"What're you hiding from? You can't escape it going to America." Bill snapped, grabbing her wrist to keep her from running away again.
"Maybe I'm hiding from you!" She snapped back. "Don't pretend you care!"
"I don't care?" Bill pulled her close with the wrist he was still holding. "I'll show you how much I don't care."
He pulled her in for a burning kiss just as the Titanic struck the iceberg.
In other words, the Titanic AU that no one asked for but I stil wrote. Make sure you review!
When you were poor, pick pocketing just became a way of life. Even though they were twenty years old and could probably easily get a job, it was easier to simply pick pocket people when they passed. It was harder when the twins were younger, people expect little unwanted miracles to do it. No one expected twenty year olds to.
Mabel counted the bills from the wallet she stole before throwing the useless leather in the trash. As she shoved it into her shoe, she walked on, head down, occasionally bumping into people and grabbing whatever she could. Hopefully Dipper would have a better haul than what she had. A couple of dollars wasn't going to buy them much to eat.
She walked past a very well dressed man, who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Prime target. Mabel bumped into him, and while apologizing she easily slipped her hand in his pocket. Paper was the first thing she felt, and thinking it might be money she snatched it, and the man was never the wiser. He walked away from her as he had been walking before, still without a care in the world.
It was only when she was a safe distance away that she opened his fist and looked at the crumpled paper. Her reading skills weren't excellent, but even Mabel knew what she was holding. Tickets aboard the Titanic, two of them. One was a little torn, but still it was in good shape. Her brother was a much better reader than her, and he would be able to see if it was real or not. The papers felt like lead weights in her sock, and she just rushed home to avoid getting caught.
Home wasn't really home, well at least not what normal people would call home. It was an alley they had claimed as their own, and their stuff hidden in the back. Mabel thought it was nice, except for on the nights it rained. Then she wouldn't mind having a roof over her head. But some place to call their own was better than having no place at all.
It was an hour before Dipper came back. Mabel was nearly bursting from excitement, clapping her hands together and rocking back on her heels.
"Someone have a good haul?" He teased lightly, sitting down heavily on the ground. Mabel sat in front of him, pulling out the tickets from her shoe.
"Dipper, look! I thought it was money but look! Do you think they're real?" She asked eagerly. It meant more than one would have thought to the Pines twins. Boat fare to America was something they could never hope to afford. With these tickets and a couple of botched identification cards, they could sneak aboard. Their only family still resided in America, and now they could finally go home.
Dipper carefully looked over the papers, before looking at Mabel. "We'd have to steal some nice clothes. These are second class tickets, we don't look that. We hardly look good enough to be third class."
"We can do that! Are you saying..." Mabel trailed off, practically thrumming with excitement. Finally, finally after years of waiting, they were going back to America.
"The Titanic ships in three days. We finally get to go home."
The large ship was more fantastic than he had imagined. He had seen grand ships in his time, but there was nothing more amazing than the towering pillars of the smoke columns, the sheen of the hull, the smell of fresh paint in the air. It gleamed and shone in the light, the sounds of people all around as he walked towards the ramp for first class. He removed his reading glasses as he looked up at the large ship, able to hear the clack of his cane against the ground as he walked.
He hated it the moment his golden eyes set on it.
His expectations had rose with the tales of the ship, and as such he was sorely disappointed at the sight of it. Bill kept his face as impassive as it had been the entire time he drove up to the ship.
"Anyone else with you today, sir?" A man came up to ask. Bill supposed it was the suit and the air of regality that brought people right to his side and demanded they worship him.
Still he shook his head no, handing the man his ticket and ordering about where he wanted his bags brought aboard. Bill noticed how everyone seemed to be with some kind of family, but he was all alone. It had always been that way, but it didn't mean he liked it.
Slowly, he walked onto the deck of the ship, his stride oozing confidence and regality. Bill had perfected it a long time ago, and his stride could part crowds in an instant to make room for him to walk through.
Like everyone else, he lit up a cigarette as he walked up from his cabin to the deck. This was going to be a long boat ride, that was for sure. Why had he shelled out the money for this ship, when he could have taken another boat that wouldn't have made the stop in Ireland? He supposed he would enjoy the regality of it, but Bill found it hard to form any kind of emotion lately.
The deck was crowded with both rich and poor people, all waving goodbye to the people on the dock. Bill didn't care for the loud noise or the cheers, or any of it, but he liked the chance to look down at the people who wished they could be him and get away from whatever their issues were.
Is that what he was doing? Running away now? Bill took another long drag of his cigarette, leaning against one of the smoke stacks the Titanic had. He didn't want to think about that. He had all his items on this ship, he had everything he needed, and it was time he got a fresh start. Why not have that fresh start be anywhere else but in a country separated by a whole ocean? Bill dropped the used cigarette to the ground and crushed it underneath the heel of his shoe. Typical of him to leave the first stain on such an unblemished surface.
The loud sound of the ship's horn made people around him flinch and look around in shock, but Bill didn't even blink an eye. He glanced around to people waving goodbye to the docks more frantically, and figured he should finally move and watch the shore drift away.
He didn't get that far, only about a step from the smoke stack before a sudden and heavy force collided with him. His cane helped counteract his center balance as he was disoriented for a moment, but then he righted by self, and looked down to see what exactly collided with him.
It was a girl. The first thing he noticed was wide hazel eyes staring up at him, and there was an emotion that Bill knew quite well there. Fear. The second thing he noticed was how baggy and shapeless her clothes were, fixed with multiple patches and dirt staining the hem of what looked as though it could have been a sweater at one time. Finally, the thing that caught his attention the most were the color of her eyes, hazel. Bill didn't even know if he wanted to even be interacting with such a lower class, but she had caught his eye, and he seemed unable to look away.
"Sorry, sir." A male voice piped up, and Bill's gaze snapped from the girl to the boy she had been running with. Twins, obviously, it seemed the only difference between the two was the length of their hair.
"C'mon Mabes." The boy said softly, and the girl gave a smile to Bill before she took her brother's hand and went off running once more.
He settled back against the pillar, looking over the edge of the ship to see the dock a good distance away. The horn sounded off in a final farewell to the shore, and they were on their way to Ireland to pick up more passengers. Bill felt along his pocket and noticed his pocket watch was gone. Clever girl.
The room they were shown was gorgeous. At first two young, malnourished, young adults were questioned about how they got tickets, especially second class tickets. Dipper solved that problem easily.
"Our uncle bought them for us." He had always been much better about lying than Mabel had. "Our parents died recently, so we're going to live with him, good sir."
The man paused for a long moment before he nodded, letting Mabel and Dipper on board. The twins held hands as they were shown to their room, the crew bustling about as everyone got ready to shove off from the shore. The room was magnificent, with two beds for each of them and their own sink. Mabel felt like she was living in luxury.
"We did it!" They just had to behave until they reached Ireland, then it wasn't like they could just throw the two overboard. Mabel threw the small bag she had onto the top bunk, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, this is great!" Dipper himself was carrying three bags. Two of them were empty, but brought along to imply they had more things. "Three meals a day, with multiple courses, laundry, deck space, I can't believe this!"
Mabel jumped at her brother with a hug, nearly tackling him to the ground. They were finally going back home, on a ship that treated them like royalty. Second class wasn't treated so well on any other ship, it was like they were first class.
Mabel heard the blast of the horn and grabbed her brothers hand. "We have to go see everyone off!" She didn't even wait for Dipper to situate himself before they were traveling up the stairs and on the deck of the ship.
Mabel loved the organized chaos that came with events. They were like parties. It was a mass huddle of everyone by the railing of the ship to wave goodbye to the mass of people. It was so much fun to go and push through the people, holding her brothers hand.
It was amazing, she loved it.
Mabel didn't mean to run into the blonde who was obviously first class. For a moment he stared down at her and even she could feel the fear in her eyes. Her habit of bumping into people made it so that when she bumped into him, her hand found his pocket and grabbed the first thing it found. Something hard and made of metal. Dipper quickly dragged her away before the man could notice her stolen property.
"Mabes! Not until we leave port!" He chided, looking down at her clenched fist. The first thing that she noticed was the long chain dangling from her fingers.
Slowly, she unfurled her first to show the bright gold pocket watch sitting in her palm. The outside of it had a large eye decorating it. She pressed the button to open it, but nothing happened. She held it to her ear, hearing the tell tale tick tock of the clock working.
"Mabel! Are you listening?" Dipper asked, looking at the watch himself. Mabel flipped it over, looking at the back and seeing a name etched into the back.
Cipher
What a strange name. Mabel glanced back the way they had come, but was unable to see through the throngs of people. She couldn't help but wonder if she would see the blonde again.
She was always one to get into trouble and explore. While Dipper had managed to find the ship's library and stolen a couple books from it. Though they had the deck, Dipper preferred reading in their room. Mabel was sure it was because he just liked how soft the bed was, but he would never admit it.
This ship was huge! Mabel had gotten lost for a long time, wandering around. At the very least, she wouldn't go hungry when she finally found the dining room. She heard the people in third class would be forced to eat in shifts, and if they missed their shift they missed dinner. She stuck her hand in the pocket of her sweater, where the pocket watch rested. She had been struggling with it for the past couple hours, but she still couldn't figure out how to open it.
"Hey! What're you doing up here?" A sudden male voice sounded as Mabel found herself on the steps of a grand staircase. She flinched, looking up at the policeman as he grabbed her arm.
"Third class doesn't belong up here, how did you even get this far?" He grabbed her arm, starting to lead her down the stairs. Mabel yelped, trying to pull away, but malnourishment didn't do well for her muscles nor her bones. She felt brittle, and couldn't do anything as he pulled her down the stairs.
"What-third class? I hold a second class ticket!" She said in protest, trying to dig in her heels but she couldn't get any leeway.
"Sure you do, poppet. Come on, I'll bring ya down below deck and you can find your family." He didn't even look back at her. How did Mabel always end up in these situations? Dipper would have been able to at least think of a way to get them out of this.
Just when she was about to scream or something else, the tense click of a cane interrupted them. The man holding her stilled, looking over at the man just as Mabel did. It was the same blonde from before, the one she didn't mean to steal from.
"There you are." The blonde said with a grin, then gave the policeman a dark look. "Why are you manhandling this lady?"
The policeman's jaw opened and closed like he was a fish out of water. "Mr. Cipher! I-I didn't- I mean I didn't know..."
Finally he let go of Mabel, and the girl rubbed her raw wrist with her other hand. The blonde clicked his tongue, motioning for Mabel to come close to him. Was she willing to take that risk? He must have figured out that she stole his watch. She glanced at the policeman and made a beeline towards the blonde, staying still as he placed a hand on her back. It looked protective, but it felt awkward.
"I would appreciate you not harassing my date." Bill said, effectively dismissing the officer. The man nodded, glancing at Mabel before he turned and rushed away.
Mabel moved and pulled away from the stranger. "Thanks." She took another step back, but the blonde wouldn't let go of her.
"We need to talk, why don't I escort you to dinner?" He didn't give her an option as he turned and offered Mabel an arm. The way his demeanor was and the way he spoke, Mabel didn't doubt he would call the officer back in a moment if she didn't agree.
She never felt more out of place as she slipped her hand into his arm, her dirty nails standing out against his arm. Even as he led her through the dining room, Mabel could feel the stares of the other first class passengers staring at her. The police officer thought she was third class for a reason, and Mabel kept her gaze even with the wall as her face burned at the stares. It seemed everything has fallen silent, and everyone was staring at them.
The man held her chair out for her, and Mabel sat down with as much grace and posture as she could manage. Out on the street she never would have been so embarrassed, but this wasn't her element, and she had never felt so judged.
"What's your name?" He asked when she settled into her chair and he settled into his. The conversation in the room started up once more, but it was much quieter than it had been before. The way he looked at her, the smirk on his lips, it made her feel small, and let her know he was enjoying the show, enjoying embarrassing her.
"Mabel Pines." She wanted to slump into her chair and hope it would eat her. As it was she just stuck out her hand for Bill to shake, until she saw how dirty she was, and pulled it back with a blush.
"My name is Bill Cipher." He introduced with a simple nod of his head. "And I believe you have something of mine."
Mabel didn't react, she was already tense as a board, she couldn't tense anymore. She just rolled her eyes, nodding her thanks as a dish of food was placed in front of her. How many forks did people need? She groaned, holding her head in her hand. She didn't belong here.
"It's the one on the far right. You need a good meal." He said, watching as she picked up the fork as though it would burn her. Mabel kept her eyes on her dish, slowly eating the vegetables. Even in embarrassment, Mabel was not one to avoid a free meal placed in front of her. She doubted she would ever get this chance again, she wasn't going to let it pass.
"Are you going to turn me in?" She asked, keeping her hand still so it wouldn't give away the fact his pocket watch was in her pocket. Mabel forced herself to eat slowly, even though she was so hungry she just wanted to devour the food.
"If I wanted to turn you in I would have already." Bill said. "I would like it back, it's a family heirloom."
Mabel hummed, thinking about what she should do. She could probably just give him the pocket watch and be on her way, but that would mean missing out on a great meal and an even greater opportunity. She finished her first meal before Bill had even picked up his fork. He waved the server over to clear their dishes and bring out the next course.
"Why should I give it back? You have no proof that I took your... What was it?" She teased with a grin. Bill looked surprised for a moment before he chuckled, shaking his head.
"Alright, name your price." He reached into his suit, pulling out a checkbook. "Let's get this over with."
Hadn't she dreamed of something like this? A perfect moment when she could name her price, and this man was willing to pay that. She opened her mouth, ready to state off the first number that came to mind, but nothing came out. Who was she? Did she really take money over something she stole? When did her morals get so messed up? Mabel was faced with a life changing question. If she wasn't a good person, who was she?
"I don't want your money." She said softly, sounding hurt.
Her eyes fell from him to her lap, overcome with the worst guilt she had ever felt before. Slowly, she pulled the watch out of her pocket, staring at the eye on it as though it could stare into her soul. Bill's eyes were glued to it, and Mabel was struck by the realization that she probably took the most important thing to him.
"I can't open it, is it broken?" She asked, knowing the actual watch part worked.
Slowly she moved and handed him back the watch. For a long moment their fingers brushed together, and their eyes lifted to meet each other's. She pulled her hand away with another blush, this one more out of embarrassment than shame.
"It's a trick." He showed her the bottom of the watch. "The top is actually the bottom, and the bottom is where you press." Bill took her hand, not seeming to mind how dirty she was compared to him as he pressed her finger against the hidden panel.
The watch popped open and Mabel gasped, looking at the gorgeous watch face. The inside of the pocket watch showed a small picture of a blonde boy with a blonde woman. Upon close inspection of the pair, it was easy to see the resemblance between the small boy in the picture and the man in front of her. The woman had to be a mother or a sister.
"Is that you?" She asked softly. Bill snapped the pocket watch closed, nodding after a moment. She was still leaning forward, and blushed when she realized how close they were. It felt like all she was doing was blushing during this meal.
"How did you get on board? Second class, really?" The way he spoke implied he didn't believe her in the slightest.
She frowned a little, leaning back and crossing her arms. Dipper and her had talked about it, and they couldn't risk telling anyone. At least not until they got past Ireland and were sailing straight towards America. Mabel hummed in thought, looking over at Bill to spill out the answer Dipper had come up with. Their great uncle bought them the tickets, as their parents had just died.
"Well, and here I thought they didn't allow rats on the Titanic. Oh wait, that's a girl." A higher pitched, more nasally voice came from behind Mabel.
A slim blonde walked forward, coming up from behind Mabel. The brunette flushed, turning to look at the woman who appeared. Bill's face was blank, and unlike when he looked at Mabel, he seemed to have no emotion when he looked at this woman.
"Northwest. What do you want?" He asked, resting his head on his hand with his elbow on the arm of his chair.
"Wondering why you're spending your time with a third class rat when you know my family invited you to spend dinner with us." She pulled out another chair without asking, sitting down to join them. Mabel flushed at the insults, hands clenching into fists.
"I told your father I'm not interested in his proposal." Bill explained, looking at the woman for a moment before he looked at Mabel.
Mabel was beginning to wish she had kept the pocket watch, simply out of spite now.
"Oh, Cipher, you're no fun! Don't tell me you'd rather be with... This." The woman gestured over to Mabel, who had finally had enough.
She had been through a lot of abuse, but never before had she been insulted in such a way. With a sudden flourish Mabel was on her feet, throwing her napkin in her dish and turned on her heel. She hated this, how for a moment she allowed herself to relax. The blonde shot her a smirk, getting up as well.
"Don't worry, sweetie, he needs a real woman. You would have never stood a chance." The woman called after Mabel as she rushed out of the room in shame. She was so stupid, why even get her hopes up?
"Damn it Pacifica, she was returning something I lost." He said to the blonde as Mabel rushed off. Pacifica rolled her eyes, sitting back down in Mabel's abandoned seat.
"Please, I know that look. She's caught your interest, I don't know how but she did. Haven't you taken any interest in what my father offered you?" She crossed her legs as Bill finally rose.
"I'm not going into business with him. I have no interest in you either. Stop acting like a jilted lover when you weren't even one to start with." He snapped, making sure to shove his pocket watch in his inner pocket before he walked away from her.
He could feel her smirk even as he walked away, and after Mabel. The brunette had to be part of a disappearing act, as when Bill went to go and look for her, she was gone. She wasn't on deck, and he had nothing besides a name to track her down with.
Why did he want to find her though? What good could come from it? He tugged off the glove for his right hand, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips. He wanted to see Mabel again, and he was determined to find her. Nothing ever escaped when it caught his interest, and Mabel wouldn't be the last one to catch his interest. On the other hand, she would be the first woman to capture his interest. She looked at him without want of something, and though at first she was tense, she looked at him without fear. He wanted that back.
The stars were coming out when he went back to his stateroom. The suite had a sitting room, a private bath, his room, and it's own porch so he could sit and be outside without having to be near other people. It seemed colder than when he left, and he slowly undressed to dress instead in his sleeping attire. The bed he was sleeping in was large enough to hold four, but Bill managed to take up even less space. Tomorrow would be better. He would find her tomorrow. It was a ship, after all, there were only so many places she could hide from him.
She woke at dawn, when the sun was rising and Dipper was still passed out. He had actually passed out reading into the late hours, while Mabel listened to him mutter to himself about the mystery of the missing capers. She was actually interested in who managed to steal the capers, she would have to ask him when he finished the book.
Mabel crawled out of bed, donning on one of her more ratty outfits but one that was her favorite. Maybe she could walk around and steal a jacket or something to keep her warm, the Atlantic sea was still chilly this time of year. She just had to get through today and then they would be sailing for America.
A part of her was hoping to see Bill again. The conversation where that blonde woman had come up hadn't been pleasant, but talking to the blonde rich man had. Though she wouldn't go back in that first class dining room again.
Finally, she arrived on deck. The chill of the morning air hit her hard, making her shiver and wrap her arms around her frail form. She shouldn't really be out when breakfast would be served soon, and she needed to wake Dipper up for it. He had missed out on dinner because he was reading, and just because the two were used to skipping meals didn't mean they should now that food was offered right in front of them. Already she could see the small dot that signaled land in the distance, Ireland was closer than she would have thought.
"Fancy meeting you here." Said a voice, nearly making Mabel jump out of her skin. She looked over her shoulder with a glare, seeing none other than Bill Cipher.
"I'm starting to think you like scaring me half to death." She muttered, clenching her arms tightly around herself when a sharp breeze passed them by.
"Only a little." He replied back with a chuckle, shrugging off his fine suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "You need a warmer jacket, you're going to freeze."
"I've been through worse." Still, she pulled the warm jacket around her tightly, fingers clenching it and her body greedily sucking in the warmth. "You sure you want your fancy jacket covering a third class rat?"
Though the words were meant to be teasing, she showed in just a sentence how much it hurt. Mabel Pines was not one to understand how and why some people could be prejudiced. At the core of it all, they were all human, weren't they?
"Are you really going to let her get to you?" Bill asked steadily. Mabel doesn't know if she should be more surprised by his words or the slight blow to her pride.
"She's just jealous, and pretty catty." Bill kept talking, taking her elbow and leading her back inside. "By the way, you hardly ate last night, you should eat breakfast."
Mabel pulled away her arm from his grip, already shaking her head. "No thank you, I'm not going back to that first class dining room." Maybe if her life depended on it. Probably not even then.
"Fine, we can go to where you're supposed to eat." Bill comprised easily. He didn't care where he had to eat as long as she actually ate something. He turned and together they walked to the second class dining room.
Unlike when Mabel was in the first class dining room, no one seemed to care for Bill being there. In fact the only thing that happened was that people were surprised that he was there. Whatever Mabel was doing, the other women was guaranteed to start copying her now, hoping to catch Bill's eye.
Together they ate, making idle conversation about the weather and about being aboard the ship. Mabel talked about where she was going to go in America, while Bill spoke of some business partners he had. Occasionally he would point out people and spill their juiciest gossip, mainly because when he did it never failed to make Mabel laugh.
Finally the meal was over, and Bill asked Mabel to accompany him as they walked around the boat. She accepted, and still wearing the jacket of his suit they began their stroll. They were much closer to the shore than before, and a small boat had pulled up next to them.
"They're locals, hoping to sell some wares." Bill told her when she asked about it.
Though she had no money, Mabel dragged Bill over to look at the clothes and other items they were selling. The male shook his head at her, but didn't protest as he was dragged over to the items. She ran her hands along the fabrics and felt how soft or rough some of it was, thinking about all the clothes she could make for her and her brother if she had all this.
"Ah, you'd like this lass." The man running the stand said, addressing Mabel. He started to dig around, trying to find the object he wanted to show Mabel.
"Here it is." He had turned his back, but now he turned around, showing a bright fabric.
It had been such a long time since she had seen one, Mabel gasped as she realized what it was. A lovely, hand knit sweater was in his hands, and he held it out for Mabel to feel the fabric. It was so soft. A long time ago her mother had made her a sweater and showed her how to knit, but then she had died. The remains of the sweater she was wearing right now, the tattered outfit she was wearing. Mabel took the sweater for a moment to see what it would look like, gasping in awe at the fabric.
"It's only two dollars." The man said. "My wife handmade it herself."
Mabel wouldn't have been able to buy it anyways, but she still felt a wave of utter disappointment rush through her. Maybe if she hadn't given Bill back his watch, she could have traded it. She couldn't ever think to afford that on her own. Slowly, she handed back the sweater.
"She'll take it." Bill was behind her, handing the man two dollars before she could say a word. The man nodded, snatching the money and already moving onto the next customer.
"Bill!" She gasped, looking at him with surprise. How could he spend that on her? She wasn't worth one penny, much less two whole dollars.
"You needed a new jacket." He explained. "Two dollars to me is a pittance, just accept my graciousness while it's still here."
She didn't want to argue about this anyways. She clutched the sweater to her chest, beaming up at Bill. Glancing around, no one was paying attention to them, and she dared to stand on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. Bill froze under the touch, looking down at her.
"Thank you." She said softly.
This time, when Bill offered his arm to walk around the ship, Mabel didn't hesitate before taking it. When she got to her room late in the evening and saw her brother, she tugged the sweater over her head, and slept in it.
The next day the Titanic was in the Atlantic, sailing off to its destination. Mabel felt a relief sweep over her that she wasn't going to be thrown off in Ireland, and that she and her brother were finally headed home. She woke late that morning, unlike yesterday when she woke so early. Dipper was already awake.
"Morning Mabes." He called, setting down his book with a yawn. Mabel grumbled and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head with a groan. She wasn't ready to face the day.
"Don't be like that, it's almost noon. I want to get breakfast." He got up, moving and tugging the blanket down so Mabel was revealed. She groaned again, shoving her head under the pillow.
"Where were you yesterday? Did you steal this?" Dipper asked, grabbing the pillow and hitting her gently with it. Mabel finally looked up at him.
"Oh, I didn't tell you." She said with a yawn, sitting up. "I met someone."
Dipper groaned. "Not another boy. Alright, let's go get breakfast and you can tell me all about this new guy."
Mabel grinned and hopped out of bed, still wearing her sweater as she headed for the door. She slipped on her shoes, opening the door just as there was a knock at the door.
"Bill!" She greeted with a smile when she saw the blonde there. Bill gave her a small smile, both hands resting on his cane as he looked down at her.
"Hello, Mabel. I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast with me?" He asked, glancing back at Dipper. "Oh, is that your brother? Dipper." He didn't ask Dipper, addressing Mabel the whole time.
Dipper was in shock. Wasn't that the rich blonde she had stolen from on their first day on the ship? Mabel had a lot of explaining to do with Dipper, and judging by the look on her face she knew it. She gave Bill her attention for now though.
"Yeah, that's him. We were just gonna get breakfast, want to join us?" Mabel offered, knowing her brother was probably seething on the inside. At this point, she would have done anything to avoid getting yelled at by Dipper.
"Of course. I'll give you two a moment." Bill replied with a smirk. He knew what was up, and didn't mind leaving the brunette to her fate. Mabel gave him a pleading look, but the blonde was too busy holding in laughter.
Dipper ushered Bill out of the room with muttered words about how they would be right there. Mabel sighed and crossed her arms, getting ready for the lecture.
"Mabes!" What're you doing? You stole from that guy!" Dipper hissed as though she didn't remember those piercing gold eyes that always seemed to see into her soul.
"I know, I gave him back the watch and he bought me this sweater." She showed it off proudly, sitting down on the edge of the bed to hear the rest.
Now Bill was several things, and an eavesdropper was one as well. As soon as Dipper had shut the door, Bill had pressed his ear against the door and listened carefully to the words the Pines twins were saying. While he was hoping to learn a little about Mabel, it was mainly to hear if he was brought up.
"He bought that for you?" Dipper asked, frowning. "Why? Don't you worry this guy has... Less than gentlemanly motives?"
Mabel paused, and that silence said a lot of how she was feeling. Bill seemed to care, but how could she know? Maybe he was just trying to butter her up and use her. He didn't really seem to have a problem using other people. He knew everyone's dirty secrets for a reason.
"I don't think he's like that." Mabel eventually said.
"What if he just wants you to be his bed partner? He's dangerous, he could hurt you." Dipper argued, while Bill still listened with as much of his body pressed against the door as he could. Bill wanted to hear everything.
"He wouldn't be the first." Mabel's muttered reply was so quiet, Bill almost couldn't hear it. When he did a small gasp caught in his throat, but Dipper seemed to choke on air.
"He-ah-what?" Dipper stuttered, obviously shocked as Bill was by her words. Mabel sighed, and Bill heard the sounds of her rising.
"I said he wouldn't be the first." She snapped. "When I first got here a policeman nearly broke my wrist because he thought I was third class. He won't be the first man nor the last man to manhandle me. Luckily then Bill had come to my rescue."
Bill moved away from the door, hearing more of Mabel's muttered words, but he was already walking down the hall. He kept his cane on his arm, so it wouldn't sound on the hardwood floor as he walked away. The thought of others hurting her, it upset him. He had been the one who considered hurting her. Before she had captured his interest, he had been close to hurting her himself. At the very least he was going to turn her in. She had sat across the table from him in a place where she didn't belong, and he had enjoyed embarrassing her.
The thought though, that others had hurt her and abused and used her, it hurt him. He wanted to tear out their throats, he wanted to protect her. How she managed to do it, he would never know, but now Bill cared for her, the first time he cared for anyone in a long time.
Back in the room, Dipper looked as though he couldn't decide whether to cry or break something. He settled for pulling his twin in for a hug, not knowing what else he could do to make things better.
"How?" He asked quietly, feeling his sister hug him back after a moment.
"You weren't there, and I was out all alone and these guys..." She trailed off, but even then she didn't have to say the rest of the words for Dipper to piece together what happened.
"I'm so sorry, Mabel." He murmured, giving his sister a tight squeeze. "I should have been there."
Mabel doesn't deny his words, because they are the truth. He should have been there to help her. Yet even Mabel knew he couldn't be there every second of the day. She knew it wasn't Dipper's fault anymore than it was her fault. The past couldn't be changed.
"I like Bill, please be nice to him." Mabel said when she finally pulled away from Dipper.
The male twin paused before he nodded, seeming to give in. She wasn't just asking for his approval at this moment, but for his trust. He couldn't deny her that. Even though he didn't trust Bill as far as he could throw him.
"I'll try." It was the least he could do, after all. "Let's go get some breakfast."
Yet when they opened the door, there was no well dressed blond man waiting for them. Bill was nowhere in sight, and Mabel instantly felt worry creep down her spine. Had he heard? Were they that loud? Mabel looked over at Dipper, sighing as she looked at her brother.
"Do you think he heard?" She asked quietly.
Dipper shrugged. "I don't know. Let's go and get breakfast then you can go and find him."
Though worried turned in her gut and she wanted to go and find Bill, Mabel wanted to go and spend time with her brother. Family came first, after all. Together the Pines twins walked off to go and have breakfast.
It was night when she finally found him. Mabel had been up and down the first class suites, trying to find the one that belonged to Bill. She hadn't been allowed to check on the first class dining rooms either. The sweater allowed her to walk around and remain undisturbed, but she couldn't find what she was looking for.
Eventually she found herself on the stern of the ship, arms on the railing as she looked over the edge and into the inky water. On any other night the chill would have gotten to her, but with her new sweater she hardly felt it. Mabel had all but given up hope of finding Bill, realizing that he seemed to only appear when she wasn't expecting it.
She had never seen the sun set on the water before. It created such amazing hues of red and orange that she had never really gotten to see on the streets. Mabel watched it until the sun set, staring up at the sky as the stars came out brighter than she had ever seen before.
"You seem to have a knack for finding random places." Bill's voice came from behind her, making her jump and stumble near the railing. Her hand shot out to catch the railing, but she just ended up grabbing Bill's hand. He steadied her easily.
"How do you do that? I've been searching for you all day!" Mabel scolded, not letting him go, as though she was afraid he would disappear once more. "What happened to you?"
Bill moved to stand a bit closer to her when she didn't let go of his hand, noting how she was still wearing the sweater he got her. She was such an interesting girl, and he couldn't help but just stare at her. "I just had to think over some things."
Mabel's face fell. "You heard, didn't you? You heard what I said to Dipper."
The blonde sighed, not wanting to admit to listening, but also not wanting to lie to her. "Yes, I heard. I know I shouldn't have been listening." He started his own lecture with a grin.
She wasn't having it though, and now she just looked sad. "I didn't want you to hear that."
Even though they had talked so much, and Mabel would have considered them friends, maybe even something more than that one day, he still managed to feel like a stranger. Yet that air of mystery just seemed to go with Bill. It was as though he was something so much more than just normal. He had a story, and Mabel wanted to be the one to hear it. Bill knew one of her deepest, darkest secrets, and she felt as though she knew nothing about him.
"That was my secret." She whispered to him. Bill gave her hand a gentle squeeze, seeming at a loss for words.
Together, they stood in silence, looking up at the stars as the moon began to rise. Mabel leaned against him when she grew tired, and Bill easily supported her weight. The hour was growing late, and they should go to bed, but neither wanted to leave.
"Look, a shooting star." Mabel murmured, pointing up at the star as it flew across the sky. Bill watched it travel for a moment before he looked down at Mabel, seeing her eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed with concentration.
"Making a wish?" He asked when she opened her eyes. Mabel smiled and nodded, excited now.
"Well, what did you wish for?" He was sure he could grant any wish she wanted, no matter how small or how grand. Mabel rolled her eyes, poking the tip of her nose.
"I can't tell you, then it won't come true!" She replied.
Bill laughed and shook his head, amused with her antics. It seemed the tension from earlier had melted away, and now they could relax around each other again. A large yawn escaped from Mabel's lips, and Bill opened his watch to check the time.
"It's getting late, you should get to bed." He murmured. "You should also give me a hint for what you wished for. How else is going to come true?"
"Magic!" Mabel declared, pulling away from Bill. The blonde leaned against the railing, watching her in amusement.
"Magic isn't real." He replied. Mabel gasped as though he just said the sky was green.
"How dare you! Now I'm never going to tell you my wish." She crossed her arms stubbornly, but was still smiling. "I'll give you a hint though."
Bill rolled his eyes once more, but nodded after a long moment. He would easily be able to figure out what she could be wishing for. This is the girl who was excited to get a sweater, what else could she wish for?
"It's something I can never, ever, have." She stated cryptically, smirking to herself. "Goodnight Bill."
Before he could say anything more or bother her for more information, she was already walking away. He leaned against ran railing and tilted his head back, staring up at the stars as another star shot across it. For one simple moment, he allowed himself simple self indulgence, and made a wish as well.