A masked figure darts though the darkened streets of Gravity Falls, breathe curling up and disappearing into the icy air. The figure stops, he hears voices, familiar voices they are getting closer, they're coming from up ahead. The figure spins on its heel and sprints off in the opposite direction towards the local bar. When the figure reaches the bar it stops, out of breath, it cannot hear the voices anymore it slumps against the small side wall. Then a violent crash, the window just an inch above the figure's head smashes and a man sores out and lands head first into an open garbage can, then the bar door smashes open "YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE MANLEY ENOUGH TO FIGHT ME?"
A muscular man trudges out followed by a skinnier, smaller man. "Get 'em get 'em" the smaller man encourages then giggles,in a very feminine manner. The man on the ground groans "I didn't mean anything by it Dan, I just said that Tyler hangs around you too much that's all" the man sits up, it's Stan Pines. "I'm gonna crush you old man, I don't care if you're some kind of hero cause you caught Lil' Gideon, I'm still gonna crush you!" Stan tries to get to his feet but Manley Dan grabs him, pulls him up, pulls back his fist then hears Tyler scream. He turns and sees a dark figure, in a hood and mask dart from the shadows and head for Tyler. The figure pushes Tyler out-of-the-way "HEY, You think that you can do that to my friend you got another thing coming" Dan throws Stan down and braces himself for the figures attack, but just before the figure hits, it jumps using Dan's shoulders to fling itself over and land behind the large man. Dan stands dumfounded for a minute then swivels around just in time to see a black booted foot crash into his face, he lurches back then feels a fist drive into his stomach, then a sharp upper cut, then a force like a small body hurled at full speed, slams into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs and toppling him over.
Dan stares up at the night sky full of stars "if you got beaten by me then you must not be as Manley as you boast Danny boy." The figure appears in the side of Dan's vision "I mean what kind of big tuff lumber jack beats up an old man and then gets taken out by a midget, just sad Danny boy." The figure's mask is completely black except for a single, yellow, eye in the middle of it; Dan continues to stare at the figure "aww, what's wrong Dan feel a bit crushed, like you've been humiliated in front of people whose opinion you care about?" The figure seizes Dan by the throat and pulls him closer "let me give to you straight Danny, you try anything like that again, to that man" the figure points over at Stan, now standing unsteadily "I will take you apart, you got me?" Dan nods face turning a pale blue; the figure releases its firm grasp on Dan's throat and Dan gasps and coughs for air. When he has gotten enough air Dan stands, mutters an apology to Stan, helps the shell-shocked Tyler up, and back to the bar and disappears from the view of the two people on the street.
Stan stares after Dan for a minute then looks at the small figure still at his side "I suppose I should thank you for saving my butt…But I'm not good at saying thanks so let's just leave it ok mister…?" The figure turns its head "why Stan don't you recognize me?" Stan studies the mask, the singular eye making him uneasy, "oh ok fine I'll give you a clue I…" Stan reaches forward and snatches the mask off and gives a grunt of slight amazement. Under the mask is not man but a boy "kid, what are you doing here, and what was with the Bruce Lee stuff back there?" Dipper Pines looks at his uncle with a bit of annoyance "you were supposed to guess." Stan is taken aback by the reply "kid, you okay?" "Why?" "You just seem a bit off" Dipper starts to answer but then his head jerks towards the tree line, the first streaks of pinkish orange light slice though the dark sky. Dipper smiles "I guess that you'll get your answer sooner than I thought." Dipper turns his full body to face the rising sun, a shaft of light with that Dipper falls to his knees, pressing his hand to the sides of his head he lets out a long mournful cry of pain, tears run down his face and the smile fades and the confidence that almost radiated off him before is gone, leaving only a small boy weeping in the middle of the street. Stan has no idea how to help Dipper so he picks him up, walks over to the street corner, sets him down and sits down next to him. For the first minute Dipper does nothing but whimper and mutter senselessly, after the second minute Dipper starts to pull himself together, then at the third minute "I'm sorry" Stan turns "I'll accept your apology when you tell me what the heck is going on, is your sister here too?" "Yes, she is. She's safe, still sleeping I hope" another minute passes "it's the sun light" "what?" Stan's eyes drift to the rays of early light "it's like I'm a werewolf, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , every night I feel myself slip or lose control and I go out and…have fun. I know how that sounds but at time it feels like fun. It feels so liberating, I do whatever I want, when I want and I don't care about the consequences until after wards." Dippers eyes went down "what's the matter kid, you got nothing to be ashamed of. If it won't for you I would be stuffed in a dumpster." Dipper smiled woefully "I did something that I shouldn't have, before I saw you". Dippers face turned red "what did you do, steal, mug? Don't worry kid I did the same thing at your age" Dippers face turned an even deeper "I peeked though Wendy's window when she was undressing and got chased by her brothers". Stan stared at him for a minute then tilted back his head and laughed "what? It's not funny, stop laughing" Dippers voice cracked on the last word, that only made Stan laugh even harder "oh shut up" Dipper pulled his hood up and pulled the strings tight "I feel like jerk and it's not funny". Stan took a few deep breaths and relaxed with a chuckling sigh "it's ok kid, every guy, or every guy I know, has done that I did it when I was bit older than you and the same thing happened, except her brothers where firing shot guns at me". He smiled "but Carla did make it worth it." Dipper looked at his uncle then back down at the ground felling a bit better.
"He's come for you too hasn't he?" Stan's voice was flat and it had come out so unexpectedly that Dipper was caught off guard "w…who?" "Bill Cipher". Dipper almost fell of his chair "y…you know? Is that why you took my book? Is that why Bill knew you, knew us?" Stan kept look straight ahead "yes I know Bill and he knows me and yes that's why he knew you. He has come for you hasn't he?" Dipper was in shock but he managed to stammer out "y…yes he has. Me and Mabel but he has been more concentrated on me then her" "this is bad" Stan rubbed his stubble "we need to get you back to the shack; it's the only place in the world that Bill can't look into". Dipper stands "okay, let's go get Mabel; I won't leave her out of the loop".
Stan drives Dipper to the old warehouse on 412 Gopher Rd. When they get there they find Mabel, still sleeping, Stan picks her up and puts her in the back seat, while Dipper gathers their few possessions and stuffs them into the trunk. When he is done he checks on his sleeping sister, gives her a peck on the forehead, pulls the thin blanket around her shoulders, and quietly closes the car door. The old shot-gun seat creaks when he slides in beside Stan, Stan is looking at the mask, "why wear this?" His eyes focusing on the giant eye focusing back at him. Dippers shrugs "I don't know, my best guess is that even in that insane state I was still aware enough to know that I needed to hide my face" "and why the eye? Why not just a blank mask?" "I don't know, why are you asking all these questions?" Stan places the mask into his inside jacket pocket "I just want to make sure that what I'm about to do is justified". Before Dipper can ask what he means Stan whips out a white rag and holds it to Dippers mouth and nose, Dipper thrashes wildly but slowly loses conciseness then goes still. Stan pulls away "I'm sorry kid, but this is too big for you. I promise that your sister will be safe but I can't let you go into this, he's too far beyond you". Stan checks that Mabel is still sleeping, then starts the car and spins off towards the shack.