Gwen opened her eyes with a gasp, interrupting the group meditation.

'An object of great power has returned to Gravity Falls.' She said breathlessly. 'A chalice, stolen from our Sisterhood in years past. We must retrieve it.'

Soos always loved the traveling flee market which showed up in Gravity Falls. It had been coming as long as he remembered, and was a great place to pick up old and obscure game cartridges, interesting costume pieces, and useful knick knacks for around the house. As an added bonus, Melody also enjoyed the market; the carnival type atmosphere, and the antiques in bargain bins made it feel like treasure hunting.

It was in one of the patched, brightly colored, bargain bin tents that Melody found the cup. Ornamented only simple, Byzantine style engravings, it looked like it might be silver, or at least silver plated.

'Sweety! Come check this out! It'd be perfect for your costume!' She called to Soos, who was neck deep in a box of NES games.

Soos erupted from the box like a breeching whale, scattering games in all directions. Looking towards Melody, cup in hand, he grinned like a child.

'Sweet!' He cried, hurrying over to pick up both Melody and the cup. 'You're the best, babe.'

Setting her down, he took the cup to take a closer look at it. 'Yeah, you're right, this IS perfect.' Holding it up to the light he intoned; 'Who drinks the water I shall give him, says the Lord, will have a spring inside him welling up for eternal life. Let them bring me to your holy mountain in the place where you dwell. Across the desert and through the mountain to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, to the Temple where the cup that - where the cup that holds the blood of Jesus Christ resides forever.'

The old man running the tent looked up at Soos and Melody from his newspaper.

'Five bucks.'

Dipper was chest deep in a hole in the floor of Ford's old room, his room now, trying to excavate a new entrance to the workshop, when the wards went off again. Dipper knocked his head on the floorboards, swore, dropping the small shovel on to his foot, swore again, and in reaching for his foot, smacked his head on the floorboards again.

'God DAMNIT!' Dipper roared. He peered up in to the room at the glowing wards on the wall.

'God damn it.' It was the one indicating that a cursed artifact had made its way in to his vicinity. The wards themselves faded quickly if it was a minor curse, but the wards were pulsing in the eerie blue glow that they always gave off. Whatever it was, it was really dangerous.

Gwen sat in the passenger seat of her lieutenant and head of the Coven enforcers, Kaylee. Meditating, she searched for the chalice. They had been driving for a little more than an hour when they passed the small, mission style home where Soos and Melody lived.

'Here.' She said. 'It's here.' She opened her eyes and looked towards the house. Kaylee slowed long enough for Gwen to memorize the address and some basic details about the house, then sped off down the street.

'Hmm. Yes. I am familiar with Jesus Ramirez. He works at the school.' Kate said, looking at the floor plan for the house. 'He's an idiot. You won't need this. Just send someone to wipe his memory of the cup, and take it.'

Kaylee looked up from the floor plan. 'Yes mother. I'll put an infiltrator on the job immediately.' She stood, bowed slightly, and left.

From an armchair in the corner, Gwen stood. 'Kate, we must be careful. I sense that the chalice has been tainted. Cursed. It will be dangerous to anyone who handles it.'

Kate frowned at Gwen. 'Our girls can handle themselves, I'm sure they'll be fine... I'll pass the word to Kaylee, though.'

It didn't take Dipper terribly long to throw together a tracking device to pick up on the curses' signature. It didn't even have to be terribly precise, whatever it was, it was maxing out the meter. He grabbed his sword, and Ford's old blaster, just in case; you never know who might be holding on to such a powerful and dangerous item. Dipper only hoped he could find it before someone got hurt.

Kaylee was astonished.

'Kay, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what happened.'

Her infiltrator had returned, less than an hour after leaving, not only empty-handed, but unable to recall what she had even been sent out to do. From what they could piece together, her spell must have backfired, causing her to lose all memories of the chalice rather than this Ramirez character. Perhaps he was not the idiot Kate thought. Was it possible that he was a sorcerer? Was he merely hiding his abilities so successfully that the matrons of their order could not tell? This could indeed be dangerous.

'Send in a surveillance team. Get our best on it, and prep an enforcement team. Full battle gear. I'll lead it myself.'

Kaylee stalked off to prepare her equipment.

Dipper stepped off his motorcycle at the end of the block. He could feel the taint from the artifact from here, even without the machine. He began walking down the street, alternately looking at the readings and the sidewalk ahead of him.

There! That was the house! That's... that's Soos' house!

Dipper dropped the machine, and began sprinting up the street. Arriving at the driveway, he realized he wasn't alone. There were about six young women prowling around the house, looking through windows, and one more behind Melody's car, talking quietly into a headset.

They were so preoccupied, it took little effort to sneak up behind their comm officer and place the sword beside her neck.

'Tell your crew to leave. Now.'

The girl froze. Her eyes widening with the realization that she was less than a centimeter from death.

She snapped her fingers for attention, then made several more gestures, rounding up her group and moving them to the street.

'Stand.' Dipper growled. 'Turn around.'

Now making eye contact with the comm officer, Dipper moved closer, until he was nose to nose with the girl.

'Tell your witch club to stay away from my friends.' He growled.

The color drained from her face, but she merely nodded.

'Now GO.' Dipper said through gritted teeth.

She bolted, hot on the heels of the rest of the surveillance squad. Dipper watched for a moment, then turned up the drive, to knock on Soos and Melody's door. This should be fun.

'WHAT?!' Kaylee screamed. 'He did WHAT?!' She stomped to the table where her equipment lay, and strapped her wand and athame in to the holsters on her belt.

'Fuck it. Suit up, we're going now.'

'Soos, you gotta understand man, this thing is dangerous. I need to destroy it, or figure out how to remove the curse, but having it here is dangerous!' Dipper said, desperately.

'Oh, of course dude. Let me go get it.' Soos smiled at Dipper. 'Thanks for coming all this way to find it dude. Who knows what might have happened if you didn't.'

The front door, at this moment, burst open, and four young women dressed in non descript street clothes followed a slight, punky looking girl with short brown hair and combat boots. She was wielding a knife made from a wrench in one hand, and what looked like the handle of a hatchet inscribed with runes in the other.

'YOU!' Kaylee bellowed. 'You have NO right to interfere with coven business, I don't care WHO your sister is.'

Dipper, startled, turned towards the women, half drawing his sword.

'Something needs to be done about you, anyway. I don't like our sisters having split allegiances, especially to someone so out of control.'

Dipper's eyes flashed open at this, as he drew the full length of his sword.

'Are you threatening my family?' He said quietly.

One after another, the women behind Kaylee began withdrawing wands and weapons from holsters.

'Like silk over iron.' Dipper murmured, his eyes going half-lidded, focus turning inward.

'Wha-' Kaylee began, but in half a moment, Dipper was beside her, sword moving like a whip to take the weapons out of the hands of her companions, with following elbows or legs to leave them in heaps on the floor.

As Dipper flowed through Kaylee's lieutenants like a scythe through wheat, Kaylee threw herself against the wall, and clutching both Athame and Wand, produced and hurled a fireball directly at Dipper.

Dipper turned at last moment, eyes wide in shock, blade raised to parry, the fireball expanding to fill the room in front of him. At the last moment, a pendant beneath his shirt lit up like a flashlight. Blue light shone through the fabric of his clothing, and the fireball disappeared.

'He... he deflected it.' Kaylee said, shocked.

'Yeah.' Dipper responded, pulling Ford's old blaster from his jacket. 'Deflect this, bitch.'

'DIPPER!' Melody yelled, finally recovering from her shock. 'Please,' she looked at him imploringly, 'please don't shoot anyone in our living room.' Dipper's mouth dropped open.

'As for you, miss.' Melody said, turning to Kaylee. 'Can we help you? Could you perhaps explain why you felt the need to kick down our front door during dinner?'

'Yeah, not cool dudes.' Soos interjected.

Kaylee righted herself, stood up straight, and marched to the center of the room to stand before Soos and Melody.

'You have something that belongs to us.' She said fiercely. 'We've come to take it back.'

'Oh.' Soos said. 'What is it?'

Kaylee's eyes blazed. 'Fool! It's the chalice! I don't know how you got your... grubby hands on it, but it is a sacred artifact belonging to Our Sisterhood!'

'Wait, so are you witches?'

'I- Yes! Were you expecting brooms and pointy hats?' Kaylee sneered.

'Nah dude, just more eyeliner and bad taste in music. Let me go get your cup.' He smiled, then headed back towards the kitchen.

'I... what?' Kaylee said, dumbfounded.

'Would you girls like something to drink? Dipper? I've got some lemonade in the fridge.'

One of the girls in the back stood up. 'Ma'am, I'd like a glass, if you don't mind.'

Kaylee glared, but said nothing, and continued to stand in the center of the room, fists on hips. Dipper moved to stand near the entrance to the dining room, still holding both bare blade and blaster.

When Soos returned with the chalice, Dipper was ready.

'Soos, you can't give it to these guys, they're dangerous.' Dipper said frantically. 'Who knows what it can do! It's dangerous for anyone who has it.'

'Then it's dangerous for you too, Dipper. Ask yourself, Dipper, why do you seek the cup of Christ? Is it for His glory, or for yours?'

'Soos, you're not making any sense!'

'Dipper, it belongs to them, dude. Not me.'

'Jesus Christ Soos! It belongs to you!'

Soos slapped Dipper lightly. 'That's for blasphemy.' He smiled. 'Look dude, it clearly means a whole lot to these girls, and they know what they're doing. I'm sure they can handle whatever curse is on this cup.'

'But you bought it!' Dipper said desperately.

'Yeah, for like, five bucks.'

Dipper sighed. 'Fine, it's your stuff, Soos. I trust you.' He smiled at Soos, and backed out of the way to stand near the wall again. Kaylee sneered at him, once again.

'Jenna!' A girl near the back stood. 'Kindly make sure that the chalice is indeed the genuine article. I would hate to return to mother Kate with a fake.' Melody rolled her eyes.

Jenna approached Soos, smiled, gently took the chalice in to her hands, and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again, looking confused.

'It is the chalice, Kay, but... whatever curse was on it is... It's not even broken, it's been changed.' She looked up at Soos and Melody. 'The chalice is... blessed.' She said breathlessly.

'What? What are you talking about.' Kaylee said, looking equally confused and angry.

'Whatever it might have done, its properties are now those of healing.' Walking to one of her sisters, she poured the glass of lemonade in to the chalice, then, using her athame, sliced her finger. She waited a moment for the blood to work its way to through the skin, then poured some of the lemonade over the cut, only for it to immediately heal.

She looked at Kaylee.

'We can't take this from them. Their very presence reversed the curse.' She looked back at Soos and Melody, 'perhaps they are just so good that negative spells are reversed here. It would explain our earlier failure.'

Dipper looked in awe at his friends. 'You reversed the polarity of the negative energy. Just because you're... you.'

'Aww, c'mon dudes. You're gonna make us blush.'

Kaylee hung her head. 'Jenna's right. We can't take it from you. Our laws are such that...' she looked at Dipper and grimaced, 'our laws state that we can't take a blessed item from the person who blesses it- such items have to be given freely. To do anything else would be to taint the blessing... and considering how we handled this tonight, I don't think I could take it back if you DID give it to us. Shit. Kate is gonna have my hide.'

For a moment, everyone stood there, staring at Soos and Melody. Then Kaylee stood up straight, motioned to her companions and bowed her head slightly. 'Thank you for your hospitality, Sir, Ma'am.' She said stiffly. 'Ladies!' She barked, 'Let's go.' She then turned, and marched out the door.

Dipper watched them leave.

'I... I should probably go too.' Dipper said, guiltily.

'Dipper,' Melody began, smiling. 'Don't judge them too harshly. I imagine they're as suspicious of you as you are of them. It's been a long time since yours was a household name here. Remember that, okay?'

'I... Okay Melody. And thanks again guys.' Dipper grinned. 'I'll see you around... You guys should come by the Shack some time. You're always welcome.'

'Dude. I love going to the Shack. This weekend, for sure.' Soos looked at Melody. 'We can do this weekend, right? Please?'

Melody laughed at Soos' child-like glee at visiting the Pines' home. 'Of course, sweety, we'll work out the details later.' She turned to Dipper. 'Remember what I told you, okay?'

'Got it.'

As Dipper came out on the lawn, he saw that some of the girls, including Kaylee, were still lingering around the property, which made him both suspicious and nervous. He approached Kaylee, who still looked to be fuming over the incident.

'Hey, look, I kinda feel like we-'

'YOU! You had better stay out of Coven business, Dipper Pines, these things are NO concern of yours.' She hissed.

Dipper was taken aback, slightly, by her onslaught, but more offended than put off.

'Look, I'm not sure what kind of weight you're used to throwing around with your Sisterhood, but you pull an act like that again, in the home of one of MY friends, and you won't be walking away from it. Do what you want elsewhere, but not here. Do we have an understanding?'

'Coven business is not YOUR business, Pines. Understand that, and we'll have no problems.' Kaylee wheeled around on this note, and marched after her sisters. Dipper watched them go.

Perhaps they were not the nefarious organization he thought. Perhaps. But they were still troublesome. Dipper wondered what kind of effect they would have on his sister, and shuddered.