A/N I'm back. Back with another chapter after a while. Enjoy folks.


Chapter 3 - The Loss Of Innocence.

"And that brings us up to now." He concluded, flopping onto his pillow.

"Geez. I hope you figure that code thingy out soon, Dipper." Mabel said with a yawn, curling up on her own bed as she pulled the sheets over her body. Dipper did the same, staring up at the ceiling for a moment while thinking. He had lied to his sister about the axolotl and the whole thing about Bill returning. He didn't exactly want Bill to return, especially after what he had to deal with after Weirdmageddon. Then why did he agree to it? Dipper flicked the light off before drifting off to sleep.

/(I)\

Dipper walked to the bathroom, Mabel already downstairs. He opened the door slowly, shutting it behind himself as he stretched once more. He stumbled to the mirror, picking up his toothbrush and the toothpaste before squeezing out the mint mixture onto the brush. He stuck it in his mouth, glancing up at the mirror a second later. He let out a high-pitched scream. "WHAT THE HELL!?" He screamed, recoiling in horror. One of his eyes was coloured a pale yellow, his pupil a single black slit. Blood began to seep from his eye, the liquid hurting his iris. Mabel burst into the bathroom, the door slamming against the wall behind it.

"Dipper?! What's wrong?" She asked, panicked. He pointed at his eye, shaking. He was too startled and confused. He felt Mabel grabbing his arm, his sister dragging him down the corridor and into the living room. "GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!" She shouted, the two old men jolting from their spot at the table nearby. Dipper clutched onto his bleeding eye, the other one leaking tears as Mabel supported him. Ford rushed over and kneeled down to Dipper's level. He jerked the teen's hand away as gently as he could. The old scientist pulled back in shock at seeing the slitted eye. Stanford froze up in fear, eyes wide at the boy in front of him.

"Bill…" Ford whispered, Stan looking at Dipper and Ford with confusion.

"It hurts, Grunkle Ford." Dipper sobbed out. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know! Stanley, get a towel!" Ford ordered, turning to look at his brother. Stan rushed out of the room, Mabel silently holding her brother up. Stan ran back in a minute later, a faded and damp towel in hand. He shoved it into his twin's hand who dabbed it against Dipper's eye as the teen hissed at the pain. "You're coming with me," Ford stated when it was clean of blood, the old man grabbing Dipper by the arm as he dragged him towards the vending machine. Stan let his brother go, Mabel wiping up the blood that had dripped onto the floor.

/(I)\

They went down the secret passageway, the elevator going to the second level as Ford opened the door. Dipper was still clutching his eye, it no longer bleeding. He sat down on a stool. Ford grabbed a small torch from nearby, shining it into Dipper's eye. "Ah! That's bright!" Dipper shouted, flinching away.

"What did you do?!" Ford spat, demanding answers. Dipper flinched back.

"I… I found out what the runes said. An axolotl-" Dipper began.

The Axolotl? He met the Axolotl, no. Ford frantically thought. A-X-O-L-O-T-L, my time has come to burn. I invoke the ancient power that I may return. No! No. No. No. Those words flashed through Ford's mind as he continued to freeze up.

"It asked if I wanted Bill to return… I said yes… " Dipper said between sobs, his tears mixing with the dried blood on his face. The colour drained from Ford's face completely. Dipper opened his mouth to speak but he rapidly shut it. He let loose a scream, Ford snapping back to reality and rushing back over to Dipper. Dipper snapped his eyes close, face scrunched in pain.

"Dipper?! What's wrong?!" Stanford asked, worry coating his voice.

"My head. It hurts… " He spoke through clenched teeth. Ford didn't know what to do, the young boy in front of him convulsing in pain. Ford whipped around to his desk, opening a drawer and quickly digging through it. He pulled out a needle that was filled with a clear liquid. He tapped it once to removed any air bubbles before rushing over to Dipper who was now on the ground. He lent down, gently taking the teen's arm.

"Dipper. You need to stay calm. I'm going to inject you with this, it will stop the pain, trust me." Ford softly spoke, lowering the needle towards Dipper. He interested the needle, slipping the drug into the boy's bloodstream. Dipper slowly stopped moving, his breathing slowing to a normal pace as his eyes shuttered close. Carefully, Stanford lifted his great-nephew up and carried him towards the elevator. What did Dipper do this time? Ford thought as he pressed the button to go up, the door snapping closed. He went up the elevator, exiting the secret passageway to find his brother and Mabel waiting in the gift shop. Stan was still undressed, the sign on the door still saying that the shack was closed. Mabel looked at Ford with concern, concern for her twin.

"Is Dipper okay?" She meekly asked, looking at Dipper's sleeping form.

"I had to sedate him," Ford stated, a sudden look of shock appearing on Stan's face.

"You did what?! Sixer, I swear to god-" The old man began to yell but Ford cut him off.

"Bill's coming back." The colour drained from their faces, Mabel's hands shaking.

"W-What did you say, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked again, her voice wavering as she spoke. Ford looked at her with concern, still carrying Dipper in his arms.

"Bill is coming back. And not in a good way." Ford added, looking down at Dipper's sleeping form. Mabel let loose a gasp, recoiling and bumping into a display behind her.

"Y-You mean?" She sputtered out. She awkwardly began to pick up the fallen boxes as carefully as she could.

"Bill's in the kid?!" Stan shouted, helping Mabel pick up her mess. Ford let loose what could have been a sigh but no one really knew at this point.

"Yes and I think he's trying something. We can't let him take over Dipper. We don't know what he could do if he did that." The old scientist explained. Dipper let loose a groan, Ford freezing at the teen in his arms stirred before falling back asleep. "I'll take him upstairs before we continue this discussion." Stan nodded grimly as Ford exited the gift shop and walking through the living room. He arrived at the staircase a moment later before going upstairs. He opened the attic door with his foot, shutting it behind himself as he entered. He gently lowered Dipper onto the boy's bed, pulling the covers neatly over his body. Ford let loose his own yawn, the bags under his eye revealing a lot more than it should have. Ford glanced down at Dipper's wrist with worry and concern crossing his worn face. "What are you planning, Cipher?" Stanford Pines whispered to himself.