Note: This is based on the JOML AU (aka the Grim AU) started by notllorstel on Tumblr, and the additional work for this particular part of the AU done by thesnadger and impishnature (also on Tumblr). Their stuff is really good so be sure to check them all out.

Disclaimer: Also, I obviously do not own Gravity Falls either. Otherwise there'd be a Gravity Falls boxset sitting on my shelf.

In the Shadow of Death

The Grim

Ford sighed as he walked out the front door of the Sha- his house. He had run out of Lullaby Leaves, which he needed for his latest experiment. Plus, it might help him sleep at night even though the barrier around the house had helped relieve some of his worries in that regard. Luckily for him, the last time he had checked, there was a patch of the plant not too far into the forest.

However, all thoughts of his task were dashed from his mind as he took in the dark figure before him in the yard.

To anyone else, it probably would have been easily mistaken for a large, black dog. But this was no normal dog. A dog's eyes didn't have a sinister white glow. A dog didn't bring an aura of doom and despair in its wake.

A grim.

Chills went up and down Ford's spine. Anxiety settled like a cold stone in his stomach and he subconsciously shifted into a fighting stance as dread was cast upon him like a mantle.

What is this omen doing here? Ford asked within his thoughts. Scratch that, stupid question. A grim only had one purpose. The better, and more relevant, question was who it was here for. How that person would be leaving was also important to find out. Unfortunately, it's not like the menace could answer.

Suddenly, Ford felt the blood drain from his face as he put some puzzle pieces together. Holy Moses, is Bill –

Before he could finish that thought, the grim made its move. It had been staring at him, almost puzzled he would say if he didn't know better, but now it came towards him, quickly gaining speed. Ford stiffened, ready to take whatever it could give –

And it completely ignored him, slipping past him and somehow phasing right through the door.

He blinked, stunned for a surprised moment, before he recovered and quickly scrambled to open the door.

Ford's heart stopped for a beat as he reopened the door only to see the grim leaping onto his brother as he came down the stairs. "Stanley!" He yelled and braced himself to hear his brother's cries as he was torn apart by the beast of doom. He had always thought grims were merely indicators of what was to come but this attack seemed to prove him wrong.

The sound that met Ford's ears was a different one entirely than what he had been expecting.

Stan was laughing.

Ford blinked owlishly at the sight before him.

Stan had indeed been knocked over by the grim's antics, but he didn't seem hurt at all. On the contrary, he was laughing as he sat sprawled on the steps and the grim affectionately licked his face. He seemed to be offering some token resistance with small attempts of trying to push it off, but it clearly wasn't genuine.

"Come on. Down, girl." Stan said as the grim nuzzled his neck. "It's good to see you, too." He managed to finally stand up, but the grim stuck by his side.

It really didn't look like the ominous harbinger of death Ford had seen outside when it was wagging its tail like that.

Stan noticed Ford's incredulous look. "What?"

"You – that's – " The elder stammered over his words.

"Yay!" Mabel's bright voice cut through the awkwardness. "The doggie's back!" She was a blur as she rushed from the other room in order to hug the grim.

"Mabel, that's…" Ford's voice trailed off as he sensed that it'd be an exercise in futility to try to get her to stop hugging the beast.

Dipper came up next to him at a more sedate pace. He, too, watched the scene before them. "So, have I been right in thinking that's a grim?" He asked, glancing up at Ford.

"Yes, it certainly seems so." Ford adjusted his glasses in his discomfort. He had to be seeing things. "Wait, it's been here before?" Mabel's words finally registered in his brain.

"Yeah. It's Grunkle Stan's dog." At Ford's dumbfounded look, all Dipper could do was shrug. "She comes and goes as she pleases, but she's apparently been around for almost 30 years."

Ford's eyes widened. A grim had been hanging around his brother for 30 years?

"Who's a good girl?" Stan laughed again as he now rubbed the grim's belly. "Who's a good Omen?"

That's not how Ford would put it…

.

It wasn't the first time Stan had seen the dog. Actually, now that he thought about it, the first time he had spotted it had been when he had been burning up from the infection from his burn but was still trying to work. It hadn't been the last time he'd seen it though.

He couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for it. After all, with the state of its unruly fur, it was obviously a stray and it had to be desperate to be trying to scrounge up food around here.

Stan could definitely understand what it was like to be a stray.

That's why he was determined to do something about it.

As night closed in, he made just a bit extra to his normal meal. A quick check showed the dog was still there. He ate his portion and place the extra on a separate plate. Then, he picked it up and walked out the door towards the dog where it lurked on the woods' edge.

Stan knew to approach cautiously. He'd almost been bit too many times when feeding the occasional stray creature in the various cities and towns he'd been to. This was why he stopped halfway between the Shack and the dog in the tree line.

"Hey," he called, "I brought something for you." He set down the plate and took a few steps back.

The dog seemed a bit confused, yet intrigued, as it came up to the plate and gave him a look over, cocking its head. It sniffed at the food for a moment before taking a cautious bite. It wasn't long before the small meal was gone as the dog wolfed it down.

"Yeah, I know what it's like to be that hungry." Stan commented. "But it's better now, right?" He held out a hand to the dog, though now he could see that it was a girl.

She sniffed his hand, looking between him and the plate. Her eyes were a bit strange, almost seeming to glow, but after a moment, they finally stopped on him. Stan prepared himself to snatch his hand back if this went sideways.

The dog gave him a grin, tongue lolling and tail wagging. She came closer and let Stan pet her.

Stan grinned, brushing his hands down the surprisingly soft coat of the dog.

He really hoped she'd stick around a bit.

.

"You do know it's not normal for a dog to still be alive for 30 years, right?" Ford pointed out.

"Eh, but it's nice that he is. Besides it's not like she's here all the time. She's a free spirit." Stan shrugged as he continued stocking shelves, the grim at his heels. The kids had quickly lost interest in it as it wasn't new to them and gone back to watching TV, so it was just the two brothers.

"Stan, it can phase through walls." Ford said, exasperated. He did not want his younger brother hanging around a grim, even if he had been doing so for 30 years without any apparent ill effects.

"First of all, she's a she." Stan gave the grim a fond pat on the head at his words, prompting a tail wag. "Second of all, Omen going through walls is nowhere close to being the weirdest thing I've seen over the years in this wacko town."

"I still can't believe you named it." Ford sighed as he pressed his face into his hands. He was already getting a headache over this. "And why Omen of all things?"

Stan put down the empty box of merchandise and bent to open a new one. "Well, one time, closer to when she started to hang out here, I was taking her for a walk and we came across Old Man McGucket. He started yelling about death and bad omens or something like that. Anyway, I though Omen sounded like a great name."

Ford felt a slight twitch at the mention of his old partner, but moved past it to try to drive the point home. "Stanley, you can't tell me that you don't just feel that aura?"

"What aura?"

"That presence of doom and gloom!" The elder twin waved at the grim to emphasize his point.

Stan just looked at him, clearly not getting it. He shook his head and turned away from him. "I always feel like that." He muttered to himself, obviously not intending for Ford to hear.

Ford blinked, because the implication of that…

Wait.

"Stanley, stop hugging the grim!"

"No." Stan had picked up the grim in a hug-like hold, with its head under his own and its front paws hanging over his forearms. He walked like that towards the living room. "Kids, scooch over. There's enough time to help Omen catch up on Baby Fight before the first tour shows up."

Ford got the feeling he was never going to get rid of this death omen.

AN: I really love the JOML/Grim AU. With all the death imagery we had with Stan, it just makes too much sense. Like I said, this is a 5+1 format fic (my first one) so hang tight for the next death omen.