage to speak up. "I know it's not my job to do that, but I can call a teacher to tell what you've done, and you'd get punished for making a classmate cry." With some fear in his stomach, he concludes. "Do you want that or will you leave him alone?"

The kid groans and walks away, as Samuel's first instinct is to check on the boy.

4 years old Mabel is relieved. "Oh wow, thank you! I was too worried to tell him such a thing... You're brave!"

Samuel is bothered by the compliment. "Aww, don't exaggerate, I'm not that courageous..." He looks at the boy. "Are you okay?"

Mason puts his head up, looking very emotional. He nods, trying his best to stop crying. "Uh... um... yeah..."

Samuel gets frustrated. "What even was this guy's deal anyway...?"

The brown-haired boy looks rather sad again. "I'll show you... I was born with... this..." He raises his front hair while looking away in shame, expecting a bad reaction.

Samuel is taken aback as he sees the mark. "Wow, that's, well... unusual." Mason knew this would cause this reaction, and he looks away, expecting more negativity to come. But what he hears isn't what he expected. "It's not gross, or ugly!"

"U-uh...?" Mason looks up at the other kid's face.

"It might be difficult to bear at times, but there's nothing wrong with having something special or odd about yourself. And... in a way, it's kinda pretty. My dad made me observe the stars not too long ago, and it reminds me of a set of stars that he has shown me. I think he said that it's called... Big Dipper." Something just hits him. "Oh, I know! How about... I call you Dipper?"

The kid isn't convinced. "Um... wouldn't that be... mocking me...? Because... several kids mock my birthmark and call me stuff like that..."

Samuel is cheerful about it as he explains his logic. "In fact, not. If we use it as a friendship and affectionate nickname, it will no longer work as an insult or mockery!"

Mabel cheers. "Oh wow, this is an amazing idea! If we call you Dipper, it'll help you grow a new confidence about it! What do you think?"

The kid is confused, but the enthusiasm doesn't really allow him to decline. "Maybe... we can give it a try... I suppose..." He has a faint smile.

"Awesome! Glad to meet you, Dipper!" He extends his arm towards the other kid.

"Um... it'll take some getting used to, I guess..." He giggles nervously. "My actual name's Mason, but yeah, glad to meet you too!" They do a friendly handshake.

Mabel outright can't resist hugging the new friend. "Thanks for what you did for us! I'm his twin sister, Mabel Pines!"

Samuel can't help but crack a small joke. "Your last name's Pines? I couldn't possibly think you two were born in a forest!"

Mason "Dipper" then giggles. "You're funny, um..." He realizes they never caught their new friend's name.

"My name is Samuel Wilkins, but you can call me Sammy if you want! So... Are we best friends now...?" He gives a hopeful smile.

"Of course!" Mabel claims excitedly.

"Yeah, we're friends, now!" Mason smiles honestly.

Samuel's face lights up even more. "Oh, awesome! I... I never managed to make friends before... I'm always too shy, or unable to stand up for myself..."

Mabel looks surprised. "What? But just now, you did something that's the opposite of that..."

Mason confirms. "You were so brave, and confident..."

The girl adds. "I wanted to help my brother feel better, but I couldn't speak up to that kid the way you did... In fact, I never managed to do something like that..."

So their new friend admits. "It's possible that... maybe... I had a good reason to...?" He grows a little shier as he gives his theory. "I didn't like seeing a nice kid like you crying because of someone, I think..."

"Oh..." Mason, or the newly nicknamed Dipper, is really surprised. "We also struggle standing up to ourselves... I... I'm thankful that you thought I was worthy of your courage..." He grabs his friend's hand, this time being the one to cheer up the other boy with a smile.

Samuel gasps. "Oh, so... you two are just like me, then..." He takes some time to think and then a little thought comes to his mind. "How about we make ourselves a promise?"

Mason gets curious. "A promise? Of what kind?"

He answers. "We'll be best friends forever, and... even if our future at school won't always be bright when it comes to interacting with others... We will always be there to bring joy to each other and negate the bad feelings as much as we can." He extends his arm with a closed fist, but grows a little shy as he awaits an answer. "... What... do you say...?"

Mabel immediately touches his fist. "I'll be glad to! Best friends forever, right, Mas... Dipper?" She uses the nickname with an encouraging smile.

The brown-haired boy thinks for a couple of seconds and gives a subdued smile. "Yeah... best friends forever!" He joins the other two.

All this time, the blonde kid that's Bill's disguise was staring silently in disbelief. "He wanted to be a ray of sunshine even at that age, uh...? And do the best for the sake of those two... Even back then... Some people are way too weird to comprehend..."

Bill advances the time in the memory, and he ends up finding the three kids together in the art classroom, using paint. The young Samuel gets an idea and tries to paint the constellation on his forearm. "Look, Dipper, there's nothing to be ashamed of! We're linked now!" This makes Mason laugh.

Bill then declares. "I've seen enough!" and exits the memory.

He finds himself in the mindscape again, thinking "This was very interesting... Wonder if I can find anything else of value..."

After some exploring, he ends up finding a door leading to a memory of when the three kids were 8 years old. The scene takes place in the living room of Samuel's home, and the three kids return from the Halloween evening. Samuel is dressed up in a vampire attire, Mason has a detective outfit and Mabel has a dinosaur outfit.
Bill, staying hidden, groans a bit. "Oh, MORE wholesome stuff... Although I must say, Fuzzball looks good in black. It always looks classy!" He adjusts his bowtie as he says that.

The three kids are staring at all the candies they got with a lot of happiness in their faces, as they start sharing.

Eight years old Samuel claims after the sharing is done. "So, I suppose this is it... I could've sworn we had more than that for each..."

Mabel claims. "Oh, that's okay, really. I had fun tonight with you guys, and the candies are nice, but the amount isn't the most important thing"

Her brother then says. "Good, so you'll let me pick some of yours?"

"What, no!"

Samuel laughs at this.

Bill stays hidden. "Since I can affect stuff in the mindscape without consequences for him, so..." out of nowhere... He snaps his fingers to make even more candies appear on the table, while the kids are very happy without questioning. He turns around, justifying to himself. "Triple the candies, triple the cavities!" As he prepares to leave the memory, however, he starts getting worried about something. "Shoot, where did I put my...?"

His questioning is interrupted by younger Samuel's voice. "Ooh, what's that? I've never seen a candy like this. Is it like a licorice candy cane?"

Bill turns around and freaks out "MY CANE!!!" He reveals as himself to the three kids as himself, acting angry. "THIS IS MINE!!! GIVE IT BACK!!!"

8 years old Dipper freaks out. "IT'S A GHOST!!!"

Mabel is impressed, but she lets the holiday spirit get the best of her. "Nah, it's probably just an elaborate costume, or some projection of some kind. Very convincing!"
Bill ignores the two and stares at Samuel directly. "What you have here is mine, Fuz..." He realizes the nickname wouldn't work in this memory, so he corrects himself. "Vampire-dressed boy... Give it back! ... please..."

Sammy looks in disbelief, not being sure what he sees. He then looks at what he holds. "Oh, that piece of candy was yours?"

Bill reacts without thinking for a bit... "IT'S NOT... well... it's complicated, but I really need it back, so please hand it and I'll leave you alone with your candies."

The kid is confused, but still goes. "Oh, um... okay. Here."

He gives the cane back and Bill holds it very tight. He oddly mutters to it, softly "I thought I lost you...". He then goes back to his senses and tries to say something he's not used to say to the kid. "Um... th... thank you...?"

Samuel nods as Bill exits the memory in disbelief.

As he closes the door, he yells to himself. "What the heck was that? I could've terrorized them and instead I asked... nicely... what a disgrace!"

Suddenly, a very specific sentence from hours ago runs back into his thought process.

"Bill is no longer a bad guy!"

An idea reaches him. "I know what will cheer me up..." He goes back to exploring and tries to find a very recent memory... One that would come from the previous week. So he seeks and ends up finding a door that's barely lit. A dark memory. "Exactly what I was looking for..."

Bill opens the door and finds a recent scene taking place at the Pines bedroom. Samuel is alone facing Dipper, except... it's not his friend in command. Bill floats admiring the memory.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want?" The kid is terrified.

"I know you had that nightmare... Because I caused it! I caused that school incident, as well as your stomach ache! I want you GONE!" Dipper laughs evilly.

[Advancing to later, Samuel's panic is building]

"But maybe you still need... A little more motivation...". He then takes off the friendship bracelet of Dipper and rips the bracelet completely with a sadistic smile, and Samuel feels his heart broken to pieces.

[Advancing to later, Bill revealed himself and Samuel realizes what is done]

"No... Dipper..." He grabs his body with a lot of sorrow. "It can't be..."
"Relax, kid, I can fix that for you..." [...] "How about... we make a deal...?"

Bill stares with... very odd feelings. He was definitely enjoying all the acts and words to trick others in the memory, but looking back... He doesn't feel as satisfied. He feels little to no joy about witnessing this behavior. So he closes the door.

Bill feels some sorrow. And the sentence hits him even harder than before and echoes in his mind, making him angry.

"Bill is no longer a bad guy!" "No longer a bad guy!" "No longer... a bad guy..."

But he convinces himself. "This is ridiculous! Of course I still have a huge pleasure in causing fear, pain and misery! I'll prove it right now!" He floats away quickly, finding the oldest memory yet.

Samuel is only 1 year old, left alone in his baby bed for a nap. And Bill enters the memory, looking at him with a lot of anger. "All I have to do is snap my fingers... and I'll have traumatized that boy with nightmares for an entire lifetime!" So he gets ready, but... he stands in that position for a little bit, his thoughts getting in the way and preventing him from actually snapping.

He hesitates so much that the baby Sammy wakes up and goes to drag Bill in his bed. He mutters stuff that sounds like: "Friend? I like you...", he says with a lot of cheerfulness in his voice, cuddling him like a toy.

Bill is furious and wants to yell to be left alone. So he goes back to preparing to snap his fingers, and ends up doing it... but instead of doing anything terrible... he used his magic to cause a lullaby to magically play so baby Sammy would fall asleep and he could escape, instead of causing harm. This works, and he floats away quickly.

He closes the memory door, standing there panicked for a few seconds before letting a gigantic scream of frustration as he exits Samuel's mind.

In the bedroom, signs of the sunrise are showing, and the alarm clock is about to ring as it shows 6:57am. Bill floats silently with a very frustrated and defeated stare. He thinks about his Weirdmageddon failure, his signs of weakness towards the twins, the way he wasn't able to do anything cruel in the mindscape... and he concludes, souding absolutely broken, more and more with each word.

"Well then, I'm afraid it's official... Shooting star was right... I'm not worthy of being called a demon... I... can no longer... enjoy evil..."

A couple minutes later, the alarm clock rings and Samuel wakes up painfully, unaware of what happened. Just before, Bill entirely vanished from the room, following his vessel around without making himself seen or heard. For now, he doesn't want anyone to see him like this.

Chapter Text

A couple of minutes later, the alarm clock rings and Samuel wakes up painfully, unaware of what just happened in his mind. Just before that noise, Bill vanished entirely from the room, following his vessel around without making himself seen or heard. For now, he doesn't want anyone to see him in this state.

Sammy rushes out of the house to go to school and he ends up being early, waiting for his friends. Dipper and Mabel arrive together with a lot of joy as they see that their best friend is himself again despite the deal. And Dipper is extremely happy to have proven himself innocent the previous day and being allowed back in school early.

While a part of the twins might have questions just waiting to be asked when it comes to Bill... for now, they put it aside entirely. They instead want to spend the school hours learning and enjoying their friend's company, and decided that they would only bring up Bill should he decide to show himself in some way.

And they do great at this. They only bring joyful topics when they get the chance, talking about what they recently did and giving some more details about their respective vacations. Regardless if it's during breaks or between the two boys in class, they only share positivity during those few days while Bill remains hidden with a lot of painful thoughts in his mind.

On Friday evening, a new week-end starts. But there is an issue... Samuel is alone in his bedroom and speaks up. "Bill... can you come here?"

Bill shows himself for the first time in two days, hiding his feelings with a sarcastic "Yes, you called...?" with his arms crossed.

The kid doesn't notice anything odd yet, but he reminds with a serious tone. "Tomorrow is the detention morning, and I don't suppose you'd be avoiding it... I hope not, at least."

Bill groans. "Yeah yeah, I'll possess you and attend all the detention time so you don't have to!" He sounds frustrated. "Because I'm the one to blame, I deserve it, yadda yadda..." He then looks away.

Sammy is a little bit confused, but doesn't want to question him as he seems fairly upset. He instead gets ready for bed. Bill mutters to himself... "It's not like it's gonna be as painful as the wait I had to endure in my life for nothing..."

On Saturday morning, Samuel opens his eyes... They have the color and shape of Bill, as he took control of the body to go to his detention hours. He acts like he doesn't give a single care in the world as he walks to the school.

While he's on the way there, he realizes he got a text from Dipper, where he tells Samuel "good luck handling detention." Bill sees this instead and tells to himself. "Shut up, Pinetree, I don't need your empathy!"

He enters the classroom, leaving Samuel's phone and other non-academic items away, as the superviser states. "You are here because you have to use the time to think about your actions."

Bill answers half-sarcastically "Yeah, I definitely will!" So he takes a seat in the empty room, and just... stands there for a while, many thoughts rushing in his mind to keep his head busy...

After the first hour, he gets an idea to pass the time. Reaching for the backpack, he grabs a notebook that is mostly blank. He asks himself "What is this for?". He starts reading it, seeing that Samuel wrote his thoughts about his friends returning home and gives up after a few words. "It's some stupid diary or something... I don't think Fuzzball would mind if I borrow some pages..."

And with that... he starts to draw during the following hours. Bill keeps his mind busy using these human fingers to draw with pencils... He finds it relaxing, but at the same time... It creates pain in the human body he's using.

The demon has an amazing memory, so he draws stuff from his past. With a lot of bad feelings rushing in Sammy's body, he completes several pages of the notebook, all of them being related to Weirdmageddon. In one of them, he has drawn the Fearamid, his previous castle, floating all mighty right under the dimensional rift. On another page, he has drawn the evil-looking flying car he got himself to ride with his friends. On several pages, he has drawn a solid amount of the creepy, non-sensical things he caused during his reign. And one where he recreated the painting that was at the top floor of the Fearamid, him wearing a crown with skulls and putting a foot on a globe.

But the most difficult thing for him to draw is what he does last... He decided to draw his friends from the Nightmare realm. All his Henchmaniacs, one after the other.

And as he finishes and looks at everything... He can't help but feel negative... These drawings represent the short-lived happiness that he had on that dimension, which reminds him that everything is gone with no return now... He breaks down crying on the desk, unable to handle the feelings of grief regarding what he lost...

The superviser of the detention notices and goes to him. "Are you alright, Samuel?"

Bill hides what he has drawn in the notebook, doing his best not to cry again. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just... feel some heavy guilt, I guess..."

He gets a fairly sympathetic and generous answer. "Since your detention time is almost over, you can leave now, even if it's a few minutes early, if you want."

Putting the notebook and pencils in the backpack, he says "Thank you, Sir... I appreciate it", and leaves, letting Samuel get control again outside the school without a single word of explanation. Once again, Bill vanishes from view and lets Samuel there, which was definitely needed as he can't show himself in public except for the very select people that know.

Speaking of, Sammy takes a solid breath and runs to the Pines residence for a visit. Once there, he finds his friends keeping themselves busy. Mason is reading a book and Mabel is cuddling Waddles in the bedroom. They are both very cheerful to see their friend.

And with the door locked and being sure the parents won't see a thing, Bill shows himself with a very grumpy attitude. "Oh wow, Fuzzball, you go spend some time with these two... THAT'S DIFFERENT!!!" He then just floats to a corner of the bedroom. Without knowing it, this is where "Pinetree" stored all his memorabilia of the summer, but he doesn't look around... yet.

Samuel acts a little ashamed. "I... Sorry about that..."

Dipper, who notices Bill is just standing there innocently, takes the logical thing to say. "That's alright... He's not being a nuisance, and we know how he can be."

Mabel then speaks one of her biggest worries. "Sammy, I don't want you to think we wanna hang around with you mainly to question Bill... I've been fearing you'd think that for a bit."

Dipper adds. "Yeah, I have to admit... My curiosity about him is strong, but I don't want you to feel sidelined either. You are still our number one priority as our friend."

Sammy understands, and actually had a similar worry. "Oh that's fine, I get it! I mean, I'm also very curious about the stuff you told me about your vacation, but it doesn't equals to me not caring about your feelings!"

Mabel acts a little worried about the next question. "So... how was your detention time...? Because of..." She stares at Bill's back, but doesn't add anything to that.

"Oh well, in a way, I was sleeping during it. Bill attended it as we arranged and he did nothing bad there, so I got no complaints."

They speak for a bit. In the middle of the conversation, Waddles goes to cuddle Samuel, as the little pig ends up treating his owners' best friend as someone he can trust. And Sammy pets him with a smile in response.

Mabel looks at the scene and gasps with sparks in her eyes. "He adopted you..." She takes a picture of the moment with agreements from her friend. She then stares at Bill, looking worried. "Say, we haven't heard of him in the past few days. He really did... nothing bad, during that time?"

Samuel claims the truth. "Indeed, after our meeting outside school Wednesday, he just... disappeared. I didn't hear of him until the Friday night when I called for him. And I never asked."

Dipper wonders. "This is so unlike him to be silent like that. I'd like to ask, but..." he actually feels hesitation about it. He then wonders about a different solution. "Sammy, this is a weird question, but... did you keep track of his behavior in some way, since the deal?"

Samuel actually has a bit of a curious side, much like his best friend Mason. And so he answers. "Yeah, I've written a few observations, almost like a diary. If you're really curious about it, I can show you!" He grabs something in his bag. "It's in my notebook."

The word makes Bill get very nervous. He thinks about the drawings he did, and he doesn't want them to see. So as Dipper is about to grab it... "NO!!!!!" Bill floats at immense speed out of nowhere and grabs it.

Samuel is shocked and tries his best to solve the situation, trying authority and compassion together. "Bill, what gives? Give it back!". The twins are very surprised and don't say anything for now. The notebook is their friend's business and they only plan to react if things get worse.

Bill holds the notebook with a tight grip. "No! And don't insist, Fuzzball, or I'll..." He starts thinking in a desperate train of thought. "I'll burn it!" He makes a blue flame come out of his left hand to make his threat more believable.

His vessel gasps and panics. "No, don't do that! I wrote important things in there! Plus... you can't start a fire indoors, let alone in my friends' room. This goes against the deal of not putting them in danger!"

Bill makes the flame disappear, groaning and realizing his bluff didn't work. "Ugh, fine, you got me... If you want answers, okay, I'll hear your questions." Bill gives the notebook back to its owner, but he also approaches in a serious voice. "But don't... show... them!"

Samuel keeps his composure for the most part. "I... Thanks, Bill..." He grabs the notebook and puts it back on his bag, keeping his promise.

The twins sigh of relief and are happy to see they got an understanding.

Bill approaches the twins and tries his best to apologize, since there is still a hint of anger in his speech. "Sorry about what you just witnessed... I lost my cool and I apologize." Both forgive him for it, even if Dipper's curiosity is slightly getting the best of him. The demon then says "So you apparently have one or two questions for me? Just ask away..."

Dipper has a very important question. "Yeah, I was wondering... what was...?"

Unfortunately, the discussion gets interrupted as it's now lunch time, and all three of them are hungry. So they decide to put the question on hold for now. They leave him alone in the bedroom.

Bill rolls his eye. "Oh, those flesh sacks and their stupid needs..." He is left alone in the kids bedroom, since he can't move with them and introduce himself to the Pines parents without causing a freakout. Fortunately, being one floor away from Samuel is still generous enough for the magical chain that links them together.

He takes advantage of being left alone to peek around the bedroom. Especially around the corner he was standing close to. And he finds the box Dipper put there. He opens it to find a bunch of items from the vacation, but his attention is mainly taken by the envelope standing there. So he uses his magic to make it open itself, and he sees the paper...

"... Pinetree... Got this before he left, uh...?" As he reads the farewells and signatures of all those familiar names... He feels fury inside, thinking about all the humans that worked together against his dream. If he was to let his feelings get the best of him, he would've ripped the paper to pieces, burned it, melted it, anything to make it disappear. But, he is forced to let it go in order to avoid causing a commotion with the kids. So he just puts it back, alongside other items that Pinetree considers as important souvenirs from the summer. He puts the box at its place before the three kids come back.

So Bill sits in midair while taking a relaxed and confident facade in presence of the humans. He asks how was the meal, acting like he gives the smallest care, just so they'd trust him some more.

And then Mabel asks a question first. "Bill, I know you take pleasure in evil and tormenting, but... it feels like you've, um... changed a bit? You've showcased some feelings that are quite unlike you. So maybe you are more complex than we thought. But then, this made me wonder... why do you find pleasure with this stuff to begin with?"

Bill answers both honestly and sarcastically. "Because I'm a sick and twisted individual who just loves it!"

Dipper frowns at the response, but that's what was to be expected. Meanwhile, Mabel continues. "Surely there are things besides causing evil that bring you joy... What are these?"

Bill crosses his arms and answers honestly. "I could show you, but, you wouldn't like them."

Mabel insists. "I still wanna know!"

Bill moves his arms to the side. "Okay, then..." His body just turns into a projector, and Bill shows her very creepy imagery. Stuff that definitely belongs in horror movies. It involves a lot of body horror and nightmarish sights. He then stops after around 20 seconds and claims happily... "This stuff really is a beauty! It always get giggles out of me!"

Dipper is shocked, but not surprised. Meanwhile, Mabel... she's standing, shaking... and has some tears. She's close to feeling traumatized. "That was... horrible, sickening, awful... There are no words!"

Bill floats downwards with a frown. "I warned you, didn't I, Shooting star? You have no right to complain to me!"

Dipper grabs his sister's shoulders for comfort and gives a very judgemental stare at Bill, who's still defending himself angrily. "She asked for it!!!"

Since the boy's stare doesn't leave, Bill gives up and rolls his eye again (being around those kids does make him very prone to do that). So he floats upwards again and his body then goes back into a projector mode, but instead... he shows a long montage of many types of animals doing cutesy things to cheer Mabel up back. While Bill... he shudders of disgust inside for what he's doing and showing, but does a good job hiding it.

The girl feels a lot better and gets a smile back. "Thanks, Bill. But... why...?"

Bill hides behind anger. "Don't ask!!!"

"... Still, thanks, I appreciate it." She smiles at him and goes to sit.

While Dipper starts speaking. "As for me, I only have... one important question to ask, Bill..."

The demon beats him to the punch. "I know... You wanna know what I think of Sixer, don't you?"

The boy gasps, shocked that he was able to correctly guess.

Chapter Text

(Immediately following the previous chapter...)

Dipper starts asking the question. "I have... one important question to ask, Bill... What...?"

The demon beats him to the punch with a stare of obviousness. "I know... You wanna know what I think of Sixer, don't you?"

The boy gasps, shocked that he was able to correctly guess. Meanwhile, Sammy is off the loop. "Who's Sixer...?"

Mabel answers as Dipper is still staring at Bill. "One of our grand uncles, Stanford."

Samuel knows that Bill gives nicknames, but still asks. "Why is he calling him like that...?"

His friend is a bit embarrassed to answer. "Because, um... I'll explain later, don't worry."

Dipper reacts in disbelief. "How did you...?"

Bill once again cuts him off. "You're painfully predictable, Pinetree!"

The boy realizes something. "Wait, Mabel... You don't know about this story, right?"

His sister looks at him in confusion. "What story? About grunkle Ford leaving the portal?"

Samuel keeps getting more and more confused, but he knows answers are coming, so he stays shut.

Bill is once again annoyed, so he gets the other two off to speed. "One day, Sixer decided to research on me and tried to summon me, which allowed us to get into contact through a dream of his. I saw how intelligent he was and thought he could help me reach my sinister goals. So I lied to him by saying I was a muse helping the gifted ones, for my own benefits, and we made a deal of partnership that also gave me control of his body periodically."

Mabel reacts angrily. "You lied to him..."

"Isn't that my trademark thing? Use your brain, Shooting star!" She keeps that stare as Bill continues. "After some time, he ended up finding out what I was up to and decided to undo the deal." He reacts angrily. "This despite me offering him to rule by my side. This goody two-shoes decided to decline and try to stop me... And then you know the rest. The fight between twins, him getting trapped for 30 years, me only returning when Gideon summoned me..."

Mabel and Samuel are speechless, but a detail really peaked Mabel's interest. "Wait, if I got this right... You are angry that... he declined to join you in evil?"

Obviously, the topic is very sensitive, so Bill reacts with an angrier tone. "Of course!"

With that knowledge, Dipper asks. "... You... wanted him to stay by your side? So you... actually cared about him...?"

Bill giggles like he heard the stupidest thing. "Yeah, I cared alright. He was my most competent pawn ever!" In this statement, he speaks what's mainly on his mind, but then, he speaks a little more truthfully. "Sixer is a smart one, so I felt some genuine thankfulness for him helping me so much. Before that falling out, we did hang out a while, either for work, intellectual games, exchanging knowledge... I recall being honest in some of my flatteries, even if they were done mainly to have him help me. And when he found out, my proposal to have him rule the dimension together with Weirdmageddon was genuine. And is one I did repeat on several occasions when the day finally arrived." He thinks and says, to gain their trust. "And know that if this fool accepted, your family would've been spared. And maybe your friends too..."

The only thing Mabel takes back from all of these informations is something that gives her a giant smile. "Oh my gosh, you were friends!!!"

Everyone else in the room looks at her with stares that scream "isn't that kind of a stretch...?"

Bill drops to sit on the floor with his cane. "Surely you are kidding? Me, being friend with him?" He denies it completely.

She doesn't get discouraged. "Of course, it really sounds like it. It seems like you were much alike, and you enjoyed working together and hanging out. That's what friends do!!!" This small speech does make Dipper and Samuel consider that she actually makes some good points, but still... The situation is a very unique one.

She concludes. "And with how you are today... More open and willing to recognize and admit your faults... I'm sure Grunkle Ford would be proud of you."

Bill's eye heavily focuses on her after these words, and he speaks in disbelief after some silence. "He would...?"

Dipper gets worried. "Are you sure about that, Sis? You know the history is complicated, and..."

Mabel doesn't wait. "Of course I am!!! Have you seen how genuine Bill has been? I'm sure it would go fine."

Samuel is concerned too. "I'm not all too familiar with this whole story, but... I don't really know if this seems like a good idea..."

Bill suddenly takes the boys attention by answering with complete honesty. They no longer pay attention to what Mabel is doing. "Yeah, I agree with you two... Although I must say, I slightly wish I could invade his dreams... And try to talk to him. Maybe... a part of me... really wants to know about that..."

As the boys look at each other, trying to know what to make up of those informations, Mabel, without saying a word, had the time to pick up the computer, open it, and... "Okay, I'm calling him!"

All the other living beings in the room yell. "WHAT???"

Far away from the Pines residence... in Gravity Falls, Oregon, at the Mystery Shack. Ford is thankfully awoken at this time. The man has always been smart and tech-savvy, but he did spend 30 years away from his dimension. Thankfully, Wendy and Soos were here for him to explain how much technology has evolved from the ones he knew when he left. So he has learned how to answer a video chat on a computer and he answers, he's alone in his room.

The camera from the kids' computer only shows the twins for now. And their uncle is very glad to see them. "Oh hey kids, how goes it?"

Dipper doesn't really know how to approach things. "Hey grunkle Ford! Hope you're doing well! As for us, we're fine, but..."

Mabel answers so he doesn't get worried. "Sorry if we bother you out of nowhere, but we got something... something important to share with you."

Dipper completes. "Yeah, turns out... Someone who is with us right now would need to join this call. And... you might not believe it..."

Samuel, who is usually a little nervous about meeting new people, catches his breath and enters the frame, fearing it wouldn't be right to let him wait. "Hello, Sir... My name is... Samuel, and... I'm a very close friend of... your grand nephew and niece. It's... nice to meet you!"

"Same for me, kid! My name is Stanford, but you can just say Ford!" The man gives a wave and as he does, Samuel realizes. "Oh, so that's why he calls him Sixer..." He doesn't make any comment about it, because he fears it could be disrespectful. "So, did you want to introduce yourself because you had something to tell me?"

Samuel is bothered about revealing what's to come. "Kind of... I do have something important to show you, but I'm not the one who's gonna do the talking... Here's the thing..." He looks out of frame to speak gently. "Come here..."

Bill just floats there outside the camera's point of view, nodding his refusal. If he had an organic heart, it would be beating out of the body. He almost acts like a puppy who doesn't want to take a bath.

Ford is confused. "Um, what's going on...?"

Sammy feels a bit ashamed from making him wait. "Sorry... I'll... I'll show you..." He then just grabs Bill's arm to drag him into the frame.

And this gets the expected reaction from the old man. "HOW??? Kids, get away!!!"

However, both Dipper and Mabel look at him in silence. With their stares alone, they're able to reassure him that they don't fear him. So Ford doesn't insist for now, he trusts the kids too much.

Bill, who has made a big reputation for himself as someone loud, boastful and confident, speaks in his shyest, quietest voice ever while looking away. "... ... H-h-h-hi... ... S-S-Sixer..."

Ford is in complete awe about what he sees, and he barely even comprehend the whole thing. So he starts answering without being sure of what to say. "Cipher...? How are you...? Why are you...?"

Bill once again feels too ashamed, so to disappear, he fuses with Samuel again, and opens the eyes to show the effect of his control.

"NO, DON'T...!!!" Ford's reaction is completely justified, but once again... Dipper and Mabel look at him with confidence, knowing Bill wouldn't harm either their friend or themselves with what he just did.

Bill leaves out all his emotions at once, making the human body he borrows bursting into tears. He yells out of desperation. "I'M SORRY!!!! Sorry I tricked you!!! Sorry I scared you!!! Sorry I used torture on you so you would help me!!! Really, really sorry I pretended to threaten the kids' lives to convince you to accept helping me!!! For everything..." His speech is drowned in his sobbing, but he still concludes... "I'M SORRY!!!!! ........."

The twins look at each other with sadness at the sight, and Bill is still making Samuel tear up heavily with struggles to keep a solid, consistant breath. Ford stays silent in shock for a little bit. But he thinks of something and gives Bill a small challenge. "Cipher, if you mean what you say... Let that kid go... right now!!"

To his surprise, Bill obeys immediately, letting Samuel have his will again while he sits on his knees. So Ford is surprised about it, taking this obedience as proof that he's sincere. Next he asks, carefully. "So, you truly mean what you said...?"

Since he started showing weaknesses to him, Bill decides that it's too late to act prideful and continues, even with his true form. "I don't expect your forgiveness, Sixer... Nor do I deserve it... But I needed to tell you this... I never intended to harm your family... And had you simply ruled by my side during Weirdmageddon instead of objecting... Maybe I would've treated them like my own family..."

Ford is still silent, once again. But... He feels hopeful from these statements. Much like Dipper, he knows Bill can't fake sadness and sorrow while possessing a human body. And the way the kids silently nod to him when he's unsure is another thing he needs to take into consideration. Just like Dipper, he isn't completely convinced, but he says. "For now... I believe you!"

Bill continues to speak as if nothing important was said. "I wanted to invade your dreams so we could have this talk... But it's impossible, so Shooting star decided to..." He then realizes what he heard "Wait, WHAT???" He stares at Ford, who has a faint, but hopeful smile. "How can you possibly be willing to forgive me after all the things I did, Fordsy? Are you insane?"

The man stares at his disbelief and explains. "You were speaking honestly... As honestly as possible for you, at least... Truth be told, I don't entirely trust you, but... if the kids are willing to believe you... Then I will too. I'm willing to try to forgive you if it turns out with time that these feelings are genuine..."

Bill is genuinely lost. Despite all his knowledge and all-seeing powers... He's unable to understand why all of his sworn enemies so far ended up believing it.

"I see, well I thank you for telling me that and listening to me, Sixer... If you don't mind, I'll be off..." He floats away from the camera, only to fall face first on the floor, not moving at all. His mind is racing between many confused thoughts. Too much for him to do anything else.

Mabel looks at that and theorizes. "I think all this kindness... It's too much for a being finding pride in evil since forever..."

Dipper admits to his grunkle. "I also struggle to completely trust him right now, but... He has shown some behaviors... that are unlike anything we know of him."

Ford looks bothered by something, however. "Listen kids, thank you for the call, but I'm gonna have to get rest right now, so I can't stick around. Promise me that if anything wrong happens with Bill, you use your knowledge to fight back."

Dipper speaks. "We will!"

Mabel confirms. "I actually kept some unicorn hair as a souvenir. I'd use that if needed."

Sammy is surprised. "You met an unicorn...?"

The twins realise that they forgot that part. Mabel says "yeah, sorry, I forgot about that detail. And maybe more..."

"Thanks for the talk, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper concludes the call.

Before leaving, Ford still takes a moment to say. "And Samuel... Nice meeting you."

"Oh, um.. Thanks, Sir..."

"Take care, kids!" Ford closes the video chat.

The three kids look at each other with a mix of relief and concern in their faces. And they turn to Bill, who is just laying on the floor. So they help him stand up again.
Samuel asks. "Are you okay?"

Bill turns red, bigger, and reacts furiously. "STOP IT!!!" The bedroom then gets surrounded by blue flames, which makes the kids really scared and willing to call him out, but then they feel...

"Wait... It doesn't feel hot in here... And... It's not damaging anything in the room..." Notices Dipper. As it turns out, the fire is meant to represent his state of mind.

"Bill, why...?", asks a concerned Mabel.

"SHUT UP!!!", yells Bill with a deep voice. "I DON'T DESERVE THIS!!! I DON'T DESERVE THIS!!! I DON'T DESERVE THIS!!!" He starts shooting fireballs from his hands for emphasis on his words. "I... DON'T... DESERVE... THIS!!!!!"

"Bill, please calm down...", begs Samuel.

"SHUT UP, FUZZBALL!!! IT ALL GOT WORSE WITH YOU!!!" The kids get confused. "BEING AROUND YOU CAUSED ME TO LOSE MY FLAIR!!!" The demon is in a complete state of disbelief about all that has happened, unable to think straight about anything that's going on, and he lets out to them the feelings he had deep inside without realizing it in his fury. "I WAS ALREADY HUMILIATED BY BEING DEFEATED AND LOSING MY DREAM, BUT NOW...!" Everyone is confused so he continues. "NOW I LOST MY EVIL PRESENCE BY BEING FORGIVEN BY ALL OF YOU! AND I'M UNABLE TO DO EVIL ANYMORE! I HATE IT! I... HATE... IT!!!" He sounds like he's an immature child throwing a tantrum, but still... It feels... just wrong coming from him.

Dipper and Mabel look at each other in sadness and try to approach Bill, but... "GET AWAY! YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT BE A DETRIMENT TO MY LIFE!!!"

Samuel approaches Bill from the side, causing him to yell. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" He then uses his magic to do a very tight grasp. "I WON'T HURT YOU, BUT I WANT YOU TO FEEL THAT TERROR!!! I'LL..." His rant in interrupted because Dipper and Mabel separately grab his hands while he wasn't looking.

Dipper holds the left hand. "Bill, stop!!!"

Mabel holds the right hand. "This isn't right!!!"

Samuel falls on the ground as the grasp stopped. Thankfully, it was barely a fall as he was in jumping distance from the ground.

The twins speak one after the other while Bill fights back. "You have to calm down!"

"We know you feel... lost!"

"But this isn't the way to go!"

"You're better than this, Bill!"

"If you fear for not enjoying evil anymore..."

"Then we'll help you go through it and find different ways to have joy."

The two kids join together in front of him while still holding his hands.

"You can still be who you are, even if being evil will be a thing of the past!", states a serious and logical Dipper.

"You can find other ways to express that joy! And maybe help you discover new feelings!", states a serious and hopeful Mabel.

"We'll help you!"

"We'll be here for you!"

They're a bit concerned at what they're about to say, but nod to each other because they know it's important. And so they speak in unison...

"IT'S A DEAL!!!"

The statement... This one sentence... It gets to Bill's spirit... While it's not an officially sealed deal with him... The fact that they put it this way... It caused a spark in his mind... And so, the flames vanish, Bill turns yellow and smaller again and he stares at them silently, in big shame for what just happened...

"... ... ... Awkward demon hug...?"

The two kids look at each other with a smile, and then answer Bill.

"Awkward siblings & demon hug!" ... "PAT, PAT...", says Bill alongside the two kids. They laugh at it while a part of the demon feels ashamed for that, but at the same time... He also feels a lot of relief.

Samuel fakes offense. "Hey, you never let me into one of these before. That's not fair!" He gets them worried, but then, he just can't help but laugh at his own act.

"Sorry to you too, Fuzzball... I really lost my cool... I just... I cannot understand how all of you can just..."

The kids grabs Bill's hand again... And Samuel... he grabs a third hand that the demon grew out of nowhere for the occasion. They look at him with genuine smiles.

"We'll help you through this... It's all gonna be fine...". Mabel tries her best to be reassuring and hopeful, and Bill... just nods, fairly unconvinced.

Chapter Text

Following Bill's giant freakout, apology, and unofficial deal with the twins, the rest of the encounter between the three kids and the demon went without much of a further issue. Samuel went home in the middle of the afternoon after making his farewell to the twins. When he's alone with Bill in his bedroom, Samuel gets the courage to ask the floating triangle the very important question that must be answered.

"You seemed... really panicked at the idea that Dipper would see my notebook. Why is that?" He looks at the triangle with an expression that means no judgement.

Bill avoids answering and makes up a lie, hiding being his confident behavior. "Oh, that Pinetree and his endless studies! He gotta be more carefree, you know? You should've seen how he was in the summer..."

"Yes, I know how my best friend usually acts. I'm not sure what's bothering you so much about this, but okay... Ah, speaking of..." He starts moving.

Bill sees that he reaches for the notebook. "Hey! What are you going to do?"

The kid is surprised by this reaction when he grabs the item. "Um, writing on it, why?"

Bill tries to be threatening, he is deeply serious about this. "Don't open it!"

Samuel stares at him, this time with judgement. There's something the yellow demon isn't telling him.

Bill gives up and tells the entire truth about the situation and his feelings. "... Okay, fine... I did something on your notebook during detention. Nothing awful, but... I didn't want those two to find out. This is why I panicked at their home... And a little now. So, uh... Sorry, I guess...?"

His vessel reacts understandingly and wants to be reassuring. "I think I get it. Maybe you aren't ready yet. So, I won't show them until you feel ready. It's a promi..." He switches the term at the last moment, knowing what he likes to hear. "It's a deal!"

Bill then proclaims. "You can't see it either! ... I don't wanna talk about what I did, even to you..."

Sammy is really surprised at this. "What? But this is my notebook. How am I supposed to use it if you prevent me?" He feels offended for a bit, but thinks about a solution. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do... I'll let you carry it for a bit, and I won't look at what you're doing. When you come back, I wanna see the pages that bother you ripped out so I can use it, and you'll only show me when you feel ready. Do we have a deal?"

Bill politely grabs the notebook from his hands. "... Sounds fair, Fuzzball. We have a deal... Thanks..." So Bill goes to another spot of the bedroom, turning his back. He locates the few pages where he has done those drawings, and carefully rips the pages before magically storing them away for now. "Done!" He then gets curious himself about what the human wants to do. "What is so important for you to write on this notebook anyway?"

Samuel answers honestly. "Observations about you."

Bill reacts dramatically, with a hand above his skull to match. "Oh, what an honor! I know I've always been a big topic to admire, but I still get flattered to this day..." He stops the act. "... Why...?"

He hears the honest answer immediately. "Because I'm curious about you. And my friends asked me to do this so they can read it."

The demon gets a little confused. "Why would they need to know all of that?"

Understanding the reaction, the kid answers. "So they can send those to their grand uncle... So he can be aware of how you behave... He trusts my judgement of you, and knows my observations would be the truth. And if he sees them, he might turn more inclined to trust you."

Bill's eye widens... He's mostly speechless, and actually a bit hopeful. "... It's for Sixer...?"

"Don't call him that, that's rude!" The dark-haired boy takes the opportunity to ask. "By the way, why do you use nicknames for everyone? You do that for my friends as well, and I don't think I've heard you say my name a single time since we've met either."

He shrugs. "Because it's funny..." He starts rubbing with the kid's hair for a joke. "And you should feel honored that I'm contemplating your hairstyle to that extent, Fuzzball!"

The human reacts by shaking his arm on his head to drive him away. "Stop that!"

Bill actually almost giggles at this. It's been a long while since he managed to have any kind of laugh. But he's not there yet, he still feels empty inside.

Samuel feels a little bad about getting angry, so he adds. "Thanks for your honesty.", he says before starting to write about the situation. Bill... has been opening up to the trio a lot more despite the jokes. "I hope you'll feel ready to share what you did to that notebook to me someday. As I said, I won't share that information without your permission, and I won't force you either." He gives a stare of honesty, causing Bill to trust him about that.

Several weeks have passed since this very unusual situation settled. It is a fairly special place to be indeed. On the surface, you have three normal kids that have been very close friends since their earliest school years, hanging out whenever they get the opportunity to do so. But then, you look closer and it turns out all of them can speak to a demon who's having struggles dealing with his evil failures and that they want to help him move on. To make matters worse, none of the kids' parents know about this, and the only adult who does know lives far away...

Still, despite some scares, the situation actually plays better than what one would expect. Bill Cipher, who almost brought the end of the world, is sort of, maybe, kind of... growing kinder to the three kids he's been tormenting just weeks before. Mabel remained 100% convinced that this demon can be forgiven, while her brother Mason is still having big doubts that he can't ignore, but does place his trust. Samuel, meanwhile, on top of having the difficult task of being the one to live with and get possessed by Bill, has to be the main mediator between him and each of the humans that know the secret. Much like Mabel, he's hopeful. But at the same time, much like Dipper, he is a little scared that things would go south. But he tries his best to remain confident.

When Dipper and Mabel boarded that bus to reach home, they expected their lives to immediately go back to a regular one by leaving all the craziness of Gravity Falls behind. They also never expected that it would directly affect their best friend. Yet here they are, dealing with another crazy situation together.

In an early October Friday morning, Bill looks outside the bedroom's window. Samuel starts wearing a brown jacket over his shirt due to the weather and is ready to leave. But then...

"Hey Fuzzball... I got something to ask..." Bill approaches him genuinely.

"Um, yeah, what is it?", asks a slightly confused Samuel.

"Can I... um... do the walk to school today? I have a hunch that feeling the weather could help me get in better spirits." The demon feels a little bothered admitting that, but he does manage to say it.

"You asked nicely, so, okay... For this once, at least." He says that with a smile and they shake hands.

So Bill takes control and leaves the home, walking peacefully, taking his time, feeling the wind on the human face, and watching all the orange leaves with a little smile.

Dipper and Mabel stand in front of the school, and Dipper started switching his usual sleeveless vest for one with long sleeves. They find Samuel, arriving with a big smile and Dipper starts waving.

"Good morning, Sam..." He almost stops mid-sentence when he catches a good look at his eyes. "... -my...?" He can't believe what he sees.

Mabel is surprised, but claims without judgement. "Bill, you seem... kinda upbeat. And cheerful... We're not used to that."

Samuel's body shrug. "Autumn always looked like a cheerful season for me... I guess that's the reason?"

Mabel smiles a lot at this. "Oh, it does make you genuinely happy? That's awesome! It's true that it creates a beautiful scenery, it's so poetic!"

Then the demon agrees with her, but his reasons to do so are, well... "Yeah, it does! Lots of people associate it with sadness, which is funny. Also, I like seeing the orange leaves falling. It's like seeing all those trees slowly rot from the inside once a year, it's really beautiful!"

Dipper is slightly disturbed. "Riiiiiight..."

He then says. "Well then, Pinetree, Shooting star, I bid you farewell for now!" He mimes a hats off gesture before leaving Samuel in charge again. "Oh hey guys! How are you doing?"

They answer and are a little surprised... For a bit... Given Bill's less cruel and loud behavior seconds ago, they almost get confused about where the line is between Samuel and Bill in that conversation.

Dipper shakes his head quickly to refocus and answers. "Oh, we're doing great, Samuel! I trust you do too!"

Their friend doesn't bring up the demon situation at all. "So, let's enjoy the school day before our week-end."

And so they spend the entire day hanging with each other outside of lectures.

During the lunch break, Mabel brings up what seems like an innocent question. "Say, would you guys want to hang out outside tomorrow. We could, let's say..." Dipper notices, as she continues to speak, that she seems to have something specific on her mind. "... take a stroll at the park. Enjoy the soft breeze and the scenery of the trees."

Sammy has no objection to that. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Unless it starts raining, but I won't jinx it."

Mabel playfully touches his lips. "Yeah, shut your lips...", she says with a giggle, signifying she's joking.

At the end of the school hours, the sweater-wearing girl insists. "So we'll meet tomorrow and do what we planned, alright?"

"Sure thing. See you two tomorrow!" Samuel leaves after waving at his friends.

Dipper asks his sister. "... Why would we be going to the park, exactly?"

Mabel answers him confidently. "I have an idea..."

Her brother frowns a bit. "Should I be concerned...?"

She playfully answers, gesturing her hand appropriately. "Naaaaah..."

Chapter Text

Once at home, Samuel sees Bill show up with his hands on his... well, the closest thing he has of hips. "Aren't you humans bothered by all those stupid obligations? So much time wasted at school or work..."

The kid has his own logic about this statement. "Yeah, I understand that point of view... But in a way, it makes the moments of free time and joy all the more precious. Don't know if you can understand that, but I see it this way."

The demon just rolls his eye. "Anyway, do you know why Shooting star is so interested into visiting the park tomorrow?"

"No, I don't... Maybe we'll just have some good time hanging out, maybe she has something in mind... She can be kinda sneaky at times... But we're going either way!"

"Do as you please, Fuzzball... I'm not gonna stop you..." Bill doesn't object directly and just vanishes in annoyance.

The next afternoon, the three kids reunite at the park. For a Saturday in October, the weather gives a generous breeze that doesn't feel cold. Mabel is very much leading the conversations between the three of them, with her brother shrugging about it. She leads them to a park bench that's near a cotton candy stand. And she seems really intrigued by it.

Dipper gets an idea of what's going on. "Oh, Mabel... If you're hungry, I don't know if our parents gave me enough money for some cotton candy for the three of us."

She gets her mind distracted for a bit as the information is making her interested. "You got money for that?" She shakes her head, saying to herself "Focus...". "Truth be told, I wanted to stick around here because... I have an idea."

Samuel wonders. "What is that...?"

She claims. "Earlier this week, I heard a classmate being devastated. Her little sister came here and she got enough money for cotton candy, but then... Some bullies caught her and stole it from her."

Dipper feels a little angry after listening to that. "It's awful! But why do you bring this up...?"

Mabel explains. "I thought, if they had not been caught, it'd be possible that this is something that can be repeated. And so I thought we should check on that and that we... or rather... Bill could do something."

Both boys answer with "What?"

She explains her idea with confidence. "If we see the culprit, I thought... maybe Bill could use his magic and weirdness to scare them away and discourage them from doing something like that again. Without revealing himself."

Dipper is very concerned. "Mabel, that'd be horrible! And evil!"

But then his sister insists. "No, I thought about this... If it happens to someone who deserves it, then it's not being cruel... It's making things right! As long as the magic just drives them away, that is..."

Samuel wonders. "I have to agree, Dipper... Mabel makes a good point... We can't let someone get away with this if we see it happen..."

Dipper sighs and gives up on his objections.

He then look at her friend. "So you want Bill to... use his magic. That'd probably be through me since he can't show himself in plain sight..."

Mabel feels some embarassment. "Yeah, sorry, Sammy, that's the only issue... He'd have to use you, and... I couldn't think a way around it..."

He reacts in a fairly reassuring way. "Hey, it's alright. It's crazy to think about, but Bill and I actually got used to switching when it's needed, and we got to a decent understanding about it. So I don't mind..." Just as he says that... Bill takes control in one second.

Dipper gets startled for a little bit, forcing Bill to speak through Samuel. "Come on, Pinetree, this is pathetic! You should be used to that by now..."

He gets frustrated. "Excuse me, but you didn't show yourself to us all day and you take control of my friend with barely any warning, I think I have the right to get surprised!"

Mabel feels both amused from the banter and annoyed that the two don't get along much better yet. "I'm guessing you're aware of the situation, aren't you?" She finds something on the spot, which she says with a gentle smile. "Sammill!"

This causes Bill to react with a specific memory awoken. "Oh, again with the portmanteau names, Shooting star?"

Dipper raises an eyebrow in confusion. "... What...?"

Mabel answers. "Oh, well, you weren't there to hear it, but back when Bill possessed you, I called the result "Bipper". You know, Bill and Dipper... And now, it's "Sammill", Sammy and Bill!"

Her brother frowns. "This feels extremely discomforting... Anyway, how can we be sure that the culprit would even come back today?"

Mabel shrugs. "I don't know, maybe we'll just get lucky." Dipper isn't convinced, yet, barely a minute later... She gasps. "Look at that!" She discretly brings their attention to group of teens who looks at the kids waiting in line.

Bill observes and says. "Yup, I can recognize someone who's up to no good when I see one." He looks at Samuel's hand. "So you really want me to...?"

Dipper interrupts. "Not now... We need to wait and see if they're gonna do something..." With that, the three of them try to get closer without being noticed, hiding behind nearby bushes.

Bill actually feels some unease. "But... I don't know if I can do this... I've tried using my magic to do bad stuff recently, and..."

Mabel repeats her words. "This isn't doing bad stuff... It's punishing someone who deserves it, and it's gonna affect them only for a couple of minutes... It's a noble cause!"

Through Samuel, Bill grows more and more anxious. "But maybe I've grown too weak... to use my powers... and to enjoy it... The last time that worked out... Was the day of the deal with Fuzzball..."

While he's debating with himself, one young kid carrying a teddy bear and the cotton candy starts going back to his family when he gets interrupted by the suspicious group in a currently unsupervised area of the park.

"Hey kid, nice cotton candy you got there."

The kid is concerned, while also naive. "Um... thanks...?" He then gets his plush taken. "HEY!!!" He starts tearing up. "Give it back..."

"Give me that cotten candy and the plush is yours again."

The kid is about to obey, starting crying. "This isn't fair..."

Mabel gasps. From the bushes, they're the only ones to witness the scene. She whispers. "Bill, you must do something..."

Through Samuel, Bill... actually feels panicked. "But... but... I don't know if I can do this..." He tries to get his fingers to snap and use his magic to create chaos like before, but... He has flashbacks. Flashbacks of when his powers of evil weren't good enough to ensure his success. Flashbacks of his failures haunting him. Coupled with the fear of not being able to enjoy using it, he feels shaky. "I... Will it work...? I'm not... I can't..."

As the forceful trade is about to happen, Dipper whispers both angrily and supportively. "Bill, do it... Now!!!"

Bill takes a quick breath... and snaps his fingers. Suddenly... The teen feels a massive rash on the arm carrying the plush.

"Uh...?" He rolls up his sleeve to see the skin of his arm being awfully damaged, like a terrible sunburn. And it stings, everywhere... So he yells of pain and drops the plush, running to the nearest water point to try and appease the pain.

"What was that?", says one of his friends, clearly freaked out. Right after speaking up, that one got a giant pimple on his palm, which causes the rest of the group to run away.

The plush falls back on the boy's hands, who doesn't understand anything, but feels very thankful for this turn of events. With his plush and his cotton candy in his hands, he runs back to his family before something else occurs.

Bill, through Samuel, giggles of satisfaction. A giggle that brings awful flashbacks to Dipper, but he knows it's not like in the past situations he's heard it.

Mabel cheers. "Bill, you did it!" She hugs Samuel as congratulations.

Bill shows up as himself, sitting between the kids and the bushes so he's not noticed by someone else. "Oh, gross, don't hug me for that! But..." He continues giggling. "That was amazing! I was scared I wouldn't ever feel this feeling of excitement and satisfaction again!" He concludes his laughter.

Samuel goes back to his senses. "So... he did it?" He concludes yes solely based on Mabel's face.

Dipper is genuinely impressed. "Wow, Bill... I never thought you could..." He can't believe what he's about to say. "I'm proud of you, Bill..."

The demon might love praise, but given the heroic reason behind it, a part of him feels like he doesn't want to be the center of attention and he exclaims. "Oh, cut it out! I made it because I wanted to feel that thrill and adrenaline of messing with people again!!! I'm so glad it's still here!!" He resumes cackling loudly.

Samuel gets nervous. "Sshhhh... Someone might pass by and get scared."

Bill frowns. "Oh you and your stupid rules... Fine, you won't get to enjoy it!" He vanishes.

With that being taken care of, the three kids stand up and prepare to leave for a stroll around. But then...

"Um, hold on a bit, okay?" Dipper moves to the cotton candy stand. He has enough money to pay for one.

Samuel observes. "Uh, I guess all those events made him hungry."

Mabel nods and she's almost drooling. "Can't blame him, these smell so good..."

Then her brother comes back a few minutes later, and, out of nowhere... "Here Sis, for you!"

Mabel gets surprised. "What? Why?"

Dipper admits with a smile. "Your idea right there was amazing... The way you wanted to give a punishment to some jerks... The way you helped Bill to get a new spark of joy in the process... You helped him feel good about himself again, with a good cause... You have a big heart, Mabel, so... you deserve it!" He hands over the cotton candy with a big smile.

Mabel grabs it and has true happiness in her eyes. "You're the sweetest, Bro-bro..."

Dipper looks away in embarassment. "Don't mention it..."

"Still, I'd feel bad about eating the whole thing in front of you... So here!" She grabs shares to give to her brother and her friend, a gesture they're thankful of, before starting to eat. They both smile and eat their small share.

And while she eats the core of the cotton candy, Samuel takes his notebook. He's definitely writing how he used his powers for something that can be called heroic. And as always, he agrees to let Dipper make a scan of his notes to send to Ford periodically.

Dipper noticed the gap in pages. "Um... Why are pages missing...?"

Sammy only answers. "It's Bill... I don't know what he removed. All I know is that it's something he did himself."

Obviously, the idea that Bill hides something causes Dipper instant worries. "Oh no, has he removed some bad stuff. Stuff we shouldn't know about?" He starts feeling some unease again. "Should we get worried...?"

His friend is honest. "He promised me he'd show me when he feels ready. It's apparently something that makes him insecure. I promised him that I wouldn't reveal it to you, but..." He stops midsentence. He thinks about how sincerely worried Bill was when he asked, and if he was to reveal anything to Dipper, he would fail his promise. "... Forget that last part, please."

The brown-haired boy gets a little worried, but remains hopeful. "I'll keep it tonight and I'll definitely share the information. Thank you for your trust." Those missing pages do hurt his curiosity and desire for truth. But for now, he focuses on the sincerity of Sammy's words, the happiness of his sister and how Bill did something actually heroic while appearing to enjoy it.

After a while, they go home, and on the evening...

At the twins' room, Mabel fell asleep quickly after the satisfaction of a day well done. Dipper, meanwhile... He isn't too nervous, but he gets fascinated by the notebook. He can't help but read it through and through. It brings back memories of when he overanalyzed the journal and its contents. So it seems that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

And so he reads the beginning again, it's Samuel telling his point of view on everything.
Dipper sighs... "Sammy, you're a bit of a naive one with your kindness... It could've ended way worse... But I'm thankful you wanted to protect us and our friendship..."

He skips a few pages and reads about the more recent events... The ones he witnessed still confuse him... "Bill, a good side...? I never could've believed it."

He skips pages again, reading snippets.

Dipper lets all the info get to his head. He keeps reading about how Bill has been since he returned. Regardless if he was there to witness it or not... Maybe Bill has changed. His personality is the same, but it appears... He doesn't want to or can't enjoy doing evil anymore. The boy then just falls asleep the notebook in hand as he was thinking too hard.

Chapter Text

This same Saturday evening, in Samuel's bedroom, it is almost time for the boy to sleep, but before that... He stares at the demon with empathy. "Bill...?"

He approaches, glowing harder. "What do you want, Fuzzball?"

The kid breathes sorrowfully, asking a painful question. "I don't want to pester you, but... I'd really like to know what you did in that notebook. If you wouldn't mind..."

"Oh, so you can blab it all away to Pinetree?" He reacts angrily, crossing his arms.

"I would never do that! I did promise you!"

"And you almost destroyed that promise earlier today!" He frowns.

Sammy gets a scare, figuring he'd be able to hear the very small "but" he told Dipper at the park. "But I didn't in the end! I swear I wouldn't tell him without your consent. Our promise comes first and foremost! But... it would help me be more true to my word if I knew that it wasn't anything to be worried of..."

Bill stays silent for a bit before giving a hint, painfully. "... It's about... my past..."

"Something you did...? Long ago, or closer to that...?" Samuel wants to be genuine and encouraging, but...

Bill is clearly bothered about the subject. "I don't wanna talk about it... yet..."

The boy doesn't know if this is the right time to say this, but goes through with it anyway. "Bill, maybe this isn't the best decision to tell you this right now, but... I might have something for you... So, do you mind giving me your right hand...? Please...?"

The demon does so and looks at him with some thoughts. "It's gonna be something silly, isn't it?"

"You'll have the right to decline it if you don't like it. But please close your eyes... Sorry, I mean... please close your eye." Bill makes a sigh sound and does. He feels something on his arm. "You can open it now."

As he opens his eye and looks at his right arm. "What the heck is that?" He wears a yellow cloth as a knot, one that has a diagonal pattern as a decoration, giving the impression that it represents a bunch of yellow triangles glued to each together.

The human feels a little shy. "It's... um... a friendship bracelet... I made it for you!" He shows his. "The same type I have and gave to my friends."

Bill is very confused, but manages to hide it by reacting with disgust instead. "Why would I ever wear something like that? I have nothing to do with what links you to Pinetree and Shooting star!"

Sammy tries to justify it with logic. "Believe it or not... It's a sign that we're a group... A sign that we all care about each other... Because we do... All three of us want to help you, Bill... We all think you can leave your regrets behind and feel happy again..." He sighs. "But I expected that reaction, so... You can remove it if you don't want it."

The demon answers with confusion. "I mean, I can try to keep it... for now..." Deep inside him... Bill feels some gratitude... A feeling of trust with the kid. And so he surprises himself saying... "Tomorrow... I'll show you those pages..."

Sammy touches Bill's top hat affectionately. "Thank you..."

Bill gets annoyed and shakes the human hand away while adjusting his hat a bit. "Hey, stop that!"

The kid gets curious. "Oh yeah, I've never seen you without the hat. Can you remove it? Can it even fall off?"

The demon answers honestly. "I can remove it if I want, but it never leaves me. It's basically part of my body!"

Samuel giggles amused, but then he looks at Bill's eye. His stare is serious. "... Sorry if that offended you. And again, thanks for opening up to me." He then goes to sleep.

Bill stares at the bracelet, lost in thoughts... He has some confusion as to what he has done to deserve this. But at the same time, he understands... He has shown emotional weaknesses, he has earned Pinetree and Shooting star's forgiveness, even if not entirely yet for the former. He never thought one of the victims of his deals would end up valuing him as a genuine "friend" when said deal maker knows about his evils. And yet here he is, wearing matching bracelets with two of his important former enemies.

On the Sunday morning, Dipper realizes he slept in the middle of his reading sessions. He almost immediately returns to it once he wakes up.

"Bro-bro, you're taking this stuff a little too seriously", states his worried sister. "Have you seen what Bill has done yesterday? Do you think an evil being could do that?"

Dipper knows she makes a great point, but still... A part of him feels a slight hint of concern. But he justifies it anyway. "Grunkle Ford wants me to send him these informations, so it makes sense that I take knowledge of it too, isn't it?"

Mabel gives up. "Okay then... I'll go make my breakfast, I'll bring you yours..."

"Thanks!" First thing Dipper does is scan the pages and organize an email to Ford so he can take knowledge of what happened between Samuel, themselves, and Bill.

Meanwhile, Samuel gets awaken by Bill's hand shaking his head, and a cheerful yell. "WAKEY WAKEY!!!"

He opens his eyes in pure confusion. "Bill...? What's going on?"

"It's Sunday, daytime. You should be having fun instead of sleeping so much!" Bill speaks from experience, he loves fun. But maybe waking up his vessel was a bad move.

Yet he takes it well. "Okay fine... But I also have some chores to do today, so sorry to disappoint you."

Bill is annoyed. "I'm so lucky to be a demon... I would lose my mind as a flesh bag, always having stuff to do instead of having fun..."

Samuel feels offended at being made fun of. He immediately speaks up with an annoyed tone. He did get less sleep than what he intended, after all. He does not want to cause a conflict. So he stands up. "What do you want?"

Bill is a little shy about it, but he speaks anyway. "I told you I was ready to show you those pages... So I suppose I wanted that to happen soon." He makes an half-excuse. "Before you make me change my mind!" He turns around, making the pages appear. But then he turns around again with them on hand and... "ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" Samuel fell asleep again already.

He sighs, audibly that is... "Okay, new plan... He'll listen to me one way or another!" With that statement, he enters his puppet's head.

In the dreaming state, Sammy is currently floating in a dreamless void. He then hears. "Well well well..." Pictures of Bill start showing all around him before the real deal shows up in front of him. "Thought you could escape me, Fuzzball?"

He gets confused. "Bill...? What do you mean? Oh, did I fall asleep...?" The demon gives an annoyed stare which pretty much confirms his theory. "Yeah, sorry, but... you might've underestimated how much humans need their sleep."

Bill shrugs and takes his cane. "Oh, I don't blame you. In fact... I should thank you because..." He starts yelling with a proud evil edge to his voice "THIS IS EVEN BETTER!!!!!"

The kid panics from his tone and feeling what seems like a giant earthquake all around. Bill, using his control over the dreamscape, recreates Weirdmageddon as accurately as possible. The Fearamid comes out of the ground, the colored weirdness bubbles floating around, all the crazy and creepy sights just casually existing, all the animals having obtained different attributes... This feels like a nightmarish sight, and yet, Bill claims. "This is, my biggest dream!"

Samuel is speechless for a while. He feels horrified, with a look of terror and panic. "This is... horrible... terrifying... Bill, why? Why make this a reality?"

Bill speaks loudly again. "Because it's FUN!!!" He lets out an strong evil laugh, carried away by what he managed to do. But it doesn't last. He then floats downwards silently, a disappointed, broken expression on his eye. And slowly... His joyful facade breaks. He snaps his fingers, which makes everything that he created freeze in time for now. "And then... I lost everything... Pinetree and Shooting star, and all their friends and partners... They undid this." He feels anger.

"And just like I already explained to you three..." He talks with a very frustrated tone "I lost my lifelong dream, my evil masterpiece... EVERYTHING... When this joyride ended... So did a giant part of me..." He hides his sadness and sorrow behind fury as he makes thunder clap in the distance of the dream.

Sammy remains silent, but he recognizes the feelings... Bill is very frustrated, and also... somehow depressed. What was taken away from him was something that he held very, very dear. It was his greatest desire, his greatest wish. The kid can get a very good idea of how tragic this must feel to any living being, despite the circumstances of what the demon wanted to do.

Samuel then somehow manages to affect his own dream... It causes representations of his two friends to appear. The demon is initially shocked as he sees the two representations of his former foes appear.

"What the...? What are they doing here?" He sees the two kids approach him. "What do you want? Why are you here!?" he says with a hint of fear and worry.

"Bill, we want to help you. Even you deserve another chance..." The dream Dipper extends his right arm towards him.

"Even if you lost your initial one... we want to make you feel better and find other happiness." Dream Mabel does the exact same thing as her brother.

Samuel tries a genuine smile of compassion as he also extends his right arm towards him. "Don't ever forget it... We all want to help you..."

Bill looks at the three hands waiting for a contact. He looks at the three differently colored friendship bracelets those humans have. And he looks at his right hand to see his with confusion in his thoughts. Very slowly... he has his black hand touch theirs. That one, single touch of love and friendship causes Bill to suddenly be hit with more overwhelming emotions.

He brushes off the moment by floating again. "So, you slept enough now, Fuzzball?"

Samuel giggles a bit, embarassed. "I guess so..."

"Okay, so..." Bill cackles. "Watch out for that cliff!!!"

Samuel gets pushed suddenly to a cliff that wasn't there a second ago, by Bill who's laughing. The fear of the situation causes him to wake up.

"Oh good, you FINALLY slept enough!" Bill's voice is very loud and taunting to him

The boy looks at his clock, it is now a little over 10am, a reasonable hour for him to get out of bed. He naively exclaims to the demon, as his memory is a bit fuzzy "I made an odd dream about you... You've shown me your desire and talked about it."

Bill hides his huge desire to go "well, duh, stupid..." and reminds calmly. "... It wasn't a dream... I went to talk to you in your sleep!"

Sammy feels embarrassed. "Oh right, I forgot you could do that..." So he moves along in the conversation. "So you wanted to show me those pages, right? Sorry I fell asleep again..."

Bill brushes his annoyance away. "Eh, whatever... Plus I got to give you a good idea already. But here..." He shows the pieces of paper appearing on his hands. He hands him the first one.

Samuel looks in disbelief. "Oh wow, you drew this? It looks so well made!"

The demon adjusts his bowtie in pride. "Yeah, I have a lot of talents, why are you even surprised?" He makes him focus on the drawing in question. "You must recognize it from what I've shown in your dream, right?"

So he looks at the drawing. "Yeah, I've seen that floating black pyramid that you summoned in my dream. Under that weird X on the skyline... What is it?"

Bill takes pride. "It is..." He stops for a second because of a sorrowful realization. "It was... my castle, the Fearamid! Floating under the dimensional rift that allowed my arrival to this world!"

He grabs another page. It is full of oddities and creepy sights, some of which Samuel recalls from his dream. Items that turned alive with sharp teeth and lizard tongues, creatures being unnatural, random things being visible where they definitely shouldn't... He gets overwhelmed. "... You like this...? And you wanted to create it...? In our world...? ... This is a lot to process... But... It looks good in drawing form... and you are quite the creative spirit..."

Bill feels a sense of pride from the compliment, then Samuel gets to the most interesting pages. "Oh, wow, who are... those creatures?"

The demon's expression changes into a feeling of sorrow lightning fast from that question. "... My friends. Or rather... they were..."

"Oh, so you made friends before us! That's very nice coming from you! Where are they now?" Samuel realizes his wording and asks with genuine concern, looking at him. "But wait, "were"... Are they...?"

Bill gets frustrated, he wants to avoid showing sadness. "We got separated forever when Pinetree, Shooting star and co ruined my plans... They were forcefully sent back to the Nightmare Realm while I was left behind after my defeat..."

"I'm really sorry for you..." Samuel tries grabbing his hand to make him feel better. Their shared friendship bracelet gets very close and Bill notices.

The demon realizes how, despite how silly the whole concept is to him, having that piece of cloth on his arm does influence his spirit. But he then takes a slightly firmer grip. "Don't... tell... Pinetree!!!"

Samuel doesn't hesitate. "I won't! Not until you give me your blessing!"

Bill's grip softens a bit. "Good..." He starts pointing at the drawings. "This is Teeth, this is Keyhole, this is 8-Ball..." He speaks in strong details about what they were like, with a lot of passion towards how cool his weird friends are. He almost can't stop his speeches. Sammy can't help but find this cute and admirable, as he listens to his triangular companion with strong interest and respect.

Meanwhile, at the Pines bedroom, Mabel finishes her breakfast with a slightly frustrated expression, while her brother remained on the computer this whole time.

"Alright, it's all done! I sent all the important notes to grunkle Ford."

His sister reacts immediately. "Okay, now can you please drop it for today?"

He turns around, feeling offended, but then he takes a good look at her face to find her a bit disappointed.

"Ever since summer started, you've been into this mystery and creatures stuff. I thought coming back home would help us settle back to normal... but now you're going back to that with all of this Bill stuff."

Her brother tries to be logical. "But Mabel, you also got involved yourself. You want to help Bill a lot more than what I'm willing to do."

"It's true, but... It's been so long since we could enjoy a day together without paranormal stuff affecting things. Can't we just enjoy this Sunday like we used to?"

Dipper looks at his desk, and seeing the notebook and computer open, with his job done, he takes a decision. He gives a slight smile, closes the computer and puts the notebook in his school bag before turning back. "Alright, we will. How about you choose a game? Board game or video game, I'm up for anything!"

His sister squees and hugs him before going to look for one.

And so a very regular Sunday passes for each of the kids. One where they all felt pleasure and accomplishment, away from worrying about unnatural things.

Chapter Text

On the beginning of the evening of October 31st, Samuel gets ready to go out on a trick-or-treating evening with his friends. He got himself a little Ninja outfit to wear for his candy chase, but while he feels eager to go out, a part of him feels troubled.

His thoughts are interrupted when he realizes that Bill is sitting on his bed with a playful stare and tone. "So... Are you ready for that night of mischief and fright?"

"Um... You know you can't show yourself outside, right...?" Samuel got a little worried, thinking the demon planned to create some chaos outside.

Bill reacts defensively. "Easy there, Fuzzball... Of course I won't cause trouble. I'll have to follow you hidden, you won't even notice I'm here!"

"Then... what's with the eagerness?"

The demon shrugs. "Nothing wrong, I'll just like to see the atmosphere out there... I mean, it definitely won't be any close to what kind of scary things I could create, but I guess I'll have to do with what I see."

"... You're not gonna do anything bad, right...?" Sammy looks quite concerned.

His question gets interrupted when the house's doorbell gets heard.

"Go on, Fuzzball... You wouldn't want to make your friends wait, would you...?" Bill says playfully before vanishing. So the boy quickly grabs his bag to go open the door.

Dipper and Mabel are here, respectively dressed as an explorer and an unicorn, and they both have eager smiles.

"Hi, Sammy!" Greets Dipper.

"Wow, you got a cool outfit!" Gushes, Mabel.

"Eh... Thanks... You too..." Samuel is being genuine, although he's still a little bothered by something. But he doesn't want to mention it yet.

"So, shall we get going?", encourages Dipper. To which Samuel nods after closing the door.

After taking a few steps towards the neighborhood streets, Mabel feels really cheerful as she looks around.

"Look at all these decorations!!!" She's really impressed.

"Yeah, they're pretty good!" Dipper remains fairly grounded given how they're the standards of the town. "So let's get going, I got the perfect itinerary for us planned! Let's start here!"

Samuel hides a little sigh of sorrow to join them cheerfully, as they start going door to door, getting their share of candies.

Moments later, as they're done with the street, they start talking about the experience before moving on.

Dipper speaks up. "You know, I've heard other trick-or-treaters talking about the decorations too. I didn't expect this at first, but it seems the citizens decided to set the scare factor up a notch this year!"

"And it's awesome!!! Come on, let's continue!!!" Mabel is overjoyed and leads to them to the next street.

Sammy is more of the silent type through this journey, although he's definitely having a good time with his friends. But his curiosity is indeed high due to the decorations. It includes fairly scarier stuff than what he's used to, like animatronics of spiders, zombies, ghosts, mummies and the like. He is impressed in a good way, but it causes him to wonder how it's possible.

For now he puts those cares aside and he follows his friends for the night. As they follow another street, they accidentally catch on a conversation that two younger childs seem to have.

One kid says. "I'm telling you, that pumpkin head's expression changed in front of my eyes... It looked at me and it grew a scarier smile..."

His friend answers. "You're just imagining things because of how great the decorations are. Come on, let's get more candies!"

"Alright..."

Dipper and Mabel don't really pay attention to it, but this causes Samuel to get curious.

Said kids then approach the trio. "Hey um, you guys...?"

Dipper answers the two. "Yes...?"

One of them point at a house that's a little out of their way. "No need to try that house over there. The owner wasn't a kind one when we went there."

"I see, thanks for the advice! Have a nice candy chase, you two!" Dipper says, and the two groups part way after that.

Mabel immediately goes "It wouldn't hurt to try, right?" She goes to that house without hesitating.

"Oh dear..." Dipper sighs and follow. "Yeah, let's try it, Sammy... We got nothing to lose..."

Samuel nods and they ring the doorbell.

The three chant the usual "Trick or treat!" when the door opens. But as they've been warned, they're greeted with a negative answer.

"Go away, you kids! I don't give candies for these stupid celebrations!", before the man slams the door.

Dipper frowns a bit. "Gee, rude much...?"

Mabel shrugs. "Hey, we tried. Come on, let's go explore some more!"

"She never stops, does she...?" Samuel giggles a bit.

Dipper runs ahead to catch up with her and Samuel starts joining them, but then... He suddenly hears a scream coming from the house they just visited, which has him really intrigued before he leaves quickly.

The rest of the evening goes very well, although they keep running into discussions/thoughts about the decorations being scarier than what's usually done around town.

Eventually, it's getting late and Dipper claims. "I'd say we've done a good coverage of the neighborhood, and we have a solid amount of candies! You wanna stop now?"

Mabel says. "I'd like more candies, but... I'm growing a little tired, yeah... I'm glad of what I have, though."

Samuel nods. "Yeah, we definitely did good tonight! Let's stop by your home, it's closer than mine!"

So they have a calm walk to the Pines residence while the streets start emptying themselves when most kids are calling it a night. They all enter to put their bags inside and have a short discussion.

"Hey, Sammy... What's up with you tonight...?" Dipper asks, which surprises his friend.

"Uh? What do you mean...?"

"I could tell you had fun with us, but you feel... a little somber..." He claims.

"Yeah, seems like your face is struggling to be happy!" Mabel observes.

Samuel is impressed. "Oh dear... You two do know me very well indeed..." He can't help but smile. "Okay, I'll tell you, there's indeed something that's been concerning me tonight. But... Please keep in mind, I don't want to be like one who seeks to taint an evening of fun by bringing up the subject... I... I don't want that to be the case..."

Mabel smiles at him. "If you have something on your mind, it's best that you tell your friends, doesn't it?"

All of them sit in the living room, his friends are encouraging and willing to hear.

Samuel sighs and doesn't want to make them wait. "Do you think... we might be getting too old for trick-or-treating?" There's some silence following this question, so he justifies his thought. "You guys turned 13 exactly two months ago from today, and I'll also turn 13 later this year... Do you think enjoying Halloween... or anything that give us joy, really... will have to be a thing of the past...?" He starts sounding really emotional and scared as he explains.

"Oh, Sammy..." Mabel feels bad about seeing him emotional like this. Especially since she can relate to these feelings.

Dipper loses his smile too as he starts thinking about it.
Then he says... "It's our call to make!" with a confident smile, before he continues. "Yes, maybe trick-or-treating specifically will be a thing of the past for us... But it doesn't mean being a teen or an adult will have to be dull! If we don't want it to be dull and sad, it won't!"

Mabel wants to be optimistic as well, saying... "We would have other ways to have fun, and you're never too old for candies and costumes, and all that! Childhood is something we have to say goodbye to, unfortunately..." Saying that is something that hits really hard home, as she thinks about what happened at the end of their vacation, but she tries to brush this aside quickly. "But we decide when we're done having fun! And I say, we keep being the cheerful fun-loving group that we are! What do you say?"

The twins' enthusiasm is very contagious, and Samuel wipes a tear away. "... You know, when you put it that way..."

Then he switches the subject. "Hey, um... You've noticed the decoration, right? I'm surprised it was so scary this year... It's great, of course, it's all for fun, but... It's an odd change of pace from the previous years..."

Dipper shrugs it away. "I suppose most folks around town felt like more budget and efforts were welcomed to make it fun."

"And it was, I loved it!!!" Mabel cheers.

"Oh, I liked it too." Samuel starts standing up. "I should be heading home now before it gets too late and dark..." He grabs his bag. "I had a great night tonight, and I hope we'll enjoy future Halloween, even in other ways!" The message from his friends really worked, and they're glad to see it as they say their quick goodbies.

Sammy has a calm walk back home on empty streets. However he looks around and feels like some of the spookier decorations seem to have either vanished or be replaced by tamer ones now that there's barely anyone outside.

Soon enough, he reaches home, puts his bag of candies in a safe spot and is quick to go to his bedroom. But he has a sneaking suspicion about something...

"So, you had a fun night?????" Bill, like often, speaks up out of nowhere with his loud voice, and Samuel looks at him with some frown. "What's the issue, Fuzzball?" He asks, confidently.

"You did something... I know it! ... Those decorations... They were your doing, wasn't it?"

Bill reacts confidently. "Well, you sure know how to deduce things correctly. Ever considered working in a job about mysteries?" He cackles, but that doesn't erase his vessel's annoyance. "Yes, I did! Halloween is the only time of year humans celebrate spookiness, and frankly, the way they do it is so tame and boring... It was only natural that I'd help spice things up, wasn't it? The rule was that I wouldn't show myself, and I didn't!"

Sammy deduces from the confirmation. "So that's why... This kid who said he saw that pumpkin head become scarier... It was because he saw your magic in action..."

"Correct! It wasn't meant to be, but I suppose not all of these young thrill seekers are as unobservant as they look". Again, the demon just shrugs every fault away while admitting them.

"This is not good, Bill! We agreed that you wouldn't do anything bad!!!" Samuel starts being angry, but Bill defends himself.

"So? All I did was make some harmless decorations spookier than they were supposed to! No one was hurt! Even your friends loved those!" Bill takes pride in his actions.

"No one was hurt... Wait, what about that man who didn't give us candies! I've heard a scream right after we visited... It was you too, of course!"

"Bingo!!! You warned him, trick or treat. There was no treat, so it was the other option." He cackles, before seeing the boy's expression. "Relax, I didn't do anything cruel. He just got an unexpected shower... A jam shower!"

Samuel actually can't contain a little chuckle.

"See, that's something humans actually do and it's not harmful or anything! So there's no reason to be mad at me!!!" One could say, the triangle is very good at being the devil's advocate.

Samuel sighs. "Okay, Bill, I won't stay mad, but we need to talk... You can't do this kind of stuff without warning us first..."

Bill takes offense. "What? Why???"

"We have a deal about you not using your powers in bad ways, and probably not in the open like that either... You raised some good points about not having hurt anyone, but not telling me and my friends before makes it a bad act regardless..."

Bill leaves a groan... "So many stupid rules and limitations... How do you stand this stuff...?" There's some silence after that. "... Fine... I won't do this kind of actions again without warning, you have my word..." The triangle says that begrudgingly, while Samuel nods.

He switches the subject with a more cheerful tone. "Anyway, Fuzzball, I've heard and deduced your concerns from tonight...". Before there's some freaking out from the boy's part, he says. "And I wanna say, Pinetree and Shooting star are completely right!"

"... Really...? You think so?" Sammy is surprised to hear that from him.

"Yes! I mean, do you know how old I am?" Bill asks earnestly.

"... Um..." Because he never thought about that before, the boy starts overthinking it.

Bill frowns a bit. "Scratch that, you might give me an unpleasant answer... ... And I've long lost count anyway... My point is, I don't let how much time passed since my birth determine how I should act! If I love fun and mischief, I love it and I don't let a silly number dictate how I should act! So why should you??? If you and your friends want to keep having fun, keep having fun!!!"

Sammy is really impressed from how wise this sounds, despite Bill having his own logic. And he smiles genuinely. "Thanks Bill, you are right... These were concerns I had no reason to have."

"No problem, Fuzzball!" He looks at him for a second before saying. "So, shouldn't you go to sleep, Ninja Boy?"

Samuel realizes, a bit embarrassed, that he kept his costume on the whole time, between being lost in thoughts and it being comfortable. "Oh right, I should change and go to sleep..."

Bill speaks loudly. "If you're too tired, keep it on! Who cares???"

This causes his vessel to giggle. "Eh... Yeah, let's try it..." He sits on his bed, and he already feels drowsy. "I don't know if I have... the energy... to..."

The demon knew full well that this was gonna be happening, so he looks at him, amused... "Seems like he already needs his recharge mode... Not surprised! ... Well, I can't just leave him like this..." He uses his powers to lay him down in a comfier position under the blankets, and looks at him for a moment before vanishing.

Chapter Text

During one visit Samuel gives his friends in one mid-November Sunday, the boys have finished their school work and just left the room to prepare afternoon snacks. Mabel, however, is struggling a little with her homework. And the girl does make her frustration heard with an annoyed groan. Suddenly...

"What's up with the moaning sound, Shooting star?"

She jumps out due to a scare. "Bill!!! Don't scare me like that..."

The triangle doesn't care about being called out, like often. "You know I'm linked to your friend, right? If he's at your home, then I am too!"

Mabel wants to argue back. "But you don't need to... Ugh, whatever, I'm busy..." She goes back to her desk.

Bill floats forwards to her. "What you're doing? Is that..." He almost sounds disgusted. "... school work?"

Mabel sighs. "History homework, yeah..."

The demon frowns. "This sounds dreadful. It's bad enough you humans have to waste precious time of your one life working, school follows you at home too? And I thought I was cruel..."

"Bill, I don't have time to talk with you! I need to get this finished for tomorrow!" She frowns as she's holding her pen. But then... "What...?" She sees her handwriting applying itself, giving answers with all the informations she needs. She turns around and sees, the demon just snapped his fingers to make it happen.

"That'll do!" He says, smugly.

This doesn't satisfy her, however. "I can't cheat! I have to understand what I'm doing and prove it too!"

"Oh, you have a conscience too..." Bill facepalms on his eye. "Fine, I'll dumb it dow..." he realizes that sounds a little too rude. "I mean, I'll make it easier to understand for you..."

He spends a couple of minutes talking about the homework's topic, and then Mabel gasps with a smile. "Oh my gosh, I got it! You're a genius, Bill!"

The demon puts his hands on his hips and looks away smugly again. "Tell me something I don't already know..."

"But... Why...? Why would you help me with that?"

Bill's confidence breaks a bit. "You wanna know...?" Dipper and Samuel do take time to ensure everything's ready, so he says. "Close the door, I'll try to be quick before Fuzzball and Pinetree come back!"

Mabel obliges, and then Bill exclaims. "Well, the logical reason is... You had zero hesitation believing in me, despite..." He doesn't want to talk about everything he did to her during the vacation, so he stops there. "You immediately wanted to forget about our past and treat me as a friend, as soon as I've started feeling remorse and sorrow... Which I'm still not sure where they came from." Mabel is stunned, and he continues. "You also wanted to help me find a new use for my mischief. And heck... You succeeded at making me feel joy again... So... I suppose a part of me feels thankful to you and wanted to repay you in a way..."

She barely resists squeeing. "Oh, you're welcome, Bill. I'm thankful for your help!" She smiles at him genuinely.

Then, the triangular demon looks away as he gets a little more personal. "There's more..." He leaves some silence, but then thinks about how the boys won't be long anymore, so he hurries up. "I think I always... kinda liked you, Shooting star..." He notices a stare of disbelief from her, and once again... He has to leave his pride behind before it's too late. "You're cheerful, you love fun and seek it at all costs, you sometimes push rules aside if you think this is worth it... In a way, we're kinda alike... So for those reasons... I think I always liked you, but couldn't express it."

She looks emotive with a smile. "Aww... I like you too, Bill. Especially now that we're friends... And know that I'll keep supporting you!" She tries to grab his hand, but then he disappears as the boys make themselves heard in the hallway. "Uh oh..." She quickly opens the door and acts innocently. "Hey, Sammy, Bro-bro... You got everything?"

They're grabbing a platter together. "Yup, what about you, Sis? Are you done?", asks her brother out of curiosity.

She thinks about how shameful it would be for Bill to reveal what just happened, so she simply answers. "Yup, got it all done while you were busy!"

"Awesome! Now it's snack time!" Exclaims, Samuel. The twins giggle at this.

Meanwhile in Gravity Falls, underneath the Mystery Shack, Ford is busy reading the notes that the kids send them. No matter how many times he does it, he still has the same feeling of disbelief. "I never thought it'd be possible for him, of all beings, to..."

Suddenly... "Hey... what are you doing here?" Stan surprised him joining him in the room without being noticed.

Ford gets startled. "You scared the beans out of me!"

His brother gets amused about that, as proven by his short laugh. "So, what were you doing?"

The question is a heavy one. Should Ford tell him about the current situation? Should he hide it to not get him worried? For now, he answers... "What do you think? I was busy studying stuff. Stuff that... really wouldn't interest you!" Seeing Stan's curious look, he concludes in hope to change the subject. "... complicated things you wouldn't want to give attention to. Anyway, why did you come here?"

"Obviously, I came for you. It's been a while since you left that room. Is something wrong?" He asks genuinely.

"True, maybe I was overfocused for a bit. I can take a break to spend time with you and the rest of the people upstairs if that's what you want..." Ford seems relieved that the question is gone for now.

Stan gets worried. "Overfocused? Do you work too hard? Because that isn't good."

He nods. "Yeah, maybe I was thinking too hard about what I was studying, to the point where I forgot to take breaks until you arrived. So, thanks!"

But the question comes back immediately. "What were you studying?", as he asks with a friendly tone.

Ford thinks about all the times bad communication has been a detriment to them, and so he takes the tough decision to ask him "So, you wanna know?" with a fairly regular tone. As his brother confirms, he gets more serious. "You really wanna know...?"

Stan answers "Yes" with a mix of genuine curiosity and growing concern, as Ford starts speaking honestly while evading the touchy subject.

"It's something that the kids are sending me regularly. They're making and sending me observations about something. Alongside their friend, they are studying... a specific subject... and they want my feedback..."

"Oh, Dipper for sure would be the kind to seek this kind of exchange! He really inherited that from you, didn't he?" Stan states this amused, but the main question keeps returning. "And what is that subject?" Stan does care about what the kids are doing nowadays, and seeing that his brother is beating around the bush is starting to show.

But Ford takes a concerned tone, as he's about to let out a massive information. "Fine, I won't make you wait longer. The subject of the research is... ... ..." He takes a giant breath of courage before saying "... Bill..."

He sees his twin being shocked to hear this name. "As it turns out, Bill somehow survived after the failure of Weirdmageddon, despite what we did."

"BILL IS WITH THE KIDS?????", yells Stan in horror and a hint of anger.

Ford has some sorrow in his voice, knowing he made his brother feel all sorts of emotions. But it was a necessary evil for the sake of honesty "I didn't ask them if they know how, or that kind of details, but... yes, he survived! I saw him myself during a video call..."

Stan looks at him seriously. "ARE THE KIDS SAFE???"

Ford once again speaks the truth. "Based on the reports their friend did... Bill started manifesting himself as soon as the school year started. He did some pretty bad things, eventually tricking the kids' friend into making a vessel deal with him..."

Stan sounds like he's in complete disbelief, growing angry. "He messed with the kids... Of course... We have to do something to stop him!!!"

Ford interrupts him. "Wait... Your reaction is justified, but..." He tries to find the best way to explain it.

"But what? How can you be so calm when this monster is still out there???"

"I know this sounds crazy, but... when he and this Samuel kid made that deal, one part of it that he has to respect is not physically harming the kids. And apparently, Bill has been obeying it. More shockingly... He hasn't done anything bad to them after the first couple of days, even apparently trying to make amends to them... It has been a couple months since his latest mischiefs, and they are still fine."

Stan calms down a bit, but... "That's still really bad! Bill's a very dangerous being! It'd be so easy for Bill to change his mind, trying to twist the terms and whatnot! The kids might be safe now, but it could just be a giant act on his part!!!" He then asks a very serious question. "Do you even trust Bill?"

Ford admits in a serious tone. "I can't trust Bill! Especially not after my history with him...!" He talks more emotionally. "But... I trust the kids, and their judgement of him! And I trust that their friend isn't a liar either! If they say he's not being a danger to them, then I trust them..."

This is barely enough to reassure Stan, however. "What if he's just hiding his true intentions? He's a master manipulator! And he can easily fake these acts of kindness just to hit harder! He's tricky and he's scary! He's just waiting for an opportunity to ruin everything!"

Ford reaffirms his point of view seriously. "If the kids trust him, then I trust them... And I'm telling you the truth about all this because... I don't want more secrets and fights between us... Not after what our previous ones led to..." This hits Stan hard, as he feels like he went too far despite having every reason to be emotional over it. And Ford adds. "I understand you're doubtful. I'll show you what they sent me at a later time if it helps you get a better idea of the situation."

Stan gives him a calm, but genuine thanks. Right after that, Ford asks him. "Do you think... we should tell anyone else from the town for now...? Or should we keep it to ourselves?"

"I'd rather keep it to ourselves" Stan says with a slight pause "I don't want word to get out that someone as dangerous as Bill is alive. Besides, Dipper and Mabel seem to trust Bill, so It's probably best we just trust them for now." Stan's face is serious for a minute. But it then softens a little bit.

Ford feels satisfied. "I'm glad you understand. Now then, you were right to come to me, I really need a break. Let's go back upstairs."

"Sounds good" Stan says with a nod.

Chapter Text

The next day in the afternoon, Dipper and Samuel are having a friendly banter as they exit their last class of the day.

Dipper is finishing a conversation about his summer. "... And then I said: you're making sounds only dogs should hear!"

Samuel can't help but laugh. "You can be pretty funny when you're angry! ... That must've been an odd compliment, uh...?"

Dipper shrugs. "Eh, it's alright, I'm not offended..."

His friend feels relieved from that. "I'd better be going, I have an eye exam to go to this evening! Tell Mabel I wish her a good evening, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Dipper looks at his friend very much storming off. He hears Mabel's footsteps less than a minute later. "Hey Sis, guess..." He immediately changes expressions when he takes a look at her clearly upset way of walking. "Are you alright...?"

Mabel gives a very frustrated stare, making her brother worried. "Did I do something wrong...?"

Following that concern, his sister tries to not sounding . "No, it's not you... Did I ever tell you about that annoying classmate of mine?"

"I think so, yes. Once or twice, maybe..." Dipper answers, before being more straightforward. "Or way more than that. Why?"

Mabel sighs frustrated. "He didn't do his history homework that was due today and he pretty much forced me to give the answers to him at the last minute..."

"What? You can't do that. Not only will this encourage him to continue being lazy, he's gonna continue to pester you if you don't stand up for yourself."

Mabel yells. "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT???" Dipper gasps, and she tears up from frustration a bit after that. "Sorry, Bro-bro... I just... I can't with this guy sometimes..."

Her brother grabs her shoulders with an encouraging smile. "It's okay... We'll figure this out... Plus I have some news to cheer you up!"

She wipes the final tear before sounding more cheerful. "Oooh...? What is it? Tell me tell me tell me..."

He says with a brighter smile. "Sammy and I decided to plan another sleepover this week-end! And not one that will end up like... that problematic last one..." He frowns a bit thinking about what Bill had done to them then, thinking on the back on his mind that he still can't trust the demon completely yet. But he leaves those thoughts away from the conversation. "So it'll be our first good one since before our vacation!"

"No way, that's awesome, I can't wait!!!" She can barely stand in place after hearing that.

"Now there's the Mabel I like to see!" Dipper then adds. "Sometimes, at least..."

"What's that supposed to mean???" She feels insulted from that last part.

Dipper giggles a bit. "Nothing..." He easily lets her know with his stare that it was just a jest, so she doesn't argue as they make their way home.

And so, it took a full week of anticipation, but Samuel arrives at his friends' house on the Friday evening. The family welcoming him for a night has been something regular since the three became friends. And unlike the very weird one from two months before, there won't be any oddities happening.

Sammy enters the bedroom, seeing like always that the twins have ensured that he'd have a mattress and all the comfort he needs. They were really looking forward to hanging out with him. And like it happens regularly, Dipper is giving back Samuel's notebook after he got and shared the studies about Bill. With that out of the way, they only have some fun times ahead.

Early on in their discussion, Mabel asks Samuel for a refresher...

"Say, Sammy, you said you travelled a little during the summer. But I forgot... Where did you go again...?"

Her friend answers. "Oh, yes, I did, for a couple of weeks. I went to New Jersey, because I have relatives there."

Dipper gives a small "see, told ya!" stare at his sister, while she looks surprised.

"Did I miss something?" He wonders why his friends are having a private nod to each other.

Dipper explains calmly. "As it turns out, we learned during our vacation that our family also has roots from New Jersey!"

"No way! What were the odds?" Samuel is impressed at the coincidence.

"What's the place like?" Mabel asks with curiosity.

"It's a nice seaside area with good weather... I'm not sure what else I could say..." He then recalls. "Oh, we went to a neighboring city a couple of times that has an amusement park on a wharf, which was quite fun. It was next to an avenue full of shops. And I remember fondly a restaurant there that made really great food!"

Just the notion of food makes Mabel hungry as she recalls something herself. "Dipper and I also went to a restaurant regularly during our vacation. The food there was so good..."

"Oh come on, now you guys are getting me hungry too..." Dipper giggles embarrassed.

So Mabel stands up after that. "Okay, I'll go prepare evening snacks!" She starts walking out, but then she stops in her tracks with a worried look.

Dipper notices from seeing her back. "What's wrong...?"

"... This situation feels familiar... In a way I don't like..." She confesses, as she suddenly has a bad memory of the previous time they had a sleepover all together and left for that purpose.

Dipper understands when he sees her turning around with her worried stare. And Samuel realizes what she meant too.

"It'll be okay! Remember what we all went through since then with, well... him..." Her brother doesn't feel like naming the demon directly, but he doesn't refer to him with hatred either.

Samuel adds. "You have nothing to worry about, Mabel! Didn't you say yourself that we no longer have to fear from Bill?"

Hearing that, she feels guilty. "Yeah, you're right... I guess I just had a bad sense of familiarity when I shouldn't... Sorry..."

"It's alright! I get it!" Sammy doesn't judge at all.

"Let's get these snacks together if that reassures you, Sis!" Dipper leaves the room with her to get the task done as quickly as possible.

Samuel is left alone in the bedroom for a couple of minutes. He thinks about his friends and what just happened. Then suddenly, he gets surprised with a voice from behind.

"Can you blame them, Fuzzball?"

The boy turns around, a little surprised and wondering since when he was there and how much he's listening to all of these conversations.

"Based on the stories you and them told me... No I can't..." Sammy admits.

"See...? May be a lost cause to have me be something else than an eerie presence..."

Dipper re-enters the room first to realize. "Oh... Bill..." He frowns as a reaction, but is quick to retract it. "Sorry, didn't expect to see you out in the open. But I don't mind." He thinks. "This will prove to Mabel that he's not gonna do anything wrong if we can see him too..."

Mabel tries to be a little more encouraging when she enters. "Hey Bill! Sorry about earlier, I just had a bad flashback, but I trust you, you know?"

Bill just stays quiet, with a neutral expression. He's not mad at them, but he's still lost about how exactly he ended up in that situation.

Mabel then suggests. "I've been thinking of something we might do..."

Sammy gets curious. "Oh? What is it...?"

"How about we make rounds telling what you'd consider your biggest regret?"

"Um..." Dipper gets a bit uncomfortable, but doesn't object.

"Okay...? I'll have to think first..." Samuel crosses his arms to search in his memories.

"Take your time!" Mabel says with a smile.

After some time of silence, he says... "Really, no big one cross my mind... I suppose there were a couple times where I wanted to cheat for some parts during school exams... And some fights I got into for really childish reasons... I'm sorry, these are lame answers, I bet..."

"Oh, don't worry..." Then she looks at her brother. "What about you, Bro-bro?"

Dipper sighs painfully. "I know exactly the one..." He looks at his friend for a second. "Sammy, I told you about that girl I met during my vacation, Wendy?"

"Yeah, you guys told me about her and your other friends. Why?"

Dipper says. "I... used to have a crush on her at first... Even though she had a boyfriend. And when she broke up with him and was heartbroken... I..." He starts sounding really shaky from the guilt. "I was completely inconsiderate and tried to get involved with her immediately instead of leaving her some space..."

Sammy gasps a bit. "That's... kinda cold..." He says that, but doesn't seem angry. He knows that his friend means well and isn't that type of person.

Dipper almost gets teary-eyed. "Yeah, I... I really hated myself for that... She forgave me and we remained great friends, so I shouldn't feel guilty about it. But..."

Samuel touches his hand with a comforting smile.

"We all make mistakes, Bro-bro, and you know it ended up well with Wendy." Mabel reassures him too. "Speaking of mistakes... I have a worse one than that... One I never got the courage to tell you before, Dipper..."

Dipper rubs his eyes before looking at his sister with curiosity. Then it's her turn to sound really guilty.

"So, it's about..." She looks at Bill for a quick second, even though he is not contributing to the discussion at all. "... Weirdmageddon..."

"Bill's ideal world?" Sammy asks.

"... Yeah... In case you didn't have all the details, Sammy... Bill entered this dimension thanks to a dimensional rift... A rift that Dipper had and that I accidentally got my hands on..." She's not looking at them...

Dipper is confused. "Just because you accidentally brought it outside the shack doesn't mean it's your fault, Sis..."

Mabel almost yells the truth out. "I gave it to Bill!!!"

Both her brother and her friend gasp. Meanwhile, Bill barely reacts.

"The truth is, he tricked me by possessing that time traveller guy and lying about the rift's use, saying it was some time bubble or something... But still... It's my fault Bill got his hands on it... And... I never got the courage to tell you, Bro-bro... I'm... I'm so sorry..." She tears up from the guilt.

Dipper goes closer to her. "Hey Sis... It's alright... In the end, it all worked out... Everything went back to normal and you repaired your fault by contributing to Bill's defeat..."

"But... But still, it's my fault it happened... If I didn't fall for Bill's lies..."

"Grunkle Ford fell for Bill's lies too long ago, and he hated himself for it... Even I fell for his lies with that password stuff..."

Samuel then adds. "... and I fell for it too, when he tricked me into that deal after making me believe you were a bully, Dipper..."

"Exactly, Bill is just too good at this game..." Thinking about the subject's presence in the room and the recent events, he prefers to say. "Or maybe I should say, he was good at getting his ways with words. Yes, we can blame ourselves for not having been careful and thoughtful enough... But it's not completely our faults if bad things happen... So don't blame yourself too much, Sis, okay?"

Despite having been the one to suggest the activity, Mabel has been the most affected by the reveal turntable.

Surprisingly, Bill gets closer after this, looking at Mabel directly. "Indeed, Shooting star... I usually love to taunt and torment the ones that fall victim to my tricks! But from an outside perspective, there is no use in blaming the victim who was carried away by her feelings! I'm the one who should get the hate for having tried to cause an apocalypse for so long."

"Oh, um..." She tries to grow a smile. "Thanks, Bill..." Then she says something very unexpected. "What about you? What's your biggest regret?"

The question comes as a huge surprise in a room, since not only was Bill not expecting it, Dipper and Samuel are also surprised to see that she considers him as part of the roundtable.

"W-what...? Why do you wanna know?" Bill acts a little nervous from the surprise.

"It's a friend sleepover? And we're supposed to be on friendly terms now, don't we?" She tries to be encouraging.

"She... kind of has a point..." Sammy says, after thinking about it. "You've shown that you desire to change, and you're counting on our help. So... It's fair for you to be included in this group."

"This is quite awkward..." Dipper says. "... but it's also kinda true..."

"Well, uh..." Bill panics a bit. "I suppose my past evil actions? Tricking Fuzzball, Pinetree, Sixer... Trying to take over the dimension... You know, that stuff?"

Mabel nods, but she adds. "We already know all of that, and you've already said your apologies about it. Isn't there anything we don't know about? Something that stands above all the rest?" Her question is very encouraging, despite how pressuring it sounds.

Bill is stuck, his pupil is going back and forth as he looks at the three kids waiting for an answer. And he gives up. "Alright... I'll tell you my biggest regret of them all..."

The triangle sits, and is about to talk about some very heavy stuff. He closes his eye because he feels like the stares would cause some mental block. "I did mention to you briefly, about my home dimension... Didn't I?"

Dipper answers. "Yeah, you did, through Sammy's body. Saying it was destroyed and you can't return there." He says that with feeling some level of sympathy.

"Did you do something bad during your time there...?" Samuel, hearing of this for the first time, is asking with genuine curiosity.

"This world was known as the second dimension. Where everything was flat."

Mabel looks confused. "Flat...? How could that work...?"

Bill tries to explain that. "Think of it like it's a giant alive painting. There is space, you can move around, but there is no depht."

"Oh, like a drawing, or an animated picture... I think I get it!" She nods.

The triangle continues to speak. "This is where I was born, many, many... years, centuries, milleniums, however you wanna count it! As you might guess from my looks and powers, I come from a species of magical and thin creatures." Bill suddenly decides, it's best to use his eye to illustrate his speech with a rough 3D video. All three kids are surprised to see him able to do that.

The video shows a representation of a tiny Bill, who was already wearing his trademarks top hat and bowtie, surrounded by two taller figures that embrace him.

"My parents... They were..." It gets heavier and heavier for him to speak. "They were always looking after me and my best interests. They gave me all their love, they were always there for me, and taught me everything I know."

"Aww..." Mabel squees a little.

Dipper can't help but smile a bit too, finding Bill's humanity to be a pleasant sight.

Bill's tone changes. "Then came the day... I mastered my powers at a young age..." The representation of Bill is shown to be moving around, trying to find something without success. "I was very eager to have fun. But as I looked around..." Every representation that the Bill figure is encountering is moving away. "No one had any ambition or desire for mischief. I felt alone. And when I've shown that..."

The representations of his parents appear to be scolding him. And Bill's voice gets heard answering: "THEN PUNISH ME!!! I DON'T CARE!!!"

The three kids are being completely silent in spite of their very conflicted feelings and desire to ask questions. They know it's a heavy topic and don't want to interrupt.

Bill continues. "It really soured our relationship, even if they still did their best loving me for who I was. Meanwhile, I was using my knowledge day after day for a very long while, trying to figure something out in secret. It took quite some time, a very long time. But then, one fateful day..."

The representation of Bill, who is now carrying a cane, is shown leading his parents to some sort of dead end. And then he is shown to open some kind of wormhole away from the dimension. Again, Bill's voice gets heard. "We can exit this world, and we can go explore other universes! So many travels, so many possibilities and things to discover..." Then he sounds more sinister. "... So many tricks to pull thanks to our powers... What do you say?"

But the representations of his parents are shown to be politely disagreeing. This causes the Bill representation to leave out his frustration. "You DON'T want to support me??? I'm your child and you're supposedly loving me!!! But NOOOOO!!! You aren't ANY BETTER than all those idiots who have no desire to use their powers to make their lives exciting!!! You ALWAYS want to follow those silly made up rules that are there to prevent our lives from being fun!!! What I want to do isn't being evil, it's HAVING FUN!!!"

Then the representation grows taller... "THAT'S IT!!! I'VE HAD IT!!! YOU'RE GONNA FOLLOW ME WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!" Then comes this fire from his powers. "I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS DIMENSION BETTER!!! I'M GOING TO MAKE IT FREE FROM ITS DULLNESS!!!!!". With that, he's using that against the landscape, creating an increasingly irrepearable fiery destruction with a lot of glee. He starts to laugh as he does this. "BURN, YOU STUPID RESTRICTIVE WORLD!!!!! BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bill leaves out a loud cackle for the first time, an evil laugh that would soon become his trademark.

He looks at the destruction with pleasure and gives his parents an ultimatum. "I am out of this dimension, and going to have my fun now!!! You better follow me, because once that wormhole closes, there is no escape from the imminent full destruction of this stupid dimension! Support me in my fun, or you're goners!!! SEE YA!!!" Bill floats out of the dimension as he listens the sounds of the destruction, which are music to his... hearing.

On the other side of that wormhole, which would give him access to other dimensions, Bill floats facing away from the destruction, hearing the wormhole closing and the ultimate explosion signifying that world is no more. Holding his cane, he starts talking aloud. "I knew you'd do the right decision!" He starts turning around. "Now, let's get goi..." He stops suddenly, as he finds out... There is no one there. He realizes what this means: he destroyed his world, and his parents prefered to be gone alongside it than support their son's evil ways.

For a couple of seconds, Bill's eye appears to be worried and regretful, and he holds his cane very tight. But it doesn't last. Soon enough, though, this changes for a look of anger. "It's not my fault!!! This world was full of unimaginative beings who didn't know what fun is. I was the only one in there, to be smart enough to realize the extent of our powers!!! It's my parents' fault if they're gone from this world's destruction instead of doing the logical thing for survival!!! Well I'll say... GOOD RIDDANCE!!!" Then he turns excited, rubbing his hands together. "I can't wait!!! So many worlds to discover... and to mess with..." He gives an evil laugh as he moves away without looking back. And with that, the projection ends.

Before anyone speaks, Bill makes his cane appear. "You've seen me with this little thing many times before, right? And noticed I held it on that fateful day?" Bill starts speaking slower. "This cane... It was a gift from my parents, right before that happened. So it's the only thing I got from them to remember them and this world by... I kept it closely at all times..."

Looking at the stunned and also judgemental stares of the kids, he reacts before anyone says anything. "I know, I know... See, you didn't believe me, but I'm not deserving of your efforts to try to make me a better person. You might've undone the damage of Weirdmageddon. And the ones from my deals. But my entire history, including this start... It won't ever get erased..." He concludes. "I shouldn't be here right now... I shouldn't have been resurrected... I should've stayed dormant in that statue forever... It's all I deserved..."

Mabel breaks the silence. "Bill......." She looks very serious and sounds commanding. "Come here!!!"

"Um..." The triangle is a bit worried to see her like that. "So you can yell at me, call me a monster? I'd deserve it... I definitely lost your trust now that you know... And..."

"QUIT YOUR TALKING!!!" Mabel yells, while Dipper and Samuel aren't sure they've ever seen her look so serious before. "COME HERE, RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

Bill approaches by floating, ready to be insulted, punched, or in the best case scenario, being told that he's going to be outdone again.

But then, Mabel jumps in front of her to grab him in her arms very tightly, and she cries huge tears of sorrow and sympathy that she tried to hide at first. "You poor triangle dude..."

Bill starts freaking out. "What the heck are you doing, Shooting star???"

Samuel is just as weirded out by this as the triangle. "Mabel, are you...?"

Dipper doesn't really get it either. "Why would you...?"

She calms down a bit to look at Bill. "I... I'm sorry you've had to live for so long with such a heavy regret..."

Bill's negative thoughts of himself come back immediately. "Why would you feel sorry? I'm a monster, a creature of pure evil that wouldn't deserve sympathy for all the things I've done!!!"

"Bill, Bill... BILL!!!" She's screaming at him so he'd stop talking and listen. "I'm very well aware that all the things you've done... they... really aren't pretty... But..." Mabel takes the time to look at her brother and her best friend, thinking about what was just said.

"As we've all taken turns here... Every living being makes some kind of mistake that they end up regretting dearly... You can't always completely fix your biggest mistakes... But you can try your best to make amends for them. Like all we all tried to do with the examples we've given. The important thing besides that is being able to forgive yourself."

Surprisingly, she manages to convince Dipper and Samuel with this little emotional speech, even if what Bill did during his whole existence, and especially as a villainous start, were not things to be proud of.

Bill starts ranting again. "But what's the point??? It won't bring back my world!!!"

Mabel sighs in sadness. "You are right... Maybe I'll say something silly, but... You realizing you did something really bad... Maybe your family won't be brought back by it... But know that you'd make them proud by changing your ways..."

Dipper is very conflicted, like always when it comes to trusting Bill completely and learning all of this. But then he makes a logical observation. "Besides... If you kept this cane ever since that happened... It means you do show regrets and didn't want to completely leave this life behind..." Bill looks at the cane in his hands. "I'd say you keeping it is a proof that you have strong regrets about it... so... the fact that you want to keep the memory alive means you want to honor them..."

"And..." Samuel wonders. "... maybe doing your best to change your ways, like you've done so far... might be a way...? Even as late as it is..."

Mabel gives an encouraging smile. "Don't you feel better now that you let it out? I felt scared Dipper would be angry at me for giving you the rift accidentally, but letting the truth out to those you care about helps maintaining a good relationship. That's how human feelings work."

Bill is just awestruck and silent... And puts a facade. "Okay, I'll believe you. Thanks for your words, Shooting star." He turns around. "And thanks to you two as well..." Then he floats upwards. "It's best I stay away a bit for now, I brought enough sadness in a night where you three are supposed to have fun, didn't I?"

"Um, it's okay, Bill... Thanks for being considerate." Samuel states.

"Yeah..." Dipper lets out this, feeling more and more surprised by what he's been seeing from Bill's behavior for the past two months.

"Just one question, if that's okay..." Samuel asks. "You said you were a demon, did you not? Does that mean your dimension of origin was...?"

Bill rolls his eye in deception since he's unable to hide this anymore. "... I am not truly a demon... But it's a title I gave myself for my legacy and notoriety across your world. You know, so your intelligence level could comprehend what I'm able to do without complicating the explanation too much"

Dipper thinks an annoyed "... and he's back...", but answers. "Yes, thanks... We won't bother you anymore for now..."

When no one is looking, Bill is floating facing a wall, looking at his cane in his hands. He did in fact keep it with him his entire existence as a reminder. Then he thinks for a moment about Mabel's sudden embrace, which brings back something to his mind. He's never been hugged since his life in his home dimension, and he felt for the first time love and comfort that he hasn't felt since he lost his parents. He feels really confused from all that, fighting his thoughts for a good part of the night while the kids have their sleepover games and stories.

Chapter Text

Samuel takes some time to look around the twins bedroom, seeing how much it changed since the previous school year. The room has always been separated in two, with each of his friend decorating their side as they please. The contrast between Mabel's colorful personality and Dipper's more subdued is obvious, but there's some feeling of harmony regardless, much like between the kids themselves.
While each of his friend have their own wardrobes and other places to store their stuff, they do share a two seat desk in front of the window between their beds. And Sammy can't help but notice...

"Oh, you put some pictures on your desk recently, didn't you?"

Mabel gets excited to talk about it. "Yeah, I got copies of pictures from our vacations and we decided to frame them for display! So we can showcase our great memories and still feel like this is a part of our lives!"

Dipper smiles too. "As you know now, it was a very special vacation for us... And we do miss it a bit... But I know we'll see them again next summer, so there's no point in being sad with living in the present!"

Samuel observes the pictures. "Oh, so these are your two grand uncles, right?" He looks closely. "Let's see, if this one is Ford, the other one is, um... Stan, right?"

"You have such a great memory for names!" Mabel cheers like he just won a game show.

He keeps looking at the pictures, seeing Wendy, Soos, and all of the friends they made. He gets a short reminder by his friends about who they are, since he never got to put faces on those names before.

"I think it's time, Mabel..." Dipper nods to his sister after some time.

She resists squealing as she reveals. "We got a surprise for you, Sammy!"

Their friend gets intrigued. "Oh...?"

She takes something out of a drawer to reveal another frame to hand to him. He is visibly moved to see it.

"Oh my..." The picture is one of the three of them when they were just starting elementary school. "I..." He's so emotional that he almost cries.

"Aww, Sammy..." Dipper is touched too.

"I knew you'd love it!!!" Mabel smiles.

"This was like... 5-6 years ago or something...? And... Look at where we are now..."

She explains. "I got this frame done with the rest when I found this older photo in our parents' collection."

Her brother adds. "It's surprising to see that we're still as close, if not closer, than we were back then. But it's a real testament of how much you mean for us."

Sammy rubs his eyes for the early tears of joy. "Yeah... You too... I... I do keep a picture of the three of us in my bedroom too... So... Clearly, we think the same..." He's a tiny bit embarassed about it, but he also feels comfy from it as his friends laugh it off gently.

He follows that with a confession. "In a way, though... I do hate the passage of time... I don't dislike the idea of aging, but I often feel discomfort when I think about "it's been that long since ...". Sometimes I wish time would just be dead so I could avoid it..."

The statement causes the twins to look a little concerned as their minds immediately associate it with what Bill wanted and made the town experience in the summer. And their friend realize that misstep quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about..." he doesn't dare to name it, both for their comfort and because he knows Bill is most likely listening. "... I didn't mean it like that..."

Dipper answers. "It's okay, we understand! I can't say I don't completely agree..."

Mabel smiles too. "If we remain friends for a long time, I know we don't have to think about time passing!"

Samuel puts the picture on the desk gently before taking a last bit of snack and saying. "Well... I'm starting to feel tired... I don't know if I'll manage to stay up for long..."

Mabel pouts. "Oh come on, did you have to mention it? Now I'm feeling a bit tired too..."

Dipper laughs a tiny bit at this before having to suppress a yawn.

She suggests. "How about a game? The last one to fall asleep wins!"

The boys accept with humor. But obviously, no winner will be able to be determined, since each of them falls asleep very close to each other once the lights are out.

Bill has been listening in silence since then. He is still having a lot of hateful and conflicting thoughts about the matters discussed. He can't forget about how he lost contact with his friends, how his dream of killing time and altering other rules can no longer be achieved by a mix of promises and impossibility to repeat it due to a lack of colliding dimensions to empower him. But the words about enjoying the present as it is do seem to have gotten to him somewhat. And seeing that each kid is asleep, he silently looks that the yellow friendship bracelet that Samuel did for him. One that he has yet to show to the Pines kids... But he still feels like he can't get himself to do it.

The morning lights started showing themselves, and Dipper is the last one of the three to wake up, opening his eyes weakly. The first thing he sees is a front-facing Bill floating above his head and looking at him directly... And let's just say that it's a bit of a brutal awakening for the boy... He looks so scared that he backs down against the wall out of fear.

Bill leaves his usual cackles before saying. "Morning, Pinetree!"

Dipper is not amused at all. "What was that for???"

Bill answers in a playful way, his eye squinting appropriately. "You look so cute when you sleep... How couldn't I want to take a closer look?"

Dipper just sighs out of annoyance and leaves the room to join the others for breakfast, leaving Bill alone to talk to himself. "Heh... He barely changed, hasn't he...?" He says that with humor. Meanwhile, Dipper thinks the same thing about Bill, in a more annoyed way.

"Morning, Bro-bro!!!" Mabel greets him very cheerfully while she's already chewing on her breakfast.

"Hey, morning, buddy!" Samuel also got up a little earlier than him to get breakfast.

"Morning..." Dipper says as he enters the kitchen. He seems conflicted.

"Rough night, Dipper?" Mabel asks.

"No, more like rough awakening!" He says, seeming unhappy. "... I woke up and first thing I see is Bill's eye being inches away from my face."

"Oh yeah, he does that..." Sammy casually reveals.

"WHAT???" Dipper kinda freaks out to hear his friend say that so casually. "Why didn't you tell us that?"

Samuel feels a little bad. "Sorry, I should've..."

"No, that's not what I meant... I think I'm still a bit shaken by the experience, I'm not really angry at you..."

Mabel, meanwhile, finds this amusing. "Since he's quite a jokester, so that sounds like something he'd do. I might freak out if he did that to me, but I'd laugh it off afterwards, I think."

"You kinda get used to it, in some weird way." Sammy says with some humor.

Dipper can't help but feel a tiny bit wary. "You know, about what Bill told us yesterday... I feel discomfort..."

Mabel says. "I really felt bad for him. Sure, what he did was horrible, but he clearly regrets it deeply. I'm glad he confessed to it too!"

"But what he did was..." Dipper tries to make an argument, but Samuel cuts him off.

"Look, it's complicated to look past that, but if he wants to and confessed to us about it, it's best that we don't dwell on it. It'll only make things worse, don't you think?"

Dipper sighs. "Alright, alright..." He joins breakfast without bringing it up anymore. Mabel instead brings up how well she slept and enjoyed the evening, even with the presence of that second guest. In fact, when they return upstairs, Bill disappeared silently after being left alone in the bedroom.

Around an hour later in the morning, the twins are leading their friend outside.

"Thanks, I had a great time!" He smiles.

"Us too! It was awesome!" Mabel lets go of a hug after saying that.

"So, see you on Monday, buddy!" Dipper says with a smile.

"Yup, you too! Bye!" Samuel gives a wave before going home.

After a tranquil walk home and greeting his parents when he gets back, Samuel goes to his room to unpack his stuff. Then he suddenly says. "Did you have a good time, Bill?"

As he expected, the triangle being started showing himself when he entered. "Um... I don't know if you could say that... What I said was bad enough, but then having to endure Shooting star's embrace was just... Ugh..."

"Aww, come on, she was just trying to make you feel better... Like a friend..." He says that with an encouraging smile. "By the way, I've noticed you still hide your bracelet from them. Are you still in discomfort with showing them that you opened up?"

"I don't know, Fuzzball, it still feels awkward for me to showcase that..."

"Hey, I get it... You can take your time. But you should look at how much they're willing to trust you. It's kinda... sad to see that you're still lacking confidence..."

"Don't you try to pity me!!!" Bill's eye frowns when he says that defensively.

"Sorry. Just trying to encourage you. I know you'll manage." He then takes his notebook to follow up his observations. "So you understand that I'm gonna have to write what you revealed to us, right...?"

Bill's confidence sure got a beating from having to reveal what he did, and the following consequences, so he tries to get rid of the matter. "Yeah, sure... Sixer already knows what I did, he just doesn't know in which circumstances. But whatever, it's part of our agreement and whatnot..." In order to not be questioned anymore, he decides to disappear for now, leaving Samuel to write about the sleepover.

Chapter Text

In mid-December, as the three kids finish their last day of school of the year, they stand in front of the school in spite of the cold.

"Finally, new vacations!" Mabel shows her usual excitement at this prospect, causing both boys to feel a little amused.

"Haven't you overplaying it just a tiny bit?" Samuel asks. "School isn't that bad, is it?"

Dipper claims. "No, it's not!"

She answers. "School itself is alright, I'm just glad to be able to spend some time home. I'm also glad to get a break from something else..."

Her friend gets a little confused. "Uh? From what...?"

Before she can answer, a playful "Oh, Mabel..." is heard by the group.

Hearing that, she grits her teeth a bit before turning around, faking a smile. "Hey, Alan...!" She tries her best to sound like her usual cheerful self while she faces a boy that looks taller than her. "Got any good vacation plans?"

The guy's tone is full of confidence and condescendance. "Obviously, sweetie!"

Dipper frowns while Mabel tries to control her feelings. "I already asked you to stop calling me that, please..."

Alan just brushes away the annoyance with a smile. "I'm gonna spend my vacation at a ski resort for the end of the year with my parents, at a luxury hotel that has great food!"

"Okay, good for you, then..." She reacts a bit annoyed while trying not to sound bothered.

"You have nothing like that planned, do you...?" He says that tauntingly and provocatively.

"No, but I don't mind, my family is all I need to spend a happy holidays!" She answers with honesty, not being the slightest bit envious.

"Sure, sure... Either way, gonna miss ya. See you next year, sweetie!" Alan starts leaving.

"I said..." She starts raising her voice, but just sighs.

Dipper looks at his sister, speaking seriously out of concern. "You did good, Sis... But I don't know how you can handle this... Eventually, you'll have to learn to fend for yourself better..."

"I know, I know..." She says, a bit regretful.

"So uh..." Samuel breaks the silence after a little bit. "... Who was this guy...?"

"Oh, I never told you about him...?" Mabel seems regretful. "Well, Alan is a classmate who, if you can't tell, is being really painful..."

"Yeah, I could tell that..." Sammy recognizes. "Since when, though?"

Dipper says "How about we stop by your house? So we can talk without staying in the cold..."

"Good call!" Mabel nods while rubbing her jacket, even though she's not particularly cold.

"Sure!"

And so, Samuel leads the way followed by his friends, where they comfortably set inside to talk.

Mabel starts explaining to her friend... "It all started on the first day of school..."

After learning she wouldn't be in the same class as her brother and her friend, Mabel enters the classroom, a little disappointed, but she's determined to remain positive. As she looks for the place to sit, she spots a boy looking worried and goes to him naturally. "Hey, anything wrong?"

The boy answers with a concerned tone. "I'm kinda worried about this year... You see, I'm actually repeating this grade and I'm worried because of how unfair and unpredictable school can be..."

Mabel gasps. "Oh, I can understand you about that..." She sits next to him, trying to be optimistic. "How about we help each other, uh?"

Suddenly, the boy grows a little smile. "I'd be very thankful! My name's Alan, what's yours?"

"Mabel!" She answers, thinking she just made a friend. Little did she know...

As the first week of school progresses, Alan is asking favors to Mabel regarding the school work. At first she doesn't mind, thinking she can afford being nice. But as time passes, she realizes he's being more and more demanding for test answers and help for homework, without ever repaying the favor.

Eventually, she confronts him about it.

"Alan, this isn't right! I can't keep helping you with your work, especially if you're not gonna repay me. That's not how it works!"

This is when the boy shows his more uncaring side. "So what? You're gonna tell on me?"

She does think about it, but realizes it might be petty to do. "No...?"

"I knew it! You can't do it, sweetie!" Alan says that with a provocative tone.

"... Please don't call me that, I don't like it..." She's frowning a bit.

"You telling me that just make me wanna do it more, sweetie!" He smirks.

She gets a little angry inside, but controls it. "Anyway, please stop depending on me so much. This isn't nice to have someone do things for you without repaying, and it counts as cheating."

"Cheating???" Alan giggles a bit. "Why should I care? Rules are for chumps!" He immediately follows that. "Speaking of, I'm gonna skip school next Monday, I'm counting on you to make a good excuse."
Mabel feels like yelling at him. "You can't do that!!! I'll..."

"You'll what? Admit it, sweetie, you won't and can't do anything against me!" He smirks at her before leaving her alone with her feelings.

"Wow, he really is like an absolute jerk..." Samuel feels shocked.

Dipper nods. "Yeah... I suggested her to stop and try to fend for herself more, but..."

Mabel looks away. "... I can never go through with it..."

"But surely there are people to call him out to, right?" Sammy asks, really concerned.

"You'd think so..." She says, solemnly. "But it's not like that... You see..."

Mabel is trying to talk to her other classmates, asking their opinion on him. She doesn't get the answers she expected, though.

"Alan? You mean the cool kid of the class?"

"I love Alan! He's such a funny guy to be around! He always got great jokes to tell!"

"He's so kind! He often brings treats for the class!"

"He's really cool! Being the oldest due to repeating a grade is worthy of admiration!"

No one else in the class has seen was she's seen, and because of that, she just gives up on trying to convince anyone.

She finishes saying... "The only one to believe me when I told them is Dipper. And hopefully you too..."

"... This is horrible..." Sammy feels some despair inside him, feeling bad that he didn't manage to help his friend before. "I'm sorry I didn't know that..."

"Hey hey, you have nothing to be guilty about!" Mabel reassures him with her smile.

"Oh... Well I just share your frustration, I guess..."

"So do I..." Adds Dipper. "But we're here for you, Sis! We'll help you to get out of this!"

"Thanks..." She seems very thankful before saying. "How about we speak about something else now? I don't want us to spend our last time together speaking about this!"

"Right... we'll be apart this holiday..." Samuel seems sad about it. "But that's okay. The holidays is a busy time period for everyone."

"And we know we'll reunite as soon as school starts again." Dipper completes.

"Let's not think about it and make the most out of our last time of the year together!" Mabel brings the positive in spite of her situation and explanations. After that, the three continue to hang out until the twins have to leave for home in the evening.

"And we're off..." Dipper says, grabbing his backpack.

"See you after the holidays, Sammy!" She gives a short hug. "Have a nice holiday!"

"Thanks, you two!" Samuel smiles as he sees his friends leave and he closes the door, being determined to make the most out of his family time during the vacation.

Chapter Text

The beginning of the winter vacation is here. It has almost been 4 months since the Pines kids have returned home from the summer break, and since Bill attempted revenge on Samuel for having his big plans foiled.

The more time passed, the more Bill's relationship with the three humans has become positive after he has shown his weaker side with human emotions. Much to the surprise of the demon himself. Which he has in mind as he is now going to be alone with his vessel for a few weeks.

On the first evening, they have a little conversation. As always, Bill only shows himself in Samuel's bedroom, when he's away from the parents.

"So, are you glad to be done with school days for now, Fuzzball?" Bill has always had a bit of a condescending tone and attitude to him, but with time, he also grew some levels of genuineness to his speech to humans.

The boy thinks about it. "Yeah, of course! Breaks are welcome, but the holidays will be a bit of a busy time home. And I'll have some school work as well, so..."

Bill groans inside, just the thought of having to follow so many obligations in that dimension annoys him greatly. So he switches the subject. "Aren't you gonna miss Pinetree and Shooting star?"

"Yes, I'll miss my friends, but that's alright!" He answers sincerely. "I know they're busy too, but we'll reunite." He then says something Bill wasn't expecting to hear. "And besides... I have you!"

His eye gives a feeling of genuine confusion, with some silence of surprise on his end.

"You're my friend too, after all! You've been doing a great job proving that you're worthy of our trust. Dipper and Mabel are both really impressed about that too. And it couldn't be possible without you being so good at pulling the effort. So... thank you for that, and... congratulations for succeeding." He gives a slight honest smile, much to Bill's shock.

"I'm still a little lost as to why you three trust me. You're aware of what I did to your best friends a couple months back, right? And how I've tried to avenge my friends by messing with you!" Bill looks away, seeing a frown form on Sammy's face as he mentions that.

"But you didn't go through the worst you could've done in the end... I know you had bad intentions towards them, then me as a result, but... today, they are safe and well, and that's what matters the most to me. So don't be too hard on yourself for that. If they managed to forgive you, you should be able to forgive yourself..." Again, Samuel tries his best to be encouraging and sincere. While he appears naive to Bill, he's also genuinely convinced and trustful towards him.

A couple of hours after this exchange, early into the night, Samuel is sleeping rather deeply, leaving Bill alone with his thoughts.

"Despite what I tried to do to his friends, uh...?" He can't help but think back to some of those days. And a question raises to him, his eye showing a question mark and lights up a spot of the bedroom.

With that, Bill managed to open a small portal for himself that leads to him visiting an area where he can see alternate futures. And so he raises the question... What would've happened if he succeeded back in late July, the day of the puppet show?

Raising the question was enough to put the entire scenario that Bill can stare at like he was watching a dream or a memory. And so Bill sees himself as the entity that Mabel named as "Bipper", sitting at the Gravity Falls theater, pulling a great act.

"Say, Sis, where did you put the Journal?" Asking that innocently, Dipper's face has a creepy grin and blinks his two eyes out of sync.

Mabel doesn't suspect a thing while she answers. "I'm using it for the wedding scene. But I'm still not sure who's gonna do the reverend."

Bill jumps on the occasion while keeping his act. "Oh, I can do that! After all, I'm the most capable for holding the journal..."

Again, Mabel doesn't suspect anything. "Awesome! Follow me, I'll show you!"

Dipper's spirit sees everything, but he's completely helpless, as only Bill can see and hear him. "No, wait! Mabel!!!" Alas, as he already experienced, asking for help in this form is pointless as the two go backstage...

And unfortunately for him... He can't figure out any way to make himself heard. As Bill said "without a vessel to use, you're basically a ghost". He is completely helpless, and the panic prevents him from thinking of a solution in time...

Meanwhile, alternate Bill got himself in the reverend attire, telling to himself. "Boy, this looks great. I feel a lot better in that black attire than these stupid short pants and pinetree cap!"

AU Bill has to pull the work for act 2 of Mabel's play, much to his embarassment. He thinks to himself "Ugh, the things you have to do... Shooting star's stuff is so cheesy... But..." He turns away with a grin, seeing the journal in the cake. "You are mine, now, and I will NOT let you go..."

The play goes flawlessly and it does get a good amount of applause. With the applause being over, Mabel thanks her friends for helping, and then... goes to hug who she thinks is her brother. "Thank you so much, Bro-bro... You're the best!!!"

Alternate Bill dislikes the contact and tries his best to keep the act, but his patience starts running thin. "Hey now, Shoo..." He catches himself just in time. "Shouldn't you be talking to blondie boy over here?" Distracting her allows him to keep a grasp on the journal without seeming suspicious.

"Oh right, Gabe..." She lets go of the hug. "Still, thank you! I promise I'll help you with the password until we find it as soon as tomorrow!"

She leaves a couple of steps to have a short conversation with Gabe. They do speak about hanging out, but then the guy says. "So how about a goodbye kiss?"

Mabel blushes, really surprised. "What, already???"

"Sure, I'll start!" He starts kissing his bee and book puppets on what they have for lips, much to Mabel's discomfort.

Mabel awkwardly concludes. "I'll call you soon for hanging out, okay?" She feels very uncomfortable, and decides to gently avoid contact with him again.

Bipper tries to exit the theater, but Stan corners him. "You did great on stage, kiddo! You sure this was your first time pulling a show? Because you have the makings of a great con artist!"

Alternate Bill tries his best to get rid of him without raising suspicion. "Well, thanks, Grunkle! But if you don't mind, I'm gonna need some fresh air after so much confined time. Don't worry, I'll be home before curfew, or whatever!"

Mabel joins the group quickly to say. "Dipper, I feel a little bad for making you wait... I was kind of a fool to do that... I promise, first thing tomorrow in the morning, I'll stick by your side! You can even chain me up to you if you want, that's how serious I am!"

Dipper's spirit is both touched and scared. "Oh, Mabel... I... forgive you... I was the bigger fool here..." He says that, seeing his body being used by someone else.

Bipper couldn't care less and hides his frustration, as hard as it becomes. "Sure, Sis, I'll be glad! But right now, I really need that stroll!" He loudly says. "Later, y'all!!!"

With that, he starts walking away as fast as he can, looking at the journal with a very satisfied grin. "Finally out!!! I thought they wouldn't stop bothering me!!! Those fools!!!" He leaves out a giggle while Dipper's spirit follows him.

Bipper tries to reach an empty area of the forest near the town, knowing full well that he's followed by Dipper's spirit. "Bill, stop this!!!"

Bipper stops walking, catching some breath. "Just so you know, Pinetree, I'm only stopping here because those weak sticks you have for legs are growing too tired for me to continue much further!"

Dipper frowns, and then... Bill's voice gets an extra layer of sadistic playfulness in its tone. "Now then, I knew it was going to be a delightful time for me to destroy this journal... But to be able to do it in front of your very eyes while you're unable to do anything..." He lets out a sadistic cackle. "This will make it aaaaaaaall the more pleasant..........."

He makes a very creepy grin to Dipper as he starts ripping a couple of pages. And then goes absolutely nuts with the rest, using the human hands he has to completely shred all the content of the journal like an animal. He has a very loud and satisfied evil laugh as he does so, especially as he gets to hear Dipper's screams and sobbing of despair as he forcefully witnesses the whole thing. With the act done and nothing but shreds remain, he proudly declares with his giant grin. "Game over, Pinetree!!!"

Dipper is out of his mind. "OKAY, YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED!!! GIVE ME MY BODY BACK!!!"

Bipper smirks. "No can do... You've enjoyed the show... Now..." He points at the nearby water tower with sadism. "It's time for you to enjoy the finale..."

Spirit Dipper freaks out. "WHAT????? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING???"

Refusing to answer with words, Bipper starts climbing the water tower, his creepy smile being stuck on his face, while ignoring Dipper's questions until the last moment, as he manages to open an access to the inside of the tower.

"I'm not gonna let you get your body back, Pinetree! But now that it's no longer useful to me... It seems it ran its course, didn't it?" He says that, while that grin never leaves his face.

Dipper gasps of horror when he realizes. "No... You can't mean..."

Bipper lets himself fall on the water like a brick, landing face first and laughs while keeping the head underwater. Dipper's spirit tries to solve the situation to no avail... Bipper keeps laughing inside the water, and soon enough... the boy's body stop producing those bubbles... And Bill exits the body with a laugh. "Enjoy your new life as a permanent ghost, Pinetree!" He does a hats off gesture. "Later, sucker!!!" He vanishes completely, leaving Dipper's spirit with an unusable body.

Several hours later, sunset starts showing, and the people at the Shack are really starting to get worried, as Dipper has yet to come home.

Mabel in particular is really panicking. "Where is he...? It's so unlike him not to be home at this hour..."

Stan is very worried as well, but tries his best to keep his composure, partially for his pride, but also in hope that it reassures her. "Maybe he just fell asleep while he was taking his stroll. After all, he looked very tired this morning. Soos and Wendy told me they were going to patrol around town, and we've also warned the authorities and people around town about a missing child. I'm sure we'll hear good news soon enough..." He tries his best to make her feel not as worried.

"You're probably right, but..." She looks at her plate. "Sorry, Grunkle Stan, I'm not hungry right now... I think I'd rather try to get some sleep..."

Stan sighs. "I'll leave the plate here if you get hungry during the night and want to microwave it." He stays quiet for a bit and grabs her shoulder comfortably. "Try to sleep well, princess. I promise, it'll be okay!"

Mabel tries her best to give a hopeful smile, but it doesn't last. She goes to sleep, giving Waddles a tiny hug, but the sight of Dipper's empty bed pains her greatly. She holds the sock puppet to her brother's likeness very close, crying to herself. "Where are you, Bro-bro...?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter Text

Mabel spends a very troubled night. As much as she tries, she's unable to get more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. And every time she suddenly wakes up, she hopes to see Dipper peacefully sleeping at the other side of the room... But it's never the case.

She remains awake when sunrise starts showing, with very little rest obtained, still keeping a strong grasp on that puppet. And a little over an hour later...

"Mabel!!! Please... Please come down!" Stan's voice is telling her that as something very important, and she gets really hopeful, coming down with a smile. But then she's greeted by a serious Stan. "We... we found Dipper... And..."

"Where is he?" She keeps her smile on until she noticed Soos and Wendy's somber expressions in the living room. Right behind them on the couch is Dipper's cold and soaked body, which is completely lifeless. "... Dipper...? Bro bro...?" She runs to him to get a closer look.

Stan explains the best he can, trying not to let sadness get the best of him. "We have no idea why or how, but... he... he spent the night inside the water tower... and... he drowned..."

Mabel's reaction is to take it as a joke. "Whaaat? No way...! This is just a silly prank he's doing because I forced him to wait until the play was done... Right, Dipper...? This was really funny, but you can wake up, now! ... Please..."

Wendy speaks to her, fighting back tears. "Mabel, I'm sorry, but... this isn't a joke... He..."

She keeps her denial despite all of that. "Aww, he got you into that prank too? Silly Bro-bro..."

Then she hears a sobbing voice... "Mabel, this isn't an act. Dipper is... he's not with us anymore..." Soos said that... And that is when Mabel starts thinking... It might actually be serious...

"No, it cannot be... He's pulling a joke... Wake up, Dipper..." Her mind, however, keeps telling her this is an act as a defense mechanism. "You are going to wake up, right...? You've always been a great pretender, but this is new..."

But the more she speaks, the more reality starts hitting her and she gets tears that she's denying... "Dipper...? You hear me, right...? Wake up, Bro-bro!!!" Her despair grows more and more, she's shaking her brother's body in hope of a reaction and she's not letting go of it. "Wake up!!! Please, Dipper... Bro-bro... WAKE UP!!!"

She started gently slapping his face out of desperation. But then, she almost about to get more violent. It takes Stan, Soos and Wendy's combined efforts to get her off him. Mabel cries in Stan's arms until exhaustion. While he goes to put her in her bed, Soos and Wendy lay Dipper's body back on the couch.

Soos asks when Stan comes back. "So, what are you gonna do, Mr. Pines...?"

Stan is very solemn about it. "I'm gonna have to prepare an explanation to tell his parents tonight. And ensure that they get the body for a funeral. I'm really gonna need time to think about it..."

"Do you want us to handle the Shack alone today?" Asks Wendy.

"... No... I don't care if some visitors come... There are more important things to think about today..." He answers that before locking himself in his office.

While this happens, the main timeline Bill decides to check the scene closer after he manages to pause it away from himself. "... Pinetree...?" He goes to poke the boy's face. "Are you really...?" He seems silently stunned as he stares at the body. Before he's able to process it fully, the scenery starts to change in order to continue his desire for answers.

Mabel fell asleep from exhaustion and strong emotion, and while her dreams are usually very positive, she's finding herself in a solemn setting... A dark outside area with an empty playground. A cold breeze causes a screech to come from a moving swing nearby.

She feels desperate and tells herself. "This... This doesn't feel right... Where is Dipper...?"

Her attention gets attracted by a ball just rolling around to her feet. She grabs it out of curiosity. "What's this doing here...?"

She gets jumpscared when it suddenly starts turning into an eyeball with a slit pupil and she throws it in fear. It then starts floating while Bill's body builds around it to make a proper entrance. "Hello, Shooting star!"

To say that Mabel is unhappy is an understatement. "Bill??? You stupid isosceles, I don't want to deal with you!!!"

"Well, isn't that the welcoming committee!" Bill jokes before approaching. "I thought you'd be more happy to see a familiar face!"

Mabel answers with a very strong annoyance, and the demon loves to see it. "What do you even want?"

The demon keeps his composure while starting to answer. "I know what's troubling you, Shooting star... You've heard about your brother, uh...?" Just saying that is making her switch from anger to despair in seconds, before he continues. "I got to speak with him, the night before it happened."

"He told me, yes... You wanted to help him find the password or something? I don't believe it! You must've had a motive!" She gets annoyed and is not prepared for what she's about to hear.

Bill holds his cane as he answers. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I had a reason... You..."

Mabel looks very confused.

"Think about it, Shooting star. Your brother and yourself went through a lot in your quest for answers... And you got in danger to get that laptop. But then, comes the moment where he needs your help for something as simple as researching a password... what do you do? You abandon him for a boy and force him to focus on a sock puppet play..."

Mabel defends herself, reminding what she told him then. "But... I did promise him... That as soon as it would be done..."

"Oh, yeah, you did... You had to guilttrip him into accepting... And you kept pushing back your help while he was starting to get really exhausted by your fault!"

She's silent as she recalls the past week... She remembers her exchanges with Dipper.

"Don't worry, Bro-bro, with our combined focus, we'll get this password in no time... What is that?" She suddenly leaves to speak to Gabe.

A little later, when she tells about the play...

"Mabel, you can't be serious!"

"It happened so fast! If you help me with the play for a few days, I promise I'll do everything to help you with the password! Please!!! In the name of love..."

Then she recalls how angry Dipper got the previous morning. "Hold on, what about the password? You seriously think your crush of the week is more important than getting the answers of all the mysteries of this town? You're being so narrow-minded! Screw it, I can do it without your help!"

Bill knows how to hit where it hurts with his words, as this allows Mabel to reflect on how miserable Dipper was because of her actions, and she starts crying. "You... You are right..."

Bill adds. "Your brother got his mental health ruined because of you... And he lost his mind... This is why he's now... you know..."

She cries more and more, and Bill doesn't stop.

"It's not just the past week, though... Tell me... when was the last time you did something big for him...? Against all the things he did for your sake... He kept putting you before himself... And as grateful as you might be everytime, you never repaid the favor... You caused this since your arrival in this town. He kept giving up things for you, and this lead to his frustration growing, his mental health deteriorating... All because of you... And that puppet show story while he was forced to focus on the password without your help was the last straw to break his sanity..."

Mabel just breaks down as she realizes this. "W-what have I done...? Dipper..." She sobs for a while. "There's no way I could ever repay him now..."

Bill says. "You know, maybe there is..."

She looks at him, she's so desperate that she might actually accept a deal depending on the offer. But she remains wary.

"There is a way for you to make things even, Shooting star..." He leaves a blank for a little bit before saying... "Join him!"

Mabel is obviously freaked out before he continues his explanation, which he presents as a positive thing. "The only way for you to make up for your mistakes... And reunite with him... Is to join him... Follow the same fate as him... So you'll be two spirits of the same age, forever... You'll never be apart this way..."

She cries, finding the statement to be insanity. "I... I can't possibly go through that..."

Bill gives a final point before vanishing. "If that's so... Then answer me this... Is your life even worth living without your brother...? And will you be able to handle this guilt for the rest of your life? Think about it, Shooting star..."

And so the girl finds herself alone in the place again. Or so she thought... She suddenly feels an arm on her shoulder. She scaringly turns around and recognizes Dipper's wet body, but then...

The kid's body raises his head and shows to look more like a zombie, creepily saying "your fault..." The sight is enough to scare Mabel awake with a big scream.

Mabel wakes up in a panic, feeling fear, guilt and sadness at the same time. And in that state, she can't help but feel that Bill is completely right, and that everything that happened is her own fault...

So, with a lot of tears, her first action after dressing up is writing a note and leaving it in the bedroom. She gives Waddles a giant cuddle, she knows it'll be the last one she'll ever give him, but the pig doesn't. She manages to exit the Shack without being noticed and runs away in tears towards the water tower... Once at its feet, she says what she wants to be her final words in this body... "I am really sorry, Bro bro... I... I will make things even... For you, Dipper..."

After a couple of hours, Soos gently knocks at the bedroom's door. "Mabel...? Are you awake...? Did you get enough sleep...?" He opens the door silently, trying to see if she's sleeping, but she's not on her bed. He looks around the bedroom and finds the note written in pink ink. And he has a terrifying realization...

Stan's writing is interrupted around 30 minutes later, when Wendy and Soos knock on the door with solemn expressions...

Without words... Soos shows Stan the note, and Wendy expresses with a sad stare that it is true, and that she's next to her brother's body now. They take the decision to let Stan digest the news, which he does by breaking a vase with his bare hand.

He breathes, thinking about how both kids are gone, and some of the other things that happened to his family members. And he tells himself... "I really am a curse for this family..."

He finishes writing what he has to say to the kids' parents... Dialing the number very painfully in the evening, not daring to speak up for a little bit...

The main timeline Bill witnessed everything that happened. He looks at the bodies of the twins and is speechless. He does recall his desire to do bad things to Dipper for getting in his way... And the worst part is that he did consider doing something like that. Which he takes without any hint of pleasure.

But then, without realizing that he caused that to happen... Something in his mind causes the scenery to change.

The next day, at Samuel's home, after a happy lunch on a sunny day, the boy tells his parents that he's going to do a bike stroll to enjoy the weather. He leaves cheerfully, and just after he left, the home's phone starts ringing...

Samuel comes home around an hour later. He did a very pleasant stroll and got himself some tasty ice cream against the heat when he made a stop. He attaches the bike and is ready to go inside, humming to himself. Definitely not ready for what he'd see once he opens the door.

He enters, cheerfully saying "I'm home!" But he is greeted by his parents having a somber expression, and looking worried about how to tell him things.

His father speaks up first. "Hi, Sammy, how was your time outside?"

His mother continues. "Do you need some water? I'll get it for you!"

His dad then reaches for him and leads him to the armchair. "Please seat, you must be exhausted..."

"Um, okay..." Samuel grabs the glass of water as he watches his parents.

"We need to talk..." They take turns trying to break the news to their son. "While you were away... We got a call from the Pines..."

Sammy takes this as a good news at first. "Oh, that's neat. Did they invite you for something?"

Some awkward silence follows this, as they give an honest answer while hiding the direct truth. "It turns out that Mason and Mabel are coming back to California sooner than expected..."

The news sounds exciting to their son, but not having the circumstances makes him a little worried. "Oh? But didn't they have to stay with a relative for the whole summer...? I hope nothing wrong happened there for them..."

This causes another silence, one that's even more painful...

His parents get closer and try physical contact.

"Sammy, your friends... Mason and Mabel... they..."

"They left this world..."

Samuel is shocked and scared to hear that. "What...?"

"The reason they're coming home early... is because their relative wanted their parents to arrange their funeral... After he made his own eulogy..."

"So they'll be here sooner than you thought, but... After that, you'll never get to see them again..."

Samuel stays silent, and then says. "This is when you say "sike", right?" He tries to be hopeful. "... right...?"

"Samuel, you know we wouldn't lie to you about this..."

"I'm sorry, but... this is real..."

Sammy starts breathing incontrollably... And he starts having watery eyes like a fountain... "My friends... My friends are no longer here...?" Both his parents give him the warmest comforting hug they're able to, while the boy is very close to having a panic attack. Then, they kindly escorting their son to his bed so he could have some time to deal with his feelings.

Alone in his bedroom, Sammy just silently lays down on his bed. He looks emotionally drained. Next to his bed is a nightstand where he always kept a framed picture of him with the twins. All three of them are smiling and looking very close. But now it's a painful reminder that there's no coming back to this. So he just silently stares at the ceiling, for what feels like hours.

His parents go check on him regularly, but there's no way to make him react. He's just laying there, looking dead inside.

His mother asks. "So... How is he...?"

His father concludes. "It's very hard for someone to lose contact with someone you care about a lot... Especially at a young age... So when this is doubled with both being his only close friends... I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'm afraid he's going to need a lot of therapy to fully recover."

Bill, as a spectator, realizes that he accidentally caused this scenario to play off to him because he asked himself the question of how Fuzzball would've reacted. And he feels... terrible...

"I... I almost caused this...?"

And then, the scenery changes again... It shows the Nightmare Realm, and alternate Bill watching the dimension he's looking to seize in the future. And he reacts to his trickery and manipulation of the twins, to their demise, and to the reactions of that new with a loud, satisfied evil laugh. "This is what it costs to be spanners in my work!!!" He resumes his extremely sadistic laugh.

Main timeline Bill screams of horror, exiting the area, returning to the reality to find Samuel still sleeping. He feels horrified, though. "Fuzzball, you are alright, aren't you...???" The boy is asleep, unable to respond, but his state does calm Bill a bit.

The triangle still feels a little paranoid, so he uses the fact that Samuel is asleep to possess him. But as he does, starts standing up and opens his eyes, he observes. "Ow gosh, what is this feeling...?" Using a human body in that state of mind, Bill is able to feel a very negative feeling in the stomach, but an even worse one on the throat. He's experiencing utter disgust over what he just saw, and how he would've enjoyed all of this a couple months back...

Bill grabs Samuel's cellphone and checks his chatting history... Because his state of mind makes him doubt about what was real from what he just saw. Seeing calls and messages to and from Dipper and Mabel dated of August and beyond allows him to calm himself a bit. "Yes, they are alright in reality..." Bill sighs of relief in the body, trying to catch a good breath before making Samuel laying back down on the bed before exiting the body.

The triangle left the human feelings behind, but he still fights with his own mental troubles. He tells himself... "I almost caused this... If Pinetree didn't manage to warn his sister that day... I would've gotten away with this, and gotten a great pleasure out of it..." He says that with a lot of loathing towards himself.

He thinks about that time Mabel said he was "no longer a bad guy". She may not have realized how much the demon's revenge plan backfiring on him affected him. He floats away, observing the calendar, and claiming to himself. "I suppose... next year will be my first ever one without wanting evil... I can do this! I hope..."

Chapter Text

After a relaxing holiday, the three kids are separately preparing for the first day of school of January. Dipper's outfit switches to a warm dark blue coat and grey pants, while Mabel... she had no issue since she loves to wear sweaters all the time, although she starts wearing leggings over her skirts and ear muffs instead of her usual headbands.

Samuel grabs a dark yellow puffy jacket to leave for school, but as he's alone around his closet.

"Oooh, I see you're wanting to match me, Fuzzball... How flattering!", claims a taunting Bill.

The kid answers fairly bothered. "It's not that! I had this jacket before meeting you, you know?"

"Sure sure..." Bill giggles.

Samuel groans a bit, which only makes Bill more amused. "Fine, I won't wear it, then! I'll pick another one, but you better not make me late because of that."

The demon crosses his arms as he watches him pick a purple jacket. "Can't take an innocent observation, eh...?" He then disappears to follow him as a shadow on his way to school.

Dipper and Mabel arrived a little early at school and went inside quickly enough, with Dipper rubbing his hands for some heat.

"Man, winter really started to hit us hard..." He says that, sounding a little bit distraught.

Mabel, meanwhile, is just as positive as always. "Oh come on, Bro-bro, cold weather isn't that bad! Plus it might snow soon, you know how beautiful that is, right?"

"Oh, I actually agree... It's just... Let's just say it's requiring some getting used to every year, that's all." Answers her brother.

"I can keep you warm with hugs! Or make you some sweaters!" She teases him a little while saying that, even if there is some genuineness to these proposals.

"Please don't hug me at school..." He frowns a little bit. "But I appreciate the concern!"

Samuel arrives, entering the building as well, and he manages to spot his friends quickly enough. "Dipper! Mabel!" He walks closer to them with a smile. "Happy new year, guys!!"

Mabel answers first as one might expect. "Sammy! Happy new year!!!"

"Happy new year, buddy!" Dipper smiles.

"How was your vacation?", asks their friend.

He answers. "It was normal. Just some nice family time, you know! "

"Ah, well, same for me... It was a good rest " Samuel says.

"What about being with...? Um..." Mabel tries to think of a codename for Bill when they're within earsight of other people.

But it turns out just looking for one got the point across, as Samuel answers. "Oh, it was... actually very good!" He sees them looking a little surprised. "I'm not exactly sure why that is, but he..." suddenly, he stops speaking, thinking about how Bill is more than likely listening to them right now. He also worries about what he might think of his choice of words, so instead, he reaches for his backpack. "Here, I wrote quite a bit since last time..." He hands his notebook to Dipper. "Do what you must, okay?"

Dipper nods, putting the notebook on his backpack just before the bell rings.

Mabel is ready to go already. "Gotta go to class, guys! See you soon!"

"See you soon, Sis!" Dipper says, just a little worried about her predicament in class, before entering the classroom with Samuel.

That evening, one of the first things Dipper did after coming home was take the notebook to read the newest pages at the light of their desk lamps, while Mabel is just laying around on her bed playfully.

"Uh..."

That single sound made his sister curious. "What's up, Bro-bro?"

He tries to answer simply. "Sammy says here that he felt like Bill changed something big in his behavior since the last time we saw him. But he's not sure why."

"Didn't he just, you know... asked?" Mabel shrugs.

"I'm pretty sure you already know that having him open up isn't the easiest thing to do..." Her brother answers.

"Worth a try, right?" She shrugs again.

Just moments later, they get a video call on the computer from Ford, to which they answer quickly.

"Hey kids!!! Happy new year!"

The kids smile and reciprocate the wishes.

"How are you doing, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asks cheerfully.

"Pretty good, thanks! Stan and I have done some travels away from the town from time to time. With Soos taking care of the shack nowadays, we're trying to make up for lost time together."

Mabel finds the news very heartwarming. "Aww, that's so great!"

He adds. "I also wanted to let you know that the majority of the Gravity Falls folks we've talked to recently have asked me to send you their wishes as well!"

"Oh man..." Dipper suddenly feels more emotive than usual. "I didn't think we left such an impression... Hopefully, it'll be all good for us to return for the next summer break."

"You two will always be welcomed by everyone!" With a slightly more serious tone, Ford adds. "I also wanted to thank you for continuing to provide me with these reports about... Bill..."

"Oh right, I'm gonna send you the latest ones as soon as I can!" Dipper realises. "It's getting a little late today, though..."

"No rush, boy!" He tries to be reassuring. "I also wanted to ask you... what do you think of him now...?"

Mabel answers without hesitation. "He's been a delight! I know it's surprising, but he's being quite gentle with us... I was a little worried when I heard about his deal with Sammy, but that feeling was quickly gone."

"I've grown to trust him too... With more unease than Mabel, but... I'm really starting to think that we don't have to fear him anymore. And Samuel's observations help me with that."

Ford asks out of cautiousness. "You two really do trust this Samuel kid, right? You wouldn't think he'd make things nicer than they sound...?"

Mabel answers with a defensive stance. "Sammy would never lie to us!!!"

Dipper adds. "Yeah, he wouldn't... Plus everything I've seen written has either happened in front of our eyes, or is something about him that we've seen showcased..." Then he looks away, a little worried. "Although..."

His grand uncle gets worried. "Although... what?"

His nephew answers quickly. "It's not that I don't fully trust him, but there are things we don't know... For instance, Bill did something with some pages of that notebook back in September... Something he really didn't want us to see... And there are some areas where we're not too sure what to think. Like, Samuel observed that his behavior became less confident since the last time we saw him, but we're not sure why that is..." After a pause, he adds. "If, and I mean if I was to let my worries be true, I could think... He's got a long term plan that requires him gaining our trust first."

Mabel reacts a little defensively. "Oh come on, Bro-bro... Look at everything Bill has done and said... You really think that's an act?"

"I don't think so, I just have... a small sinking feeling, that's all..."

Ford gets worried and decides to state the most obvious solution. "I think the best thing to do is try to ask what he thinks of his relationship with you two and your friend..."

Mabel teasingly nudges at her brother.

Dipper then concludes with... "I'll try that without pushing either Samuel or Bill too much..."

"Anyway, that'll do it for the subject! Thank your friend for me, okay?"

"Will do!" Mabel nods.

"Send our wishes back to everyone in Gravity Falls, please!" Dipper says excitedly.

"Count on me, kid!" Ford answers with a smile.

Quickly enough after that, the call ends, leaving the twins to discuss between them.

Mabel says: "I highly doubt Bill is pulling an act by that point. What would he even have to win by pretending to turn good?"

Dipper wants to agree with her. "I doubt it, and I don't want to think he's pulling an act... But we'll require some clearer answers on a couple of things, just to be safe..."

His sister gets a little worried. "Just don't stress yourself too much, okay...? I'm sure it'll be fine..."

"Yeah... It'll be fine, I'm confident enough!" Dipper shows a small hopeful smile shortly before the day's fatigue hits them.

Chapter Text

During a school morning in early to mid January, Dipper is reminding his friend about the chat they had after Ford questioning Bill's change in behavior since the vacation. He is very gently asking Samuel if he had tried talking to him.

"Um..." Sammy is rather hesitant. "I tried, but... It was difficult... For him and for me..."

"Oh..." Dipper feels bad about asking more, but his friend continues regardless.

"He seemed... frustrated with all the questioning... And in a way, so was I... Maybe it'd be best to wait for some time? We both seemed concerned about ourselves, so, sorry that went almost nowhere..."

Dipper looks a little sad that he pushed him to that situation, even if respectfully. "Don't sweat it..." He then tries to move on from the subject. After the two arrive in front of the classroom, he then adds. "Be right back, okay? I gotta see Mabel quickly!" To that, his friend nods.

Meanwhile, Mabel is a tiny bit nervous about going to class, which her brother knows due to what they talked about the previous day.

Dipper comes to check on her before she has to enter the classroom. "I know you can do this, Mabel! And you know you have to. I believe in you!"

Mabel nods, putting a brave face. "Yeah, I'll try my best! See you later, Bro-bro!"

She turns around, entering class, and sees what she expected. Alan appears as the center of attention when he's sitting on his desk before the teacher arrived.

He's making the other kids laugh by telling a couple of jokes. Then he follows by telling a story about him in a very theatrical way.

"You won't believe what I saw last Friday. Some defenseless kid was being treated harshly by a group of classmates! Obviously, I wouldn't just stand there seeing this. I went and confronted the bullies by scolding them, and that made them apologize!"

Classmates are heard answering with sentences like: "You're such a saint, Alan!", "You're so admirable, more people should be like you!", or "you're an example for everyone!".

Mabel just groans before she joins her seat in silence when everyone else did.

"Hey, Mabel sweetie, I didn't see you!" Alan says, slightly tauntingly.

In contrast to how she usually acts, she barely speaks or interacts with him. "Hey..."

He looks at her with a snarky expression, but doesn't say anything for now.

A couple of hours later, after the first recess of the day starts, everyone left the room except them.

Alan is about to leave, Mabel speaks up. "Alan, we need to talk!"

He is not worried at all, and even takes it with humor. "Oh, you got something important to tell me? A confession, maybe?"

She keeps her annoyance in check for the most part and goes straightforward, keeping her brother's encouragements in her head. "I am done answering to your demands, and I am done dealing with your guilt-tripping!"

Alan just looks amused. "Oh, did sweetie Mabel grew a backbone or something?"

Mabel feels anger, but tries not to let it get to her. "I'm done pretending you're a good guy, and I don't care if others don't believe me, at least you won't take advantage of me anymore!"

Alan smirks for a little bit. "I see... If that's how it is, then that's alright..."

She stops frowning and looks pretty surprised. "Uh, really?"

"Yeah!" He takes a small piece of paper out of his pocket, and attempts to throw it into the trash can, missing it by not much. "Whoops, I'll get it..." He moves to grab the paper again, Mabel looking at him closely. But then...

He violently kicks the trash can to spill all of its contents on the ground, and she's about to complain, but he beats her to the punch, yelling. "MABEL, what have you done???"

"WHAT???" She screams of shock as the classmates that were nearby in the hallways come quickly to check on the situation.

He keeps at it, pulling a decent act. "I can't believe you'd do such a thing. I thought you were a nice girl, not a rebel... I'm so disappointed in you!"

She starts looking nervous when she hears the whispers from behind. She tries to explain. "B-but... He's lying! He did that! And he's trying to frame me!"

But as expected, the reputation Alan built himself is too strong. "Why do you dare accusing him?", "Alan is the nicest guy at school, no way he could do that!".

Mabel feels really desperate, even more so when she hears "I'm gonna tell on you!"

With that, Alan speaks up. "Wait, wait... Telling on her for something like that isn't necessary... She's kindly going to clean this mess, and then, there is no need to make it a bigger deal than it is... And really, I hold no grudge on her accusing me for that." He looks at her directly. "Just clean this up like the good girl you are, and then all this story will be behind us as it should... Okay...?"

Mabel is feeling fury inside, but she grits her teeth and says "Yes, I'll clean this up... Sorry, everyone..."

He then says with a genuine smile. "See, she's sorry for everything! So don't be mad at her for that, I'm not!"

The classmates leave, being okay with the situation and indeed not calling out Mabel at all. Alan turns around, getting a snarky expression back as he watches her cleaning a mess she didn't cause. "See how easy that was...? Let this be a warning... Far worse could happen to you if you try to fight against me!" He leaves her alone with the dirty work, but not after taking a few seconds to watch her look helpless with a smirk on his face.

Mabel is forced to get her hands dirty to clean up the mess. She does so respectfully before leaving to the bathroom to fight back tears in private for a while, leaving her brother and friend without news during recess.

When the bell rings again, she finds the courage to go out and finds Dipper looking for her, who seems hopeful. "How did it go?" He asks with an encouraging smile, but his sister is just laying against him for a little bit, looking absolutely desperate.

"Oh, Sis..." Dipper gives her a silent cuddle of comfort, feeling bad that he let her do that task alone.

Chapter Text

At some point in late January, it has been a very snowy night. The snow has been piling up for days now. But Dipper and Mabel have their winter gear on so they're well-prepared to go out in the cold. Their coats are thick and they got pretty thick gloves and boots.

The two of them are bundled up for the cold and seem so excited to go out, especially as Samuel invited them over to play in the snow.

So they travel to his house eagerly, but then, as soon as they enter the area, they hear... Bill's laugh.

The both of them jump a little bit at the sound. The laugh sounds so close to them, like he's right next to them.

Samuel, controlled by Bill, is standing on the roof. He has used his magic to make a giant snowball that he lets fall out with a big grin "Oops..."

Dipper and Mabel manage to react just in time, the snowball just barely misses them. "WHAT WAS THAT???" Dipper yells, with the shock and fear. Mabel looks shocked and confused as well.

Sammill lets out another joyful laugh despite the miss.

Dipper and Mabel just stand there, in complete shock. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING????" The fear is evident in Dipper's voice.

Sammill gets down, talking to them with a big mischievous smile "You're telling me this is your first snow prank?"

Dipper and Mabel both look shocked to hear that, like they were expecting a more dramatic revelation. Dipper tries to act as calm and casual as possible.
"Um... n-no." Dipper says.

The controlled boy claims with respect. "I have to admit, I didn't expect you to escape such a giant snowball. Good on you!"

"Yeah, we know how to dodge snow!" Dipper says proudly as Mabel nods in agreement.

"It wasn't even that big!" Mabel sort of taunts him with that sentence.

The two of them feel a little bit more relieved about the situation now, at least they know it was just a prank.

Bill makes the body smirk. And as he does that, he makes a tree branch shakes with magic so the two get it by the snow on it. He leaves out a loud laugh again "GOT YA!"

And yet, they once again manage to avoid it just in time.

Bill starts to act frustrated through Samuel as he makes a snowball the old fashioned way, with his hands "Stay still, Pinetree!!!" He shoots it

Dipper and Mabel both jump out of the way again to avoid the snowball as they both yell at the same time. They seem a little more panicked than before by this. He makes another snowball, saying with a smile before shooting it "You'll get yours too, Shooting star!!!"

Both of them jump back again to avoid the snowball, and both of them are a little scared from seeing his frustration.

"Are you alright!?" Dipper says with a bit of panic and fear in his voice "What's g-going on?"

Sammill answers with an excited tone, making a wicked grin "Oh yes, I'm fine... I am very good, in fact! I'm having a huge blast!!!" He tries to hit him again, but Dipper avoids.

"But why are you acting like... like THIS?" Dipper says, looking and acting really scared.

"Don't you know how to have fun, Pinetree?" He shoots another snowball.

"Fun!?" Dipper says. He looks very upset by that response. "H-how is any of this fun! This is DANGEROUS!!! People could get HURT!" Dipper says, with his voice still having a bit of fear, but his voice has more anger and annoyance in it now.

Bill focuses on answering Dipper. "Oh, come on... baby humans play this game too. Instead of being overdramatic, you should..." In the middle of the sentence, he gets a snowball right on the face, causing him to fall. It came from Mabel.

Dipper watches in shock as Samuel gets hit by the snowball and he reaches for him "Hey? Are you alright?" Dipper says, with his voice filled with worry.

Bill, surprisingly, keeps his smile. "See, your sister gets it!"

"Mabel!" Dipper says with a panicked look on his face. "Are you happy with yourself?" Dipper shouts. He seems very concerned for Samuel's body as he moves to help him up. "You can't just throw snowballs at people. That hurts people and it's dangerous" Dipper says, as he holds Samuel's arm. He seems very upset at Mabel right now.

"..." Bill gives a nod to Mabel, and the two decide to attack Dipper together with snowballs with laughs.

"AHHHH! STOP!!!" Dipper says as he tries to run away but he is quickly bombarded with snowballs. Mabel is laughing and Bill is smirking as more and more snowballs hit Dipper.

Dipper's face is filled with snow and as he tries to escape he says, "I surrender! I give up!"

Bill stops at his demand. "Come on, Pinetree... You should fight back!"

"Fight?! Fight back?!" Dipper says, with a shocked expression. He seems a little bit surprised that Bill is telling him to fight. "No way! Are you insane? I'm not fighting back!" Dipper yells, as he seems a little bit flabbergasted by Bill's request.

Bill makes a snowball, but he actually puts it on Dipper's hand with a smirk of amusement. "Go on, Pinetree. Hit my face!"

Dipper's eyes widen as he sees the snowball in his hand. He is surprised by Bill's request. He hesitates for a moment, but then he looks at Bill right in the eyes, and he throws the snowball right in his face, hard.

Sammill takes it and he keeps his smile after it "See, ain't this fun?"

It is very clear that Dipper doesn't like the idea of getting into fights, even if they're games. "H-how is that fun!?" Dipper yells. He looks as if he just committed some kind of crime.

Mabel actually agrees. "Yeah, Bro-bro, it's just a fun game..."

"No! Harming other people is not fun! It's dangerous!" Dipper says, with his voice still a little bit angry, but also sounding sad and disappointed now.

Sammill sighs, rolling his eyes. "Oh, Pinetree... Fine, sorry we got you into that game without your consent. But you should know snowball fights are meant to be fun for most people."

Dipper isn't too happy, but he seems to accept the response. "Okay..." He says hesitantly, with a sigh. He still sounds a little unhappy about this, but he answers "I accept your apology.".

Bill asks him. "Fine then just tell us. Are you... hurt? Because we aren't."

"Hurt?! No, I'm fine. I-I'm alright." He says with a slight nod. He seems a little bit calmer now, as he feels himself up and realizes that he is, in fact, not injured in any way.

With that, the demon feels like taunting. "Either way, you should be thankful. My bigger idea for having fun in the snow is to cause giant avalanches, so you'd better be glad I didn't go for that!"

As expected, Dipper freaks out from this statement. "Avalanches!? A-are you serious? Th-those are really dangerous!"

Samuel's mouth smirks. "Nah, I was joking..."

Dipper looks at Bill, but he doesn't seem like he is totally convinced by his answer. "Are you sure? You should never even joke about them." Dipper says, his voice a little bit quieter but with a strong look of disapproval.

"Yes, I wasn't serious! I like to mess with you!" He moves on "Anyway, maybe you'd like to drink some hot chocolate before continuing to play with the snow. Fuzzball was planning to offer you this."

Mabel reacts immediately. "That actually sounds really nice right now. We should definitely do that."

Dipper says, with a smile. "Sure, we'll do that. That sounds good."

"Fine, once again, I'm sorry I got you into a game you didn't want, but you should realize normal kids younger than you love it."

Dipper nods at this, accepting the apology. He looks a little bit guilty and upset that he got so panicked. "Well, at least no one was hurt. That's a good thing." Dipper says, as he moves past the whole subject. "Let's move on from this and go get that hot chocolate!" Dipper says, with his voice filled with happiness now.

With that, Bill leaves to let Samuel get control again "Oh hey, Dipper! Mabel! Glad you made it!"

Dipper turns back to realize Samuel is in control again. "Oh, um... Hi. Did you see...?"

Samuel looks at his friend's attire covered in snow and gets to the conclusion "Oh, I guess Bill liked to play with snow with you two, didn't he?"

"Y-yeah... he did." Dipper says hesitantly.

Sammy giggles "Who could've guessed a wise being would be so childish. It's kinda cute! Don't you think?"

"Yeah, it makes him very interesting!" Mabel says, genuinely. Dipper actually smiles a bit at this.

Samuel looks at Dipper with compassion "You always were one to dislike snowball fights, uh...? I always thought it was a little curious, but that's respectable."

"Yeah... snowball fights are just not something I enjoy." Dipper says with a slight nod. "I just don't like hurting people or fighting. It's not something that sounds like fun in my opinion." He seems a little bit proud of this aspect of him.

Samuel's speech is the same as Bill. "It's not hurting, it's just snow! Like trying to get someone wet with water during summer! But oh well, I'm not gonna try to convince you. We'll find other things to do with all this snow, then."

"Okay, yeah. We'll just play something different." Dipper says with a slight nod. "For now, let's just prepare and drink our chocolate."

The three get to the kitchen to make three cups of hot chocolate "Okay! Hot chocolate for everyone!" Samuel says with a big smile.

Bill shows up since he's not outside in plain sight anymore. "You really are no fun, Pinetree... I hope you know that!" But then, instead of the usual annoyance he expects, he notices the twins looking at him in disbelief. "... What...? Do I have something in my eye?"

Dipper is the first to ask "Bill, what are you... wearing...?"

"Same as usual, why do you...?" As he answers, he realizes something. "... ask...?" He forgot to take off the friendship bracelet Samuel gave him, and he freaks out as a result, hiding his right arm from them.

Mabel's eyes widen and she looks at Bill. "Is that...?" She suddenly seems to have sparks in her eyes out of excitement. "Are you wearing a friendship bracelet?"

Dipper says in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Are you...?"

Bill tries to deny immediately. "Th-that's... not... Of course not! This isn't... friendship bracelet, don't be stupid, you two... No way! It's actually... uh, uh..." Bill unfortunately freaks out too much to make up a lie and disappears.

Samuel takes the courage to speak. "I owe you an explanation... You see... After we promised to help him, I made a friendship bracelet just like ours... As an encouragement, a sign that I wanted to help him, and that you do as well."

"A bracelet? You made him a bracelet?" Dipper says, with a look of surprise

"Yeah, just like the ones I gave you, and the one I made for myself to match..."

"That's so nice..." Dipper says, with a smile.

Sammy gets surprised. "You really think so...?"

"It's really nice, and it's such a cute look for him!", states Mabel without hesitating, as she loves the idea.

"You..." He looks at the twins "You two don't mind sharing a bracelet with Bill...? Isn't it weird to share this with a demon...?"

"No, I don't mind. Bill has always seemed like such a cold-hearted person and it's surprising to see him this open with someone. I genuinely think this is an improvement." Dipper says, with a look of appreciation on his face.

Samuel is surprised. "Oh... I should say sorry, because I never told you before... He never really felt confident to show you two, so I respected it. I guess he just... forgot about it today..."

Mabel calls Bill back. "Please, show yourself again..." So the triangle shows up with a lot of unease. If the demon could blush of shame, his entire triangular body would go from yellow to pink.

Dipper looks over at Bill "Hey, so uh... Bill? Are you alright?" Dipper seems like he is concerned and worried.

Bill looks away from the twins in shame about showing his bracelet to them accidentally

Dipper asks him. "Do you want to talk?" he adds.

Bill turns for a bit, facing away from the kids. He points at Samuel "... It was Fuzzball's idea... not mine..." He's clearly upset about being seen with it by the two of them.

"Yeah, he told us. But... the two of you are friends, aren't you?" Dipper says, with an obvious look of confusion. "Is there a reason why you'd feel ashamed to call him your friend...?"

Bill reacts seriously "I can't call him friend when he was yet another pawn I tricked into a deal." He pauses "But maybe... we sorta got to an understanding...? And that's why...?"

"A pawn you tricked..?" Dipper says, with a look of disbelief. "Well, is that why you think he can't be your friend?"

Samuel says softly "Despite the circumstances of our encounter... I trust we somehow became friends, Bill... Thanks to how you've acted after that..."

Mabel has one priority in her head right now, and it's trying to make Bill feel better. "Let's hear your side of the story, Bill."

Bill looks at the kids seriously "I can't consider a friendship with humans, given what I usually do with them. But maybe Fuzzball... helped me reconsider to some extent. And... the three of us kinda had fun in the snow just now.. Isn't that something human friends usually do?" He realizes where his explanation is going "Am I actually becoming a true friend of you three...?"

"Maybe..." Dipper says in surprise. He truly believes that Bill may actually be turning over a new leaf and learning from his mistakes.

"You totally are!", Mabel exclaims without a doubt.

Bill still feels an extreme unease, but Dipper and Mabel grab his hands and are happy to show their bracelets to Bill's yellow one.

Samuel says "It'll work it, Bill, I'm sure it will..."

Dipper looks at the bracelets with a strong smile on his face "Yeah... I think it will work it too... I think we can all be friends... You've made great steps to prove that you can!" he adds, with a smile.

Bill uses frustration to hide his shame "Yeah, yeah, believe what you want..."

Dipper notices how frustrated and ashamed Bill seems here and he feels a little bit of worry and concern. "Is there something bothering you?"

"... Why do you want to call me... "friend"... after everything I've done to you?"

"Because..." Dipper says, as he thinks for a moment. He seems to be searching for the right words. "I think you really are changing." he says, with a serious look on his face. Dipper is very much a believer in second chances... He believes in people redeeming themselves for their mistakes and doing better. Dipper believes in the best in people... even if he's not as easily forgiving as his sister is.

Bill doesn't believe it. "... changing...? I'm still the same as before!"

"But your actions are what seem different! You do seem... a little bit different. I mean, you agreed to the bracelet thing. And you said we could be friends..."

Bill gives up "Alright, if you say so... But what about those nicknames I gave you? Pinetree and Shooting star. As well as Fuzzball. I do it as some mockery of you, why aren't you bothered by that?"

"Mockery???" Mabel is very surprised to hear it. "I've never felt it was that way. I grew to like it! It's a cute, personal way for you to refer to us!"

Samuel says, a bit hesitantly because he never took the time to think about it. "Yeah, she's got a point... Nicknames can be a friendly affection thing..."

Bill almost gets cuddled by Mabel. "Quit it!!!"

Mabel seems a small bit disappointed that Bill doesn't appear to be fully convinced. "Well, Bill?" She asks, looking up at Bill. "Are we really friends now?" Mabel isn't always the best at respecting boundaries when she has a goal, and wants to insist on her positiveness. "You won't ever try to hurt us again, right? We're really- really friends now, right???" Mabel asks, looking up at Bill. Her eyes are big and she seems quite serious about this.

He stares at Mabel's eyes "After all I did? You know..." He doesn't want to remind her everytime he's done something bad to her.

Mabel can read the look in Bill's eye. She can see the shame and the guilt and it makes her feel bad. She understands what it feels like to make mistakes... So she knows that it's possible for people to change and learn. She can understand that Bill feels really bad about what he did... But she really wants to make sure that this is all in the past.

Bill awaits the answer a little nervously. This is a girl he messed with and threatened several times, and now she wants to call him a friend.

Mabel's face softens at the nervousness that she sees from Bill. "So, is that a yes?" Mabel says, as she tries to make her voice sound as soft and calm as possible.

The demon crosses his arms. "You tell me... Do I of all people deserve it?"

"Yeah." Mabel says, her voice containing a hint of sadness and sympathy for Bill. "You deserve to be loved!" Mabel's voice contains a lot of seriousness and empathy as she says this.

Bill feels lost, confused and a bit unconvinced. But he still answers... "Thanks for answering me..." He looks at her bracelet, then at his "We'll see how it goes..."

"And it'll go well, I promise." Mabel says, with a big smile on her face.

Bill is doubtful. He has a flashback of the puppet show events. He sees himself posing as Dipper, holding a rope that could endanger the girl. "Whoops, slippy hands! Give me that journal or I'm ruining your show!"

"Hey!!!" Dipper screams, getting a good idea of what was his thought process.

Bill's eye blinks a couple times as he leaves the flashback "Uh...?"

"You seemed really stuck in your thoughts. Are you okay?" Mabel asks him while her eyes narrow into a look of worry.

"I was thinking about... That time I tricked and possessed you, Pinetree... And went fighting Shooting star for the journal... Why would you forgive me after all of this...?"

"It's all in the past. All of that is in the past... Please just focus on being our friend now, okay?" Mabel says, with a sympathetic and understanding look.

Dipper takes a deep breath. "I do trust you enough now, Bill... You've done a lot to prove how much you regret our past. So while it's difficult for me, I'm willing to try to move past it alongside you..."

Bill stays silent for now, looking at the three kids. He has a lot of thoughts in his mind.

After being silent for a while to let his friends reassure Bill, Samuel speaks up again. "See, Bill? You had no reason to be worried about showcasing this bracelet. We all accept you as our friend!"

"What even tells you that I'm not gonna turn evil again...?" Bill speaks hypothetically here. He genuinely doesn't know if it has a chance to happen

"I don't fully know for sure. I can't say I don't think about that..." Dipper admits, with a hint of guilt in his voice. He doesn't want to think about that possibility... But it's something that he can't just ignore. "But I'm willing to trust you anyway."

"You are a weird person...", says the demon, fairly hypocritically.

Dipper shrugs with a smile. "Maybe I am..."

Bill looks at his bracelet, then at the twins' and Samuel's. His mind is really messed up about all of this.

"They're really neat, right?" Mabel says cheerfully. "They are a sign of friendship... And that's what we are. We're friends. Do you like yours?" she says with a voice full of excitement.

The triangle feels really lost, and he's willing to put her to a test. "Are you sure we can be friends, Shooting star?"

Her smile doesn't disappear and she doesn't hesitate. "Of course! As long as you keep proving yourself to become a better person! I don't have any doubt!"

He thinks of a little test for that. "... Are you willing to...?" Bill extends his right arm and the fire of a deal activates. "... make a deal?"

Dipper and Samuel get a bit worried at this, and while Mabel gets taken aback for a second, she considers going with it.

"Bill... As long as you'll continue to prove how much you regret your evil actions and want to move on... I am granting you my complete friendship and trust!" She grabs the hand without hesitation, much to Bill's shock. He realizes how serious she is about this because of that. After some silence when the handshake ends, she asks eagerly. "So, did I convince you?"

"... Yes, thanks... But... ... Sorry, I'll need time to think. I'll stay hidden around here if you need me." Bill vanishes as a shadow.

Samuel then says, trying to make up for the sad talk. "So what snow fun do you wanna have, guys? Since snowball fights is off the table."

"What about building a snowman?", suggests Dipper with a big smile.

Samuel starts thinking about this suggestion and says more silently to the twins, making sure Bill couldn't hear. "What if we...?"

"That sounds like a really good idea!" Mabel says, with a smile. "We should totally do that!"

After the three of them finished their chocolate, they go back outside.

And so, they spend a good amount of time working on the snow sculpture.

"This looks really cool! It's beginning to really come together already." Dipper says, as he looks at the progress that they've made. "I think it's gonna turn out really well..." He can't wait to see it when it's finished. Mabel really loves the plan that Samuel has come up with here. She believes it has a lot of potential and she really enjoys being able to work on something creative like this. She is really enjoying herself.

The three kids try their best. And then, Dipper starts to get very excited as they approach the end of the process. He is so happy about this work of art and he is really happy that he did his best to make it all possible.

Bill stayed hidden inside the entire time, being too lost in thoughts to even check on what the kids are doing. Samuel looks at the result and says... "This should be good enough. This is what we're gonna do..." He explains how to surprise Bill...

Dipper seems really excited by the idea of springing this surprise on Bill in this way. Mabel seems to be just as happy and excited as Dipper about the plan. "Oh my gosh, that is such a great idea!" Mabel says, as she claps her hands together in joy.

Samuel goes inside and calls Bill. "What is it, Fuzzball? I'm busy thinking..."

The kid answers without revealing anything "... Please possess me for a little bit..."

Bill seems surprised and intrigued by this request. "What? Possess you? Why do you need me to do that?" Bill asks, with a puzzled pose.

Samuel smiles "You'll see..." Bill obliges confused, and as soon as the yellow eyes show on the kid's body, Dipper and Mabel manage to playfully cover them with a cloth "HEY, what gives?"

He hears as an answer "... We got something to show you..."

Bill is quite confused now as the twins guide Samuel's body outside, and then stand next to the sculpture. Mabel tells him "You can watch now..." As he makes his vision possible again, he sees the two standing proudly with a friendly "Ta-daaa...!"

The triangle demon is speechless. During his thinking time, the three kids have worked on making a sculpture to Bill's likeness. It's a triangular mass of snow with a big eye drawn, the legs touch the ground like a sitting position, and small tree branches are there for the arms. They used leaves for the bowtie and tried their best making a hat that wouldn't fall, which was the biggest challenge.

Bill takes a step back to take everything in for a moment. He stares at the figure of him, feeling a mixture of wonder, shock, and awe. His expression soon turns into being amazed and happy. Bill seems to be genuinely touched by this. "This is... Is this... For me? You... You made this..." Thanks to the human feelings he has, he feels something new... He tears up, but these are warm tears of happiness. "This is so... touching..." He can't help but continue crying, yet he feels great about it. "Thank you... friends...?"

Dipper and Mabel seem very proud of themselves and they are happy at this reaction. They are very glad to see that the surprise has gone over well.

"Of course we're friends!!!" Mabel replies, as he smiles and hugs Samuel's body.

Dipper smiles warmly. "See, you're getting it!"

"Quick, we need a picture!!!" suggests Mabel

Bill wonders "But, Fuzzball won't be in it if I possess him..."

Dipper reassures him "His body will, and he'd be glad to have you on it as well. Don't worry, we cleared that up before showing you!"

"You really planned everything, uh...", says an impressed Bill.

Mabel sets the timer of the camera before joining the boys, having themselves while making the sculpture visible. And the picture's taken perfectly

"That's a great picture, right?" Dipper says in anticipation, with a big smile.

"I love it!!!" Mabel says, with a big smile also. "Looks great!" she adds, as she looks over the picture.

Sammill touches the tree branch that serves as one of the sculpture's arms. Bill observes, amused "So that's how it looks like when someone does a deal with me, uh...?" He can't help but chuckle slightly and feel a bit flattered by their gesture. Bill starts feeling genuine happiness from being around the kids. Something he never expected could happen.

Mabel says, happily. "I'm glad you love that statue of yourself we made! These kinds of gestures are what friends do!"

Bill makes Samuel's cheeks blush in embarassment "Would you... send the picture to...?"

Dipper has a smile, getting an idea of where this is going, but tries to hide it to hear it from him. "Who would you like us to send the picture to?"

The demon feels strong embarassment "To, um... to... Sixer...?" He appears to want Ford to have yet another proof that he feels change inside him

Dipper and Mabel seem a little surprised at this request, but they are quick to support Bill anyways. "Yeah! Sure! I bet he'll love it!" Dipper says, with a big smile.

"No problem! We'd be happy to do that!" Mabel happily adds.

Bill shows a faint smile "Thank you..." He then leaves Samuel back in control as he remains hidden, in case someone passing by could witness the demon from another side of the street. Samuel's first instinct is to watch the picture with a smile, and seeing how much Bill looks happy on it

Samuel truly feels a sense of warmth and happiness in his heart. This is truly a great moment and moment and Samuel is glad to be able to witness it. He looks at his face on the picture, when Bill possessed him "Oh, um... that's what I look like when Bill is in control, uh..." He jokes around "Don't I look... creepy?"

"You do look a little creepy, Samuel." Mabel says, with a chuckle. She doesn't mean it as an insult, but more as a friendly jab and joke. Dipper laughs a little, but he knows that Samuel isn't hurt by this comment.

Samuel giggles and then he says "I'll have a lot to write in my notebook about all that." He speaks a little more quietly in case someone hears them from the other side of the street "But now that our demon friend feels better, how about we make some other snow games, just the three of us, like old times?"

"Oh yeah! That would be super cool!" Mabel says, with a big smile.

"Totally! Sounds like a plan!" Dipper agrees, with agreement.

"Let's find a sledding spot!" claims a happy Sammy . And just like that, the three kids spend a very eventful and fun day with snow, completely losing track of time.

After getting another hot beverage to recover later in the day, Samuel happily waves goodbye, thanking his friends for the amazing day and how they managed to help the demon in the process

"Bye, Samuel!" Mabel says, as she gives Samuel a big smile. "It's been a pleasure to hang out with you today!"

"We had a lot of fun today, thank you!" Dipper says, as he also gives Samuel a big smile.

"I'm really lucky to have you two to hang around! I don't know how boring my life would be without you!" He smiles as he watches them leaving, then starts talking to himself, thinking about how that lead to him meeting Bill and getting involved in the whole thing. "It made it special alright..." He says, looking at his bracelet.

Samuel closes the door with a smile and so he goes to his bedroom, where Bill reveals himself, alone with the kid. The demon claims with a fake confidence. "That was an interesting day, wasn't it, Fuzzball?"

Samuel nods back "Yes, a very pleasant day indeed!" He then asks "You don't mind if... I write about it for my friends' uncle, right?"

Bill shrugs "Write away..."

As such, Samuel writes about the day. How they all reunited on that day, how Bill had his fun with a snowball fight, how they made the snow sculpture of him... He leaves a special note for Dipper, asking him to send the picture of the sculpture alongside this set of notes.

Samuel then says, trying to make his triangular buddy comfortable "I'm proud of you, Bill... I'm glad we're friends!"

Bill looks at his bracelet, a bit puzzled about it still. "Yeah, I can consider an actual friendship... Even if that's weird..."

That very night, while Samuel sleeps exhausted, Bill gets more flashbacks of what happened in the summer. He sees himself tormenting the kids and the ones they love.

"If it isn't the dream team... Question mark, Shooting star and Pinetree!"

"It's funny how dumb you are!"

"You made me ANGRY! Do you know what I'm like... WHEN I'M MAD???"

"Sorry kid, but YOU'RE my puppet!!!"

"How can you stop me... if you don't exiiiiist...?"

"Who would sacrifice an important work just to help a stupid sibling?"

"You can't beat me! I'm a being of pure energy and I have no weaknesses!!!"

"You knew I'd come back! You thought shutting down the portal would foil my plans?"

"You want to stop me? Go ahead, Pinetree, show me what you got! Go on, what are you waiting for?"

"Oh no, it's Bill!!! Is that it? Is that what you're all thinking?"

"Oh, but you SHOULD fear me! And this castle needs some REDECORATING!!!"

Bill suddenly opens his eye in discomfort and his limbs look very tense. He doesn't need to sleep, but... it's like his past haunts him in nightmares either way. And so he starts to rub Samuel's hair for a little bit. For some reason, doing this puts him at ease.

He looks a little panicked, and repeats softly... "It's in the past... It doesn't matter..." so many times, trying to get his mind to approve it...

Chapter Text

It is another snow day during an early February week-end, and yet another day of free time where the three kids decided to reunite. Samuel enters the Pines residence in a hurry, and the Pines parents get concerned about him due to how heavily the snow started to fall down. But he assures that he is okay and thanks them for their concern, before he goes to his friends' bedroom.

Dipper immediately lights up seeing Samuel. He knew their friend was coming, but he started to get worried, seeing the snow getting heavier from their bedroom's window.

"Hey Samuel! Great to see you made it! How did you even make it through all of this snow? It started to get pretty terrible out there."

Samuel shakes his snow attire before removing it. "Yeah, it suddenly got heavier while I was already on my way here... But I'm fine, don't worry!"

Mabel also feels relieved. "If you need, we can make hot chocolate!"

Her friend nods, as he does feel cold right now. "This sounds like a great idea! I'd like that!"

Then, they hear Mrs. Pines when they reach the staircase."Kids! The snow is getting really bad, so I'm sorry, but you can't go play outside today!"

There are some "Aww..." of disappointment, but they all understand and respect.

Mr. Pines adds. "If it gets too long, you're free to stay here, Samuel. We'll warn your parents that you're safe in here."

Samuel feels relieved. "Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your hospitality!"

So they stay safe and warm inside for the day. They are happy to be hanging out inside together either way.

Mabel smiles "Yeah, it's no problem at all, Samuel. You're always welcome here, and I'm happy we were able to get you inside before the storm got even worse. That's a real relief."

Dipper adds to joke. "Just don't destroy our house, okay?" Samuel giggles at it.

As the parents are away, Bill shows up with his arms crossed, laughing sarcastically "Ha ha ha ha ha... Hilarious, Pinetree..."

Dipper frowns a bit, but then, his attention is taken by Bill's friendship bracelet, and he's surprised that he's not ashamed to show it to them anymore. So he shrugs the comment and just deals with the demon's presence.

Bill floats to the bedroom's window. "Well you sacks of meat and your vulnerability... It seems you can't handle all that little snow blow outside. So now what?"

Mabel says, excited with her usual positiveness. "We'll just enjoy each other's company. We'll talk, we also have tons of games we could play!"

Samuel realizes "Oh wait, Dipper, before I forget..." He takes out his notebook "You might wanna scan the newest pages of my reports. That way we won't have to think about it and we can enjoy our time afterwards!"

Dipper gives Samuel a nod, and his face brightens up a bit. "Yeah, this seems like a good idea. Thanks!"

Mabel, who doesn't really want to get into any of that, says. "I'm gonna use the time to prepare the hot chocolate I promised. I'll get three of them ready!"

"Oh neat, I'll help you!" Samuel leaves the bedroom with her, leaving Dipper alone with Bill.

Bill silently leaves a teasing remark "You always were one to get involved with papers, eh, Pinetree?"

Dipper looks at him with a slight defensive frown. "What are you implying, Bill? You got an issue with that?"

The triangle answers with a small mocking position, but speaks without malice. "Nah, I don't have a problem! It's just, first Sixer's journals and now this. It's amusing to see everything repeats itself!"

The kid doesn't pay him much attention, and then Bill adds, looking away from him. "... You are quite similar to Sixer indeed... He also got himself lost in books and studies back then."

Dipper gets intrigued when he says that. "You think we're the same...?"

Bill doesn't deny. "You know, family genetics and all that...". He returns to pretend grumpiness to get out of his sensitive talk. "But you should be focusing on scanning those new pages before Shooting star comes back, or she won't be too happy about you taking too long!"

Dipper obviously takes extreme annoyance at this remark. "But you're the one who..." He groans loudly before returning to it, Bill looking away as well.

Mabel and Samuel bring the platter with mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows right as Dipper finished, and the smell gets to the boy's nose, causing him to smile.

"Oh, thank you for doing this!" He grabs his mug and the three kids sit.

Bill is floating in a sitting position, and just for the sake of it, he makes a mug his size appear to match. And... he drinks through his eyelid, causing the twins to grimace while Samuel doesn't notice. The demon is looking at them annoyed. "... What?" So they don't question him at all.

Samuel asks. "So what are we gonna do if we're stuck at your home?"

Dipper suggests. "How about chess?"

Mabel isn't sure. "I'm... not the greatest at it, as you know... And even then, you're gonna win all the time, as always."

Her friend immediately wants to reassure her. "Come on, you can do good. I'll be there to guide you if you need!"

Her brother already put all the pieces where he needed to. So she gives up and accepts with hesitation. "Okay fine..."

After Mabel tries against Dipper, with Samuel guiding her whenever she has a doubt on something. But even then, Dipper gets a victory after some time. But he smiles at his opponent. "You did pretty good! Don't discredit yourself too much, Sis!"

Mabel nods unconvinced, but she appreciates the compliment. "Thanks... Why don't you try, Samuel?" Suddenly, she starts sounding a lot more eager "Go on and make him bite the dust!"

"HEY!" Her brother gets annoyed, but then she giggles since it was only to get a reaction.

"Alright then... I'll show you what I got!" Samuel sits and Mabel looks carefully, half-hoping Dipper would lose, but she'd congratulate the winner either way.

Meanwhile, Bill keeps his sitting-while-floating pose acting like he doesn't care, but he actually keeps a close eye on what's going on.

The game is a little more intense, which definitely gets Mabel's attention as he chews on marshmallows nervously while also making sure that Waddles wouldn't approach too much to mess with the board.

As careful and strategic Samuel is... Dipper wins again. "Great game, you're a worthy opponent!"

Samuel takes the defeat well. "You're a better strategist than me, so I'm not surprised."

"So, do we move on to something else? I don't want to brag, but I'm not against playing something where I have better chances to lose." Dipper is honest about this, not wanting to let victories get to his head. But this comment was taken differently in the room as a voice claims a surprising statement.

"HOLD ON!!! I'll take you on, Pinetree!"

All three kids are stunned in silence at this declaration. And Dipper breaks the silence... "Sure! I'm willing to do a game with you, Bill. If you don't mind, you guys..."

Mabel and Samuel confirm they don't mind watching it. They never saw this coming, and would like to see where this is going.

"You seem smart, but let's see what you got against me!" claims a confident demon. He picks the black pieces to match his accessories.

Dipper is encouraging. "Do your worst!"

After that, Bill uses telekinesis to move his first piece, closing his eye in confidence as Dipper has an annoyed stare. Bill knows and opens his eye annoyingly. "What...?"

The boy shrugs off the small cheat that just occured and moves on. "Nothing..."

Through the entire game, Bill barely needs 2 seconds to know exactly what to do during each of his turns. He keeps an attitude of confidence the entire time. Dipper himself is confident too, but he starts getting nervous. He's never faced anyone that ever gave him such struggle at chess. And then, eventually...

"Checkmate, Pinetree..."

"WHAT???" Dipper looks in disbelief while Mabel and Samuel gasp.

"Wow, Bro-bro, I don't think you ever lost at that game before!"

Dipper is a tiny bit doubtful given his opponent. "Did he cheat somewhere or something?"

Samuel shakes his head. "I paid close attention to his movements, he won fair and square!"

Trusting his friend, he then admits... "In that case... Congrats for your victory, Bill... Honest!"

Bill opens with sincerity. "You play pretty good yourself. Very few people could stand against me as well as you did! But I can tell you feel a bit frustrated."

The boy confirms. "I'm fine with losing, but that's a little unfair that you started with black."

Bill rolls his eye. "Okay fine... Let's make another where YOU start if you're so convinced I cheated!" He snaps his fingers and the pieces are all back at their starting position.

"Are you up for another game? Bring it on!" Dipper's passion makes this a very interesting show for the two that don't play.

Mabel is surprised to see her brother so competitive, with Bill of all people. She jokes around by saying. "I should definitely get pop-corn!"

This time, Dipper starts the game with Bill going second. The game seems just as tense as the previous one, with Bill's confidence being just as strong. And after yet another intense game...

"Checkmate again, Pinetree!"

Dipper is speechless for a little bit.

"You don't make it boring, so don't let the defeat go to your head!" After that encouragement, Bill suggests innocently. "A last one, maybe? Or is your thought process organ you call a brain too tired?"

The boy ignores the comment. "... One last game, okay? Last one, I promise to you guys!" Seeing his passion, again, Mabel and Samuel allow a last game to take place.

Bill speaks non-chalently. "Okay then... Final one!"

Dipper has a confident smile on his face. "Let's do this!"

And so, the game takes place. Oddly enough, Dipper seems to have picked up some stuff from Bill's strategies, because he's actually able to be a bigger threat to him this time. He is definitely putting up a good fight. After some time, Dipper is saying, calmly and without being overconfident, for the first time in three games...

"Check, Bill..." The demon looks in disbelief and stares at his opponent's smile. The boy thinks "I actually got there!", but is trying to keep his cool right now.

Bill reacts annoyed on the outside "Yeah yeah, it's not over!" He moves his king piece away to continue.

"Let's see..." Dipper takes the time to think what to do and moves his piece to offense, while Bill starts seeming worried internally. So he moves his King piece another time, and then...

"Checkmate, Bill!" Mabel and Samuel are absolutely stunned while Dipper cheers to himself. "I actually beat you, uh..."

Bill starts yelling furiously. "HOW DARE YOU???" He points his index finger at Dipper and starts charging a laser "I'LL TEACH YOU TO OUTSMART ME!!!"

Dipper cowers in horror, but then all he feels is a squirt of water on his face, immediately followed by a loud laugh. "GOTCHA!!!"

The boy laughs of discomfort, clearly upset at his style of humor. But then he just accepts it because that's how he is and he's only ever toying with him instead of intending to harm him. So he leaves a slight shuckle.

Bill literally extends his arm across the board to reach closer to Dipper. "No hard feelings, alright, Pinetree?"

Dipper gets a more genuine smile. "No hard feelings!" They shake hands in respect under the stare of an emotional Mabel. Samuel is very surprised too, pleased to witness this.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed... Your tactical smarts are definitely similar to Sixer!". Bill does know what he's talking about, given how much time he spent with the man.

Dipper is thankful. "Thanks. Now enough with chess, I suppose."

Samuel looks at the window. "Looks like the snowstorm isn't stopping anytime soon. What else can we do?"

Dipper suggests. "Sammy, you wanna play Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons?"

"Ooh, I'd love to!"

The boy then surprises himself saying. "Bill, would you be interested...?"

The demon thinks. "I can watch how much your intelligence manages to understand how it plays." He says as a jab, but he only gets a slight frown from Dipper.

Mabel just casually avoids being dragged into this because she finds the game too annoying to get. But she doesn't complain about seeing the boys and Bill getting along. She decides to simply go put the mugs to cleaning, and then comes back to watch the computer while they're busy.

Out of nowhere, the computer shows a call from Ford after he got the latest pages of the Bill study. She answers alone, seeing how busy the boys are with Bill.

The man is surprised as he was expecting his nephew to answer. "Oh! Hi, Mabel! How are you?"

The girl gets a smile immediately. "Hi, Grunkle Ford! Sorry, I don't think Dipper can talk to you right now. He's... in the middle of something..." She moves away from the camera for a bit in order to showcase the scene.

Ford is shocked to see the boys and Bill just hanging out and playing a game. He observes the scene and then tells her. "So it seems Bill really... I mean, I got your studies and believed them, but to see it is another experience..."

"It is, yeah! But it became the norm for me!" She decides to switch subjects. "By the way, how's Grunkle Stan?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Ford says with a small smile as he turns the camera to show him.

"How are you, little one?" Stan is being fairly cheerful.

"Grunkle Stan, hi! It's been a while since our last call, how are...?" She stops speaking, starting to realise and slightly freaks out. "Wait... Did you hear what we...?"

Ford interrupts her in hopes that it calms her down. "Don't worry, he already knows about it... I've shown him what you've been sending me."

She calms herself a little. "Oh... I see..."

"That's right!" Stan says. "Don't worry, I'm not having hard feelings about it as long as you two are safe from harm! Which seems to be the case for the most part. If I believe those writings and the photo we received lately..."

Mabel gets an excited smile. "Oh yeah, the snow sculpture! It was so fun, he loved it! And we loved doing it!"

Stan asks an annoyingly repetitive question. "Are you kids okay with Bill's presence? What about your friend?"

Mabel speaks the truth. "Bill can still be very snarky, mean-spirited, and sometimes cruel. But... At the same time, it feels like he's either messing with us or pulling a harmless mean prank that he then apologizes for or shrugs for something more positive right after. So... I guess that's his way of being kinder?"

Ford thinks. "So... If you believe his days of misdeeds are being him... I trust you, but please tell your friend to continue his studies, at least until you two get the chance to come back to Gravity Falls next summer, okay?"

Stan acts more straightforward. "No matter what, don't rule out the possibility that there might be something behind all of this..."

Mabel nods. "Yeah, we'll keep sending you those notes. I don't have doubts about him at all. I'm also really hopeful for our next visit! Did you start speaking about it with our parents?"

"I plan to soon!" Stan adds. "It will be great to get the chance to have you two again here!" Some noises are then heard in another room, making him annoyed. "Sounds like Soos might've been a little clumsy again... I'll go check what that was. Sorry to leave you early, princess."

Mabel nods. "Don't worry, I get it! Tell Soos I say hi!"

"Will do!" Stan leaves the room in a hurry.

Being now in a private conversation with Ford, Mabel feels her heart beating a little nervously. But she doesn't want to let the opportunity go to waste. "Um, Grunkle Ford...? I was wondering..."

"Yes, what could I help you with?"

"I don't know anything about a specific possibility that makes me a little worried, so I wanted to ask you about it..." She seems almost guilty to bring this up, but she doesn't want to budge.

Ford wants to be encouraging despite all of this. "Just ask, I'll try to appease your mind!"

She starts talking, knowing what the reaction would be, but she takes her courage to tell him. "If we happen to visit the town again in the summer... do you think it'd be possible that...?"

Suddenly, the rest of her question gets drowned by Bill's sudden yelling over the board game when he notices that Samuel made a mistake.

But Ford heard the question, and he can't believe it. "Are...? You can't possibly be serious..."

But Mabel looks at her friendship bracelet, and then does give a serious stare in answer. "I am..."

Ford stays silent for a while. He wants to talk back, but he also understands what she's feeling. So he answers... "It's going to take quite some time thinking, but I suppose I can see what I can do..."

Mabel gets a big smile. "Thank you, thank you!"

Her enthusiasm doesn't completely negates Ford's concerns, however. He sighs as he gives up for her and then says. "So I won't bother you too much longer if you're all busy. I'm just glad to know everything's fine at home and that you're safe inside during this harsh weather."

"We are, thanks for being concerned. Bye Grunkle Ford!" She waves cheerfully and shuts the video call. No one in the room even realized that the call happened because of how much engagement they give to the game. As much as she doesn't want to play it, she can't help but smile at this sight.

Once the boys are done, Bill decides he's been observing the humans for long enough and decides to simply vanish for now.

Dipper starts speaking in a genuine tone. "Hey Mabel, sorry we left you behind for this game for a bit. How about you choose our next game to play together to make up for it?"

"Really...?" She feels very happy about it. "I'm gonna go make a choice!", she says enthusiastically, and neither of the boys have any objection to that. They spent pretty much the entire afternoon having fun, even if they cannot go outside due to the storm.

Chapter Text

All three kids are enjoying their time while Bill just sticks around silently. They spend pretty much the entire afternoon having fun despite being locked in. And as the evening starts showing, Samuel is asked to come down by Mrs. Pines.

He comes back a couple of minutes later, explaining to the twins what was just discussed. "Apparently, the snow storm isn't going to calm down until tomorrow, so my parents called and said it'd be better if I spend the night here."

Mabel cheers. "Yay, unexpected sleepover!"

Samuel is bothered. "I don't even have pajamas or anything, though..."

Dipper reassures him. "Eh, don't worry too much, please, it'll be fine." Then, he thinks to himself. "That means..." He gives a quick glance at Bill. "He's gonna stay here too..."

"Something wrong, Bro-bro?" Hearing her sister's concerns, Dipper is quick to do a good job at brushing it off.

"No, of course not! It's good that Sammy is staying safe at our place!". He quickly thinks "I still can't completely brush away what Bill did, but... I'm pretty sure I can trust him now!"

So, Samuel, invited to do so, really makes himself at home with his friends for the night, until the snow storm stops being so violent. They feast on a delicious hot meal before returning to the bedroom for one last night chat between the three. Bill stays away, looking at the scene in silence.

"Wait, I just thought..." Samuel suddenly speaks up. "Bill..."

He approaches, curious. "Yes, Fuzzball?"

"If I'm not wrong... You could've probably used your powers to end this snowstorm, right?"

Bill casually reveals. "Yeah, I could've done that!" He sees Samuel being surprised, and anticipates what's coming next. "What? I could do anything to alter reality, but apparently it's wrong to do it... Now you're gonna whine because I didn't?"

Sammy tries to calm him down. "No no, of course not... I was just... curious, you know...? I don't blame you for anything."

"Alright, alright, I'll believe that..." Bill says, rolling his eye.

Mabel speaks to her friend about what used to be bad experiences at the time, but now she talks about how amazing Bill's powers are and how he can do nearly everything. Dipper is a little less positive about it, but he can confirm that the triangle is doing a great job at limiting himself.

The entire time, the demon is lost in his thoughts. He used to be a dreaded being to everyone, and now he witnesses how all three kids are perfectly fine with his presence and treating him like a friend, with the bracelet to match.

Then, he's eventually taken away from his thoughts when he heard the kids ready to sleep, with Samuel getting the guest matress and bedsheets. "Good night, Dipper, Mabel..." And then he looks up. "You don't sleep, but good night... Bill..."

Bill looks with surprise and says half-convincingly. "Yeah yeah, sleep well, Fuzzball... Shooting star... Pinetree..."

As he witnesses the three kids sleeping peacefully in his presence, he ponders to himself (but not too loudly). "What happened...? ... Look at me... I used to be the most feared of beings, the most evil, cruel, manipulative... I almost managed to rule this dimension with my own powers and rules..." He leaves a pause, the passion behind his words being reduced. "... Then I was outsmarted by humans and I'm not allowed to be evil anymore, neither can I find enjoyment of it anyway... And..." He takes the time to look at his yellow bracelet. "... Now the kids I've made sure to trick, terrorize and even threaten to get my way... they see me as a..." He used to feel some disgust saying it, but it's mostly covered by his feeling of surprise now. "... friend...? Why...?" He gets even more silent. "... They really want me to change... And maybe I have no choice..."

He gets curious as the unexpected sleepover gives him an opportunity. And as a result of their recent deal, he is able to silently enter Mabel's mind.

He finds the place extremely cheerful, colorful and too overly cute. He figures it isn't too dissimilar to what Mabeland could've looked like as he plotted it, causing him to shudder. "If I could have nightmares, this would definitely be what they're made of..." Bill seems really disgusted. "I better be quick about it..."

So he floats around, trying to explore the memory doors of her mindscape. He finds a lot of positive memories that sort of annoy him whenever he sees her being overly excited over something. "... I can't completely blame Pinetree for not always having the best patience with her..."

Still, he finds several cheerful memories of the twins during their life, no matter how recent or old they are. And while he doesn't completely understand that way of heartwarming, he's a little surprised that it doesn't cause him to be that negative. He sees one memory after the other, seeing her trying her best to share her positiveness with her brother.

Hoping to find something else, he continues floating around, seeking for a different area. While he starts going deeper, his advance is stopped by a reckless kid doing skateboarding, wearing a cap backwards and shades, causing him to get angry.

Bill starts yelling. "HEY, watch it..." He takes a good look at the kid in disbelief. "... Pinetree...?"

The kid answers doing his best to sound cool. "What's up, triangle dude? Name's Dippy Fresh!"

Bill is very confused, thinking to himself. "Is this how Shooting star wants to see her brother? It must be, why else would he be in her mind?"

The kid speaks immediately. "Sorry dude, but that place is off-limits! It contains my sweetheart of an older sister's darkest memories and they need to remain buried. So human or triangle thingie, you won't pass!"

The demon frowns, thinking. "Wow, he seems even more annoying than Pinetree himself..."

The kid starts getting even more obnoxious from the lack of spoken answer. "Got it? So move back!"

Bill gets angry. "You got nerve telling me that! I'll do what I want! I'm the master of all mindscapes!" He attempts to pass, but the kid is serious, moving quickly with his skateboard.

"No can do, triangle dude. My dear sis made the rules and I'll help her. It'll be over my body! And by the way, when was the last time you saw yourself in a mirror? Bowtie and top hat are so out of fashion..." The kid says that, taking big pride in his own looks.

Bill gets furious and uses his magic to take the kid's skateboard and violently slam it against the ground, causing it to break in pieces. "HEY, not cool, triangle dude! You broke my board!"

Bill remains angry and yells with his deep voice. "AND NOW I'LL BREAK YOU!!!!!" He says that and snaps his fingers, causing the kid's body to outright get dismembered limb after limb before he vanishes, because the demon doesn't have any moral limits in the mindscape. He then yells to himself. "UUGH, what a nuisance...!"

After this incident, the triangle demon continues his advance, finding the doors leading to the darkest memories of Mabel. And he knows what to expect. So as he checks, he eventually finds something familiar...

The day of the sock puppet show. The day he tricked and possessed Dipper... The moment where he was holding her in peril of a very dangerous fall...

"Ooooh, but why would you do such a thing...?" He hears his own voice coming out of Dipper's body, asking that creepily. "Whoops, slippery hands! Give me that journal! You wouldn't want your show ruined, right...?". Posing as Dipper, Bill shows the most sadistic smile possible on that body.

"You didn't seem to have an issue taking the journal from your brother for the sake of your show. Or abandoning him when he needed your help! Don't try to pretend that you're a caring sister, give that journal to me or I end your show! ... Now there's a good girl... After all, who would sacrifice a very important work for the sake of their sibling?" He sees himself giving very scary human faces on Dipper, both when he's angry or being evil. He's silent the entire time he watches that scene.

Bill shuts the door quickly and then eventually finds another dark memory. The day she was horrified at the prospect of losing her brother's physical presence and ran away in tears. He sees himself again... Exploiting the body of a time traveler, lying to her about being able to fix her concerns, exploiting her sadness to get what he wants...

"Give it to me, I'll do what I have to do..." He makes the time traveller's mouth smirk. "Unless you want to leave Gravity Falls forever...?"

And then he sees himself grabbing the rift and breaking it, revealing himself in his loudest evil laugh as he puts the girl in an endless slumber and traps her in a fantasy bubble so she wouldn't be a threat. He hears himself proudly claiming "This bubble is quite possibly my most diabolical idea ever!" He laughs loudly. "Finally, THE PROPHECY IS HAPPENING!!! THE WORLD IS FINALLY MINE!!!!!!!"

The demon shuts the door violently and looks away, floating in place for a few seconds. "... Why...? Why is she forgiving me...? After THAT?" He yells to himself with a lot of self-loathing as he remembers those events, and he quickly exits the mindscape, watching Mabel sleeping with a smile.

"... Shooting star... ... ... ... Mabel...!" He gently rubs her hair for a bit as he says that. "I... I'm so sorry, Mabel..." His eye is a little squinted by guilt and sadness.

He then looks at and floats to the other side of the room. Dipper sleeps in a fairly calm way. He might not be smiling, but he's definitely having a peaceful rest. So Bill enters his mind.

Dipper's mindscape is a lot more standard compared to his sister's. Much like Samuel, it represents places dear to his heart: his home and the Mystery Shack being located close to each other. At the outside is some kind of plaza with several altars, each one having a statue of the people he cares about. There are also a lot of studies imagery around too.

Bill thinks to himself. "Now this is more like it..." He still shudders a bit at how Mabel's mindscape was. "It almost makes me think of Sixer's with all those books... Not that I'm surprised!"

So the triangle starts to float around to reach the memory doors around the statue of Mabel, and he opens one leading to a distant memory.

The twins are around 5 years old and running around their house happily. They're chasing each other for a game and get really carefree. Then out of nowhere, Dipper accidentally bumps into the table, causing a vase to fall down. They look horrified and the sound of the damage doesn't go unnoticed.

Mrs. Pines enters the living room and sees the damage. She asks "Which one of you did this?", ready to give a rightful punishment.

"Um..." Dipper starts to make a sound, but before he can.

"It was me, Mom! I'm sorry..." Mabel looks away while her brother is shocked.

Mrs. Pines takes a knee and tries to be reassuring while doing what she has to do. "I appreciate your honesty, Mabel, but I'm gonna have to punish you from desserts for two days."

Mabel starts tearing up, but she leaves out a calm "... I understand..." before leaving to her room. Her brother is quick to join her.

"Sis, why did you lie...?"

Mabel is crying, but isn't angry about anything. "I... I got scared for you, I guess, Bro-bro... I didn't want you to get punished. So..."

"But this doesn't feel right... I mean, I thank you, it's sweet of you, but..." He goes to comfort her and show his gratitude. He's really not sure what else to say.

By extreme irony, it happens that the dinner has chocolate brownies, one of her favorites. But she accepts her punishment without a peep and goes to bed in silence.

Then when her brother joins her... "Psst, Sis..."

Mabel keeps looking at the wall in a curled position. "What is it, Mason...?"

"Just turn around, please." He says, and as she does so, she sees him holding half a brownie.

"Wait, what...?" She doesn't get why he shows her.

"I felt bad for you taking the punishment for me, so I thought I'd let you have some of my share of dessert. I hope that's enough to repay you."

Mabel gets a smile back and hugs him, which definitely answers his worry. He gets a smile himself as he sees her happily eating what he brought her. "Thank you so much... You really are the best brother!"

The boy's stomach growls a bit, he could have used some more dessert. But he ignores it when he sees his sister's smile, and smiles as well.

Bill closes the door, thinking to himself. "Pinetree was always the kind to sacrifice stuff for his sister... But Shooting star seems to have a sacrificial side to her as well... Maybe she deserves more credit than what I gave her back then." Just saying that makes him think of the puppet show again, bringing back bad feelings. "Ugh... let's see what else I can find..."

Bill approaches one of the memory doors around the Samuel statue of Dipper's mindscape. So he opens and witnesses a memory from when Dipper was 4 years old. At this point, he and Samuel barely started to become friends.

The two boys are running after each other in the grass while Mabel stayed behind with the parents since she wasn't done yet with her snack time.
Samuel runs away from his friend, giggling. "You won't catch me!"

But Mason, or as he now tries to adopt the new nickname, "Dipper", is just as playful. "We'll see about that!"

The running on the grass leads them under a tree, and unexpectedly, Samuel trips on a bumpy root.

"AH!" The kid loses his balance and falls down a grass slope painfully.

Dipper reaches the top of the slope and is horrified. "Are you okay?" His friend doesn't answer. "Oh, no no no no no..." He carefully goes down the slope to join him and repeats the question.

All he gets for answers is Samuel sobbing from the pain as he touches his left ankle. Dipper looks concerned... "Are you hurt...?"

Samuel just raises his head to look at his friend, trying his best not to cry, and nods in silence.

"Can you stand up...?" His friend tries, but the pain is too big.

"I can't do it... I can't move..." Samuel answers desperately.

Hearing this, Dipper starts to frown, talking confidently to his friend. "Of course you can! I'm here to help you, it won't be a problem, I'm sure! Grab my hand..." And so Dipper tries his best to have Samuel's right hand on his shoulder so he could try to stand on his left leg. And he looks at the slope. "It might feel a little difficult now, but step by step, we'll get there!"

Before starting to move, holding his friend close to help him, Dipper looks at him and uses his eyes to gesture at his skull. "You were here to cheer me up... I wanna do the same..." Being reminded and hearing that allows Samuel to cheer up just a little bit.

And just like that, Samuel is doing the best he can to climb up with Dipper's physical and emotional support. The climb is kind of painful and it takes some breaks, but they ultimately succeed.

As they reach the parents and explain what happened, it's thankfully observed that Samuel's wound isn't severe and that the pain would go away in a matter of days.
Samuel hugs his new best friend for helping him, even if he doesn't need thanks.

"Hey, Samuel... I'm thankful for you helping me feeling more confident about my birthmark, and I'm slightly taking a liking to the nickname, but... I feel like I still wanna make sure people can't see it. So I thought about asking for a beanie or some other hat as my next gift. Is that... okay with you...?"

Samuel frowns a little bit, he feels like his friend is still growing insecure despite his encouragements. "I would mind a little, but..." He says things as they come. "I guess I understand what you mean by that, so... yes, I think that'll be okay! As long as you aren't in discomfort with me or your sister, because you deserve to not mind it all the time!"

"Dipper" smiles. "Thank you, Sammy, I appreciate it!"

Bill closes the memory door and thinks... "So much wholesomeness in these three kids memories... And so much kindness... Is this how joy feel...? I mean, non-evil joy...? Could I be able to feel it...? Someday...?"

Bill once again explores... The less bright parts of the boy's psyche. And he finds memory doors that look a lot more sinister. And even without breathing, Bill makes a sighing sound, knowing what to expect there.

So he opens the darkest door of the lot and recognizes the Fearamid, causing him to actually feel something close to disgust. "Oh no..."

Dipper and Mabel are running horrified as a giant monstrous Bill runs after them. "When I get my hands on you two, it'll be a great pleasure to DISASSEMBLE YOUR MOLECULES!!!!". And then he sees the moment where he uses a tight grip on them. "Hello, you guys...!" He hears himself in the memory yelling... "You lost, Fordsy! I got your precious kids! And I think I'll kill one of them just so I can have some fun!!!" And as he hears himself starting the playful countdown and roulette, the door closes violently, causing Bill to panic and exit the mindscape, looking at Dipper, who's sleeping peacefully.

Bill looks at him snoring and he whispers, with a lot of pain and sorrow in his tone. "... I know you won't ever be able to completely forgive me after that, Pinetr... ... Dipper... And... I understand why..."

After that, he just silently reaches for Samuel's mattress, and... "... I don't deserve this..." He removes the friendship bracelet and disappears for the rest of the night.

Once morning rises, it is possible for the kids to see that the snow storm has calmed down. But while Dipper and Mabel are looking outside, Sammy feels confused as he finds Bill's bracelet left behind.

"Looks like you'll be able to go home, Sammy!" Mabel says cheerfully until she turns around and notices her friend looking confused. "Uh, is that Bill's bracelet? What is it doing here without him?"

Dipper turns around surprised when he hears that, then deduces "Bill can't go too far away from you, I'm sure he's around somewhere... And he can hear us... Maybe he's feeling intimidated for some reason..."

Samuel thinks and talks to his friends. "I'm sorry to ask this of you two, but could you please leave me alone in the bedroom? Maybe Bill will feel more comfortable with just me for now..."

Mabel sees no problem. "Okay, I wanted to prepare breakfast for us anyway!"

Dipper follows her outside, but he's not sure what to think of Bill right now. A part of him wonders if getting rid of the bracelet is a way for him to return to his old evil ways. Because of that, he remains upstairs by pretending to his sister that he has to use the bathroom first, waiting to see if he has the chance to get a peek at the conversation between the two.

Sammy sees Bill showing up, both are unaware that Dipper is listening.

The kid feels no anger, just confusion and some worries. "Why, Bill...?"

The demon answers without his usual confident loud tone, as he tells the truth. "That night, I explored your friends' mindscapes while they were sleeping..." He notices the concerned stare on Sammy's face, causing him to add. "No, I didn't do anything bad!"

Dipper has a silent gasp as he hears that, but he's willing to hear the rest of the explanation.

"And doing so, I saw some of the horrible things I've done to them during their vacation... I relived them as a spectator, and... I was truly the most awful person alive... I really don't think I deserve to be forgiven by them... So, I'm unworthy of what you consider friendship, that's why I removed it..."

Samuel wants to be reassuring. "You're wrong, Bill... They are forgiving you... They want you to feel better. They can't lie about this..."

"But I don't deserve it... What I've done is beyond redemption... I'm not too surprised Shooting star would be quick to forgive me, even if..." He stops for a couple seconds as what he's done to her flashes back, "but Pinetree... I don't see him ever forgiving me... I'm the worst! And he's right to still hate me!"

A voice surprises the two of them. "I don't hate you..." Dipper opened the door, looking conflicted.

Bill freaks out as he realizes that he heard everything "PINETREE????"

Dipper steps in and speaks directly to Bill before anything else can be said. "Look, I can't disagree with the fact that I struggled to believe you could change since that time you hijacked Sammy's body for revenge... But as Mabel told you a couple of times... the past is past... And you can continue to change for the better... I mean, I wouldn't have ever believed that Gideon could be anything else than a greedy, possessive, manipulative brat. Or that Pacifica would be anything else than an arrogant girl because her family got wealth. But both have proven me wrong... And... you can prove me wrong too, I know it!"

Bill stays silent and Dipper takes the bracelet from Samuel's hands. "So please... Put it on, my friend..."

Bill is shocked to hear that from him. "Why do you want that? Don't you have hesitations, Pinetree...?"

Dipper gives him the yellow bracelet back and grabs his hand with a very genuine smile. "Bill, please... I trust you completely! And I give you a deal... From now on, you can call me... your friend! Now, and always!"

Bill reaches for a friendship cuddle. The morning light in the room gets brighter as the hug happens, while Mabel arrives confused with the breakfast platter. She simply asks Samuel in a whisper. "Did I miss something...?"

Samuel answers in a whisper too. "Yeah, maybe, but don't worry..."

With that, the breakfast between the three takes place, and Bill shows no issue sticking around and contributing to the conversation when he wants to. All four of them have a good time before Samuel leaves for home, he once again thanks every resident of the house for their sudden hospitality from the snowstorm and goes home, thinking about how great the moment was.

Chapter Text

During the last week of February, the day of Samuel's birthday arrived unexpectedly. He just joined his twin friends into the 13 years old club.

Speaking of which, during the normal school day, those two have been waiting for him, taking him by surprise with a cheer when he approaches the school gate, promising a day of fun like always.

Then, when it's the afternoon and time for them to go home...

"Here, buddy, this is for you!" Dipper takes out a wrapped gift.

Mabel does too. "Happy birthday, Sammy!!!" She hands it to him. Thankfully, his backpack is just light enough today to be able to store both.

"You'll open them tonight, alright? Just like we did with yours. You promise?" Dipper gives a slight smile.

"I sure will. Thank you, guys..." Samuel is definitely touched and is very curious about the gift, but he's gonna wait for now.

At nighttime, after a very good meal and cake, Samuel goes to his bedroom, where Bill awaits him while laying on the bed.

"Ooh, I'm stuffed..." The kid says, touching his stomach.

"Was it a nice little party, Fuzzball?" The demon asks, looking at how much he looks tired and full of food. "Yeah, seems like it..." He then comments... "You wouldn't have been able to handle the party I wanted to make... No human could..."

Samuel gets curious about details, but he's too tired to question for now. "With that, maybe I should just lie down and sleep..."

Bill shows up in front of his face. "Nope! You forgot something..."

"Uh...?" It then hits him with a bit of shame when he realizes. "Oh right, the gifts from my friends!" He goes to his backpack and takes the gifts. "How silly of me..." He starts opening Dipper's gift.

He opens and smiles. "Ooooh... He got me a drawing kit!"

Bill is a little dumbfounded. "What...? Why?"

"Oh, you know... Because I use notebooks, I do different things in these. And he wants to encourage that by giving me new materials for that."

Bill lays on the bed with a bored look on his eye. "Yeah, so in that sense, that's definitely Pinetree..." He changes the subject quickly. "What's the other one?"

Samuel puts Dipper's gift safely on the desk before starting to open the other one. Bill can't see what it is yet. "So...?"

The kid starts leaving the room with a little smile as he started realizing what it is. "I'll be back shortly."

After a small period of time, he comes back and asks Bill to look at him. Samuel now wears a grey sweater with a yellow outline of Bill on it. It's the gift Mabel did for him.

Seeing this only makes Bill laughs uncontrollably. "Hahaha... And that's Shooting star alright..." He keeps laughing. "This looks so ridiculous!!!"

Samuel is stunned by the reaction, but then he suddenly smirks once an idea hits him. "Try it, Bill..."

This causes the demon to stop laughing and actually look confused. "... What...?"

He approaches with a teasing smile. "Possess me... Try it on... It'll be fun!"

Bill actually gets intimidated by the prospect. "Hey, no way I'd possess you while wearing... that thing..." He frowns.

But that doesn't discourage the kid. "Ugh, fine..." And so, he obliges and takes control. He looks at himself in the mirror, touching the sweater. "Wow, this looks and feels awfully silly... So, definitely something to come out of Shooting star's doing..." He sighs. "Okay, maybe it doesn't feel too bad... But still..." He leaves the body after that, letting Samuel in control again.

The kid looks at Bill with a smile. "So, it feels great, right? It looks great too! Did you like wearing it?"

Bill crosses his arm and avoids looking at him. "Yeah yeah, it looks good on you... Whatever!"

He disappears feeling a bit ashamed about what just happened, which makes Samuel smile. He removes the sweater for the night and promises to himself "I'll give them very warm thanks tomorrow!".

But right as he's about to go to bed...

"Hey Fuzzball!"

Samuel gets startled. "Um, yes...?"

Bill surprisingly shows the pages he has drawn in again. "I thought maybe it was time... you could keep them?"

Sammy is surprised: "Oh wow, really...?"

The demon admits. "Yeah, I mean, you apparently really liked them despite how creepy they might seem to most humans. It's your special day so..." He makes up an excuse to conclude. "And I really love the feeling of seeing my talents being admired, so, why not?"

The kid grabs the pages. "Oh, thanks a lot. I'm honored that you trust me. And I do think your imagination is... something... that is still worth representing."

Bill warns. "Just make sure to keep them away from Pinetree and Shooting star, okay? ... They wouldn't understand..."

Samuel nods. "I don't think you should worry about them finding out, but if it makes it easier for you... I accept your request."

Then a sense of sadistic playfulness shows in Bill's voice. "There's actually something else... I got to give you to celebrate today... Please close your eyes. Don't worry, it won't hurt..."

The boy is a little confused, but trustful. "Um, okay..." He obliges, and he hears a snap of fingers before his demon roommate jokingly telling him that he can open them.
Samuel looks at his body, and he feels really freaked out. "Wow, what the heck?"

Bill's snap caused Samuel's entire attire to change into something fancy. He now wears a black top hat similar to Bill's, and a monocle hiding his right eye. Then, his top attire consists of a white long-sleeved shirt under a waistcoat that is yellow on the front and black on the back. The waistcoat has a brick pattern matching Bill's body, the attire includes a black bowtie attaching the shirt, and he wears black pants and fancy black shoes to complete the look. And as he's done observing, he suddenly gets a black cane on his right hand.

"Looking good, Fuzzball!" says Bill with a thumbs up, jokingly.

Samuel feels like yelling at him due to how much that surprise shocked him, and yet... He can't get to it, and he ends up laughing at the situation. So his complaint is actually full of giggles. "BILL, what is this...???"

"I just thought you needed a little makeover. This is my birthday gift to you!" He says that proudly and smugly, before adding. "And this is payback for what you just made me do! Now, you're worth looking at, wouldn't you say?"

In spite of how surreal the whole thing is, Sammy can't help but laugh as he adjusts the top hat. "I mean, I don't see myself wearing that outside, but... Wow, it feels good, I like it!" He somehow gives a confident smirk. "I could actually get used to this..." He stares in amazement, feeling genuinely comfortable in that attire.

"I like that stare on you, kid!!!" Bill taunts.

With that comment, he catches himself to give a non smug smile. "I probably won't wear this much, but... Thanks, Bill, I really appreciate this gift! So... how do I show appreciation? You don't really seem like the hugging type, unless I'm wrong..."

Bill feels conflicted and comments. "... I'll allow it! For a couple seconds... It's your final gift for today..."

"Yay! I'm thankful for your gift, Bill!" The kid tries the difficult task of hugging a floating triangle who isn't that wide in his normal form, so he does a gentle embrace with his arms.

"Okay, that'll do!" The demon wasn't really kidding about the time limit, but he doesn't want to be too rude. "Hope you enjoyed your birthday..." He says, a little shyly.

"I did, and thank you!"

Bill nods and vanishes as Samuel stores the pages and his fancy clothing away for now. Then he goes to bed and starts falling asleep rather quickly.

Chapter Text

The month of March has started, and alongside it comes warmer weather. Dipper and Mabel go back to their regular attires, as there's enough heat to allow that, and leave for school.

In the meantime, Samuel also gets dressed for school and is about to go, when he's interrupted by Bill jumpscaring him by appearing in front of his face before he leaves the bedroom. And as much as he claims that he's getting used to him showing up out of nowhere, he still gets surprised enough to back down a few steps.

Bill is, like often, very chipper. "Come on, Fuzzball... Do you REALLY have to go to school?"

Sammy is a bit confused. "Um... Yes, of course. I gotta get a good education for my future, and all that..."

The triangle approches. "Oh, wow, really? You don't even need to waste your time at school! I could just snap my fingers, and provide you with all the knowledge in the world in a few seconds!"

He gets interested. "You really could, uh...?" Yet, he insists. "No thanks, I'd rather get where I'll be in the future on my own merits. Plus I don't mind it if it allows me to hang out with my friends every day."

"Fine, fine... Whatever you say, Fuzzball, your choice..." After a bit of silence, he adds... "Can I do the walk to school today? ... Might as well save you some energy for later in the day, I don't know..." Bill struggles making an excuse for that, maybe he just feels like it.

Samuel can tell that he's bothered at the prospect of asking for a reason and he respects that. He answers. "Alright, sure!" They shake hands and Bill takes command from now on.

Sammill runs out of the house, moving towards the school and seemingly hopping at times along the way. He somehow enjoys being able to interact with the city around him from time to time. It's not as pleasant as what the Nightmare Realm was to him, or what he wanted to turn that dimension into... But he seems to enjoy the sense of freedom when he uses his human host regardless.

Dipper and Mabel have arrived a couple of seconds before him, and when they're about to reach the stairs to enter...

"BAH!!!!!" Sammill is making them jump by touching their shoulders from behind.

Dipper freaks out for a second before turning around. "Sammy??? ... Wait..."

After taking a good look, Mabel says. "Oh hi, Sammill!"

Dipper screams a bit. "That wasn't funny!!!"

Sammill is being very playful. "Oh, come on..." He bumps their shoulders again, more softly. "My dear old Pinetree and Shooting star, wouldn't your life be quite boring without some emotions and excitement like that once in a while?"

Mabel giggles a bit because she kind of agrees to an extent once the shock cooled down. Dipper just smiles a little, which is more due to seeing Bill's new behavior and confidence about it than what just happened. To encourage that, he leaves a small. "Yeah, you're right, to some extent."

Sammill shrugs and says confidently. "Of course I'm right!" Then the bell's ringing gets heard. "Looks like you gotta go, so I will too, byyyyye........." Sammy blinks, and then he's suddenly in charge again. "Oh, good morning, guys..."

After some quick banter, they go to class. However, Mabel's cheerfulness from the interactions that just happened quickly fade when she approaches the classroom and sees the usual spectacle.

"Look, Alan's brought candies to share today. He's so nice!"

"I know, right? He's such a good person..."

She groans in silence and goes to sit, where Alan is as cocky as always. "Ah, if it isn't that Mabel... How are you today?" He slightly rubs her head in a teasing manner when no one's looking.

"Stop!!!" She moves her arms quickly to get him to remove his hands.

Alan takes the opportunity to speak loudly so others in the class could hear. "Mabel, calm down... Why are you being so quick to being rude to me...?"

Mabel tries her best not to answer, knowing full well how Alan's game goes. She keeps the frustration to herself for now.

During lunch break, she takes a moment to tell Dipper and Samuel about it.

"Ever since I've told Alan that I'd stop dealing with his demanding and manipulative behavior, he's been even more annoying than before... Like he really wants me to feel more powerless than I already was..."

Dipper feels pretty bad. "It's my fault... I'm the one who said you should stand your ground, and you're paying the price for it..."

Samuel tries to reassure him. "Don't say that... You're not guilty of anything... All the blame goes to that jerk..."

"Sammy's right, Bro-bro! You look for my best interests, and I'm thankful!" She holds his hand just to reassure him.

"Yeah..." Dipper still feels bad, but he tries to smile for now and hide it by switching the subject once he looks at the mashed potatoes they got for lunch. "Hey, remember how you were good at sculpting with it? I bet you can't do something good with it anymore, since it's been so long."

He's taunting her simply because he knows how she'd react. She answers. "I haven't lost it at all! I'll show you and you'll eat your words!!!" and immediately tries something, making her forget about her worries for the time being, which helps the boys feel better too.

During the beginning of the afternoon break, Sammy and Dipper are bantering a little when Dipper sees Alan going to the bathroom. His friend didn't see it and he quickly interrupts the conversation. "Sorry, I'll go to the bathroom really quick, I'll join you outside soon."

"Sure, no problem!" Samuel leaves and Dipper rushes to open the door.

The door of the bathroom closes, with only the two of them being here.

"Hello, Alan..." He says, in a coldly manner.

Alan's reaction seems mostly unfazed. "Oh hey... Do I know you?"

He seems angry, but controls himself. "You should... I've seen how you treat Mabel..."

"Oh, I see..." With a bit of a smirk, he asks. "Are you maybe going to try to play little prince charming to help her?"

The comment makes Dipper lose his composure. "What??? I'm her brother! Twin brother, in fact, you sicko!!!"

"Oh, I know..." He says with a snarky expression. "It was just funny to see your reaction to that. It was easy to break your confidence..." With that, Dipper tries to get his focus back, but Alan continues. "Just like I told her, it's pointless to fight with me... And I'm going to prove it to you..." He violently grabs Dipper and makes it so he gets a bruise on the head by repeatedly slamming him against one of the bathroom stalls, while also covering his mouth so he can't alert anyone. "And now..." He grabs him more softly after exiting the bathroom.

His behavior switched to a much softer one as he talks by dragging Dipper along. "Please, coming through... I gotta bring him to the nurse office... It's really bad..." Once again, he ensures that Dipper can't have a chance to say anything on the way there, even though his skull is bleeding a little.

Once there, he ensures that the school nurse could take care of this.

"It's just a little bruise..." He says as he puts a little bandage on the bleeding part. "It won't take much time for this bonk to heal itself. No worries to be had..."

Alan leaves a strong sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it's nothing too bad..."

"You did good bringing him here as fast as you could."

"Oh, thanks!"

"You little..." Dipper can't stay quiet. "You're the one who injured me! Just because you act worried now won't change how awful you are!"

"Mason! Alan went through the trouble of bringing you here, and this is how you thank him?"

Alan speaks up. "No... He... He has a point..." His speech suddenly feels very apologetic, like he's about to cry. "It's in fact my entire fault... We were in the bathroom, and I was careless. I... I pushed that door rather violently, without thinking there could be someone on the other side who could get hurt... He's definitely right to get mad at me... I don't think I can even manage to forgive myself for what I've done..."

Confronted to this speech, the nurse adds. "No, he's not right to think that... This was clearly an accident that you shouldn't blame yourself for it..."

"I see..." Alan is feeling relieved.

Dipper feels like yelling. "What??? But he..." However, seeing how much Alan is doing a good job, he knows that it's pointless to try and tell the truth... He says, with disgust. "Okay... Yeah, I forgive you for it, Alan..."

Once they're out of the office, Alan speaks up. "I already told your sister a few times, and I just proved it to you... Don't try to fight against me! I have way too much power on people, you'd only drag yourself down... Still, it'd be fun to see you try again..." He leaves with a smirk.

Outside, Samuel and Mabel are wondering what's taking Dipper so long, and Mabel feels horrified when she sees him arrive with a bandage on his skull. She runs to him, quickly followed by Samuel, to hear what happened...

Chapter Text

During the following week-end, Samuel once again visits his friends at their home. Even if this time, it's partially out of concern for Dipper's injury. They briefly talk about it in the bedroom while Mabel is busy downstairs for now.

His friend is very thankful for the concern. "Oh, don't worry, Sammy... It was just a little bruise, it's already gone."

"Oh, good..." He feels some frustrated sadness suddenly. "This jerk...! I wish he..."

Before he could say anything too deep or too emotionally demanding, Dipper cuts him off. "That's okay... Don't think about it for now..."

Samuel has a small tear of frustration, knowing that both of his friends have been bullied by someone who's been getting away with it.

Dipper insists, seriously. "Buddy, I'm fine! I promise! You have nothing to feel bad about yourself!" He gives him a smile, and his friend sighs, trying to let it go.

Seeing that Mabel still isn't around for now, he decides to try to change the subject for something a little more lighthearted. Even if he does feel a different kind of discomfort about. "Hey... so..."

"What's up, Sammy?" Dipper can tell that there's a tiny hint of malice in his friend's stare, something unusual to him.

"Um, Dipper, I was wondering... if you'd be okay with doing a little prank on Mabel... Nothing big of course, and I'd apologize for it if she takes it badly... But..." Samuel shows his usual, more unconfident behavior quickly enough.

"Why would you wanna do that?" Dipper acts more curious than angry.

"It's not actually my entire idea..." As the boy says that, Bill makes himself shown.

"Yeah, I kinda came up with the idea, Pinetree!" The demon says confidently, which didn't help Dipper's ease.

Dipper looks at the two of them in a bit of disbelief. He's starting to wonder if Samuel is growing a more mischievous side to himself due to Bill's influence, which makes him a bit uneasy. "Uuuuuh... I don't know..."

Surprisingly, Samuel insists politely. "It'll all be in good fun, I promise! Actually, we promise..." He gives Bill a little stare from the corner of his eyes.

Bill speaks earnestly. "Yes, we promise! But also, to make it happen... We need you!"

"Oh, so I suppose you're gonna ask me to set her up or something...? Maybe I could try, if it's meant to be harmless..." Dipper speaks a little unconvinced, but the next answer will definitely shock him.

"Actually, I need you to... let me borrow your body." Bill hasn't lost his straightforwardness at all.

"WHAT???" Dipper loses his cool at the prospect. "No way! No how! I won't accept this!!!"

Bill floats closer. "It's gonna be easy, Pinetree. It won't take a new deal, and you know I wouldn't go harm her. It's just for a small prank and nothing more, honest!"

Samuel also insists a little, still respecting his friend's feelings. "I promise, we won't do anything cruel. Mabel is our friend and we won't harm her."

Bill looks at Dipper in the eyes. "You can trust us, Pinetree... Aren't we friends...?" Bill reaches for the boy's hand, with the friendship bracelet being apparent.

Dipper sighs a bit as he realizes. "Okay, I guess I can accept... I trust you two..."

"Yay, it's gonna be so much fun!!!" Bill grabs his hand, and with Dipper's mental approval, he gets in charge of the body in a second.

Samuel stays silent, looking at Dipper with the Bill possessed eyes and the big smile. He feels a tiny bit uneasy due to how the demon and himself first interacted months ago, but "Bipper" reassures him with a hug. "It's okay, Fuzzball. As you guys insist on telling me, this harmful side of me is in the past... We are not enemies at this point of time, are we?" This is enough to erase any negative feeling his main vessel felt. Bipper lets go of the hug and comments, touching the body's hair. "Besides... I have my own regrets when it comes to how I've used this body before..."

"Oh right..." Sammy recalls the puppet show story he's heard from his friends, but wants to avoid speaking about it so they don't dwell on regrets and bad memories. "How about we get to it, then?"

Bipper gets his mischievous smile back. "Oh yeah, let's have our little fun!!!" He leaves the bedroom and reaches the staircase, playfully saying "Oh, Siiiiiiiis.......".

Mabel gets up the stairs and looks at who she thinks is her brother, while Bipper keeps a reasonable distance to avoid her to notice the eyes. "Hi, Bro-bro! What's making you so cheery?"

Bipper keeps the playful tone. "I got a surprise for you... A little gift..."

This is enough to get her excited. "Really? Where?" She moves to get a little closer. "Do you have it on you?"

"No no no... I've hidden it somewhere for you..." He answers, keeping his distance. "It's located somewhere in the basement!"

"Ooh, and it's some hide and seek too! It's gonna be fun!!!" Just like that, she rushes down the the set of stairs, barely taking the time to acknowledge Samuel's presence alongside Bipper.

Bipper cackles while she's away, telling Samuel. "That was easy... Time to go do phase 2..." He slowly goes down the stairs himself.

It only took a minute for Mabel to have looked at every nook and cranny of the basement, and she found nothing. "Uh... Maybe he put more effort into hiding it than I thought..." She decides to continue her search, but then... Suddenly, lights go out, startling her a bit, making the basement a more scary place.

"Oh shoot... Is there a power outage or something...? I should go back..." She barely took a step that she heard ominous footstep coming this way. She gets a little worried. "Bro-bro, is that you...? I couldn't find the gift and now it's too dark."

While she can make out Dipper's silhouette in front of her, she then hears something chilly from him. "Oh yes, that is me indeed... Don't worry... I got you right where I wanted........"

"W-what...?" She starts getting scared a bit from this tone.

Then she hears the sound of finger snapping, and an odd glow comes from Dipper's eyes. "Surprised to see me...?" Then one light activates back, illuminating him a little. Or rather... Bipper... With his possessed eyes, his very unsettling smile and he magically gave himself the reverend outfit from the puppet show to wear once again. "I am back, Shooting star!!! Now be a good girl and don't get in my way!!! Or I'll have to..." He switches to his deep voice... "GET RID OF YOU AND YOUR BROTHER... FOREVER!!!!!" He loudly leaves out his usual evil laugh to worry her, and it works. He hears a giant scream in front of her, which makes him laugh more genuinely.

Bipper interrupts his laugh slowly, as he expected an additional reaction from her, whether it was a friendly "silly you" or an angry "how dare you". But he hears nothing, making him worried. "Shooting star...?"

Samuel, from the top of the staircase, pushes back the light switch, and Bipper sees Mabel lying on the ground, looking at the wall and shaking, which makes him gasp.

"WHAT THE...? Shooting star, what's wrong???" Bipper snaps his fingers again, bringing back Dipper's regular attire, just before Bill leaves the body. While Dipper gets his consciousness back, Samuel quickly went down the stairs to join them, and both boys see the result of the prank in concern.

"Sis, are you okay?" Dipper rushes by her side, trying to comfort her. Samuel approaches too.

But Mabel is crying and panicking too much. That prank gave her a terrifying emotional flashback of her encounter with Bill that day, making her unable to stand and think properly. Bill himself is making a very concerned stare at this sight.

Mabel's first reaction is to reject her brother's comfort. "How could you, Dipper??? How did you allow this?????" She looks at him, her eyes almost acting like waterfalls with how terrified she got.

"Sis, I..." He wants to say sorry, be genuine... But a part of him also wants to blame Bill first and foremost. Yet he can't get to it because he's not sure what to do.

"Mabel, it's... It's my fault too..." Samuel approaches. "Dipper didn't want to do this... I... I convinced him. You should be mad at me instead. I... I'd deserve it..."

Mabel can't even be angry, because her fear is too much to allow any other emotions right now. "What kind of brother and friend are you...? This was one of the worst fears I've ever gotten!!!"

Bill floats forward. "Shooting star, don't be mad at them... The idea was mine... Fuzzball got convinced by me... And I helped convince your brother too... The fault is all mine... Especially... Since you want me to make peace with my bad past, I thought you would've liked me joking about..."

"IT WASN'T FUNNY!!! IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!" She's incredibly shaken, and definitely does not want to laugh about it. She may have forgiven Bill as soon as he's showcased regrets for it, but it seems that prank proved there's still some emotional troubles with the whole ordeal.

Suddenly, she falls back, looking away from them, not even caring that she's staying on the floor. She fights her feelings and after a little moment of silence, she suddenly feels something on her hair.

"Stop this..." She's ready to drive away the hand that's trying to comfort her, but then she realizes it's something... oddly fluffy... And pleasant to touch... "What the...?"

She turns her head to see a very cute plush of a seal right in front of her. And it appears to move by itself, but it's actually Bill controlling it like a toy.

The plush appears to speak while Bill makes up a silly voice for it. "Hi there, little girl... It seems you're troubled. Don't worry, I'm here to help... My name is... uh... Phil... that's right! Phil the Seal... And I'm your new friend!"

Mabel knows what's going on, and she can't contain a small giggle, despite her feelings.

"I've heard your brother and friends were being big meanies to you... Don't worry, give me hugs and you'll feel a lot better!" The plush raises the top flippers towards her for that...

"Aww..." Mabel gives the plush a hug. It's very fluffy and pleasant to hold, and it helps her getting a smile back.

Bill continues his act "You're a very kind and brave girl. And you have a big heart too... Please, find some place in it to forgive those who have gone too far with you today... You can be angry at them for a little bit, but please don't keep those negative feelings too long! Give them smiles and hugs too!"

Mabel giggles, and after that, Bill lets go and joins Dipper and Samuel. Bill's mind did this with barely any shame about himself, but he wouldn't want comments or mockeries from the boys about it, which they can deduce and avoid. Mabel stands up, holding the plush tight and looking at the three.

"You are all really mean to have come up with such a cruel prank..." She frowns at them, and she gets a triple "Sorry..." almost as an unison.

"... Okay... Awkward sibling and friend hug...?"

Dipper is very relieved about that and goes to hug first, apologizing again. And Samuel does the exact same.

Then Bill floats towards her in shame. "I'm sorry that I went too far, Shooting star... I..."

Mabel cuts him off. "That's okay..." She holds the plush close. "You managed to do something very sweet to repay that mistake... You really became a great friend, Bill." She smiles at him genuinely, making the demon very shocked, but thankful she forgave him for it.

The triangle is a little flustered from this during the hug. "I-if you say so..." He observes how she holds and still cuddles the plush, and he feels something that he hasn't felt since the start of Weirdmageddon... He's feeling proud of himself for what he managed to do.

Chapter Text

Near the end of the month of March, another school day just ended. But Mabel's torment with Alan keeps growing. He still treats her as nothing but a slave for his school work, and always manages to get away with it thanks to his manipulations. It's not like any of her attempts went anywhere, and Dipper didn't manage to make a change either.

Because of that, she gradually grows a lot more frustrated when she's in class. And that day specifically, she walked towards home without even saying anything to her brother and friend, who follow around a little worried.

She grumbles a lot to herself in her frustration on the way there while the boys are talking.

Dipper exclaims, seeing his friend's concerns. "She usually cheers up once she blows some steam off. Then she goes back to her usual self quickly enough. That doesn't mean I'd want her to keep feeling angry from the situation, but..."

Samuel feels a little guilty. "I wish I could do something..."

Dipper gets serious. "I know you care a lot about her happiness, but it'd be best that you don't try to confront Alan... I wouldn't want something bad to happen to you..."

"What tells you...?"

"I'm serious, don't try to do anything. If you try to go against him, you'd get tricked and painted as a bad person. I could handle that to help my sister, but... I wouldn't want that for you..."

As hard as it is, Sammy accepts this advice, at least for the foreseeable future.

The first thing Mabel does once she gets home is to immediately go upstairs in the bedroom to do what Dipper just described. Worried, her brother joins her very quickly, leaving their friend downstairs to prepare some snacks.

Hearing the noise, Mrs. Pines approaches. "Kids! I have some..." After she sees who's at the door, she stops herself. "Oh, hello, Samuel. Why are you here alone...?"

Keeping Dipper's advice in mind, he avoids telling the full truth. "Oh, Mabel and Dipper quickly went upstairs to check on something. I'm about to join them once I get the snacks done." Then he adds, a little shyly. "Did you have something to tell them? I could take a message..."

In the meantime, Mabel is walking in circles in the bedroom, repeating. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him...!!!!!!"

Her brother tries being reassuring, but isn't sure how. "Sis, could I...?"

She doesn't wait and immediately lets out what's on her mind. "Dipper, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... He manages to make me miss how Gideon was with me! I prefered dealing with his obsession with me, because at least he liked me at the core!"

Dipper is speechless that her train of thoughts led to this conclusion. This causes her to apologize as she tears up a bit. "I shouldn't have said that, sorry..."

This causes her brother to be reassuring. "No, I get it... You have frustrations to let out..."

She goes to sit on the bed, grabbing her new Phil plush to cuddle while she hides her face in her sweater to deal with her feelings, at least until Samuel arrives.

Their friend enters the bedroom with the snacks, but he also got something to say to get their minds off the current issue.

"Guys, your grand... I mean, Grunkles are waiting for you to call them!"

Mabel looks up, looking more curious. "Oh, they do...?"

"Yeah, they apparently got big things to tell you!"

Dipper's mind goes "Could it be...?", but he doesn't let it have time to develop and says "Okay, I'm gonna set it up..."

"Sure, while you do that, I'll get some of those delicious treats!" Mabel seems like she cheered up very quickly. Dipper knew this was coming, so he doesn't even object to the silly comment because he's happy to see her bounce back from the negativity.

"Here we go!" Dipper sets up the call, getting Mabel to sit with him in the camera's point of view, while she still holds the plush for comfort. Samuel is staying away just in case.

Then the video call gets answered, and Mabel is being herself again as she sees both of her grunkles on the other side. "Hi, Grunkle Ford!!! Hi, Grunkle Stan!!!", which she says with a wave.

Dipper adds. "Hi! We just arrived from school, and we were told you wanted to talk to us!"

"Yes, we wanted to tell you directly some great news..." Introduces Ford. "We've had talks with your parents, and..."

Stan concludes without wasting any time. "Guess who's getting another trip to Gravity Falls this summer?"

Dipper gasps and his face immediately lights up. "No way!!!"

Mabel cheers of excitement after some gushing. "It's happening!!!"

Dipper gets carried away. "We'll see everyone again! And all the places! And..."

Stan interrupts him. "Easy there, kiddo... You're not there yet, you have to finish the school year..."

This causes him to be embarassed with some amusement. "Oh... Yeah, of course..."

"This is such great news..." Mabel cuddles her plush tight to express her excitement.

Ford adds, unexpectedly. "And, I've been thinking about something else..."

"You did...?" Dipper gets curious.

He asks, sincerely curious. "How about, this time around, you get your friend to come along?"

Samuel was minding his own business when he heard that, and his head perks up.

"Sammy...? In Gravity Falls...? With us...?" Dipper seems a little doubtful, but mainly because he has never considered it. Because of that, he almost doesn't want to let them know that he's in the room with them and that he heard that.

Mabel gasps of happiness. "Him in Gravity Falls with us? It'd make our summer even better!!!"

Ford forces them back to reality a little with logic. "Of course, it's only if he's able to join you. Can I count on you to ask him in the next few days?"

"Why wait? He's..." Mabel starts saying, but she gets a nudge from her brother forcing her to stop.

"... he'll be able to answer this evening once we call him about that! But we'll for sure ask as soon as we can!"

Dipper is a little bothered by the lie, so he tries to move on for the end of the call, until he closes off after they've said their goodbyes.

Once that's done, Stan's smile turns a little less convinced as he's talking alone to his brother. "I do look forward to the kids coming back. I wouldn't be opposed to this Samuel kid joining, but..."

Ford interrupts, both gently and firmly. "I know... There's the whole situation with Bill being linked with that child at the moment. But I don't think you should worry. Truth be told, I have some unease about it myself... However, if he wanted to do bad things, he would've done so in that time period, don't you think?"

Stan is upfront about it. "But what if he was faking it? What if it happens to be a long term manipulation and that he's been waiting for a chance to come back here so he could use the place as his base of operations again, or something? Have you thought of that???"

His brother answers genuinely. "Yes, I have thought about many outcomes that could result from their friend and Bill coming here this summer. And I can promise you... Depending on Bill's behavior, I am prepared to take care of the situation. I will not let him get away with tricking our family again, if that's what he's doing right now!"

"Good..." Stan nods seriously. "I do want to believe the kids, but... I will not be able to trust this pointy demon, no matter what he does."

Meanwhile, on the other end of the call that just happen...

Mabel immediately asks out of genuine curiosity. "Bro-bro, why didn't you tell them that Sammy is right here with us? Don't you think he would've loved to be able to express his opinion on the matter?"

Samuel would like to add something, but he stays silent for now. He's not too sure what to say on the matter to begin with, but he also doesn't to pressure his friend too much when he sees him being nervous.

Dipper speaks up, a little ashamed. "I... got a little nervous..." He then tries to look at his friend directly. "I'm sorry, Sammy... It's not against you. I'd be really happy if you spent the summer with us! I'd encourage you to talk about it to your parents, even!" He sighs, painfully. "It's mostly that... you know..."

Bill's voice interrupts suddenly with a loud and annoyed tone. "Oh, we DO know!!!"

Dipper freaks out a bit, like he usually does whenever Bill makes himself known out of nowhere during a subject he deems sensitive. But nowadays, this feeling tends to disappear by itself afterwards.

"And I gotta agree with Pinetree. It doesn't sound like a good idea..."

Mabel objects. "Why not? It'd be awesome for him to join us! He'd make the vacation even more exciting! We could show him around... We could have him meet everyone..."

Bill approaches a little, growing in size by not much. "Let's say that..." His eye suddenly alters to showcase in rapid succession several of the things that happened in Gravity Falls during his short term reign of Weirdmageddon. Then his eye goes back to normal, although his one pupil is looking away to a big degree. "I wouldn't be welcomed there... To put it very nicely..."

The simple notion of that makes Mabel quite upset. "Bill, you are my friend, now! I want my friend to be happy!" She grabs his hand softly. "I want you AND Sammy to join us in this summer! As long as we're around, you got nothing to fear! If someone there wants to do something bad to you... They'll have to go through me first!!!"

She looks at him, very seriously. Then, she softens up to go back to her cheery self. "Besides, don't you think Grunkle Ford would be happy with catching up with you, after all the things you have proven?"

Her big smile does make Bill reconsider. "I... suppose so...? But..."

She insists. "No doubts allowed! I'd love for you to join us in our vacation if that's a possiblity!"

With that, Bill gives up and says what she wants to hear. "Okay... If Fuzzball joins you... It'll be a good thing!"

"Of course it will!" Then she turns to Samuel. "Sammy, please please please tell your parents about this as soon as you can! I would be delighted to have you see the place! Even if Bill wasn't a factor!"

Sammy smiles. "Well... Of course, I would love to spend summer with you guys... I do hope it'll happen! ... And same, Bill! I'd defend you if your presence doesn't go too well, I promise!"

Bill just stays mute and disappears. Then, Samuel concludes. "With that, I should probably go home... Sorry if that got a little heavy by the end, but I'm really glad to know you guys will get to visit this place again. I'll be sure to talk about it at home and I'll let you know..."

Mabel cheerfully tells him goodbye for the day, and so does Dipper. But his mind is preoccupied with the whole idea of having Bill in Gravity Falls again, even if he tries to avoid overthinking things.

Once he's alone with his sister, he doesn't waste time saying what's on his mind. "Mabel, I'm glad you'd be happy to have Bill around for the summer. And I want him to feel better about his guilt too. But... I find it a little weird about how insistent you've just been about it..."

His sister grows defensive about it immediately. "Whaaaat??? I just wanted to bring him a better mood! That's wrong???"

"No, but..."

Then she smirks. "I know what you need to stop doubting..." She's ready to jump at him while directing the plush's flippers at him. "Tickle attack!!!"

"Nonon... HAHAHA!!! Stop it, okay...!" He catches his breath and indeed moves on with a big smile. "I'm so happy we're going back to Gravity Falls soon..."

And as promised, as soon as Samuel gets the occasion, he casually brings up the important subject at his home. "Mom, Dad... I got something to tell you..."

Chapter Text

As the Pines twins wake up and take their breakfast on what seems to be a regular morning at first, Dipper suddenly has a realisation as he was looking around the kitchen while eating...

"Oh gosh!!! Mabel!!!" He starts freaking out.

His sister gets startled and starts touching her face in horror. "What??? Do I have a bug on my face???".

"No, it's not that! Look at the date!!!" He points at the calender in the kitchen, causing her to take a look.

She looks at it and doesn't really understand the reaction. "April 1st...? Why, what's wrong?"

"It's a prank day, and..." He looks around for a couple of seconds and then whispers in a paranoid way. "... and Bill might go loose..."

Mabel giggles at his behavior. "Don't be so silly! You know he's not that cruel anymore. What's the worst that could happen from childish pranks he might wanna pull off?"

"... You're not realizing how dangerous he is..." The brown-haired kid feels fear as he starts going to school.

"If you wanna know, I'm honestly more scared of what Alan might be like today..." As she says that, she feels some genuine discomfort just picturing it.

"Oh... right..." Dipper feels bad about that. "You could fake sick... Maybe I should too..."

"You? Lying in order to not go to school? Who are you and what have you done to my real brother?" She says that in a mixture of mocking and being surprised.

Her brother just gives up. "It's not right... Fine, let's go..."

The two reach the school, with Mabel not looking worried, and she notices. "Oh look, Sammy is waiting for us!"

She goes faster to join him while Dipper tells himself "oh dear...", being worried. He goes there anyway and realizes from a good look at the eyes that this is Samuel himself and not Bill, causing him to feel some relief.

Their friend looks very cheerful. "Good morning, friends! Ready to face the day?" He puts Dipper at ease. "High four, buddy!"

Dipper answers and as the hands touch, Dipper feels an electric shock causing him to scream and back down in one second. He then hears Bill's laugh and it's revealed that he put contact lens on to have normal looking eyes to fool him.

"What the heck???" Dipper gets mad.

"Oh, come on Pinetree, it's just a prank!" Samuel's body shows a big smile with hints of malice.

Mabel feels like giggling at her brother's expense. "Sorry, but yeah, you're overreacting."

"Thanks, Shooting star! By the way..." He takes something out of his pocket. "I got this flower for you!"

"Mabel, don't!!!" Dipper wants to warn his sister.

Mabel thinks "Oh, oldest trick in the book. I can handle some water squirt..." and approaches while faking to be naive. "Ooh, it looks nice!"

Bill activates a pump, causing a blue ink to squirt on her face, once again, immediately followed by Bill's laugh with a big grin. "April fools! Get used to it, you'll get this all day long!" He then enters the school, leaving Mabel with her ink spot on her face.

Dipper looks annoyed and tries to finds a way to wash Mabel's face. "Look at what he's done to you... See why I was worried?"

Mabel shrugs. "I still think you're being way too dramatic, Bro-bro! He's just having fun during a day about having fun... You should remember how he used to be if you think that's cruel."

Her brother frowns. "Yeah, I'd rather not remember..."

Mabel goes to wash the ink off from the nearest water fountain, but on her way there, she finds Samuel holding the faucet. "Here, I'll hold it for you...", he says to her, just before overshooting the water on purpose with a laugh and leaves.

Dipper is annoyed. "I told you... He's gonna be out of control the entire day..."

Mabel still wants to find positiveness in the situation, having washed her face. "And I'm telling you, this is a day about having fun with pranks... And these are harmless..." As the bell rings for them to go to class, she concludes before leaving. "Try seeing the prettier part of the picture."

Mabel joins class and she gets to hear some good news for her.

"It's too bad Alan isn't coming to class today..."

"I know right? He would've made this day one to remember! He's so funny..."

She sighs, feeling way better. Even knowing that Bill is probably gonna be in charge of Samuel's body for the whole day, this doesn't scare her nearly as much as what she just avoided.

Dipper joins his class and gulps when he sees Samuel waiting for him at the desk. He makes sure that he didn't put anything on his chair before sitting, but the smirk on his friend's face isn't reassuring.

Bill shows no regrets using his magic to cheat to pull many different pranks through the entire morning. For instance, he manages to tie Dipper's shoes together before recess, causing him to lose his balance completely. At recess, he's able to exploit stink bombs. He's also using many different items he can create on the spot, such as a mechanical snake to hide in Dipper's school bag, or getting Mabel to sit on a whoopee cushion.

And every prank is followed by Bill's joyful laugh as he's posing as Samuel to the other students.

The twins reunite for lunch, talking about the whole thing as they finish the main course.

"Bill is out of control..." reaffirms Dipper.

Mabel isn't as cheerful as she was earlier in the day. "Look, maybe he's taking it a little too far, but this is all harmless fun still... We can handle some pranks for a day, right? And if he annoys you so much, why don't you retaliate?"

"Mabel, I'm above doing this..." Dipper is bothered by the suggestion.

Mabel lists her brother's qualities like she did that dozens of time in the past. "Yeah, you're too honest, kind, against any kind of harm, loyal, trustful... But that's why you're easy to target!"

Her brother admits, but also adds. "You're a little too kind as well, aren't you? I'd like to kindly put him in his place, but I don't think this is the way to go..."

"Then please stop complaining about it if you don't wanna do it, because that's the only way to do so..." Mabel reaches for the small box containing the pastries they were given for dessert, only for then...

When they open the box, they see that Bill arranged a glitter bomb at the moment it'd be opened, causing the two to be completely covered. And the controlled Samuel wasn't far and has a huge smile on his face. "HAHAHAHA... APRIL FOOLS!!!"

After he left, Mabel stares at her brother with a slight frown. "Retaliation?"

Dipper coughes some confetti before answering. "Retaliation!"

And so, with Samuel being away, they quickly try to come up with a plan as they wash themselves.

"But how can we even do that...? He'd see it coming..." Dipper gets concerned.

She comes to a quick conclusion. "We probably have to attack him by approaching with something that makes him think he's on top. What would you say would be one of Bill's greatest flaws?"

Her brother starts thinking. "Um... His pride?"

Mabel is motivated. "Good call! We'll have to flatter his ego to make him feel overconfident, and strike from there!"

They silently plot together, getting some other students into it for help by saying they intend to take the most efficient pranker of the day down. They are a little concerned, but they are determined to give their prank a try.

And in the middle of the afternoon break...

They show up to Sammill with a measly done white flag. Mabel speaks loudly enough. "Sammy, we're here on behalf of most of the school's students to ask you... Please stop pulling these pranks on us. We recognize it, you are the king of pranks, and no one could possibly match you! We surrender to you..." She manages to sound utterly defeated.

Sammill smiles with a smirk. "Well, I'm glad to see that you have the decency to recognize my genius. I thank you for that."

Dipper pulls out a small fancy box from his pocket. "So please, accept this as a sign of us recognizing your superiority."

Bill is too blinded by his ego to think anything suspicious could be happening. "Aww, you're too kind, Pinetree... That's what your downfall is, after all..." And as he opens the box...

A flashing light gets him by surprise. "AH!!! MY EYE...!!!"

Dipper yells "NOW!", and thanks to the help of accomplices they got during the afternoon classes, who also fell victim to one of Samuel's pranks at one point or another, they managed to have him lose his balance with a rope as he backs down, causing him to fall on the floor. And following that, he gets hit with a bunch of water balloons, finishing with Dipper and Mabel getting paint splashed on Samuel. And as Dipper offers his hand to help Sammill stand up, he feels an electric shock, much like what he did to his friend in the morning.

"You are indeed king, Sammy..." She moves closer so she doesn't get heard by anyone else "Or rather... Mr. Bill Cipher..." Says Mabel confidently.

"The king of fools!" Adds Dipper.

The two fist bump and Bill makes Samuel smirk in a way that says "I'm really proud of you...". He stands up and speaks louder to everyone who participated in this plan. "Everyone... I kneel!". He graciously bows in front of everyone.

After some laughs at his expense, Dipper and Mabel go to reach him and speak. "Thanks everyone! We all got our retaliation, and now, April Fools is over!" Every kid who participated talked to Sammy about this, none of them knowing that they're actually speaking to a mischievous demon. In short conversations, both sides respect each other and agree to end the pranks.

At the end of the school day, Sammy stands in front of the twins. "Pinetree, Shooting star... I never thought you'd succeed at beating me when it comes to mischief... It sounds weird, but... I'm really impressed with what you managed to do!"

Dipper frowns. "Bill, you went a little too far with your pranking! Although... You might've cheated, but you never did anything too horrible or harmful..."

Mabel smiles. "So we don't really have a reason to hold it against you! Even if not all of it was much fun..."

Bill exclaims cheerfully. "April Fools is such a great human tradition! I'd love for it to take place the entire year..."

"NO!!!" The twins react together, horrified.

Bill giggles, knowing what the reaction would be. "Thank you for this awesome day! I've had such a great time!" He then gives up on the body's control, letting Samuel get consciousness, for the first time since the previous day. He looks completely disoriented.

Dipper and Mabel quickly hug Samuel as an apology for using his body to prank Bill. The kid is a bit lost as he feels his clothes soaked and dirty, and some pain in his eyes. He has a quick discussion with his friends about it, revealing that they did this because of Bill before they part ways.

On the way to their home, Mabel brings up something that's on her mind. "I feel a little bad. Samuel didn't do anything... Yet at the eyes of everyone else at school, he was the cruel one who was mocked..." The thought of it makes her uneasy and a little sad.

Dipper answers, trying to reassure her while saying what he truly thinks. "Yeah... But see it this way... Those were just pranks Bill did through Samuel. To the eyes of others, he was just having fun today. And us pranking him back was in that spirit too. You've seen afterwards that Bill took it well and that there were no hard feelings between him and the other kids he pranked. I'm sure that starting with tomorrow, no one will even see our friend in a bad way."

Mabel nods, agreeing and hoping for her brother to be right, even if she can't completely shake those feelings off.

Samuel reaches home and his appearance gets noticed by his parents, which he quickly explains as "April fools shenanigans". He goes to the shower and gets new clothes. After which, he locks the door of his bedroom, looking annoyed.

The demon appears in the room with a satisfied expression in his eye. "Hey, Fuzzball, what's up?"

Sammy isn't in the mood for games right now. "What did you do today?", he asks with a stern look on his face.

"It was April Fools! The answer should be obvious!" The triangle demon returns the mood of the kid.

"Did you harm my friends? Did you get me in trouble? Did you...?" He has many questions that get cut off.

Bill gets his cane of and makes an arm gesture with it. "Easy there, Fuzzball... Everything I did today were harmless pranks you meat sacks tend to do. I didn't do anything cruel that you heard I was able to!"

Samuel trusts him when he says that as he sounds sincere, but he gets worried. "But if you spent the entire day pretending to be me and pulling all sorts of pranks at school, I'm gonna get hated, no...?"

Bill acts cheerful about it as he floats all around the human. "It's a day where it's expected to pull mean pranks, you're fine!!!" He stops to face him and lets out a giggle at the thought of what happened next. "Besides, your friends got revenge!"

He gets scared. "On... me...? You mean they pranked me to get you?" Sammy starts blushing of shame about it. "I was pranked... In front of the whole school... Thanks to you???"

"Yup!" Bill states proudly. "Pranks were for me, but your body and yourself took it for anyone that isn't your two friends."

Seeing the kid's expression, Bill extends his arm lenght to touch his shoulder. "Don't feel too bad, Fuzzball! It was just a day of games for everyone involved. And I'm proud of your two friends for getting back at me! They know it was me and not you, and no one at school is hating on you for enjoying the day's traditions! No one was hurt, and you aren't hurt either, are you?"

Samuel starts admitting. "Well... no..."

"Then there's nothing to be scared or ashamed of! Tomorrow, everyone will move on from that! Besides, isn't that what you three wanted for me...?" He looks at his bracelet for a bit. "You wanting me to find fun mischief that isn't evil? Wasn't today a success in that?"

"..." He starts having a faint smile. "I guess you got a point..."

"Of course I'm right!" The demon goes back to acting proud. "And if you doubt me, just ask your friends!"

Sammy suddenly starts thinking. "You know... You always manage to be convincing... That's a huge quality!"

Bill looks smug from that. "Yeah, I'm very smart! Didn't you figure it out by now?"

This obversation he just made gets the boy thinking and making the connection with Bill's old ways. How he could get a deal to be made thanks to setting up the situation and managing to say the right lies at the right time.

"What's up, Fuzzball?" Bill is looking curious.

However, Sammy doesn't want to bring this up in case it ruins the mood, and he finds an excuse. "Um... I've been thinking... About the kind of stuff you like... You know, that scary, nightmarish stuff you love so much!" He feels like he'd regret what he's about to say, but goes through with it. "I wouldn't mind seeing more of it. Maybe I'd get the appeal this way..."

This gets the triangle really excited. "Oh, with great pleasure!!! I can show you stuff, creates creepy things around just to showcase what I can do! I could made it happen here or when you sleep!!! How about...?"

His human partner gets a little scared. "Easy, though... I don't wanna be traumatized or anything like that... Maybe let's start small of the scare scale..."

With that being said, Samuel's evening is spent having Bill showcase his appreciation for the spooky and nightmarish, which he's actually presenting as amusing and admirable. True to his words, he's starting with just mildly scary things suitable for a 13 years old. He's disappointed when he's asked to stop, like a kid who can't showcase all his toys at once. But regardless, the two of them manage to have a fun evening and early night in spite of the odd choice of topic.

Chapter Text

Dipper and Mabel are walking towards the school, but the more time passed, the more Mabel gets frustrated with the situation. It got to the point where she wished she wouldn't have to go to school anymore, but she does it due to her conscience.

She groans on the way there, there's little cheerfulness left in her mind when it comes to this. "Alan keeps bothering me so much... He's gotten worse and worse... Thank goodness the end of the school year is near, but even then... I don't know if I'll be able to stand it much longer..."

Dipper, obviously, is very unhappy about seeing his usually carefree and cheerful sister like that. "... I can try to talk to him... I can try to get more people to see how he truly is..."

"Dipper, it's pointless! You already tried, and you got hurt... We already tried to call him out, and it never did work out. Everyone gets tricked by him and his behaviors. I... I almost miss the days we were in danger last summer... It felt more hopeful than this situation..." She almost tears up. Alan's longterm actions really did a toll on her whole morale. So much so that Dipper goes for a small embrace, he's silent in his comfort while he's also fighting against his own emotions.

They arrive a little late at school because of this conversation and Mabel's reluctance to go to class. Samuel notices how down his friend is and tries his best to cheer her up too in the little times he has during school days. But for now, he hardly makes a difference.

Mabel joins her class and is looking emotionally drained once she gets around Alan. And the boy is loving what he sees without a hint of remorse. As always, she has to silently endure his teasings and favors while keeping shut about it.

Her bad mood definitely shows when her brother and friend see her during the breaks. It really seems like all these troubles are close to breaking her mentally. However, as Samuel promised, he wouldn't go and confront Alan about this because his friends don't want him to end up being the victim of a bad publicity manipulation himself.

Then comes the end of the day. Dipper leaves the classroom while Samuel stays behind, finishing to take some notes from the class. Like often these days, his immediate instinct is to find Mabel as soon as he can.

When he spots her in the hallways, however, he sees her trying to escape Alan by going upstairs, but she's still being pursued by him. He follows them silently until the two reach a deserted dead-end. He looks at the scene, currently hidden.

Mabel turns around, looking eerily calm and resigned. "What else do you want, Alan...?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He says that without any hint of remorse. "I want you to do that entire essay we've been assigned for me. You won't say no, would you...?"

Mabel is feeling a little scared from that, she weakly asks. "... Why me...?"

With a smirk, Alan answers. "I've managed to see it since the very first day. That potential in you. Of someone who can easily be walked all over to my own benefit. Someone being way too nice to their own good. It would've been stupid for me to not take advantage of it..."

Mabel is silent and almost feels like crying.

"So you will continue to do what I tell you to do. Will you...?"

She's still silent, as she has too many thoughts on her head. But Alan is losing patience.

"Will you???" He asks with insistance and gives Mabel a slightly violent bump on the back of her head.

Dipper gasps and gets furious enough to intervene. "What... did you just...?"

Mabel raises her head, surprised. "... Dipper...?"

"Oh, how cute, the brother is here to try and save you..." He smirks with an amusement before talking at him directly. "What do you think I just did? You've seen it, haven't you?"

"Have you no shame...?" He's completely enraged at this.

"Dipper, wait..." Mabel wants to calm him down, but it's pretty clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer when it comes to letting Alan get away with this.

Alan doesn't lose his composure. In fact, he has something in mind. "And what are you gonna do, uh...?"

Dipper is almost about to go physical on him after having witnessed that and hearing more teasing and confidence from his mouth afterwards. Blinded by anger, he actually goes for a punch gesture.

"DIPPER, NO!!!" Mabel screams at him, allowing him to stop himself at the last moment. Only a small contact was made, but even then...

Alan feels the fist around his belly, and this leads to him reacting to the pain like if the action wasn't stopped. "OW!!!" He covers his gut with his hands. "How could you???" He goes to get attention to the nearest faculty member around. "I was just punched, by him!!!" He points at Dipper, who still has his fist clenched.

"What...? But... I only..." Dipper is lost about what just happened, but he feels like he'd be unable to get out of this mess.

Alan continues, sounding like he's in pain and managing to cry. "I'm serious, he lunged at me with his fist... It hurts..."

Dipper is looking shameful, somehow believing it to be true because he did make the contact. But he mostly knows it'd be pointless to argue back against Alan's actions. So he accepts, resigned, to be dragged to the principal's office for what just happened, leaving Mabel alone with Alan.

Meanwhile, Samuel has been lost in the hallways, looking for his friends. He then sees Dipper being dragged away, much to his shock.
"Dipper... What the...?"

His friend can't stop to talk to him right now, however. He gets the time to say. "Please, go find Mabel..."

Sammy starts panicking, believing something is going horribly wrong. He walks through the hallways with his heart pounding of fear until he hears Mabel speaking to herself.

"This is wrong... Dipper stopped before going too far..."

"Heh... You are right..." Alan stands up like nothing happened. "He was being a nuisance, so I found a simple solution to get him out of my way..."

Sammy thinks, looking at them unnoticed from behind some lockers. "Wait, so he got Dipper in serious trouble... because of an act...?" He gets angry, but stays away from the situation for now. He recalls Dipper's warnings: not getting involved with this guy.

Somehow, Mabel isn't shocked, or even surprised. She's just irritated. Hearing that was the last straw for her. She's decided to confront Alan for good about all he did to her and her brother.

She sounds really stern, even if she tries to keep respect in her speech. "I'm done, Alan! I won't be complying to all your requests anymore! It's ridiculous that I've let myself be stepped over by you for so long!"

The boy is barely concerned and keeps his composure. "Aww, isn't it adorable to see you try to act so mature? But didn't you find out already that it's pointless to fight me? Everyone adores me, and there's nothing you can do against that."

Mabel grows very frustrated. "I'm serious, I'm done being mistreated by you!!! And I won't ever forgive what you just made my brother go through!!!"

He answers more stern and directive. "Oh, I see... You think you stand a chance against my reputation, don't you...? It's a lost cause, sweetie, you'd know it if you had brains!"

Her anger keeps building, and she's almost losing it. "Someday, somehow... More people will peek behind your mask... And they'll see the monster that you are, like I did!"

Alan starts being really scary. "Listen, girl, no one will be able to go past my exterior because I'm just that good. Just a small snap of my fingers and I can make people think what I want. Which I'll use against you if you insist..."

"You..." Mabel's fists start trembling. "You absolute JERK!!! You won't always get away with this!!!"

"Oh yes, I will! And just because you made me lose my time..." He suddenly reaches for Mabel's head.

"HEY!!! What are you doing???" She feels something.

"I'm confiscating this..." He shows that he grabbed Mabel's headband, and he holds it high enough out of reach for her.

Following that, she starts panicking. "Give it back!!! Now! I feel naked without these...!"

"Not a chance! I told you, don't try to go against me!" He keeps his smug attitude.

Samuel sees this and wonders if he should intervene. But he decides to wait for now.

Mabel insists "Give... it... back!!!"

But Alan is having a little too much fun with this. "It's hilarious to see you try! How about I also...?" He goes for Mabel's right wrist.

"What do you think you're doing???" She fights back.

"How about I also confiscate this silly thing?" He goes for Mabel's pink friendship bracelet without any remorse.

The action makes her even more enraged. "Don't you dare... My best friend made this! It was my birthday gift!!!"

Alan smirks even more. "Oh, even more reason to go for it with how much you care for it!" He tries to take it off no matter how much she tries to stop him. Eventually, the struggle causes the bracelet to outright rip and drop to the floor.

Mabel gasps and looks at the bracelet in disbelief, looking devastated.

"HA!!! Your face is delightful!" Alan mocks. "I hope this will teach you to..." His speech is interrupted out of nowhere.

The headband is suddenly dropped to the floor, and when Mabel raises her head of surprise, she sees him odd. "Um... Alan...?"

The older boy is coughing and drops on his knees. He doesn't look fine at all as he struggles to breathe.

"ALAN!!! What's happening???" As she looks at him concerned, the answer is right around the corner. Samuel has been looking at the scene silently, but the moment Alan went too far on his threats...

Bill forcefully took control, with a very strong hatred in his stare and he grits the human body's teeth angrily as well. His hand is trembling as he executes some kind of strangling force from a distance. He keeps going without caring about the consequences.

But then... "What are you doing, Sammy?" Dipper approached from behind after he was scolded, not knowing what's going on.

Sammill stops his gesture, being genuinely shocked to be interrupted. This causes Dipper to be surprised as well when he sees what's going on. "Bill???"

Alan stops choking and he catches a good breath again. As Mabel puts her headband back, she asks him, genuinely concerned. "Are... Are you okay...?"

Refusing to appear weak, Alan makes up a lie. "Of course I am! I probably just swallowed wrongly, or something. Consider yourself lucky for now!" He leaves, but really wonders what happened to him for a moment.

Mabel spots Dipper and Samuel and joins them. Then she notices Samuel's eyes. "Bill...? Did you...?"

"Did he what?" Dipper asks concerned.

"Alan was feeling strangled moments ago. Was that..." She acts concerned as well. "Was that your doing, Bill...?"

"It must've been!" Dipper gets angry, while Bill starts looking nervous from both of their stares.

Bill feels some level of panic rising while using Samuel's body, as the angry face of Dipper and the judgemental face of Mabel only make it worse. He confesses in fear, not wanting to lie here. "I... I did that, yes..."

Dipper is in fact furious. "Why did you do that, Bill??? This is not okay!!!"

Mabel is also very unhappy to find out. "Bill, you can't do that!!! It's being evil!!! I thought you were above this now!!" She looks away, sounding betrayed and heartbroken by this. "Was I wrong...?"

Sammill tries to justify it, but his panic gets in the way. "No... You're not... I promise... It's..."

Dipper doesn't wait for more. "Then why???"

Sammill is full of fear, he can't put his reasons into words. The only sounds that come out are unintelligible.

"Bill, tell us!" Mabel acts more serious.

"Why did you just do that to Alan???" Dipper has almost no more patience. "Speak!!!"

Under huge pressure, Sammill yells the reason. "BECAUSE HE WAS BULLYING MY FRIEND!!!"

After this, there is stunned silence from the twins... But the more shocked of all of them is Bill himself... More calmly, he tries to continue. "He was messing with you... With both of you... He was making your lives miserable... and I hated it! I..." Samuel's body starts crying. "I couldn't just float there and let it happen..."

"You...? You wanted to...?" Mabel feels very emotional to see how much Bill has changed, while he looks shameful about it.

"I'm sorry, alright??? If anything, I'm thankful you stopped me, Pinetree..." He still looks away, not daring to face them.

Dipper is stunned. "You did that, because..." He has a faint smile.

Mabel grabs Samuel's hand and looks in Sammill's yellowy eyes. "I'm... I'm very happy that you wanted to help us, Bill... And... I understand that you struggled controlling your emotions around that Alan jerk... I do too... But... This is not okay..."

Dipper nods. "I wanna see this guy get his deserved comeuppance too. But we can't physically harm him to do so."

Bill feels huge shame as Samuel's body heats up from the feeling. "I... I'm sorry... I think I'm still a monster... An evil troublemaker who wants to see others suffer..."

"No, that's not true... You did that out of a good desire, without thinking... And... Alan is fine in the end..." Dipper tries being reassuring. "Just, don't do something like that again, alright?" He looks back at what just happened. "I... I almost made that mistake myself, but I would've struggled moving forward after that." He looks at Sammill directly and grabs his other hand. "So... I understand what you've felt. ... You didn't lose my trust..."

Mabel adds to this. "If you really want to do something about it, we'll figure it out together... Please promise not to repeat what you just did. Violence can't be the solution..."

"I... I promise... As much as I can, at least..." Sammill picks up the pink friendship bracelet, and thanks to Bill's magic, it regains its pristine condition. "Here, Shooting star... Good as new..." He tries to smile despite his guilt.

Mabel got a huge smile for the first time in what feels like a while when she gets it from Bill and puts it back. Seeing this was enough for Bill to feel a little better about himself for now. And a strong embrace from her did the job to let the guilt behind.

Chapter Text

Despite the reassurance and affection, Sammill is still struggling to breathe normally while he's being guided out of the school by the twins, staying silent for now while they walk outside.

Mabel then looks at her brother, a little worried. "So, Bro-bro... What happened with you...?"

Dipper tries to keep his cool as he answer. "I got scolded real bad for this act of violence... I..."

His sister interrupts him because she's feeling quite enraged from what she witnessed. "You didn't even do anything... This Alan jerk faked the entire thing... You didn't even touch him..."

"I know..." Dipper groans, but Mabel knows that this annoyance isn't directed at her. "... So I've been given detention next Saturday... Especially because..." He wanted to add something, but he stops himself when he realizes that Sammill is around.

"... Because what...?" Mabel is very curious, and knowing how she is when she wants to know something, Dipper doesn't hide it.

He answers painfully. "... There's a precedent for that from me..." Mabel raises an eyebrow and he explains it. "It's not the first time I get in trouble for violent acts."

Bill has been listening to the whole conversation in silence, and when Dipper says that, he gets a flashback that he now feels very different about...
He remembers back in September, after he just tricked Samuel... When he first revealed himself to Dipper... When he toyed with his emotions... When he willingly pushed him to the edge until he violently snapped...

"NO!!!" Bill yells through Samuel, getting the attention of the twins. "No, no, no... It's... It's my fault! I've ruined your life!" He goes back in a panic mode and starts having tears again. "I'm nothing but trouble for you! I..."

"Calm down! Please!" Dipper gets panicked himself and looks closely at his eyes. He acts stern because he wants his words to be taken seriously. "You haven't done anything wrong to me today! And this is an old mistake, you made up for it back in the day! I'm not mad at you..."

Mabel adds, taking Samuel's hands. "Come on, Bill... Listen to me... Breathe in... Then, breathe out..." Bill tries to do that, but he is not entirely used to use human organs to control feelings.

She adds. "Follow my lead... Breathe in..." She takes a very deep inhale. "Then breathe out..." She demonstrates once more. Sammill follows the guidance and does a decent job at it. Although it doesn't seem to be enough, as his legs still are a little shaky.

Dipper has an idea. "Let's take a walk around the park... You need to get that negative energy out... And I'm sure Sammy will be fine with letting you use his body to get rid of the bad feelings..."

Bill reveals after a small period of silence. "... Yeah, he's fine with that..."

Mabel grabs Samuel's arm excitedly while trying to restrain herself from being too harsh. "Let's go, then!" She leads him, forcing him to walk faster.

Being full of energy, Mabel encouraged and made Sammill walk circles around the park rather quickly.

Sammill struggles to keep up at this point. "Shooting star... Stop..." He tries to catch his breath between the words. "... Dumb... limited... human energy..."

Mabel smiles, looking past Bill's grumpiness. "But look at you... Don't you feel better now? You've expulsed most of the bad feelings thanks to that, haven't you...?"

"Uh..." Sammill still has to get a decent breath. Hearing that, he feels like that maybe he doesn't feel as much bitterness and self-loathing as before. "I don't know..."

"Either way, thanks!!!" She gives Samuel's body a warm embrace and gently leads him to the bench Dipper is sitting at so he can get some rest.

He looks at Samuel's body who pretty much crashed on the bench from exhaustion. "Oh wow... You sure you haven't gone too far, Sis...?"

She defends herself. "It was necessary, I didn't want him to keep that negativity in his body... It's bad for Bill AND for Sammy..." Thinking for a little bit, she then says... "I'll be back in a few..."

Samuel's body is laying on the bench, with his head against Dipper's shoulder. Bill exclaims, feeling exhausted. "I'm made of energy, but... How doesn't she get tired despite how feeble human bodies are...?"

Dipper chuckles. "That's just how she is... And... She seems like she's being rough, but she pushes you around because she cares about you and wants you to feel better... It's not always easy, but I got used to it..."

"... ... Pinetree... I..."

From the sorrowful tone, Dipper gets a guess of what Bill wants to say and gently cuts him off. "I'm not angry at you... Yes, I was furious about what happened back then, but you made amends for that immediately... And you did so much more since..."

"But..."

Softly, he adds. "Shh... ... It's okay..." If he was to let himself go, he'd almost act like a comforting parent or pet owner. "There's no need for you to feel guilty towards me, or what you've done today... And look around you instead... It's a nice spring afternoon... It's a decently warm weather... There's a nice breeze... You have the nature's smells and sounds... Try to focus on that instead..."

"..."

Dipper tries to keep the subject away. He starts sounding quite emotional. "You know... This park means a lot to us... Mabel, Sammy and I... We've been hanging out there quite a lot... Ever since we were toddlers..." He sighs, a little bittersweet, before continuing. "I'm sure it sounds stupid to you, but you can find happiness from simple things... Like..." Bringing up familiar places that means a lot to him, he slightly feels warmed up inside as he thinks about the fact that he's going to have another vacation in a very important place to him. "Like..."

Listening to that, Bill ends up confused and makes Samuel's body sit rather than laying down. "What are you even trying to get at, Pinetree?"

Dipper admits. "You know what...? I don't know for sure... I was trying to get you off your current worries, but I lost my train of thoughts a bit..."

Bill feels his teasing mood coming back. "I'm not surprised... Your mind's always been quite a huge unsorted mess, you know."

Bill lets out a typical cackle of his and his friend doesn't actually mind. "Glad to see you're feeling better..."

Sammill loses his composure and calmly goes. "... Thanks... You too..."

"Hey guys!!!" They're surprised by Mabel, who returned with a surprise.

"What you got there, Sis?"

She says, eagerly. "After I was done using the bathroom, I decided to get a warm waffle with chocolate! It's... mostly to congratulate Bill on his physical efforts... But I thought we could share some parts of it still."

Bill uses Samuel's sense of smell, and it seems to cause the boy's stomach to make a sound.

"See, you're starving!" She smiles, amused. "I thought you deserved this! Both because I made you tired, and also because delicious treats never fail to take my worries away!"

The idea makes Dipper a little curious, though. "Are you even used to eat human food, Bill...? Your normal form doesn't need it, but have you ever..."

He answers after pondering for a couple of seconds. "I've rarely felt the taste of human food while possessing a body... Or if I did, it was so long ago that I forgot how it feels..." However, he can't help but feel intrigued by the nice smell on the boy's nostrils.

Mabel takes a tiny piece with the chocolate on top and hands it to him. "Here, try it..." She says with a smile and she makes him bite it.

Samuel's eyes go wide open from shock. On the inside, Bill is freaking out over how delicious it tastes, so much so that he grabs the whole thing in his hands to get a big bite from it.

"Woah, easy!!!" Dipper hides how amused he is from the sight to warn Bill. "Take time to chew and swallow... Otherwise, it's not good for you... Or for Samuel's body..."

Mabel giggles at the sight. "I knew you'd love it. Little triangle dude got an eye for good food!"

Sammy's cheeks suddenly blush a little, a bit out of shame even though he also feels happy. He feels embarrassed while also enjoying the company and teasings of the twins. As awkward as the experience is, he tells himself that he'd gladly take that over how he felt earlier.

Once the waffle is finished, they move on and the Pines twins give one quick final chat to Bill before going home. Bill doesn't give up control back just yet, however. He decides to do the walk back to Samuel's home first, doing so calmly and silently.

It's once he reaches Samuel's bedroom that he, like often, gives the control back without saying anything afterwards.

After getting his senses back, the boy starts speaking. "... Bill?"

The triangle does feel better about himself thanks to his friends, but he's still conflicted a little.

He tries to choose his words very carefully. "Bill, I know what you did... You tried to harm Alan... And... I'd like you to know... that..."

The explanation gets interrupted, with Bill sounding a little frustrated by the scolding. "I know, I did something terrible... It means that there's barely any hope for me, and that there's still a big side of me who's a monster, and..."

"What...? No! It means that..." He tries to get the triangle's eye to focus on him and he gently grabs one of his hands for comfort... "... You did this because you saw how miserable Mabel was... It frustrated you greatly... And you wanted to do something about it no matter what... It doesn't make you a monster, it makes you..." He tries to give a very honest smile. "... It makes you the best kind of friend anyone would wish for..."

Bill is really shocked to hear this about himself. And since Sammy knows exactly what he's going to be heard, he beats him to the punch. "Yes, you have gone about it the wrong way, but your intentions were entirely benevolent... No need to feel ashamed about yourself!" Seeing him still a little quiet, he adds... "... Awkward demon hug...?"

Bill still isn't the greatest at accepting physical affection in his real form, but he's considering that he could use it. "... Okay, awkward demon hug..." He floats downwards for it to silently take it while Samuel is holding him and rubbing his back gently. Samuel whispers to him before not bringing up the subject anymore... "You can be proud of yourself..."

Chapter Text

That very Saturday, Mabel decided to go to her friend's home in the morning, finding Dipper's absence to be a little too painful to deal with. She brought her school stuff with her, hoping she might get some help.

Sure enough, Samuel is feeling like he wants to help her with math homework as much as he can. But he gets interrupted.

"No way, Fuzzball. Neither of you deserve to waste too much time thinking about this! I'll help!" Bill shows up, looking serious and sounding genuine.

Mabel sits down to do what is asked and write down what she's learning from the knowledgeful triangle, who does a great job explaining to her what can be difficult to grasp. "... And so, this is the answer to the final question..."

She's very thankful and impressed. "Wow, Bill... You're such an amazing teacher... You know exactly how to adapt difficult things to make them understandable. ... That's more than what I can say about Dipper..."

Bill gets a little defensive. "Hey, don't discredit Pinetree too much..."

Mabel giggles a little. "Don't worry, I wasn't serious... I know he's doing his best anytime he's helping me with school work, and I'm very thankful for it! Truly!"

Sammy's heart is beating a little painfully as he's bringing up something unpleasant. "Mabel... You can guess what's going to happen... At school, with..."

His friend loses her smile a little, causing Bill to intervene. "Don't feel bad, Shooting star... He's saying that because..."

"... we've been thinking of something... But... we weren't sure you would like it..."

Mabel gets really curious. "Really? How come...?"

Sammy sighs, feeling like he's about to reveal something awful, but he feels like he has to do it. "Bill and I may have come up with a plan... But we need your approval..."

The two explain quickly, which leaves her a little conflicted.

"I'm thankful that you want to help, but... I don't know... Do I really wanna do that...?" She looking away, a little bothered by the idea.

His friend tries to reassure her. "You don't have to, but... At this point, it might be needed..."

Bill is once more using his words in great use. "Shooting star... This jerk has been annoying you for months... And no matter what you tried, he kept getting away with it... Do you really want it to continue?"

She recognizes he's making good points, but a part of her still doesn't feel like it's the right thing to do. "No, but..."

The triangle insists. "Think of everything he's done to you! How miserable he made you feel!"

Despite that, she doesn't feel like she wants payback.

Bill then brings his final argument. "Think about Pinetree! Think about how this scumbag also messed with your brother! He tried to protect you, but pays a price for it... Don't you want to get back at him for that???"

This causes her to reconsider, she remembers that time Dipper came back injured. She's also picturing him doing his detention time that very morning, imagining him very miserable. All because he wanted to defend his sister from emotional and physical abuse... And she thinks about how Alan got away with it... This causes her to clench her fist and look at the triangle with a more serious stare. "Fine! Let's do it!" At that, Bill is shaking her hand, even if there's no magical deal in play.

The next Monday, Mabel sees the usual behavior from Alan when they're away from others in the hallway.

"Hiya, sweetie!" He's sounding extremely condescending, much like he's always been with her. "So, were you a good girl and did what you must...?"

Mabel sounds resigned... "Yes, I made the maths homework due to give back today..." She hands the paper to him, giving a sigh. "... So there you go... Just copy it before math class..."

Looking smug as always, Alan grabs it. "Don't mind if I do...", he says before going away. Once he turned around, Mabel suddenly acts a lot more serene about the situation.

Meanwhile, Samuel is actually following Alan while keeping a decent distance from him... As he's allowing Bill to scheme something before he starts copying...

Later that day, at math class, Alan enters the classroom with the copy of Mabel's answers on his hands, alongside the original work. And using his good student persona, he talks to the rest of the class. "If you don't mind, I'd like to pick everyone's homework to leave them on the teacher's desk in advance. That will save him the trouble, I believe. So if you would be so kind..."

Even though most chatter in the classroom talks about how benevolent he is, Mabel doesn't look irritated like she used to be around him. And when Alan comes to sit next to her, he silently tells her, "Thanks, little sweetie...", with his usual dismissive snark.

She reacts frustrated like often, but once more... On the inside, she's feeling a lot better, as if she was faking the negative emotions...

Later that week, in another math class, the teacher is giving back the homework.

"Mabel, you get an A..."

"Yay!!!" She grabs her paper, very excited. "Thanks, Sir!"

Alan smirks a little, but then he hears...

"Alan, sorry, but, you get an F."

"WHAT???" He lost his composure in one second. "But that's impossible! If..." He's almost about to say that he should have the same grade as Mabel, but he manages to stop himself just before the slip up.

The teacher is using logic. "I'm sorry, but everything you put on your homework is wrong... Which is surprising given your usual grades. But either way, you'll probably do better next time..."

Looking shocked, he takes it in silence while Mabel is still smiling about the grade she got.

Then, at the end of the class, when they're alone in the room...

"Not so fast, Mabel..." Alan is angry at the betrayal, but he's about to have a much different view. "You've deceived me..."

Mabel reacts shocked and speaks the truth. "What? No, I didn't... I gave you my homework..."

"You gave me a fake! You made me copy wrong answers and had the real copy elsewhere..."

She once again stays calm, acting like she's shocked to hear that. "What? Of course not! There's no way I could've done that... Remember, I didn't touch my paper after giving it to you... You immediately put it on the teacher's desk..."

This makes him reconsider, but he is still sure that he was duped somewhere. "Then what happened is that you substitued the paper you gave me with the real one... Or you took it back at some point to correct everything..."

Mabel speaks once again the truth with logical facts. "There's no way I could've done that. I couldn't approach the papers, since the teacher immediately put them in his bag... And look... My homework page is completely clean... If I did change it after giving it to you, it would show..."

Alan is feeling uneasy about the situation when he processes everything. From him getting the paper to studying it, and how Mabel didn't get the chance to touch it again between that and being graded. And yet, the contents of the homeworks are completely different. "It... It doesn't make any sense... Something doesn't add up... Something happened, but... what...?"

Mabel shrugs innocently. "Who knows? It's a mystery..."

When she does that, Alan takes notice of her right wrist. "Wait..."

"... Yes...?" She looks at his gaze. "Oh, you've seen that, haven't you...? It's the friendship bracelet I got for my latest birthday! Isn't it neat?" She shows him the pink bracelet closer, but Alan looks uneasy.

"But... Wasn't it... broken...? You ripped it last week, I've seen it..."

"Oh, that...?" She speaks up, telling the truth. "It got fixed, that's all!"

Alan feels extremely confused when he takes a good look. "But... It looks... new... Like it was never damaged... Did you replace it...?"

Mabel reacts like she heard something stupid. "Replace it? How absurd... It was handmade for a gift, it's one of a kind..."

"But... How can it look...?"

She leaves half a lie this time to conclude. "I'm just very good with needlework... That's all... But look, I have no time to waste anymore, my brother is waiting for me. See you later..."

She leaves Alan there, completely lost about the entire thing, and leaving him with many questions and doubts in his head. Once she knows she's no longer being looked, she smiles eagerly and joins her brother and friend.

From inside Samuel's head, Bill is laying with his legs crossed and his arms behind his body, sounding really smug and satisfied. "The seeds of doubt and fear are now planted... And just like that, this very fragile thing that is this ego is already at risk of being shattered by uncertainty and concern..." He starts thinking about what happened thanks to him today, and this causes him to leave out his usual laugh. "Hehehehehe... That felt good...!!!"

Chapter Text

The school week passes without much of an issue... And with every passing day, they're getting closer to that sweet summer vacation, as the school year is almost going to get to a close.

In the meantime, Dipper was made aware of what they did with Alan. He does seem a little disappointed and lets it known kindly when they leave the school.

"I wish you guys would've told me before that..."

Mabel defends herself genuinely. "I know, I was hesitant too... But I didn't see another solution. We both agreed that we didn't want or wish to use violence to solve the situation, right...?"

Samuel tries to convince him too. "... And we really couldn't think of something else... Otherwise, he'd get away with this. Something Bill would've hated... Don't you think Alan deserved that...?"

Dipper barely hesitates. "Yes... Yes he did... And even worse than that..."

"Don't think too much about this, Bro-bro." Mabel really wants him to feel better and changes the subject. "What's done is done! Anyway, you guys heard about the talent show for this year? You wanna participate?"

Dipper looks away, conflicted. "I dunno... It's not my type to go on stage in front of an audience... I don't even know what I could do and I'd be scared to mess up."

Sammy comments on it himself. "I'd try it..." He notices his friends looking at him in disbelief, and he's perfectly able to know what they're about to say. "Yeah, I know that I'm the reserved type, and the thought of it makes me a little nervous... But it's been on my mind for a while that maybe I should try to overcome this kind of anxiety..." He looks away, a little in shame, for one second. "You know... Trying to be brave, and all..."

"Oh, that's amazing, Sammy!!!" Mabel is quick to cuddle him gently. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know... Go on stage, take a mike, drop a few jokes..." He tries to end the subject, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'll figure it out...!"

Dipper smiles gentfully at this. "This is great, Sammy... I feel like you've been changing a little lately..."

His friend does feel insecure about it, still. "Have I...? I don't know..."

Reading this stare, the brown-haired boy avoids developing. "I think so, even if you didn't notice it. Anyway..." He looks at the time. "We gotta go, have a nice week-end, alright?"

"Sure thing! You too!" He nods gently before leaving home, almost in a hurry.

When the dark-haired boy reaches home, he does the usual of greeting his parents, dropping his backpack in his room and getting a healthy snack. And like always, when he goes to his room alone...

"Another week done, eh Fuzzball? I hope you're happy about letting school behind for a bit!"

Sammy looks a little too lost in his inner thoughts to be able to react accordingly.

Bill floats directly in front of his sight. "Hey now, what's with that long fleshy face, boy?"

He leaves out, rather quietly. "... I don't know for sure if I wanna do this anymore..."

The demon reacts to that very annoyed. "You better not backpedal now, Fuzzball! We've already got our agreement done!"

"I know, I know..." He admits. "I don't intend to prevent it, it's just... I'd feel dirty..."

Bill keeps his angry tone to get his point across. "We had a deal, and now is not the time to have doubts! If we don't act now, then our plan won't be able to bear its fruits. It's now or never, Fuzzball!"

Samuel then decides to let him know what's bothering him the most about it right now. "Feels more like your plan... One in which I'm nothing but a pawn..."

"Heheheh... A pawn..." Bill takes it humorously before approaching in a kind manner. "Don't be silly... Someone needs some more self-confidence..." Then he adds. "If you were a pawn, you wouldn't even know or want to know what horrible things I could do with you... But instead, I've let you know what I intend to do, and I'm only gonna do those because you've agreed to. You can trust me..."

Samuel is letting the speech get to him. He does indeed want to trust Bill despite his discomfort. With that, the triangle leaves out the ultimate argument. "It's for your friends' best interests...You really wanna go against that?"

"Of course not!" Samuel stares with certainty, which puts him fully on board with the idea.

"Good... Then try to relax and let me do..." Bill concludes and turns around, before he starts thinking to himself. "Pinetree was kinda right... This boy did change..." The idea makes him pleased inside, but he isn't going to let it be known.

Several hours later, in the middle of the night... Even though Samuel is sleeping nicely... He opens his eyes out of nowhere, with Bill having taken control. Although he sports his usual grin to some extent, he also seems to have a very serious expression. He silently sneaks out of the house to walk around the streets.

Sammill does have a very specific location in mind and stops when he reaches it. ... Alan's home, because of course he would know this kind of information without any help. He's able to sneak into the frontyard after making sure that no one is around, and then silently lies down on the grass, on a spot where he wouldn't be seen, before Bill leaves the body to sleep there.

Bill manages not to glow and very quietly whispers to the body. "Sorry, Fuzzball, I won't be long..." He then disappears to explore around, and quickly enough, he gets to Alan's bedroom and enters his dreams very silently.

Once inside his dreamscape, Bill closes his eye to compose himself, thinking about the Pines twins, and softly repeats to himself. "I can do this... It'll be worth it..." before deciding to put the plan in motion.

Right as he entered, Alan didn't have any dream. But thanks to his presence, he sees himself in the familiar setting of the school. Unaware about the situation, he does what he does best when he sees people around him.

"I always do my best to make the world around me a better place. I always fight injustices when I see them... I regularly donate to charities and associations when I get the chance... And I would never ever be able to do anything wrong..."

"HE'S A FRAUD!!!"

The sudden yell completely interrupts his usual fibbing. Mabel was standing right there alongside Dipper, the two of them taking all the attention.

"THIS GUY IS A PATHETIC LIAR!!!" Yells Dipper.

"HE'S A BULLY!!! A MANIPULATOR!!! HE'S AN AWFUL PERSON WHO DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING HE SAYS!!!" Yells Mabel.

Despite how their claims aren't accompanied by any proof, the situation becomes a lot more scary from Alan's point of view, as everyone who was worshipping him seconds ago look at him with scary frowns.

"Um... Guys...? Why would you listen to...?"

Before he's even able to finish his sentence, the dream keeps distorting to look more and more nightmarish, as the Pines twins are growing in presence and everyone around those two seem to get a possessed aura about them.

"Wait... Hold on, I..." Alan backs down in this dream, but then he suddenly finds himself bumping into a wall, that immediately turns into a cell as a very scary adult shawody figure is sentencing him.

"For all your wrongdoings, you will be sent to live detention, and will repeat this grade 5 times!!!"

Dipper and Mabel, in this nightmare, are fist bumping in pride and laughing evilly in a distorted manner, their powerful presence reaching its peak.

Alan yells and cowers, and right after, despite his eyes being closed, he can feel everything appeasing itself, and he can feel like a glow asking him to open his eyes.

"U-uh...?" He looks around. The school setting is still there, but everyone's gone, and everything looks normal again. The sky, the walls, the ground... Everything looked grim a few moments ago, but it all changed into a much more serene environment. While he's processing it, he hears a loud and playful voice from behind.

"Well well well... That was a pitiful spectacle, wasn't it???"

Alan lets out a yell of surprise before turning around to see Bill and the same yellow gleam he has felt while he had his eyes closed. He looks very confused while he's trying to process what he's seeing in front of him.

Bill says proudly and tauntingly "Take a good look at this great sight, Puppeteer!"

"W-what...?" Before he can ask, the answer comes.

"I've been observing you... I've seen how talented you are at twisting everyone's perception of the truth... How you have a presence that makes everyone easily manipulated by you... So I thought it'd be a fitting title to give you, Puppeteer!"

Alan's confusion is huge and he tries to get better answers. "B-But... What even are you...?

"Oh, me...? Maybe yours truly is nothing but a figment of your imagination..." He giggles. "But maybe I'm actually some kind of conscience that has come for you..."

The young teenager seems to believe it due to a lack of another explanation. "A... A conscience...?"

"Yes... I must say, you have a lot of talents, and I admire them... But I have come to warn you..." Bill moves a lot during his speech, showing a lot of confidence like usual. Even if, on the inside, he does feel a little nervous, he does everything he can to let it buried deep. "What you've seen just now was a sign of bad things to come..."

He recalls what happened in horror. "This... This horrible nightmare... It was your doing...?"

Bill shrugs. "Sorry, Puppeteer... But I had to use a proper way to make you understand how serious the situation is... Because of these pesky Pines pests, your entire life is at risk... These two kids... They are not what they seem..."

Alan looks scared. "What...? What do you mean...?"

"They are not normal kids... They have scary powers that they won't hesitate to use to take you down..."

Alan is very doubtful. "No way, they're just dumb powerless dorks!"

"Oh, really...?" Bill is using true facts to make his lies believable. "Remember what happened lately...? The way you were choking after getting that boy in trouble...? The way you got cheated off from a good grade by copying that girl's homework without any logical explanation...? They've already started!"

Alan suddenly gets scared as he realizes that it's true.

Bill tells himself. "Okay... Now, time for the bait..." He starts speaking to him again. "But this is why I'm here, not only to warn you... But I'm going to offer you help..."

"You would help me...?"

"Yes!" Bill starts moving all around Alan and is using his words very carefully. "I will make it so you get what you deserve for the end of this school year, and for your future..."

"You... You really...? But what do you mean...?"

The triangle answers to that in a different way. "Like I said, I admire your manipulative prowesses, Puppeteer! And I could help you take them to the next level! Not only could I help you overcome the threat of the Pines twins... I could make your future a glorious one..."

Alan looks interested and Bill continues. "You're doing great having a lot of people at this school believe your words and actions... But how about...?" He suddenly has a bombastic and playful speech. "You take it to a WORLDWIDE level??? Trust me, boy... With me around, you would be able to become rich and famous and have a lot of powers from it... I could make you an actor, a writer, an artist... I could make it so everyone would know your name and anyone worldwide would constantly sing your praises blindly and worship you! Doesn't that sound good?"

Alan lets the speech and promises get to him, and he starts showing a grin. His egotism seems to be getting the best of him when he hears this, enough to cover his doubt and sense of judgement.

Bill thinks. "Perfect... There is a bite..." He speaks up in a soothing manner. "All I'd ask in return to my intervention is that you give me an access to your spirit so I can properly help you." He then offers him a handshake, with the blue flames of a deal showing. "Do you accept...?"

Alan moves in without any hesitation. "Of course!" He grabs the triangle's hand immediately, having no idea what he just set himself up to.

Bill ends the handshake to conclude the encounter. "You are very smart, Puppeteer! I will do everything I can so you won't regret that choice!"

"Wait, will you really come back? How would I know...?" Alan asks in doubts, he's not even sure if he's still dreaming.

"Oh, you will hear of me again..." He toyfully adds. "Or maybe you won't... Maybe I'm nothing more than something your mind made up! Heheheheheheh........" He disappears in a glow and everything around Alan becomes a different dream immediately. Bill is still spying on it for now, changing the setting and theme of the dream every few moments by a snap of his fingers. "A classic mind trick... Having a dream be so random and nonsensical that the victim wouldn't remember what happened in it..."

He quickly decides to move away, deciding to access the mindscape he just got the keys for. Doing that, being alone, he tells loudly. "I didn't think I still had it in me to twist and trick like that! It feels so good!!! Heheheheheheheheheh........... Okay, I'll do one very quick trip for now and see what I can find..."

He decides to quickly explore some of the distant memories because he can't help himself. Soon enough, he finds something that makes him go... "Ooooooooh........ Now isn't that..." He giggles in the middle before playfully saying. "... interesting...?"

However, he decides to stop the searches for now and leaves, returning to the real world and quickly enough taking control of Samuel's body back.

As Sammill stands up, he can feel how the body feels a bit feeble from the tiredness and the side effects of staying laying on the open for that long. He can feel the body's fingers being very cold from the breeze. "Oooh... Sorry, Fuzzball... Don't worry, I'll make sure your body gets the care it needs for the rest of the night..."

He stays true to these words, returning home and sneaking inside safely, and getting the body in bed under a right amount of bedsheets, leaving him to get a good rest...

Chapter Text

Just like Bill made sure to, Samuel was able to get a comforting and energizing sleep, in spite of the odd night escapade. He manages to wake up only to be greeted by Bill's presence, who has been silently gazing at him waiting to wake up.

But despite how unsettling this might be, it has been so long since those two are linked that it doesn't even freak him out anymore. Instead, he reacts with a fairly normal "Morning, Bill..."

"Morning, Fuzzball..." Bill answers, trying to hide his excitement, but he's unable to suppress his playful tone and his desire to cackle amusingly. "Boy, do I have things to tell you..."

Sammy stands up and respectfully shuts him down for now. "Can't it wait until after breakfast and the rest of my morning, please...?"

The triangle is fairly annoyed about that, but decides to silently shrug and stay quietly hidden until his on-and-off vessel is ready to hear about it later in the day.

In the meantime, when Sammy goes downstairs and meets his parents, he's feeling his heart pounding a little, because he has yet to get an answer to something that feels very important to him. He can feel some tension rising inside him when he joins them, which causes him to instinctively fiddle with the texture of his purple friendship bracelet. But he doesn't dare to bring up what's on his mind for now.

But this nervousness doesn't go unnoticed, since the parents know their boy way too well.

"What's the matter, Samuel? Is something troubling you...?" His mom asks that very gently.

A part of Samuel wished he was going to be asked that, but he still feels incredibly nervous. Regardless, he wants to tell the truth.

"Yes... It's about... I did mention about how Dipper and Mabel are going to leave all summer, like last year..."

"Yes, you did." His father tries to be understanding and reassuring in his speech.

"But also, that..." Sammy sighs, grasping all the courage he can to fight his discomfort. "I've got that offer from their relatives to join them... And..."

This is met with some disagreements from his parents, even though they are not against the idea.

"Samuel, we understand that you would like this, but..."

"You know we've already planned another trip to New Jersey. And... we're really not sure about letting you go away without us."

"B-But... I would love it! I'd love to spend summer with my best friends, especially because of what they've told me!"

Samuel realizes that he's sounding a little clingy and immature, so he cools down and tries to use a different approach. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it this way..." There's a bit of silence after that. "Of course I've had a great time when I got to see my cousins last summer. This wasn't what I meant... It's just... Getting the chance to travel with Dipper and Mabel makes me really eager to take the opportunity. I've known them for so long, and I'm sure this would only strenghten our bond..."

"We get it, but..."

Sammy politely cuts off his mother, because he doesn't want to let his chance to convince them go to waste. "They shared a lot about this place to me. It meant a lot to them last summer, and I'm sure they'd love to make me experience that as much as me..."

This slightly makes his parents reconsider, so his father asks. "What exactly have they told you about it?"

At that question, Samuel tries to not say too much that could worry them. But he also wouldn't want to outright lie to them. "They said it was a very special and magical place to them, and that it would mean a lot for them to share it with me now that they can return there."

"Alright, Samuel..." His mom tries to act reassuring once more, seeing how much it would mean for him. "We'll think about it, but if you want to help us, you should get the contact of whoever would be hosting you and your friends there. That way, we could get a better idea about it and feel more reassured."

This makes Samuel smile, and his dad is kindly trying to conclude the conversation. "Now eat your healthy breakfast, before you might be late for school."

"Oh, right..." Sammy starts eating now that he's feeling a little better. Before leaving for school, he takes the time to say. "Thanks... I'm glad we've had that conversation!" He leaves the house, trying to stay optimistic.

The parents have a short conversation about it once he's gone.

"So, what do you think...?", asks his mom.

His dad answers to that with his main thoughts. "I understand that it would mean a lot to let him have an experience without us... I have reservations about it as well... But at the same time... he turned 13 this year, and it seems he'd really enjoy spending time with his friends in a place they'd want him to be... Maybe we can consider it..."

Samuel reached the school on time, despite the odds. While he's still insecure about if it's going to have a positive impact, he's truly feeling a lot better to have let that out of his chest.

During the lunch break, he's telling his friends about it in more details when they're on a spot by themselves outside.

"... So, yes, if you want to improve the odds that I'd spend the summer vacation with you, it would be really helpful if you could get your relatives to contact my parents..."

Mabel reacts immediately. "Oh, definitely. First thing once we get home this evening, I'll leave them a message about that and give our grunkles your parents' contacts!"

Sammy knew this kind of eager reaction would come from her, but he's still feeling comforted. "... You would be really happy if I got the chance to join you this summer, uh...?"

"Of course!!!" She almost screams at his face, but she shows some basic restraint still. "I'd love for you to see this place, and it'd make our summer even better. Our best friend from home with our family and friends from our adventures. Best of both worlds, right Bro-bro?"

"Oh, um..." Dipper is positive about the idea, but he's doing his best to bury something that's on his mind about it. "Yeah, totally!" He manages to sound convincing still. "It'd be great if that could happen! I just... I'm not getting my hopes up just yet, in case..."

Mabel pouts a tiny bit. "Ah, don't bring a pessimistic vibe, you'll give us bad luck..." She jokingly goes to touch her brother's face and try to raise the corner of his lips. "Turn that frown upside down!"

Dipper speaks up despite the difficulty of the situation and manages to make himself understood with an authoritative "Mabel, stop that!".

She does that quickly and Samuel giggles a tiny bit. "Never a dull moment with you two, uh? I hope I'll be able to..."

His speech is interrupted by Alan's surprise approach to the group, right behind Samuel, when there's no one but the four of them around.

"Hey there, little sweetie!" He addresses Mabel with the usual smugness, not caring at all about the boy in front of him.

"Uh oh, here comes trouble!!!" Bill comments to himself from where he is, although he isn't really concerned. He actually sounds amused.

The girl is actually more relaxed about his presence these days, in large part thanks to Bill's recent idea. "Hey, Alan!"

Dipper grabs Samuel's arm and drags him a little closer to him, because he's a little nervous that being between Alan and Mabel would be a bad spot.

Alan looks at the twins and their friend without an issue, feeling as morally powerful on them like always. It seems that he indeed forgot all about his dream encounter with that "conscience" figure and what happened in it.

He's directly talking to Mabel now that there's no one in the way anymore. "Unfortunately, our time this year is coming to a close, but don't worry! I'll make it so you won't see time pass with all I'll make you do. And I'll make sure that you won't try to pull any kind of subterfuge with me."

Dipper would like to intervene, but he sees how Mabel seems awfully relaxed. As if she knew inside that it'd end well for her. That and a mix of not wanting to get his feelings get the best of him again prevent him from doing anything.

Samuel, however, speaks up, quite shyly... "Hey, leave her alone already...!"

Alan isn't scared much when he turns to face him. "Who talked? Little bushy hair boy?" Sammy stays quiet, not knowing how to continue on his desire to defend his friend. "Are you going to continue to try and get me to stop?" He continues, not sounding worried in the slightest. "Because that would be a pretty bad mistake from you..."

Samuel closes his eyes for a couple of seconds, a little worried. Then he suddenly smirks a little. His speech also turns more confident and playful. "Oh, I believe that you're the one who is terribly mistaken..." He opens his eyes, but Alan can't tell what's going on with the boy's change in attitude. "I don't think you know who you are dealing with..."

Alan reacts unimpressed. "How amusing, you're actually trying to threaten me? What could you even do?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Sammill is acting innocent, before directly talking to him. "But you'll see..." After some suspense, he suddenly namedrops something very impactful to his ear.

Alan's smugness disappears in an instant, and his mood changes to him seeming horrified. He felt like his heart dropped to his stomach.

Dipper and Mabel didn't get to hear what he said, but they definitely notice the impact it had.

Alan backs down a bit, being almost too afraid to speak properly. "W-What...? W-Who...? H-How do you know about that???"

Sammill just shrugs innocently. "I don't know..." Then, he points at the twins, who are just standing in the sidelines, half confused and half worried. "What I do know is that I can let my friends know if you don't back down for good!" Then he amps up how playfully sadistic he sounds. "Or maybe the whole school? Would be hilarious, wouldn't it?" He makes an innocent grin that has the effect of scaring his interlocutor.

"N-No... D-Don't you..." Alan is close to being terrified of the prospect, and leaves the group quickly, almost as if he was running for his life, to isolate himself and control his anxiety in a closet.

Mabel and Dipper are speechless, but also appear concerned from how that conversation went.

Dipper, while as suspicious and judgemental as he usually can be, is sounding quite dumbfounded. "Um... Bill...?"

Mabel is very much the same, she's feeling lost. "Thanks for doing that, but what did...?"

Sammill turns around to face them. "Ah, Pinetree, Shooting star... I can tell from your vacant gazes that you're confused!" He says that, being completely amused even if he saw those reactions coming a mile away. Even then, he's quick to reassure them. "It just so happened that, I got to do a small trip inside that boy's head. And I got to see something... very interesting..."

"You did what???" Dipper feels like calling him out, but keeps it to himself.

Sammill says. "I got to see a memory of his. Something that happened when he started elementary school..." He can help but grin and cackle when he thinks about it. "It was humiliating and it got him a nickname that drove him crazy for years! He thought it was gone when he got to a middle school, but... Heheheheheheheh.........!!!!!!"

Dipper wants to ask a logical question. "Bill, how could...?" His question gets interrupted when Mabel grabs his hand mid-sentence.

"I mean..." Mabel isn't very happy about hearing that, but as she claims... "It's not using violence, like he promised to us... And Bro-bro... you can't deny that Bill's methods are providing great results... "

"And how!!! Have you seen how much of a pathetic coward he is when you challenge his ego and fragile confident act?" Sammill tries to contain his chuckles without too much success before continuing. "But don't worry... All that happened right now was done with Fuzzball's agreement. He helped me get there with full consent!"

"Sammy approved of that???" Mabel is quite surprised to hear it.

"Yeah! He started doing that plan, but he got a little intimidated... So I just gave him a hand, while this fool is none the wiser about everything that happened."

"Uh..." For reasons unknown to him, this knowledge makes it so Dipper can't help but feel better about what happened. "But... Don't be too cruel with Alan, okay...?" No matter what his opinion on the guy is, he can't help but let his compassionate side shine.

Bill is quite understanding of that situation by now, so he answers without any problem. "Don't worry... I have carefully planned my moves. And I promise you, I don't plan to go as far from now on." He drops the playful behavior and sounds more serious and emotive. "Do you trust me on this...?"

Mabel answers without a doubt. "Yes, I trust you!" It surprises her a little to not feel any hesitation, but it's the truth. She sees Bill in a completely different light now.

Even though Dipper is concerned inside, knowing that Samuel approved of this and that Bill is doing something good with his talents... He has to admit, with barely any hesitation in his voice. "... I trust you too..."

"Heheheh... Isn't that wonderful???" Sammill exclaims. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to let the original manager of this body go back!" With an extensive gesture, he exclaims "Nice talkin', goofy twins!!!" before letting Samuel back in control and slowly decude what happened.

Before moving on, they have a quick chat about what exactly Bill found out and whispered, with Mabel really wanting to know while Dipper is more hesitent...

Chapter Text

Fully author notes:

So... Hiya, folks...

Before anything else, I know that I do it regularly, but... I still wanna say, huge thanks for the support and interest I've happened to receive when it comes to this story.

I've started playing with the concept of it when I was in a bad place mentally, and for some reason, that lead to me taking it seriously and trying to make an actual, solid thing out of it. For the first time ever, even.
About a franchise I actually don't like all that much, (and I always got bad results with its fandom when I say that...)

But even though I've never intended to let it unfinished/incomplete, I must say, the follows and feedback I've gotten have been a strong factor in me not giving up on it and trying to get it through the end. Which...

Act 2 is about to get to an end, but I'm not really sure about what exactly would be part of Act 3 and how long it'd be. But regardless, I think I've been getting a little insecure about getting that act finished.

As I said, I don't intend to give up, and I do have stuff planned out, and some big things written in advance for a later point of the story. But when it comes to trying to do a continuation of where I am in what I've published, well...

I don't know... I'm aware that I can do it, but I also get concerned that I wouldn't be able to make something big and impactful enough. Even though there are probably a lot of moments I've managed to publish that would qualify as what I've described.

But yeah, this is why there's been a bit of a slowdown in publishing. I know I wouldn't be called out for not doing the absolute best I could and it's about getting to it.

In the meantime, though, I've learned about publishing pictures on here. And it happens that I've tried to make some art revolving around that story that maybe I could share. Which may have been better to do at a much earlier point of the story. But better late than never, I suppose.

So if you're interested, here's my not-so-great-to-me art.

So here's a depiction of how I picture Samuel (and really, it would've probably helped you if I shared that earlier, but whatever.)
I did describe him with rather bushy hair, something I did out of necessity because I needed something about him to justify Bill using a nickname. So although "Fuzzball" might imply a messier set of hair, I guess that works too, without being too insulting either.
About the friendship bracelet, the other very important thing about his design, I chose purple mostly so it'd stand out with the green of his shirt. But I found out later that there's something about purple that makes it perfect for him. It has to do with the colors of the bracelets he's made for his friends.
Similarly, the name "Samuel" is both incredibly ironic and fitting for someone who ends up being around someone who describes himself as a demon.

Speaking of...

(I know Sammy is supposed to be wearing a night attire at that moment of the story, but too bad, I guess)

The moment that was inevitable, but I'm surprised that I managed to make it work

To have Bill know how to toy with this boy's feelings, and that whole "I'm selling a bad solution to you because I know you wouldn't handle the other outcome" mindset. And knowing full well he'd get him in his clutches, because if Sammy declined, Dipper and Mabel would've actually believed him about everything...
Being able to come up with this makes me wonder if I do have a sadist side, not gonna lie...
And talking of sadism...

Here we have very early Sammill, with Bill doing what he does best.
I did bring up in the prologue that Dipper decided to wear a replica of his old hat once he arrived home, but I don't think I've ever brought it up afterwards, so I don't blame anyone for having forgotten about it or picturing him with the wrong cap all this time.

... Man, if Bill went through his with "fun plan"... instead of having his deeply buried feelings of guilt and grief growing stronger due to that extended use of a human body, to the point where he couldn't hide them anymore... I'm not sure I wanna think about where the story could've gone. Main thing about his plan was "you caused me to lose my dreams and friends, so I'll make you lose a friend too!".
Looking back, I've been an absolute monster when I wrote this chapter... It's all for good fun in the end, of course.

And last one I have...

I feel like Mabel was one of the main reasons I wanted to take this route. I knew that, as soon as Bill's feelings were proven to be genuine, she'd immediately be "of course I forgive you, Bill! I wanna be your friend!" So in hindsight, this story and its lenght have a lot to do with the potential that this dynamic has. So it evolved into how Dipper and Bill accepted this change as well. And thus, the main group's dynamic was set.
Could've drawn Bill's bracelet, but I either forgot or wanted to make it not too spoilery for other contexts I've shared this.

And, I guess this is it...? I hope you've enjoyed the small showcase. I felt this was deserved for those who have read this far and are waiting for more at the moment.

I've spent a good amount of time planning ahead for future content, but I do need to get courage and motivation to give act 2 its conclusion, even if I don't make it the most bombastic thing ever...

So, thanks for your patience. And thank you very much for the feedback, it helps a lot for my weak self-esteem.

Chapter Text

The second half of May arrived way faster than it seemed. At the Pines twins' bedroom, Mabel is already in a packing mood for her next vacation.

Dipper is noticing her eagerness when he sees her already making decisions from her wardrobe. "Sis, we still have time... We're not leaving until around two weeks from now."

"But I'm so excited!!! I can't stand idly, I have to decide which sweaters and headbands I wanna bring! It's less to be concerned about later!" Mabel then leaves out, unexpectedly. "Then I'll be able to help Sammy with his stuff when he'll be packing!"

"Wait, wait... What do you mean, when...?" Dipper points out, a little concerned about her possible disappointment... "We don't know yet if Samuel will be able to join us..."

Mabel scoffs a little at this. "Oh, please... There are no doubts to be had about that!"

Dipper gives off a confused look, causing her to explain her logic.

"You really think Sammy's parents won't be convinced to accept? Between Grunkle Ford, who has his approach of being a responsible adult, and Grunkle Stan, who has this talent of making people feel at ease with him... You think they won't be able to get them to approve?"

"Um... You might have a point..." Dipper admits, but then, he lets out. "I'm a little worried about Bill going with us to Gravity Falls. Of course, I wouldn't object, since that'd mean not allowing our friend to join. And I have a very good trust of him, but I can't help it..."

His sister is annoyed by that, but she completely understands where he's coming from. "Bro-bro, think about everything that happened, especially lately... It's very clear that he has no bad intentions anymore. I'm totally sure of that! And we promised we'd help him be at ease!"

Her brother then asks her what's bothering his mind the most right now. "The stuff with Alan makes me nervous... Not you...?"

Mabel loses her smile a little bit, but then she speaks seriously with optimism. "I'll be honest... If it was Bill acting alone, I'd share that concern... But the fact that Sammy is fully on board with it makes it different to me... Even if your trust of Bill isn't 1000%, do you really, really believe that Samuel would do the wrong thing?"

Dipper stays mute for a moment...

"Do you think... maybe... Bill might be... rubbing off on Samuel a little...? I kinda fear that..." As he let it out, he looks at Mabel and evaluates the weight of his own statement. "No, it doesn't make sense... Samuel would never do something cruel..." He then realizes. "Thanks for listening, maybe I just needed to let these thoughts out of my body..."

Mabel nods. "I get it, Bro-bro!" She gently and half-teasingly rubs her brother's hair. "I'm proud of you for letting sense be in that head of yours!"

He giggles for a second before gently pushing her hand away, before she adds. "Besides... I'm sure anything that Samuel could've learned from Bill was something positive..."

Dipper thinks about how his friend seems to have turned a little more protective of his friends, ever since he made that deal to try and protect them from Bill's wrath. As well as how he seems to be trying to be braver and less of a pushover, trying to help his friends with their predicament and speaking up his mind a lot more... It gives him a little smile.

"You're most likely right. Sorry I bothered you, you should return to your packing. I might start planning a list myself..."

Mabel jokes around when she hears that. "Ugh, a list just for stuff you bring on vacation...? At some point, Nerd Alert is too repetitive to describe you..." She goes back to choosing her clothes.

Dipper frowns a tiny bit, but doesn't complain at all. He knows that there's genuine sibling love from her behind all the mocking statements.

Later in the evening, when Dipper is alone in the room, he can't help but grab the box where he put the souvenirs from their previous summer. Whenever he grabs the envelope and everytime he opens the letter... Knowing that what's going to happen soon is true... He is loving the feeling it gives him inside... A mix of eagerness and heartwarm that he doesn't want to let go of.

That same evening, Samuel overheard his parents being in the process of negociating about letting him go in vacation with his friends. He doesn't want to get involved, as the process makes him nervous. He's in an odd situation mentally, where he has been hearing positive things, but he also wouldn't want to get his hopes up too much...

When he enters his bedroom and closes the door, his very pensive and troubled demeanor doesn't go unnoticed.

"Uh-oh, looks like Fuzzball got his thoughts in a tangled ball!" Bill observes playfully before floating closely. "What's the matter, flesh sack?" He asks, with some genuineness behind the sarcasm.

Sammy breathes, trying to get the worries out of his stomach, before he starts answering. "I think I'm quite anxious about a few things... Mainly the whole issue about me possibly not joining my friends for vacation, and..."

Bill got a fleeting concerned stare for a very brief moment before he cuts him off with a confident speech, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Now now now... Why would you get your mind busy with such things...?" The triangle seems like he wants to be in charge of the situation, and with a bit of a recent change in behavior when it comes to his powers, he seems to want to take control with more than just words...

Bill extends his hands to successfully alter the scenery and provides Samuel with a fancy chair that came out of nowhere, while Bill also gets his own.

Being greatly confused about what's being set, Samuel is looking for words, but Bill manages to cut him off with a hint of playfulness. "Don't get your mind busy in a bad way... You need to relax... And I know a way..." He snaps his fingers and makes a drink with red liquid on it appear on the boy's hand, which he also get... As he can pretty much guess what's intended to be said, he continues. "There's no chance your parents will find out... I got the door locked and it'd only take a snap of my fingers to hide everything... Oh, one final thing..."

He finally uses his magics to change Samuel's attire to be the Bill-like suit that he got for his birthday. Bill stares with amusement before talking in a slightly manipulative tone. "There we go... Now I want you to... just relax..... and slow down from unpleasant thoughts....."

Samuel doesn't object due to how heavy his mind is, and looks at his drink in confusion. "Is that even something I should be drinking...?"

"Of course it is!" Bill marks a pause before saying. "I hope you'll enjoy the taste of sheep blood!"

Hearing that causes the boy to almost gag of disgust, and Bill lets out a laugh. "It's raspberry juice, silly!!! I didn't think you'd fall for that, Fuzzball!!!"

His human vessel feels genuinely annoyed at him for the first time in a long while, and starts complaining. Then Bill asks a genuine question. "Oh, but that reaction allowed you to think of something else, didn't it...?"

"Uh... You're right..." Samuel can't deny that point... Smelling the drink's aroma, he realizes that the former statement is right too. And he does feel genuinely good in the attire Bill got for him...

"Now then, isn't that a nicer thing to do...?" Bill asks genuinely.

"I gotta say... Yes..." Sammy lets out a slight smile.

"Don't you have nicer things in your mind too...?"

"Um..." The boy thinks, and then notices the cane that the triangle gave him alongside the outfit, resting against his chair. It does spark a question. "Yes, actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask... ... How do you do that cane twirl thing...?"

Bill starts floating, letting his drink float too, and makes his cane appear. "Oh, this...?" He demonstrates. "It's not much, really... I'm sure you could do it."

Samuel stands and tries with his. After a couple of attempts, he already got the swing down. "Wow, you were right. You make it look so cool that I expected it to be a lot more complex..."

Bill takes the praise with pride before adding. "It's not much... This, however..." He does it again, but this time, he alternates between his fingers while the cane twirls. "Neat, uh?" Seeing the stunned look on the human's face, he approaches and adjusts the bowtie as a way of showing some affection. "I can teach you if you want it that badly! You'll need to beg, though! Hahah!!!"

Sammy can't help but be a little amused at the condition. After some more talks, he brings up quickly something to get it out of his system...

"Bill, I know you mean well in this case, but are you sure that we're not going too far with Alan...?"

The triangle groans of annoyance at this a little bit, but he figures that it might be wiser to answer and be done with the subject. "You shouldn't worry about it at all... I have everything under control..." He suddenly sounds more sinister. "And in order to make it as satisfying as it should... You gotta toy around a little... Let it build slowly... Make it ripe for the taking... And then, when you finally get to the goal..." He lets out an excited cackle.

"O-Okay... Thanks for answering..." Samuel tries to ignore all of his concerns and then return to a more innocent topic, for lack of a better term...

He takes the sketchbook that Dipper gifted him, which he has used himself to draw. But once in a while, when he's alone with Bill, he gets to a more specific kind of activity with it.

The triangle is delighted. "Ah, so you want me to show some more of that Spooktacular imagination, don't you???" Seeing the boy nod, he adds. "Okay, but let's make it a little more interesting... If you really took a liking to this stuff, then I want YOU to try your hand at it! You're up to the challenge, Fuzzball?"

Taken aback, he still answers. "Um... Sure...".

With that statement, Bill magically provides him a desk as a support, and he's genuinely intrigued to see him take the assignment...

Sammy finished a sketch and shows him with some eagerness, but he also lacks some confidence. "What do you think...?"

Bill takes the sketchbook, stares and wants to be encouraging, but he can't help but find it lacking. "It's fine and all, but... Surely, you could do way better than that... I mean, come on, where are all the sharp fangs????"

Somehow, the way the triangular companion expresses it doesn't make him feel bad, and instead makes him want to continue his efforts. As Bill planned, this twisted form of bonding is something he needed to get his head off his current worries.

By the next Friday afternoon, the end of the second to last week of the school year, it appears that Bill's idea has been working wonderfully. In the span of less than two weeks, Alan went from being a smug and always confident guy who always had the spirit and ways to twist any situation to his advantage... to gradually becoming a hugely nervous wreck since he got that big scare. And ever since, he's felt kind of... haunted, inside... He's been having some very weird and worrisome nightmares about his life crumbling apart. But not just nightmares...

While most of the class noticed that Alan had started acting... really weird... Once the final class of the day is done, he's along the two classmates that have backed him up the most.

He's talking to them, awfully distraught. "Guys... You must believe me... I keep having weird things happening to me... Like... some kind of visions..."

"Visions, uh...?" Says one of them. "That sounds really hard to believe..."

"Like what...?" Asks, the other.

He explains, sounding really scared. "It's like... I see something happening in front of me for fake... And then, it turns out to happen for real once I get back to my senses... It's so weird!!!"

"Really...? Are you sure you're not making things up...?"

Alan freaks out, trying to make them understand that he's sincere. "YES!!! I..." Just like that, he appears to have one happening right now. And he's taken out of the vision in a split second. "Guys, it just happened...!!!"

The two of them are very doubtful, however. "For real? What was it about...?"

"It was, um..." Alan turns around in fear and notices Samuel coming for him. This makes him let out a very quick yell of fear.

Samuel approaches (or so he believes to be Samuel...) to say. "Hey guys! Just thought I'd let you know, I hope you have a good week-end! Byyyye!" He leaves quickly enough.

Alan freaks out. "This was the vision I just got!!! That this guy would come here and say that to us!!! Do you believe me now???"

The two of them don't take it any seriously at this point.

"Really? Isn't that one of the most basic things to say...?"

"It seems like you're making this stuff up..."

Alan yells at them. "I'M NOT!!! You gotta believe me!"

"Why are you even scared of this guy? What could he even do to you?"

"I... You see, he..."

Politely, the two prepare for leaving him behind, with one of them saying. "Gee, Alan... You're so... freaky... and weird... You clearly have some issues that would be best to get fixed..."

"B-but... but..." Alan is left with nothing else than his growing anxiety about Samuel and the Pines twins, getting bigger and bigger every day... He leaves for home, incredibly uneasy...

From where he is, Bill is talking to himself. He excitedly rubs his hands together in delight. "How beautiful... As expected, all it takes is a couple of little bumps, and that very fragile confidence is near its beautiful collapse..." The triangle is feeling like he is back on top, having absolute control at the palm of his hands and manipulative spirit once more. And it feels very envigorating to him, to a point where he can't keep it to himself... "Heheheheheheheh...... Hahahahahahahaha....... HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Chapter Text

A few days passed... The final week of the school year has arrived... And on Monday evening, the school's talent show is on its way to start.

The gymnasium has been set with a stand and curtains, lights, equipment... Everything has been worked on to celebrate the beginning of the final stretch before the summer break.

The room is getting crowded in large part with the students who didn't sign up to perform anything. Dipper and Mabel arrive around an hour early at the gymnasium.

"Can you believe it, Bro-bro? Our Sammy, out there on stage?" Mabel leads her brother while she gets a seat near the front rows.

"Yeah... It's surprising, but in a good way..." Dipper goes to sit next to her. "I remember how afraid he would've been of the idea last year..."

"He feels so much more confident than he used to!" Mabel comments, having a little too much optimism about it.

However, backstage, Samuel is very nervous, struggling to breathe normally. He intends to go through with what he's set himself to do, but for now, he finds it safer to go to the nearest closet door and isolate himself.

With that action, Bill shows up, lighting the area around with his glowy hue. "What's the big deal, Fuzzball?" The question is obviously purely rhetorical, so he continues. "Some stage fright, uh...? Not everyone comes to these worlds with an innate talent for having the spotlight on them!" He says a little smugly and egotistically.

After a little silence, Bill continues. "It'll be fine. Everything will be under my control... Everything is planned and you won't have to worry..."

Samuel ends up leaving out some words for the first time. "But is it a good idea...? What if...?"

The triangle cuts him off with a snappier behavior. "SHUSH!!!" He then continues normally. "You've come this far thanks to my guidance... It would be idiotic to give up now when our goal is so close..." Samuel stays mute, letting those words get to him. "I'll take care of everything that scares you about it, you don't even need to fear."

Sammy lets his low self-esteem get to him. "... Do I even make a difference then...?"

"You sure do, Fuzzball! I wouldn't have been able to get to this goal without your help! So remember, you're the reason why we will meet success tonight... Remember why we do it..."

Samuel thinks of his friends and what they've gone through for a while. It seems to calm down his anxiety a little.

Bill then adds, leaving out thoughts in the open. "And uh, look at me... hiding backstage at a show... while using a fleshy disguise... manipulating things from the inside to no one's notice... This is bringing back memories..."

He says that, a little pensive about the time with his previous vessel. The idea of it causes Samuel to seek a change of subject in case it ends up getting a little too heavy. "Okay, I'll do my best... I..."

His sentence is cut short when they hear the door open out of nowhere. It's one of the supervisors of the show. "Samuel...? What are you doing here...?"

Samuel freezes a little, but he can tell from the corner of his eye that Bill managed to disappear just in time.

He gets asked. "Were you talking to yourself...?"

Sammy breathes and answers. "It's silly, but... yes... I'm a little nervous, and I've heard that letting out some things to yourself helps... Just decided to give it a try..."

"That's... um..." The adult who noticed him doesn't really want to judge him, so he tries to sound neutral about it. "That's kinda true, but I don't know if isolating yourself like that is a good idea... We still have time before the show, why don't you spend some of that time breathing outside, or talking to your friends...?"

"Um... Yes, you may be right..." He decides to go and try to find Dipper and Mabel before the show. "I'll do that, thanks!" He says, genuinely, before leaving the stands for now.

Just two minutes later, he finds them and reaches for them. "Dipper, Mabel! You made it!"

Mabel cheers up greatly and can't help but show her positiveness to his face. "Sammy!!! No, you made it! I can't believe you're about to do this! I..."

"Easy, Sis..." Dipper gently stops her with slight amusement. "Maybe our friend doesn't need to be yelled at right now..."

Samuel plays it cool, as much as he can. "Oh, it's all good... I..."

He says that, but he's still feeling very nervous. And it shows enough to his friends that it causes Mabel to feel a little bad. "Oh, um... Sorry, Sammy..."

"It's fine, I promise..." He's being as genuine as he can, even though his feelings go against him being relaxed. "I'm glad you're here... There's still a decent amount of time before the show starts and having you see me on stage. I'm just gonna make a short tour to calm myself before then."

Knowing how nervous his friend can be, Dipper asks, a little worried. "You're not gonna bail on this, right...?"

"No no, of course not... It wouldn't be good of me... I wanna be brave... And it would be a huge disservice to you..."

This sentence makes Dipper curious "What did you mean by that...?"

Mabel's curiosity has risen too. "Disservice because we're here and not seeing you perform would be bad? I wouldn't be mad at you."

Suddenly, Samuel gets scared of maybe having said too much and decides to move on. "Look, I... I'm not even sure what I'm saying right now. I really need that time to pull myself together, okay...? Please don't overthink..."

He leaves quickly enough, going to another corner of the gymnasium that is getting busier every passing moment.

As part of the students who are here to attend, Alan is here. And his state seems to have gotten even worse, as if the week-end did the opposite of getting him relaxed. His stress, troubled sleep and paranoia have risen even more, and he completely lost his ways of fooling others.

As he sits there on his seat, trying to fight the fears that are eating him alive, he catches Samuel walking around, giving him a startling reaction of terror and rising his panic.

Bill observes from where he is, commenting coldly to himself. "As expected... Now let's the plan begin..."

Shortly before the show begins, he manages to put Alan into another vision...

Alan sees himself in what seems to be the very near future. In that same gymnasium, with the talent show having started and an act of improv is finishing. It is then announced "For our next act, please welcome Samuel...", causing the boy to go on stage with files he made to use with the computer and projector that are at his disposal.

He takes the mike cheerfully to start a little speech. "Thank you, thank you very much! It's a pleasure to be here on stage in front of you all!" He talks while also setting the computer to show what he wants.

"Tonight, I will give you a sight to behold! I'll be able to completely blow your minds thanks to a big reveal I will do in front of you! And that is..." As he acts a little dramatically, a giant spot lights Alan up for the whole audience to see. Sammy then starts sounding more playful and "I will showcase... a liar... a fraud... a two-faced idiotic coward... I will give you all the undeniable proof that this guy is a terrible person!"

As he speaks, video footage that came out of absolutely nowhere appears on the projector. Those manage to showcase Alan's worst behaviors for the whole audience to see and judge. The implications for what's going to happen when this presentation is done are not good, and the vision is getting more and more twisted and uneasy from then on. Until eventually...

Alan goes back to reality out of nowhere, like startling himself awake from a bad dream, right as the show is starting. That vision made his already hugely crippling anxiety reach a new level. All of these have been exact foreshadowing of what would happen mere minutes later...

And in fact... late in the talent show's run, an act of improv is announced, and Samuel is scheduled next... Lead by complete uneasiness and fear, Alan stands up and moves away, finding an access to the backstage. This is when Samuel is announced. Although no one, not even Dipper and Mabel from their seats, can tell that this is Bill is charge.

Sammill is getting close to the computer that's been set up for him, planning to use it for his performance... He grabs the mike and starts a speech for which he picked the words very carefully too...

"Thank you, thank you very much! It's a pleasure to be here on stage in front of you all!"

Alan's heart drops completely, his fears have reached a level that probably shouldn't be able to be felt by any living creature...

"Tonight, I will give you a sight to behold!" Sammill says, with the same playfulness as the vision. "I'll be able to completely blow your minds thanks to a big reveal I will do in front of you! And that is..."

However, in a matter of seconds, he gets violently tackled to the ground. Alan ran in a state of panic and yells at his face. "I HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR BUILDING THIS REPUTATION AND GETTING PEOPLE TO WORSHIP ME!!!! I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!!!!!!!" He readies himself to give a violent punch on his face, but he is stopped by the nearest faculty member around.

Alan is surprised by the contact, getting back to his senses to some extent. And as he looks around, he realizes what he just did and what situation he's in. And meanwhile... Sammill just silently smirks at this situation.

As the entire audience is in disbelief, the curtains get closed by emergency, with some damage control having to be dealt with while Sammill gets back to his feet and plays innocent. "I can't believe he would do this to me..."

Alan is completely shocked and lost on everything as he's sent on an emergency meeting at the principal's office while the final acts of the show occur.

In the meantime, Dipper and Mabel are extremely shocked and, without exchanging a single word, they decide to leave their seats and try to get more information.

Once inside the office, the two boys are sat and the principal asks what's going on, scolding the assailant.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Alan! Not only do we not accept violence here, you've also made a complete fool of yourself and almost ruined the talent show! What came into you?"

However, the boy is in a mental state where he can't do or say anything... His mind has gotten so messy that he is completely disoriented and unable to comprehend what's going on around him.

"It looks like he lost his tongue..." Sammill says, sarcastically, but still tries to come across as someone who isn't guilty of anything. "Listen, Sir, although I have been the victim just now, I'm probably not the one you wanna hear stuff from... I would recommend that you ask Shooti..." He coughes suddenly to stop himself. "Sorry..." He fakes having to take a deep breath, but he might actually need it for what he's about to say out loud, both in and out the fleshy disguise... "You need to talk to and question Mabel and Mason Pines. My best friends... With your permission..."

He stands up and prepares to leave temporarily. Just like he expected, it wasn't even needed to look for them, as they already found their way right outside the office's door.

Dipper looks closely when Sammill comes out and can't hold his tongue. "Bill, are you...? What...?"

"Shh......" Sammill cuts him off by touching his lips, and silently advises them to enter the room. Then he looks at Mabel, who is rather uneasy, in order to give her the confidence she needs.

Dipper and Mabel enter mainly in silence after saluting the principal, feeling the room to be rather tense. Their presence doesn't change anything about Alan's behavior. He is still awfully disoriented about everything.

"So, your friend here..." He says, referring to Samuel... "... says I needed to talk to you about the incident that happened on stage... I really don't understand why, as I've only heard praises and compliments about your classmate... Do you have any idea why...?"

Dipper would speak, but he keeps himself in line, knowing he shouldn't be the one to do it. He gives Mabel a gentle nudge. "Go on, Sis..."

Mabel sighs deeply, and starts. "Sir, please forgive my language, but... the truth is that Alan is full of poop... He's actually a huge bully... Ever since the beginning of the school year, he took advantage of me and my kindness... And the amount of awful things he's said and done... They're way too many to list..."

Seeing her struggle, Dipper takes the liberty to continue to give her time to compose herself. "All those praises you've heard of... They were fabricated by himself. He kept going on and on about how much of a great person he is, but he was lying about everything so other classmates would praise and defend him without using their own judgement... He did that in order to hide who he really is, someone who's been messing with my sister and kept getting away with it..."

The principal trusts what he hears, but still asks Alan. "... Is it true...?"

Alan still feels like a huge mental wreck, but a part of him hears the question and leaves out a faint confirmation.

Mabel decides to continue, she struggles not to cry, as it gets heavier to remember. "He made me do most of his works for him, cover for him when he did bad things like skipping school... He's been calling me by names I didn't like, all of this because I made the mistake of being too submissive to him... And when I decided not to be that anymore, he..." Her voice cracks a little, giving Dipper a cue to fill in for her for a little bit.

"... He decided to use his reputation as the good guy to paint my sister in a bad light in order to keep her in his grasp... I've seen him... be violent to her. I've also been informed by Bill..." Dipper very quickly bites his tongue as a freakout reaction before continuing. "... by Bill...-ievable statements from our best friend Samuel, that he attempted to steal from her because she was standing her ground..."

Once again, Alan leaves out a silent confirmation when he's being stared at.

Mabel breathes, having dried her eyes a little. "Alan has been physically abusive of my brother as well, for the only reason that he tried to defend me... While pretending to be a caring guy who helped him. And when he got physically abusive to me a couple of weeks ago... he exploited my brother's anger to paint him as the bully..."

The principal suddenly remembers. "Wait, I remember that..." He looks at Dipper. "We gave you detention because of that..."

Dipper sighs. "You did, but I can understand that you and other faculty members were fooled by Alan... All this time, he took everyone for fools by hiding his true rotten core! He messed with all of us!"

After having been mute for a while, Sammill decides to speak up. "I think that should cover most of the things that my poor friends had to handle because of this guy. He attacked me on stage, probably just because I'm someone who matters a lot for these two. Big mistake..."

As Alan remains in his mute, lost and panicked state of mind, he then hears...

"Then I've heard quite enough... Alan, all of what you've done have put you in a lot of trouble. And I think the only outcome would be expulsion, without validating your credits for the school year if you spent your time lying and cheating."

Normally, anyone would cheer from hearing that sweet justice about someone they hate. But Mabel lets her now more concerned voice be heard. "Wait... Does it have to be this way...? Isn't there another solution...?" She sighs, unable to believe that she's saying this. "I could call Alan a lot of things... A liar... A grifter... A scumbag... And other things I wouldn't want to say. But... I know for a fact that he is not an idiot..."

"Sis..." Dipper shouldn't be surprised to hear that from her, yet he kind of is in those circumstances.

Mabel looks at her brother due to this reaction. "I'd want him to be punished greatly. But at the same time... I don't know if he completely deserves to lose his chances at an honest scholarship because of those bad ways. I'm sure there could be a way for him to get this punishment without losing it."

Bill is completely lost, having expected Mabel to be happy to finally have the worst guy she knows exposed for who he truly is. He speaks up under his disguise. "Why... Why would you want that for him? After all the awful things he's put you through?"

"Because..." Mabel looks at Sammill's eyes, knowing exactly what to say. "No matter what... I do believe that... everyone... deserves another chance." Knowing her words had the hidden impact she means, she adds. "You understand that, don't you?"

"..." Bill is shocked and simply answers... "Yes..."

The principal concludes. "I will take that in consideration, but for now I'm gonna have to call his parents and let them know. You three should probably leave now. Don't worry, I'll make sure the suffering you got won't go unpunished from now on..."

Mabel stands up maturely, saying. "Thank you, Sir..." She leaves the room with her two friends.

Once they closed the door behind them, Mabel can barely contain her happiness. This causes her to squee and immediately hug Sammill, although...

"Haha, calm down a bit, Mabel..." Samuel's voice comes out instead.

She has a huge smile regardless. "Sammy, hi!"

Dipper smiles too. "I guess Bill didn't want that hug."

"Oh, he's glad he could help... But yeah, you might have a point..."

"I can't believe you and Bill managed to pull this off! To help me!" She looks at her brother. "To help us..."

Dipper, while having reservations on the means, can't disagree. "You became quite a sneaky trickster, didn't you...?" He gives a gently bump to his friend.

"Heh... Bill did most of the work, I can't take much credit. I helped him because you deserve it..." Samuel says with a big smile. "The results are clearly worth it."

After the quick exchanges, they hangout for a little while outside the school before going home.

Although Bill is very satisfied to see the fruits of his meddling... Instead of gloating, he stays there, floating, arms crossed, with a very pensive behavior.

As much as he would really despise to admit it out loud... Mabel's words to him did leave quite an impression on him.

Chapter Text

Tuesday...

4 days left before the departure...

At the earliest sights of sunrise on that morning, Mabel woke up by herself with a spark of excitement she hasn't felt in a while. After what happened the previous night, all of the worries in her head went away. And when coupled with the fact that she's going on vacation the upcoming weekend, this makes her the most cheerful she's been in quite some time...

Dipper wakes up a little later with the alarm clock, noticing how his sister is already out of the bedroom. Yawning himself awake, he goes downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, Bro-bro!!!"

Dipper gets a little surprised to see her this upbeat in the morning. He's a little amused, however. "Looks like someone's no longer concerned about going to school..."

"I can't believe this happened... And actually worked out..."

Dipper gets a little uncomfortable. "Hey hey... If it's okay with you, I don't wanna talk about yesterday... For now, at least..."

She feels like pouting, but keeps it to herself. "And we're leaving home at the end of the week! Aren't you excited???"

Her brother can't contain his desire to smile. "Yes, I suppose I am... I'm going to make sure I got all I want ready... But today's focus is eating my breakfast and going to school."

Again, Mabel has a desire to tease because of how happy she is, but stays shut about it for now, wanting to avoid a sour mood.

Samuel meets the two of them in front of the school, like their usual routine. "Hey, guys! Are you alright?"

Mabel can't help but hug him. "Sammy, I still can't believe you pulled that off for me... Thank you so much!!!"

"Sis, be careful... He might still be injured from yesterday." Dipper exclaims, worried when he recalls what happened.

Sammy gets off the hug gently. "No, no, it's alright... I got tackled to the ground, but that's about it. I appreciate the concern, but there's no reason to worry." He adds to that. "And you know I can't take the whole credit..."

"Where is he???" Mabel asks, excitedly. "I didn't get to properly thank him yet..."

"He's, um..." Sammy looks for his words carefully. "He doesn't feel like it right now, from what I've observed..."

"Really...?" Dipper get curious, maybe a little concerned, but shrugs it off in front of them. "Oh well, another time then..."

As she's very excited about the upcoming vacation, Mabel can't help but ask as early as she can. "Sammy, did your parents say anything about your summer plans?"

He gets mute at that, feeling a little scared. But he answers normally, keeping his emotions in check. "They haven't decided yet, still... They said they'd answer it soon, since we're getting to a time crunch..."

"Are you...? ... disappointed?" Dipper asks, fearing the worst outcome.

His friend is bittersweet about it, even when he speaks honestly. He rubs his friendship bracelet a little when he answers. "No, I get it... It's a tough decision for them. They'd leave me behind for the first time if that was to happen... I'm trying not to let it get to my head."

"Good luck, Sammy... " Dipper goes to class with him, trying to find something else to talk about.

When Mabel goes to her class, she's met with a lot of reactions from her classmates, because the news about yesterday did make their round.

"Mabel, it's you! I... I'm so sorry..."

"I've been so rude to you..."

"I was so dumb to trust Alan..."

"I can't believe you went through this and we couldn't see it."

She really is loving receiving all of this after what she's been through. But she also has something very important to tell them.

"Guys, I'm really thankful... But... I don't want you to feel too badly about yourselves, okay...? You were all victims too... That is why I've never been upset against you... I don't even need to forgive you because you weren't rude to me willingly. While I'm saying thank you for these statements, I don't need you owing things to me..." She says with a genuine smile, hoping she got her point across. Which seems to work.

When the three of them meet up during lunch break, Mabel explains what she's heard from the teachers.

"So, Alan will have to do big tests during the week, and him succeeding it would prevent him from repeating the grade. That's why we won't see him in class."

"I still feel like he'd get away with it too easily..." Dipper is a little bothered, but sighs it away. "But it was your call to defend him, so... I'll try not to mind it."

Samuel grabs out of his backpack, remembering out of nowhere. "Oh, by the way..." He shows his notebook. "I wrote about the latest days... and I believe this might be the last time I require you to send it to your relatives." He feels a tiny bit emotional suddenly. "It's been quite a journey, uh...?"

Dipper grabs it, intrigued. "Yeah, it was..."

"This year went by as a flash! I couldn't even count the weeks pass by!" Mabel observes. "It's like when I try to count those sparkly things in glitter!"

Samuel giggles a little. "Yes, it surprises me too. Feels like yesterday that we've had that school year beginning, and that sleepover in which... um..." He thinks about the event and tries not to bring them up too much. "... which brought us where we are now."

"I'll do what I have to!" Dipper puts the notebook inside his backpack for later, as the rest of the day goes by very normally.

Not a single intervention from Bill happened, and it's not like they asked for it either after his huge act the day before. They're all accepting to leave him some space when he seems to need it.

During the evening, after he was done sending the latest, and probably last study pages to Ford, Dipper keeps reading the notebook while he's in bed and about to sleep, and while Mabel is already asleep.

Regardless of if he was present or not for the events that are described, he can't help but find it really engaging and fascinating. He reads snippets here and there, sometimes over and over again, with some feelings of heartwarms, all things considered.

A small thing is bothering him for now, but he is way too upbeat to care for now, thinking about what was accomplished and what's awaiting in the near future. All of this causes him to fall asleep with a little smile.

Wednesday.

3 days before the departure...

The next morning, while the Pines twins barely even reach the school's entrance, their presence gets noticed immediately.

"Dipper!!! Mabel!!!" Samuel is running to them as quickly as he can.

"Samuel, are you okay...?" Dipper asks, seeing how out of breath he is.

"Are you... crying...?" Mabel observes, really worried. Although her friend is actually a little sweaty.

"I ran all the way from home... I came to school as fast as I could..." Samuel catches his breath after such physical effort, to tell them... "You guys... My parents... My parents said yes!"

"... what...?" Dipper wished he heard right, but still needs to process it.

"They accepted! I'll be able to join you guys! I'd have to leave at the end of July, but still... I'm gonna be able to join you for two whole months of summer fun!"

Mabel doesn't care that people around could hear her, she screams of excitement while cuddling her friend. "I'm so happy!!! I can't wait!!! This will be so great!!!"

Dipper joins in, less obvious about his enthusiasm. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone! And all those places dear to us!" He genuinely smiles at him. "Still, you didn't have to run to us..." He adds, a little more concerned.

"Yeah, it's not like the school or us would've just vanished." Mabel shrugs with a little joke.

"I really couldn't hold it, you know? I needed to tell you in person as early as I could after I heard the news!" Samuel is, in fact, very optimistic, and this is rather contagious.

"This will be a great summer vacation! With you around, it just went from super awesome to super duper awesome!" Mabel says, guiding her friend inside. Meanwhile, Dipper, as happy and excited as he is, gets hit with a realization...

Ever since September, he's been bothered by the pages from the notebook that have been removed. It usually stayed at the back of his mind, but now... Now that he knows that Bill is gonna be joining them in the summer vacation, at the place that he antagonized his family... He has a little unease growing, even if he does put trust that everything is alright.

Mabel brings up, slightly unexpectedly. "I bet Bill is gonna be very happy to go there!"

"Why would he?" Sammy gets curious

"Um... Just a hunch... I'm sure it'll work out!" She answers, keeping it fairly vague.

Later during the day, as the school day ends, Dipper talks to Samuel alone in the classroom, bringing up the subject gently.

"So, um, I've been meaning to ask... You know, about those pages that Bill tampered with...?"

"Yes...?" Sammy is aware of what he's referring to, and knows what those were for a while, but never revealed it to them.

"Do you know what he did with those? And why didn't he want us to see?" He asks, keeping his nervosity in check.

Sammy confirms. "Yeah, I do know... He has shown me early on, as a way to prove his good will. Unfortunately, I can't tell you." Dipper feels offended, causing his friend to continue. "I know you'd like that, but I still promised him not to tell you unless he allowed me."

His friend gets a bit desperate. "Sammy, we've been best friends since kindergarten... We've shared everything... And you're saying you can't tell me this?"

Samuel thinks his friend is acting in a slightly immature way, but he understands his feelings. "You make a great point, buddy! But then, you should know how trust is important in friendship... And Bill trusts me not to let you know just yet. To be telling you without getting his approval first, that would make me a bad friend... I hope you understand..." He gives an honest smile about this before going outside.

Dipper is unsatisfied, but he doesn't want to pressure Samuel.

When he's on his way home, Mabel notices his pensive behavior.

"What's up, Bro-bro? You seem all upset..."

"..." Dipper sighs a bit, but sees no other way around it. "Sis... I'm gonna have to ask you something tomorrow."

"Um, okay...?" She's willing to do it, but would like the details.

He doesn't like saying this, but this is his last resort. "Just... Do me a favor... please don't ask why... And I'll try my best to make it up to you in exchange..."

"I'm not sure I like that idea..."

"I'll owe you something, I swear I'll do something in return! Some kind of twin pact..."

Seeing how desperate her brother is, she doesn't have the heart to decline... "Alright, Bro-bro... Twin pact..."

The two grab each other's pinky fingers before Dipper explains...

Thursday

Last school day

2 days before the departure

Once the final recess starts, Dipper give a sign to Mabel to do what she was asked to. Even if she's not sure about it, she doesn't intend to go against her promise.

She goes outside and approaches Samuel. "Hiya, Sammy. I'm sorry to ask, but..." She speaks more silently to avoid other people from hearing. "Do you think I could talk to Bill...? I have something important to ask him..."

"Um, right now...? Can't it wait?", asks a confused Samuel.

She confirms without giving details, since she doesn't have those. "Sorry, it can't..."

"Okay..." Sammy doesn't mind too much. "He's been fairly discreet this week for the most part... But..." It is in fact doable despite this factor, as Bill took control and Sammill now faces Mabel.

Bill's voice is heard with a hint of detachment "What do you want, Shooting star?"

Mabel tries to find a good question to keep him occupied. And the only thing that comes to mind is... "I wanted to know, um... why you love grim and scary stuff so much. Why you find it so funny!"

Bill causes Samuel's eyebrow to react in confusion. "Really...? But... any time I've tried to talk about it, or show it to you, you didn't take it well at all. It always seemed to make you sick..."

Mabel shrugs lying. "Oh well, I got over it. And I'm really interested to know why you find that stuff funny! Because you're my friend, and I wanna understand my friend!"

Sammill gets a smile, as this makes him genuinely eager to be talkative. "Oh, in that case... I'll be glad to answer." He starts getting himself into a long explanation. "For instance, I love the sight of an injured dead body slowly but surely molding because..."

He talks in details and all the while, Mabel is forced to listen, angrily thinking "Dipper, you little..."

Seeing that from a distance, Dipper takes the opportunity to go back inside and sneak inside the classroom. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I need to know what those pages you did hide are about... Maybe something that can help me understand him better..." He feels some adrenaline pumping, which reminds him of his thrills from the vacation.

So he more or less steals the notebook from his friend's backpack. "Okay, so where did he put the ripped pages...? He got to keep them around..." He turns the pages quickly and he finds them packaged at the end in a safe folder. "Of course Sammy would keep them in good condition..."

He takes them out and gets a good look, initially seeing it as something that sounds innocent. "Wow, are these... just drawings...? I couldn't imagine Bill being into arts and crafts." He's amused when he pictures the triangle drawing, but then he takes a closer look at what is actually drawn. An expression of horror grows on his face.

"Wait... Those... those creatures... and... this other stuff..." He gets flashbacks. He recognizes the creatures that were helping Bill during his invasion. "It can't be!" He turns pages around, finding many creepy-looking oddities that look very familiar to him. "He has done this after the deal with Sammy..." he finds the drawing of the Fearamid and the rift, and terror takes over his entire body. "Wei... Weirdmageddon... He hasn't forgotten about it... He... He still wants it! Despite the deal with our friend, despite everything... He must still be plotting for it! Did he..." He grows horrified "Did he lie to us this entire time???"

As he hears footsteps in the hallway, he gets panicked and quickly puts the notebook at its place. Much to his relief, it was just normal kids, but he still needs to get out of there. He joins recess, ready to pretend that he just went to drink at the water fountain.

On his way out, he tries to convince himself in his thoughts. "Surely, I'm misunderstanding... His apologies... The emotions he felt... The friendship bracelet... The generosity... And helping us getting rid of Alan's bullying... It couldn't have been an act... And Sammy... No way he would be okay with letting that happen..." Despite all this logic, his stress causes him to have dooming visions and theories... "Unless... Unless he doesn't know Bill's true intentions... Unless Bill has been playing the patient game manipulating him, and us..."

He recalls the warnings from the journal, and he recalls the messages of dread... "BILL CAN'T BE TRUSTED!!!" "DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!!!" "ALL IS LOST IF HE GOES PHYSICAL!!!"

Meanwhile, Bill is still talking outside with a motor mouth. "... and it's interesting to witness how differently it affects each organ, and which bones lose their flesh first. Did you know that...?"

Mabel, being forced to stand there and listen, feels a lot of disgust just by picturing everything she hears. Her stare is blank and her eye is twitching as she's forced to do this. She sees her brother outside and she's quick to politely cut off the demon, hiding her relief. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I think I've heard enough to be satisfied for now... thanks Bill, sorry for taking your time..."

Sammill shrugs. "Eh, no big deal, Shooting star... Thanks for listening!" He leaves the control of the body and she thanks Samuel.

Mabel joins her brother with a disapproval tone. "I did what you wanted, and there are awful pictures in my mind that will take ages to be erased. You better pay me back well and tell me it was worth it!"

Dipper looks blankly at the horizon. "Oh, it was... And as I promised, I'll repay you..."

He looks at Samuel from a distance. "We're all doomed...!"

When Samuel goes home and gets to be alone, Bill shows up. "So, Fuzzball, school is officially over, uh?"

"Yes, at least for a long while..." Sammy is feeling excited. "I'm gonna have to pack, I'm so excited and curious!"

"I can tell..." Bill wants to avoid the subject of the location he's going to return to, and Samuel is able to tell.

"Hey... Don't forget my promise... I know returning to this town will be a challenge for you, but I'll defend you... I'd do everything I could to avoid something bad happening to you.."

Bill claims confidently "Eh, don't worry, Fuzzball, I'll be fine... In fact, I do kind of look forward to it." Then he turns around to look at the sky from the bedroom's window. When Samuel isn't listening, Bill's tone then turns more sinister and ominous, as he murmurs to himself. "This shall be an... interesting time..."

Chapter Text

That same Thursday evening, Dipper could not get his fearful thoughts out of his head. He left the last school day in a hurry, barely waiting for Mabel to catch up with him.

When she arrives home less than a minute after him, she figures out that he already found his way inside the bedroom. And once she goes there, she finds him nervously opening the computer.

While she would normally question him with some teases, she's in a bit of a sour mood due to the discussion she's had with Bill, and stays mute. As such, she prefers to lay on her bed and cuddle Waddles and her plush Phil to think of something else.

Dipper has been typing for a few minutes, rather frantically, barely spending any time doing anything else. But eventually...

"Wait... What the...?" He clicks a bunch of times, nervously, until eventually. "No!!! Why is the connection down???"

After ignoring him for a good while, Mabel speaks calmly. "Maybe it's just broken... This stuff happens..."

Her brother gets very upset. "Why now, though??? This is like, the worst timing ever!"

She sighs, a little displeased with the attitude. She still speaks in a calm tone due to the earlier events. "Why is that such a big deal...? We're leaving in two days anyway..."

"I was writing to Grunkle Ford! I had something very important to tell him!!!" He's slightly screaming at her due to his panic.

She reacts sternly still, finding him to act ridiculously. "We'll see him in a couple of days for the whole summer. What's so important that it couldn't wait until then?"

At this question, Dipper has awful visions of Weirdmageddon coming back, and the idea that he couldn't warn Ford in time to prevent this possibility from happening stops him and gives him a lot of unease. But he can't answer that, and he can read the room about her feelings towards him and his insistence.

He decides to fake calming down in front of her. "Yeah, you're right... I'm foolish to panic like that..." What he says next is, however, rooted with truth. "Sorry I'm pestering you, Sis... It's the pre-departure stress, I guess..."

Mabel gives the smallest of smiles, saying... "It's fine, Bro-bro...", before returning to minding her own business, since her packing is very much done already.

That very night, Mabel met sleep fairly early on. In spite of what she feared, she's not having horrible nightmares due to all the stuff her triangular friend has mentioned in huge details that day.

Dipper, meanwhile, feels fear eating him inside. He goes to his desk and lights up a small lamp to write a letter. He is leaving a quick written information that he intends to give to Ford as soon as they physically reunite. He's writing about how they need to incapacitate Bill as soon as they can so a disaster could be avoided. He puts it on an envelope he's gonna keep on his jacket, but even with that, he struggles feeling peaceful enough to rest.

Friday

1 day left before the departure...

Even if today is a free day for them, Dipper couldn't help it but be awake fairly early on, extremely uneasy about his feelings. He tries to fall asleep again, but he's just rolling around on his bed for a good amount of time.

At some point, he hears Mabel waking up. It seems she got a nice sleep that helped her bury the awful mental pictures she's had the previous day. Which also has the effect of downplaying how annoyed she felt about having to deal with that demand from her brother. Since she believes he's still sleeping, however, she leaves the bedroom soon enough without bothering him.

After that, Dipper goes back to fighting his feelings for a while, before planning to finish packing later in the day.

At the beginning of the afternoon, at Samuel's home. The lunch was done early due to his parents having to leave to New Jersey for the vacation. They are standing near the door with the luggages ready.

He finds the situation a little awkward, since this is a first for him.

"I'm a little sad to see you go, Mom and Dad... But I'm thankful that you accepted this sacrifice for my sake..."

"It wasn't easy, but we could tell how much that means for you...", answers his mom.

"And you're a mature enough guy to be facing this, aren't you?" His dad asks playfully.

"Eh, I wouldn't say that exactly... but..." Sammy tries to choose his words carefully. "Yes, I'm eager to do this experience... I'm gonna have fun with my friends, I know it!"

"You make sure to let us know when you arrive, and give us news, alright?" Asks his dad.

He nods. "Of course, I know I wouldn't want to make you worried..."

"You decide what to do for eating tonight... There are some leftovers you could use, or we left some money if you wanna have pizza or some other food."

"Thanks! I'll eat enough, I promise! You don't have to worry!" He nods once more, then gives a quick hug. "See you in August..."

Sammy keeps his smile, even if he has to see his parents leave for a long absence. But he's mostly fine with it thanks to what he's been allowed to do as a compromise. He closes the door slowly.

Bill taunts loudly as soon as the boy is out of outside view. "Wow, Fuzzball, getting emotional over having freedom???"

Sammy gets startled for a second. "... Yeah, a little... But I'm fine..."

He asks, trying to see if there's pain behind the smile. "Are you, though...?"

"I... uh... yes I am...?" Even though he says that, he struggles not to let the sadness get to him.

"I knew it..." Bill crosses his arms and sighs. He tells himself. "He should be happy about not having to follow restrictions... Not whatever this is..." Instead of telling him that mockery, he instead leaves out a half sincere... "Come on, let it out..."

The boy leaves out his few tears and sobs to get it out of his system, before taking a deep inhale and drying his eyes. "Okay... I feel better now..." He says, with a bittersweet smile. "Thanks for helping me."

"Sure, sure..." Bill is a little bit annoyed about taking the credit, but rolls with it. This annoyance hides something else, however.

Sammy tries to cheer him up a little. "So... What do you wanna do? I'm nearly done with my luggages, and we got the place to ourselves for the rest of the day!" Seeing a silence, and knowing Bill's feelings, he adds. "... I could wear your suit before we leave..."

This makes the triangle a little interested, even though he doesn't admit it. It's clear that he's being tempted to think of something besides the travel, and that the boy is doing everything he can to make the last day about something else.

"What the hey..." Bill shrugs.

That afternoon. Dipper is alone upstairs in the bedroom. He's very excited to be returning to Gravity Falls, but he struggles to feel perfectly good about it when he can't ignore the possible danger that could happen by leading Bill there. Still, he tries his best to reason with himself and knows what he has to do once he arrives there. He takes the time to determine how to finish his luggages.

Mabel, being as excited as she is, made sure to have a good lead when it comes to being prepared. She's taking advantage of having that little advance in packing to relax downstairs. Then, eventually, her moment of calm gets interrupted when she hears the doorbell. She eagerly goes to the door, expecting most likely a surprise visit from Samuel. And she's not ready for the surprise that awaits once she opens.

"A... Alan...?" She sees the one-year older boy at her doorstep with a backpack. Given everything that happened between them during the almost entire school year, she is a little wary.

The boy, however, shows to be a little insecure in his speech and mannerism. "Hi..."

She still feels a little nervous and tries to get an answer. "W-Why are y...?"

Alan answers, showing very little emotion. "I had something I needed to tell you! It's..." His tone is a little cold, which doesn't help the unease. But then, a little noise gets heard as Waddles approached, which Mabel didn't see coming.

Alan drops his speech completely to look at the little pig. "Uh...? I didn't know you had a pet..."

"U-Um..." She feels like answering, her love for her beloved partner allowing her to talk normally. "Yes, he's a wonderful pig. I've met him almost a year ago now. His name's Waddles!"

Alan takes a knee and approaches Waddles with his hand, speaking in a soothing, friendly tone that Mabel never heard before. "Hi there, little fellow... How are you...?" Surprisingly, Waddles advances to accept the little petting, and Mabel notices a very slight genuine smile on her bully's face.

Alan then stands again, feeling a little goofy to have been distracted. "Sorry, I got carried away a little..."

"It's... It's all good..." Mabel nods, trying to encourage him.

He speaks up, returning to a more cold tone. "As you've probably heard, after... that incident... I had to spend the week studying for a huge test to determine if I'd graduate this year... And... I actually passed... By not much, but I did..."

"Oh, that's great for you... I knew you'd have it in you!" Then, she realizes something. "Wait... How did you know where I live...?"

"It turns out, you let me know early in the year, and I had it noted somewhere. Not sure why exactly... But I found it again after a while."

"Oh, I..." She scratches her head a bit in confusion, as she struggles to remember it. "I guess that makes sense."

"So I came here to tell you... Alongside this, I..." He sighs, annoyed, but also resigned. "My parents have not been happy to have heard how I spent that school year, obviously... And because of that, they took the decision to send me to a military school for the summer break."

Mabel, despite all she has been through, is showing some concern on her face. But before she can voice it, she gets cut off.

"No need to feel bad... It's all I deserve... In fact..." He speaks with some self-loathing. "... I'd almost say this is a little too kind for what I did..."

"Really...?" Mabel sounds shocked to hear that from him.

"Yes, but... I wanted to say... Um..." He feels some extreme discomfort to do this, given how awkward it is from their history, but he goes through with it. "Thank you...?" He quickly makes his motives understood. "You did defend me when I was caught, despite everything... I... I don't think I was worthy of that..."

She takes some seconds of silence before giving her point of view. "I get it... But... I really meant it. I believe that there's some very good aspects buried underneath a very mean-spirited exterior. I do think there's a better side of you somewhere, one that's smart enough to not have to cheat..."

Alan looks away for a second. He wouldn't want to agree with such a silly statement, even if he believes she's right to some extent.

"There's something I can't explain, though..." He claims, still feeling completely lost about it. "I've had some visions these past weeks... Visions of bad things that would've happened to me... It's all so..."

Mabel feels some guilt from having to lie, but tries to twist it gently. "Maybe... your mind really disagreed with you doing what you did, and it sent you warnings in order to change your behavior?"

"This sounds really stupid..." Alan doesn't accept that explanation, but it's not like he could think of anything different. "Then again..." He surprises himself finding it a little amusing. "In any case..." He takes a breath before continuing. "... I'm leaving for that military school tomorrow... And I wanted to see you before that. In order to tell you this..."

"I'm..." Mabel gets a little emotional. "I'm touched, Alan..."

Before going away, he adds his final subject. "And also, something else..."

"Ooooh....? What is it???" She interrupts her excitement, trying to be polite from the situation. "... If you please, I mean..."

He says, vaguely. "I have a promise for you..."

The mention of that makes her very curious, but she tries to control it to let him continue.

"I'm gonna have this deserved punishment on the summer. Then we'll reunite at school. ... And my promise is... When we do... ..." He tries to sound genuine, as awkward as the situation is for him. "... I promise to you that you will be facing a much different person than the one from your memories."

Mabel grows a big smile, believing him. "I look forward to that!"

"So the last things I have to tell you before I have to go are... ... Please pass my apologies to your brother... Unless he can hear it from me right now."

She's tempted, but she considers how hard it could be for Alan to repeat himself on all that, so she answers... "He's busy finishing to work on his luggage for our summer trip right now, it's best not to bother him. I'll let him know for sure!"

"... To your friend too, for what I did to him on that stage..."

She nods, keeping her smile. "Sammy? No worries, I'll tell him!"

"And so, final thing..." Alan tries to sound as genuine as he can. "... Have a nice summer vacation, Mabel...!" He takes a step back before starting to turn around. But before he can leave...

"Alan...?"

He turns around, and before he can do or say anything, Mabel ran to him to give him a gentle thank you embrace. "Good luck during your summer... I know you'll handle..."

Alan feels like he doesn't deserve the sympathy, but he's not fully against it. "Thanks..." He lets go before smiling more genuinely now. "You and your brother have earned that vacation trip after what you've been through from me."

"Oh, please..." Mabel makes an arm gesture to downplay it. "It's all in the past already!"

"... Bye for now..." With that, the boy quickly gives a little wave before walking away. This leaves her at the doorstep, letting one more good news fill her current optimism.

Saturday

Day of the departure...

The next morning, it is finally time. Summer break starts. At the Pines' bedroom...

"You ready to go, Bro-bro? I'm all done!" Mabel is as cheerful as always, not knowing what's on her brother's mind.

Dipper tries his best to keep an attitude of confidence and optimism in front of her. He observes "Um... What's with that one bag...?"

His sister cheerfully opens to show Waddles inside, planning to sneak him inside the bus. She looks at her brother's slightly judgemental stare. "What? You know I can't leave him here without me for so long..."

This causes her brother to sigh. "Fine... Yeah, I'm ready... Let's go to Samuel's to pick him up!" He gulps a bit, thinking. "Meaning... we'll help Bill's evil plans by doing so..."

They go downstairs to meet their parents. Mabel tells them, despite how excited she is to leave... "We'll miss you, Mom and Dad!"

Mrs. Pines answers. "We know... But we can tell that you're happy to go to this vacation... And that's enough to make us happy."

Hearing that, Dipper tries his best to hide his current anxiety with a convincing smile. "Yeah, we are! We'll be sure to contact you regularly now that we have cellphones!"

Mr. Pines says, giving him a friendly hair rub. "We know you will, son..." He lets go quickly enough and speaks to the two. "Now you two promise to have a great time with your grand uncle this summer...?"

The twins speak in unison by saying "We will!". Mabel's enthusiasm is enough to cover Dipper's uncertain tone.

They give quick emotional goodbies before leaving the home with some bittersweet feelings.

At Samuel's bedroom, the dark-haired boy is ready and raring to go. He suddenly feels his cellphone vibrate and checks. It's a quick text from Mabel saying. "Hi! We're on our way!!! 🎵❤️☀️🌸 🎵❤️☀️🌸 🎵❤️☀️🌸 🎵❤️☀️🌸"

But his eagerness is almost immediately interrupted... "So... It is time to go, uh, Fuzzball...?" Bill is saying this with a complete lack of confidence that he's been avoiding to voice until the last moment.
The boy speaks sternly while also sounding comprehensive. "Bill, please... We have to... I can't say now that I'm not making the trip. My best friends are looking forward to spending part of the summer with me, and my parents left already. You understand that we must?"

Bill stays mute, for the most part... "I do, but..."

Samuel grabs his hands, trying to get the message across. "It'll be okay. I'm not gonna leave..."

Then the doorbell rings, and Samuel lets out a cheerful cheer as he grabs all his luggage and goes downstairs to open.

"Hi, Samuel, ready to go?" Mabel almost yells out her excitement, while Dipper is a little subdued.

"Yeah, I'm ready" Samuel says with eagerness and confidence, but then... "Just the time to grab my stuff!" He grabs the backpack and his luggages.

"Then, let's go! To the bus stop it is!" Mabel gently drags him outside by the arm, but she then notices that her friend is resisting. He's using his other arm to cling to the doorway.

Dipper gets curious. "What's up, Sammy?"

"Leave me here..." Their friend looks downwards and is extremely serious.

"What...?" Mabel, confused, tries to drag him outside again, but...

Sammy is violently pushing her away. "I SAID LEAVE ME HERE!!!" He takes a couple steps back to go to the living room inside.

Dipper reacts angrily to him pushing his sister. "Samuel, what gives? ... Unless you're..."

Mabel concludes. "It's... Sammill...". Then the boy turns around and lets his eyes open to confirm.

Samuel's body has a heart beating extremely fast... A breath that's very heavy and strong, and won't stop... "LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU TWO!!! I'M NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE!!!"

Dipper is still a little angry at what just happened. "Seriously, Bill, this isn't the time for you to..."

Sammill interrupts by yelling at the top of the human lungs he has. And his eyes get heavy tears."YOU SHUT YOUR STUPID TALKING HOLE, PINETREE!!!!! I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!"

Dipper is really shocked. He has heard Bill be mad and threatening before... He has seen him having freak outs before... But the intensity of this speech is something completely new to him.

Suddenly, Bill feels that Samuel's legs get so shaky and weak that he falls down. And he's stuck on the ground, trembling, struggling to breathe... At this point, both kids get very worried, as they see the body of their friend, still in that state yelling his feelings at the top of his lungs, while he's unable to see because of how many tears his eyes produce, and his head gets quite wobbly. "I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE!!!!! EVERYONE HATES ME!!!!! I CAN'T FACE ALL THOSE PEOPLE I'VE WRONGED!!!!! THEY WON'T HEAR ME OUT!!!!! THEY'LL WANT TO GET REVENGE ON ME!!!!! THEY'LL TRY TO GET RID OF ME FOR GOOD!!!!! AND THEY'D BE RIGHT TO DO SO!!!!!"

Mabel runs to him and takes a knee, trying to speak with honesty, as the sight really pains her. "Bill, you're wrong... This won't be so bad... We'll be here"

But then, Bill is at a state where he can't speak anymore... And he can't focus on what he's hearing either. All he feels is an uncontrollable breath and his spirit feeling lost from what's going on around him.

Dipper approaches gently... He sees how serious the situation is... He has the instinct of doing something he's done in the past when Samuel himself was too nervous about something. And something he's also done to his sister. He approaches and gives him a silent, comforting warm hug. Which causes Mabel to join him. Both are hugging him gently in silence to comfort him.

It takes a couple of minutes, but Bill's breath starts slowing down, and he slightly goes back to his senses. He wipes the eyes, allowing him to see both of the twins' faces with gentle smiles.

"Bill, I understand your concerns..." Dipper says with a bit of melancholy in his voice.

"But we'll never leave you face those fears alone! If they'll want to be angry at you..." Her expression changes to a serious state that's rarely seen. "I'm going to let them know that it's not right!"

Bill gasps, and then Dipper claims. "Yeah, me too! I'll always defend you if something goes wrong there! You... deserve it, now."

She adds. "And Sammy too! We'll protect you! You got nothing to fear!"

Samuel's body is silent for a bit, and then he starts crying again. Warm tears of joy as he looks at the twins, and softly says... "You three really are the best friends I've ever had......"

Mabel helps him back up, grabbing his hand and not letting go, in a grasp that feels both tight and soft. "Let's go, Bill... I swear it, we'll help you!"

"We will!" Dipper smiles, but then a bit of sadness hits his face before he exclaims. "Just, give me a second before we leave, if you don't mind..."

Mabel is starting to be a little worried about the time, so she exclaims. "Okay, but hurry up!" She kindly escorts Bill outside with Samuel's luggage.

Dipper quickly enters the bathroom, and reaches for a pocket on his jacket. He grabs the envelope, takes out his letter and sighs. "Dipper... You oughta work on yourself..."

Lead by his disgust in himself, he shreds the paper on top of the toilet, and then flushes it. The action is enough to help him feel better and move on.

He rushes outside after the fact and smiles at Bill and Mabel, borrowing the key to lock the door of the house before giving it back for Bill to keep it with the rest of Samuel's stuff.

Sammill still looks shameful and scared, however... And out of concern, he asks... "Please... Escort me to the bus..."

With that, both kids are smiling, handling the three's luggage until the bus stop that Bill recognizes from Samuel's memory from the previous year. During the entire wait, both kids are comforting their possessed friend with gentle hand holding whenever they feel like it's needed.

Bill, with the human feelings still hitting, acts more nervous than he should. "Maybe I shouldn't... Ugh... Please restrain me, I might try to run away..."

Dipper holds his arm out of necessity, but also in hope that it helps. "You shouldn't do that... You would be affecting Samuel's life in a really bad way..."

Mabel takes the emotional approach and tells him. "He's been looking forward to this for so long... He'd be devastated if you ruined his plans. Do you want that...?"

Bill reflects on the logic. "No... I'd hate to make Fuzzball sad..."

"See?" Mabel smiles and holds Samuel's other arm. Bill feels like he's in chains, but surprisingly... in a good way...

And then comes the moment, when the bus is here and its door is opened...

The bus driver asks the group. "Here to go to Gravity Falls, Oregon?"

"Yes, Sir!" Dipper boards first to pay with the money they got from their families.

"Go on, Bill... It'll be fine, I promise it!" Mabel exclaims with an honest smile. And so, Samuel's body boards the bus first, followed by her. He takes a seat near the back on a window side, and then... Bill quietly disappears, now that there is no chance that he could ruin the vacation plan.

Much to his surprise, when Samuel comes back to his senses a couple of moments later, he finds out that he's already on his way for a special vacation, and his best friends are gonna be around every step of the way.

It's gonna be a weirdly emotional ride for sure...

Chapter Text

The bus departs, leaving the three kids’ hometown, on its way for a long travel towards a new vacation.

All three kids decided to set themselves and their bags in the last rows of the bus, even though they have it all to themselves. That way they get to talk and do things without inconveniencing the bus driver, who wouldn’t be able to hear what they’d be talking about.

Mabel looks at the back window as their hometown is getting out of view and waves. "Bye, home!!! See you after the vacation!!!"

Dipper just smiles at this, and he slightly opens the bag containing Waddles so he can get air, although they'll need to be careful about not letting him be seen by the driver.

Seeing his friends inside the bus, Samuel can't help but bring something up.

"I'm so happy to be doing this with you guys, I'm just overwhelmed by the emotions!" He says, as he can't stop smiling and feels the happiness within him to a strong degree. "I also see how much you're happy about it compared to last year."

His boy friend answers with that with his logical approach. "Yeah, we didn't believe we'd have an awful time during our last summer break, but we had no idea what was awaiting us, so we were a bit nervous."

His girl friend completes with "And it was very sudden too... That's why it might've felt like we weren't eager to go when you saw us board that bus last year." Then she adds, curious. "Aren't you scared of the unknown, Sammy?"

"A little… But having you by my side just makes me confident and more excited than worried!" Hearing Mabel bring up that day, he decides to confess something he hasn't thought of in a while.

"Speaking about it, I don't know if I ever told you… You remember the day of your departure last year, right...?"

"Oh yeah! It happened in a flash, we couldn't tell you a proper goodbye, I felt so bad!" Mabel says before smiling. "Thankfully, you managed to show up!"

"I would've felt bad if that didn't happen." Dipper says with the same smile.

"There's a thing about that time I caught you at the bus station that I never brought up." He takes a decent breath, enough to reveal the small confession. "I actually teared up…" He breathes once more. "I pulled a brave and happy face in front of you guys, so you wouldn't feel guilty about leaving, but the idea of not seeing you for all those weeks… I..."

Mabel is hit by guilt, even though she doesn't have to. "I'm so sorry we had to…"

"No no, it's fine…" Her friend cuts her of with a smile. "I was mostly shocked and didn't have time to process. I teared up for a little while, then I dealt with it just fine. I had a good summer and I was glad you did too."

Dipper has a similar small guilt inside him, even though he's smiling. "So you're just being honest with us, no guilt tripping. That's very much like you."

Samuel nods a bit. "Yeah, I don't think I got the chance to tell you before, and this is a fitting opportunity. I don't wanna hide things from you."

That last sentence makes Dipper's guilt grow greatly, enough to change his tone into a serious one. "Sammy, I gotta confess… I did a horrible thing…" He looks away for a second. "I... I peeked at the sort of forbidden pages of your notebook… I..."

Mabel finds out at the same time. "You did? Is that why you were acting weird lately?"

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry too, Sis… But Sammy, I'm sorry I broke your trust… You're my best friend, and…"

"..." Samuel seems understanding, despite all. "I... I appreciate your honesty, but… Maybe I'm not the one who warrants this confession the most..."

Suddenly, his pupils rise out of view and get replaced by Bill's, the matching hue appearing alongside it to show the change of control.

This causes Dipper to shudder and gag of disgust at the same time. "P-please don't… do that… again…"

Bill is a little amused, as he expected this reaction, but hides it with a silent frown.

Dipper continues with the same honesty. "So... yes, I broke your trust, Bill… Despite all your efforts, I have deceived you as a friend… I... I'm really sorry…"

Sammill answers with what sounds like a tranquil fury. "I see…" This causes Dipper to look down, until he hears a more reassuring tone saying "Congratulations!"

"Wuh…?" He looks up again, shocked.

Bill's taunting tone and mannerisms return on Sammill when he continues. "I've figured from day one that you wouldn't be able to resist caving in to those silly thoughts on your messy head. I've always known that you would crack and that you were going to do this. But I wouldn't have ever, in billions of years, ever bet that you would be able to last as long as you did! So, yes, congratulations!" His taunting gets even stronger as he says. "Maybe you're actually able to mature…"

"H-hey..." Dipper blushes embarassed, before saying in disbelief. "So you're not mad…?"

"..." Out of nowhere, Sammill gives him a sudden and quick slap on the hand.

"OW!!!"

"Heheheh!!! Now I'm not mad! I accept your apology!" He says, with a snarky smile.

Dipper smiles of relief, even if a little bothered while he rubs the small pain on his hand.

"Oh Bro-bro, you and your nonsense…" Mabel teases him, before she ends with. "But you did the right thing to apologize, so I'm proud of you!"

"Please don't talk down to me like that… But thanks… I'm also sorry I used you, Sis…"

"It's fine, it's fine…" Then her interest turns to Sammill. "So, what were those forbidden pages??? Since Dipper knows, I wanna know too! Besties share, don't they???"

Sammill groans a tiny bit, but he can't exactly decline now… And he figures that she wouldn't take no as an answer. He snaps his fingers to get the folder on his hands. "You are free to look…" He gives it to her, a little begrungidly.

She opens the folder excitedly and sees the drawings, a few after the others, and seeing them, realizing what it is and making the connection with their past makes her quite uneasy…

Dipper gives her a gentle shoulder touch, trying to reassure her. "I assumed that Bill had plans and an interest to recreate this… But I was foolish to do it… Don't assume the worst like I did..."

Mabel laughs it away with confidence. "Oh, please, Bill pulling another Weirdmageddon? That's…" a bit of nervousness shows in her speech, as she touches her sweater's collar a little. "... that's really absurd…"

"It's impossible anyway…" Sammill says. "Even if I wanted to do it, my powers don't allow me to do it without a contact with the Nightmare Realm! So you got nothing to be worried about!"

Mabel nods, truly believing him. Yet, she still has those feelings of being nervous for now.

Then he adds, less confidently. "And speaking of that event... if you wanna hear some honesty from me, I could... Now that we're, uh, friends and all..." Bill realizes that he managed to say it without an issue, even if it still didn't come all that naturally.

Dipper and Mabel look at each other and manage to communicate non-verbally. First sharing the heartfelt of Bill using this word that way, but also getting curious.

"I trust that I shouldn't be worried about what you're about to say." Dipper says, refusing to go back to his fears.

"Indeed... So... you remember... Mabeland?"

Dipper shudders of disgust just remembering the place.

"Yeah..." Mabel says, a little uneasy, but still trustful.

Dipper adds, trying to not sound judgemental or worried. "This is something you did to emprison her... And also manipulate her..."

"It's true! But I feel like, now I can say..." Sammill tries to look directly at Mabel, but he has some struggles doing it. "... Shooting star... I..."

Mabel shakes her head a bit. "You don't have to apologize, it's all in a buried past!"

"It's not that... As Pinetree said, it was a way to keep you captive, to ensure that you wouldn't try to foil my plans, but..." He sighs and lets it out. "It wasn't just that..."

As he doesn't get any reactions, he realizes that he went too far into the explanation to back down, and faces the discomfort. "I... I've always liked your rebellious and chaotic spirit, and I've sometimes wished I could get you to see my ways... But I guess it wasn't meant to be. In the end, you helped me by facilitating my arrival to this dimension... Sure, I took the occasion, lied, exploited your feelings, but... I still felt grateful inside for this turn of events..."

Mabel somehow feels happy to hear this, as weird as it is. But she doesn't dare to interrupt.

Sammill concludes. "So, since recruiting you was out of the question, I did the second option... I made Mabeland as a way to thank you and solve your worries... But also... It was my way of giving you a place where you'd be away and happy... A place where you wouldn't be endangered by the chaos I've unleashed in your dimension... And a place where you wouldn't be able to think or worry about what was going on outside of it... I... I did it because I wanted you to be happy, Shooting star..."

As messed up as it is, Dipper gets a little emotional. "Wow, Bill... That must've been hard to let out, uh...? I..." He smiles a bit, finding some common ground with him. "I'm proud of you..."

Mabel tries to avoid cuddling him for the action, knowing Bill doesn't take it all too well even in human form. Or at least she learned that it's not the best idea to do it right away. Instead, she says. "I... Thanks, Bill, I get your logic... And I can't deny, you actually succeeded..." She adds. "It was wrong of me to enjoy it and I'm glad I was taught otherwise." She says as she touches her brother's hand for a second. However, she's not sure what to say next.

Dipper tries to fill the blanks for her. "We get it, Bill, it was your way of saying thanks and helping her feel better... In the end, there was good behind that action... So maybe you've always been good inside, even before your defeat."

Sammill gets a little frustrated out of habit. "What did you say...? ... Ahem... I mean, okay, if you say so... To slightly redirect that conversation, you're feeling less guilty now, Pinetree?"

"Indeed, I'm glad you confessed about that! Thanks!"

"... Whatever..." Sammill rolls his eyes and seems ready to end the talk.

Dipper smiles to himself before saying. "Now I should make you think of something else..."

Mabel tries to find a more positive topic. "Yeah, let's not dwell on that! Let's try to find a game to do!"

"Not it!" Bill screams before vanishing, giving Samuel control back. The boy concludes the confessions by saying. "I kind of had a feeling, Dipper… But I'm glad you're honest about it!" He says, before trying to find an activity to do with his friends.

All the while during this long travel, in Gravity Falls, the residents of the Mystery Shack are keeping themselves busy to ensure that everything would be ready by the afternoon in order to greet the guests.

Stan is taking a leadership role and is keeping a checklist. "Soos, have you done the beds for them?"

"Sure thing! All three of them!" He answers. "That attic is ready for them!"

"Good... Wendy, did you make sure to get the food for tonight?"

"Yes, I did..." She adds, knowing what's coming. "The best of the cheapest, like you asked!"

Stan checks the boxes on his paper with these informations.

Soos comments. "So they're coming with a friend of theirs, uh...? I'm sure the little dude will feel at ease here!"

"And if he's not, we'll help make it so..." Wendy recalls, a little amused. "I remember how slightly uneasy Dipper was the first few days, then he was a natural at living here."

Soos asks. "Do you know a lot about this friend they're bringing along?"

"Um..." Stan knows something, but he can't exactly bring it up to them. He dodges the question slightly. "It's mostly Ford who's familiar with him, but I look forward to knowing him better! Speaking of, where is he...?"

"Oh, he's been going downstairs for studies a couple of hours ago.", answers Wendy.

"Again?" He groans and decides to go there to check on him.

Underground, Ford is busy at his desks, but about to complete preparations. "So, by setting this here and with those calculations... Yes, it's definitely going to..."

"What exactly are you doing here???" Stan surprises him from behind, causing his brother to get startled. He continues with some lecturing. "Ever since we got the news that we'd have an extra guest, you've kept yourself away doing some mysterious errands or isolating yourself here! What's the deal with you? Do you not want to be a part of it?"

Ford chooses his words carefully. "Of course, I do! I'm just preparing something myself, just in case, you know..."

"In case of what??? Some new plot from that pointy eyeball?"

"Um..." Ford sighs a bit. "Yes, something about him... ... We agreed to no more secrets between us, so... I'm gonna tell you. If you promise to not freak out..."

He begins his explanation, and despite the mention, Stan does get mad a little bit, before his brother tries to reason with him, and managing to find arguments to have him not think about that for now.

After a good deal of roadtrip, the bus stops at a filling station around lunch hours.

When the bus stops, the driver goes to the group with a gentle order. "Make sure you're all ready to go in an hour from now, okay? We gotta keep a good schedule."

Samuel checks the time on his cellphone to take notice and says "Alright, we will!"

"Thank you."

As he walks away, Dipper exclaims. "I'm getting hungry! Let's do lunch!"

Mabel suddenly freaks out. "Wait!!!" She looks down as she realizes. "What about Waddles...? I couldn't bring him outside, and I don't wanna risk him causing trouble stuck inside the bus..."

"I told you bringing him in secret was a bad idea..." Dipper lectures her, even if he's compassionate. "Letting him stuck in the bag may not be a good idea either."

"What can we do...?" Samuel says, pensive and worried, before Bill's confident voices speaks up. "Allow me to fix this..."

With a snap of fingers, Waddles suddenly looks like he fainted. This causes Mabel to be really afraid about him. "What have you done??? What did you...?"

"Sis..." Dipper grabs her hand with an honest smile. Somehow, he has no doubts about Bill's action.

Sammill explains with a neutral tone. "I just, how to say, helped him doze off. He's gonna have a nice, peaceful nap while staying alone, preventing him from escaping or cause havoc. And when you'll return to him, he'll wake up unfazed."

He doesn't promise anything in his speech and doesn't sound exactly reassuring, yet Mabel trusts him. And she forgets her self-imposed limitations and tries to cuddle him for what he did.

"Quit it!" Sammill says, annoyed, before he disappears from the control.

"Mabel..." Dipper rolls his eyes amused, keeping her in check. "We gotta leave the bus and make the most of this hour outside."

"Yeah... I really have to use a bathroom too." Sammy grabs his backpack and gets ready to leave. "I'll get a headstart, okay? See you there?" He leaves the bus in a bit of a hurry, leaving Dipper and Mabel to leave the bus together as it gets locked from the outside. But Mabel looks concerned.

Assuming the reason, Dipper exclaims to her. "Sis, whenever I doubted Bill's intentions, I was wrong, especially recently... You shouldn't fear about Waddles, I'm sure he told the truth."
"Oh, uh…" Mabel gets a tiny bit uncomfortable. "It's... not that..."

Her brother adds out of assumption. "I can tell Bill is being grumpy the closer we get to our destination... It's normal, he expresses his worries through anger most of the time..."

"... It's not that either..." She stays silent a little before saying. "Bro-bro, I gotta tell you something... But promise me to not tell Sammy yet... Or freak out..."

She begins her explanation, and despite the mention, Dipper does get nervous a little bit, before his sister tries to reason with him, and managing to calm his worries for now. Which he manages to do thanks to the lessons he's learned.

After a good group lunch, they still have some time before returning to the bus. This causes them to look around in the convenience stores nearby, which really interested Mabel who went forward.

"Dipper, look, I found a great sticker book! Could you pay it for me?"

Her brother doesn't get it. "Why me? And… I don't know, I'm not fond of places like these because the prices are higher than the norm."

"Remember, you promised to repay me for what I did for you. Bill put horrible pictures in my head because you asked me to keep him busy..." Then she drops the use of his guilt and acts more genuine. "Pleeeaaase…? I really like it and I'd appreciate you for it..."

Dipper sighs with a tiny smile. "Alright… I brought it up to myself, I guess… But after that, we'll be even, right?"

"Yup, we'll be even! Thanks, Bro-bro!" Mabel promises as her brother resigns and goes to pay for it.

He comes back a little later, not having had too much problems with the sacrifice. "There you go, Mabel."

"Thanks, Bro-bro! I'll use those for my next scrapbook!" She grabs it with a smile, but then confesses. "... The truth is, those horrible things Bill told me haven't been bothering me all that much after a couple of hours... I think I made a bit of a scene to make a point... Maybe I went a little too far..."

"Nah!" Her brother is fine and understanding. "I kinda had an idea that this was the case, but I don't mind. It's a good way for me to repay my mistake and leave it behind. Now come on, Samuel found a small arcade in here and he's waiting for us!"

"An arcade???" She grabs her backpack after she put the newly-acquired book in. "Where??? I wanna have fun!!!"

Dipper grabs her hand, making sure she doesn't run off everywhere. "Here, I'll guide you..."

Then, after some very enjoyable playtime, they return to the bus on time and reunite with Waddles, who yawned himself awake when the bus departs once more. Mabel made sure to grab some snacks for him to keep his stomach satisfied until dinner.

As the three of them are getting more and more upbeat and excited, as each moment leads to them getting closer to arrival... Bill is silently going in the opposite direction, keeping it to himself, but getting more insecure with time and finding himself a spot in Samuel's backpack. He makes himself small enough, grabs his knees with his arms, puts his hands on the opposite sides, and stays silent while trying to fight his own thoughts and fears.

Chapter Text

As the evening starts to set and the tiredness of the day made them a little weak, the three kids had dozed off a little once they reached the last stretch of that bus roadtrip. The fact that it has no passengers besides them and the two secretly present non-human ones helped for that relaxing atmosphere...

Although that relaxation isn't shared by everyone on board... someone has a lot in their mind about returning to this place.

Dipper yawns himself awake, realizing what happened. Then he checks his cellphone for the time and realizes with a smile that they're almost there. This causes him to gently wake up Mabel and Samuel to warn them with some excitement.

Not too long after that, they hear from the driver's mike. "Next stop: Gravity Falls, happening in 5 minutes". Dipper and Mabel look at each other with excitement as Samuel stares from his seat with a smile.

Mabel is very much jumping on her seat and squeezing her brother's hand when she spots the familiar water tower as the first landmark they get to spot. Dipper shares that enthusiasm greatly as it being just the beginning of the emotions.

Mabel can't help but yell "Look!!! They're here!!!", as she manages to spot familiar figures moments before the bus stops. She can't hold it anymore and jumps out of the seat with her bags. Dipper follows with his own bags, feeling his heart getting excited.

Mabel gets down first and does a few steps on the ground without moving, as if to get her feet to realize where she is. Dipper, before taking the final step, has the instinct to take a deep inhale before having his feet touch the ground and cheerfully exclaims loudly. "Gravity Falls, it is good to be back!!!". Afterwards, they run towards the older set of Pines twins immediately for a reunion group hug.

Samuel followed them more peacefully, and the bus leaves after every bag has been taken outside. He stands next to those, including his backpack, that he put on the pile gently. He looks at the scene before him, recognizing the two grand uncles of his friends, alongside two other people.

"Look who's back!" Stan greets happily during the hug.

"Welcome back, you two! It's great to see you again!" Claims Ford.

"Little dudes, we've missed you around here..." Soos is just as friendly as he's always been, despite the new responsabilities he has now.

"We've missed you so, SO much too..." Mabel tries to keep her excitement in check. Keyword being tries.

"Did you get taller? You look a bit different.", states Wendy, half playfully.

"Maybe we did, but I don't think we took that much height!" Dipper has a big smile on his face when he answers.

Wendy adds after noticing. "Really, Mabel? You still have those silly things in your mouth?"

"Hey, I like my braces..." She pouts a bit before answering. "They should normally be removed by the next winter, so I wanna make the most of my last summer with them before we say goodbye!"

Dipper touches his green cap when talking to Wendy. "I kept your hat safely at my home, even if I don't wear it much."

Wendy, who is herself wearing another copy of her usual hat rather than Dipper's old cap, answers simply with a reassuring. "No worries, I did the same with yours!"

They go and happily chat for a bit for a little while. Mabel opens the specific bag that she kept with her. "We're back at our second home, Waddles!!!", she grabs him to give him fresh air and have him see everyone again.

Stan rolls his eyes annoyingly. "Oh great, IT's here too..."

Ford leaves a teasing remark loud enough. "Why this reaction? Didn't you say you would've been looking forward to the pig's presence if it meant having the kids back alongside him?"

Hearing that makes Mabel shocked in a very good way. "He did???"

Stan reacts with anger towards his twin to hide his embarassment, trying to bury it with threats. "Y-You better shut up now, or else...!"

Ford, despite being amused, does comply, knowing not to go too far with his brother's patience.

Samuel stayed quiet and distant the whole time, not daring to speak up. Mabel expected that and makes the task easier for him. "... so we would like to introduce you to..." She gestures at her friend.

"Samuel, isn't it?" Stan deduces, as this is the first time he gets to see and talk to the boy.

"Um... yes... Hi..." He does a very timid wave, seeming very unconfident.

"We are glad to be welcoming you for your stay here!" Ford smiles at him.

"Thanks... I..." He looks away a little. "... appreciate it..."

Dipper explains. "He's a bit of a shy one with new people..."

Mabel says, positively. "At first, yes. It's part of his charm!"

"Sorry..." He keeps looking away.

"Oh, don't be! You'll feel at home here!" Reassures Stan.

Sammy leaves a very shy reaction to that.

Soos decides to approach him gently. "Nice to meet you, little dude! I'm the current owner of the Mystery Shack, the museum and shop located at the building you'll live in during your stay! It'll be a pleasure to have you around!"

"Oh, um..." Samuel looks up at the man. Given the age difference and the responsability he has, he acts formal. "It's.. nice to meet you... Sir..."

He hears a small laugh as an answer. "No need to go with titles! We'll be friends, little dude! So just call me Soos!" He offers a small fist bump.

"Oh, um... Thanks, Soos..." He reprocicates the fist bump when he hears that, even if a bit uneasy still. "Please call me Sammy... if you want, I mean..." He gives him a little smile to show his politeness and gratitude.

The last person present makes her introduction too after speaking to the twins. Wendy is making her best effort to act very reassuring and comforting to him. "Nice to meet you, Sammy. My name's Wendy, and if you matter to these two friendly dorks you brought with you, then I'm quite certain we'll get along! So don't hesitate to reach out if you need something!"

Sammy feels more confident in her presence and gives a smile back. "Um, thanks... Nice to... meet you too, Wendy...!"

Dipper takes the time to talk about something a little somber, with Mabel right next to him. "Oh, by the way, Soos... We..." He takes off his cap out of respect. "We've heard about your grandma..."

Mabel adds, very calmly. "Yeah, we wanted to tell you in person... You have our condoleances..."

Soos looks away sadly for a second before returning to a gentle smile. "Oh, it's alright, little dudes... She got to see me gain responsabilities, she got to meet my girlfriend, and she left the place very peacefully after that... I know she would've loved to see you two again, but if you wanna make her happy, spend another great summer here, alright? That's what she would want you to do no matter what..."

Dipper gives a little grin as he puts his cap back. "Yeah... I expected as much..."

Mabel smiles back as well. "We still wanted to tell you, and make sure you're okay."

"I really appreciate the concern, little dudes... Thanks!" He gives them gentle pats on their heads for how honest they are about it. Then he innocently switches topics. "By the way, someone is waiting to greet you at the shack... You shouldn't waste time and go there right now!"

Dipper and Mabel are glad to be done with this heavy talk that went positively, and they decide to guide Samuel. "Come, we'll show you the Shack!", he hears from a very cheerful Mabel. Both of them are very excited to show him where they spent the previous summer. This causes the whole group to prepare to move from the roadside to that direction too.

"We'll take care of your bags!" Soos claims.

Samuel looks behind and realizes Wendy is approaching his backpack, causing him to freak out on the inside. He runs behind to grab it before either of them touches it. "Wait... I... I wouldn't want to abuse your kindness... I'll handle my own backpack, at least... if that's okay..."

"Sure, no problem..." Wendy gives him the backpack softly. He grabs it with some unease and thanks her, relieved that nothing was revealed.

Stan and Ford find this change of behavior interesting, and they actually have a good idea why that is. They have a small discussion about the secret they know from the kids during the walk.

"So, you see the kids are okay despite... you know what..." Ford reassures his brother.

"I don't know... I want to believe everything they said, and I recognize that their cheerfulness and wellbeing is a good proof, but I can't help it..." Stan admits. "Either way, it seems we'll know soon..." He speaks with some more concern in his voice. "He is here, isn't he?"

"He can't distance himself from this boy too much... In fact..." Ford answers, and then takes a quick glance at Sammy's backpack. "I'm pretty sure he is there right now..."

Mabel is leading the group, excited to see the shack in its messy glory. "Here it is!!! Just like how I remember it!"

"Um..." Samuel is a little confused when he sees the place he's heard so much of for the first time. It really doesn't match what he's been picturing.

Dipper chuckles a little, guessing the exact thoughts in his mind. "I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the place we called home last year. I'm sure you'll love it before you can realize it!"

At the entrance of the shack, Sammy notices two girls waiting and waving, most likely who Soos was talking about. Realizing who this is, Mabel runs to them excited.

Dipper gives a teasing warning to his friend when they get closer at their own pace. "Uh-oh... Brace yourself..."

Samuel is confused. "Why...?" Suddenly, the three girls' united scream of excitement causes a soundwave so strong that Samuel wonders if it managed to mess up his hair somehow.

"Warned you..." Dipper giggles, having been prepared to the shock.

Mabel joins Samuel. "Please, let me introduce you to my best friends from the town. Candy and Grenda!"

"Um... Hello..." Sammy gives a little wave.

"It's so great to meet a new friend!" Grenda claims.

"I hope we'll see you around while you're here!" Candy adds, smiling. Both girls are treating a friend of Mabel like someone they can trust.

Mabel is being extra hyper happy right now. "I can't believe it! My best friends from both of my homes together!!!"

Samuel is surprised by the attention he gets, a little embarrassed, even. Especially due to the secret he brings with him. But regardless, he's thankful for all the warm welcomes. He answers with the same usual awkwardness. "Thanks, I... look forward to... knowing you... too..." He makes sure to smile at them, as genuinely as he can.

They reunite and chat with Dipper for a little bit as well. After that, Candy then says. "I'm sorry Mabel, but we both have to go take care of something now."

Grenda adds. "We were allowed to come here to welcome the three of you exceptionally, but..."

"I understand, we have all the time to hang out later!" Mabel smiles about it and encourages them to leave without feeling guilty after a final quick chat for the day.

Samuel takes a good look at the building. He then gets encouraged by Dipper. "Come inside!" He grabs his arm and does just that. He gets a small look at the gift shop on the way there, intrigued by everything in it.

"We'll make a full tour soon, but first, I wanna show you where we'll all sleep!" Mabel encourages him to follow her upstairs, as she opens the door to the attic with strong happiness from the memories.

She quickly goes to her corner of the room. "Summer bedroom, it's so great to see you again!!! Bed, walls, posters... It's been so long!!!" Mabel would be hugging every corner of the room, even the air, if she could.

Dipper feels warmth as well when he sees his previous summer bed again. The twins are putting their bags next to the spots they've had the previous year, being very quick to feel at home once more. Dipper writes a quick text to his parents about how they safely arrived, which Samuel does too before seeing a third bed set up for him close to the attic's door.

"Will this spot do for you, Sammy?" Mabel gets a little concerned. "Apparently, it was hard for our grunkles to set a third bed in this room..."

"Oh, that'll do, it's perfectly fine by me!" Samuel sits and takes a look at the triangle-shaped window between his friends' beds. From seeing that, he's making sure that the door is closed and opens his backpack. "Bill...? Are you okay...?" He hasn't heard of the demon in a while, causing him to get worried.

Bill has been in a petrified position for a good while, his arms crossed against his sides, and his knees stuck behind that. He seems focused in fighting a lot of conflicting thoughts about the whole thing, to the point where he can't feel like moving or reacting to anything. He feels frozen by his concerns about the situation he got himself in right now.

Samuel grabs Bill so Dipper and Mabel can see how he's feeling.

"Looks like being back in this place is really making him nervous..." Dipper tries to deduce.

"Oh no... What can we do about this...?" Mabel gets concerned.

"I don't want to say he's right to be worried, but how are we supposed to let your friends and everyone else in town know that he's here and how he feels? It won't be an easy task..." Samuel says, holding the mute and immobile triangle.

Their conversation is stopped by a knock at the door. It's from Ford. "Kids... can I come in?"

Quickly, Samuel has the instinct to try to put Bill at a place where he can't be seen, since he won't move. He has no better idea than behind the pillow for now, doing so while being very nervous.

As Dipper and Mabel confirm, Ford enters, wanting to be reassuring. "I see you're all set up already. Not that it surprises me..."

Mabel smiles genuinely. "Yeah, it already feels like home again!"

Dipper adds, emotionally. "... It's like we never even left..."

But Samuel is genuinely scared by Bill's presence being noticed. He acts sincere, but his smile isn't enough to hide his discomfort. "Yes... I'm happy too... to be welcomed... I can't thank you enough..."

Seeing this, Ford takes a look at the kid's opened backpack and frowns a bit, but he doesn't seem angry. After that, he talks directly to the guest, trying his best to put him at ease. "Samuel, you should remember... I'm aware of the situation... I know you can't go anywhere without him... I've read everything you've written about it and I have trust in you, because Dipper and Mabel do... So please... there's no need to hide if it's just me, at least for now..."

Sammy is feeling a little better from those words, and his stare goes to the pillow for a second, prompting Ford to touch it and see Bill just laying down with his petrified position, letting his back be visible.

"Um..." Samuel wants to reach for Bill, but Dipper and Mabel touch his shoulders with a look of empathy, not saying anything. They don't even need to speak to make their friend understand that he shouldn't intervene...

Ford sits on the bed and stares at Bill's back, seeing the demon in person after so long and trying to have the first conversation with him since back in September. "... Cipher...?" There is no reaction from that. And after some silence, he continues with some conflicting emotions in his speech. "... I know about everything that happened in the past year, since your defeat... I know what deal you made with Samuel... how you lived with him... how Dipper and Mabel realized and accepted it... How... How you've made so many efforts to prove them that you've changed..."

He then turns to a more encouraging tone, seeing how Bill still hasn't shown any sign of a reaction. "And how you have succeeded... I have all the proof I need, and not just because I trust the kids... I'm also seeing it in your behavior right now... You are no longer the evil monster that you used to be... And that's a good thing, you shouldn't be ashamed of it... You shouldn't be scared of facing me because... I trust you! So please, look at me..."

Bill finally ends up moving and turns around, revealing his fleeting stare and his limbs. And Ford notices something he never got to see on Bill's right arm before. "Is that...?" He noticed a while ago that the three kids wear matching friendship bracelets, and he has heard from the writings how strong the meaning of having Bill owning and accepting to wear his own yellow one. Seeing it for the first time gives him a smile, but he decides to not bring it up now.

Bill speaks up, after a long period of silence, still looking away. "I don't get why I'd deserve it, Sixer... Those kids kept telling me, but... I've done so many awful things... I have pretty much ruined your life with my lies... And everyone here must still hate me for attempting to take over the town and causing misery... So why would I deserve forgiveness?"

Ford surprises himself trying to get physical with Bill, but avoids it. "I can tell that you have become a better person now, Cipher... You might not be completely convinced of it yet, but the way you act right now is complete proof that you've changed... And I get exactly what you mean... Owning up to your mistakes is very hard... But you did your best for that. Forgiving is hard too... But I'm willing to do it since you already did your part... Trust me, I've already gone through both sides of the challenge before... I know very well that it's never easy... But it can be done."

Bill can't cry in his real form, but his sole eye appears to get emotional as he looks at Ford directly now. "Sixer, what can I do...? How can I be sure things will get better...? And that my reputation won't haunt me here...?"

Ford loses his smile for a second. "It's gonna be difficult... But I'll help! You're a different being now, and... I'm very proud of what you've done with the kids... I'm gonna make sure that everything goes well..." He lets his emotions get the best of him, but he admits..."I would be honored to be your friend and partner again, to help you... Like old times, but... better!" He kindly offers his hand. "What do you say, Bill...? Do you accept this deal...?"

The triangle stares in shock, feeling his arm trembling, before kindly reaching for the six-fingered hand, very moved himself when they do touch after so long. "... F-Fordsy... I...". With that being said in a more hopeful tone, he slowly gets closer, leading to Ford giving him a comforting cuddle that Bill didn't dare to ask for.

Meanwhile, Mabel is trying to silently leave out warm tears of joy, but she can leave some emotional whimpering be heard. Dipper looks stunned, but this expression hides how he's actually is actually very relieved about how the situation went.

Samuel got a lot of anxiousness about the whole situation. In a way, Bill became a part of him after the deal, so he was worried that he wouldn't be fully welcomed because of it. And seeing that Bill is about to be forgiven by the alive man he wronged the most gives him a lot more ease, even if there will be some bumps on the road about that.

He waits a little until the emotional reunion ends to speak up respectfully... "Shouldn't we let the others know...? Playing the waiting game might not be a good thing..."

Dipper sighs out of concern before going down with some more confidence. "You're right... I'll go ask them to reunite..."

Bill stops the hug and speaks in fear. "Are you crazy? They'll freak out as soon as they'll hear about me!"

Mabel speaks up directly to him. "It'll be okay, you'll see..." Despite her encouragement, Bill decides to disappear for now until his presence is needed.

As such, they all go down in the living room to find Stan, Wendy and Soos waiting with the twins.

"Soooo... any reason we got called here?" Soos asks fairly oblivious, but he adds kindfully. "Do we need to make a city tour to our new guest before dinner?"

"We'll do that tomorrow, actually..." Ford answers before giving Samuel an encouraging shoulder pat as he talks to the group. "It's nothing to be alarmed about, but our little guest and new friend has something to tell you."

Samuel does gulp at this as Wendy asks. "Does he need something more to feel at ease here...?"

The kid looks at his best friends. They are both making encouraging gestures to get him started. He already got some more ease when facing Soos and Wendy. "It's just that... Look, I'm incredibly thankful for... your welcoming and your kindness so far, and I'm sure... I'll spend a great vacation during my stay here. But... there's something about me... that you might need to know..."

Stan knows where this is going and stays silent, noticing a silent nod from Ford when the two cross stares.

Meanwhile Wendy leaves out a joke to try to put him at ease. "What, you got a criminal record we should know about or something?"

The joke doesn't really make the twins laugh given what he's about to reveal, so they get a little worried about how their friend could feel.

"Oh no, of course not!" Sammy gets a little scared, but still tries to stay confident, pretending to take the joke without an issue. "But yeah, I need to tell you something... I... I have..." After hesitating for seconds, he explains. "... I did not come here alone..."

Soos doesn't understand what he implies and just says. "Of course you didn't, you came here with those two!" as he points to the younger Pines twins.

"Oh, that's not what I meant..." He giggles at the confusion he caused. "Okay, I'll be more direct!" He takes a deep breath of courage before deciding to get it out. "I did not come here alone, because I... I..." suddenly, his speech is interrupted as he closes his eyes and his head twitches for a second. "I..."

The kid quickly reopens his eyes, and the twins deduce that Bill is now in control. He forcibly took over Samuel's body so he would stay silent and he tries to cover up. He acts a lot more nervous than what Samuel did, but keeps the lying act he's well-known for go on with his louder speech.

"I wanted to tell you, that, uh... ... I actually have a split personality! Yeah! That's what I meant when I said I wasn't alone! You might see me acting differently at times, and that's why! There are two of me, in a way! It's a rare condition that does happen, but please treat me like that's normal, okay?"

Sammill giggles with a nervous smile while Dipper, Mabel and Ford look at each other disappointed, not being sure what to do.

"Oh... I have no issues this kind of stuff!" Soos smiles reassuringly. "If someone's a good fellow to me, I don't have any judgement with how they are!"

"So, could you tell us more about this? Like, what we could expect from you?" Wendy asks this genuinely as well.

"Well, you see, I have a shy side and a louder, more confident side to me. And not everyone likes that about me. That is why I'm telling you this! So you won't..." His fake explanation is cut short.

"NO MORE GAMES!!!" Stan stood up suddenly, knowing what's going on.

"Stan, what are you...?" Wendy reacts, finding the situation uncalled for.

Ford gently cuts her off... "It's okay..." Since he doesn't know how to get out of the situation himself, he trusts his brother to be able to.

Stan approaches Sammill and looks at him straight in the eyes. "You tell the truth, now! Or you'll end up paying for it, sooner than later!"

Bill can feel some genuine terror from Samuel's body while this happens, causing him to give up and oblige to the order... "Question mark... Red... Did ya missed me...?", he asks with a hint of shyness in his voice. The nicknames are enough to make them feel a little uneasy, but while they are processing it... Coming out of the body is Bill's true form in the flesh, holding his cane. He puts an arrogant facade to hide how worried he is. "Admit it, you missed me..."

Soos freaks out and backs down, looking for something to defend himself, while Wendy's instinct is to stand in front of Dipper and Mabel to protect them. "Don't approach us or it won't end well for you!"

Samuel got back to his senses quickly and gets scared from those reactions. In spite of all this, he remembers all his promises, and holds them with barely any hesitation. "No wait, don't hurt him... he's..." He grabs Bill's hand. "He's my friend!!!"

"A demon is your friend??? And you intend to help him in his desires, maybe?" She gets angry at the idea of feeling betrayed like that and Soos gets closer once he found a shovel.

Dipper and Mabel manage to pass by her and Mabel joins Samuel.

Dipper looks at them directly, trying to sound as serious as he can. "Wendy, Soos, wait, you don't understand..."

"He's..." Mabel grabs Bill's other hand to prove her point. "He's OUR friend too, now!"

Dipper points at his wrist to show the bracelet he wears. "Look..." He then gestures at Bill's wrist, making them notice how he also wears one. There is stunned silence following that...

Ford speaks up. "I knew it would be difficult to present you the news, but it's best that it's done now... Do you kids feel like explaining them what happened after you left last summer, or do I have to?"

"... We'll try..." Dipper answers, looking at the two of them. "I hope I can make it short enough, though..."

Stan stares at Bill, who's avoiding eyes to eye contact for now as he keeps holding Sammy's hand just in case not doing so would make him less trustworthy. Dipper and Mabel tell Wendy and Soos the basic story about how Bill was brought back accidentally, how he planned for revenge, and how it all gradually lead to where they are now.

"I... see, I guess... But I don't know..." Soos looks at Bill.

"You really think we can trust a guy who tried to destroy the world for fun? Do you think this is easy to do?" Wendy claims.

"Oh, I know first hand how difficult that is..." Dipper admits, thinking about how he's had his doubts before, and feeling extremely guilty about his mistake from the past few days.

Samuel feels very awkward. "I'm sorry I had to hide this at first. Because we're linked, I understand if you don't feel like I should be staying around you..." He's sounding fairly defeated about that, even if he tries not to.

"It's fine, kid!" Ford stops him in place. "You are welcome here! And... so is he!" He looks at Bill saying that.

Sammy then feels some relief, and it causes him to suggest..."If it helps convince them, we should share my studies with them... I have my notebook with me..." He turns to Bill, giving him a nod that he'd keep those pages away to avoid complications.

"That's a good call, Samuel!" claims Ford.

Mabel adds, suddenly feeling more confident. "Oh, while you're at it, get that photo book I've made! It's more proof!"

Stan didn't let his stare escape Bill, and he gives another threat. "I've read what was written in this notebook, and I trust the kids and their friend. So I'll trust you for now. But if you break that trust, expect consequences..."

Bill keeps his confident and arrogant behavior as a tough exterior. "Yeah yeah, don't worry about it, Sixer copy..." before vanishing for now to let things sink in downstairs.

Samuel goes back to the bedroom and closes the door, causing Bill to reappear. "Are you okay...?", asks the boy.

The triangle is losing his mind. "Fuzzball, that was horrible!!! I knew it would be a terrible idea... How would they trust me? They wouldn't!"

"There, there..." Sammy gives Bill a comforting hand holding, as awkward as it is. Somehow, Bill doesn't care to object the physical affection in his true form in this situation. "You'll show them how much you changed and they'll naturally trust you... I know it. It worked for my friends, it will work here too! You've already done a lot, and I'll be by your side for the following steps..."

Bill vanishes silently before Samuel grabs the notebook and Mabel's photo book. Before he goes back downstairs, however, he also takes the liberty of grabbing something else that he saw her start to unpack.

When Mabel sees her friend back, she runs off to him to grab it, before running back to Wendy and Soos. "Look, you two! This is something Bill gifted me!" She happily shows off the seal plush.

"He did what?" Soos is confused.

Wendy is a little doubtful. "... It's not one of those toys that become scary when you touch them, right...?"

"It's not! His name's Phil and I love him!" Mabel answers by hugging the plush as proof. "He gifted it to me because he felt bad for scaring me!"

Samuel looks at his notebook to find the appropriate part. "Here, you have the full story on this page..." He gently gives it to them, letting see anything they want.

"Thanks, little guy..." Wendy says, fairly genuinely. "Sorry I overreacted earlier..."

"It's fine, I get it, given the circumstances." Sammy answers, a little shy.

The two of them are reading parts of the notebook with great curiosity and disbelief. Dipper and Mabel are here to confirm and prove what's written on it.

While they check the stories, Mabel is looking to show some pictures to the pair. "Look, here you have Bill playing chess with Dipper..."

"He was quite a good, fair player too..." Dipper adds.

"Oh, and please read about January when it was snowing... I have the most amazing picture to show you about that!!!" She says, excitedly, thinking about the snow-made Bill.

After checking that, and several other things, Soos comments. "He really did all this...? And it's clearly true if you little dudes are defending him... Then, I guess I'll try to trust it..."

Wendy considers. "I'll probably stay on my toes for a little bit, but I also believe it if you assure it. By the way, where is he...?"

"Oh, um..." Sammy wants to explain, to avoid any chance that his demon friend could be seen as a threat... "He often tends to vanish, or turn invisible, or something like that whenever I'm in the open with other people. But he never leaves too far from my body... Sometimes he takes control of me without warning, but you'd notice... Or at least... Dipper and Mabel would..."

Dipper comments, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I've had a... less than pleasant experience with him taking my friend's place unsuspectedly..."

Mabel completes, trying to make it a positive thing. "But he's never been a threat when he did..."

Sammy tries to sound as serious as he can, fighting his discomfort. "You don't have to fear that he'd do something bad..."

Stan interrupts the whole thing. "Alright, enough chatter about all that! We got company, and dinner is served!"

"YAY!!!" Mabel cheers and quickly goes to the kitchen first.

The table is set for seven, as Soos and Wendy have made sure to be guests for the evening, due to the special occasion.

Near the end of dinner, Ford brings up, as a last mention of the situation for the night. "I probably should've warned you before, but in a week from now, we will have an event outside the shack..."

"Okay...?" Dipper asks, waiting to see where this goes.

"Samuel, I apologize for not telling you, or you know who, sooner, but... It's going to be an announcement about who you brought with you here... And how the situation went..."

"Um..." Sammy feels a bit nervous.

Ford tries to reassure him. "Don't worry... It's in a week, you have time to process, talk it out... And I can help you convince and reassure him..."

Dipper thinks about it for a little before saying... "Yeah, it is necessary for him to let himself known and probably apologize... It'd be tough, but I'll help you ensure that it's gonna go well..."

Samuel nods with a shy smile.

"Wait, speaking of, I can't believe I didn't mention..." Mabel suddenly remembers. "Dipper, Sammy, I... I met Alan before we left, and before he went to a military school... He apologized to me, and wanted to do it to you two as well... I told him I'd let you know, but these past days have been very busy..."

"Don't worry about it, Sis..." Dipper nods understandingly.

"Who's this Alan dude?" asks Soos.

Mabel grits her teeth a little bothered by the lenght of the answer she'd have to give.

Sammy tries to make it so the answer wouldn't have to come now. "Long story, we'll answer later. If that's okay with you..."

"Oh, okay..." Soos doesn't question more, respecting the situation.

Once dinner is finished, Soos and Wendy prepare to leave for their homes.

"It's great to have you around once more, you two..." Soos says to the twins.

"We'll catch you on the following weeks!" Wendy adds.

"I know you will!", nods Dipper.

Trying to make it so he's not left out, Mabel adds. "And you'll get to see how fun our friend is!"

Sammy looks away, a little bothered by the attention, even when Soos and Wendy do find the comment amusing and agree.

Right as they leave, Dipper leaves out a huge yawn. "Well, today sure has been busy..."

"Yeah, I'm really tired too..." Mabel stretches her arms.

Stan and Ford are currently busy cleaning the kitchen, but they said earlier that they'd be fine if the three leave them doing it. With that, Dipper and Mabel lead the way to the bathroom for Samuel.

Once they are ready to go to sleep, Stan and Ford join them in the bedroom.

Dipper is in bed, getting a visit from Stan. "It's great to have you around again, you little rascal..."

The boy can't really get mad at the little jab, between the situation and his tiredness. He simply answers with a slight smile before closing his eyes. "I'm really glad to be here..."

Meanwhile, Ford is by Mabel's side. "It's been a long day for you, make sure to get a nice rest."

While she cuddles the Phil plush and keeps Waddles by her side, she answers just before dozing off. "I don't wanna sleep, I fear I'd wake up away from here..."

By the time this happens, Stan and Ford realize that Samuel fell asleep already. Not daring to risk waking anyone up, they leave and close the door.

After a minute, Bill shows up in the open. He seems to keep his composure, despite the many conflicting thoughts in his mind.

"So... here I am again in this town..." For now, he doesn't want to debate with himself. He looks at Samuel's bed, and uses his telekinesis to ensure that he gets the blanket levels he needs as a way to distract himself for a moment.

After that, he floats to the window to look at the starry sky, looking very pensive. After a little bit, he extends the lenght of both of his arms to softly rub the twins' hair without waking them up. He says, without moving his stare... "You two deserve a better summer than the one I gave you last year..."

He quickly stops, and floats outside, finding a spot where he can look at the Shack fully despite his geographical limitations. He's decently up, able to look at the building from above like it was just a model that he could play with.

However, he stays silent for a little bit, before asking himself. "... Is this... home...?"

Chapter Text

After hours of resting in this new place, Samuel ends up waking up by himself and spends some time realizing where he is. The fact that the entire experience is something real is still an idea that he has to let sink in his mind.

He notices how the beds by the window being empty. Figures, Dipper and Mabel would be more excited than him, and it'd get the upper hand against their feeling of tiredness. As such, he calmly dresses up before going downstairs and hearing the cheerful chatter of the kitchen.

He more or less silently enters, able to speak up to his friends. "Good morning..."

Dipper speaks up first, fairly upbeat. "Oh hey, Sammy, good morning!"

Mabel immediately asks, very curious and excited. "So, how was your first ever Gravity Falls night???"

Samuel smiles a little, answering. "It was, um... it went well. It was a great rest!"

Stan asks jokingly. "So you weren't disturbed by the many monsters who roam around the shack at night, were you...?"

"W-what...?" Samuel feels very uneasy from this.

"Grunkle Stan!!!" Mabel frowns.

Stan defends himself. "What? If this little guy wants to live under my roof, he'll have to get used to it!"

Dipper tries to reassure his friend. "He's just joking, pay it not too much mind."

Samuel tries not to mind, he didn't dislike the joke, but his feelings sometimes get the best of him. "It's fine, mr. Stan..."

As an answer to that, he gets "We're gonna live together for a while, save your tongue some effort and just say Stan!"

The phrasing does make Samuel giggle. "Alright, thanks... Stan..."

"That's better..." He turns his back to return to handling the kitchen space, letting the kids together to chat.

As they finish, Dipper and Mabel let Samuel know. "By the way, Grunkle Ford would like to see you in his room."

Mabel adds. "We're not sure why, but remember, there are no worries to be had..."

Samuel nods calmly, believing it, as the two leave.

Having been informed where to go, Samuel gently knocks on the bedroom's door and enters with permission.

"... You wanted to... see me...?" He approaches, a tiny bit uncomfortable, but still trustful.

Ford notifies him to close the door, trying his best to seem reassuring and gentle. "Yes, thank you for coming... I trust that you've had a good night rest? You fell asleep quite quickly yesterday..."

Lead by the normal conversation, he answers respectfully with ease. "Yes, I've slept quite well here... I trust that I'll have a good time in town."

Ford sighs a little to himself before bringing the subject up... "Samuel, I don't want you to get worried, but before you can go outside, I'm gonna have to ask something of you..."

"Um... Sure...?"

He takes a tiny watch-like device out of his pocket. "I would like for you to put this little thing on your wrist. It is nothing to be worried about..."

"Um..." Samuel looks at it, quite shocked because he's never seen anything like that technology before.

Due to the boy's confusion, he quickly explains. "It's in order to ensure that... you know who... can't use his powers through you..."

"Oh, I..." Samuel wants to answer, but he's cut off.

"Are you for real, Sixer???" Bill showed up right behind him when he heard that. "I do everything you want to satisfy you, and you still try to punish me???"

Having expected this reaction, Ford tries his best to keep his composure. "This isn't about punishing you, Cipher... ... Bill... listen... I have near complete trust in you, and it's not about making you suffer... It's about being extra careful for everyone's sake, even if I have no doubts!"

Bill stays quiet to that, facing Ford silently.

"I promise, it's gonna be temporary and short-lived... For a week at most, to reassure everyone who knows about your presence here... After the event we'll have then, he will be able to remove it. You have my word!"

Bill lets out a huge groan of displeasure. "Fine, whatever..." He disappears in order to sulk silently.

Samuel puts the device on his right wrist, which is thankfully small enough to be hidden under his friendship bracelet.

Ford comments. "I don't like putting Bill in this mood, I hope he won't rant on you because of that..."

"It's okay... We've been through worse..."

Ford tries to be comforting, giving a little smile. "You're a rather brave boy, you know?"

"Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" Suddenly, he puts his hands in his mouth out of shock. "I'm so sorry..."

Despite his shame, Ford is actually smiling pleasently. "Oh, it's perfectly fine, I didn't mind at all."

Still, he tries to justify his mistake. "Because I kept hearing Mabel and Dipper call you that, it slipped off my tongue..."

"It's okay, no shame to be had..." Ford touches his shoulder gently. "If you're that close to them, you're basically honorary family to me as well..."

The way it's worded makes Samuel gasps in a reassured manner. He's not sure he'd deserve the title, but hearing it sure allowed him to feel something different and smile softly. "Thank you..." He fiddles a little with his friendship bracelet, keeping the device hidden rather easily.

Later that day, Soos decided to take the responsability of introducing Samuel to the concept of the Mystery Shack. From a good tour of the museum and its phony expositions to the gift shop.

Soos asks him, with strong enthusiasm. "So, what do you think?"

Samuel wants to be positive, even though... "I... liked it? I suppose..." He decides to tell the truth about what's on his mind, however. Seeing Soos' kindness makes him want to be honest. "But... I don't know if I like the idea... Getting visitors and presenting them fake presentations and getting money out of them...? I, um..."

Soos can tell how uncomfortable this makes his new friend, so he's trying to sound reassuring and comforting. "It's not only about that, you know..." He talks with a genuine smile and says what he sees as the truth. "Think about it, those people who pass by are curious. They do seek an attraction and see some special things. Sure, we don't really do legitimate things, but what's authentic about this place is that we provide them entertainment. Money comes from it because they're satisfied from the experience!"

Samuel considers, still a little conflicted.

"Even if it's all make-believe, they usually spend a great time visiting this place, and give us money because they were happy to! Just like seeing a movie!"

Sammy smiles a bit, feeling reassured by Soos' point of view. After that, he suddenly hears. "And since you're here, you're allowed to take something from the shop, for free!"

"Really...?" Sammy looks up again, curious.

"Yes, it's a tradition to welcome any resident of the house!"

"A tradition? How long has it been going for?"

Soos answers bluntly. "Last year!"

"Uh..." He starts looking around, and he eventually makes his choice. For a reason he's unable to understand, Soos' initial reaction is being a little surprised, but allowing him.

"Thanks for shopping!" Then he adds playfully. "But next time, no mercy with prices!"

Samuel giggles his way out of the gift shop, trying to show his new item to his friends.

He goes to the living room and finds Mabel there with Waddles. "Hey Mabel, how do I look?"

She looks around towards the voice and she finds her friend wearing a white and blue cap with the symbol of a pinetree in it. She tries her best to not giggle as a reaction, but she's not the best at it.

Sammy gets confused. "Okay...? Does that mean I look stupid, or...?" He feels a little hurt, but Mabel is quick to react accordingly.

"Oh no, it's not that! It's because, um... You know what? Let's show Dipper, he's upstairs!" She leads him to the bedroom, where Dipper is reading in peace.

"Come in!", says the boy after he heard the knock. "Hey Mabel, do you need something?"

She answers, excited. "Oh, I definitely need you to give a good look at Samuel!"

"Uh...?" He's not sure he gets it, but then he leaves an honest laugh when he sees his friend with the new hat.

Sammy feels even more hurt. "Hey, what's the deal with you...? Do I really look that dumb with it...?"

Dipper stands up from the bed with a comforting smile. "Of course not! We think it's funny because, well... I've been wearing that exact model of hat for the entire summer last year."

"Wait..." Hearing that causes Samuel to have sudden visual flashbacks of some photos he's seen some months ago. "Oh... I knew it looked a little familiar... But I genuinely couldn't place it..."

Dipper concludes his explanation "And we think it's funny because you liked it without even knowing that! Nothing about yourself looking ridiculous at all!"

Samuel also deduces. "Wait, is that why Bill calls you Pinetree? I thought it was because of your last name! Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid!"

"What, no! I never found it necessary to explain the nickname, for some reason! It's fine..."

He takes the cap off, observing it. "... Do you think I should exchange...? It probably belongs more to you..."

"No, don't do that!" Seeing his friend's uncertainty causes Dipper to be more stern. "I don't mind in the slightest that you wanna wear it!"

"It's really cute how you ended up choosing this!", confirms Mabel. "And it looks pretty good on you!" She gives a comforting smile as well.

"Oh, well..." Sammy understands and feels reassured. "I... I guess that's flattering...?" He's not sure what to get from that, but he knows it's something positive, so he does thank his friends an decides to keep it on, at least for now.

Once more, later that day, in early evening, Wendy is awaiting her friends to go out, and so are Dipper and Mabel, if only for the chance to reunite with them sooner than later. However, they all must be careful about Ford's rule: not telling anyone else in town about Bill.

Then they hear the horn of Robbie's car from the gift shop, prompting Wendy to go outside. Dipper and Mabel follow just before Samuel.

"Hey Wendy! Everyone else is waiting for us, you're lucky I even got allowed to pick you up."

Robbie notices the Pines twins as he goes outside to get closer. He does sound a little moody as a first reaction. "Oh, so those two youngsters are back, uh...?"

"Hey, we're teens now!" Mabel claims proudly.

"Yeah..." Dipper frowns, looking like he's angry at him. "Enough with your condescension. Treat us with more respect, you jerk!"

Samuel gets a little scared, but then Robbie just laughs it off genuinely. "It's nice to see you around town again." Then he approaches Dipper in particular. "I can tell you've matured a lot since we first met, shorty... About time!"

Dipper answers with the same friendly sarcasm. "Whatever you say, you goth wannabe!" The two then exchange a playful fist bump before smiling to each other.

Wendy giggles a little to herself. "See, I knew you two would eventually get along! Boys, am I right, Mabel?"

"Yup, so foolishly complicated!" Then she adds. "Oh, and..." She starts looking behind her, but to her surprise...

Samuel made a few steps already, and manages to speak up. "Hi, I'm Samuel... I'm a friend of Dipper and Mabel, and I'm staying around town too... "

Robbie answers by saying. "Oh, another newcomer to the town, uh? Are you gonna attempt to hit on my current girlfriend, like your friend did last year?"

Sammy heats up from concern and embarassment, not knowing what to say. "W-What...? I-I... H-hold on..."

Mabel intervenes gently. "Relax, he's only messing with you!"

Dipper nods as well, being able to tell that this is the case.

Sammy tries to relax after that. "Oh, um... Okay... Something tells me that I should get used to this humor here..."

"Welcome to the town, kiddo!" Robbie abruptly changes topics. " Now let's hurry up, Wendy, the others are surely losing patience right now!"

Wendy goes inside the car and looks at the three outside. "Have a nice evening, you three!"

Dipper and Mabel wave while they leave, and Samuel tries to process the experience, being surprised to have seen this side of Dipper himself.

During the week, Dipper and Mabel decided to do a little stroll around town, and Samuel joined to make himself more familiar with the city's surroundings.

In the middle of it, they suddenly hear a cheerful voice from behind.

"Dipper? Mabel? It is you!!!"

The two turn around when they hear their names, seeing a young boy.

"I've heard about you coming back, but I didn't have all the details. It's a great thing that I managed to spot you!" Then the boy notices Samuel. "Uh, and who might you be...?"

He answers, formally but without any issue. "I'm Samuel... I'm their friend from their hometown..."

"Now isn't that delightful! Surely those two love having you around on top of being here."

Samuel answers, managing to hold a short conversation. "Yes, they actually are..."

Dipper brings up an uncomfortable question. "I'm sorry, I really do not want to sound rude, but... Have we met before...?"

There's a cheerful laugh as an answer. "Oh, what a jokester." He makes a pose by pointing at his face. "Come on... It's me!"

"Wait..." Mabel observes his stare and starts thinking. Then her eyes open wide when she realizes a few seconds later. "GIDEON???"

"What a great guess!!"

This certainly comes as a shock to the twins, but since they left town last year, Gideon's new lifestyle definitely had an impact on his appearance. For starters, he scrapped the very formal fancy clothes for more outdoorsy outfits. He also got a massive haircut with much shorter and messier white hair. His change of lifestyle also got him to lose a lot of his chubbiness, on top of having been through quite a decent growth spurt.

Dipper is close to speechless. "I really couldn't tell it was you... I can barely process it right now..."

Gideon answers. "Oh, it's understandable! Lots of things happened after you left, after all! I've changed a lot of things about myself, and did a lot to try to have a more healthy relationship with my parents. I'm sure it's been a similarly changing time period for you."

Without selling the secret, Dipper answers with some discomfort. "Yeah, some very crazy things happened for us too after we left... Stuff you wouldn't believe..."

Gideon nods and continues by saying. "I've been missing seeing you here!" He can't help but look at Mabel in particular, feeling a little flustered. "I really don't mean to make you uncomfortable, Mabel, but I would really like to spend some time with you, and show you how much I've changed. I think I owe a lot to you for what I've done before..."

Due to her previous experiences, Mabel has some hesitation, but it mostly vanishes when she observes Gideon's growth. It reminds her of the ones she has witnessed from Bill and Alan, and this is enough to bury her concerns. "Probably not right away, but yeah, I'd love for us to hang out at some point during the week!" She takes her cellphone out and goes to give him her number, letting the two boys behind for now.

Samuel whispers to Dipper. "Wait, so this is the guy you told me so much about...? The one who attacked you a few times, tried to steal your home...?"

"Yeah, it was something..." Dipper answers. "I shouldn't be surprised by his change of behavior, given how you know who got an even bigger one, but I struggle to believe it right now."

Samuel then hears Dipper bring up something surprising. "Wait, are you okay with him hanging out with Mabel?"

"Why wouldn't I...? If he's not longer the same kind of person you met last year, I don't have a reason to be worried..."

Dipper answers, a little worried. "Didn't you say that you...? Um..." He goes straightforward. "... felt things for her?"

Sammy is suddenly reminded, a little surprised. "Oh, that... I do think it was just my mind playing tricks on me because of how much I've been missing you two over the last summer... I could never really be sure if these were anything serious because of that. So no, I really wouldn't be bothered if Mabel ends up liking this Gideon guy. As he is now, I mean..."

Dipper leaves out a little smile, happy to see this topic closed, and gently pats his friend's arm as a sign of support.

One day during noon, Dipper and Mabel decided to introduce Samuel to Susan's restaurant for that day's lunch. They got a friendly ride to the place from Soos.

"So this is the place, uh...?" Samuel observes. "It looks interesting..."

"Let's hurry inside, I really gotta use the bathroom..." Dipper says, looking like he really has to go.

"Yeah, me too..." Mabel can't help but move from one foot to the other as she speaks.

"I told you guys that a water drinking contest this morning was a bad idea..." Despite sounding like he's complaining, he knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be able to stop them, and finds the competition idea pretty amusing.

"Get seats for us, okay Sammy?" Mabel asks.

"We might be busy for a little while." Dipper adds, going inside fairly quickly. Both of them get to the bathroom at a fast pace.

This leaves their friend to enter alone, taking notes of his surroundings, and reserving a group of seats while he waits.

Quickly enough, a waitress goes to him. "Hello and welcome to Greasy's Diner! May I take your order?"

Samuel answers, having been told what to do. "Yes, thanks. I'll have a large French fries basket and three steaks." He explains the situation right after. "... My friends are joining me in a few minutes."

With the notes being taken, she goes. "Noted, it'll come as quickly as it can."

"Thanks!" He politely waits for his friends to return, almost jokingly thinking the food would arrive before they do.

"Oh, sweet relief..." Mabel says, gasping as she goes to sit in front of Samuel. "I feel much lighter now..."

Dipper doesn't make any comment, but he certainly feels the same way. Instead, while sitting next to his sister, he asks. "Did you get to order the food, Sammy?"

Samuel nods. A few minutes later, after friendly chats, they hear "order up!" and Samuel sees the waitress from before. As she gets closer to put the food down, she gets to be seen by the twins, and they are quite surprised.

"What in the...?" Mabel exclaims in shock.

Recognizing the voice and manner of speech, the waitress sees the other two costumers in a huge surprise. "It's... Dipper, Mabel! I didn't think you'd be here so soon..."

"Pacifica, is that you?" Dipper wipes his eyes in disbelief. "What are you doing here...?"

Pacifica, who's currently wearing a very formal restaurant attire, explains the situation while trying to remain focused and professionnal.

"I got a part-time job here thanks to Susan. I took the decision to be more independent from my parents and get some money of my own! Not that I'm desperate, but... Anyway..."

"Wow, that's, uh..." Dipper isn't sure what to say, for the simple reason that he struggles to process this in his head. He wouldn't want to let out something insensitive, and he feels like Mabel would tease him if he says anything a little too supportive.

"That's amazing, Pacifica!" Mabel exclaims.

She changes the subject quickly enough. "I certainly didn't expect you two to be the friends this guy was waiting for... Did you meet him along the way?"

"Oh no..." Samuel answers genuinely, without too much unease. "I've been friends with these two for years now... I'm Samuel, it's nice to meet you..."

Dipper and Mabel look at each other in silence, noticing a small evolution in Sammy's behavior these past days, but don't say anything aloud in front of him.

"I gotta get back to work, but I can tell you about my shifts if you want to hang out these next weeks." Pacifica adds, a little more to herself. "... It's great to see you again..."

Dipper has heard right, but he questions it anyway. "Did you say something...?"

Pacifica gets a little embarrassed and answers in denial "I said it's great my job isn't a pain... As in, I have a good time doing it." She returns to sound as professional as she can before she leaves. "Please enjoy your meal."

This leaves the trio to indeed appreciate the food they got, while the twins remind Samuel about their encounters with Pacifica the previous summer and how different she was from now.

During the entirety of the first week, Samuel is feeling more and more at home during his early stay. Sure, it helps a lot that Dipper and Mabel are alongside him to make him confident enough. But he's being welcomed quite well by everyone around town, and he's extremely thankful to be able to be experiencing this.

He also got to be introduced to some of the paranormal around town, even after months of basically having a demon roomate, he still gets to discover a few surprising things. As he tends to bring his notebook during these expeditions, he tends to draw what he sees to make some memories.

Speaking of, through the whole week, Bill hasn't been showing himself at all. As the idea of a big event for him is getting closer and closer, he's attempting to make sure that his fears and concerns don't get the best of him and lead him to attempt something rash. Sometimes he pictures the worst and quickly ponders: "Maybe Sixer's device was a good call in the end...".

He only makes himself seen during nighttime, when the shack is silent and everyone is resting. He's staying silent himself when he looks at Samuel, Dipper and Mabel sleep nicely in the attic turned bedroom. But he also tends to do something else...

At least once by night, he sneaks out and finds his way into Ford's room, respectfully floating close enough to him. He silently observes the man resting, having flashbacks of everything bad that he caused for him and the consequences.

Sure, if you asked Bill then, he would've gone "Hey, it's not my fault if he was foolish enough to trust me!" or "It's not my fault if his brother and himself couldn't get along and caused these fights!" And maybe he would pull an arrogant defense like that if he was asked today.

But in this situation, Bill can only stare and be silent, trying to get used to the sight, ensuring that nothing would be an obstacle to this sleep... He often spend a good amount of time sitting by his side, his eye never moving away, relishing in witnessing Ford's peaceful rest...

In spite of his concerns, Bill tries his best to be positive about what Ford is attempting to accomplish soon...

Chapter Text

The big day has come... Right outside the shack, a slightly measly done stand was set up for a presentation. Several residents of the city have reunited physically for the event, and it's going to be filmed and broadcast across the town.

Dipper and Mabel have taken front row seats, sitting around Stan, Wendy, and Soos. They all discuss, in quiet whispers, about the lack of chaos during the week, and how it seems like Bill is about to prove his evolution once and for all.

The twins are also quickly discussing with Stan alone about one big secret between them and Ford... Stan is really conflicted about it, but he doesn't really have a say against the other three. All he can do is trust his family member's vision if nothing goes awry.

On the other side of the bench, Candy and Grenda join Mabel. After some chatters of reunion...

"I was surprised to hear about mr. Ford's presentation today...", says Candy. "I wonder if he made some big discovery..."

Mabel stays cryptic a bit, trying to mentally prepare her friends to the upcoming sights. "Oh, he's gonna show something... something huge..."

"Believe me... You're in for one crazy reveal..." Dipper says, sounding convinced that it will go well.

"Hold on, don't you have a seat reserved for your friend?" Grenda asks, feeling a little bad about having possibly stolen the spot.

"No no, it's all fine..." Mabel reassures, but isn't sure how to explain...

Dipper completes. "Instead of sitting with us, Sammy will help grunkle Ford... In a way... You'll see..."

In a matter of minutes, more familiar faces find their places in front of the stage.

While this happens, Ford is waiting inside with Samuel, who is finishing a Pitt cola rather hastily. Afterwards, he leaves one single remark...

"I trust everything will be worth it... I'm willing to do what it takes for that..."

He says this, in spite of the fear inside him, that he's trying very hard to downplay. After taking a deep inhale to try to appease his mind, Bill took control as they agreed. But despite Samuel's efforts to exhale the stress off his body, the triangle is feeling it quite a lot.

Ford, without intending to add more pressure, asks. "So, how do you feel, Bill...?"

Bill gives a very direct answer. "... I feel like bodily fluids could erupt from every possible hole of this body at once... Which would normally be something I'd find hilarious..." Sammill is trembling and feeling like he could indeed explode from his fear... "I'm not sure I could do it..."

Ford reacts with a frown, taking a stern, almost accusing tone. "I see, so it's pointless after all... I suppose you haven't learned anything about facing your responsabilities?"

Bill freaks out, trying to justify himself. "What??? That's not true at all!!! I want to do this and prove that I did!!! I...!!!"

He cuts him off quickly enough, to reassure him. "Relax, I knew it... I just wanted to test you... But more importantly, I think you needed to hear that yourself..."

Bill takes a few seconds of silence to think about this last sentence. Even if it doesn't help calming him down that much, he realizes that it's true that he said that very spontaneously.

He frowns and then complains: "That was awfully manipulative of you, Sixer...!"

To that, Ford playfully answers without any hesitation... "Makes sense, I happen to have had a great teacher..."

This makes Bill slightly unable to hide his discomfort about that very odd compliment.

Ford gives a quick smile and a shoulder pat. "I know, it will be a big challenge. It will for me to, having to face everyone's worries about you returning..." He grabs the boy's hand "I know we can do this, if we both do our best and stick together..."

Bill is really hating what he's feeling right now, as he needs to be escorted outside while he uses Samuel's body. He normally loves the attention, but in this body and situation, all those eyes and cameras seem to freak him out.

As he looks around, his gaze focuses on Dipper and Mabel's front row seats. He notices them doing encouraging smiles and gestures, hoping it'd help him even if so slightly.

Ford takes the microphone first to introduce the matter, clearing his throat and taking a breath before beginning.

"Dear residents of Gravity Falls... Both of those who came here in person..." He looks at the crowd for a little, before he stares at one of the cameras quickly. "... and those who are currently watching from home... I thank you sincerely for taking the time to acknowledge this moment..." He takes another breath before continuing. "Because I, Stanford Pines, well-known researcher, have something very important to showcase to you... Something that will change this town forever..."

Then, he turns to the young boy on stage with him. "I am done, so if you please..." He says that with an encouraging smile, having a good idea as to how he may feel. Even though he stands aside to let him grab the mike, he stays within arm reach in case something goes wrong.

And so Bill, posing as Samuel, stands behind his desk. He feels the human body's anxiety rising, with his breath being troubled, and he feels like crying of fear, but... He takes a good look at Samuel's bracelet, then at Dipper and Mabel. He did so much, he can't back down.

Seeing the nervousness, Ford gives the boy's body a gentle pat. Sammill is standing against the desk, feeling incredibly intimidated. While he used to love being the spotlight, he's sensing a strong anxiety in front of this small crowd and cameras. Once more, he looks at the Pines twins, who are giving him the warmest smiles of support they can.

With a final strong breath, a speech full of emotion starts... "D-Dear people of Gravity Falls... I... You might not expect this coming from a guy who's... s-seemingly visiting the town f-for the first time, but... I... I have s-some... very important... t-things to say..." Even if he got a decent start... every word feels heavy and painful for the tongue he uses...

He looks at Dipper and Mabel, who are giving him thumbs up and the most encouraging smiles they're able to. Ford's smile doesn't fade either. Samuel's body starts to cry from all the emotions that are going out, but he goes through with what started. "Right now... m-most of y-you have... n-no idea who I am exactly... B-But... I'm s-someone who..." He sobs for a little bit.

Catching himself, he finds the strenght to continue when most people on the stands and watching from their homes seem lost. The tears on Samuel's face keep refilling themselves, and Bill's voice cracks and stutters constantly from the emotions. "I... I did... v-very awful things... t-to this town... T-To each and every one... of you..."

After another break... "I... I was t-told... I d-deserved... another c-chance... to be f-forgiven... B-but..." He breaks down from the tears again. "I... I deeply... h-hate myself for... what I've d-done... I don't t-think I... d-deserve that second chance..."

Dipper and Mabel silently look at each other, and make the decision to leave their seats.

Candy whispers to them. "Where are you going...?"

Dipper whispers quickly. "We shouldn't be here, I think..."

Mabel whispers before moving without establishing anything else. "Our friend needs us!"

"S-still... The best t-thing I could... d-do... is... p-publically say... I... I am..." He breathes down, and then realizes that the twins decided to join Ford on stage to give him more confidence. He looks at their cheerful smiles, and takes the courage to say... "Gravity Falls, I... I am... sorry..."

Ford claps genuinely and gently, gives Sammill a gentle comforting pat, and the twins also get closer as he steps back a little to let Ford take the mike back. Both of the twins are giving Bill respect for what he's done, even though it's not heard by someone else just yet. They can tell just how feeble Samuel's body is from these overwhelming emotions. And they let him cry against themselves, Sammill hiding his face from the crowd to empty his difficult feelings.

Ford is taking the mike to fill in the blanks. "Dear Gravity Falls folks, what you've seen just now... is a very unique situation... You're probably all really confused as to why a young boy visiting the town for the first time is saying all that... And... This is where I have to help clearing things up..."

After a bit of silence, the man decides that he doesn't want to let the mystery overstay its welcome, and he starts giving a hint. "You see, maybe... this boy isn't actually the one apologizing... It appears that... someone else was saying all that..."

This causes some voiced questioning among the crowd, and Ford looks at Sammill. He himself looks one last time at Dipper and Mabel's encouraging smiles before he goes back. "It is time... Bill!"

Knowing it's far too late to give up... Samuel's body starts acting strange, and... Bill's triangular form exits the body to face the crowd. His presence understandingly causes panic around, and yells get heard, which includes...

"IT'S THAT MONSTER!!!" "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!" "HE'LL DESTROY US ALL!!!"

Ford tries to confront the worries with the mike. "WAIT!!! Hear me out..." But despite trying to make himself heard properly, there's too much noise for his voice to break through...

Bill is still feeling discomfort, but figures that him speaking up from there would be the best way to make the point across. So he reacts with his angry form, yelling with a bone-chilling tone...

"YOU FEEBLE SKIN PUPPETS BETTER LISTEN!!!" That demonic voice is powerful enough to break through everything and cause silence. Then Bill returns to a normal state with a loud. "THANK YOU FOR THE RESPECTFUL SILENCE..."

Everyone else on stage knew this was a necessary evil, and Bill claims quickly to them... "I'll handle this now..." before turning to the mike, even if he isn't the most confident. Each of his friends are ready to jump in if something goes wrong with the crowd, as they promised their demon pal.

As such, Bill speaks as himself in front of the crowd and cameras. "I'm aware that I deceived you just now, hiding behind a pupp... a human partner in order to make things look better than they were... But everything I've said and felt during my time in front of you is true... After my attempt at world domination was undone by all of you..." As he says that, he realizes that he oddly no longer feels angry at his failure, before continuing. "I've been hanging out with the two Pines kids and their friend, and... I have grown to despise myself for what I've done to all of you... And seeing that... those three kids decided to help me and treat me like a friend. Which..." He looks at, and as such indirectly brings attention to his yellow friendship bracelet. "... I ended up feeling back..."

He wants to conclude quickly. "I understand if you aren't willing to forgive me... I do not know what it would take for me to be able to get the trust of everyone in the town... But... I am willing to take this challenge... So just let Sixer here know if you have requests... Thanks for your attention..." As he floats back, it is seen that Dipper and Mabel are holding hands with Bill, and close to hug him to comfort him... And so is Samuel... This really helps giving some truth to his words, leaving everyone confused.

Ford tries to conclude, even if a little awkwardly. "Yes, if you have any question, any reassurance I could give you... I am more than willing to take the time to answer them!"

Sammy, although a little uneasy, joins him on that, promising to explain what happened these past months.

While this goes on, Bill is just sitting in some form of slightly isolated booth, willing to interact with whoever comes to talk to him. He always claims to be willing to use his powers to improve something about themselves, without anything in return.

For instance, he offered Pacifica to provide her the wealth her family lost, and a guidance to help her use said influence to have her be able to do the opposite of her family's darker history. Or offering McGucket to fix his physical appearance back to how it used to be, now that the mental decay of his mistakes is undone.

But as he finds out with surprise, there is a consistant pattern. It seems that, even if they would wish for it, pretty much everyone declines and claims that they would rather accomplish things from their own will, or that they don't mind having a reminder of their mistakes.

Bill is a little frustrated by this, really failing to understand human's logics at times. But he doesn't complain, since his goal today was to prove to the town folks that he doesn't have any evil intent towards them. And his friends certainly do everything they can to that effect...

After a bit, Samuel goes to join the booth. "So, how's it going?"

Bill reacts annoyed, but pretty polite. "I give them an once in a lifetime's chance, and they all refuse. I'm really questioning you flesh-wearing skeleton beings' logic, but whatever..." He adds to that, with a slightly more vulnerable tone, after making sure no one else could hear it. "... I'm thankful to be here, still..."

While this happens, Ford is suddenly talking to Dipper and Mabel in private about a secret they share.

They are plotting for something, while Samuel and Bill are none the wiser about it...

Chapter Text

The dawn of the second summer week has shown itself. It has been one pretty chaotic week for Samuel's first Gravity Falls experience. But chaotic seems to be the name of the game in this town.

Bill feels a lot better about himself thanks to the Pines' ideas. Even if a part of him still feels like he's barely been able to make an impact. But he tries his best to brush it off.

In one early afternoon, Samuel takes some time looking at the drawings he's done since he arrived. He's been regularly sketching the oddities he's witnessed from the town, and still has to process that this is all real and something that will stay true during his stay. But then, out of nowhere, his time of reading in the bedroom is interrupted by the twins.

"Hey, Sammy! How goes it?" Mabel asks with a big smile that kind of hides something.

"Um, I'm good, why...?" Samuel wonders.

Dipper enters. "We're gonna take a walk to digest, and we'd really appreciate doing it with you."

Mabel kindly insists, trying not to sound suspicious. "We'd really really love to show you some place! Please say yes!"

"Sure!" Sammy jumps out of the bed and puts his shoes on. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, in the forest..." Dipper answers vaguely.

"Okay..." Their friend isn't questioning much. "I trust you to lead the way!"

As they go downstairs, they encounter Soos and Wendy just outside the Shack.

"Hey there! Up to a stroll?" Asks Wendy.

Mabel answers. "Yeah, we'll show Samuel the outskirts of town! We never got to show him the previous week!"

Dipper is subtle in his choice of words. "You know, for sightseeing..."

Soos reacts by saying "Oh right, it's time for the arrange..."

He gets cut off mid-sentence by Wendy, who tries to cover it up. "Yes, the tour they've been arranging to show him..."

Soos realizes his near-blunder and whispers "Sorry..." to the twins, which they accept without an issue. Especially since Samuel didn't seem to catch on. With that out of the way, they go out.

After a bit of walking outside the town, Mabel suddenly walks faster, acting a little daring. "Bet you guys wouldn't be able to run there faster than me!"

"Oh yeah?" Dipper takes the challenge with a smirk and is ready to sprint forward. "Good luck catching up to me!"

"Hey, wait up!!!" Samuel runs behind him, with Mabel giggling to herself. She wanted to reach the destination faster and knew exactly what to say to motivate him.

Dipper's run is quickly interrupted when they approach a small clearing, and he comes across something that he looks at with discomfort.

"Oh..." he frowns a bit.

Samuel is a little behind him and joins. "What's wrong, Dip..." he takes a look in front of him to find something peculiar.

In front of them is a half statue of Bill, raising his right arm for a handshake. This brings some very peculiar memories to Dipper, but he tries to keep it to himself.

Mabel joins them, a little behind, and notices the same sight as the boys. She claims after a brief silence. "So this is where things ended and started, uh...?"

Samuel feels a bit uneasy. "What do you mean? Why is there a statue of Bill here...?"

Dipper sighs as he explains. "This statue is... what remains of Bill's previous physical form... When he was still evil and seeking to cause no good to the whole world... This is why Mabel said this is the representation of his end..."

Sammy feels some discomfort. "And... Why did she say about a start, then...?"

Mabel speaks up for her brother, as she thinks he might be embarassed to mention it. "Well, Bill told us... After his defeat, Dipper went here to find the statue, and he accidentally touched the hand. He didn't know, but... this did awake him and allow him to escape this fate..."

"Oh, and this is how he..." He thinks about how his early encounters with Bill went, trying to suppress the negative feelings from then. Suddenly, his body goes... "You stupid... STUPID... MORON!!!!!"

Dipper's expression changes to being surprised, as he sees Samuel yelling at the statue's face. "You deserve this, you monster!!! And worse!!!"

Mabel saw what happened before the yells and tries to stop him. "Bill, don't..."

"Wait, Bill...?" Dipper is shocked to think about this.

"Take this!!!" Sammill punches the statue straight to the eye, causing a good amount of pain. And yet, this makes Bill laugh. "Pain is still great!!! And it's for a good cause too!!!" He's about to punch again, but Mabel grabs his arm.

"Bill... This isn't worth it! Calm yourself!" She looks at him, very stern.

And her brother joins on that. "Yeah, Bill, you... You've already made peace with yourself for your past... There's no point feeling negative about it anymore... You have nothing more to prove." He gives him a comforting smile.

Samuel's body makes an ashamed expression just before Bill exits. "Sorry... I... I lost my cool there..."

"It's okay..." Mabel says, very softly.

Bill then turns around. "Sorry to you especially, Fuzzball... Is your hand okay?"

Sammy is a little confused, rubbing his hand. "Yeah, I mean... the pain will leave sooner than later... But why did you do that...?"

"... Even if I made peace, as you say... I think seeing this caused a rush of frustration... It represents all the terrible things I've done..." Bill seems furious.

Dipper speaks again. "As I said, Bill... No point angering over spilled milk... You've already done everything necessary to move past all of this..."

"If you think about it..." Mabel thinks of something with an excited smile. "You could say that Dipper reawakening you is what allowed you to leave this past behind! This statue represents your wrongdoings, and it's behind you forever now!"

Samuel feels a little touched by this. "Aww, that's so poetic..."

"... Alright..." The demon mumbles to himself "Can't believe I'm letting a bunch of young flesh sacks acting smarter than me..." He speaks louder again. "You are right, thanks. And again, sorry..." He looks at the statue one final time before saying. "Just continue your walk, I won't make you worried again... I'll try to anyway..." He disappears after that, causing the three kids to move on, after making sure Samuel doesn't have major bruises.

However, it turns out that the walk suggested by his friends is quite longer than what Samuel has been expecting. "Are we there yet...? It feels like we've been walking for hours..."

Mabel reacts with positiveness. "We shouldn't be too far now..."

"In fact..." Dipper smiles as he witnesses someone. "We're here!"

"Uh...?" Samuel squints a bit to find Ford in the middle of nowhere with a device set up there.

Ford is showing himself after he made sure everything would work fine. "Hey kids, there you are..."

"Um, what's going on...?" Sammy starts getting nervous, and then...

Bill shows himself, since he had to follow. "I know mischief when I see it... What are you three plotting?"

"Oh Bill, I'm glad you got here..." Ford smiles.

Bill takes a closer look at the control panel. "What are you playing with, Sixer...?"

"You'll see!" He answers casually. He then activates a specific button. It causes a giant electromagnetic dome builds around them.

"WHAT IS THIS???" Samuel starts getting scared, he never witnessed anything like that before. Dipper and Mabel manage to reassure him with comforting smiles.

"What's going on, Sixer? Are you attempting to trap me???" Bill starts getting angry.

Ford answers. "It's all good, Bill... I'm not doing this to trap you... In fact, this is to help you..."

"WHAT...? What are you implying? I'm warning you..." Bill starts getting serious.

Before he can complete his threat, Ford activates another function. "Here it comes!" It causes a strong beam of light to go upwards, and it completes a rift inside the dome.

Samuel realizes while he tries to put everything together. "Wait, I've seen this before, in Bill's drawings... Isn't that...?"

Ford explains quickly to the confused boy. "It's a dimensional rift, connecting with the Nightmare Realm!".

"THE NIGHTMARE REALM???" Bill freaks out, but he also feels surprised. He wants to reach the rift, but the magical chain linking him to Sammy wouldn't allow it.

Suddenly, out of the rift come the various creatures Bill has befriended and worked with for so long. All of them appear one after the other, landing as a group facing the humans, and Bill is almost speechless. "Y-You guys...?"

Dipper and Mabel get some bad memories, but they're trustful enough things changed.

"Hey, Bill!!!" Yells 8-Ball.

"The Nightmare Realm isn't the same without you! We've missed you!" Claims Keyhole.

The triangle is extremely confused and in disbelief. "M-me too... B-but... H-How...? What is the meaning of this???"

"The 12-fingered human plotted everything!!!", answers Pyronika.

Ford reveals when Bill turns to him. "In the past months, I've been silently planning this... Returning to the concept of dimensional travel, finding the Nightmare Realm, contacting your friends with an offering... And in town, I've made sure to get the permits to be able to create this dome in here... In order to give them the opportunity to visit our dimension."

"But... But why...?" Bill is all sorts of confused. "Why would you go through all this...?"

Ford reveals his intentions. "I wanted to ensure a reunion... But not just that..." He decides to be transparent about what he wanted to accomplish. "Bill Cipher... from now on, you'll be in control of the area, and can rule it with all the weird chaos you and your friends wish... Weirdmageddon will be a reality inside this dome... "

Bill feels lost and confused. "Are... You're kidding, right???"

"I'm not!" Ford sounds genuine, and in fact, encourages him. "Just give it a try..."

Bill looks doubtful, and decides to try his powers... He managed to recreate a Fearamid, even at a smaller scale, and create a wave of weirdness across the dome that changes the landscape into the very same type of environment the town was last August. The trees, roots and other type of vegetations take forms to his liking, and the sky becomes a weird painting like red, proving Ford right.

He leaves out an excited yell, with just a tiny hint of evil. "It works... IT WORKS!!!"

Ford cuts his cheers to warn him. "But no world domination for you! You'll have to deal with those limitations, and never let your actions and games go anywhere beyond this dome."

Hearing this causes Bill's excitement to completely drop. He silently and slowly turns around with his eye opened wide, with his voice being low and threatening. "Are... you...?" It suddenly gets a lot scarier. "... KIDDING ME???"

Then his voice immediately goes back to complete excitement. "Why even care about that nonsense??? I'm so happy right now! My friends are back, my dreamscape is real and here to stay! And just because the area is restricted, doesn't mean I can't use the lack of sense to make it bigger in the inside! It's more than anything I could've ever hoped for!!!!!"

He then focuses on Ford. "Sixer, why did you do that for me...?"

"The idea didn't come from me. In fact, you owe it to someone else when it comes to convincing me to arrange all of that..." He looks at Mabel.

"You... You suggested this, Shooting star...?" The demon can't believe it.

Mabel admits. "I've seen how much you've changed... How heavy the feeling of losing your dream was... How much losing contact with your friends affected you... I felt so bad for you... Then I saw how you lost most of your evil ways, how you did everything you could to become a great friend... I was convinced that should your dream be able to come true to some extent, you would be overjoyed, and... After all that happened this year, I thought you deserved this too..."

Dipper crosses his arms. "I've only found out about it recently, how Mabel and Grunkle Ford planned everything. But I gotta admit, even it required me a lot of convincing... You were a big part of that yourself, Bill! You've proven yourself trustworthy enough to deserve it..."

"This town already has so many oddities to its name... An area of weirdness confined to a dome next to it won't be much to add to the list." Ford concludes with a bit of a joke, just before turning a little serious. "But there is an issue... You're going to have to maintain the balance of the weirdness' energy. And while you and your friends can go outside the dome any time you want... it's going to be necessary for you to stay around and control that flow, to ensure that it doesn't ever go overboard."

Bill is more than willing to accept this. "Yes, I can very easily make sure to control this... This dome will keep enclosing the weirdness, and it won't spread! I promise!" He sounds very earnest, but he then realizes...

"But... there's a problem... I'm magically chained to Fuzzball, we've never been apart by too far since our deal... He can't stay around in this dome for his whole vacation... and... he'll have to go home eventually too..."

Samuel approches the triangle with a comforting smile, after thinking about it for a few seconds. "Bill..."

"... yes...?" The triangle feels so lost, he's not exactly sure what to expect.

Samuel quickly explains, trying to make him understand. "I've been told by my friends... and Ford... About something we could..."

Bill's eye widens greatly, as he catches on. "You... You really...?"

Samuel extends his arm towards him. "Yes... I think so..."

Bill holds Samuel's hand, having all sorts of thoughts in the process.

"... Let's do it on three, alright...?" He inhales before starting. "... One..."

Bill continues. "... two..."

In that final second, as Samuel stares at Bill's eye, he feels like he's having very quick flashbacks...

He recalls the horrible nightmare in which Bill introduced himself to him, just before being a victim of his manipulations into accepting that deal.

He recalls witnessing Bill mess with Dipper through his body, before he somehow lost his edge and desire to do real harm.

He sees Bill's exclaiming his desires to make amends, and the promises he made to Dipper and Mabel to prove himself.

He remembers all the times Bill doubted himself because of his past... of his missteps during the process... some of his freakouts with completing the tasks... But also every time he did things to help him or his best friends, aka Bill's own former biggest enemies. How he saved the twins from a very difficult situation to a much brighter future. And how the trio has always been there to help the triangle overcome his doubts and fears...

He snaps out of it in time. Then they talk in unison to say...

"... The deal is off!"

With those words, the magical force linking the two of them breaks. Bill can no longer use the boy's body without permission, but they are now free to separate. As such, the triangle demon's last concern is broken as all of his friends support him to live his dream.

"I can't believe it... You... You're fine with that...? You're willing to... let me have this...? I... Thank you, Fuzzball, thank you!" He then looks at the whole group who made his dream possible. "Dipper, Mabel, Ford... Thank you, all!!!" Bill sounds very eager, rubbing his hands in excitement and he immediately floats closer to his partners with a lot to say.

"It's been so long, you guys... Teeth, you look shinier than what I recall, what product are you using? 8-Ball, your eyes look shinier than in my memories too. And Lava lamp, you seem quite warm and healthy too. How have you all been since the last time you visited this dimension???"

A long discussion is set up between the group of interdimensional creatures. Ford looks at the scene and instructs the kids. "I think they'll have a lot to catch up on, and a lot to do... We should probably let them have time and privacy for now, kids..."

Bill is so caught up in the discussion with his reunited friends that he doesn't hear or notice the humans leaving.

"Yeah, let's go!" Dipper says cheerfully.

Samuel smiles at Bill's eagerness, but... there is a bit of melancholy in his stare as he's leaving Bill behind for the first time in 9 months. He does forget about his worries for now when Dipper and Mabel grab his hands with a smile to move on for the day. They quickly make him understand that they'll come back for him later.

As the four humans leave the dome, they have the showcase that the nightmarish sights of Weirdmageddon indeed are perfectly confined in it. Everything outside the dome is regular-looking, showing the extent of Ford's works.

While they walk home, Samuel is feeling really weird. Even if nothing changed physically, he somehow feels lighter... and emptier...

Mabel looks at him and recognizes this feeling. She simply tells him with a empathetic smile... "Just let it go if you have to..."

Sammy smiles, and tries not to cry, but he struggles and sobs a little bit. This causes Dipper to grab his hand during the fact, for a couple of seconds before his friend done and goes back to a genuine smile.

If it was mandatory to make Bill happy, Samuel is perfectly fine with the outcome...

The conversation between Bill and his former partners in crime concludes with a question from Pyronica. "So, how about we go to your castle and prepare the party?"

Bill gets excited. "Oh, of course!" He recreates the flying car from the previous Weirdmageddon to get there, although he also makes a floating staircase of bone-shaped steps for his friends in the future.

"But first, I need to..." He turns around, hoping to see the humans that made all this possible for him... But they left silently without a proper goodbye. He feels a little guilty about not paying attention.

His pensive state quickly gets interrupted by Teeth. "Come on, Bill!!! You heard the guy, we can go out and visit them... Stop worrying and let's begin this party!!!"

Bill takes a few seconds to consider "... Yeah, I got all the time to make up for missing that goodbye..." He floats towards the driver's seat excitedly as he starts the engine. As the car starts hovering, he cheerfully yells with a hint of malice... "IT'S TIME... TO GET... WEIRD!!!!!"

Chapter Text

The end of the month of July has arrived, way sooner than Samuel wished it did. It is unfortunately time for him to leave Gravity Falls after his stay. He's finishing preparing his bags and gives one last look at the attic/bedroom with a smile. He's alone at the shack as everyone is waiting for him at the bus stop.

As he closes the door behind him, he suddenly gets a little jumpscared by the goat. Despite knowing that it constantly finds its way around the shack one way or another, he still gets surprised and amused. "I'm sure gonna miss this place..." He tells himself, before leaving the front porch and starting to walk towards the road, traversing the little forest on the way there.

But then, when he's alone in a clearing and about to reach the road... He hears a way too familiar voice from behind him.

"Hey, Fuzzball..."

Samuel stops in his tracks to look behind him, knowing exactly what to expect. "Oh... Bill..."

He drops his luggage to have a conversation. "Didn't expect you to appear here, right now... I, um..." He's not sure what to say about his departure. Even though he made sure to visit the Fearamid many times during his vacation, and made a proper goodbye the day before, he's not sure what to say.

Bill looks away as he takes over the conversation. "This almost full year I got to spend with you... It has been... kinda fun...? In a way, I suppose... And seeing you leave after we've been through so much... It's... it's slightly conflicting me..." Bill's words are hit with just a bit of frustration, before turning a little sinister. "I do have a way to persuade you to stay here forever... And I'm not afraid to use it!!!"

The human gets scared for one second, before smiling, knowing it's just his way to say how much he likes him.

Bill continues. "So... This is it, then...?"

Samuel answers, looking a little sad. "Yeah, I guess this is it..." He advances and touches Bill's bracelet, tightening it up just a little bit. He gives the demon a warm smile, before making a decision by instinct.

"You know what...?" He surprisingly takes off the purple friendship bracelet he has, putting it softly on Bill's hand. "Hold it close and you'll never be too far from me..."

Bill's eye widens greatly as a sign of his shock. "What...? But...? Fuzzball, it's yours... I can't possibly accept it...!"

"Oh, really...?" Sammy asks him, a little teasingly. Bill didn't realize it, but he clenched his fist after receiving it, seeming very clingy towards the purple fabric. "It seems to me that you made your decision. And I don't mind it..."

"... In that case..." Not only does Bill magically store it for now, he then creates a new one to appear around Samuel's wrist. It's another purple friendship bracelet, but that one is also yellow on the other side. Something that he knows will surprise the boy when he finds out. "Please keep this one for me..."

"I promise I will." Samuel smiles at him, gives a small goodbye wave and turns around, ready to leave. But he suddenly hears faint singing...

"We'll meet again... ♪"

The human stops on the spot.

"Don't know where, don't know when... ♪"

He turns around a little, being shocked at how emotional the triangle is right now.

"But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day... ♪"

Much like the song says, Samuel does intend to maybe return to this town whenever his friends will. And he found Bill's little farewell song to be really cute and touching. But as for now...

"I know you'll enjoy staying here... You still have a brand new life ahead of you... You've earned it, after all the efforts you've made... You've done so much, you can be proud of that... ... Goodbye, Bill..." He takes a step back, ready to leave.

The demon answers "Thanks to you and your other flesh friends for believing in me, and all you have done for me... I will miss you, Fuzzball..."

He's being silent afterwards with a small pause. But seeing him take another step back, he decides to say before it's too late...

"Goodbye... ... Samuel..."

Hearing his name come out of his mouth... er... his voice, for the first time, causes Sammy to get very emotional and to run forward to hug him, dropping on his knees to do a warm and gentle grip against him, closing his eyes to hide his sorrow.

"Bill, I love you too ...!"

The action is appreciated and Bill stays there appreciating the contact. He can also feel a couple of tears falling against his back, but he doesn't mind feeling the human leaking on him. More sorrowfully, Samuel says, still with his eyes closed... "But... You do understand that... It is time for me to go..."

Shortly after that sentence, Bill, not wanting the separation to be seen from either side, decides to do the difficult choice of silently teleporting during the hug. When Samuel opens his eyes, he finds something different between his arms. It's a plush of the demon that he created on the spot as a final parting gift. The kid looks at it for a few seconds with many emotions, and quickly puts it inside his luggages with a melancholic smile to get moving. He then speaks at the void. "Bill, if you're around to hear this... Thank you. I'll miss you, but I know you'll be happy! And... that makes me happy! ... Goodbye!"

He wipes tears before he goes to the bus stop, while he's debating to himself. "Maybe I can tell my parents that it represents some kind of mascot for the town...".

He finally reaches the bus stop, knowing that he'd find Stan, Ford, Soos, Wendy, Dipper and Mabel are all waiting for him.

"Sammy! What were you doing? You're almost late!" Mabel speaks loudly.

"Sorry, sorry..." Samuel doesn't say anything about what just happened and speaks to the group after putting his bags on the ground.

"Stan... Ford... Soos... Wendy... I've had a great time these past few weeks with you, and everyone else in town... I'm really thankful you all greeted me with such kindness and care, and I'll always cherish those memories."

"Anytime, little dude!" Says Soos with a smile. "You've been a lot of fun to hang around with!"

"Heh..." He scratches his head a little. "I've had fun, and I wanted to express it. I'm glad you enjoyed my company..."

"Have a good time the rest of your vacation!" Encourages Wendy.

"Oh, for sure! I regret having to leave, but I know I can still make the most out of that vacation. In fact, there's a place in New Jersey that I look forward to revisit..."

"Have a safe trip, kid!" Says Stan. "You are welcomed back anytime in the Pines family!"

Hearing that makes Samuel really excited. "Thank you so much, Stan... It's been a pleasure to meet you, after everything my friends said about you! I'll be sure to tell my parents about how much of a great time I've had! That way, I'll be sure to put every odd of me returning here in my favor!!!"

Stan approaches, a little sly. "But you make sure to stay shut about what's really special about this place, right...?"

"Oh, of course I will!" He answers without a doubt. Even if he dislikes the idea of lying to his parents, he considers it a small sacrifice to do in order to have such a great experience.

"Now that's a good boy!" Stan playfully rubs Samuel's hair affectionately, pleased to see the boy having learned a thing or two about arranging things to your benefit.

Ford approaches him. "Thanks for visiting! Thanks for always having been such a great friend for these two! And... thanks for your hard work with... you-know-what... You did something amazing out there..."

Samuel blushes and downplays it. "Oh now... I'm not sure I'm that special... I mean, I wasn't even aware of what I was getting myself into..."

"Well, you can believe it..." Claims Ford. "But you did a lot to fix something troublesome, something world-threatening, without even knowing it... so... thanks... I see why the kids like you so much as a friend."

"I think you're giving me a little too much credit..." Sammy pauses. "But... I'm glad it all worked out for the better...!"

Ford backs down, leading to Dipper and Mabel approaching their friend.

"It was so great to have you here with us, this time around!" Mabel smiles.

"It's gonna feel a little emptier without you now..." Dipper loses a bit of his enthusiasm.

Samuel decides to cheer him up immediately "Hey now, you still have family and great friends here to keep yourselves busy! Don't worry about me, I'll spend time with my family the next month, so I'll be fine too! We'll see each other in September!"

He smiles, and all three of them touch each other's hands, with the blue, pink and purple bracelets touching each other as well. Without their knowledge for now, Bill's presence and influence is there, hidden on the other side of Samuel's current bracelet.

Samuel starts speaking. "We might end up being apart for a while, but..."

Dipper continues. "We have no reason to be sad because of it!"

Mabel concludes. "No matter what, we'll always have each other!"

The three of them hug one final time before Samuel has to let go. He gives one last look at everyone before boarding the bus with his luggage, and waves the goodbyes back as the bus departs, whispering to himself "Goodbye, Gravity Falls, and you guys... It was great!"

He stares at his bracelet, with a happy smile on his face. He has yet to discover Bill's little surprise, but it will have its intended effect in due time...

Samuel's first occupation on the bus is to look at the final blank pages of his notebook. He notes some of his last experiences staying in the town, and his farewell with the demon.

Bill came back to the Fearamid. He floats silently towards the throne room. He thinks about how he got what he wanted, but he takes a moment to stare at the purple bracelet he holds in silence.

He thinks about the giver and everything they lived together with some pain. His thoughts are interrupted when he reaches the room and Hectorgon notices and calls him for the fun. Bill forgets his worries and joins the endless festivities of weirdness, his dream being just in front of him. But he won't forget his time with "Fuzzball", and the help that he, alongside "Pinetree" and "Shooting star" gave him to make it happen.

Back to the bus, Samuel decided to finish off his notebook in an interesting way. He makes a bunch of sketches of Bill until all the paper of the notebook is filled. On the last page, he makes a quick sketch of Bill alongside himself, Dipper and Mabel.

He looks at the drawing with a smile, although he also lets out warm tears. "I'll never forget you... My friend... Bill Cipher!" With these words, he falls asleep on his bus seat, keeping the book against him and a cheerful smile on his face.