There was utter and complete darkness for too long. And then there was Ford. He was standing just a few feet in front of Dipper with his back turned to him. The teen felt his heart thumping harshly against his chest as he beheld his deceased great uncle. Slowly, Ford turned to face him and Dipper held his breath. His skin was deathly pale – practically grey – and his eyes were pitch black. He looked at him with disappointment and spite.
"Dipper…" he muttered, "You did this to me…you didn't save me when you had the chance…"
"No, I—" Dipper tried but his voice cracked. He didn't know what to say.
"It's your fault!" Ford roared and he was suddenly inches away from his face as he continued yelling: "It's all your fault! You could have prevented this! The Grim Reaper gave you a chance! You killed me! You killed me!"
"You killed him!" Bill growled and Dipper spun around to find the demon, teeth barred and hands blazing with blue fire. "You took him from me!"
"Dipper."
The brunet's heart felt like it was breaking. He looked back at his great uncle, finding his grey skin had darkened considerably just before turning to ashes. "No!" Dipper cried and reached out to catch some of the ashes, but they disappeared as soon as they touched his hands. "No! Wait! Come back! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I—"
"Sorry isn't going to bring him back, Pine Tree." Bill hissed, now standing where Ford had once stood.
"Bill, I…" Dipper tried again but his voice broke as he began to cry, "I'm sorry, please come home…"
The demon abruptly lunged forward and clasped a tight grip around Dipper's neck. He squeezed tightly and dug his nails into his skin. The brunet struggled to breathe and clutched at Bill's arm. "You don't get to ask that of me," Bill barked, "Not after you killed him! You'll burn for this!"
The fire engulfing the blonde's hands suddenly spread to Dipper. The pain was intense. He felt like his skin was melting. He tried to scream but no sound left him. Everything hurt.
"Dipper."
"I hate you. I hate you so much." Bill hissed cruelly.
"Dipper."
"I'll never forgive you."
Dipper woke up with a sharp gasp and sat up in a jolt. He breathed heavily and clutched his chest as though the action would steady the mad beating of his heart. Another nightmare. This time, it featured Bill.
"Dipper." Mabel repeated softly and gently placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, uh, I-I just had a nightmare." He admitted sheepishly. She frowned, likely ready to question him further, but he didn't want to talk about it. "What's up? Why did you wake me up?"
Mabel seemed to deliberate whether she would pursue an inquiry about his nightmare, but conceded to his silent plea instead. She gestured the window next to her with her chin, "We're here." She said just as they passed the Gravity Falls sign.
The bus drove into town shortly after. More people than either twin were expecting were walking around the downtown area. The sun was setting, bathing the buildings in orange, red, and yellow. Dipper's heart gave a painful throb. His feeling of grief intensified as he watched the familiar sights pass him by. It was nostalgic in a way. So many good memories were tied to the numerous streets of Gravity Falls, but they were all tarnished by Ford's absence. The town had lost an integral part of its beauty and wonder. It would never be the same.
"It's pretty like this; especially in the Fall." Mabel commented seemingly on a different wave length, her eyes glued to the outside. She then took her brother's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before turning her gaze to him and offering a melancholic smile, "We'll be okay." She whispered, her voice strained from emotion. It was then he knew his sister felt just as wounded by their return as he did, though made an effort to remain positive.
"Yeah, we will." Dipper agreed and returned the tender squeeze.
The bus pulled into the bus station. They passed by the parking lot and spotted Soos and Melody standing next to their vehicle. They smiled brightly and waved at the bus as it drove in front of them. The twins quickly returned the gesture. They were thus greeted by the two as they stepped off the automobile and gathered their suitcases.
"Dudes!" Soos exclaimed heartily as he pulled them both into a tight hug, "Man, I missed you guys!"
"Hey Soos." Dipper smiled as he wiggled out of his embrace, "Hi Melody," he added and gave her a quick hug, "Thanks for picking us up."
"Yeah, it was really nice of you." Mabel chimed and hugged Melody as well.
"It was our pleasure!" Melody assured with a charming giggle, "How's university going?"
The twins exchanged an uneasy look. "Well…ish." They answered simultaneously.
"Ah, I love it when you do the twin talkie thing." Soos sighed contentedly, not having picked up on their tone, "I wish I had a twin."
"What if it was evil?" Melody asked.
"Then I would have to defeat it to save the world. The showdown would be epic." Soos replied seriously. "But I would be a changed man."
"That's so noble of you." Melody chuckled, "Anyway," she continued as she turned back to Mabel and Dipper, "Are you two hungry? We could stop by Greasy's. Our treat."
"That sounds nice." Mabel smiled, "We ought to pick something up for Grunkle Stan too. Lord knows he won't be cooking anything for himself."
Dipper's mind momentarily wandered to how Ford had accidentally created life last summer in an attempt to cook a meal. He still had no idea what became of that grey sentient being.
"How's he doing, by the way?" Dipper asked, shaking his head briefly to chase the memory away.
"Stan?" Soos repeated and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "He's doing fine, I guess."
"You guess?" Mabel repeated worriedly.
"It's…it's sort of strange…" Soos admitted, "I don't think he's doing too badly but I don't really know because he doesn't leave the Mystery Shack often."
"He doesn't hang around people either." Melody added and Soos seemed saddened, "We swung by a few times in the past months to drop off groceries and offer to help around the house, but he never really keeps us around for too long. We understand that he might want to be alone but…we're worried."
"Thanks for coming back, dudes." Soos said softly, "It means a lot that he won't be so alone anymore."
"We'll make sure he's alright." Mabel smiled encouragingly, "Before we leave to go back home, we'll also make him swear that he'll let you two take care of him, even just a little."
"We promise." Dipper concluded.
The twins dragged their luggage to Soos and Melody's car, lugging it in the trunk before hopping into the back seats. Soos chatted happily about what he and his fiancée had been up to during the past few months. He updated them on what had been going on with the town; the new policies Mayor Cutebiker instilled, recreational activities and celebrations scheduled for the upcoming week, and all that jazz. He also mentioned that he and Melody were having a gnome problem – the little buggers were obsessively stealing their left socks for some reason. Dipper assured he would check into it at some point during the week.
They stopped at Greasy's and picked up some food to go. Mabel and Dipper made sure to get Stan his favourite meal from the place. "Hey, you kids tell that kooky uncle of yours to stop by sometime soon!" Lazy Susan told them as they left, "I haven't seen him in a while!"
"We will!" Mabel promised and waved.
Their final stop was at the Mystery Shack. It was strange returning to it after nearly three months of having been away. The building seemed so different – it hardly felt like home anymore. Dipper reckoned it was because two important people were gone now, one of which would definitely never return. He sighed deeply and thought about Bill. He hadn't spoken to Stan in the past week and despite having gotten no news from the demon all those weeks before, perhaps something had changed the past several days. However, Dipper knew he wasn't being realistic by hoping for such a thing. Odds were Bill was still MIA.
They climbed out of the car, arms filled with greasy brown bags from Lazy Susan's diner. They marched up the front porch stairs, deciding to fetch the twins' suitcases later, and knocked at the front door. It took a moment, but Stan eventually answered. He opened the door with an annoyed expression that immediately vanished as he beheld the faces of his family and friends. A grin quickly spread on his face.
"Kids! Soos! Melody!" he exclaimed.
"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel and Dipper returned and hugged the old man, staining his shirt with the grease dripping from their bags.
"I've got to admit I completely forgot you two were coming over today." He admitted with a chuckle, then he squeezed them tighter, "But I'm sure glad you're here."
The hug lasted much longer than either twin had been anticipating. It conveyed just how much Stan had missed them and, perhaps, how lonely he had been. Dipper felt his throat tighten at the thought. A part of him supposed he should ask how his great uncle was doing, but another part decided against it. He was afraid that if he asked, Grunkle Stan would cry or that maybe he would. The subject was still sensitive. Perhaps it was best to act as though nothing was horribly wrong. Like nothing – no one – was missing.
"Anyways, come inside!" Grunkle Stan eventually said as he released Mabel and Dipper.
"We bought you some food, Mister Pines." Soos informed as he walked in.
"Oh, you shouldn't have." Stan said, entering the kitchen and gesturing the garbage bin. There was a greasy brown paper bag that could only have been from Greasy's, "I've already had my supper."
"That's weird…" Dipper muttered, glancing at his great uncle, "Lazy Susan said she hadn't seen you in a while."
"I saw her a half hour ago." Stan shrugged, "Maybe she's going senile or something. Or maybe she forgot. The diner was flooded when I got there."
"I'll put this in the fridge then." Soos declared, "You Pines might be incapable of cooking, but I'm pretty sure you can't screw up using the microwave."
"You'd be surprised." Stan snorted.
"Yeah, it's like a fifty, fifty thing." Mabel nodded.
"How do any of you survive?" Melody asked, amused.
"Junk food, mostly." Dipper answered.
They sat at the table and though Stan had already had his meal, he sat with them. They chatted idly. He caught up with Soos and Melody and then asked his nephew and niece about university. The two gave the same vague answer as they had before, preferring not to dwell on it. Stan shrugged and simply told them that university wasn't for everyone and their parents would understand if they decided to drop out. The matter ended there.
They talked for hours, laughing and having fun for what felt like the first time in a very long time. However, the moment was over too soon for Dipper who couldn't help but think about Ford. Here they were, having fun, and Ford was absent. It felt unfair. How dare Dipper enjoy himself when he was responsible for spiriting away his great uncle? He chewed his lower lip and struggled to stop thinking about how he didn't deserve to be happy – not after what he allowed to happen.
"Oh hey, by the way, Grunkle Stan," Mabel asked, drawing Dipper out of his dark thoughts, "Have you heard anything from Bill?"
Stan's smile faltered for a short moment. "No. I have no idea where he is." He answered and Mabel's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure he's…coping."
"I wish he were here." She muttered. "I miss him."
"I'm sure he misses you too." Stan said, "He'll turn up sooner or later."
They resumed light conversation after that final remark. Soos and Melody left a few hours later, nearly forgetting to unload the twins' luggage from their car's trunk. They waved them goodbye from the porch before returning back into the Shack.
"Yeesh." Stan shuddered as he made his way towards the living room, "Summer's really over. The nights are getting so much colder."
"Winter's just around the corner." Dipper nodded.
"Not for you two though," Stan smirked, "California's as warm as ever, I bet."
"You'd be surprised." Mabel countered, "It can get pretty cold over there, more than you would think."
"I know, I'm teasing." Stan chuckled and then glanced at a clock, "Anyways, it's getting late. Better head off to bed. You know where the blankets are if you need any more."
"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, Grunkle Stan." They said as they brought their things upstairs.
"Goodnight." He replied.
Stan stayed at the bottom of the stairs as he watched his nephew and niece make their way to their room in the attic. Dipper wondered why their great uncle wasn't heading off to bed as well. He reckoned he was probably going to pay Ford's empty grave a visit. Dipper wasn't sure he would be able to do the same over the course of the week. His guilt made him feel like he wasn't allowed.