Mabel was dead.
"No!," Bill was screaming and trying to get through to the world. He was watching her die in third person. He needed through. He needed to save her. He needed her to live. She was his only friend. The only one who had came to trust him. He cared about her. More than he cared about anyone else. He had never know this...feeling, and he didn't want to let it go. He had to get through. Had to escape this third person view. He was trying so hard. He didn't know if this was real or only a fantasy.
Woosh.
He felt a gust of air and he fell through. He was in first person. He ran to her.
Only he was too late. She was no longer breathing. She was gone.
"No...no," Bill had Mabel in his arms. Tears were stinging his eyes. Why did this hurt so much?
"Mabel, please let this not be real. Please let this not be real."
He was hugging Mabel now. Blood, her blood, staining his hands. His face was buried in her shoulder and he was rocking back and forth, begging for this to be another hallucination.
Suddenly, everything around Bill started to fade away, leaving him with Mabel in his arms. He watched as even her too fades away. It wasn't real. It didn't happen! Mabel was alive! She was safe and alive! Bill was overcome by this emotion. He couldn't place the name. He had never felt it before.
As the hallucination faded away, Bill was bracing himself for whatever was coming next.
Only instead of other fear coming into view, it was his cell. He was awake. Did the drugs wear off? Or did Ford simply get bored with him?
He listened for a moment but, could hear nothing. He didn't know how but, he know something was wrong. He became sure of this when he realized his cell door was wide open. Ford isn't forgetful, he does things for a reason. Was he moving Bill to a new cell? What was his plan?
He slowly made his way to the door and stepped out. The first person to notice him was Dipper. He heard him gulp in fear. Right in front of him, with their backs turned, was Ford and Mabel. It looked as though it was paused on the middle of a wresting match. Ford had Mabel pinned down. Seeing Mabel alive sent vibrations through his body.
"Mabel!," he ran over to her pushing Ford off of her. He pulled her into a hug.
Ford reacted fast, pulling a gun off the table and aiming it at Bill.
"Get away from my niece."
Bill froze and stopped hugging Mabel. He let go of her and slowly stood up.
"You move anymore and I will shoot."
"No, please. I- I won't move. I swear."
"Get back in your cell."
He began walking to his cell. He did this slowly so he could take in what was happening. Dipper was backed up into a wall and holding some kind of button. He looked harder. Antidote. Antidote for-? Ohhh. The antidote for the pills. Dipper had saved him from the pain. Maybe Mabel wasn't his only friend.
"Can- can I say something?"
"Fine. Talk."
"Thank you. Thank you, Dipper. And Mabel I'm really glad your okay. That's all I waited to say."
"Oh, nothing for me? I'm so offended," Ford mocked.
"No, actually I do have something to tell you," Bill turned around so he was facing Ford, " Rather you like it or not, they trust me. I'm not alone anymore. And that's so much stronger than demonic powers."
"Get. In. Your. Cell."
Bill grinned but, went in anyway. What was the point in arguing? Ford was their uncle and he didn't want to see them make that choice.
"Wait," Dipper said making them all stop, "Give him a chance. If he screws it up then lock him back up again. But he deserves, at the least, a chance. Let him stay in the shack during the day, you can lock him back in at night."
Ford glared at Bill, "Fine. But Dipper are you sure about this?"
Dipper nodded, "Positive."
Ford groaned, "Fine, then. Follow me, Bill."
He was being led up the stairs. He was going to get to leave the cell? This was amazing! He was free! God bless Dipper Pines! He was going to get to be a regular kid! He was going to be able to do whatever he wan-
"There. We're here. Welcome to the shack..blah, blah... Your a new employee. Get to work."
Wait, he was supposed to work here?
Ford disappeared down into the basement again. Mabel was staring at Bill and Dipper was pretending to be entertained with a pamphlet.
"What ya reading?," Bill leaned over to Dipper.
"Oh, um. This, uh, pamphlet."
"You know no one ever told you you had to talk to me or even acknowledge me. You can go do what you want. I don't need a babysitter."
"Oh, I wasn't- I mean- ugh, sorry I just don't know what I'm supposed to say to an ex-demon who doesn't remember anything." Bill smiled when he said ex-demon.
"Okay, then. I'll start the conversation. I have no idea how to work here."
Mabel laughed, "It's easy! All you have to do is clean up after the costumers and help them if they ask for something."
"But there are no costumers. So what do we do?"
"We hang out and wait for anyone to come," Mabel said picking up Waddles, who had wondered into the room.
"That sounds great! So what do you guys wanta do?"
Dipper jumped up from his seat practically falling over. "We can play video games!"
"What's 'video games'?"
Dipper gasped, "You don't know what video games are?!"
"Bill, you have so much to learn," Mabel said patting him on the shoulder.
Dipper ran to get his controller. While Mabel ran off on search for her glitter and art stuff. This left Bill alone in the Mystery Shack.
Ring.
Someone walked in. She was wearing jeans and a green flannel shirt with black boots and a hat even though it was mid-summer. She was coming straight towards Bill.
"Can I help you?," she asked him stepping behind the counter and opening the cash register.
"Oh, um, no. I, uh, work here."
The girl raised her eyebrows, "Work here?," she laughed, "Only me, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos work here."
"I was hired today," he didn't think it would be smart to tell her who he was. She looked oddly familiar.
"Stan doesn't hire anyone. He's too cheap. I don't know what your trying to do but, I'm in charge here and if you don't leave I'm calling the cops," she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"I- I can't leave."
"Then you can tell that to the cops," she began dialing.
"No! Wait!" What was he supposed to do? If he left he would be in major trouble with Ford. But, if he didn't this girl would call the police and what would he do then? He was stuck.
"Please don't call the police. I can't leave, I'm..not allowed."
"What are you? Five?," she put the phone down and suddenly squinted her eyes, "What's that?"
"What's wha-" He looked down at his arm and could see something, in ink, starting to form. It looked like a circle with a triangle forming in the center of it. What was this?
"Shit," the girl backed away as symbols started to form, "That's the wheel. Dipper!," she called.
The wheel? What's the 'wheel'?
Dipper ran into the room, "Wendy! What's wrong?"
"Who is this? And why does he have some mystical tattoo growing on his arm?"
"What?," he ran over to Bill and grabbed his arm examining his tattoo. The wheel. It was the Bill Cipher wheel.
"What- what's the wheel?," Bill was wide-eyed and scared. What was happening to him?
"It's the Bill Cipher wheel. The only thing that could defeat you and the only thing that could summon you."
"Does that mean I'm becoming a demon again?" Fear flashed in his eyes.
"No, I don't think so. It's just a marking, reminding you who you are."
Wendy spoke up, "What the hell is going on?"
"Wendy! Sorry I forgot. Here I'll tell you about it," he turned to Bill, "We'll just be in the next room, okay? Are you gonna be alright?"
Bill nodded. The tattoo was still growing but it was painless and Bill could easily ignore it. He didn't want to be alone though. 'I'm gonna go with Mabel."
He walked into the living room and went up the stairs to the attic. The door was slightly opened. He knocked and gently pushed it open. "Mabel?"
Mabel was on the floor doing crafts. But, when she saw Bill come in she jumped up. "Bill! Hey! Wanta hang out...dawg?"
Bill grinned. He loved her free-spirit. "Sure. What do you want to do?"
"I know! I know! Yarn!"
What? Yarn?
Mabel pulled some yarn out of her toy box beside her bed, "Knitting!"
"I don't know how to knit," Bill explained.
"Then I'll take teach you! You see first you..."
Bill and Mabel spent all day knitting each other sweaters. Meanwhile, Dipper was catching Wendy up. Wendy believed Dipper when he said Bill had changed but, she still didn't like him living in the shack with two of her best friends. The entire afternoon had passed before Dipper had finished telling everything to Wendy and Bill had managed to successfully finish his first sweater.
"That looks great, Bill!," Mabel said putting on the sweater Bill made.
"Thanks Mabel," Bill smiled and then his face turned more serious, "Mabel? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"I was a demon for a long time so I don't really know what it's like being human. I mean I do now but, I don't know everything. Emotions especially. I can't sort 'em out and I don't know what to call them."
"Well what does it feel like? I need a description."
"Um, this ones toward you. It's like happy. It's good and when we hang out its there. And cause of this I love hanging out with you and talking to you."
"It sounds like friendship. Or love. Wait, you don't like me do you?"
"Like? Yes..wait no. Wait, what?"
"Not like a friend. Like a girlfriend. Like you want to hold hands and kiss and stuff."
"No. I don't. So...your my friend."
"Then the emotion is friendship."
"Hey!," Dipper called from the bottom of the stairs, "Teen horror films are on! Come watch!"
"Me and Bill are busying knitting!," Mabel called back.
"Actually, Mabel, is it okay if I go watch the movie with Dipper? We've been knitting all day..."
"Yeah, sure! I'll go call Grenda!"
Bill started down the stairs and onto the living room.
"I thought you guys weren't coming down?," Dipper asked.
"Mabel's not. She's calling Grenda. I decided to come and watch," Bill explained. He plopped down next to Dipper in the recliner even though it was technically meant for one person. He noticed Dipper shifting uncomfortably from being so close.
"I can move if you want me too?"
"No, I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yea...Hey look the movie's on!"
Bill and Dipper stopped talking and became devoured in the film. It was a funny horror movie. Bill and Dipper would laugh and then scream. Bill couldn't help but, noticing that his screams sounded like a girl. It was adorable.
The movie was interesting but, it was really late and Bill was starting to feel tired.
The next second that Dipper looked over Bill was passed out lying on the arm of the chair. Dipper wasn't too tired, he was used to staying up late. He used to do it all the time with the journals.
Some time had passed when Bill began shifting around. He must have been trying to get comfortable.
Dipper was getting thirsty so he got up to get something to drink. After he had grabbed some orange juice, he went back to find Bill with his eyes open and yawning. He was half-asleep. Dipper sat down next to him and began to put down his drink when Bill began cuddling with him. He was curled up with his knees on Dipper's legs and his head rested on Dipper's shoulder. Whatever he's hal-asleep. Dipper found the position oddly comfortable and immediately fell asleep with his arm wrapped around Bill. That was how they fell asleep. In each other's arms.
