Author's Note: Thank you! Read, review and enjoy!

The next few days were spent as far away from Bill as possible. I was still having the nightmares and there was something in my core that I couldn't ignore telling me to be careful. I spent a lot of time with the rest of the Pines and only left to do my job at the hotel when I knew that Bill was away from the building which was becoming more and more frequent these days.

Dipper had made it his mission to keep an eye on me as much as possible, and after I assumed he told her what had happened at the mall Mabel followed suit. I was unsettled and didn't want to talk about what was wrong with me to anyone though, mostly due to the fact that I didn't know myself.

Sitting on the porch one day after the shack had closed I found myself lost in thought, staring deep into the woods for something I didn't know. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't heard the footsteps behind me until a pair of boots appeared right next to me, causing me to jump. "Sorry. I thought you heard me come up behind you." Ford sat next to me on the porch, looking at me from the corner of his glasses. "Dipper told me what happened at the mall." I frowned slightly although I wasn't mad at Dipper, I just didn't know how to deal with the mixture of emotions that were swirling around inside of my head about the whole incident.

"We've all noticed how reluctant you are to leave here Mira. I have to ask and I need you to be honest with me. Has this guy done anything to hurt you?" I didn't look at my grandfather, my gaze focused on the trees ahead of me. "No. And that's part of my problem." I could feel the look of confusion on his face as he stared directly at me. "Wait, what?" He asked and I glared at the trees.

"I can't figure it out Pops. I can't figure him out! He's done nothing wrong to me, he's never laid an unkind finger on me and yet I'm terrified of him. He's been nothing but kind, never a harsh word, nothing! It would be easier if he had hurt me! At least then I would have an explanation as to why I'm feeling this way!" I slammed my fist onto the wooden planks harshly, feeling several splinters puncture my skin but I didn't care.

Anything was better than the pit of uneasiness I was feeling inside of my body. "It's instinct Mira. You should trust what your body is trying to tell you and get as far away from him as possible. I don't trust him and neither does anyone else in this house." I shook my head and finally turned to him fully.

"I keep having nightmares. They're horrible and they feel so real. They're getting worse with each passing night so much to the point that I don't want to close my eyes even for a second out of fear that I'll be trapped in that horrible place forever. I have had this sick feeling in my stomach for days now that something terrible is going to happen, not to me but to the ones I care about the most."

Ford stared at me intensely for several silent moments. I could tell he was trying to find the right words to say to make me feel better but I could also tell that there would be no words able to do the job. "The last time you and I talked you spoke about some kind of manual that helped you guys out when things got too weird. I think I need to look at that manual Pops. Maybe there's a logical explanation in there that could help me figure out what to do." This caught Ford off-guard entirely.

"I don't think that would be the best idea Mira. That sort of information is-" I stood and cut him off, glaring at him. "That information would what Ford? You can't leave me in the dark like some sort of naïve little girl! I know that something is going on and I need to be privy to the same information that the rest of you are. I'm scared and I know that I need to look at them if only to help me feel like I have some sort of control here. I can't explain it but…"

I trailed off and dug my fingers into my hair, pulling at the roots in frustration. The feeling of needing to even touch whatever it is that I needed to get my hands on was growing stronger and I couldn't understand. I started to pace back and forth.

It was several moments before Ford stood and placed his six fingered palm on my shoulder, halting my pacing with a serious look in his eyes. "Alright. But not tonight. I think you need to get some much needed sleep and we can tackle this in the morning. I'll make up the couch for you." I shook my head and pulled my keys out of my pocket.

"No. I think I'll sleep at my place tonight. Thank you though." I started to head towards my car. "Are you sure it's safe? I could ask one of the kids to come with you to keep you company." I shook my head again and kept walking to my car. "I'll be fine. Good night." I stated simply and headed towards home, my grandfather staring at me from the porch with concern but I ignored him as I made my way to the house I was renting.

I knew even before I had pulled up into the driveway that Bill was there, waiting for me on the small porch. I Got out of the car and stormed past him, not saying a word although I could sense the eerie smile he was giving in my direction. It was silent as I moved through the house, Bill following my every move quietly. Finally I came to the bedroom where I stopped and felt Bill move his arms around my waist and pulling me into him.

"You've been avoiding me poison. I wonder what could possibly be the reason." I tried to shrug him off of me but he only pushed me onto the bed under him. "Are you scared of me beloved? You know that I would never harm a hair on your head. But you can't run from me." I felt my chest clench at his words and knew that deep down he was right. I couldn't explain it but I knew that he was telling the truth. He leaned down and kissed my exposed neck making me squirm under him.

"I need to tell you something Mira. I've fallen hard and fast for you. I crave you like nothing else I have ever craved before in my life. I need you like a human needs air to breathe. I don't want to frighten you but I need you to know that I love you." I stared at him at a total loss for words.

"You scare me Bill." I whispered finally after what felt like an eternity. His eye locked with mine as he positioned himself directly above me, foreheads touching. "How do I scare you? Because if we are being honest here I believe I am more scared of you than you could ever be of me." I stared at him in confusion and he looked at me in complete seriousness.

"How could I ever be in any way scary? I'm just a girl." This made him smile, a hint of sadness in his eye as his hands grasped mine above my head. "Because as I've told you before, you will destroy me. You will destroy everything I once thought was near and dear to me and leave me a shell of my former self. You will abolish me to such a degree that there will be nothing left. You've already changed me at my core and you don't even know it. You've already started to kill me from the inside out Mira. When I call you my poison I mean it in a literal sense. You are just a girl and that is exactly why you terrify me. How can a mere girl tear me down in the way you have in such a short amount of time? How is it possible for someone like me to even feel love much less tell someone that I love them? It shouldn't be but you did it. You are the most dangerous creature on this planet and not even I should scare you. You've tamed me."

I could feel the sexual tension rising in the room, my pulse skyrocketing at his mere proximity. I could feel my body heat up as he touched me and before I knew it we were kissing one another with such a passion that I could tell neither of us had felt before.

Before I knew it we were grasping at one another like a lifeline, each of us fighting and pulling against one another as if our very souls were at stake. Bill's strong fingers ripped apart my shirt, tossing it aside as he devoured my exposed skin, my nails gripping and tugging at his clothes to no avail. He seemed to sense my growing desperation and shrugged off his shirt, letting it fall to join the rest of my clothes that he had made short work of. I could feel my chest ready to burst as he tossed me further up on the bed, standing at the foot, his black pants hanging loosely off his hips, bare chest heaving, golden locks disheveled and wild, a possessive look in his eye that stared into my soul.

I was still slightly scared of him but I knew that in spite of that fear I did love him. I couldn't describe it. "You want to know something my sweet poison? I don't even care that you'll kill me. I welcome it." He whispered before letting his slacks fall off his hips, exposing him to the same degree of nakedness as I was. "If that's the case then let my poison kill you swiftly." I murmured and he smirked before joining me on the bed.

As we finally lay down, breathing beginning to even out at last from our excursion I lay my head on his chest, sweat drying on our skin, hearts starting to finally slow down to a more normal pace I knew that there was something big on the horizon. I couldn't place it but I had a bad feeling that somehow my night mares were going to be coming true.

"Mira. I hope one day you can forgive me." I heard him mumble but I couldn't tell if it was because he was already partially asleep or what because he didn't say anything else after that. I could hear a phrase my parents had used when I was a kid echo in my mind. Fool's gold. It was almost like a warning…