Chapter Ten
Soos was gone more and more to work on wedding plans, so Stan offered him the day off. He donned the Man of Mystery suit, ignoring Ford's protests, saying he felt fine enough to work. Stan had taken the news that Bill was returning in stride. They still weren't exactly sure why Stan was being affected by Bill's looming resurrection. Ford suspected a part of Bill was still lodged in Stan's mind after being erased with the memory gun – and the random fits of chanting and sleeping were side effects of some kind. Ford relented, saying that he had invited Fiddleford out to lunch that afternoon to catch up. The twins and Will were left to help, although it didn't seem like they would have many customers. Thick storm clouds had rolled across the sky and were pouring their contents out of the sky in buckets.
Mabel and Will took turns playing tic-tac-toe, sitting on the counter as Dipper poured over a book like normal. Stan splayed out in his chair, waiting for anyone to show up.
Finally, someone did. A short boy with white hair hurried through the door, shaking droplets of rain from his hair. Dipper lifted up his head in surprise, as did Mabel.
"Gideon, what are you doing here?" Dipper asked.
. . .
"Fiddleford - it's good to see you!" The old hillbilly grinned as he embraced his old friend.
"Well don't stand out there - it's pouring out!" Ford stepped inside the mansion, whistling.
"Nice digs you got here."
"Yes siree!" They sat down in the massive dining room. Fiddleford had made his mama's prized chicken and rice, and Ford couldn't deny that it was country cooking at its finest.
"So, what's it like having this huge house to yourself?" Ford asked.
"It's nice. Gets kinda lonely sometimes tho - but that's okay!" he added quickly.
"Does Tate ever come around?"
"Yeah - sometimes. He stays pretty busy down at the docks. Lately he's been buggin' me to see Addy now that I'm not so insane . . ." he trailed off, staring at his plate. Ford lit up.
"That's a great idea! How long has it been since you've talked to her?" Fiddleford sank down into his chair.
"I dunno."
"Well you should call her!" Fiddleford sighed.
"It's not that simple Ford - I - I haven't told her anythin' about this town. Or Weirdmaggedon. Or about me getting my memories back. And even if I did - there's no way she'd believe me! I'd sound just like I always did! Like a crazy, good-for-nuthin crackpot." Ford winced.
"Well . . . what if we could prove it to her?"
. . .
"I heard you guys were in town and wanted to stop by and say hi! Though I suppose I picked a bad day for it," Gideon said. He smiled and strode towards the counter. He had slimmed down over the past three years. His white hair was still artfully slicked back. He still had the Southern twang to his voice, and the smile that was too big for his face. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt tucked into his blue jeans with baby blue cowboy boots. He wore a chain with several silver dog tags on it. Will's eyes were wide.
"Mabel, Sweetheart, how've you been?" Gideon drawled. Mabel narrowed her eyes at her former enemy. Gideon was no longer dangerous, but the twins still had trouble trusting him. He seemed to have more fun walking the fence than picking a side. His efforts to be a normal kid hadn't gone over as well as they could have.
"Just fine, Gideon," she said, crossing her arms. Gideon stopped and scanned Will, his smirk growing slightly.
"And who's your friend? You haven't introduced him."
"This is Will," she said stiffly. Gideon extended a hand. Will hesitated, and then cautiously shook it. Instead of letting go, Gideon pulled Will close to his face, narrowing his eyes at him.
"What happened to your eye, kid?" Mabel snatched Will's hand away.
"Buzz off Gideon! His eye or lack of it is none of your business!" she snapped. Gideon was taken aback.
"Jeez, calm down. Nothing wrong with asking a question! What is he, your boyfriend?" he retorted. Dipper noticed Will's eyes growing wide. He just realized who his master's counterpart was, Dipper realized. Uh oh. Will took a step back, growing pale. Dipper stood to his feet. He had assured him Pacifica was safe, but not Gideon. And based by Mabel's reaction, Will was probably assuming the worst. Mabel failed to notice as she faced off with Gideon.
"Boyfriend? That - that's none of your business either!" she shot back, an unexpected blush flooding her cheeks.
"Guys, shut up!" Dipper shouted, running towards them. They turned to Will, who had pressed himself against the door, face twisted in fear. Gideon raised his eyebrow.
"Uh - is he okay?" Gideon asked. Mabel realized what Will was thinking and held out her hand. Will seemed to realize he wasn't bound down by chains and fumbled for the doorknob. He nearly tripped over his own legs as he raced out the back door and out into the thunderstorm, ignoring Mabel's cries as he fled. Dipper groaned as he joined Mabel at the door. Gideon ran up behind them, confused.
"What the heck? I didn't do anything to him!" he protested.
"We know," Dipper muttered. "It's not your fault. Exactly." Mabel grit her teeth and pulled Gideon behind her as she marched towards the woods.
"You're going to help us find him!" she said.
"What?" Gideon protested.
"Mabel - I don't think that's a good idea," Dipper said. "If he sees Gideon - he'll just be even more sacred."
"We have to show him that Gideon's safe! Or at least harmless!" she protested. Gideon rolled his eyes, giving the rain a dirty look. Dipper put on his cap and unsheathed a flashlight, tossing it to Mabel.
"Fine. Let's split up and call when we find him. He can't have run that far." And hopefully nothing in the woods will get him, he thought to himself as he jogged into the gale. Or struck by lightning. Gideon stuck to Mabel, looking suspiciously into the surrounding darkness. Mabel ignored the various thorns and patches of what was probably poison ivy as she marched through the woods.
"Mind telling me what exactly is going on here?" Gideon huffed. Mabel hesitated. She pulled out her phone and texted Dipper.
Should we tell Gids the truth about Will?
I think that's up to Cipher, Dipper responded.
"Tell you later," she muttered. "You know, we'll cover more ground if we actually split up." Gideon groaned and ignored the looming darkness as he started walking in the other direction.
. . .
He paused as he heard gasping. He quieted his steps and peered around a tree to see the blue-haired boy collapsed in a small clearing, gasping for breath. He was soaked to the bone and shivering. His sweater was torn in certain places and he was bleeding from various cuts. He had his head between his knees and was muttering to himself.
"Calm down. He's just a counterpart. Mabel and Dipper won't let him h-hurt you." For a moment, Gideon could have sworn he was tears rolling down the boy's face. He huddled in on himself, flinching at the crashes of thunder.
Why does he look so familiar? he thought. And what does he mean by counterpart? The kid turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Gideon. Gideon put his hands up, stopping.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you!" he said. "Mabel and Dipper are out here looking for you too. We split up so we could cover more ground." Will stood up and wiped the tears off of his face.
"Prove it," he said with unexpected firmness. Gideon hid his surprise and tossed Will his phone. Will caught it and carefully eyed Gideon as he dialed Mabel.
"M-Mabel? It's Will. What are you and Dipper doing?" He listened, nervously shifting his feet.
"Yeah. He found me."
"Yay! I'm so glad you're safe." Is he safe? Will wondered. Am I safe? He heard the phone changing hands.
"Will, it's Dipper. Just follow Gideon back. He used to be sorta evil - but he's fine now. Probably."
"Yeah! And if he does something stupid - just light him on fire!" Mabel added.
"Okay. See you guys soon." Will carefully handed Gideon his phone back and meekly followed him back through the forest. Gideon debated asking him more questions, but he decided not to.
"Those Pines sure do pick some weird stuff to get mixed up in," he muttered, jumping slightly at another crash of lightning. "You sure picked a good night to freak out."
"Sorry," Will muttered, looking worriedly at the sky.
"Just glad we found something before something else did," Gideon said, turning back to face Will. "There's lots of dangerous things in these woods." Will nodded.
"Yeah, I know." Mabel embraced Will as they arrived back at the Shack. Dipper peeled off his flannel shirt, attempting to wring it out. Will muttered an apology for getting scared.
"Don't worry about it," Mabel said, staring daggers at Gideon before dragging Will back inside. He jumped at her contact, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anxiety, the adrenaline from his run making his muscles jumpier than normal. Gideon bit his lip and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Well - I guess I better leave then. Sorry to have caused any trouble." Dipper almost felt a twinge of sympathy for him as he walked slowly back to his car. Maybe we should have been nicer to him, he thought. Note to self - give Will a list of people he should be scared of so he knows everyone else is fine.
. . .
Screaming woke Mabel up in the middle of the night. She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Dipper?" she asked, looking over at her brother. He was dead to the world. Another scream pierced the air. She leapt out of bed, grabbing the lantern and racing down the stairs to the secret basement. She hopped out of the elevator to see Will curled up in the fetal position on his bed, sweat soaking through his clothes. He screamed again, holding his hands in front of his face, trembling and moaning.
"Will!" Mabel ran over to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "Wake up!" she shouted. "You're having a nightmare!" Will's eyes shot open. He pushed Mabel off of him, making her fall backwards off the bed. She hit the ground with an oomph.
"Ouch," she muttered, rubbing the back of her head. "Will?" She looked back at him as his chest rose up and down rapidly, eyes wide in terror. He slowly seemed to realize what he had done, and more horror crossed his face.
"Mabel! I-I'm so, so sorry!" he squeaked. Mabel stood up, rubbing her head and wincing slightly. Will's face crumpled and he crawled away from her. "I'm so sorry Mistress! P-please don't hurt me - " He held up his hands in front of his face, tears streaming down his cheeks. Mabel's heart broke. She crawled on the bed and wrapped her arms around Will, forcefully hugging him. He struggled, pushing against her for a moment before stopping, his chest still rising up and down in frantic breaths. He slowly eased up, letting Mabel hold him. Tears continued to stream down his face, wetting Mabel's nightgown.
"Will - get this into your thick head. We - I am never going to hurt you. Not if a thousand evil Mabels were threatening me. You're safe with us." Will's arms hesitantly tightened around Mabel as he cried into her shoulder. Mabel rubbed his back, smiling to herself.
"What were you dreaming about?" she asked. "Actually - you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"They were burning me." Mabel's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?"
"They were burning me. Your counterpart had just come back from a date. Well - a failed date. She was so angry. She took it out on me by lighting my cage on fire." Mabel gasped.
"How are you still alive?"
"Their magic. They would do everything but kill me and use their magic to restore me so they could do it all over again. That's how I've stayed fifteen for all these years as well. T-they were so cruel. They hated me." Will trembled. Mabel hugged him tighter.
"I - we don't hate you!" she said. "I think you're really cool. So, does Dipper and Grunkle Ford - they're just not good with emotions. Grunkle Ford and Dipper are just slightly paranoid you're gonna turn back into your twin." Will sighed.
"I'm not powerful enough to become Bill even if I wanted to," he muttered. "I'm weak. I'm useless."
"Hey - you're not useless! I bet if you wanted to - you could totally become just as evil and powerful as Bill was! Okay . . . maybe not the best example - but you know what I mean." Mabel pushed Will back so she could see his face. She smiled and wiped the tears from his eye. She unconsciously let her hand rest on his face. "You're awesome, Will. Do you believe me?" Will looked uncertainty at her. He felt himself slightly encouraged by Mabel's winning smile, even though he still mostly felt like garbage. They sat there in silence for a few moments, looking at each other. Will realized too late that Mabel's hand still rested on his face. He felt his cheeks growing hot, and he hoped Mabel didn't notice. He was so busy worried about his own face that he failed to notice her cheeks were glowing as well.
Suddenly, the elevator clanged. They both jumped as Ford stepped out, looking still half-asleep. He paused when he saw the two sitting on Will's bed, much closer than normal. He raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering if he was still asleep and just dreaming.
"He had a nightmare. He was upset. That is why I am here." In his bed. Mabel answered quickly, a little too quickly. They realized she was still touching his face and dropped her hand as they moved apart. Ford blinked, not quite sure what to make of the situation. Will flushed again, slightly embarrassed Ford now knew of his nightmare and subsequent panic attack.
"O-okay." Mabel leapt up.
"I'll go cook breakfast!" Ford watched her speed back up the elevator, failing to mention that Stan had already started it. He sat down at his desk, looking at Will, who still looked slightly frozen.
"You okay kid?" Will nodded, looking down at the bed to avoid eye contact. Ford wasn't super good with social skills - but he could tell he had just walked in on something he maybe shouldn't have.
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