These Dreams – Chapter Thirteen

by taitofan

Rated M for sexual situations, non-descriptive death in this chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or its characters.

Author's Note: Big things are coming soon…

OC ref: taitofan "dot" tumblr "dot" com "slash" post "slash" 116878883105 "slash" nicolasselfy

Nicolas and Ominis can both be seen there.

If you have any CC, please share and I'll listen. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 05-30-15

It didn't take long before Mabel knew exactly where they were headed. Surely, Dipper had told the story of how the two of them were almost ripped apart up here. He'd also mentioned that he and Bill had found Nicolas in the same place. She supposed it would be a place Nicolas would want to see, but she didn't particularly want to be there. But what choice did she have? Even if one of them tried to throw off the duo, the terrain was definitely on the side of winged creatures.

'I wish I had my grappling hook.'

"Why are you doing this?" Mabel almost winced as Wendy's voice filled the silence. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Well now, I don't see why I need to answer anything to the likes of you." Mabel couldn't see Nicolas's face, but she instinctively knew there was a scowl there. He really didn't like Wendy, but she didn't think now was the time to clear up any misconceptions he had about Wendy and Dipper. "But I suppose I can answer your second question… You're humans, and I don't like humans. Simple."

"Dipper is a human."

"And that is a fault I must forgive him for everyday." The sarcasm in his voice was amazing.

"You—"

"Man, you wanna know why I dragged you all along?" Nicolas cut Wendy off, sounding quite done with her. "Because you're annoying and poke your noses where they don't belong, and I'm doing my part to make sure you don't wreck things. And you in particular are the worst human I've met, so I suggest you shut your trap or I'll cut out your tongue."

Nothing was said for a few moments. But only a few moments.

"Now you're just recycling your partner's lines."

Mabel almost groaned. Now really wasn't the time to provoke the mystical creature who had a boyfriend with a weapon trained on their backs! Wasn't she supposed to be the impulsive one here? And sure enough, she heard Wendy swear under her breath as she was jabbed in the back.

"Nicolas told you to be quiet." She noted that Ominis's voice was still as unruffled as before, and she almost giggled despite herself. A crow, unruffled! "You should listen to him."

"Hey kid," Stan spoke up, while Mabel wondered why they couldn't all just stop aggravating their captors, "can I say something?"

"Fine," he snapped. "Make it quick, old man."

"I don't know what Cipher told you, but Dipper had a crush on Wendy, and all she did was let him down easy. If he told you anything else, he was lying."

Nicolas didn't stop walking, but Mabel could see his body tense just a tiny bit.

"…Yeah, well… Dad is really protective of Papa. I guess… he might exaggerate things. But who cares? I still hate you all, and I want you to all be quiet now."

Finally, they reached a clearing at the top of the mountain. This was it, Mabel thought, this was where she and Dipper had been led by that illusion. It made her very uncomfortable, but Nicolas looked positively ecstatic. If he hadn't been more or less holding them hostage, she might have found it cute.

"This is where Dad and Papa found me!" He turned to Mabel, grinning widely, his sharp teeth almost shining in the sunlight. "This is where Papa decided saving me was a better idea than seeing you! Where he chose his son over his sister! How's that make you feel, Auntie?"

Mabel swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled.

"I'm really proud that Dipper chose to save you. He still got to see me eventually, but he only had one chance to save you, right? It was the right thing to do, and it's obvious that Dipper loves you, so how could I be mad about it?"

"I…" Nicolas paused, as if not expecting her to respond like that after all that had happened. He didn't know her very well. She still wanted to think the best of him, and of Dipper too. It was just very, very hard at times. "Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter what you think anyway…" He didn't seem as convincing as she was sure he was trying to be. "I wonder what happened to the other tengu though. Papa said he didn't know if they died or if I was abandoned. Not that it matters, but still… I wonder…"

"M-maybe I can help with that."

Mabel gasped as a familiar man suddenly phased into view.

"Blendin Blandin?"

Dipper watched the machine, and occasionally he checked the barrier. Nothing wrong with either.

He didn't check up on Nicolas or Mabel. He didn't need to. He trusted them. He trusted Bill's abilities. He did.

So why couldn't he stop the anxiety that filled him?

'Maybe… Just for a second…'

"Who the hell are you?" Nicolas noticed Ominis raise his rod, and the smallest amount of fear reared its ugly head. This man looked human, and he didn't seem like a threat, but his familiar thought he was one. Sometimes it was hard to tell if Ominis was sensing something he missed, or if he was just overprotective. Being a human with facial expression rather than a crow didn't even help.

"As Mabel Pines has stated, my name is Blendin Blandin, a time agent from the future." He looked very nervous. And he wasn't even looking at Ominis—he only looked at Nicolas. "I would like to show you the past. Five years ago, right here."

"Why would you want to help me?" He didn't know everything about his parents' plan, but he did know it involved killing the Time Baby, who a guy like this should work for. It sounded like a trap. But then Blendin held out a tape measure.

"I only want you to see this," he explained, and Nicolas couldn't detect a lie. "You can go alone if you want. If you don't trust me, you can keep your familiar here to watch me."

Nicolas narrowed his eyes. Not lying or not, it was still suspicious.

"But why?"

"You'll know when you see."

He sighed, looking between the man, his papa's family, and Ominis. He was curious, and he might be able to learn sometime about the man's motives that could help his parents…

"Nicolas?" Ominis's voice was far warmer when he spoke to him, Nicolas noted. He shot his familiar a smile before turning back to Blendin.

"…Fine, give me that thing." Blendin handed it to him and quickly told him how to use it. Upon Nicolas's hesitation, Mabel assured him that was how she and Dipper had done it long ago. Well, it sounded easy enough, he supposed. "Five years, huh? Alright, but if this is a trap, I'll kill you myself, got it?"

"Y-yes." His nervous expression almost made Nicolas laugh. What a loser. At least he was smart enough to know a threat when he heard one.

He was about to pull the tape when a thought occurred to him. If this were a trap, there would probably be time agents in the past, right? But if he had someone with him, he'd at least have bait.

"Come here, traitor." When Pacifica didn't move, he stalked over to her and yanked her over to him. Mabel made a grab for her, but it was too late. "You're coming as insurance."

He expected some resistance from her, but she nodded, shooting Mabel a look that said, 'Don't worry.'

"Alright, let's do this." He pulled the tape, and in a flash, they were gone.

And immediately, they were in the exact same place. Everyone was gone, and there were subtle differences in the rock structure, but it was definitely the same spot. Five years ago, by the looks of it, and not a single ambush to be seen. Looked like Blendin wouldn't have to get roasted after all.

"Maybe we should hide?" The question brought Nicolas's attention back to the fact that they were, indeed, in the past, and should probably not be seen.

"I know that!" he insisted, yanking her behind some large shrubs that could conceal them, but that he could also peek through. "Stay down and don't say a word!"

Moments after his warning, two tengu came into view. There they were, Nicolas thought, his birth parents. The thought rather underwhelmed him, but he could see where some of his physical traits came from. He had the man's hair and eyes, but was built a bit more like the woman.

"Ah, there you flying rats are!" Nicolas almost jumped at his dad's voice. Bill floated into view, and Nicolas figured that something must have been cloaking their presence if his dad's demonic senses didn't locate them. "Now look, nothing against you all, but you have something I need."

The two spoke harshly, in a language Nicolas didn't understand. Japanese, he assumed. He'd never cared to learn it.

"Yeah, I am the demon that almost fried you a few years back, congrats on remembering me! Oh, but don't look like that. This isn't going to hurt you… mostly because I'm going to kill you too quickly for you to feel much pain at all! Normally I'd do this slowly, you know, really savor it. But my husband—who you tried to kill, remember—will be coming here in less than an hour, so we've gotta do this quick. Now if you'll just give me the baby…"

It was then that Nicolas finally noticed the baby that the woman carried. That was him.

"Oh, gonna play like that, are you? Fine by me! I'll just take the kid myself!" With a wave of his cane, the bundle of feathers floated away from the woman. She shouted what sounded like a name—Kazuya, he thought it sounded like—but neither she nor her husband could snatch him back. Mostly because they seemed to be held in place by magic. The baby floated safely beside Bill. "Thanks for the baby! Goodbye!"

He heard Pacifica make a shocked noise as the two seemed to explode, but his dad never once looked their way. Nicolas had seen plenty of carnage, but that just seemed excessive. It was all soon gone though, the remains magically picked up and flung over the side of the mountain for wild creatures to find and devour.

"There we are, kid, down you go." Bill lowered the baby down gently, leaving him on the hot mountainside. "Sorry I gotta do this to you, but you need to look nice and abandoned so Pinetree will want to save you. Then you're going to be our kid, okay? Don't worry, I promise you won't die, and you'll learn enough demon laws to know that actually means something."

Bill floated lower, petting the baby's head with a hesitation Nicolas wasn't sure he'd ever witnessed from his dad before.

"Pinetree is young, but he'll be a good dad. He just… He misses that idiotic family of his too much. He needs a family of his own, and he keeps getting frustrated with me. That's what humans do, I think. Have kids so they'll stay together. Pretty sure they do, at least. I guess I could make a kid, but I think he might get suspicious. But if he finds a baby that looks like its dying, well, he'll eat that right up!"

"So just hang tight, kid." He looked at the baby for a moment before he floated back up. "I'll be back for you soon."

And then he was gone.

Nicolas quickly stood up and walked over to his past self. Was it bad to do this? Would the time-space continuum be ripped to shreds if they touched? Well, what did it matter—he was a baby, and he certainly never remembered meeting himself as a baby. He knelt down and took a closer look.

"Hey, me." He paused. Man, he felt a little silly, but he felt as if he needed to say this. "It looks like your… my… our parents loved us. I mean, you look like a healthy, fat baby. But look, I don't know those two. All I know are Bill and Dipper Cipher. Your name isn't some Japanese thing, okay? It's Nicolas Cipher, and you're gonna grow up around lots of cool magic, and you're gonna get a familiar, and you're gonna fall in love with him, but don't feel too weird about it, because he'll get a humanoid body one day. Just… Just don't worry. You're alright."

Baby Nicolas didn't make a peep, merely peering up curiously.

"…Nicolas, are you alright?" He touched his cheeks, knowing what he'd feel, yet still surprised to find the tears anyway. He stood up and wiped at his eyes.

"I'm being stupid, huh? Talking to a baby who can't hear me…"

"I don't think so." Pacifica looked sort of wistful. Nicolas realized that he really didn't know anything about her relationship with her parents. "So, that's the infamous Bill Cipher. He, uh, he chose you, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded, composing himself before he continued. "He did. I mean, maybe I was just convenient, but—"

"But he seemed really tender there, and he had no reason to be." She was so quick to point that out that Nicolas was a little taken aback. No one else seemed to think anything about his dad other than that he was the cause of everyone's problems. "I think… Maybe he really did want to have a family with Dipper. Maybe there was more to it than just wanting to make sure Dipper didn't leave him for Mabel."

"Y-yeah, you're right." He thought about his dad's words and smiled. Bill could have made a child, but he didn't. He could have picked any child, but he didn't. "He didn't think anyone was around, and he knew a baby wouldn't remember what he said, so it has to be true. He chose me, and he really loves Papa, and that dumb time agent has another thing coming if he thought this would sway me to his side or something!"

He went to yank the tape measure, intent on giving that man a piece of his mind. He only had two parents—the two who raised him—and seeing the past wasn't about to change that.

"Hey, wait a second."

"What is it?" He didn't snap at her as he had with the others. Of all the things that had happened that day, the fact that he wasn't angry at her anymore was perhaps the thing that shocked him the most.

"I…" She paused, looking as if she had to brace herself for what she had to say. "I'm sorry. Mabel and the others are really worried about Dipper, and she pulled out the puppy eyes…"

"Look, it's…" He smiled, just a bit. They really had a lot in common, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. "It's fine. I mean, me and Ominis are okay, and I got to see all this, so I guess it worked out. Oh, and hey, Ominis really liked the jewels, you know."

"That's good, I'm glad." She seemed to be sincere, and his smile got a little wider.

"He liked my amethyst the most though!"

"It was a nice cut," she agreed with a soft laugh. "And it came from you, so I think that makes it the best anyway. I mean, I have a lot of stuff, but the things Mabel gives me are always my favorites."

Nicolas was hit, at that moment, with a realization. One that concerned him more than he liked. He really, truly like this human, and he dreaded the thought that he might have to harm her. He forgave her and he was already trusting her again, and this was a major revelation that he really didn't like!

"…You aren't so bad," he admitted quietly, his face becoming somber. "I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you," she assured, still trying to smile. It wasn't very convincing. "Or anyone."

"I don't think Papa will let any of you get hurt, but when Dad wins, I don't really know what will happen."

"Win what?" He didn't doubt her sincerity, but he laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, no, sorry. If I tell you, Aunt Mabel might try her puppy eyes again," he teased, briefly sticking his tongue out at her. "You're better off not knowing!"

"Okay, okay," she laughed, and this time, it sounded genuine. "You've got me there. Should we go back yet?"

"Yeah," he agreed, looping one of his arms with hers, a stark contrast to the grip he'd had on her when they arrived. "I want to tell that loser just how little I care about what I saw!"

He finally pulled on the tape measure, returning them to the present time. They were back in a flash.

And Pacifica immediately broke free of him with a cry, her hands clasping over her mouth. Nicolas didn't move as he surveyed the scene. What had happened here…? They hadn't been gone long at all! It looked…

It looked just like when then tengu had exploded, except no one had bothered to clean it up.

"Nicolas!" He almost cried in relief at the sound of Ominis's voice. If that mess had been him, he didn't know what he would have done. "I'm glad you're back. You certainly missed a grand display of power."

"I'll say," he breathed, looking around for sign of anyone else. "Was… Was this Dad? Is he back?"

Ominis sighed, shaking his head. Nicolas couldn't even begin to believe the alternatives.

"No, nor was it I, nor the time agent. In fact," he swept out his arm at the carnage, "that is what remains of the time agent. Mister Cipher could no longer detect your presence, and he teleported here just after you left. He thought it was a trap, and, well, you can see how he reacted."

"Papa did this?" Nicolas knew he was capable of it, but he didn't think his papa would actually do such a thing. "Just because he thought the guy was hurting me?"

"Yes, and even after your aunt explained, it did not faze him. He said that the man had at least been trying to turn you against your family, and that was crime enough for the punishment. Though I can see it obviously did not work."

"Obviously," he agreed. "But the barrier—"

"Has not been breached," Ominis assured. "Mister Cipher must have used a lot of energy, but I suppose the adrenaline of thinking you had been injured fueled him. Also, he informed me that no other time agents are in the area. I'd say Master Cipher is winning."

"That's good. But where are the other humans?" He knew they must be alive, but he didn't sense them in the vicinity. "Papa didn't take them, did he?"

"…He took your aunt and ordered me to let the others go and wait for you to return. I am to escort you back to the premises, and we will be allowed inside. I believe his plan is to put them under an enchantment once they get close to the barrier."

"He took Mabel?" They both turned to Pacifica, who was very pale, but otherwise seemed fine. "He won't hurt her, will he?"

"No," Nicolas insisted firmly, ignoring Ominis's curious glance when he didn't just snap at her to shut up. "Dad isn't allowed to harm her, I'm not allowed to harm her, and he definitely isn't going to do it himself. He probably thought she'd be safer with him. Maybe, I dunno, try to talk her into the whole immortality thing."

"Immortality…?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "all three of us are, plus Ominis too. I mean, mostly. We'll never get old and die at least. We're immune to disease too. Stuff like that."

"Are you sure this is wise?" Ominis asked, glaring at Pacifica. Nicolas turned to him, smiling softly.

"She's okay," he admitted, "you know, for a human. We've come to a truce, I guess, so don't worry. She's not magical, anyway."

He thought she whispered "rude" under her breathe, but he elected to ignore it.

"Anyway, we should get back if Papa is waiting for us. It looks like he's already way too strung out waiting for Dad, if he'd go this far." He turned back to Pacifica. "You might want to go home. I'm sure Aunt Mabel will be fine, and Papa might enchant you too, if you get near the barrier."

"I'll be fine," she insisted, and he knew that if someone told him to do the same if Ominis were gone, he'd react just as she was. "If Dipper knocks me out, then he knocks me out. But I'm going."

"Alright, but we've wasted enough time, so we'd better go the fast way." He unclipped his fans and looked to Ominis. "I'm gonna need a boost if I'm taking two with me."

Without a word, Ominis came up to him and leaned down, capturing his lips in a kiss. Nicolas melted into it—this was a lot better than the little pecks to the head he had to give the crow before! Well, he supposed that hadn't be necessary, but he'd made do with what they'd had. Regardless, this type of energy transfer beat any other.

When the kiss ended, Nicolas grinned and raised his fans.

"Let's do this!"

"Will you stop looking at me like that?"

"No!" Mabel yelled, glaring at him. He supposed, grudgingly, he understood why she was reacting that way. "Dipper, you… You killed him! You never would have done this back then!"

"Back then I was weak," he snapped, not wanting to bring Bill into this. "Stop thinking I'm the same as I was when we were twelve! Mabel, he was up to no good, and he had to go."

"But why? So what, Nicolas saw his birth parents. They're dead. Unless you have a reason to think he'd get mad at what he saw, why would you react that way?"

He wouldn't say aloud that he certainly did think that maybe Bill had something to do with the tengu dying. The older he got, the more suspicious the scenario seemed. The timing had been a little too perfect, and he and Bill had been fighting off and on at the time… It didn't seem farfetched that Bill would kill the parents to give Dipper a reason to stay. He hadn't needed it, but he didn't deny that being a father made him happy. He loved his family, and he wasn't going to let a time agent ruin it.

Besides, if a time agent was stupid enough to try to flee Bill and defeat him from the past, they deserved whatever punishment they got.

"Look, I had my reasons. I'm not looking for your approval."

"Good!" she yelled back. "Because I'm not giving it!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

He growled, turning away from her. Why couldn't she just trust him? Why did she have to just assume the worst all of a sudden?

"Argh, Mabel, you're driving me crazy! I'm trying to help you, and you won't listen!" She'd never listened when it mattered. She was always caught up in boys, then Pacifica, and… "This is all your fault anyway, so don't blame anyone but yourself!"

Mabel didn't answer; he finally turned back to her, only to see her disbelieving face.

"W-what? How can you say that…?"

"Well isn't it true? I was only trying to stop you from getting your heart broken again, and you went and told everyone I wet my bed! If you hadn't done that, then Bill wouldn't have come into my dreams that day and started all of this." He paused, smirking at her shocked expression. "I guess I should thank you, now that I think about it."

"You're crazy," she breathed, backing up until she hit the wall. "Bill took you away and changed you…"

"Sorry Mabel." He wasn't sorry. "But he didn't change me, he just gave me the chance to live the way I wanted."

He waved his hand, and she quickly slumped down to the floor, asleep, just as Stan, Wendy, and Soos were outside. Maybe bringing her back had been a mistake, but he couldn't give up yet. He just had to try harder to make her understand. It was a bigger challenge then he's initially thought, but he expected it. After all, Mabel always had lots of friends, and their parents had clearly favored her. Stan had clearly favored her.

Well, now he was going to have everything he wanted.

He soon felt Nicolas's magical signature fill the air, Ominis and Pacifica with him. And just as quickly, he felt Pacifica's drop off as the enchantment he'd set up outside put her to sleep. It would be better for her, he was sure. He didn't want to hurt her, so he needed her to stay out of his family's business.

'Hurry Bill,' he thought as he wove the spell to bring Nicolas and Ominis past the barrier, 'I need to make Mabel understand…'

'…And I really miss you already.'