CHAPTER TWELVE

Bill was twelve when he thought everything was getting better. His father was spending more time with him, actually seeking him out to help him build...something.

His father claimed it was a portal to another world. Bill didn't want to believe that another world - another world - existed, but considering he had been born with magic. With the ability to form blue fire in his hands and decimate a whole town - should he choose to do that - Bill figured he had every right to believe in another world.

Bill stared down at his hands as he tried to stay awake. He glanced back to his father who was looking over the upside down triangle portal with his back to Bill. Once he was sure the man wouldn't be turning back around, Bill looked to his open palm and allowed a very small, blue, warm flame to appear.

"Father," Bill said slowly as a thought came to mind. He slowly turned around to face the older man. "What is this...why are you making this-"

"'We' William," Mr. Cipher heartlessly responded. "We are making this. You're helping."

Bill sighed and looked back to the calculations on his desk. "Yeah, but...why?"

Mr. Cipher narrowed his eyes and slowly turned to face the younger Cipher male.

"Are you questioning me?" he demanded, advancing on his son. While he hated that Bill was such a coward, he was pleased that it helped him intimidate and manipulate his son into doing whatever he wanted.

Bill shook his head quickly, balling his hands into fists and extinguishing his fire before his father could see it.

"No sir," Bill said quietly, knowing better than to look his father in the eye.

"You'll rue that day, Richard Cipher," Bill growled. He was curled in on himself in some icy dimension who knew how far away from his own. "You'll rue the day you tossed me aside like I was nothing. Mother's death was a mistake. But yours? I'll ensure you suffer before I finally end your pathetic life once and for all."

Bill was in a mood. He glared at everyone whenever they spoke to him or came a little too close.

Everyone except the natural born magic "user" noticed this, though said "user" knew better than to say anything about it. After all, so long as Bill was treating them with some form of kindness, they weren't going to argue.

"Hey Bill?" Mabel said brightly, oblivious to his rage. "Is 'Bill' short for William?"

"Call me that again and I'll snap your neck," Bill snarled. It was the first time he had directly and verbally threatened a member of the Pines family.

Everyone put their silverware down and simply sat and stared at the ex-dream demon whose eyes had reverted to the sickening yellow color.

"You touch her and not even Ford can stop me from beating your face in," Stan snarled, pulling out his brass knuckles and brandishing his hand across the table. "And you're already seriously injured. Meaning you can't take another hit."

"Stanley," Ford said warningly.

"What?!" Stan demanded, slamming his fists down on the table and angrily gesturing at Bill whose hands were engulfed in blue flame. "You're taking his side now!"

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Bill shouted, standing and launching himself at Stan. His blue flaming hands nearly wrapped around Stan's throat. But Ford moved faster, grabbing Bill's ankle and yanking the demon back, sending him flying into the wall where he slid to the ground, hand pressed to his ribs, hissing.

"Bill, enough," Ford said darkly. "You do not harm a member of this-"

Bill's insane laughter cut the scientist off. "Do you really think that will stop me? It'll take some form of magic to make me do anything! And you don't have a pinch of magic in your blood!"

Ford narrowed his eyes before reaching down and grabbing Bill's upper arm in a vice like grip, forcing the demon up and down to the lab. As soon as the vending machine shut behind them, Bill allowed fear to shine in his eyes as he tried to fight against Ford.

"Let go!" Bill hissed, not caring how scared or young his voice sounded. "You're hurting me!"

"You threatened my family," Ford said darkly, not looking back at Bill. "You're lucky I don't banish you to the prison dimension for the rest of your life."

Bill narrowed his eyes, fighting to calm himself down long enough to think.

"Fordsy, come on," he said, begging slightly. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep you down here until I can find a way to put a spell on you so you're bound to not hurt any member of the Pines-"

Bill didn't like the idea of being under someone's control and he spoke without thinking, panic making him move.

"Mokarran suh hakon!"

Ford's enter body went tense before his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed forward, unconscious. Bill winced when he heard the man's head connect with the concrete. Taking harsh breaths and just barely keeping himself from panicking, Bill backed away from Ford before turning and running.

Weirdmaggeddon two be screwed. Bill wanted out of Gravity Falls forever. Granted, he more than likely wouldn't survive long, but he didn't care anymore. He just wanted to get away from Ford.

After making sure no one was in the gift shop, Bill snuck over towards the door. With one last look around, he ran.

He didn't stop until he was far, far away. Only then did he utter the spell to reverse the other.

"Jistrathar akula pilif."

"Mokarran suh hakon!"

Ford went tense at the spell and had only a moment to think before his eyes rolled up into his head.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he painfully regained consciousness, head spinning and pounding. He groaned and pushed himself upwards, looking around to try and spot Bill.

"Of course," Ford growled, shaking his head and quickly moving towards the elevator. "The first chance he gets, he runs. Still. I've never heard that spell before, not to mention the fact that...he sounded scared."

Ford sighed, pushing his glasses up to rub his hands over his eyes as he made his way into the shack to see if anyone else had seen the demon sprint off.

"Hey Great Uncle Ford," Dipper said, walking over to Ford. "Are you alright? There's a big red mark on your face."

Ford sighed and rubbed his temple, wincing at the slight pain. "Have you seen Bill?"

"I saw Bill!" Mabel said cheerfully as she walked into the room. "I mean, it was the other night, but-"

"The other night?" Ford asked, frowning before realization came over his face. "In the dreamscape. Did he say anything to you?"

Mabel frowned before shrugging. "I don't know. Something about 'it all makes sense now'. He was acting really weird."

"Well, Mabel, it's Bill," Dipper said, chuckling. "What did you expect anyway?"

"Mabel, Dipper," Ford said firmly. "It's important. I need to know where he went."

"I told you that demon wasn't good for anything," Stan said darkly as he stalked into the room with a crossbow by his side. "First chance he gets, he runs."

Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Shaking his head, he sighed and patted his hip to make sure he still had his ray gun.

"Well then, come on Stanley," he sighed, removing his glasses and pressing the heel of his hand into his eye. "Let's go find him."

"Let's go Dipper!" Mabel all but shrieked, sprinting out of the shack before Stan or Ford could say no. Ford shot a glare over at Stan who just shrugged.

"They're kids, Sixer," he said, patting Ford on the back and chuckled. "Come on. Let's go before they get taken by Gnomes or something. Again."

Ford frowned, putting his glasses back on and following Stan out of the shack. "Again?" he questioned. "Stan, are you honestly not capable of protecting two children?"

"What are you, crazy, Cipher?" Bill demanded as he walked through the forest, staying in the trees rather than walking where it would be easier to see him. "You ran. Sixer is going to- well, Sixer won't kill you. Fez on the other hand-"

"I need a name for him," an eight year old Bill mumbled, turning away from the picture of the man he had drawn. The man he had seen in his dreams. His bright blue eyes moved around the room before falling on the six handed shape on his cipher wheel. He snapped his fingers, grinning and turning back to the picture, quickly scrawling the name in the corner.

Sixer.

"I don't get why I can see him but not his name," Bill muttered, before shrugging. "Doesn't matter I guess. He...he listens to me at least. I mean, he doesn't talk or listen…"

Bill sighed, putting his pencil down before blowing out the candle he used to light his room in the night.

"He's not any better than father," Bill mumbled. "He's probably not even real."

Bill shook the memory away. "I haven't thought of that in years. Why now?"

Groaning, Bill dropped down to sit on the tree branch he was precariously balanced on. He smirked to himself, mood doing a complete one eighty.

"Wonder when Sixer will be getting around. Guess I could practice some magic until then."

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel groaned from where she was perched on Stan's shoulders. She groaned and flopped over on his head. "I'm bored!"

"Then maybe you should have stayed at the shack, stupid," Dipper said in a joking manner. Mabel stuck out her tongue before grinning brightly at her laughing brother.

Setting Mabel down so she could walk with Dipper, Stan looked over at Ford who was nose deep in a new journal, muttering to himself.

"So Sixer," Stan began. "What happened that Cipher felt the need to sprint?"

Ford sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know. I think...he told me I was hurting him. I think it was an accident."

Stan scoffed. "Yeah, of course that's what you think. Face it, Stanford. No matter how much you try to deny it and no matter how many times he betrays you, you'll never stop trusting him."

Ford looked away. "I know. It's just...he made me feel special, you know? When I first met him, he flattered me. He made me feel worth something. He knew me inside and out-"

"Because you let him in your head," Stan pointed out. "He was using and manipulating you, poindexter, and that's all he'll ever do."

Ford rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. It's why I wrote 'trust no one' in the journals. As a reminder."

Stan frowned before placing a hand on Ford's shoulder. "Listen, Stanford. I get it, okay? Trusting someone just for them to turn around and stab you in the back. I know from experience what that feels like. That even when they betray you, you still trust them."

Ford frowned, Bill temporarily taken off his mind. "Who betrayed you?"

Stan sighed and moved to walk ahead of Ford as he called over his shoulder, "He just asked the question."

The realization hit Ford like a ton of bricks and for the first time in thirty years, he felt the most sickening sense of guilt.

…..

So. hope you enjoyed that. I tried to make it a little longer but I didn't want it to be really, really long, so that's why I stopped where I did.

I hope you enjoyed!

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks!