Disclaimer: Get ready, everyone. We're diving into the plot now.

Mokki Takashi: The clones were an opportunity I had to take.

Miss Mystery: I have no clue what song that is. I take it you liked the chapter then.

Luckygurrl12: No, she didn't shake his hand. But in the rush of the moment, she did make contact. Albeit very small, but her fingers did touch his hand.

CureCaligraphy: Yep! No good awaits Elaine.

ultima-owner: True, but it isn't something she can work out. What she had been through will stay with her for a long, long time.

Lunar Moon Butterfly: Just keep reading to find out!

Queenie176: Thank you! GFA is my top series on the site, and I love writing for it.

Sage S. Adoren: It began the moment she returned to Gravity Falls, but... yeah, things go downhill from there.

PorousBubbles: Thanks. If you could, when you reply with those corrections from the past few chapters, could you let me know how to fix chapter 6 too?

"Speaking"

Thinking

Bill speaking


Elaine's POV

"Err... o-ow. Ouch." I hissed, clutching at the side of my skull. "Haven't even been here for two weeks, and already suffering severe injury." What... just happened? I... I raged at the statue, and... oh no. No, no, no. No. I did not just carelessly throw the necklace at his hand. I-I didn't, because if I did, then that would mean... "I made contact with... Bill."

The fact flashed through my head like a rocket, and my eyes shot wide open as my body bolted upright in a seated position. The Mindscape. N-no, my Mindscape. My mind. With the gorgeous green fields of grass and wildflowers of all types, and the summer blue sky. And how could I forget the golden ponds that held my memories. Memories of this life, and the one I-I left behind. "This... this is not happening. This is definitely not happening." My footwork pushed me upwards, stumbling a little from weak legs. "I-I just hit my head, that's all. Just a dream. I'm not in my Mindscape, because if I was, then... th-then..."

Then the demon was there too.

But that was impossible. Cipher was gone. Asleep for an indefinite amount of time, and would not wake up until I died. K... keep... calm, Elaine. Control your breathing. Do not panic. I could feel the surge of terror, slowly creeping in, and began to take deep inhales and exhales. Deep breathes. Deep... breathes. "Just... look for a way out." Adjusting my hair, I surveyed my surroundings before finally setting forward. It looked the same, just like when I saw it when I first met Ford after he exited the portal. A warm, gentle breeze, drifting the plant life around harmlessly. The air smelled sweet, and if it was any other place, I would have left at ease. But it wasn't any other place. There was only one area like it, and it was there, inside my head.

"Which means, of course, I am by no means calm. I flipping made contact with Bill!" I kicked the ground, not satisfied when a tuft of dirt came loose. "What is even happening right n-!" I halted, so suddenly I could have fallen over. That's... different. Black. Black fractures, zigzagged across the ground where I stood. In fact, it appeared like there were a lot. Way more than a lot. They're everywhere. They dipped into some of the memory pools, and I could see the surface-once a shiny mirror-was looking... tainted. As if someone dropped food coloring into a glass of water, spreading out to reach all possible spots.

"What the heck...?" I spun around, eyes locked onto the damage. "What's... happening in here?" The warmth suddenly felt so much more unsettling with the change in scenery. "What happened to my mind?" Another breeze blew at me from the side, and I turned in its direction. Follow it. I did, splitting off in a new direction. The crystal blue sky seemed to fade, shifting to a pale blue as the grass began to die out under my feet with each stressed step.

"These memories... they're all tainted." It was a small section, with the comforting sunny area acting as a massive border. The darkness was tucked away, hidden, and I would have entirely missed it had I not been indirectly directed. Indirectly directed. Clever. I cautiously peered at one of the corrupted pools, and flinched back.

Dipper yelling at me for the deal... these are all bad memories. Not just bad ones. These were... they're the stepping stones that lead to... "these are the memories that give me night terrors." Each one was a step towards the Weirdmageddon, and my eventual mental breakdown. Which also meant th-that... that memory was skulking somewhere, in this area. "I got to get out." Sneakers crunched against the earth, dead matter flattening under each movement. "I-I got to get out right now!" My back smacked into something, and all at once... every bit of fear-all of the adrenaline and traumatic memories surged outwards as I realized just what-just who... I collided with. The clawed hands wrapped around my shoulders, keeping me in place as the lashes of an eye flickered at the back of my neck. It's-!

"Didn't think you'd be the one to wake me up, kid. Miss me that much?"

One would think I'd have healed a little from last summer. One would think that the medication, and the hours upon hours of therapy sessions, I'd have calmed down. But hearing his voice, well... I took every ounce of satisfaction in letting my fight-or-flight take over and throwing my elbow backwards into his face. "NO!"

"Aaah!" The demon covered his eye, and with the release, I booked it. The pained shouts faded behind me as I dashed through the destroyed part of my mind, as I tried to find my way out of the small but dense maze. Run, run, run, run, RUN! He-he was an illusion. Th-this was just a bad dream, just like when I arrived to Gravity Falls. Bill was not in my mind. Bill was not in my mind!

"Wake up, Elaine! Wake up!" I threw myself over a small hill, plastering my back against it to catch my breath. I hadn't escaped yet, but hiding was definitely a good start. "Wake. Up!" I pinched my cheek, but that move only earned an annoyed whine and a red mark. "Come on, idiot! You got to get out of here now!"

"There you are!" Aw, crud! The geometric shadow covered me, and I spun around to see him staring me down above the small mound. His eye showed disappointment, and he shook his head. "Yeesh, kid. You got quicker since the last time I've seen you. What's it been now? Two, three years?" Is he-huh? This was still a night terror, right? Right!? Why's he acting all casual!? "Kid?"

"I-it's not even been one, jerk!" The insult was thrown in carelessly at the end, only because I didn't want the stutter to make me appear scared. "You're not even here! Th-this is just a dream! Just a bad dream!" Bill's eye widened, and the crossed arms he had slackened, dropping to his sides.

"Bad dream? Angel, you do know you can't enter this place without my help, right?" I stiffened, hearing the nickname, but forced myself to get up. If I was going to run again, then I had to be on my feet.

"You do not earn the right to call me that, after what you did! A-and no... no, I didn't know that." Deep breathes, deep breathes. Deep... breathes...! "S-so, what? You're saying I'm actually seeing you right now? You're gone! You don't have a form anymore! I-I saw you fade away!" I hugged myself, fingers digging into my arms. "A-and you're acting like you're still alive!? That nothing even h-happened, and that you-you're still...!"

His brow moved upwards, and he floated forward. "You're going to pass out if you don't get your breathing back under control, you know." A mess of brown blinded my vision as I wildly shook my head in the negative, head bowing down and eyes clenched shut. "Kid, calm do-"

Go away, go away, go away! The feeling of a weight in the back of my head appeared-it either being lighter or lesser-and I let my subconscious grip it. Wrap it around like a rope, a lifeline, and let it drag me out of the nightmare. Through my brown curtain, I could barely make out the demon's shocked look as I dragged myself away with all of my mental strength I had left. Everything went dark, and the warmth was replaced by the cool air of... an air conditioner?

"You're awake!" I looked over at the dinosaur table, seeing a soaking wet Dipper with a towel wrapped over his shoulders. The fur hat was almost clinging to his head, droplets of water still visible in the brown. Launching himself off his seat, he went to the table in the back and hurried over with another towel. This one, Dipper threw over my own body. I hadn't even realized that I was shivering. Quite violently, actually. W-was that due to the dream? But it seemed so... real. "Elaine, what happened? I left Tracey and Quattro, and I found you in the woods by..." his voice faltered, looking concerned, and if he should continue.

"... the Bill statue." I inhaled through my teeth, my mouth tightening. "I... got lost, and I... I guess the weight of what happened last summer lead me to having a panic attack at the sight of it. I don't remember anything else after that." Dipper walked around, and I moved my legs off the couch for him to sit down next to me. "I... take it that it was raining when you found me?"

"It got worse on the way back. I packed the walkie-talkie Ford gave us to get a hold of him." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I... couldn't carry you, and it was pretty far from the house." I nodded, and found a small smile making its way to the surface.

"Carry me? Dipper, you helped me drag an adult man out of a spaceship last summer. You have muscle... somewhere, hidden in those little arms." Now, for the... next step. "Can I... have some alone time? I need to recollect myself." Dipper opened his mouth, ready to protest, but got up anyways. Maybe it was how spooked I was, but it was clear I truly meant it.

"Alright, Elaine. Just... call if you need something. Are you going to go wash up later? You... have a-there's... something in your hair." Huh? I reached up to my hair, feeling something jutting out from my ponytail. Wrapping my fingers around it, I tugged, and brought my arm down to reveal a twig with several leaves still on it.

"There's stuff still in my hair, isn't there?" He gave a laugh, and began making his way out the door.

"A few pine needles, but that's all. You might want to change your clothes too. I'll get the laundry machine ready when you're done." With a wave, he made his way up the stairs, and I waited a few seconds before sinking back into the seat.

"Oh... well, that happened." Guess I should go clean up then. More thumps came from out in the hall, and this time, Ford came into the living room. Just like Dipper, he seemed quite relieved at the sight of me being awake. A mug was in his hand, and he walked over and held it out for me. "Ford?"

"I hoped that this would help make you feel better." Hot chocolate. The scientist gave me hot chocolate. "Dipper told me you got lost in the woods during the storm."

"Yeah, I... I did." Dipper lied to him? Or did he tell him the truth, and he's playing dumb? "Really, Stanford. I feel fine. A little soaked and covered in mud, but I'm perfectly fine." It didn't make things any better. Ford's face fell, at my words and at how defeated I sounded. It was just a dream, after all. The Bill illusion proved nothing, and neither did his words. Yet, seeing the corrupted portion of my mind-whether it was real or not... it disturbed me. Set me on edge. "Thanks for the drink, Ford."

"You're welcome, Elaine. I will see you at supper." He took his leave, and I brought the warm drink up to my mouth to take a sip. It looks like he's doing better. Probably because I didn't snub him like the last few times.

Or you're just too tired to do anything, kid. Ever thought of that?

The mug almost slipped from my hands at the very clear, and very familiar voice. Regaining my grip, feeling the heated ceramic against my palms, I nervously looked around the room. There were voices in the Mystery Shack, and footsteps everywhere of people doing their activities. But no one-no one-was close enough to have replied to me. Or reply to my thoughts... "no. You're just-no." I glanced at the liquid, watching it ripple from the sudden scared movement. "You're just... you're still wound up from earlier, Elaine. Th-that's all. You're not hearing him."

Hate to break it to you, but I'm right here. Oh no. "Bi... Bill...?" My voice was a petrified whisper, bordering on hysterical. "B-but you are...?" That break down of yours really scared me there, kid. Doing better now? I never, not once, experienced the demon's haunting presence outside of the realm of sleep. It was always there. Always, except for when he followed me around through the Mindscape and spoke through my mind. But n-now... with the statue, and the idea I-I made contact... "you're inside my head...!?" Hehe. Got it in one. He sounded so natural about it, and without being able to actually see the demon, I had no idea how to discern any emotion behind the words. "This isn't happening. This is not happening." Standing up and keeping the towel wrapped around my shoulders, I hurried up the stairs and straight towards the washroom. Dipper, thankfully, wasn't inside, and I quickly closed the door. Locking it, I slid to the floor in a heap, chest heaving in desperation for air.

It wasn't happening. It was not happening. Cipher was not in my mind-okay, I was just having my sanity slip a little. The weight of what happened-what he did-! "Get outta my head this instant!" I struggled not to scream. If there was, by the smallest chance, that this was really going on, I did not need Ford to know. Adding him into the mix would be an absolute disaster, and I was already walking on a thin rope without the triangle around. "How did you even get in there!?"

Can't really answer that, truthfully. One minute, I'm stuck in the anti-void, the next I'm bein' pulled backwards and into that sad spot you call your repressed memories. "Gee, and I wonder who helped fill in that 'sad spot'," I snapped. What the heck is an anti-void, anyway? A mental image of Bill rolling his eye passed through my head, before fading just as fast as it appeared. Never moved past that, huh? Even after I-? "Just because you admitted what you did was wrong, would never erase what you did to me. So do not even go that way, Bill Cipher." I rested the mug down, drawing my legs to my chest and clutched at my head. "I just-I brought you back. I freaking brought you back." That wasn't supposed to happen. Ever. He was supposed to stay gone. Bill Cipher was not supposed to return!

Angel, calm down, okay? I can feel your fear from in here. "And I thought I told you not to call me Angel anymore." Deep breathes... wind down. Shutting down at this point won't solve anything. "What do you want?" A few seconds ticked by, as I awaited a response. Nothing. In case you forgot, kid, I said I couldn't get my strength back for a while. Havin' a physical body does play in my favor, but unfortunately, he ended with a growl, we're both stuck like this.

"I don't want to be stuck like this! I want this summer to go without any life-threatening problems! But nooo! I get the 'chaos god' trapped in my Mindscape!" I threw the words from last summer back at him, and heard the deep grumble echo inside my skull. "Mrs. Bolivar said I needed to lay my demons to rest. This is not what we had in mind."

Newsflash: I'm not exactly thrilled either. Especially after the not-so welcome back, Bill remarked. My heart finally returned to a semi-normal beat, and I pulled myself off the floor. Leaving the mug where it sat, I moved over to the mirror. No yellow in my eyes, and no slit pupils. I looked completely normal, yet the demon was making his arrival quite loudly. Can he even see right now?

Nope. Whatever you think and hear though, comes through loud and clear. "Great. It's last summer all over again." What was I supposed to do? I was somewhat aware of magic, and my knowledge of the supernatural proved extremely useful. Did I have a solution somewhere buried in my head, or was there an answer to our joint dilemma out there in the woods? "O-okay. Okay. Listen, Bill. I'll try and figure something out on my end, and you... you try and figure out something in there. But until you get an idea that might help us, I don't want you speaking to me. Got it?"

What? Kid, you're bein' too-

"What, Bill? Too harsh? I know you were watching me since I left last summer. How else would my necklace return to me, when I remember quite clearly I left it at your statue?" Angel, come on! I didn't answer, though I did give a small huff at the return to the nickname. Instead, I grabbed my mug and headed off to the bedroom. I had to get changed and wash my hair out, after all... "wait." I placed the finished drink on the top of the dresser, arms full of clean clothes. I was going to have a bath, with... a demon trapped in me. "Mmm... okay, I'll speak to you just this one more time. If I'm about to do anything in the washroom, or change my clothes, you cannot look, okay?" My tone was sharp, and for good reason. Despite him not thinking straight when it happened, I refused to allow him to get one look at me in any way, shape, or form. "You may not see anything, but I want you as far away as possible when that happens."

I didn't get a verbal reply, but just like before, a mental image of Bill flashed through my head. His arms were crossed, and he gave me a very sour look. Still, he slowly nodded, before turning around and vanishing. Good. I stepped into the room, locked the door, and yanked the elastic from my hair. The mess of brown fell down my back, giving me a good look at the mess Dipper was talking about. Oh well. Best get this done as fast as I can. Sooner I do, sooner I can work out this... problem.

(Time Skip)

"Well, looks like someone finally fixed herself up." I walked into the kitchen, finding everyone already at the table. Melody was at the stove, dipping up a bowl of tomato soup. Mabel grinned, jumping up in her seat upon my arrival at Stan's words. "How're you doin'?"

"... could be better." My words didn't come out as fast as I would've liked, having to think it over before responding. I went over to the food, and Melody handed me over my own dish to fill. "Thanks." The only empty seat was right between the two brothers, and while I would rather be anywhere other than next to Ford-especially right at this very moment-I... had no other option.

My bowl wasn't very full, and I dragged the spoon along the bottom before finally beginning to eat. There were eyes on me; all of them, even the ones who didn't look to me right away. My behavior from this morning had taken a nosedive, and it surprised everyone. "Elaine..." Ford examined my gaunt face, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Hey, Sixer. Lighten up, will you? Girl's been through enough in the past few hours. Elaine doesn't need you hounding over her." Bless you, Grunkle Stan. He had no idea how much that meant to me. Stan was right. Ford had been showing his worry over my health a little too much since I came back. It made the idea of trying-slowly, but still trying-to warm back up to him. But he wouldn't stop! What was I supposed to do!?

The author's brows knitted together, not pleased with the comment or how his brother was siding with me. "I'm sorry if showing interest in her well-being is something that's bothering you," Ford began, "but it is not your place to answer for h-"

"Well, maybe I would, if you'd actually let up on me for once instead of bothering me the moment you first came back." The snap... it wasn't expected. Maybe everyone had an inkling, of it being bound to happen, but never this soon. Just... everything in the last several hours boiled over, and I... finally did something on those feelings. Dipper was alarmed, looking from me to his uncle with wide eyes. Mabel was an uncomfortable mix of shock and sadness, Soos and Melody exchanged a look as they were not sure how to respond to the clearly private matter, and Stan looked down at his own bowl with a hard look in his eyes and a frown. But the worst of it... Ford had no idea how much he was pressuring me, or what happened earlier. His head lowered, ashamed, and just as silent as the rest of them. Slowly, the weight of what I just said sank in, and my face morphed from anger to horrified realization. "... excuse me." I got to my feet, pushing my chair out before quickly retreating from the room and struggling to remove the images of everyone's faces from my mind.

"E-Elaine, wait!" The scraping of wood on wood echoed behind me, and I just beat it up the stairs before looking back. Dipper was at the bottom, one foot already on the staircase and a hand on the railing. "If this is about what happened earlier, I swear, I didn't tell Great Uncle Ford anything." So I was right. Dipper did lie to Ford. Wow, heh... never thought I'd see that happen. "He doesn't know what happened out there."

"I just... I-I need some time to think. I'll finish my food later. Please, Dipper," I stressed, "I need a moment."

Dipper sighed, seeing I wasn't coming back down, and got off the step. "Okay. Just... remember, Mabel and I are hear to listen if you need it." The defeated boy trudged back towards the kitchen, and I waited a moment before going the rest of the way to the bedroom. I'll get the laundry later. Legs giving out, I dropped onto my bed with a tired sigh.

"Oh, what do I do now?" Well, for starters, you should just accept I'll keeping responding to what I hear. You can ignore me all you want, toots, but we're housing the same body right now. Best get used to it. I gripped the bed sheets, shaking my head as I stared angrily at the floor. "I don't want to 'get used to it', Cipher. In fact, I don't want anything to do with you." You said that already too.

Said it, yes, but that was all I was going to say. Thoughts I couldn't control so well, but I would not let myself continue to speak directly to the demon. I'd find a way to force him from my mind, continue on with my summer, and then go on with life and figure out where to go for university. So... how have you been? "Ugh..." I rolled over, feet hanging over the edge of my bed and grabbed my pillow. Holding it over my face, I wanted the action to block out the voice. Angel, you know that isn't gonna work on me.

The pillow was removed, and slid to the floor softly. I'm sick of this commentary. Honestly, I'm going to lose my mind if this keeps up. The words were directed at no one, but still pointed towards specifically towards Cipher. Even without a voice, the venom was still there, ringing in loud and clear. "I'll never forget, or forgive. Because as far as I'm concerned... you've been dead to me the moment you went after my twins."

3rd POV

Repression in the mind was easy enough to pull off. For the person he was currently trapped in, having suffered under his claw, it was a different matter. Why? Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get out of the blackened and dying part of her Mindscape!

His hands were stinging from having tried pounding against an invisible wall. He could fly as high up as he wanted, but no matter where he went, the barrier was always there. It was the stupid hick town all over again! "Aarrgh!" No escape, no powers, nothing. Nothing! He was still too weak to do anything, having not healed even remotely long enough before Angel brought him back.

Different form, he says. Different time, he says. "Grrr... if this is what that big frilly had in mind in that stupid rhyme of his..." Bill grumbled, sinking back down and resting on the bleached grass. "Then I ain't happy." There was nothing he could in there. Without her assistance, he couldn't alter the landscape. Everything, all of his powers: gone. Poof. "Heh... can't get any worse than this, Bill."

Trapped in the mind of someone who once treasured his company. Now, however, was someone who was constantly shunning him and breaking down the minute he alerted her of his arrival. He had to admit... that stun. Quite a bit, actually. It was like all of the amusement, and joy from when they hung out had vanished altogether. And she wants me to figure out a way to fix this? How'd she expect him to do that when he had no powers? "Hmmm... aha!" Bill snapped his fingers, springing back into the air as his body flashed a bold yellow. That was it! Patching things up was the only way for him to break out of this small cage. If she wanted to get him out of her mind, she'd have to get used to him again.

He did promise, after all. Pine Tree and Shooting Star couldn't keep her safe. Not forever, unlike himself. He'd look after her, and make sure she wouldn't get hurt. Hurt... the excited look dropped in his eye. I promised you, Angel, that nothing bad will happen to you again. Not through them... "or..." Bill sighed, and a flicker of blue rippled through the yellow glow. "Through me."


This was a very plot heavy chapter. Not everything will purely be focused on Bill, but Elaine's relationships with him and Ford are going to be very important.

Until next time!

Angel