A/N Heyo! Here's another chapter. I don't own Gravity Falls. Enjoy like I always say. :3


Chapter 12 - Lost But Not Forgotten.

Dipper walked outside onto the patio to see Grunkle Stan beside a large RV. It was only the next morning, the sleepover incident still fresh in their minds. Although, Mabel, Candy, Pacifica and Grenda both shrugged it off. The RV was old and covered in bumper stickers as Soos stood on top, strapping something down to the roof of the vehicle. "Nice. And don't forget bug spray! It's perfect for spraying in the face of hitchhikers." Stan said to Mabel as she passed carrying a box.

"Whoa. An RV? Camping gear? Are you running from the law again?" Dipper questioned, spotting the camping gear.

"Dude! It's the ultimate Oregon road trip adventure!" Soos said, quite enthusiastically from atop the RV.

"More like revenge trip. Every year my tourist trap competitors prank the Mystery Shack. Except for last year because of you and your damn apocalypse. Two years ago those hooligans duct taped Soos to the ceiling." Stan clenched his fist dramatically.

"That was a fun 78 hours." The handyman said mystically, smiling.

"Well, no more!" Stan pulled something out of his suit, shoving it into Dipper's hand. It was a map of Oregon's tourist traps, each one circled in red with crosses on a few of them. "This year we're visiting every tourist trap along the Redwood Highway, and I'm gonna prank back every single one."

"Bow wow! Time to let the road dogs bark!" Grenda shouted upon arrival, Candy and Pacifica following behind her.

"That is us. We are the road dogs." Candy said with mild amusement.

"Ew! There's a bug in my hair again!" Pacifica screamed, trying to pry a bug that had become caught in her hair. Candy simply picked it from the girl's hair was a smile.

"Thanks for letting me bring Pacifica, Candy and Grenda along for our road trip, Grunkle Stan." Mabel thanked, her friends rushing into the RV instantly.

"The more the merrier. Just sign these non-disclosure agreements. None of your parents are lawyers, right?" He shoved legal documents into their hands with a wink. He followed after the girls as he talked more about the other tourist traps to Mabel's friends. Dipper watched with mild amusement, Soos jumping down from the RV before landing beside him.

"What do ya say, dude? You comin'?" Soos asked, fixing his hat.

"I already went to the trouble of packing all your stuff. Even the stuff you kept in that secret box under the bed." Mabel said as she walked past with a box labelled, 'Dipper's. Do Not Touch.' Dipper's face turned bright red as she dropped the box onto the ground, drawings and pictures of Bill and Weirdmageddon tumbling out. "Whoa. What the...? Ugh, what's that?"

"Uh, nothing! Just...Bill stuff...from old times." He mumbled, gathering them up in the box again as he awkwardly sweated.

"Ughh." Both Soos and Mabel groaned, Mabel placing a hand on her forehead. "Bro, I thought you were finally past all this. He's trying to take over your body for crying out loud."

"Ahh, I know, I know! I know he's trying to do stuff and I know it's over, but how do you just turn off the way you feel about someone?" Dipper mumbled, staring at the ground as he held his box.

"Two words, Dipper. Move. On." Mabel stated, holding up her fingers. If only they knew. Dipper thought.

"Yeah, dude. And a road trip's the perfect place to meet new people." Soos urged as Mabel got onto the RV. Dipper looked at his box before looking at Soos who still stood in the doorway. He smiled, walking forward and onto the metal deathtrap.

/(I)\

"Man, RVs are amazing. I can't believe we're sitting at a table in a moving vehicle!" Grenda shouted, slamming her hands against the table causing Pacifica to flinch.

"Ooh! Informational travel pamphlets." Candy sighed. She pressed the pamphlets against her cheeks.

"I want to read them all and gain their travel knowledge!" Pacifica stated. She seemed intrigued, as if she had never been on a road trip before.

"Kid, those useless pamphlets have never helped a single person. The only wrinkly old travel guide you'll need is me. Now, look alive! We're coming up on an attraction run by the most black-hearted proprietor in all of Oregon." Stan grimly said, Dipper laughing from his spot nearby. He glanced out the window and there was a sign saying 'Granny Sweetkin's Yarnball'.

"Uh Grunkle Stan, I thought you said they were black-hearted but this place-" Dipper began, pointing out the obvious as the van shuttered to a stop.

"Don't let the face fool you. This woman lit my car on fire on two non-consecutive occasions." Stan said with absolute seriousness. Dipper laughed, following them out of the RV, Stan right behind him. There was a massive multi-coloured ball of yawn although the thing that startled Dipper was the figure glancing around from the woollen object.

"Woah!" Dipper and the girls all stated.

"I'm going in, girls. Waaah." Mabel screamed in joy as she jumped in, the girls following after her. Dipper slowly approached the figure that was lurking around. A small teenage male looked at him intently from a distance. He had black hair that was sticking out in places, a purple hoodie covering his body along with a pair of simple jeans and sneakers. He looked around Dipper's age.

"Okay. Like Soos said, meet new people. So why not approach the teenage kid who's staring at me weirdly?" He mumbled to himself. "Uh hi. I'm-"

"You're Dipper Pines aren't you?" The kid said with a smirk, holding out his hand in greeting. "Tad, Tad Strange."

And then a small bubble of knowledge just popped in Dipper's brain, spraying him with information."Nope. Not dealing with your shit today, Tad." Dipper knocked the boy's hand away with an unamused snarl. "What's a demon like you doing around here?" He was hissing under his breath, unknown hate coating it.

"And there's the Bill that I remember." Tad placed a hand on his hip as his clothing changed to that of an old Englishman's. Rather than a black suit, it was purple.

"Am I right in assuming they cannot hear or see this?" Dipper motioned to his family which were worming their way through the yarn ball.

"You would be correct on saying that. All they see is you attempting to flirt with another teenager, Bill." Tad chuckled, clearly amused by Dipper's flustered face.

"Dipper. I go by Dipper now, Tad. Your wise behind should know that. Now get to the point." He snapped, tapping his foot against the ground in frustration.

"Alright, fine, Dipper," Tad said his name with a trace of malice as if the name itself was too odd or too simplistic and it deserved to teased for such. "The Nightmare Realm is in an uproar since Bill has been gone. Due to the fact that you are Bill now in essence, the High Council sent me to request your return. We haven't forgotten what you promised." Dipper's left eye changed from chestnut brown to yellow and slitted in a matter of seconds.

"One, Bill promised it and all I have now is his knowledge. And two, why would I want to return to that hell-hole? I've got it good here, Tad. A body, a physical form thanks to that Axolotl and how easy he was to trick. And me? Although I want that title as much as Bill does, I'm not that gullible. So go back to the Nightmare Realm and tell them I'll return when the world burns." Dipper snapped, frustrated and pissed off.

"But they're threatening another civil war! The Nightmare Realm-"

"Can deal with its own problems. I've got my own problems to deal with Tad." Dipper snarled, his eyes glowing an ominous yellow.

The radio in his pocket began to buzz, Stan's voice coming through the small device. 'Dipper, hup to! This ball a' yarn ain't gonna prank itself.'

"I'll see you around, Tad." Dipper walked away without a second thought, his left eye shifting to normal as he grabbed the stray end of the ball of yarn with slight glee. He looped it around the bumper of the RV. He let loose a small sigh as he tightened the knot.

"Something on your mind, kiddo? You're thinking about mister cold shoulder over there, huh?" Stan jerked a finger towards the figure of Tad. And then Dipper gained an idea as he watched Tad disappear into the gift shop.

"Ahh, I'm so embarrassed. Look, last year I ruined my chances with Bill and practically anyone." Dipper said, a false tone of sadness filling his voice.

"Heh, yeah. Chances." Stan rolled his eyes, awkwardly chuckling.

"And I wanna move on, but I'm terrible at talking to girls let alone guys. The moment I open my mouth around them I unravel like...like...well, I can't think of a perfect metaphor, but you get the gist. At this rate, I'm going to grow up to be a sad loner like Toby Determined." As he spoke, he spun his hands around to show his point.

"Whoa. Never say that about yourself. Lucky for you I'm an expert on women. It might work for guys too, ya know? Listen to me, kid. When it comes to girls or guys always be confident. And be funny, but not too funny. And be kinda annoying but in a lovable way." Stan explained, patting Dipper on the shoulder.

"I don't know, Grunkle Stan. This sounds kinda jerky." Dipper didn't seem content at what his great uncle was saying.

"Hey, jerky is just a term non-jerks use to bad mouth innocent jerks. Confidence, comedy, some third word starting with a C. The three Cs of the Stan Pines dating technique! At the next tourist trap, try out my advice on the first guy or girl you see." Stan said with confidence radiating from his voice.

"Cool. Grunkle Stan, thanks." Dipper smiled as Stan cupped his hand around his mouth before shouting.

"Hey, I'm full a good ideas. Speakin' of which, everyone! Now!" The old man shouted as everyone ran into the RV. They drove away, the ball of yarn trailing behind them. An old lady ran out of the gift shop, fist raised as she grabbed a giant knitting needle.

"Why, you gall darn son of a no good." She screamed, throwing the needle at the RV. "I'll get you, Stan Pines!"

/(I)\

The RV slowly stopped outside an upside down house, a large wheel with carpeting outside the building. "Ah, Upside-Down Town. The nausea capital of the state. Whatever you do, don't use the bathrooms." Stan stated as the RV shuttered to a stop, everyone instantly getting out. They all rushed to the circular wheel, sticking on shoes with Velcro on the bottom. Dipper slipped his pair on, watching as his sister and her friends let loose giggles. Dipper followed after them as they stepped onto the carpeted wheel. The world turned upside down, Dipper stepping lightly as he was stuck to the ceiling. He walked into the building, spotting a girl looking out a window while taking photos. Stan's voice echoed through his head like a cliche in a movie. He slowly approached her.

"Hi, I'm Dipper. Crazy place, right?" He spoke, pointing in the general area around them. The girl laughed in reply. She was pale with brown to blonde hair and freckles.

"Oh, hi. I'm Emma Sue. Cool eye, by the way, you get cool contacts at one of the other places?" She greeted with a smile.

"Uh yeah. At the Mystery Shack. Cool place." Dipper lied, knowing how difficult it could be if he explained it otherwise.

"You know, if you pretend we're right side up, it looks like everyone's hair is standing on end." She chuckled. Dipper suddenly got an idea.

"Huh. Yeah, weird, right? Pretend you're screaming." He asked, chuckling.

"Okay. You gotta take a picture of me, though." Emma passed over her phone as she undid her hair. She let loose a small scream and Dipper took her photo.

"Let's see about-whoa!" Dipper let go of her phone before rapidly catching it. "Huh-hoh, just kidding." He let loose a laugh.

"You are the worst." She laughed too, punching Dipper softly in the arm.

"You bet I am. I'm bad, Emma. Kind of a jerk." Dipper said smugly, bursting out into laughter afterwards.

"Emma, get the heck away from that boy! He's the one who started that apocalypse." A man shouted from a distance. Emma glanced at Dipper confused.

"It's a long story." Dipper sighed, placing his hand into his pockets with a sigh.

"Maybe you could tell me sometime. I know full well that the news tends to blow things up. Here's my email address. Write to me and you can tell me all about it." Emma pulled out a marker, writing it down on Dipper's left arm. She walked away with a small wave. He walked towards the gift shop, filled with pride.

"A girl gave me her email. And it wasn't out of pity! Haha! Yes!" He jumped up, landing on his back in the gift shop. Mabel looked at him as he helped himself up. His twin stood on the ground, the only one still on the ceiling being Grenda. "I'm okay. I'm better than okay. Mabel, hi. There's my Grenda. Candy, looking great, looking great. Is that a new pair of glasses? Very shiny. Looking lovely Pacifica! I like your hair." Dipper didn't seem to notice the blushing on Pacifica's cheeks. "Hahaha. Wooo!" He exited the gift shop with a smile on his face.

"Maybe it's the blood pooling in my head, but Dipper seems different." Grenda groaned as her forehead turned purple from the blood rushing to her head.

"Yes. Good different." Candy mumbled.

"Agreed," Pacifica said. Dipper overheard their comments, shrugging them off. He heard Stan shouting something as the tourist trap in front of him began to tilt as someone, who seemed to be the owner, ran outside. It landed right-side up.

"Not so upside-down now!" Stan laughed as everyone got onto the RV.

Dipper overheard someone saying something as he shut the door. "What a lovely normal home!" The owner fell to his knees, clenching his hands closed.

"Stan Pines!" He yelled as the RV vanished down the road. Dipper sat down next to Stan as the old man drove. He looked at the email drawn on his arm with a slight smile.

"I can't believe it worked. What do I do now? Do I e-mail her?" He mumbled, looking up at Stan.

"No, no, no. You practice. The more girls, or boys in your case, you talk to, the better you get at it." Stan said with deep pride. "And that's just the tip of the advice-berg."

/(I)\

Dipper continued to flirt with a bunch of other girls and boys as they continued to prank the different locations. Dipper stood in the corn maze, a boy he had just flirted with walking away. The cornwall nearby moved as a figure stepped out. What startled him was the fact that the creature was not human nor was it a monster. It was a demon. More demons appeared behind it, pointing at Dipper intently. Mabel stood nearby, seemingly oblivious to the demons surround them.

"What do you want?!" Dipper hissed, his voice a whisper. The group just pointed at him. Dipper felt his hands growing clammy as they stared at him.

"Kids, c'mon! Everyone on board?" Stan shouted as everyone else boarded on the RV. Dipper rapidly ran on behind Mabel.

"Probably." Mabel shrugged as Dipper shut the door, glancing out at the demons that watched them leave. He knew full well why they were there and why only he could see them. Tad wasn't done with trying to get him back.

/(I)\

Dipper held his arms up high, lowering himself gently into the hot tub where his great uncle sat. He felt the bubbly yet hot water stinging his skin as he sat down. "So then I said to the bouncer, 'Where's your ID, ugly?'" Stan continued the story he was telling, pointing to a scar under his right arm."That's where I got this scar."

Dipper let loose a laugh. "Grunkle Stan, I gotta say this was one of the best days ever. Look!" He showed his arms, each covered in phone numbers and emails, most of them written on his left arm. Dipper fiddled with his can a second later.

"That's the Stan Pines method, kid. Works every time." Dipper's smile fell.

"I'm just a little worried, though. I mean is it bad to flirt with this many people at once? I'm just tryin'a get over Bill. I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings." Stan let loose a sigh, taking a sip of his Pitt Cola before speaking.

"Please. That's the best part 'a flirting on a road trip. You're not gonna see any of these gals or guys again. To moving on!" Stan raised his drink in a toast but Dipper didn't return it.

"Grunkle Stan, have you ever done anything you wish you could tell people about but it's really risk too?" His voice was meek and small, a shadow of something in it.

"Kid, your talking to a man who spent thirty years impersonating his twin. Can't get riskier than that, can't it?" Stan joked, pointing at his chest.

"I may have done something." Dipper began, staring down at his almost empty soda.

"Spill," Stan stated, crushing his can against the side of the hot tub before picking up another Pitt Cola from nearby.

"I made a deal with Bill. A mental deal." Dipper spoke, Stan spitting up his drink as he stared silently at Dipper.

"Y-You... W-what?!" Stan spluttered, coughing once before regaining his posture.

"We made a deal. Coughing up blood meant my body was killing itself. I'd either die or live, not in between. We couldn't co-exist as two so we decided to become one." Dipper explained with a shrug. Stan just looked frightened and confused. "Oh don't look at me like that. I couldn't just die and leave Mabel alone. So what if I made another deal with the devil?" Dipper looked down at his can again, silence covering them.

"Kid." Stan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Why do you keep making it worse?"

"You're kidding me, right? So you'd rather I die than live with Bill?!" Dipper was shouting now.

"That's not what I meant, Dipper. What would Ford say? How did you think Mabel will react? Did you really think this through?" Stan elaborated.

"I dunno. They won't leave me alone though." Dipper said, earning another confused look. "Oh. The demons. Don't worry, the can't interact with reality." Dipper shrugged it off as if was nothing.

"Kid, you just keep getting deeper into trouble don't you?" Stan seemed concerned. There was sudden screaming in the distance. "Man, coyotes sound a lot worse than I remember."

"Grunkle Stan, trust me, nothing has changed at all. I swear it." Dipper used his arms to emphasise his point. "Just don't tell anyone what we talked about, please." Stan stared at Dipper for a few minutes.

"Alright. Just promise if anythin' happens you tell me before it gets worse." Stan nodded, sighing once more. Dipper smiled faintly, tracing a finger across the runes on his arm for a second.


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