Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Aww, don’t look so sour Fordsy. It’s not too late to join us!” Bill said as he held me up in the air.

“With that six-fingered hand, you’d fit right in with my freaks!”

There was nothing I wanted to say more then ‘I’d rather die’ in that moment, but that would be pointless. I wouldn’t get anything from antagonising him, I had to find a way to twist this to my advantage.

I looked over to where I had left Dipper in the tower, he had my journals. He had the second way to defeat Bill. If nothing else I must keep Dipper safe. I cannot allow him to jump him in to try and help me.

But I had no leverage! All I could do was try to distract Bill.

What would intrigue Bill?

What would surprise him?

What does he want-

..wait

What if…

Bill took out a pocket watch making a bit of a show looking at it and then speaking.

“Well if all you’re going to do is sta-“

“I accept.”

“What?” Bill looked at me, stunned. His eye wide and his attention completely on me.

“You’ve convinced me, Bill. I’ll join you.”

I tried to say it with as much confidence as I could muster. All I do is hope that Bill couldn’t hear as my voice shook.

“Great Uncle Ford, what are you doing?” I heard Dipper’s voice come out from behind Bill. He had come out from his hiding place and was now standing just where I had been.

“Don’t give up yet!” I heard him shout, all I wanted was for him to get back to where he was. Where he was safe.

“There must be some other way! I’ll find it, I swear-“ He cut himself off with his own scream as he was eloped with a blue glow as Bill started to lift him off the ground towards him.

Dipper tried to grab onto anything around him to find some sort of purchase to get away from Bill. But it was all futile.

Bill lifted Dipper up to his eye before speaking.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt, Pine-tree?”

I could see Dipper’s terrified face, Bill’s eye illuminating it with a bright red.

“Time for some deforestation.”

I saw Bill bring his hand up covered in a blue flame.

I couldn’t let Bill hurt Dipper, I had to think something. Just get his attention, get Dipper away. Get him to safety.

“ENOUGH!” I yelled, it got Bill’s attention, but how long could I hold it?

“This conversation is between us, Cipher! If you don’t intend to take my answer seriously then I-“

“Oh?” Bill questioned, almost laughing. “Then you’ll… What? Come on it’s not like you’re scared of me, right?” His hand that was on fire was touching my face now, almost taunting me. At least I knew he was focused on me now.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” I put on hand on his arm. I smiled as I spoke, hopefully it would convince him that I was being serious.
“We’re talking business just like old times. I just want you to give your full, undivided attention.”

I continued speaking, maybe he had already seen through me. But I had to try. He still had Dipper in his hand and if I said a single thing wrong Dipper could be dead at the click of his fingers.

“What could be confusing about my acceptance? For all my pride, I’ve missed you, Cipher. Missed us.”

I tried to appeal to the Bill I had once known, even if it was all an act. Maybe he would be flattered by my remembrance of what we once had.

“After all..”

I recalled the words I had once said to him. When he was the center of my life, the sun of my galaxy…

“It’s us from now until the end of time…”

Chapter Text

As Grunkle Ford and I were put on the ground by Bill I looked over to him. To see that he had a plan, that he had any idea what to do, but the moment I did he was gone in a flash of blue light.

I stood still for a second, had Bill killed him? No, no he wouldn’t. He wanted Ford as part of his team, right?

I had no time left to think about it, Bill and the others wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I over-stayed my welcome. I had to get out of here, I needed to find someone. Anyone. I scrabbled to run away, I ran as fast as I could. I just had to get out of here and get as far away as possible.

As I ran I realised… I didn’t have the Journals…

I stood there thinking about what to do. There as no way I could go back to get them. Bill would have got to them by now. I could try and go them later, right now he just had to keep going and hope for the best. As I thought about my options I saw a red light come up from behind me.

In the time I had stopped an eye bat had come up from behind me and was rapidly approaching. I bit my lip to not make any noise and quickly ran into an alleyway and his behind a large garbage bin. Those things couldn’t be that smart, right? For my sake I hoped they weren’t.

I saw a red light cast a shadow onto the bin, I held my breath and hoped that I would be left alone. I didn’t want to die like this, I didn’t want to die alone and scared. My eyes were screwed tightly shut, waiting for my body to be turned to stone as the eye bat found me. And then inevitably brought me to their master. I curled into a ball, trying to make myself as small as possible.

But the feeling never came. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see the red light had gone. I was safe, but for how long? I knew I couldn’t stay here, but how would I get out of here? There were eye bats everywhere. And Bill’s gang were bound to be out there somewhere.

I took out the walkie-talkie in my backpack. I whispered into it.

“Mabel? Can you hear me? Mabel?”

Nothing came out of the walkie other than static. She probably just lost it, she was fine. She was strong, nothing would have happened to her. Even if she was at the start and middle of everything that happened… She would have been fine. She’s fine.

She’s fine.

“Mabel, even if you can’t hear this. I coming to find you. I haven’t been caught yet, but I can’t find anyone. I- I was with Grunkle Ford, but Bill- He took him-“

Or killed him I thought, those thoughts were quickly forced down, everyone was going to be fine. Everyone was fine.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Mabel never answered.

I wiped the tears off my face. I didn’t even know that I was crying. I stood up and looked around the bin. I didn’t see any monsters in my path, they were still all around me though. Anything I did from now would be a risk, staying here was a risk. And it was as clear as it was going to get. I could see the mall from where I was standing. Maybe they had hid in there?

I ran over to the entrance of the mall as quickly as I could, nothing went after me. So that was good.

“Stan? Mabel?” I called out, I didn’t get a reply.

I went to the food court, best to get some food now so I had some after it all went.

“Dipper?” I saw Wendy poke her head out from around the corner.

“Wendy!” I ran over to her and hugged her. I was so happy to see someone. “I thought everyone I knew was gone!” Tears came up to my eyes again and almost spilled over. Again.

“Hey. It’s okay now, we have each other. We’ll find everyone else.” Wendy looked around and out of the mall in the hell that was now our life. “Come on, we shouldn’t stay out in the open for too long. Let me show you my hideout.”

I followed Wendy to behind the food court and into an “Edgy On Purpose” store. We both sat down on some clothes.

We were silent for a moment, just taking in everything that had happened. Then Wendy broke the silence.

“I was in the cemetery when it happened.”

I looked over to Wendy as she spoke, I could see the pain in her eyes, even as she was looking down.

“We were playing Truth or Dare, then the eyeballs came. They froze Nate, Lee, Tambry and Thompson. Robbie almost got away with me, but he tripped and I didn’t have enough time to help him. The eyes got to him before I could.” She looked back up to me, tears in her eyes, I could tell she was trying to not cry. “What about you?”

I looked away from her.

“I was in a fight with Mabel… Uncle Ford asked me to be his apprentice once the summer ended. It would mean I wouldn’t go back home. It would mean growing up without Mabel.” I looked back to Wendy, she held no anger in her eyes towards me. So I continued speaking. “Mabel didn’t take it well, she ran into the forest. She couldn’t even look at me.” I said the last sentence with so much regret, if only it had been different. Maybe this wouldn’t have even happened.

This was all my fault. I was the reason Mabel ran into the forest, I was the reason that she had the rift. I was the reason that so many people were getting hurt. I wished I had just said no…

“I can’t do this without Mabel-“ My voice broke as I spoke. “Bill said it himself, there’s no room for heroes here. We lost.” I buried my head in my arms.

Wendy put a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s not over yet, you’ve beaten Bill twice before. Why is it different this time?”

“Because I had Mabel.” I looked up as I spoke to her. She would be able to see my bloodshot eyes and the tears falling from my eyes.

“Well, let’s go find her then. I don't know if it's dumb luck or yin and yang, or whatever, but when you two work together, there's like nothing you two can't accomplish.”

“Where would she be though?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find her. I know we will. You two are inseparable. Let’s lay low for now, we can search for her later, but right now everywhere is crawling with monsters. We’ll go in the morning, if that’s even a thing now.”

Chapter Text

Stan POV

I was hammering arrows around the Mystery Shack when I felt a pull on my hat and then the unmistakeable sound of a rip. I turned around to see a goat eating the tassel of my hat.

“That’s it goat, it’s time I threw you off this property for good!” I shouted.

Then a wave of purples and pinks came over everything I could see, I looked around at everything and nothing seems to have changed. This town was strange, it would throw anything at you for no reason and it would do absolutely nothing.

I looked back over to the goat, only to see as it grew to be much taller than me.

“On second thought, I’m going to run like a coward now.” Then I turned in my heel and ran back into the shack.

I got to the doorway and closed the door behind me, only to see a second wave of whatever this was come over the house. It didn’t touch me, didn’t come near me in fact. But I saw as the totem pole came to life and started to try and attack the shack.

But it couldn’t, I saw as it tried to strike the shack, instead it hit a dome that appeared whenever it was stuck. I was a bright purple and had strange symbols appear on it. I backed more into the house the purple ruins casting themselves all over the house.

I knew it was something Dipper and Ford had done not that long ago. I saw them glueing something all around the shack. I didn’t ask then, it was probably just a nerd thing they were doing. I was so glad they had done it now though as I watched the totem pole fall to the ground. Its arms and legs disappeared. I had no idea if this is dome thing would break if too much force went against it.

Then I had a sinking feeling. Where on earth were the kids?

“Kids?” I called out

No reply.

“Kids?” I shouted louder as I walked up the stairs.

I walked into their room, no one was there. I knew the kids had an argument earlier, Mabel had gone somewhere, Dipper went with Ford somewhere not that long ago. Where was Mabel? Was she with someone? At the very least Dipper had my brother who had been researching this almost his whole life. But Mabel went by herself… I had no clue where she would be now.

Then I heard voices outside, maybe it was the kids? I ran down the stairs and back to my open door. I saw McGucket walking in front of lots of other people, they all looked like they had an injury of some sort.

“Stan, where’s Ford?” McGucket asked as he got closer.

“I don’t know, he left earlier.” I said, walking by him and to the crowd just outside the shack. Mostly ignoring McGucket.

“Has anyone here seen Dipper and Mabel?” I called out.

A murmur of people saying ‘no’ rang out through out the crowd. People looked at others to see if they had seen the kids.

“Great…” I said to myself. I walked back to my shack and started to go in.

“Don’t just stand there out in the open, come in.” I waved people over and everyone started to go into the house.
————————————————————————

Ford POV

I had been pacing around in the room Bill had put me in for God knows how long. When Bill had put Dipper and I down. He barely gave me a second to glance at Dipper before he snapped his fingers and I was here.

The room had a fireplace in it that had sparked to life a few seconds after I was brought here. Above it was a painting of Bill, he had a crown on his head and earth underneath one of his feet. There was a grand piano, it was made of polished wood and had shiny white and black keys on it. There was also a grandfather clock in one of the corners the pendulum had been replaced with a tongue that swung side to side. On the bottom and the top pendulum area there were spikes made to look like teeth. At the very top there were white horns with slightly yellow tips that came out of the top.

I sat down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. I had no idea if Dipper even got away. After I was teleported here Bill could have done anything to him. I hated the thought of that. What would he think of me? Does he actually think that I would choose Cipher over my own family? What about Stan? And Mabel? And everyone else in the world?

What have I released upon this world?

I should have listened, there were warnings for a reason. Why didn’t I listen? I ruined my family for no reason, and now I have hurt everyone around me. For no reason other than my ego.

I held my head in my hands, tears threatening to spill over my eyes and fall to the ground. I had hurt so many people all because I wanted to find out all the secrets of the world, so I didn’t think. I found the easiest route and I didn’t take a second look at it.

Whatever Bill threw at me now I deserved it. I had brought hell onto this earth, literally. I would do anything to try and fix it right now.

I heard something from the other side of the room, I lifted my head to see Bill rising out of the floor, singing.

“We'll meet again. Don't know where, don't know when. Oh, I know we'll meet again some sunny day~” As he sang he played the notes for the song as well on the piano, this was all just some sick again to him.

He stopped playing and looked over to me.

“Here’s a fun fact! Did you know that sofa is made out of living human skin?”

I screamed as I stood up just in time to watch as the sofa grew eyes, a nose and a mouth. Teeth stuck out of where the seam should be in a normal sofa, and I watched as a tongue came out of the mouth. I watched in horror and realisation that this could one of the towns folk. I prayed and wished that it was just all fake, but knowing Cipher, it probably wasn’t.

I turned back to Bill and shouted at him.

“Quit the games Cipher! If you wanted me on your team you must want something from me!” After I said it I realised that it was probably a big mistake, Bill could kill me at any second at any point in time if he so wished to. I had to be more careful.

“Sharp as ever Fordsy! As you may have noticed...I've recently had a multi-dimensional makeover.” I watched as Bill flew to the middle of the room and spun around.

Before I even knew what was happening I was lifted off the floor along with everything else in the room.

“I control space, matter. “

I was teleported to the other side of the room as he continued to speak, proving his point.

“And now that dumb baby’s out of the way, time itself!” I put his arms up in the air and everything fell to the floor.

“But I wasn’t always this way.”

As Bill spoke I felt like I could almost see regret in his eye… But that was just my mind playing tricks on me, an evil thing like him couldn’t possibly feel emotions, right?

“Imagine living in the second dimension, flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams. I liberated my dimension, and now I’m here to liberate yours. There’s just one hitch.”

Bill’s eye projected an image of a hologram of him pushing against a dome around Gravity Falls. He was trying to get out but failing.

“As it turns out, my weirdness can’t escape the magical confines of this town. There’s something keeping me in.” The projection of Bill disappeared.

“Incredible! Gravity Falls’ natural law of weirdness magnetism. I studied this years ago…” I got more quiet as I continued speaking, reminding myself that I wasn’t talking with an old friend, no matter who make it felt like it. This was someone who wanted to destroy everyone and everything.

“Did you find a way to undo it?” Bill asked, his eye widened as he spoke.

“Errr, no. No I didn’t. It- It was too complex for me to fully understand.” I lied to Bill, he probably knew that though. My eyes were looking at anywhere but him.

I knew how to break the field. It was just a simple equation, I couldn’t tell him. But he would probably find a way to go into my mind again. Soon he would have the answer, and he would know of all my plans. I just hoped that whatever the Oracle had done to the metal plate in my head would be enough to keep Bill out of my mind. And stop him from taking it out.

“Well brainiac! Looks like you need some upgrades then! It won’t take a minute!” Bill said.

“What?” I asked, confused.

What was he going to do to me? Would he find the plate and take it out? Would he turn me into something like his Henchmaniacs?

Then Bill snapped his fingers.

The world went dark and I felt as I started to sway and fell to the ground.

Chapter Text

Dipper POV

The dim glow of a fire cast a shadow on me, it was almost comforting in a way. It reminded me of all the times I had been with Mabel in California. The fireplace in our house, when our whole family would stay up late on Saturdays, just talking. I missed it so much now, I would be so happy just to go back there and have the same thing again. And not have to worry about all of this.

I looked outside, it was dark out now. The lights on the street didn’t work anymore, but the eye bats red light shone onto everything. It gave everything a doomsday feel to it, which made sense. There wasn’t anyone outside, they had either got caught or were hiding like Wendy and I right now. But the bats didn’t stop looking, and I doubted they ever would.

I hadn’t slept at all. I just kept thinking about Mabel. What if I had said something differently? What if I had just said no to Ford’s offer? This would have never happened if I did. If I had just been less selfish-

Then Mabel would be okay.

But she was fine, she wouldn’t have got hurt.

I knew it was all lies, it was so obvious that she had probably got hurt. She was at the start of all of this. She could have been turned to stone, she could had been killed for all I knew. Did she try to talk to me through the walkie? But had I just been so oblivious that I hadn’t heard it? What if she needed my help right now? What if I get to her, but it’s too late?

And I was just laying here.

Doing nothing.

I was only going to slow Wendy down and make life harder for her. I might even get her hurt. I didn’t want to be the reason that someone else got hurt, again.

Then I saw the shadow of the fire change shape, like something was moving. I quickly turned around to see what was going on. Was it a monster? How had it found us?

“Wendy?”

I saw her sat up on her pile of clothes, the fire lighting parts of red hair up. She was facing away from me with her head down. It looked like she had something in her hands.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Wendy said as she turned around to me. I saw her put something in her pocket, I didn’t ask.

“It’s fine, I’ve been awake for a while.” I said as I sat up more.

We sat in silence for a while, just looking at the fire. Neither knowing what to say to the other.

“It’s not your fault you know? You didn’t know any of that this would happen. Hell! No one did!” Wendy said as she put her hands up into the air. She looked back to me as she spoke. “We can’t change the past, but we can change the future. We’ll find Mabel, okay?”

“I just-“ The words died on my tongue.

“Just what?”

“What if-“

I paused mid sentence, I didn’t- couldn’t talk about it.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter, I’m going to try to go to sleep again. Night.” I turned back around and laid down again.

The thought didn’t leave my mind. It stayed there taunting me, I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about any of this. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up back in the mystery shack. But the thought didn’t go away, I didn’t think it ever would.

What if she died thinking I’d leave her?

————————————————————————

Wendy POV

I watched Dipper turn around, I didn’t try to pry. If he wanted to tell me, then he would. And I think we could all use some space right now. I looked back to the fire and took out the piece of paper from my pocket.

It was a picture of my family. When we had all gone to the woods, just like every year. We would climb trees and have competitions on how fast we could go, my mum would get scared that we would fall down, but dad had taught us too well for that. They had always encouraged us to do it if we thought we could, and always made sure we were safe while we did it. I smiled at the memory, but it quickly faded. I had no idea where they were, they could even be dead. And if they were all alive and together, they would be worried about me. I just wanted our family to be together again, I didn’t want them to worry about me and think the worst. I just wanted us to all be happy and safe again, together.

With a heavy sigh I put the picture back in my pocket. I wanted to keep to it safe. I watched the fire.

Everything had been fine, it had been great even. But then this happened… Everyone was separated, no one knew if everyone was safe. In a way knowing was worse, my friends wouldn’t be safe, I knew that, but still hurts. I hated not knowing what happened to my family, I had no idea if they were alive or dead. And if I was honest with myself I wasn’t sure if we would even find Mabel. We had to be careful and avoid the eye bats and all the demons running about the place as well. It would take ages to look over the town like that, and Mabel was probably on the move too.

I stared into the fire, the dancing flames looked all too familiar. I remembered when I had got away, and only me. I stood at the entrance of the cemetery, I saw fire. Everywhere. There were the eye bats coming out of it. People were screaming, and so many-

So many were taken.

My friends or total strangers, it didn’t matter because Bill took them all. I ran for so long. Trying to find somewhere, anywhere that I could hide from their watchful eyes and their red beam that took so much from me in such a short time.

I yawned. I was so tired. All I wanted to do was go to sleep, but I was scared. What if something came in the night? We wouldn’t stand a chance if we were asleep. But I was awake, then it would be better. But, if I stayed awake the whole night. We wouldn’t be able to look for Mabel at all. I looked over to Dipper.

Mabel meant so much to him, Mabel meant so much to me. And if she was alone…

No one deserved to be alone during all this.

I laid back down on my pile of clothes.

“We’re coming for you Mabel…” I whispered as I closed my eyes and let my guard down for first time in hours.

Chapter Text

POV-Ford

I felt as I slowly started to wake up, the room I was in was a stone cold one. My senses came back to me slowly. I sat up and opened my eyes to see a small room. The walls were all a grey colour, the floor sharing the colour as well, there were some cracks in the walls at the corners. On the opposite end of the room to me, there was a white door. The paint was peeling to reveal the old wood beneath it. I was lying on a mattress on the floor. There was a thin, white sheet on top of me. I couldn’t even remember what had happened. How had I even got here-

The memories quickly came flooding back, when I had been with Dipper. When I had missed that shot and had been put into that room. Everything was still so fuzzy in my memory, why had Bill put me in this room? I vaguely remembered shouting at Bill about something. Maybe he got angry at me? My head hurt so much, I could hardly wanted to try and remember.

I knew I had to, no knows what the world outside of this place looked like right now. And I still had no clue if my family was even safe. I’d left Dipper alone when Bill had taken me and Mabel- She was by herself when this all started…

My head throbbed as I tried to recall more. I rubbed my head with my hand to try to alleviate some of the pain. I had shouted at Bill, but he didn’t get angry. Then why was I here? Bill had talked me about not being able to leave the town. Gravity Falls’ natural law of weirdness magnetism… Had I told him how to break it? Or did he go into my mind to get it himself? Was I put here for now while he took control of the rest of the world? Or did I refuse and he was punishing me?

I quickly stood up from the mattress and made my way over to the door in the room. I had to get out of here. I had no idea what Bill was planning to do, or what he had done. But it wasn’t going to be good.

Hurriedly, I opened the door to a… Bathroom? Why on Earth was there a bathroom? The walls and the floor had the same colours as the other room. There was a toilet in the corner and a sink with a mirror above it on one side of the wall.

I stepped back out of the room, maybe this was a test? Maybe I had to find my own way out? I looked around to the room I had woken up in. There wasn’t really a place to hide anything. Expect…

I walked over to the mattress and lifted it up and moved it over to my side more. Right underneath it was a small silver key. So this was a test. Maybe to see if I could really be part of his team? I had no clue. It wasn’t really worth it to try and question what Bill does, no one could understand his motives. He was insane.

Now the only problem was, I had no clue where to put it. I looked back to the only door in the room. Maybe if I unlocked it, the door would lead somewhere else? I pulled the door closed and put the key in the key hole, but nothing changed.

I left out a groan of annoyance, Bill never did make anything easy. I walked back into the bathroom, there was nothing else in the other room. I looked under the sink, trying to pull on anything that I could. Hoping to reveal something to get me out of here, or at least give me a hint.

I looked up to the mirror and pulled on the side of it. It opened to reveal a key hole, it didn’t look like it lead to anything, but no harm in trying. I put the key in and turned it, the wall started to shake and I quickly moved back. Leaving the key there.

A rectangle of blue light around the sink and mirror appeared and slowing it started to open like a door. The sink moved with the door to show a completely blinding white room. Before I could even think about what was happening the other walls in the room started to close in on me, Bill clearly wanted me to go in the room. Or was it a trick? I had no idea what was going to happen, I tried the door but it wouldn’t budge an inch.

As the walls moved in closer and closer, I realised I had no choice. I walked into the room.

As I walked the white didn’t change, but I could see doors in the distance. Surely Bill wouldn’t have me try to pick out the correct one? There were at least a couple dozen.

I heard a creek from behind me, I quickly turned around only to see as the door behind me closed and sunk into the ground. I turned back around, the doors were right in front of me now. Each of them were wooden, all but one… One of them was black with a yellow edge, there were also yellow triangles surrounding the area. I walked towards it, this must be the one Bill wants me to go through?

Nevertheless, I had my hand on the handle. Carefully, I pulled the door open. My eyes half closed expecting to have something attack me the moment I opened the door. But nothing happened.

I walked through it, there wasn’t anything I could use as a doorstop for now. Slowly I walked away from the door and possibly kissing goodbye to my only escape route. As I walked I could start to hear a voice, an unmistakable voice, one that had plagued me for many, many years.

But yet, I kept walking.

The words began to get clearer as I walked.

“Sixer! Took you long enough!” Bill called out, my only hope had been that he didn’t know I was here.

I didn’t reply, but kept walking, and walking… Possibly to my demise.

“Don’t you love what I’ve done to the place?” Bill said in an overly cheerful voice as he gestured to my body.

As I got closer I could see what he was taking about, I immediately stopped moving.

What had he done?

I looked down to my body.

Was it really mine anymore?

One side of my face had been completely changed, it was black now and the only part of colour it had was the golden triangle where my eye was meant to be.

“That triangle will let me see through your eye, so you won’t ever have to worry about being without me, because I’lll always be watching…”

The black had spread to part of my hair, half it was the normal colour and the other half was black with some gold strands mixed in.

He’d changed what I was wearing as well, as if he wanted me to match him. I was wearing a grey shirt with black triangle buttons. The coat I had on mostly dark grey, but the pockets were golden and some outlines too. On top of that was an entirely golden scarf. I had a brown belt with gold as the accents, and black trousers with dark grey boots with golden laces. The only thing that he had kept were my black glasses.

“Bill… What…” The words died on my tongue.

“Oh please, thank me later Fordsy! Right now you have other things to do then admire my handy work! Go, watch the townsfolk, make sure their aren’t rebelling too much. Send some eyebats after a few, will ya?” And with a dismissive flick of Bill’s hand I was sent flying out of the room and through the door. After I was thrown out the door slammed shut and disappeared in a bright yellow flash.

Chapter Text

Dipper POV

I had been sat on my pile of clothes for God knows how long now. Wendy was still asleep, and I wasn’t going to walk her up. Sleep was precious now, something not to be taken for granted. But as each minute passed I got more and more anxious that we wouldn’t be able to find Mabel. I mean the more we waited, the more of a chance that she could have been hurt.

Slowly, I started to pace around the room. I didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to this place by making too much noise.

I saw the fire flicker to life again. The red flames dancing around the wood underneath them, I swear Wendy had put it out during the night… But I probably made it up, I had been under a lot of stress.

I watched as the fire grew more and more lively, and as the flames grew bigger. Surely this wasn’t normal, right? I looked back over to Wendy, I was probably worrying over nothing. No reason to wake her up over the fire.

Then the flames started to morph, they started to turn… Blue. Just like Bill’s flames when he tried to make a deal with people.

I woke up from my trance as I watched the flickering blue flames and yelled at Wendy.

“Wendy! We have to go now!” I ran over to her, but I tripped over some clothes.

As I fell to the ground I put up my arms to cover my face and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact of the ground.

But it never came.

When I opened my eyes I was back in the shack. The room had red sunlight flowing in through the window I was looking out of. I was sat on a long red cushion, with Ford’s computer in front of me. It had a countdown for my last chance to get the password correct. It was the day I had made the deal with Bill. The day he possessed me.

I turned around to see Bill holding out his hand, covered in his signature blue flames.

“Well, what do you say kid? Just one of Mabel’s puppets. She won’t even notice that it’s gone.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. No, I’m not making a deal with you Bill. I never will. Not again.” I looked back to the computer, time ticking down.

“Not even for you dear sister?”

I snapped back to look at him again.

“I bet you would do anything just to make sure that she is okay. I tell you where to find your sister and promise that she will be okay, and you do me a favour that doesn’t hurt anyone whenever I want. So what do you say pinetree?”

I looked at Bill with wide eyes. I knew he was trying to play to my weaknesses, but… How could I leave Mabel? How could I leave her to try and fight for herself? What kind of brother would that make me?

“Time’s running out kid…” He said with his still outstretched. The flames flickered, the blue becoming stronger and brighter.

I tightly shut my eyes, I thought of Mabel. I remembered what I had out her through last time I agreed to a deal with Bill. What I had put myself through. Bill would spin his words somehow, he would do something to make me regret ever taking the deal. But wouldn’t he do the same if I didn’t take the deal?

“N-no.” I said with a shaky voice, I didn’t look at him as tears started to fall from my eyes. I had no idea if I had made the right choice. But I knew that I couldn’t trust Bill, whatever he promised me.

“Your loss kid.”

Bill snapped his fingers and everything went black.
————————————————————————

I woke up to someone gently shaking me awake. My eyes opened slowly, before I remembered what had happened with Bill.

Suddenly, I jumped out of bed. My eyes darting around the room, looking for any sign of…

“Hey, hey. Dipper, calm down. I just woke you up because it looked like you were having a nightmare.” Wendy was kneeling down next to where I had been sitting.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” I said barely looking at Wendy.

“It’s fine, normal with all… this.” She gestured around us. “If you can call anything normal now. Doesn’t matter.” She shook her head as she turned to look at me. “Have some canned meat. I found a whole bunch of it before you found me. Then we’ll go out and find Mabel.”

“Yeah.” I sat down, got a can and opened it.

“Here.” Wendy passed me a toothpick to eat my food with.

“Thanks.” I picked at the food. I hardly wanted to eat after that nightmare. Was it really a nightmare? Or was it Bill inside my mind? I had no clue, I just wanted to forget about all of this.

The canned meat didn’t really taste of much, the texture was soft. Which I guess was good considering I only had a toothpick to eat it with. It had a couple of lumps in it but it was good enough.

“Come on, let’s go.” I said as I stood up.

“Leave your toothpick in the can, I don’t have many. We’ll need to use them for as long as possible so we can find something better.”

I dropped it into the can and then we left.

————————————————————————

Walking out back into this nightmare was horrible. We had stayed hidden with the cover of back alleyways, the eyebats hadn’t started to look back here yet. They were too busy catching people at the edges of buildings, or when they were coming out of hiding spaces.

A couple times we heard people scream, and then followed by complete silence. Nobody could help them now.

We kept moving.

“End of the world. Man, those death metal album covers got it shockingly right.” Wendy said, as we continued our search.

“Yeah…” I let out a heavy sigh. “God, where are you Mabel…” I rubbed my eyes again, I was still so tired. Probably from my dream, or at least that’s what I was choosing to think it was. Just a figment of my imagination. No more. No less.

“We’ll find her, I’ve never seen siblings so close. I don’t think anything could keep you two away from each other. Not even the end of the world.” Wendy looked back to me as she spoke.

“I just… I used to think I could do anything. Get out of anything. But this? I couldn’t even protect my own sister.” I stopped walking just standing, we were still hidden behind a building.

“Dipper nobody could have known that this was going to happen. It’s nobody’s fault, what’s important now is trying to find Mabel.” Wendy looked forward again. “Come on, we have to keep moving. Don’t want those eyes to spot us back here.”

“No, you don’t understand. I had a chance to save Mabel. I should have- I should have taken Bill’s deal. If it would mean that Mabel is safe and that we would know where she was and all just for a favour that doesn’t hurt anyone. I’m so stupid, how could I not take it?” I was raising my voice now; I could feel tears welling up in my eyes ready to spill over.

“Wait, wait. Slow down. Bill came to you?”

“Yes- No. I don’t know!” I exclaimed, waving my hands in the air. “It could have been a dream, but it also might not have been! There’s no way to tell with Bill!”

“Dipper-“

“Why didn’t I just take the deal? It was so stupid of me! I could have saved Mabel by now and then we could be thinking of how to get back-“

Suddenly, there was a hand of my arm and I was getting dragged away from something, forcing me to run. Only when I saw the red light did I understand.

Wendy and I ran as fast as we could. I knew I was slowing her down as she pulled me along with her.

“Where do we go?” I yelled.

Wendy didn’t reply, she kept pulling me along with her. Not stopping for a second. We ran past lots of buildings, most had wooden boards covering the entrance. As we passed more and more boarded up buildings, I wondered if this is what Bill had meant. That nothing would happen to Mabel. But to me. With the knowledge that I could have saved her.

I saw a building up ahead that had nothing covering the front door. Quickly, Wendy darted into a building, me following closely behind. She pulled me through and into a back room.

The door slammed shut and Wendy grabbed a table and pushed it against the door, blocking the eyebat from even seeing us. Usually, once someone went into a building they gave up in favour of following a different person who was more out in the open.

We only knew by the glow of red light coming through the top and bottom of the door if the eyebat had been merciful.

Nobody spoke, hardly breathing as we both waited for the red light to disappear.

We both sighed in relief when it did.

Chapter Text

Ford POV

After Bill threw me out, I sat on the ground for a while, just thinking about everything. I didn’t even know how to feel anymore. Was that really my body he had changed? Was this some sick joke? Maybe it was just my own twisted mind playing tricks on me! Who could be sure of anything at this point.

I stood back up, there were still plenty of doors to go into. Bill had said something about the townsfolk, so maybe I could find where everyone was. Maybe I could even help them, who knows what Bill what would do when he found out. I knew that it wasn’t a matter of ‘if he found out’. Just a matter of how long I could keep it from him to try and protect my family.

I walked to the closest door and slowly opened it. Through it I could see the townsfolk running away from eyebats. I watched as some of them got caught and turned into stone. I heard as the people around them cried in fear, before they were found too. What had I done? If I had just been more careful, if I had just listened to the warnings… I closed the door, what if that had already happened to my family?

I thought of Dipper, when I had been forced to leave him. What had happened to him?

Blue light came from behind me, I turned around to see a door coming out from the floor and surrounded by blue light. It had a blue pine tree on the front of it. Just like the one of Dipper’s hat. Quickly, I ran over to it and opened it. For better or for worse.

I saw Dipper running away from an eyebat. It’s red light almost catching up to him. He ran into an alleyway and hid behind a large garbage bin. The eyebats followed him to the alleyway, its red light casting over everything as it searched for where Dipper had gone. I held my breath knowing that I couldn’t do a single thing to help him. Soon after, the eyebat left. The image faded away, leaving a black abyss in its place.

If that had been just after I had left Dipper, what was he doing now. Was he still okay? Slowly, an image came into focus. It was Dipper and Wendy sleeping on some piles of clothes. They were hidden. They were safe. I let out a sigh of relief as the image faded away once again.

But if I could think of something, and it appear…

I could find my family.

I thought of Mabel and watched as the door in front of me closed. The pine tree changed into a pink shooting star as pink light surrounded the door, just as it had for Dipper. Cautiously, I opened it hoping that what I saw would be a peaceful image.

What I saw didn’t reflect the nightmare of everything in Gravity falls right now. But looked more like a small child’s dream. Everything was so bright, there were unicorns, teddy bears and talking waffles?

Then I saw Mabel, she looked so happy…

…but how?

What even was this place? Somewhere where weirdmageddon couldn’t touch? The only way that could happen was if she had left Gravity falls.

I wasn’t kidding anyone, I knew it was Bill’s doing. I just didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about the fact that Mabel was right in Bill’s hand and her fate rested upon him. Upon an insane, maniac that I had let into this world.

“Ah, you found Mable’s bubble. It’s a lovey place, you’d need a will of steel to escape it though.” I heard Bill’s voice come from behind me us he squeezed my shoulder. “That’s why I like it, everyone can stay in there and be safe. Wouldn’t you agree Sixer?” Bill turned me to face him, his eye displaying the emotions of person who had lost their mind.

“Y-yes. It’s very good.” I tried not to panic, as I looked to Mabel in the bubble.

“It’s a very easy place to control, easily changed into different things…” Bill’s eye was wide as it stared at me. His grip on both of shoulders becoming painful.

“Yes, it’s a v-very good place for Mabel. It’ll keep her safe…” I struggled to speak as my fear gripped my chest.

“Yes, as long as I don’t need to change it…” Bill left go of me. “So, do tell me. Why you had the equation to let me out of Gravity falls, and didn’t tell me…?”

I froze. I couldn’t say anything, I couldn’t take my eyes off Bill as he waited for my reply.

“I’d hate for anything to happen to your precious, little niece…” Blue fire sprouted from Bill’s hand, he held it underneath the image of Mabel.

“No no no. Look, Bill. You have it all wrong, I-I just didn’t know if it was correct! I didn’t want to get your hopes up for nothing!” I got on my knees and pled with Bill.

“Don’t lie to me Sixer. This is the last time I let you off for something like this. Do it again and say goodbye to your family. There won’t even be ashes left once I’m done with them. Do I make myself clear?”The blue flame didn’t change, the threat still there.

“Yes, yes! Thank you for this chance!” Tears were in my eyes, I had come so close to killing my whole family.

“Don’t make me regret it.”

Chapter Text

Wendy POV

We had been walking for around for what felt like hours now. You couldn’t really tell anymore after Bill destroyed time. Dipper and I had hid from all kinds of different monsters trying to find Mabel now, we didn’t have a single clue where to find her. I could tell it was getting to Dipper, his eyes were always red-rimmed, he kept rubbing them as we walked. We hoped and prayed that maybe. Just maybe, we would find Mabel around the corner.

The sky was its same reddish-orange, never turning a navy blue to tell us it was nighttime. But both Dipper and I were exhausted. I knew we had to turn in for the night, it was getting dangerous for us to be out this exhausted. We weren’t thinking straight and could hardly run. And we were the only people outside now. No one to distract the eyebats as we ran past. As bad as that did sound. Every man for themselves, right?

I couldn’t just tell Dipper that we had to stop looking now though. It’s Mabel. I love Mabel and don’t want anything to happen to her, but what could we do? She was probably moving around at the same time as us. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think we would even find Mabel. She was all alone when this started, and at the very center of it as well. She could have been badly hurt, it wouldn’t be unlikely in these conditions, or she could have been taken by the eyebats. I had no idea why Bill would even want to keep the townsfolk as statues. Probably to laugh at their terrified faces when they lost their life to an evil being they didn’t even know existed a day ago.

I looked back to Dipper, he rubbed his eyes again and let out a yawn.

“Dipper… It’s getting late, we should probably head back to the mall. Get some sleep, we can go back to looking in the morning.”

“I’m not giving up. Mabel needs us, we can’t just stop. I’m not even tired.” Dipper didn’t face me as he spoke, continuing to walk in search of Mabel.

“We aren’t giving up. We won’t give up looking for her until we find her. We just need a little break. That’s all.”

“What if we just take a break out here? Just for a couple of minutes and then we go out looking for her again.” Now he was looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Alright, we’ll go into this building. It’s got a place at the back. It’ll be safe.”

Dipper didn’t reply as he silently followed me as I lead him into the small building. I went to the very back of the shop, I remember when I went there with my friends. We had made it a nice place to hang out. We had brought blankets and a couple of pillows to make it comfy. I remembered all the times we had spent in here, and now I was using it to hide from the monsters that took all of the people who came here with me.

Once we both got inside I grabbed a small box from the back of the room and placed it against the door. It probably wouldn’t do anything. If a monster wanted to get in here, it would. But it made us feel safer, like we could control something in all of this.

“Why are there so many blankets? I thought this was a staff room?”

“It was, nobody used it. So me and… everyone else used it. We brought the blankets and pillows here. Make it more homey I guess.”

“Oh, sorry.” Dipper said looking away from me.

We sat down in silence, not wanting to talk anymore. I stared at the ceiling thinking about how much everything had changed in such a small amount of time. A day ago I was hanging out with my friends, just like any other day. Letting the time pass because it seemed like we had all of it in the world. But now…

I squeezed my eyes shut, I didn’t want to cry in front of Dipper. He was going through enough as it is, I needed to be strong for him. It was all so much to deal with, I didn’t know to help Dipper. I didn’t know how to help Mabel. I didn’t know how to help myself.

“If I fall asleep, you’ll wake up so we can go back out, right?” Dipper’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, of course. Just get the rest you need.”

I obviously wasn’t going to. I felt bad for Dipper. He just wanted to find his sister. I knew he’d hate me for it, but I couldn’t let him continue to walk around like that. He could barely keep himself up. He needed to the rest, and so did I.

I waited until I heard his breath even out and his head fall onto one of his shoulders. Until I finally went to sleep.

————————————————————————

Birds around me tweeted and flew above the treetops, full of life. The trees a vibrant green. The flowers of the ground looked like open paint pots with how colourful they were.

“Wendy! Come on!” I heard one of my brothers call out to me.

“Coming!” I drew my attention away from the flowers to look up at my family.

They were ahead of me, still waking into the woods. I saw a sign in front of them, ‘annual tree cutting and climbing competition’ painted on in black letters. We went here every year, last year I’d won fastest tree climber. I remember celebrating it with my family.

Just as I went to join my family, I saw bright red flames coming from behind the sign.

“WAIT! Don’t go in ther-“ As I was running I tripped on a root, before I could look up I heard screams of pure anguish. I pushed myself up as quickly as I could and ran to when my family had been. I looked into the competition, nothing to be seen expect for fire. I called out to my family, but it was no use. They were gone.

I fell to my knees and put my head in my hands as cried. I felt the warmth of the flames get closer and stronger. I closed my eyes, and let them consume me.

————————————————————————

With a start I woke up gasping for breath. Tears welling at my eyes. Eventually, I slowed my breathing down and moved my hand from my chest.

What if Dipper had seen? I looked up. But…

He was gone.

Where he had fallen asleep last night was completely abandoned. No sign of Dipper, only his blanket that had been thrown away from when he had been.

Quickly, I scrambled to the door. The box I had placed against the door had been moved out of the way and the door had been left slightly ajar. I ran out the room and outside the building.

I scanned for Dipper frantically, but there was no sign of him at all. He must had left when I was sleeping. I knew he’d be angry, but I didn’t think he’d put himself in danger.

I stood at the entrance for a while, not knowing what to do. Until an eyebat forced me to run back inside.

————————————————————————

Dipper POV

I looked at Wendy as she slept with my hand on the doorknob. I wasn’t going to be gone long at all, she wouldn’t even notice. I opened the door and walked out. This was just so I could keep looking for Mabel, I wasn’t that tired anyway.

Mabel couldn’t wait, she could be anywhere and I needed to find her. I couldn’t let the last thing we did together be fight. But that wouldn’t be it, because she would be okay. Even if she was all alone. At the middle of all of this…

She was fine. I told myself even if I knew I was lying.

I kept walking, watching for eyebats. I continued on the path I had been on before, there had been no sign of Mabel anywhere. I hadn’t found anything of hers, and the only thing that came out of the walkie-talkie was static.

“Mabel? Mabel? Are you there?” I spoke into the walkie-talkie, knowing I would get no reply. I tapped the side of it, hoping that it would make any difference. “Mabel can you hear me?”

Nothing. Only static.

With a sigh I put it back into my backpack. It only had a couple of things in it now, before it had been full with the journals.

“Dipper? Dipper!” I heard Grunkle Ford’s voice.

Quickly, I took out the walkie-talkie. Almost dropping it in my rush to speak to him.

“Grunkle Ford! How- how are you speaking to me? Where’s Mabel? Where did Bill take you?”

“Dipper, calm down. I’m safe, so is Mabel. Where are you?” Ford asked calmly.

“I’m- I’m by all the shops.”

“Dipper, go hide in one of the shops.”

“Okay.” I ran into the closet shop to me, it was a clothes shop. I went into one of the circular clothing racks. “Okay, I’m hidden.”

“Are you with anyone?”

“Err, I was with Wendy…”

“What does that mean Dipper?”

“I- I kind of left her.” I said quietly.

“What? Why did you leave her?” I heard Ford pause before he started speaking again. “Never mind, it doesn’t matte-“ A loud bang cut Ford off. “How did he find me already?” I heard Ford say under his breath.

“What? Grunkle Ford?” I said panicked, clutching the walkie-talkie like my life depended on it.

“Dipper, go back to Wendy as soon as you can. Mabel is in a bubble in between the cliff where the UFO mark is. But be careful Bill is-“
Ford was cut off by another loud bang, and then the static came back.

I slapped the side of the walkie-talkie again, hoping that I’d be able to hear my Grunkle Ford again. Then a voice came out of it, one that had been tormenting me in my nightmares for weeks now.

“Sorry kid, Sixer lead me right to you! Good luck trying to escape the eyebats now.” Bill’s voice said in an overly-cheerful voice.

I sat frozen for a moment, unable to do anything but stare at the walkie-talkie in disbelief and fear.

I threw the walkie-talkie to the ground and kicked it away, like it was trying to poison me. It might as well have been. I started shaking violently as I covered my mouth with my hands as tears streamed down my face. My breath coming out in gasps and hiccups.

I could already see the red light of the eyebats coming through the gaps in the clothes rack that I was surrounded by. I started crying and shaking even more, more tears falling down my face. My vision started to blur and I was making more and more noise.

I made a fist and bit on it in an effort to quiet down how much noise I was making and with the other I pulled on my hair. I couldn’t be found, I had no idea what he would do to me. I couldn’t leave Wendy like that. I couldn’t leave her feeling guilty about me when she didn’t do anything.

I felt freezing, like I was inside an ice cube. My chest hurt and it felt like I was choking on something. The world was spinning and I couldn’t breathe properly. I felt like I was going to faint, I couldn’t. I couldn’t- I wouldn’t be able to run away from Bill.

I felt as my brain got more and more sluggish, my heart still going just as fast, the trembling only getting worse. I started seeing black spots, until they overtook my vision completely.

Chapter Text

Ford POV

I woke up with a start, gasping for breath, my hand gripping my chest. What Bill had threatened… I knew he’d do it if I pushed him far enough, or pushed him at all for that matter. But how on Earth could I try and save the town from him if he was watching my every move and expecting me to help him?

I was still in the same room that I had first met Bill in. There was no sign of Bill anywhere, at least one thing going well, for now. I put my hand down on the sofa to sit myself up probably, and accidentally put my finger into one of many eyeballs on the sofa. I jumped up and went to grab a tissue out of instinct out of my trousers. Which were… different?

Bill must have changed my clothes along with anything else that he pleased. I had no idea what he had done to my body, and I wasn’t that keen to find out. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind for now, deciding I could worry about that later.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I could see a small blue flame appear. I swiftly turned to look at the source, instinctively reaching from my gun. I found nothing where it was meant to be, Bill must have taken care of that.

The tiny blue flame had disappeared as quickly as it had come, only leaving a piece of paper falling from the air where it had once been. Cautiously, I went towards it as I trailed it with my eyes as it gently fell to the floor. I picked it up and read the message on it.

‘Hiya, Fordsy! New body pretty neat, isn’t it? Don’t admire my handy-work too much, come join the party! We’re all waiting for you.’

I dropped the note as soon as I had finished reading it. What on Earth could I do? A party to Bill could mean all sorts of things, I shuddered to think about what his idea of fun was. If I had just listened to the warnings. But no. I was too good for that. And where did all that get me?

I saw a newly formed door behind the piano that hadn’t been here last time. I stepped on the note Bill had left as I walked over to it. I gripped the doorknob tightly, before finally twisting it and leaving the room.

———————————————————————-

This place was a complete maze, I had gotten lost more times than I could count and just kept ending back up at the same room I had started at. I hadn’t run into any demons, so I can count my blessings there. I had been opening random doors to try and find anything that may help me get the upper hand on Bill before I had seen him. So far I hadn’t found anything I could use right now, mostly strange artefacts that I didn’t know what they did. I didn’t want to mess with something and alert Bill to what I was doing before I had found anything worth while. Or accidentally set myself on fire.

I opened another door, hoping that something I could use would there. I saw a small brown backpack, I started to leave. But then I remembered that Dipper and Mabel had backpacks like that. Maybe it had something of theirs that I could use? I quickly ran back into the room and opened it. I only found one thing, a walkie-talkie. On the side it had a label ‘Dipper’. Mabel had taken Dipper’s bag by mistake, I remembered now. And Dipper had Mabel’s bag. If it still worked I could talk to-

“Fordsy! What are you doing here? The party has been waiting for you. You are our star guest after all.” Bill’s voice from behind me and stopped my thoughts in their tracks, but I still had half a mind to put the walkie-talkie in the inside pocket of the jacket Bill had given me. I turned around to face Bill.

“What are you doing in this dusty closet? Not looking for anything, are we?” Bill said as he looked down to the open backpack.

“Ah, no. Just… got a bit lost is all.” I said flashing Bill an awkward smile.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ll take you.” Bill raised his hand a snapped his fingers.

He had taken as to a different room, I could see lots of different demons all drinking something and dancing. There was obnoxiously loud music playing as demons shouted over it, I could barely make it out but it sounded something like “spin that person”. I must have heard it wrong.

I turned around, a complete mistake as I laid my eyes on a stone throne. Made up of all the townsfolk. Every single one of them had a terrified face, some are screaming. Some had tears streaming down their faces, frozen in time. Some just had wide eyes.

It was horrific.

“It’s a masterpiece, one of the many crowning achievements. Anyone who tries to resist gets a place on my throne!” Bill said as he floated next to me.

“Yes…” I said I stared up in horror, to all of the people I had failed when I first summoned this demon. “It’s certainly something…”

We stood in silence, I was thinking about all the poor people stuck on the throne, and how on Earth was I going to get them out? There were so many, it wouldn’t be easy. And even if I did it was very likely that they would get caught again straight away because of how many demons there were.

“Mabel? Mabel? Are-“ I cut off Dipper by coughing violently, hoping to cover up anymore talking.

Bill looked at me strangely, there was no way that he didn’t hear. But he hadn’t said anything yet.

“I- I just need some water.” I quickly walked away, with Bill still staring at me.

Once I was sure Bill could no longer see me, I started running and slipped into a small room. Bill would come to find where I had gone, and would probably question me. I had no idea how long I had, so I had to act fast. I pulled out the walkie-talkie and spoke into it.

“Dipper? Dipper!”

There was no reply for a moment, I held my breath as I waited.

“Grunkle Ford! How- how are you speaking to me? Where’s Mabel? Where did Bill take you?” Dipper said frantically.

“Dipper, calm down. I’m safe, so is Mabel. Where are you?” I tried to keep my voice even as I spoke.

“I’m- I’m by all the shops.”

Why on Earth was he there? That place was crawling with eyebats, and demons.

“Dipper, go hide in one of the shops.”

“Okay.” I heard as Dipper started moving, and then the static. I waited anxiously for him to speak to me again.

“Okay, I’m hidden.”

“Are you with anyone?”

“Err, I was with Wendy…” Dipper said slowly.

“What does that mean Dipper?” Why on Earth had they been separated? She couldn’t have been caught, Dipper would have said.

“I-I kind of left her.” Dipper said quietly.

“What? Why did you leave her?” I took a deep breath before I continued. “Never mind, it doesn’t matte-“ I heard a loud bang at the door, almost like a knock, but threatening. “How did he find me already?” I said under my breath.

“What? Grunkle Ford?” I heard Dipper’s voice coming out of the walkie-talkie, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Dipper, go back to Wendy as soon as you can. Mabel is in a bubble in between the cliff where the UFO mark is. But be careful Bill is-“

The door slammed open, cutting me off. I saw Bill standing at the entrance.

“Did you really think that I didn’t know? I’ve known you’ve had that walkie-talkie since I found you. What do you think that triangle over your eye is for?” Bill said as he walked to me.

I reached up to my eye and felt the triangle, and where he had changed my skin. I remembered how he had changed it to be black with the triangle peaking out of it. I’d completely forgotten about it.

“Don’t you remember what I told you I’d do to your family if you crossed me again?” Bill looked to the walkie-talkie in my hand, and in an instant. He had it.

“Sorry kid, Sixer lead me right to you! Good luck trying to escape the eyebats now.” He said as he stared at me.

I stared back, horrified. I couldn’t do anything, I wanted to say something. Anything. To try and fix this situation that I had made myself, and gotten Dipper mixed up in.

“Should we have a look at what Dipper’s doing right now, shall we?” Bill’s eye widened as he spoke.

I couldn’t reply, couldn’t move. I only watched and waited for something to happen.

I saw a blue flame appear, it swirled around in circles and got bigger and bigger until I could see the image clearly.

Dipper was lit up by a red glow of the eyebats. I held my breath for him as I hoped that next time I had to look at that God awful throne, I wouldn’t have to see him. Tears falling down his face as he shook uncontrollably. He bit down on his fist with one hand and with the other he tugged on his hair. I could hear the muffled sobs he let out and the shaky gasps for breath. It only got worse and worse, he made more and more noise. The light of the eyebats got closer and closer to him, ready to take him back to their master.

Until he fainted from sheer terror.

“Now, I could call off the eyebats. Tell them to leave Dipper, and not to kill him in cold blood and be left to be found by someone else.” Bill paused as he stared down at me. “But why would I do that? What would you be willing to do to save your poor, little, helpless nephew?”

“I- I’d do anything. Anything you wanted me to do. I’ll do it, just say the word. I’ll do it, your wish is my command, as long as my family is safe.”

“Just a simple favour, it won’t even take you long to do it. And your family is safe.” Bill’s hand outstretched and lit up in blue flames. “Forever.”

I knew it wasn’t going to end well, but what choice did I have? I looked over to Dipper, passed out on the cold ground with eyebats surrounding him. He was going to kill Dipper if I didn’t do anything.

There was no choice.

“It’s a deal then.” I said as I shook his hand.

Chapter Text

Everything felt foggy and far away, my head hurt and I couldn’t bring myself to even open my eyes yet. I groaned and reluctantly sat up before I finally opened my eyes. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes in an effort to wake me up a little bit more. I was in the shack, Mabel wasn’t in the bed next to me. She always got up before me to make her signature Mabel juice.

What had I even been dreaming about? It all felt so far away now… It had definitely been a nightmare. It didn’t matter now, I slowly stood up and got ready to go downstairs.

Before I even got downstairs I could hear Mabel laughing and talking excitedly. It didn’t help my headache, I never knew how she had so much energy in the mornings.

I walked downstairs and sat at the table for a bit. I could hear Mabel talking to Grunkle Stan in the TV room. I put my head on the table, my headache only continued to get worse.

“Hey, bro-bro!” I heard Mabel come into the kitchen. Then she noticed that I had my head on the table. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just a headache, it’ll go soon.” I said as I lifted my head from the table to meet her eyes. As soon I did I felt as my eyes started to water, I quickly turned away from her and rubbed the newly formed tears away.

“I’m just going to get some air!” I said as I quickly ran out the house and closed the door behind me.

I sighed and rubbed at my eyes again. Seriously what was wrong with me today? Surely I couldn’t be that affected by a stupid nightmare that I couldn’t even remember. The more I thought about it the more my head hurt.

I sat down on the stairs leading to the shack, I kept rubbing at my eyes. They had started to hurt, like they were straining to see something. But there wasn’t anything there.

“Dip-dop? You sure you’re okay?” I heard Mabel’s voice from behind me. It was weird because I hadn’t heard the door open, it usually made a loud creeking sound.

“Yeah, I’m fine Mabel. Just a little tired…” I turned around to look at her again, but the second I did fear and guilt gripped my chest like something was horribly wrong. My eyes watered again.

Quickly, I turned around to face the woods again. What was going on with me today? I can’t even make eye contact with my own sister?

“Are you sure? You don’t look-“

“I’m fine!” I cut Mabel off when I felt her hand on my shoulder. I felt bad for using raising my voice at her when I felt her retract her hand from me.

“Okay… I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me…” I heard as she walked back and went inside the house.

“What the hell is wrong with me today?”I said under my breath. Why had I been so scared? Why did it feel like everything about this was wrong?

I let out a shaky breath. Maybe a walk in the woods would help me. It would at least take my mind off of everything. The fresh air might help my headache anyway.

————————————————————————

When I had got back into the shack an hour later I expected to be shouted at by Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford for being so long without even saying anything and about how dangerous it was. But… nothing. They just greeted me in like nothing had even happened. Everything in my mind was screaming at me how this was all wrong. That I needed to run, that these people weren’t my family. That didn’t help my thoughts that I was going insane.

My walk in the woods had been nice… Until I started seeing and hearing things that weren’t actually there. I kept hearing Bill from just behind me, but when I turned around nothing was there. By the time I had got out the woods again I was convinced that I had started to go insane from everything in Gravity Falls. My mind telling me that everything about having lunch with my family was all a lie didn’t help my anxiety one bit.

I was on edge throughout the meal. I didn’t speak much, only nodding or shaking my head when someone asked me something. I was glad that nobody seemed to really be confused by my behaviour. Or even question it slightly.

As soon as everyone was done with eating I said that I was going to go back into the woods for a couple hours. No one said anything. What was going on? Usually if I said something like that I would be dragged back into the house and told to stay here and watch TV because of what might be in the woods by Grunkle Ford. Or he would at least insist on coming with me, much to the displeasure of Grunkle Stan.

Instead he gave me a smile and thumbs up and said to make sure I brought water with me and then tell him what I saw when I came back. The same fear that gripped my chest when I had looked at Mabel attacked me now, but it was different. It felt like he was about to attack me. About to hunt me down for something. Before anyone could question my fearful expression I was out the door saying I would be back soon.

I ran out the door, barely remembering to close it behind me. I kept running. I didn’t know what from. Everything in my mind told me to run away from the shack and never go back, because those people weren’t my family. Not anymore.

By the time I collapsed onto the ground, tiny rock digging into my bare knees I started to laugh slightly while crying. I was insane. There was no way that I could be mentally stable. I thought that my whole family was going to turn on me and kill me. I couldn’t even look my own sister in the eyes because every time that I did my eyes would water and I would feel so much guilt and I didn’t even know why. If I looked at Grunkle Ford I felt like he was about to grab and knife and start stabbing me in the chest. Something was different about him. Not like with Mabel and Grunkle Stan, he was different. Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong with him.

And for the life of me I couldn’t figure it out.

Was it me?

It had to be.

It had to be me.

It had been a couple of hours now.

I should probably head back.

No matter how much my mind said that I couldn’t go back to the shack.
That it was unsafe.
That it was dangerous.
That if I did I would die.

I kept walking to the shack.

Even as my legs protested.

I kept walking.

Until I was standing outside the shack.

It was long dark now, stars had started to appear in the night sky. I felt like I had completely lost it. Everyone else was fine. So why am I acting like this?

I rubbed at my eyes again. Stopping the tears that had formed in my eyes.

There was nothing dangerous about my family.

A voice in my mind screamed that they weren’t my family. That I couldn’t trust them. That I was in danger if I went back to them.

I buried the voice as far down in my mind as I could.

My family deserved the last of my time while I was at least a little sane. Then when I finally broke completely they could find out what happened. And they wouldn’t feel bad for having to leave me when I tried to hurt them.

At least… not too bad.

I rubbed the tears away from my eyes and knocked on the front door of the shack.

Chapter Text

After I had made my deal with Bill he hadn’t explained what he wanted from me. I didn’t expect him to, not until he had me in a place where he knew I would never be able to refuse him. Now I was. But I think he knew that already. I choose to try and put it out my mind.

Bill had left me alone, I was in the room where he had discovered that I had the walkie-talkie. I hated myself for it. How could I be so careless? With my family’s lives no less?

I was still sat on the floor. Next to the walkie-talkie, it was still working. I could hear Dipper breathing. It was a small comfort, but I knew that soon the eyebats around him would take him. Then he would be brought to Bill. I shuddered at the thought. I knew he wouldn’t hurt Dipper. That he couldn’t. But that fact did little to comfort me.

Then I heard movement from the walkie-talkie. Hurriedly, I grabbed it, almost dropping it in the process. I held it close to my ear and listened.

Then I heard the eyebats. They must be there to pick Dipper up, I heard as he was lifted up and then the walkie-talkie was dropped. I sucked in a breath, I knew Dipper would be okay. Physically at least. Bill can’t hurt him. He can’t.

Suddenly there was a second voice in my mind. I flinched at the sound, it was loud and obnoxious.

“Sixer! I’m glad I got this working. Come to the throne room for a little surprise! I’ll be waiting!” Bill sounded as joyful as ever, it made me sick.

I was frozen in place for a while, but then I scrambled to my feet, stepping on my long cape that Bill had insisted that I wear. Quickly, I started to walk to the throne room. It wasn’t too far from what I remembered. I went down the similar hallways, the walls were a reddish-orange with some gold accents. I recalled when I had ran to the small room when the walkie-talkie went off, and went in the same direction.

Once I finally got to the throne room I saw the eyebats just come through the entrance with Dipper. He was sleeping while being held in their red light. He dropped off at Bill’s feet while he sat on the throne. He looked disinterested and only speared Dipper one glance. I was glad for it.

“Fordsy! Good you finally got here. I was about to send an eyebat for you.” Bill looked particularly upset at his last sentence, I knew he’s do it. And he wouldn’t ask them not to turn me to stone.

“I’ve got your first job for you…” He gestured to Dipper on the ground. “To prove that you actually want to be one of my loyal henchmanics.”

“What do you want me to do…?” I asked hesitantly, barely looking him in the eye.

“Relax Sixer! I’m not going to ask you to kill the kid!” Bill laughed at the end of his sentence like he had said a funny joke. I only looked at him disgusted.

“Now, I would like to cast a very simple spell on Dipper. He’ll be in a dream world, it will be just like before weirdmageddon.” Bill looked at me more intensely now, like he was expecting me to act on his command immediately.

“I- I can’t do magic. I don’t have any powers.”
I was confused as to why Bill had even asked me this, he knew that humans couldn’t do any magic.

“No, you don’t. But I do.”

I didn’t understand what he meant until I felt it. I felt a small amount of magic enter my body, along with the knowledge of how to cast the spell Bill had asked me to.

“How? How are you doing this?”

“All those modifications I made to your body weren’t all for aesthetics. Some of them are for you Sixer, but most of them are for me. For my control over you.” Bill’s eye flashed blue at the last sentence. “Now, complete the spell.”

Hesitantly, I turned away from Bill and to Dipper. What I was about to do to him was horrible… It was a spell to trap people in their minds. They would exist in a dream world, normally it would be completely safe. As long as you preformed it correctly. Even one small slip up could make life hell for the person the spell was cast on.

I walked over to Dipper’s unconscious body. Slowly, I put my hands on his head. I tried to remember the words that Bill had put into my mind only moment ago. I spoke then slowly, trying to pronunce them correctly. I knew I was getting it wrong, but I couldn’t stop now. I continued with the spell.

Even as Dipper squirmed in pain.
Even as he started crying.
Even as he screamed.

I continued.

I didn’t even realise the spell was complete until Bill spoke.

“Didn’t think you had it in you.”

I didn’t reply. I didn’t need to. He knew what I thought of him right now. I wouldn’t been surprised if he was looking into my mind right now.

“Well, now it’s your job to take care of the kid. Good luck. You’ll need it.” And with a click of his fingers he was gone in a flash of blue light and a gust of wind.

I had no idea what he meant by you’ll need it. I hoped that I didn’t find out.

————————————————————————

I had been given a small room to take of Dipper in. It was also the room that I slept in. I slept on the chair with a thin blanket, but I kept finding that I needed to sleep less and less. It must be a side effect of whatever Bill had done to me. I tried not to think about it too much.

Dipper hadn’t been any trouble yet. He had entered his dream world not that long ago. He had only been going about his day as usual. Nothing had happened yet. Well, expect for the nightmares…

He didn’t wake up in the real world, but often in his dream world he would wake up screaming and crying. I couldn’t see much into them, but from the small snippets I saw I knew it was horrific. I tried to do anything to make it easier for him, to get rid of the nightmares. But nothing would work.

Another issue of the nightmares was that it showed the real world he was in. What was really happening and what had happened to him. It was a problem because each time he woke up from one he remembered more of it. The first few nights he didn’t remember anything. But then he started to… And he started to see parts of the real world. He started to see how the world really was.

He had been in his first dream world for almost two weeks now. That was when it all went wrong.

He started to move more in his sleep. He started to speak as well only a few words at a time. But I knew it was bad. I knew he was going to wake up. And I couldn’t do a thing to stop it.

As he got more and more restless the more his dream world turned on him. It became a nightmare for him to wake up, and a nightmare for him to sleep. He was in constant suffering.

All because of me.

The day came when he woke up.

He woke gasping and crying, except now he was out of his dream world. It didn’t take him long for him to remember everything.

He begged me to leave. He begged to leave. To go and find Mabel.

But I couldn’t leave.

I reached out to him again with Bill’s magic.

And I put him to sleep.

“Grunkle Ford! We have to go!”

And again.

“Please! We need to find Mabel!”

And again.

“What- what you doing?”

And again.

He was in his fourth world now. He knew something was wrong straight away. He flinched away from Mabel. He couldn’t look me in the eyes without being terrified of me.

But I suppose that was all my fault.

He thought he was going insane.

Maybe he was.

Maybe I had made him go insane.

Maybe I had finally gone insane.

But he came back to the shack.

And dream me was waiting there for him with open arms.

He knew he couldn’t trust me.

Maybe it was the last time that finally broke his trust in me.

I had to strap him to the bed by his torso.

He tried to kick me.

He tried to plead with me.

But it always ended the same.

With him asleep.

And with me saying that I was sorry over and over again.

Maybe I had finally gone insane.

I smiled as I cried.

A cruel smile that wasn’t mine.

It was his.

Chapter Text

Wendy POV

I had been sat on the rooftop for a while now. I was honestly surprised that no eyebats had come to find me yet. I could see all sorts of creatures on the ground. Including a head with an arm telling anyone he saw to go into his mouth. He seemed quite disappointed when people ran from him screaming. I laughed slightly at my thoughts. What was I thinking? I should be looking for Dipper right now, except I didn’t have a clue where he would be. Not a single clue.

God what a good friend I was. I swore to protect Dipper when I first found him on that day in the mall and now look at me. Dipper was gone and what was doing? Sitting on a rooftop. Waiting for something. Anything.

Abruptly, I was dragged out of my thoughts by the sounds of high pitched laughter. Who the hell would be laughing right now? I looked over the edge of the rooftop and saw Gideon. Of course it would be him. He never seemed mentally stable on his good days. Can’t imagine what the apocalypse had done to his mind.

Except, he wasn’t alone. He was with some men. Most were tall and covered in tattoos. Where on Earth had Gideon met these people?

I watched Gideon flaunt around a key with a shooting star on it while he was speaking. I couldn’t make out what he was saying but something drew me into the key. It looked familiar but where had I seen it?

The bubble.<\em>

While I had been desperately searching for Dipper I had come across this bubble. It was in one of the places he had wanted to check for Mabel before… I shook my head. I didn’t need those thoughts right now. But even when I had seen it for the first time it had seen familiar.. I searched my brain for answers but came up empty. It didn’t seem important before but now it must have been, right? I mean that bubble could have only been made by Bill, and now Gideon had a key to it…

Was Gideon working with Bill?

He was insane. Sure. But surely not that insane? Right?

I heard him cackling again. Maybe he was that insane… I mean if I was given an option to keep my family safe and just work for Bill, would I really say no? I couldn’t say that I would. I would give anything to have them back. Bill knew that. For as cruel as he was, he was just as intelligent.

Then I caught some of the conversation underneath me from one of the men Gideon was with.

“Gideon, do you really think keeping Mabel in that bubble will help? I mean, it just seems like you’ve trapped her?”

Gideon didn’t like that at all. He started shouting and most of it was illegible, but I understood part of it.

“She’ll learn to love me! I have all of eternity to wait.” He shouted.

But that meant that Mabel was in that bubble. That Gideon had trapped her there all because she didn’t like him back?! He was insane. No question about it. But I knew where Mabel was, and I knew how to get her out. If Dipper couldn’t get her out. Then I would.

————————————————————————

Dipper POV

I woke screaming again. I did everyday. I had moved into the spare room because I couldn’t bear having these… things watch over when I woke like they actually cared. They weren’t my family. They couldn’t be.

Slowly, I sat up in my bed gathering my breath. I could never go back to sleep after the nightmares. Instead I spent most nights researching. That was what I called it anyway. To any other person that saw I would just seem insane.

I opened the wardrobe and uncovered the cardboard shoebox that I had all my papers in. It was hidden under some clothes and I just hoped that no one looked under them. There wasn’t anywhere else I could keep them.

Bringing the papers to the bed I started to gnaw on the end of a pen as I thought about everything that had happened. I wrote down all my nightmares here, and when they happened. As time went on the nightmares got longer and more detailed. A blessing and a curse. Longer I had to endure the horrible experience, but more details for my research. Each nightmare started the same, but most ended different. It started with Ford getting taken by Bill and him agreeing to work with Bill. Each time after that Ford comes looking for me, saying he’s here to save me. To help me. In the first few dreams I believed him, but later on I stopped believing him. I run the second I see him, but each single time he catches me. In different ways, but he always does. Then I wake up.

It made no sense. There was an apocalypse. Of course there was. I had lived through it. I had been living through it. Until I woke up here. And I don’t know what’s happening anymore.

But surely my mind couldn’t make up all these details about this apocalypse if it hadn’t happened? And it was definitely within Bill’s power to put me in some kind of dream state where nothing is wrong. But how could I prove it?

I couldn’t.

No matter how much I tried it was all still my head. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it because I was sure the second that I did they would attack me, or look at me like I was crazy. I’d prefer the former, at least then I would know that I’m right.

“Dipper?”

I jumped at the sound of Ford’s voice. The papers all around me crumpled under my body and some fell on the floor.

“Y-“ My voice broke. I couldn’t get my words out because I was so scared. There was a lump in my throat stopping me from speaking. The words unable to get past.

“Yeah?” I managed to force out.

“Dipper… Are you okay? You sound.. scared.” I could hear now that he had stopped at my door. He probably only seconds from opening it. He would see everything.

I scrambled to pick up all my papers.

“Y-Yeah! I’m fine! Just-“ The lump in my throat tightened and my voice broke. “Just changing! So don’t come in!”

“You’re changing? At..” I heard him pause to look for the time. “...4 in the morning?”

I didn’t reply this time. Just putting all the papers into the shoebox as fast as I could. Getting them damaged didn’t matter right now. I just needed them hidden.

I heard Ford sigh.

“Dipper, you can talk to me. Please.. I can tell you’ve been on edge lately… Everyone has. Please don’t push us away. We can help. With whatever it is.”

It almost sounded like it was actually him.

“I’m fine!” I yelled as I shoved the shoebox into the wardrobe.

“If you’re fine then why are you up at 4am? Dipper-“ I heard him cut himself off. “Dipper this isn’t good for you. Please talk to me. I have been where you are. I can help-“

“I’m fine!” I shouted again, cutting him off.

Ford paused before he answered.

“Fine. Just get some sleep…” Then he walked off.

I slowly sank down onto the floor trying to calm my racing heart.

How much longer could I keep up this act?