Okay guys, I know you're going to hate me for this, but I just couldn't let you without updating for any longer— even if the fourth chapter still isn't ready at all.

I know hiatuses suck and I hate them just as much as you do, whether it be for my fanfiction or for any other series I follow (I'm definitely not mentioning one particular TV show we all know and care about and which is just one episode away from its end but they won't air it before four more months for perfectly justified Disney reasons), and I know how mad you may look right now for seeing all your hopes crushed after almost three weeks of waiting just because I'm such a jerky troll. But I really don't want this to be a hiatus and I'll keep denying this to be a hiatus so please don't make me call this a hiatus because it's not. The fourth chapter is going eventually, and it's... probably not going to have you wait for too much longer. At least I hope so. Inspiration works in mysterious and unpredictable ways.

So now you may be wondering what the heck I've been doing for those past (almost) three weeks if one miserable third of a chapter still isn't ready yet. That's a legitimate question, and that's why I'm gonna answer it in details: there are quite a few reasons for this. First one, studies: I'm in a sort of equivalent of some kind of specifically-French college (we call that "classe/école préparatoire", or also "prépa"), and the only thing that reaches the level of their lessons' difficulty is their really intense working rhythm. Those last few weeks have been the worst so far, and I really was lacking time to do anything specific and to specifically focus on one damn chapter that doesn't even inspire me that much right now (and who knows how much of a bad idea it is to force me to write something when I'm just not in the mood. I know some guys are for quantity over quality, but there are limits; and I'm more of the quality over quantity kind, sorry guys).
Why do I say specific? Because don't worry, all this time I may have (almost) not worked at all on the next part, yet I've been finding completely new ideas and quotes and even full exerpts for later issues. I won't lie to you, since I saw the teasers for Take Back the Falls, the special and S2E20 episodes are freaking me out. Because while watching them, I'll finally learn whether all this headcanon I have had in mind and would have been about to write down for this fiction, is close enough to the truth or total garbage. I have been making up quite a few back-up plots and alternate endings just in case my theories were all wrong, and that's mostly that which took me that much time. Also with the fact that for now and probably until sometime between February 8 and 15, I actually won't know how this fiction exactly would be supposed to end. I will have some range of possibilities with some fluctuating probability to happen, but knowing for sure which ending would be chosen eventually will only depend on S2E20's final revelations. That also explains why I wanted to delay the revelations and change in the statu quo initially meant to appear in the fourth chapter, thus having to completely rewrite its script: those revelations are just too important and too dangerous, and once they are told, they can't be held back; I can't risk to see such information denied by the canon. So sorry guys, but that awesome change in the statu quo I promised you last time will actually be for the fifth chapter.
And also one last thing: I made (another) GF marathon, for scenario purposes. It still isn't finished yet but I have seen most of the episodes I had to see to complete my timeline, and now the good news is: the backstory is finally completely clear in my mind, day per day, hour per hour, and now I exactly know what happened, on what day, for what reasons and under which conditions. It was already the case before, but it was still quite fuzzy and I hate it when it's fuzzy because there's still some place for doubt. So now, the whole backstory is settled on a precise day-by-day calendar, and so is going to be the whole fiction. For those who want to know, the third chapter ends on Wednesday, July 3, 2012 at approximately 2~3PM.

I'm not writing this note just to say that and then leave and let you all without even getting anything at all in the end, though. I'm bringing some extra content here. I have made a few fan arts about this fiction (and ilya39, I heard your wish 8D), they are all gathered on my deviantart here: lutias. deviantart gallery/ 53353137/ Gravity-Falls
There are both scenes from those three past chapters, and some kind of mini-teasers about the fourth chapter— at least, what was meant to be the first part of the fourth chapter, but it will most probably include now at the very least the two first parts. And for those who want to theorize (I know at least one or two people there), I let some hints in the drawings, so have fun tracking them down if you want to.

Buuut this is about fanfictions. So I should post some worthwhile writing text, I guess. So, then, here: have a surprise bonus chapter! I don't think I'll need to give you any hints as to where to put it in the fanfiction's chronology, it'll be clear enough as soon as you start reading anyway. So I hope you'll enjoy this, despite it not being the real "next issue" you were all expecting.
I just need to warn you a little: I did tell you I was not into gory-creepy stuff, and I definitely am not. But there still will be here a little of it. But just a few drops, I promise. No one's dying guys, so chill out. We've already seen much more blood in the actual show than that anyway, so I think it should be okay; I'm warning you just in case.


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— July 2 —

Dipper was already starting to chew the fourth thinking pen of the day. Considering it had only been hardly two hours since they had (finally) got back home, his paranoia and his nerves were not getting any better; and that argument they just had back in Greasy's Diner was not helping. He was desperately trying to focus, but his pens were just breaking one after another without his trail of thoughts progressing in any way; even his angry mourning over those last events, which was monopolizing the largest part of his brain and wouldn't stop no matter how hard he wanted it to, was only going round in circles and would never reach the dead-end that he knew would be waiting for him at the end of the line.

The door opened. He already knew who it was, and he really was simply not in the mood for this. He didn't even make the effort of looking at her.

"What do you want, Mabel? I told you already, I'm not gonna apologize. He started it all and he deserved it."

His comment was yet greeted with silence. He thought for an instant that maybe he had been wrong and that Soos was the one behind his back or something, but he was cut short when a voice finally answered. Mabel's voice.

"Oh… I'm sorry, but I think that you've missed something. Latest news tell Shooting Star's not here."

That was some quite intriguing response. Dipper was not sure he really understood what this was all about, but what he knew for sure was that it was not anything good.
He suddenly turned around to face whoever was definitely not Mabel.
And he froze in horror.
He was welcomed by an overly large and purely evil grin.

"Long time no see, Pine Tree. How long's it been since we first met… hardly two weeks?"

The pen fell to the ground. It didn't make any noise and hardly bounced back after reaching it though. Carpets absorb pretty well kinetic energy after all, especially when the mass falling is that light.
Dipper was shaking in absolute fright. He had dealt with Bill before and he started to know a little more about that demon, but— no. The fact was, he still didn't know anything about him, or his plans, or what exactly he was capable of. All he knew was— he couldn't be defeated that easily. He was just helpless.

"H-How are you doing this— Where is Mabel?!"
"Ha, don't you worry about her." the triangle mocked. "After all, she's right here!"

And he had opened Mabel's arms in one grand gesture only a Ringmaster in a circus would make to present his latest attraction and get some cheers of awe from the audience.

"W-What have you done…?!" the boy uttered in a blank and terrified voice. "Let go off her, Bill!"

But of course he wouldn't. He knew that demon would only do things as he pleased. And if he wanted to have fun stealing his sister's body and doing whatever crazy things he had in mind with it, then he would. And there would be no way to stop him.

"Never telling her about me apparently turned out not to be that much of a smart move, did it Pine Tree? She ate my words just like you feed babies with milk. So gullible."

Dipper nervously grabbed a broom, the first weapon he could find around him at the moment.

"I-Is Mabel still conscious or something…? W-Where is she?!"
"I already told you, she's right here. It's a shame though you couldn't possibly see her."

He couldn't take the risk to turn his look away from Him— even if Mabel really was somewhere around them, he would have noticed before if he really had been able to notice her presence, so Bill probably was right on this. So it was not worth letting his guard down just to look for an invisible ghost he wouldn't find anyway.
The demon kept talking. He really did enjoy saying only the things he knew would hurt the most. He didn't care at all about the broom, because he knew that pre-teen would never dare use it against him. Not when he had Shooting Star's body as a hostage.

"You thought you could keep her away from any more worries, huh? Unless you only thought her not to be trustworthy enough anymore, or just to be a burden… Well, you'd never admit that one anyway so I don't really need to point it out, right?"

Dipper trembled again, both in fear and rage. But his grip on the broom clenched.

"B-Bill, I'm not saying it twice. Get out of her body now, or else!"

He didn't care that demon would most probably retort him some really hurting ironical truth, even though deep inside even he already knew those were just fake threats only meant to try to overcome his own panic.
Yet the demon didn't. He certainly had figured how stupid it would be to point out such obviousness. Instead, he simply laughed in a sadistically cynical yet paradoxically genuine hilarity. Dipper really tried not to show how much his legs were shaking.

"Oh, no, no, no." Bill chanted gently with some kind of sick delight. "Problem is, you see, that's not how it's gonna work. I say you hand to me that little journal of yours — and maybe also that dumb laptop before you get to unlock it — and only then in return I will let your so beloved sister back in place."

It was eerie to hear how he had slowly spelled 'beloved', as to separate each letter one from the others and really print as heavily as possible the whole word in the kid's mind. His tone had gathered more irony and vile amusement in that only word than Dipper would have sworn having heard in all his previous sentences altogether.
The young boy was already trying to remember the book's contents — since he would definitely not let the demon out of surveillance any second —, mentally flipping nervously through the pages in panic, or in hope to ever find anything to get that crazy triangle out of his sister's body; but there was nothing to be found. All he could see while mentally covering the double page in black light was that Bill gaining a physical form was definitely not to be wished about.
Well, that was convenient to learn such a fact, when he actually already had one right at the moment.
And it was all the more reassuring to realize that the demon perfectly knew what he was thinking about:

"Don't mind searching, that dummy never wrote anything worthwhile in that stupid book anyway. You won't find anything that'd help you out this time. Besides…"

He kept pausing for an overly long time. Dipper uttered his glare, then froze while staring in blank bewilderment at the white knife the demon had kept hidden until then.
No. No, no no no this isn't happening this can't be happening—
Bill smirked. It was so eerie to watch that kind of smile on Mabel's face.

"… If you don't fulfill your side of the bargain, I don't see why I should fulfill mine. Just a matter of justice, right?"

And Mabel's little innocent hand raised that ridiculously enormous knife, slowly approaching its blade to the left wrist. Dipper wanted to scream him to stop but he could not move, as if his own body simply refused to react to his panic. Unless his panic itself was preventing him from expressing his fright and despair— in any ways he had simply frozen in horror.
One long and thin red mark appeared on her left arm. Crimson drops began to pour and stained the bluish carpet.

"Ooh. Pain is hilarious." the demon uttered in some kind of creepily overjoyed whisper. He turned his two evil eyes of a so unnatural color towards him, then added delightedly: "Changed your mind, or shall I continue? I wonder what could be next. Fingers maybe? Would be hard to hold that journal of yours, but since you're not gonna give it to me anyway, they're not much of any use…"
"N-No-no-no wait, stop!" Dipper cried in horror. "W-What are you even doing this for— What did Mabel even ask you?!"

Bill already knew at that point he had won. His evil smirk didn't leave Mabel's face when he slowly held back the knife. If only a few drops were enough to frighten Pine Tree that much, then it would really be fun to torture him a little more— even though it wouldn't be a smart move to use Shooting Star's body for that.
Hurting her slightly once as a warning was in order to keep that brat back in place; hurting her twice would only make him move and do something really crazy.
Carrying on talking and watching his mental torture, though, would be such a delight.

"Ooh that, you see… That's very ironic— She wanted you back. I promised her I could get you two to tag along just the way you used to before everything happened, and I told her I would have some talk with you. See? I didn't lie at all. We're having a little nice talk right now. All I'll be asking you now, would be to stop investigating 'cause that's kinda annoying you see. So hand me that stupid book already, and you'll finally be back together again— just like before."

Before what, that was the question; and that probably had been Bill's loophole in the deal. Such a stupid loophole anyone knowing Bill could have seen—

But Mabel didn't know Bill.

"B-But, you said that journal didn't even contain anything worthwhile anyway— so why would you even want it in the first place…?"
"Because you're just so close to figuring out some major answers… that would be a shame. I don't need that journal; I just need you to stay away from it."

There was no other way. Bill's plan was flawless. Dipper had realized it long before, but now he was definitely sure of it.
He started walking away towards the wall, were schemes and boards full of photos and colored string were invading the not-so-blank-anymore space everywhere. He bumped into a little table, and stopped. He slowly put back the broom and took the journal on the table, as if all this time it had been waiting for him to be grabbed and presented at the demon.
He had no choice.

He felt the soft silly bluish strings of the carpet under his feet, through his socks. It felt like he was walking in some kind of creamy mud that tried to tell him not to keep going.
But he couldn't risk to lose her. All this time, if he had tried to keep her away from all this madness…

"It's funny what you're about to do though, don't you think Pine Tree?" Bill was chanting ironically. "Is it because your sister's around watching us right now, screaming and pleading even if you can't even hear her? Do you only want to play the hero even if actually, you don't care?"
"I — DO — CARE!"

Dipper had stopped, his left fist clenched while his right hand was holding the journal.
Bill's smirk intensified.

"Then ask yourself this. Why didn't you ever tell her about what you were really going through?"
"She— She didn't need to know… She was worried enough and she already had many problems on her own— I didn't want her to worry more than she already did—"
"Or those were just mere excuses you were making up for yourself to try to silence your own guilt… about how you simply didn't want her to tag along."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

The demon raised again Mabel's right hand and playfully made slow circles in midair with the knife, enjoying every single bit of this conversation.

"… is it?" he finally completed, in the most sly tone Dipper had ever heard.
"S-She… She was the one not to trust me in the first place." the boy blabbered shyly. "She didn't even want to talk to me anymore— I just didn't think she would ever want to keep going on mystery hunts with me, so I just let her go!"
"Oh yeah, right. She doesn't even trust you anymore. And what are you doing right now? Giving up everything you ever cared about just for her? Who would sacrifice everything they've worked for just for such a sibling?"

For the very first time, Bill had lost his smile and was narrowing his eyes.

"Come to your senses, Pine Tree. Is she really worth it?"

That was enough. Lies, lies, LIES!
The boy couldn't take it anymore. Mabel was not worth it? Then he wouldn't have that journal, since it was not worth it. He'd see who was not caring about his sister.
As fast as he could, without thinking twice, he dropped the journal and dashed towards the demon, growling in pure anger, ready to tackle him to the ground and force him out of Mabel's body, or whatever he didn't even care anymore. He would get out of his sister's body, SOMEHOW.

Bill dropped the knife. Either that or he had even thrown it away— Dipper was not sure. One thing he definitely was sure of, though…

For one split second, he was sure he had seen Bill smiling.


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~ Reviews & feedbacks ~

Ookay, seriously, that whole chapter may also have been a whole prank here. Like an early easter egg. Just that it was an unintentional one, let's say.
I know I told you I would give you the fourth chapter right away, but I somewhat changed my mind, and since the fourth chapter's contents have been altered, I had to put things clear: next issue won't be worth that much expecting and waiting, firstly because we actually won't meet William before the second part of the chapter (while it was originally supposed to be all in one part and then talk about completely different things, I changed that at the last minute and now we'll have some random rambling instead), and secondly because it'd definitely wouldn't be worth THREE WEEKS of waiting.
So I wanted to give you something that would actually be worth the wait (and I'll be clear here: everything drawn or written in this chapter is canon), and that could celebrate in a way the end of the 'first part' of this fiction (the 'introductory' one, let's say). The fourth chapter will be some kind of transition, before the fifth really begins to get into pretty serious stuff. And this time, unless the next episodes completely crush down all my theories and ALL of my back-up plans for this fiction, this should not change.

Now back to the reviews:

⁂ Ilya39 : I already mentioned you earlier, so I guess you already know what I was about to say— thanks! And since you gave me such an idea, I personally couldn't resist; so I hope you like it! ;D

Coincidencless : Thank you very much. For the bolding... I know it's not very aesthetically pretty, but I almost hate capital letters more, and only using italics turns out to be too confusing in that kind of sentences. The choice between bolding and italics is quite simple, but very significant to me— italics are mere 'accentuations', either for marking a couple of words in a sentence the character particularly insists on for whatever reason, while bolding has a much deeper meaning for the character using it. Bolding is, by definition, bold. Bold words really are meant to be bold in the darkest, maybe evillest way— they are meant to hurt, either it be to show that the character using it feels hurt, or because the character using it wants to hurt. Bold is the inner darkest irony Bill uses to hide his despair. Bold is Mabel's deepest helplessness she can only guilt about all along even though she can't decide to take responsibility for her mistakes. Bold is Dipper's strongest fears he only puts as a shield to look as if he had any control of the situation.
I do know though that I did overdo it in the last chapter, and I'm sorry for hurting your eyes with it. ;_;

⁂ PrototypeLQ : Well, we discussed about it by PM, but since you've been pointing out some important issues that may have some interest for the others, I hope you don't mind if I repaste here a synthesis of what we talked about. ^^'
You probably all know that already, but what I care about the most while writing is to stick to the canon to the finest details— I guess that would sound selfish, but I want to make it appear as if it could almost """be inserted into the actual canon"""; this fiction is obviously an AU, but nevertheless, despite all the differences with the actual events of the show, I still want it to keep a deep and unseen connection with "what happens in another timeline." But sticking to the canon does not only implicate events and metaphysics: it also, and mostly, involves characters' psychologics. I'm really touched when one of you mention that the characters appear "so real", because that's exactly the "perfection I try to reach." And that makes me feel even more mad at myself when I write such dumb things as what I wrote in the last issue.
Yes, I hated that last part of the chapter. I know I completely messed up Bill's psychology, and I'm so, so sorry about this. Since the very beginning I knew that was the character I'd be depicting the most approximate way and I hated it, but this part was the worst. Actually it's probably been the most difficult for me to write so far, because particularly of Bill's backstory — I just had no choice but to have the characters talk about it at some point and make references to things we're only supposed to learn in the S2E20, and I really was so stressed out just because of the mere idea to have to stick to some headcanon I would have made up (well, I simply sticked to Alex's comment that "Stan's backstory is nothing compared to Bill's" about feels, and I have numerous personal theories that all involve very, VERY sad issues). Honestly, I even seriously thought about waiting for the episode to actually air before I even finish writing it — that's only because I'm thinking about the readers waiting desperately that I forced myself to write anyway and publish this chapter right away. I know just like everybody else how hiatuses suck, so I definitely wasn't eager to make my own just for one "silly" background plot that wouldn't even show up in the end as more than a mere "reference."
About the swears — I can't argue. What I had in mind is that Bill's rage at that precise point in the discussion (nowhere else, but only at THIS point) is just going so much farther than in the show and in the previous chapters, both because of seen and unseen-but-headcanonically-theorized reasons (and that was working for each of my about 5~6 different theories). In my mind, at this point Bill was not only mad at Dipper— he felt also depressed, helpless, and even somewhat furious and ashamed of himself, even if he would never admit it. That was not even about being trapped in a human body or dealing with a dream demon anymore— it was about his whole life of constant losses (it's been confirmed that Bill had a family— notice the past tense) and that one-trillion-years long planning, one mission he obviously cares the most about (certainly it's been the one and only goal in his "life" all this time), that eventually ended up being all for nothing, because of one single twelve-year-old selfish knucklehead who thinks he would know something about "justice."
To me, even if I really hesitated for days and hated having to write it, there was no (human) word strong enough to demonstrate all that— but this. I'm ashamed of myself for breaking my one and only rule about sticking to the canon, but I really wanted this one part to stand out compared to all the others. The first ones were merely voluntary provocation, and (almost), to a certain point, some kind of "act". This was the most genuinely desperate rage Bill has ever showed in the whole fiction so far.

About Bill's sudden "feelings" about his friends— I guess there's definitely some "human hormones" messing up with his mind 8D *CHBAF*
No, seriously, Bill has just lost everything with this switch, including some "friends" he thought he didn't care about, but that were nonetheless part of his ancient life. He's not missing his "friends", he's missing his whole life (and the fun he had in that illegal stuff he was doing with them maybe. Just maybe). He doesn't miss them really in the same way as we'd tend to think from the way he makes it sound, though maybe himself is starting to think that he's missing them, in a way. You did say Bill didn't get the right definition of the word "friend", and I totally agree: he may be having a wrong opinion of it and depict it as though he really was somewhat missing them. And Dipper doesn't want to read too deeply into people's minds (yes he was honest about it), so of course he would think that Bill was genuinely missing his friends, since Bill was starting to believe it himself.
... Yeah, that's kinda complicated. I feel like I'm talking like Freud here xD Let's just say that Bill doesn't really care about them— he's just really lost and not much accustomed to human brain's logic and cognitive biases (in the way of experiencing them himself, at least) to the point that he even starts confusing some of his own emotions, and maybe even some of his memories. We all know humain brains' weaknesses and the way they can unconsciously modify or confuse memories and even thoughts sometimes— Bill had never experienced that before, and just hates the way he can't even be completely sure about what he thinks himself. Let's just say he only misses his life and his life with his "friends", and thus started to think he was also missing them, even thought that's not really that much the case.
And he was also kinda curious: how would they react, now that their boss is gone? Do they still think about him or did they never actually care and were just sticking to him because he was the strongest and they just feared him? (that's a reference to his AMA: Bill does say that "if there's any other demons, they'd better be on good terms with me": we've been questioning Bill's bond with his "friends", but why wouldn't we question the same way his "friends"' bond with him? Kryptos does call him "Boss", and their reaction to Bill's rage is talkative enough.) And, obviously, what would those guys think if they ever heard about their Boss being stuck in a tridimensional and ridiculously harmless human body?
So yeah, basically, he's just being selfish without even being aware of it. But I perfectly understand that's completely messed up and very unclear xD

And seriously, that's the first really critical and well-constructed comment I got on this fic and the arguments are completely well-founded (I do count all your previous reviews on DA, but they were more about mere questions than real critics). I'm glad when I get reviews, but I'm so much happier when I can actually learn and/or discuss about some flaws in my work! So thanks for your help, it is useful— and I'll repeat myself for the last time, but you've got many completely fair points. I was aware of them and wanted to correct them, but this time I couldn't— I just didn't want to make you wait for any longer, even though that was in a way a wrong move.

⁂ Littlestmchenrys : Yes, Bill does take quite a lot in this fic. Well, everybody was supposed to, but it seems like Bill gets most of it, and mostly on the most hilariously ridiculous ways xD It wasn't really intended at first, but I just couldn't help but have more and more ideas of how to get on his nerves in the least serious situations. It's just so funny to see him that serious when he used to be so careless :')