These Dreams – Chapter Seven

by taitofan

Rated M for sexual situations, brief erotic asphyxiation in this chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or its characters.

Author's Note: Looks like I will do that spin off fic! Just remember when you request, let me know an age for Dipper if you have a preference.

OC ref: taitofan "dot" tumblr "dot" com "slash" post "slash" 116878883105 "slash" nicolasselfy

If you have any CC, please share and I'll listen. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 04-23-15


It was June, and Mabel was once again standing in Gravity Falls. Since the incident with the boy, nothing remarkable had happened to her. It was, in a way, a letdown. Nothing unusual meant no Dipper. But her only summer courses were online, so she would have until the fall began to see what secrets her favorite town had to offer.

Though she was staying in the Mystery Shack, as always, she first made her way to the Northwests' mansion, intent on surprising Pacifica. With any luck, she could even get her girlfriend to leave the comforts of her rich home to stay with her for a while. After all, while Mabel's presence was tolerated as long as Pacifica's parents couldn't tell she was there, her Grunkle Stan readily accepted Pacifica at the shack. As he had put it when they'd come out to him—"Oh, my sweet little golddigger! Rich people and their money are always welcome here!"

She'd even broken him of his bad habit, a few summers ago, of hawking his merchandise to Pacifica every time she came over.

Mabel walked slowly down the dirt road until the rumble of a car sounded in the distance. It was a familiar enough sound to bring a smile to her face. Sure enough, Mabel soon saw Pacifica's car zooming down the road. With the precision only someone who'd taken driving lessons from professional Italian racecar drivers could show, Pacifica spun her car and stopped the passenger seat door directly in front of Mabel.

"Hey, Pacifica!" she greeted, climbing in. Her smile fell when she noticed the serious look on her girlfriend's face. "Pacifica…?"

"Did your phone die?" Mabel gasped as Pacifica stepped on the gas, peeling out down the road. She barely had time to get her seatbelt fastened before they hit a speed that was clearly over the limit. "Stan and Wendy both tried calling you, and Stan called me to see if I could get a hold of you."

"Um," she pulled her phone out of her pocket, and sure enough, the screen was blank. She hadn't even realized. "Yeah, I guess it is. Is something wrong?"

Pacifica kept her eyes on the road, but the look on her face wasn't inspiring any confidence. What terrible thing could have happened that so many people were trying to reach her, knowing she was arriving that day anyway? And to think Stan had gone so far as to contact Pacifica...!

"It's… Dipper." Mabel felt as if time had stopped. No, no way! After all this time, and… "Stan said he just showed up this morning with a kid, totally out of nowhere."

"A kid?" She thought back to that strange encounter, three months ago. "Did Grunkle Stan say anything else?"

"Not really, but he didn't sound as happy as I thought he would have been. Actually, you don't either. What's up?"

She couldn't tell Pacifica her worries, and honestly, it wasn't like she had proof that anything was wrong. Sure it was suspicious that Stan didn't seem pleased, but it was just over the phone, so maybe Pacifica had misunderstood his tone? Maybe it wasn't even the same kid, and she didn't have to be afraid that Bill had done anything to her brother.

It sure was a lot of maybes though.

"It's nothing, really! I just don't know how to react." That part wasn't a lie at least. "He's been gone so long…"

"Yeah, but, I mean, he's back. That's good, right?" Mabel smiled brightly; no need to worry before she knew what was going on. Dipper was back, and that was what mattered.

"Right!"


Mabel's hands were shaking so badly that Pacifica had to open the door to the Mystery Shack. They stepped inside, only to find that the storefront was empty. Undeterred, Mabel moved towards the house proper, soft sounds meeting her ears.

"So the babies just… hit each other? For no reason?"

"No reason? Kid, they're babies! This stuff is hilarious!"

"I suppose violence is rather amusing."

She recognized the voices. One she wished she hadn't.

"There are two great things in this world: money and the humiliation of others. Now—oh Mabel! Great timing!" Two heads turned towards her. Stan was grinning, and Nicolas was not. "Come watch Baby Fights with us. Can you believe this kid has never watched television before? Amazing! What's your brother thinking, not exposing his kid to the wonders of six-to-twenty-four-month-old violence?"

Mabel just stared, not even knowing where to start with that.

"Hello, Aunt Mabel." She wasn't sure it was possible for one teenager's voice to be filled with that much sugary distain. "A pleasure to see you again."

"Again? Mabel, is this—?" A hand on Pacifica's shoulder cut her off. Mabel shook her head and gave the "I'll tell you later" look.

"Hi Grunkle Stan, hi Nicolas. Ah, you know, I figured Pacifica driving fifty miles over the speed limit meant my brother was finally here after nine years, but I don't see him…" Stan and Mabel's eyes locked, and she knew there was something he didn't want to say in front of the other two.

"Hey kid, catch!" For a moment, Mabel thought the remote control was going to hit Nicolas in the head, but his hand snatched it at the very last moment. He didn't even look away from the babies clumsily slapping at each other. No, he definitely wasn't human. "I'm taking Mabel up to see Dipper. Northwest, you could use some education on the wonders of child fighting too, so stay with the kid."

While Nicolas showed no signs of caring, Pacifica looked like she was going to protest. Mabel didn't exactly blame her, but this was really something she had to do without her. A pleading look caused her to sigh and reluctantly sit down on the recliner.

"Fine, but you owe me." Mabel nodded and followed Stan up the stairs.


It was so strange, Dipper thought as he looked around the attic room he'd last been in so long ago. So much time had passed, but Mabel had left the entire left side of the room exactly the same. Nothing had been taken, added, or moved. And yet, it didn't look nearly as dusty as it should have. Had she cleaned whenever she visited? It certainly seemed that way.

Her side still seemed very Mabel, right down to the glitter that appeared to be fused to the floorboards. He laughed to himself as he imagined how many terrible sweaters she must have made over the years. Still, he bet they were soft and comfy, and he really wouldn't mind leaving Gravity Falls with one. Of course, if everything went according to plan…

Mabel's bedside table caught his eye. There were two pictures in a double frame. One seemed fairly recent, with Mabel hugging Pacifica, who didn't look like she particularly wanted her picture taken—whatever they'd been doing, her hair was a mess, so that explained that—but they were both still smiling. They looked very happy, and Dipper was relieved. Then there was the other photo, which was very familiar. His face from almost a decade ago grinned up at him, Mabel standing proudly at his side. No, she'd certainly never forgotten him, but she'd stayed happy all the same. That was the best he could have hoped for.

Now, he just had to wait for Mabel to arrive. Then he'd have a better idea of what his next plan of action would be. He hoped—sincerely hoped—that she would listen to him.


Pacifica Northwest did not, under any circumstances, pretend to be good with children. She didn't want any of her own, and though she assumed that one day Mabel would want to adopt, she was pretending that day was years and years away. Never had she thought she'd be sitting on a ratty old chair, watching her girlfriend's nephew—who she just realized existed that very day—glued to a television.

She knew this was the kid Mabel had mentioned before, and that meant he wasn't human. While she didn't notice anything off about him, she'd lived in Gravity Falls far too long to take anything at face value. Besides, it seemed a lot like Dipper to take in some monster child. He'd been with a demon all this time, right? Was the kid a demon? She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.

"Hey." He didn't turn to face her, but his head cocked to the side to show he was listening. "Don't you want to watch something a little less ridiculous?"

Now he turned around, a look on his face that Pacifica knew very well.

"Something else?" His eyes darted from her back to the television. "Y-yes, of course. This is very ridiculous. I'll just…"

To his credit, he knew enough to point the remote at the TV. She remembered back when she didn't know something as simple as how to pronounce "share," and her lips quirked. Yes, his expression when he accidently turned the TV off was far too nostalgic.

"You don't know how to use that, do you?" She might have felt bad for him and his defiant glare if he hadn't been such a cocky little shit to Mabel. "I mean, you aren't a human, right? It must be hard admitting a human can do something you can't."

"I can do it," he snapped, not looking terribly concerned that she knew he wasn't human. Maybe he didn't expect anyone who knew his father to think otherwise. Certainly, no one was going to believe that Dipper, at only twenty-one, had a teenage son. "I don't need your help."

He got the TV back on easily enough, but it was five minutes before the contrast was all the way up, the volume was all the way down, and not a single channel had been turned. Finally, something changed—his eyes no longer looked as arrogant. In fact, he looked a bit, well… Afraid. Not in the same way she had been, when she'd been terrified to hear that damned bell, but another fear she knew well. Fear that you weren't as perfect as you pretended, and that you were going to let people down if you failed.

She couldn't believe she was empathizing with a monster child who didn't know how to operate a remote control, but there she was.

"Let me see." When he made no move, she stood up and snatched it out of his hand. He didn't stop her. Within seconds, the contrast and volume were back where they belonged, and she placed the remote back in his hand. "Now, TV's have different things to watch on different channels. Try again."

He looked at the remote once more and pushed the down arrow, right above the word "Channel." The amazement on his face when babies turned into grown men was almost endearing.

A few moments went by, and she cleared her throat. His eyes didn't leave the screen.

"Excuse me, but don't you have something to say?" She waited, and just as she was about to give him a nice long lecture—one she probably should have heard at an earlier age—he placed the remote on the floor and turned to face her.

"Yeah, I do…" Well, she thought, maybe this wasn't so hard after— "What's this called?"

It was difficult not to throw her hands up and walk away, but she stood her ground. She'd just have to yell at Dipper later about how spoiled his brat was.

"It's called boxing. Guys with lame names hit each other with tacky gloves until one can't get up anymore." And there it was, another look she knew well. The same one when Mabel saw a hot guy and made Pacifica happy that her girlfriend would only look and never touch. "…I'm not into guys, so maybe I'm not qualified to ask this, but what is it with you people and muscles?"

She didn't get an answer, and with how he was yet again transfixed by the screen, she didn't think she really wanted one—that it was another thing she was probably better off not knowing. As if she wanted to know what a teenager saw in a big, sweaty, muscular man. Yuck.

It didn't, however, escape her that even if he hadn't thanked her, he had still freely asked her a question. Baby steps, she supposed.


"Where are Soos and Wendy?" Mabel asked as they climbed the stairs.

"I, uh, sent them away with some things when Dipper and the kid showed up." Mabel wondered if those things were what she thought they might be, but it seemed best not to ask. One never knew who might be listening. "Mabel, I need you to be honest with me."

Normally that would have been fine, but with the day was going, she didn't like those words very much.

"O-okay Grunkle Stan. What is it?"

"Do you…" She gulped, hoping he didn't ask what she thought he was going to. Sure, she had Dipper back, but for how long? What if her telling made Bill take him away again? "…think that kid is really a human? It's pretty obvious you met him sometime before."

Oh.

"Yeah, the last time I was here he showed up out of nowhere and we talked for a few minutes. And no, I think it's pretty obvious he isn't human." Stan nodded, and Mabel could have sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Cipher taking Dipper? Sure, I can see it." He didn't sound happy about that, but one could hardly blame him. "But taking in a human kid with him as a son? No way."

He'd always seemed to know more about Bill than he let on, and she had a feeling there was something he wasn't telling her. But who was she to talk? She was doing the same thing. Did he know what she did…?

"Grunkle Stan, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Mabel, look, I know you were hiding something, and today I think I figured it out. The kid made a clear distinction between his papa and his dad. I just never thought that bastard would take Dipper away to… to groom him. And their kid, probably kidnapped or something!"

They stopped at the top of the stairwell, and Stan turned to face her. He looked so helpless—about how she felt. She wasn't sure about his theory, but then again, she'd never really considered it either. Dipper had been eager to be with Bill, even though he'd tried to hide it. She bet that if Bill hadn't locked her memories, Dipper would have been bragging about how Bill was going to take him away.

But she also knew that Bill was a demon, and there was no reason to think he wouldn't play with Dipper to turn him into whatever suited his plans. While she was glad Dipper apparently wasn't physically hurt, she still really didn't know what to think yet.

"I…"

"Did Cipher ever threaten you?"

She shook her head—it hadn't been a threat, per say. A warning? A warning that still stood?

"I can't…"

"It's okay," he held up his hands and looked around. He didn't trust that there wasn't a certain demon around who could be listening either, it seemed. "You don't have to say anything. We've gotta figure out a way to get to Dipper is all. Figure out what Cipher did and—"

"Bill didn't do anything I didn't want him to."

They froze for a moment, before turning to face the source of the voice. Mabel could have cried. There he was, safe and normal looking—her missing brother was right there.

"Dipper!"

His annoyed expression melted when he looked at her.

"Mabel."

Stan cleared his throat after a few silent moments of the twins staring and smiling.

"Oh, uh, hey. Not to break up this happy reunion or anything, but… You heard that?"

"It was hard not to, with as loud as you're being." Stan chuckled nervously, but Mabel could only look at her brother. He looked, well, about how she figured he would at their age. Taller, kind of gangly, same hair… But something still seemed off. Not bad exactly, just definitely different. "Grunkle Stan, I already told you I left with Bill to learn magic from him, and Nicolas was orphaned. Now, can I please talk to Mabel? Alone?"

"Sure, sure, I'll uh, I'll get outta your hair." He caught Mabel's eye as he turned, and she knew the unspoken message—Yell if something goes wrong. She ignored it; this was Dipper, and nothing was going to go wrong.

Dipper turned back towards the door, allowing her inside. The room was just how Mabel had left it a few months before, just a bit dustier, with two bags on the floor by Dipper's bed.

"Mabel." She turned to him, and she was enveloped in a hug before she realized it. Immediately, she hugged him back, her throat tightening as she felt her eyes well up. "Oh Mabel, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." It took a lot to hold back her sobs—she was too happy, too upset. Why was he back? Why did he wait so long? Who cared as long as he was there and unharmed? "Oh Dipper… Why did you leave?"

"I made a deal with Bill, and I had to uphold my part of it. I had to get stronger. Strong enough to protect myself. Here, watch." He let go of her—she missed him already—and turned around. He held out a hand, which erupted in blue flames. Mabel gasped, but Dipper didn't seem to feel it at all, nor did it appear to burn him. A few books floated off his old bookshelf and stacked neatly on the floor. He chuckled when he saw her stunned face, and it occurred to her how much deeper his voice was now. She'd never gotten the chance to make fun of him every time his voice cracked. Wasn't that a sister's job? If he had no ulterior motives, why couldn't Bill have waited? "And that's just one of the first things I learned."

"So, you made a deal with Bill Cipher so you could do magic-y things?" She wasn't sure that such a reason sat well with her, especially when he shrugged so nonchalantly. There had to be more than that. He'd only been twelve! She'd only been twelve! Why wasn't he more concerned about this? What was she missing?

"Kind of? He wanted to be in the physical world, and he could give me power if we contracted a bond between us. The potential to do this stuff was already in me, and Bill just sort of coaxed it out." He paused, looking a bit sad. "I thought you might have some magical talent too, but Bill said that the best you could hope for is to see past mystical creature's cloaking powers, and Nicolas said you've already started to do that."

So she hadn't been seeing things—not only was he not human, he didn't completely look like one either. He was hiding, and while Mabel knew why, she still wondered what exactly was being hidden in the first place.

"Well thanks, but I'm pretty sure I'm okay with not taking on a dream demon as a teacher." He laughed good-naturedly at that, which was a relief. Could they be blowing things out of proportion? Stan didn't think so, but too much was happening too fast for her to know what she thought of everything. "And about your son…"

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately, like he knew what she was going to say next. It occurred to her that maybe he did—she didn't know what else he'd learned from Bill. "The only human he's ever been around is me, and Bill lets him get away with murder." …She hoped he didn't mean that literally.

"Does he hate me?" He certainly didn't seem to like her, but Dipper shook his head. Then he stopped and shrugged instead.

"I don't think so?" Wow, that was sure a vote of confidence. "Please, just give him time. He's nothing like his parents. You remember them, right? On the mountain?"

"How could I forget?" she murmured, painful memories coming back to her. Even if Dipper was here now, he'd still been gone for so long. "It was our last adventure before you left."

"Yeah, it was." His hand moved to his chest, and she noticed a thin chain hanging around his neck. "Bill saved us that time, you know? I couldn't tell you back then. But when he knew I was in trouble, well…"

He untucked the chain from under his shirt, and she almost chocked when she saw the golden band there. So, Dipper had some sort of demonic bond, and Bill had given him what looked like a wedding ring. Considering what she remembered about certain weird dreams Dipper had been having back then, coupled with Nicolas saying he had two fathers, well, it didn't take a genius to figure out the implications.

"Dipper, um… I was wondering, what exactly is going on between you and Bill?"

He glanced up from the ring, and if anything was concerning about this whole day, it was how sincerely smitten her brother looked.

"We're married, of course."


Things being the way they were, Pacifica insisted that she spend the night with Mabel. Mabel agreed, not wanting to leave her brother, even if it was in the same town. Heck, his new attitude made her not want to let him out of her sight. So they stayed in Soos's breakroom, while Dipper and Nicolas took the attic. She'd figured Dipper would enjoy sleeping in that room again.

"So, will I ever meet this elusive Bill, or is the rest of the Cipher family the crux of it?"

Mabel almost cringed at those words. Cipher family. She hadn't even known that there was a bond between them, let alone that Dipper considered them to be married. But she pushed those feelings aside, feeling a bit guilty. All of this had ultimately come about because Dipper had made a rude comment about her and Pacifica liking each other. She didn't understand what was going on between Bill and Dipper, but she couldn't stop something she had no knowledge of. For all she knew, Dipper could be in absolutely no danger at all.

"I don't think you'd want to…" Or rather, she really didn't want Pacifica to get wrapped up in whatever was going on. "I mean, you've seen his son, and Bill is somehow worse than that." It was an understatement, to be sure, but she didn't think Pacifica needed all of the details yet.

"I don't know, I didn't think he was so bad." She had that look in her eyes—the look that told Mabel she was remembering things that weren't necessarily nice. "He's spoiled and has a bad superiority complex, but I guess I can't really judge him for that."

Mabel didn't know what Bill's plan was, nor what was going on with Dipper. But she decided right then that until she had a concrete reason to be concerned, then there was no use in being paranoid. That was Dipper's thing, not hers. No, her job was simple—to make people smile.

"…Pacifica, that trunk next to you. Can you open it and tell me if there's yarn in there?" She gave Mabel a confused glance, but did as she was requested. If Mabel was right, that was a trunk she'd left a year or so ago. If it had been left alone, then she had a plan.

"Yes, why?"

"And the glitter?" Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately."

"Great!" Mabel cheered, leaping up and pumped his fist in the air. "Then I'm going to need to start working right away. I'll need black, and some green…"


Dipper gasped as the hands around his neck squeezed. He could barely breathe, but he was not afraid. He had no reason to be, after all, not when Bill was cooing about how all of their plans were going perfectly. Dipper would have agreed verbally, if he could have spoken, but he settled for pouring his thoughts through their bond instead.

"Everyone thinks they know what's happening, but not one of those meat sacks is right. Your acting is perfect, Pine Tree. You could have been on stage!" His eye crinkled in amusement when his only response was a gurgled moan. "Your projection needs work though, if this is all you've got."

Dipper's mind was hazy and his body was near its peak. He wasn't a child anymore, and he could hold his own far better than when they'd first started having sex. Of course, with all the things they'd done over the years, he would have felt rather ashamed if he couldn't handle something as simple as this.

"Come for me, Pine Tree."

And yet, even without touching his cock, Bill still had the power to drive him over the edge.

Dipper came hard, gasping as Bill's hands left his throat the moment orgasm hit him. If he could see, he was sure his throat would be bruised and talking would be next to impossible, but he still wasn't concerned. This was the mindscape—he'd be fine the moment he willed it so.

"You're such a masochist," Bill said after a few minutes of watching Dipper float in the void, doing nothing to heal himself. Or clothe himself. "Why, someone might think you liked to be hurt!"

"Y-you know I do." His voice was hoarse, but he supposed playtime was over. With a thought, all of the lingering pain went away, but he didn't will any clothes back on him. He knew Bill wouldn't mind. "How much longer before you'll come here?"

"I've got a few loose ends to tie up, but soon." That could have meant anything—Bill would never feel the crunch of time as a human did. And considering his little makeshift family were all immortal as far as age went, if it weren't for the fact that Mabel was still in this equation, he wouldn't even care either. As much as he hated to think it, it was obvious that the others weren't going to accept this, but Mabel… She might. "Alright, I've gotta go see how our feathered little brat is doing. I'll be watching!"

When Bill left the mindscape, it was always abrupt, especially now that he didn't need to stay there if he didn't want to. Their bond had only made it that Bill didn't feel the need to smack him when he left all the time. Just sometimes. Mostly on his ass.

Dipper's eyes blinked open, and the moonlight seeping into the room was bright enough for him to see over to Mabel's bed. Nicolas slept soundly, and not for the first time was Dipper glad that he'd mastered the art of keeping his body quiet no matter what he and Bill did in his dreams. He could make out a smile on his son's face—no doubt Bill was in there already, prepping him for the next part of their plan, and of course, telling him how well he'd already done.

Quietly, so not to disturb his son, Dipper got out of bed and went over to the bag he'd brought with him. He pushed some clothes aside and pulled out his favorite book—the journal.

He almost laughed as he gently flipped through the pages.

Soon.