Obligatory Disclaimer- I, the author of this fanfic, do not now own, nor do I claim to have ever owned, any part of Gravity Falls. All credit for its creation goes to its creator- Alex Hirsch. And I suppose some credit has to fall on the backs of the powers that be at Disney. In summary- I don't own anything but the purely made up fiction contained herein. Got it?! Good!

A/N UPDATE!- This story will contain some Bill/Dipper fluff, so you have been warned! This is not a hard-core shipping, but it will be cute. :D

Chapter 1

The Silent Stranger

Approximately 8,000 years ago-

"I wouldn't be surprised if these creatures end up being the death of us," Ax sighed, concerned eyes staring down.

Humans hadn't been around for too long yet, maybe only a few hundred years. They had managed to increase in number quite quickly, though. And they were creative...and crafty...and could be downright sinful. Axolotl and his friend had taken to paying close attention to these humans. Both beings were interested in them for differing reasons, of course, but both were still wary of them and their capabilities, nonetheless.

"Nah, they're not smart enough, but if they do, I bet they'll end up destroying you, first," Bill said smugly as he and his companion surveyed the goings-on of the world from their vantage point.

Axolotl was a spirit of jesting and general silliness that was all in fun, but also maintained harmony and order for creation. Conversely, Bill was a spirit of chaos and discord, and he was just plain annoying. They complimented each other, and the earth, perfectly, and so were generally always together. There were other beings of their type around, and they would keep company with them on occasion, but they enjoyed each other's friendship most.

Both stayed away from Lucifer, however. They knew getting involved with him would only lead to their own demise. When mankind was ultimately tricked by that malevolent serpent, an event leading to banishment from the perfect garden provided to them by the Creator, they had both looked at each other and exclaimed, "Point proven!" in unison.

"Oh, really? You think you're all that, do you? I think I'll take that bet." Axolotl gave Bill a friendly nudge with his broad tail.

"You're on, then, sucker!"

The only stipulation of their bet was that the winner would be able to choose when, and as what, the loser would return. Bill was confident that it would never happen, but wanted to humor his friend, so he agreed. He had a few choice things in mind for Axolotl if he were to win the bet. He had a sick sense of humor. Unbeknownst to him, Ax could have a messed up sense of humor, also. Bill would find out just how messed up in about 8,000 years.

Over the next several millennia, Bill would take full advantage of humans and their sinful desires, making deals with them that he knew they wouldn't be able to keep, and gaining power and control in the process. He kept the form the humans deified him as, a golden triangle with one eye. They called him a dream demon since he liked to mess with their minds, especially at night.

Axolotl remained more in the background of life, choosing to watch and study, helping out creation where he could with stability and order. His form was that of a salamander-like creature. He was also a golden yellow color with six bright orange, feathery, external gills that added to his comical appearance. He wasn't deified by people, and never showed himself to them. Ax was the smart one.

Life was good for the two beings, and Bill thought it was best for him, especially. He found out one day, however, that his good life was about to end, thanks to a particularly astute human and his family.

"Stanley!"

This was the last word spoken out of the, well, eye? of Bill Cipher. He didn't even have a mouth, let alone vocal chords. Nobody was quite sure how he spoke, though that was never a cause for disturbance among the people he came in contact with. No, Bill's lack of a mouth was usually the least of their problems. He knew how to handle humans; knew how to deal with them in more ways than one. That is, until he met the Pines family.

He never saw it coming. The all-powerful, all-seeing Bill Cipher, didn't know until it was too late. He had been tricked into entering the wrong mind; the mind of the five-fingered twin, the wrong twin. Before he was completely annihilated by the erasing of Stan's mind, however, realization struck him. He had lost the bet. There was only one thing he could do. Axolotl would have to bring him back, based on the merits of that bet.

"If the day comes where a human has bested one of us, and you or I are at the brink of total obliteration, we simply need to call upon the other and our being will be saved," he recalled Axolotl's words.

But what was that last part we agreed to... Aaagh! No time...! "Axolotl! The time has come for me to burn! I invoke the power that I may return!" Bill managed to speak the words they had laid out so many millennia ago, just before the blue fire consumed him.

And then...blackness.

He was surrounded by what could only be described as a void. Nothingness was all around him, it was just black. There was no up or down, no anywhere. His consciousness was aware of the fact that he was alive, but not of much else. He couldn't see or hear or feel. He simply was...aware of his state of being. He had no sense of time, and so couldn't know how long he had been in this state, not that he cared because there were no longer any emotional feelings he could attach to.

The next thing Bill knew, he was opening a pair of eyes, gazing out into a dark sky littered with tiny pinpoint lights and a larger light that made a strange shape, almost like a sideways smile. He turned to one side and saw a staggered, shadowy outline where no more tiny lights could be seen. He turned the other way and saw another light, but it was a different color from the others, and bigger. It seemed to be attached to something, but his mind couldn't tell him yet what it was.

He could feel something cool and slightly wet under his fingers as he wiggled them around. It was soft, and could be easily picked out from where it was anchored. He rolled onto his side, bracing himself to stand upright, and realized the slightly wet stuff was all around him. It gave him a strange, but not unpleasing, sensation wherever it touched him.

As Bill began to stand, a heavy feeling came over him, like something was willing him to stay close to the ground. He finally got up on his feet, standing in one spot for a few moments to find his balance.

He turned his head again towards the shadows, and then back to the soft light in the opposite direction. Feeling the need to go in the direction that allowed him to see things, he opted for the light. On shaky legs, Bill managed to walk the 40 or so yards to the source of the light, but not without effort. Needing to rest, he noticed there was something under the light that looked big enough for him to lie down on. He sat on it, the surface giving way just slightly under him. It wasn't as hard as the ground, and also wasn't wet, so he decided to rest there.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see his surroundings better. There was a soft glow of pinkish-orange light filtering in through what he could now see were trees in the distance. Above him was a wooden covering keeping him from seeing the sky directly. He saw the same light from earlier that was attached to what he now remembered to be a building.

People. I think people live in these things... he thought to himself as he tried to remember who he was, where he was, and then it occurred to him that he didn't even know what he was. He looked down at himself and saw two feet, legs, arms, hands and...other things he remembered belonged to... humans! His sudden mental connection surprised him. So I am a human, but I don't think that I have always been a human.

He rose to his feet and found a window which cast his reflection back at him. Squinting his eyes, he could make out the features on his face. He had two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two ears; everything a person had. He continued to stare into the window, until a loud shrieking sound rang out, causing him to stumble backward.

"DIPPER!" the voice shrieked again.

Bill didn't know what he should do. An emotion he was unfamiliar with was coming over him. It was fear. He decided to just stay where he had landed, at the bottom of the porch steps, and not move. He curled up into a fetal position on the ground, closed his eyes, and hoped for the best.

"Mabel! What the hell is with all the yelling?!" an out of breath Dipper exclaimed, finally reaching his sister's location from the other side of their home. He found her standing at the base of the staircase, deep brown eyes as big as saucers, a wooden baseball bat in a death grip in her right hand. "Whoa, you ok? What happened?" his voice now laced with concern for his twin.

"There's a naked guy outside our window," she whispered, barely audible.

"What? You were yelling just a second ago and now I can't even hear you!" He was beginning to get exasperated.

"There's a NAKED GUY outside our WINDOW!" she cried, specifically enunciating each word slowly.

"That's better... Wait, what?!" Dipper was clearly confused. "Like, there's an actual person outside the window?"

"Yes."

"And he's actually naked?!"

"Yes."

"Uh...ok." He turned to look out the window, not seeing anyone standing there. "Well, let's just go out there and see what he wants so we can get on with our lives..." When he turned back to Mabel, she was no longer there. "Hey, Mabes? Where'd you go?"

"I went to get one of Grunkle Stan's robes," she replied as she came back into the room. "It might be a little awkward...you know. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like seeing the male figure just as much as the next gal, but this is a total stranger and he could be hurt or something."

"Sure. Let's just go see what his deal is."

Dipper cautiously opened the door that led out onto the covered porch. Mabel followed closely behind, still gripping the bat. The robe was thrown over her shoulder.

Seeing him at the bottom of the stairs, they stopped on the edge of the porch. He was still curled up on the ground, eyes screwed shut tightly. The twins looked at each other, puzzled.

"Hello?" Dipper called out.

The man opened one eye. He didn't move any other muscle.

"Are you ok?" Mabel spoke this time.

The man opened his other eye. He still didn't move anything else.

"He looks scared to death, Dipper. We need to cover him up and bring him inside." Mabel's intense motherly instincts were taking over. "Here," she said as she handed Dipper the robe, "Wrap this around him and help him up."

Dipper gave her that why-do-I-have-to-do-it look, but then realized he was a guy, and the stranger was a guy, and he shouldn't be putting his sister in a predicament where she could potentially be attacked. Upon taking the first step down the porch, Bill noticeably flinched and closed his eyes again.

"Hey, it's ok," Dipper said gently, trying to assure the frightened man. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to cover you up and help you inside."

The soothing voice calmed Bill and he opened his eyes again. Dipper slowly took the final steps needed to close the distance between them and gently covered the man with the robe.

That's warm...and soft, Bill thought as he allowed Dipper to help him up off the ground.

"Can you walk?" Dipper inquired of the stranger.

"Yes." Bill looked at him as he spoke his answer in his mind, not realizing that he couldn't be heard.

Dipper, confused, asked again, "Are you able to walk?"

This time Bill nodded his head up and down once to show his response, still wondering why he couldn't be heard. They began to slowly walk up the steps and Mabel opened the door for them, shutting it when everyone was inside. The siblings looked at each other, and then at the stranger they just brought into their home.

He looked like your run-of-the-mill, average Joe kinda guy; average build (yet toned) and height, very similar to Dipper. The glaring exception was his hair. It was a bright golden blond and very short on the sides and back, but the top was much longer and jet black. It fell to one side, and now that he was upright, also fell over his eyes.

They led him into the living room where they showed him the couch to sit down on. Bill kept the robe wrapped around him tightly, much like a security blanket. He gazed around the room in wonder, taking in everything like it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Dipper, why don't you sit with him and try to figure out who he is and I'll go get something of yours for him to wear."

"Yeah, alright," he replied, as he waved her off, still staring at the stranger. Then realization struck. "Wait- What?! Why my clothes?" he asked in surprise as he turned to glare at his sister.

"Well, he needs to wear something, duh. And he looks to be just your size. I'll just grab some of your old jeans and a t-shirt. Oh- and some underwear..." she trailed off as she headed up the stairs to his room.

Dipper face-palmed. Of course. He turned back to the stranger sitting on the couch and sat down at the other end.

"So... What's your name?" He got no response, not even an acknowledgement to his speaking. Bill's eyes were still wandering all around the room. Dipper snapped his fingers a few inches from his face to get his attention. It definitely did the job. Bill jumped and squeaked in fear, huddling away from Dipper as best he could, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging himself tight. Gees, this guy's jumpy.

Just then, Mabel returned with an armful of clothes. She had brought a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, boxers, and socks. She also brought a belt, just in case the jeans were too big. This guy did seem pretty lean and toned compared to her brother...

"Dipper! What did you do?!" she scolded when she caught sight of the stranger trembling on the couch. "Did you scare him?"

"I didn't mean to! The guy's jumpy!" he replied in his defense. "All I did was snap my fingers in front of his face 'cause he wouldn't answer me."

She slowly went up to the man, kneeling on the floor in front of him. She soothingly placed a hand on his knee, and said in her gentlest voice, "It's ok, you can loosen up. We don't wanna hurt you. Please forgive my dopey brother here, sometimes he forgets his manners."

Bill began to relax upon hearing Mabel's sweet voice. Doing so caused the robe he had wrapped around him to fall, revealing more than is usually acceptable in polite company. Mabel immediately scrambled to her feet, averting her eyes. "Too loose! Too loose!" she exclaimed, tossing the clothes over to Dipper. "Help him get dressed, will you?!" She quickly exited the room.

"W-what?! He's a grown man...he can dress himself!" he called to her, but she was already gone. He stood, laying the clothes out on the couch where he was just sitting. "Just, put these on...I'll be right back," he directed to the stranger.

Bill had just sat quietly during that whole exchange; watching and listening to the two people converse with each other. He decided that they looked vaguely familiar, but didn't know why. He was wondering why they were moving their mouths as they spoke. He opened and closed his own mouth a few times, but no sound came out of his the way it did when they opened theirs.

Then he remembered the things that were placed next to him. He glanced over at the clothes, not really sure what to do with them, but they did look similar to what one of the humans had covering their body. He tried the shirt first. He picked it up, held it out in front of him, and turned it several times to see if he could line it up right. Picturing how it looked on the human, he tried at first to step into the center hole. That wasn't right. He turned it again and decided this time to put it down over his head. It ended up just hanging around his neck.

He picked up the boxers, but didn't remember seeing those on the human, so he tossed them aside. The jeans looked familiar, though. It had two long parts. One for each of these, he thought as he sat down and stuck his legs into the pants. He pulled them up, not even needing to undo the zipper or button. They were a bit big...and a bit rough... on certain... parts. This is not soft like that other thing was...

Just as he was going to grab the socks, Dipper was coming around the corner. "Hey there..." he said as gently as possible, so as to not scare the guy again and incur the wrath of his sister. "Are you-" he began, but then noticed how the stranger looked. "Um, do you need help?" he asked.

Bill looked up at him, and then to the socks he had in his hand. "Yes." He then held up the socks to Dipper, child-like shyness on his face. Wow, this guy must've hit his head or something...can't even dress himself, won't talk. This keeps up we're going to have to turn him over to the authorities. He grabbed the socks and slipped one on each foot. Then he helped him get his arms through the right holes so the shirt would be on properly.

"There. All dressed." At that moment, Mabel returned to the room and immediately noticed the boxers that were tossed aside.

"Uuuhh..Dipper-" she began, but started giggling too much.

"What? What's so funny?!"

She picked up the shorts and tossed them at him. "Our friend here is going Commando."

"What the fu- Oh gawd..." he groaned as he pulled a hand down his face. His sister was still giggling. Bill just stood there smiling, but not sure why. "You were supposed to put these on before the pants," he told the stranger, incredulously.

"Looks like he's gonna need that belt, too. Your pants are kinda big on 'im," Mabel added. "I'll leave again...You help him get dressed properly," she snickered on the way out of the room.

Dipper handed the man the boxers. "Here, you need to put these on first, and then put the pants back on, ok?" Bill had already begun to take off the jeans before Dipper had finished talking. "Whoa! At least let me turn around first!" he blushed. The brunet quickly turned his head.

Bill did as told, putting on the shorts first, then the pants. Well, that does feel better.

"You can come back now, Mabel. He's decent," Dipper called to his sister.

He didn't want to be alone with this guy any longer than he had to. Mabel was much more...diplomatic than him. He felt that she should do most of the talking. And there were a lot of questions to ask this silent stranger.

A/N~ Just something that's been floatin' around in my head. Don't know where it's going, but it should be fun...bwahaha!