Booming thunder and heavy rain falling against the window; those were the only sounds that could be heard in the otherwise still night. Being it July, that was a rather unusual weather condition, seeing as the summers in that area were usually some of the hottest in the country. That could only be a bad omen.

Dipper did his best to keep himself awake as he typed away on his laptop, his eyelids feeling heavier by the second. He didn't want to be asleep in case his sister needed him. Mabel was in her final month, which meant she could go into labor at any moment, and then… he didn't want to think about what would happen next. He just had to keep himself awake no matter what, just like he had been doing for the past week.

He rubbed his eyes and slapped his cheeks to wake himself up as best as he could. Looking back at his sister, he saw she was still sound asleep. His eyes involuntarily wandered towards her stomach, which was now so large it looked like it could explode any minute. Dipper's heart ached as he remembered what his great-uncle had told him eight months ago. If Mabel was destined to have the same fate as the woman he had told him about, then these would be the final moments he would be able to spend with his twin sister.

Swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat and wiping away the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, the brunet turned back towards his laptop screen and tried to focus on what he was writing. After so many hours of sleep deprivation, the words didn't seem to make any sense anymore. They seemed to all blend together and form an inconsistent blur. He could kill for a coffee right now, but it was past midnight and all the cafes were closed by now. Plus he really didn't want to leave Mabel alone.

He settled for doing the next best thing to wake himself up: wash his face. He groaned as he lifted himself from his seat and felt just how sore his muscles were. Taking a quick glance towards his sister, he dragged himself towards the bathroom and closed the door behind him, his legs feeling like they were about give in.

Mabel sat up with a yelp as a particularly loud thunder roared outside, griping the sheets tightly as she panted and tried to steady her rapidly beating heart. She looked around, feeling a bit confused at first but then remembering she had fallen asleep a few hours ago. She felt the baby stir inside her and involuntarily brought her hands to lightly rub her stomach, forgetting for a second that the being growing inside her would soon be her doom.

Glancing up, she realized that her brother wasn't in the room anymore. She was about to call for him, when she felt a horrible cramp that started in her back and radiated into her stomach. She grasped her large belly and shut her eyes tightly as she doubled over and wheezed in pain. Suddenly she felt like something popped inside of her, and she instantly opened her eyes when she felt a warm fluid flow down through her inner thighs and onto the bed. Her eyes widened and she felt all color drain from her face when she looked down and saw blood leaking from between her legs.

"Dipper…" she tried to scream, but all she could muster was a loud whisper before she felt another wave of searing pain run through her body.

Dipper splashed some water onto his face, instantly feeling a bit more awake as the cold liquid hit his skin. He glanced up at his reflection in the mirror after wiping his face with a hand towel, releasing a tired sigh when he noticed how bad he looked. His skin was paler than usual and his eyes were blood-shot and had enormous bags under them. Caring for his sister had really taken its toll on him, but he didn't regret it one bit.

He jumped up when another thunder struck; the storm outside was really getting out of hand. It almost frightened him, but not as much as the knowledge of what could happen to Mabel in his absence.

That's when he heard something that really frightened him: his sister screaming.

He swung the door open and ran out of the bathroom to find his sister holding onto her swollen abdomen as she panted frantically, tears running down her face with no intension of stopping soon. He was about to ask what was wrong, when he saw the blood-stained sheets underneath her.

"Mabel…" he muttered as he watched her, feeling like his body had become frozen from fear.

"Dipper…" she whimpered, her face contorted in pain. "I think the baby's coming…"

"No… no, it can't be!" he said desperately as he knelt down beside her. "It's… it's too soon! This can't be happening right now! I just – "

His panicked rant was interrupted when Mabel took hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly. He looked up at his sister, her face washed in tears and looking completely helpless.

"It's no use, Dipper." She sniffled, the tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. "It's time."

Dipper couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down in tears. He held onto his sister and buried his face into her lap as he released all the sorrow and stress he had been keeping in during the past months.

"I'm sorry, Mabel…" He sobbed heavily in despair. "I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything to protect you…"

"I'm sorry too, Dipper… I'm sorry I had to put you through all this…"

"I should've been there for you…" He continued to cry as he looked up at her. "I should've found a way to help you."

"This isn't your fault, Dipper." She sniveled, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck. "It's – "

"It's mine."

They whipped their heads around towards the source of that statement, their eyes widening to the size of dinner plates when they saw the floating one-eyed triangle in the middle of the room.

"BILL?!" the exclaimed in unison.

"This is all my fault, and not just for causing this." He said as he hovered towards Mabel, soothingly running a hand through her hair. "I never should've left you, Shooting Star. I hope you can forgive me."

"Is it really you?" she asked incredulously, her lips curling into a small smile. "This is not just another hallucination?"

"Nope, not this time." He declared, doing a backflip in midair to prove his point. "This is the real me."

"Bill, I'm glad you're back and all, but you couldn't have done it in a worse time." Said Dipper as Mabel released another scream in agony. "The baby's on its way, and you know what that means."

"I do, and believe or not, I've come prepared with a solution."

"Are you serious?!" Dipper almost shouted in surprise. "You actually know a way to save her life?"

"Yes, but you won't like it." He told the brunet before turning towards his beloved. "Shooting Star, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." She replied, holding onto her stomach as another wave of pain coursed through her.

"Do you trust me with your life?"

She was silent for about a second, and Bill started to think she had changed her mind about him during the time he was absent, but all his worries and uncertainties disappeared when he saw her smile at him.

"Till the very end." She declared confidently, and even though Bill didn't have a mouth, she could almost swear she had seen him smile.

"Then take my hand." He instructed her as he extended his right hand in her direction.

She glanced briefly at the slim extremity and gave a single nod before grabbing hold of it. Bill tightened his grip around her hand and pulled Mabel out of her own body with one swift movement.

"What… uh?" Mabel questioned as she looked at new transparent form. "Bill, what're you doing?"

"The only thing I can do."

Mabel watched in awe as he dived into her now lifeless body, which afterwards opened its eyes to show they were now yellow and the pupils black and slit-like. This must've been what Dipper felt when the demon did the same to him all those years ago, she thought.

Bill barely had time to adjust to his new body before he felt it ache excruciatingly, unable to keep himself from releasing a blood-curdling screech.

"HOLY HELL, THIS IS HORRIBLE!" He shouted at the top of his, or better, her lungs.

"Wait, how is this supposed to help?" Dipper inquired, involuntarily inching away.

"This will keep her from dying once the baby is born." Bill panted as he gripped the sheets beneath him. "I'm immortal, remember?"

"But how does that work? Won't her body die anyway?"

"Not as long as I'm in here. It'll hurt like hell, but my healing factor will keep her body alive." He stated as he felt another unbearable cramp. "CRAP ON A CRACKER!"

"So, I'm going to live?" Mabel asked gleefully.

"Yes… as long as your brother hurries this up!" he hissed, glaring menacingly at the brunet.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do?" Dipper questioned in confusion.

"DAMN IT PINE TREE, I NEED YOU TO DELIVER THIS BABY!"

Dipper almost felt his heart stop upon hearing those words. He was going to have to deliver his sister's baby?! Sure, there was no one else they could ask, but he really didn't want to do that. Not only was going to have to do something he knew nothing about, besides what he had seen in movies, he was going to have to deliver a demon baby… while another demon was possessing his sister's body.

"I'm not sure if want to do this…" Dipper cringed, his gaze unknowingly drifting towards the spot between his twin's closed legs.

"Well, you don't really have a choice! NOW GET TO IT BEFORE I TEAR YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!" Bill yelled, the pain he was feeling growing in intensity and frequency by the minute.

Dipper gulped and took a deep breath as he tried to force himself to do what the demon had ordered him to do. He climbed onto the bed and positioned himself between his sister's legs, carefully pushing them apart and pulling away her blood-soaked underwear as he avoided making eye with her nether regions.

Two hours passed and the baby still hadn't come out. Bill was a sweating panting mess, exhausted from all the pushing and screaming. Mabel watched the process attentively, a little glad that wasn't her. She was so grateful Bill had offered to give birth in her place. She just wished she was able to hold his hand in order to soothe him.

"Keep pushing, I can see the head!" Dipper declared, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"Ooohh, DAMN IT!" Bill screamed in pain as he pushed again. "Shooting Star, I'm so sorry! If I knew this was how it felt to give birth, I never would've put you through this!"

"It's OK, Bill. I already forgave you." She assured him, feeling sorry for the dream demon. Since he wasn't used to feeling pain, this must've felt even more painful than usual.

"The baby's almost out! Just one more push!" Dipper exclaimed, lightly tugging the baby's head.

Bill gave one final shriek as he felt the brunet pull out the rest of the baby. He collapsed onto Mabel's pillow feeling completely spent, panting a couple of times before exiting the brunette's body and falling onto the floor in exhaustion. Mabel floated back into her body, groaning as she felt how sore it was.

"Ugh, I feel like I was run over by an RV." She grumbled, looking over the side of her bed to check on her panting boyfriend. "How are you feeling, Bill?"

"Terrible, thanks for asking." He chuckled lightly between breaths as he snapped his fingers and turned back to his human form. "Remind me never to do that again."

"Hey, guys…"

They both sat up to look at Dipper, who smiled as he cradled the newborn child in his arms.

"It's a girl." He whispered as he turned the baby to show her to her parents.

She was round a slightly chubby, with milky white skin and strands of dark-purple hair at the top of her head. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, and looked so peaceful and innocent that it was hard to believe she was a half-demon who had sworn to destroy humanity. Even Dipper couldn't help but feel some sort of affection towards his newborn niece.

"Did… did I make that?" Bill asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, Bill." Mabel replied, taking hold of his hand. "We made that."

Dipper handed the baby to her father, who almost teared up when he held her in his arms.

"She's… beautiful." He said as he held her in front of him to look at her face. "Who's daddy's little devil princess?"

"Whoa, look at that!" Dipper suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

Dipper pointed at the baby's back, and when Bill turned her around, he saw why the brunet had been so surprised: there on her back was a large birthmark in the shape of the Cipher wheel.

"Well, one thing's for sure: she's definitely your daughter." Dipper chuckled.

Bill laughed at that remark as he ran a hand through his daughter's birthmark, which he immediately found out was a huge mistake since it caused her to start crying in such a high-pitched tone that the only window in the room shattered completely.

"And I'm guessing it's extra sensitive." Dipper shouted over the baby's shrieks as Bill rocked the baby back and forth in his arms, her crying ceasing after a while.

"Well, I'll just to make a mental note of tha – WHOA!

Dipper and Bill's jaws dropped as they saw the baby had just opened her eyes, showing that her left eye was dark-red and slit-like, just as her father, whilst the right one didn't have a pupil, it was just completely white.

"That… was unexpected." Bill declared.

"Was it?" Dipper asked as he cocked a brow at the demon.

"Yeah, good point." He said before turning towards Mabel. "Here Shooting Star, hold her."

Mabel stared at her newborn daughter, unsure whether to comply or not. This was the being who had threatened her and tried to kill her many times during her pregnancy. Needless to say she was afraid of her. Could she really show love for someone like that?

She didn't really have time to respond before Bill placed the baby in her arms. Looking down at the pale infant, she felt something click inside of her. She suddenly felt like that baby was the most beautiful creature in the world, and felt a great need to shower her with love and affection. Her maternal instincts must've been kicking in, because she couldn't hold back tears of joy.

"She's perfect…" she whispered, holding her baby close. "I love her."

"Almost makes you forget she swore to rule the world, doesn't it?" Dipper grinned.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that." Bill declared confidently as he crossed his arms.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, even if she has a lot of power, I'll still have more. So even if she causes some sort of catastrophe and wreaks havoc of some sort, I'll always have the power to fix it. Plus, she's my daughter. I can easily control her."

"Well, good luck with that."

"Bill… we have a problem." Said Mabel, looking a bit alarmed. "We never thought of what to call her!"

"Not to worry. Before making my triumphant return, I made a list of possible names." He stated as he snapped his fingers, a rather large parchment appearing in his hands. "This is the one with female names."

"Deirdre, Lilith, Desdemona…" Dipper read the list over Bill shoulder, feeling rather unimpressed. "You seriously thought about naming your daughter Raven? That's a little on the nose, don't you think?

"Yeah, your probably right. I really don't want to get on Trigon's bad side." He said as he scratched that name off the list. "But then again, my personal favorite is number thirteen." He pointed at the name he meant.

"Eris? Really?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"You really want your daughter to be named after the Greek goddess of chaos and discord?"

"I think it sounds appropriate! Shooting Star, what do you think?"

"I don't really like it…" she cringed, an idea popping into her head. "But I think we can reach a compromise."

"How so?" Bill inquired.

"How about Erin? It's kind of like Eris, but a bit more normal-sounding."

"Hmm…" Bill pondered, tapping his chin. "I don't hate it… I guess it could work."

"Erin it is, then!" Mabel exclaimed, hugging her daughter.

"Hey, Bill…" Dipper whispered as he pulled the demon aside. "Thanks for coming back."

"No problem." He grinned at the brunet. "You were right. No one's future is written. The future is whatever we make of it."

He looked back at his girlfriend, smiling warmly as he watched her hum a lullaby as she cradled their daughter in her arms.

"And I want to make it a good one."

AUTHOR'S NOTE (PLEASE READ)

Holy Toledo, I've been writing this non-stop for the past five hours! I kinda feel like Dipper feels at the start of the chapter. It almost hurt just to look at the screen. But it was worth it! WOOO, BABEH!

Despite what you might think… this ain't the last chapter! I'm going to write a sort of an epilogue, and then it will be over. And I'm so glad you guys like this. Your constant support is what keeps me going :')

I don't really know what else to say, and I'm honestly too tired to write more. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, as always, feel free to leave some reviews. I'll see you all at the grand finale ;)