It was clear that things would never be the same, despite the success of Ford's revival. Though Dipper still very much loved and forgave his great uncles Stan and Bill, he would never forget what they had been ready to do – to risk. Millions of people died and that didn't change even after the demon's second mass resurrection. The only difference was that no Grim Reaper would start dropping bodies anew as it was still trapped inside of Robbie.
Once they had all calmed down, they brought Ford into the living room. They fetched him food and explained everything that had happened. He listened attentively but fired disapproving looks every now and again at his brother and lover. Dipper had been right. Ford would have condemned their activities had he been around to do so. When they finished explaining everything, the man launched himself in an intense rant, reprimanding Bill and Stan but neither seemed to care. They listened and nodded here and there to acknowledge what they were being told but it was so clear they were indifferent. The two were just so happy Ford was finally back. They all were.
The days subsequently passed quickly. The atmosphere within the Mystery Shack had changed greatly. Stan was back to his social self and invited Soos, Melody, and Dan over rather often for a refreshing beverage. He chatted leisurely with them and Dipper couldn't help but perceive it as strange whenever he stumbled upon them. As far as he was concerned, two of the three Stan continuously invited over had been worried sick given his isolated behaviour though were now none the wiser. Bill had made them forget the old man had ever secluded himself from the rest of the world.
Mabel was also in better spirits. There was no reason to lament over a death that had so recently been reversed. She could now focus her efforts elsewhere and she did. More times than not, Dipper found her skyping with Grenda and Marius who both complained about their workloads. Sometimes, the latter two would take their laptop outside to show her the breathtaking view they had of Vienna at night.
As for Bill, he hardly ever left Ford's side. Honestly, none of them really did. Though from time to time they would do their own things, whether it be chatting with friends over a nice beverage or crappy internet connection, they would always do it within Ford's vicinity. Dipper could tell he was annoyed by that. He couldn't get anything done in peace and quiet, but he never complained about it. The teen assumed it was because the other man understood why they were acting the way they were. Whether he remembered it or not, Ford had been dead for nearly four months and after they had launched the portal to bring him back, they had been certain it hadn't worked.
Regardless, the demon refused to do much of anything if his lover wasn't by his side. He was always found literally hanging off Ford or hovering around him. He became very attentive to his requests and even if Ford didn't always explicitly ask for something, Bill would give it to him in a heartbeat. It was endearing until the Shack quickly filled up with ridiculous things because Ford had recollected wanting something he had never gotten once upon a time and Bill had teleported it in. By the end of the week, the house looked like it was inhabited by hoarders until Ford demanded the things be cast away.
And though things were quite joyous and lighthearted; Dipper was upset to see that things weren't quite as nice and lovely as they ought to be. The reason for that was obvious and didn't necessitate much thought. Everything was back to normal now, but just a few short days ago, Bill had violently grabbed him by the throat and tossed him out of a room whereas Stan had been willing to let them die if it meant saving his own brother. It didn't matter that he understood why they did what they did; it didn't change that the demon had abruptly gotten terrifyingly aggressive whereas his great uncle had doomed them not to mention the rest of the universe.
Their relationships had changed forever. They weren't necessarily ruined, but they definitely weren't what they had once been.
"So hey," Bill began as he floated about in their attic room. The twins were located at their respective beds, organising their luggage, "How did you two get out of my magic prison anyway? I mean, no offense, Shooting Star, but you weren't strong enough to break out."
"None taken." She smiled.
"It was me." Dipper claimed.
"Ha! Bullshit!" The demon scoffed, "You haven't even unlocked your magic yet! Even if you had, Shooting Star would have had a better chance at breaking free!"
"It's true!" Dipper insisted, "I can teleport!"
"Un-hun. Sure. And I'm an angel!" Bill retorted sarcastically.
Dipper glanced at Mabel who met his eyes and offered him a grin. "You really don't believe me?" he challenged and Bill nodded, "Look out the window."
The demon frowned but floated to the triangular window and glanced out. Dipper then closed his eyes and envisioned where he wanted to be. Shortly after, he found himself on the lawn which could be viewed from the window of their attic room. Bill's face was priceless and he could hear Mabel howling with laughter at his stupefied expression. Dipper then closed his eyes and teleported back to his room.
"Oh my god!" Bill shouted, "You can teleport!?"
"I told you!" Dipper grinned.
"You frigging dingus!" Bill scolded and smacked Dipper's head, "Why didn't you tell me!? You could have gotten stuck in a wall or worse! Teleportation is dangerous!"
"Ow!" Dipper protested and rubbed the sore spot at the top of his head, "Well, to be fair, we weren't exactly on the same side and, before that, you went missing."
"When did this all start?" Bill asked curiously.
"Last summer. When I went to save Robbie, I think." Dipper mused.
"Did you experience any lapses in time too?" Bill asked and now that Dipper thought of it, he often felt like he was losing time whenever he was meditating.
"Yeah, a little." He admitted.
"What does that mean?" Mabel asked.
"It means he awoke his power the first time he lost time." Bill explained, "Think of it like the Legend of Zelda."
Dipper rolled his eyes at the videogame reference.
"Shut your face, Pine Tree!" Bill retorted, "It's super relevant, okay!? So in the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Link travels through time seven years into the future and back frequently. That's essentially how your power first manifested itself."
"Dipper time traveled?" Mabel asked, confused.
"No, have you ever even played that game?" The demon scoffed in indignation, "It's later explained in the game that what Link did wasn't actually time travel as much as it was his soul teleporting to his body seven years in the future while it slept in the Temple of Time."
"So my soul teleported to my future body?" Dipper asked.
"Yup. It's how the power first manifests itself." Bill confirmed with a proud nod, "You've got a special type of magic, kiddo. Not everyone can teleport."
Dipper grinned and stared at his hands. "That's awesome."
"Eh, not quite." Bill added, "Between you and your sister, your sister's more special. Most of the time when someone awakes their magical potential they're immediately attributed one ability. It's rare for someone to be able to choose what their speciality will be. I thought it might be common for people who didn't have the Gift but I guess I was wrong."
"Does that mean…I can't learn any other kind of magic?" Dipper asked.
"Basically." The demon confirmed. "But hey, teleportation's useful. Think of all the stuff you can steal! You and your sister would make a heck of an intense due too!"
"I guess." Dipper muttered in disappointment. Had he had the option to choose his specialisation, he would have opted for alteration or alchemic magic.
"Come on." The demon smiled, "I'll show you how to teleport like a champ. You'll also make good target practice for your sister."
"Target practice!?" Dipper squeaked.
"Wait, I have to start training again?" Mabel whined.
Eventually, Sunday came around. Though the twins were supposed to return to California and resume university, neither embarked on the bus meant to bring them home. The two decided to drop out for the rest of the year and try their luck again next year. Though their parents wouldn't understand, they deserved a break. After everything that happened, some of the decisions they had once been set on had to be revaluated. Dipper wasn't sure he would pursue his original program and he had to decide what else he would do if not cryptozoology.
"I'm not sure fashion is what I want to do with my life." Mabel declared as she came up behind her brother. He was seated on the front porch, staring at the stars. The night was cold but bearable with a decent sweater. The tea Mabel had brought also helped.
"Really? Don't you love that stuff?" Dipper asked and took his steaming mug. The heat pleasantly tingled at his hands.
"Yeah, but I love a lot of things." She remarked as she sat next to him. "It's just I don't know if I'll still love fashion if it becomes my job. I mean, what if it turns into a chore? Where's the fun in that?"
Good point. Dipper thought as he sipped at his beverage. Earl grey. His favourite.
"I also don't believe I'll feel as fulfilled if I pursue fashion." Mabel added a bit more quietly, "Especially when I know I have the potential to do something great."
"Sounds like you want to get into the supernatural business." Dipper chuckled.
"Well…maybe I do." She admitted.
Dipper paused before bursting into laughter. Amazing. What were the odds?
"Why are you laughing?" Mabel demanded, puffing out her cheeks angrily.
"This is just too funny!" He laughed, "You're considering going into the paranormal whereas I'm considering taking on something more normal. It's like we're just switching spots or something."
"I guess that's kind of funny," Mabel smiled and sipped at her tea. She made a face after presumably burning her upper lip. "Why are you out of love with it?"
"We've been through a lot." Dipper said softly, "We stopped three Apocalypses – actually, we failed in stopping the third one, the only reason the world didn't end was out of sheer luck. The point is, I don't know how many situations like that I can take."
"I see where you're coming from." Mabel acknowledged, "But if we don't do something, then who will?"
"How would we even make a carrier in that?" Dipper asked.
"We could travel the country – heck, the world, and help people with supernatural problems." Mabel suggested, "We would live in a car and embark on the greatest road trip of our lives. Think about it, who else is going to help someone with an annoying goblin or pesky ghost?"
"And would we get paid?" Dipper asked, unconvinced.
"Sure, but we ought to just ask people to give within their means though." Mabel answered excitedly and the more she indulged in this insane fantasy, the more she got motivated, "We can always milk more from our richer clients, you know?"
"That sounds insane." Dipper chuckled.
"Maybe, but it would be fun." She pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess it would." Dipper smiled lightly.
Whatever happened, they would be okay. Having dealt with two Armageddons and narrowly avoiding a third one; they really had to believe that everything would work out in the end. For better or for worse, everything would be alright.
