AN: So sadly I still don't own Gravity Falls, But I do own an apparently indestructible computer. Either way, I miss a few details from previous chapters that I may have forgotten, mainly because I cant find the journal that had all my ideas in it, so please bear with me. If I did miss anything important that may have been forgotten, feel free to shoot me a message, but without further delay, here is chapter (I think) ten.
Chapter 10: Deal Or No Deal.
Amber quietly slipped back into her sisters room, her mom hadn't moved from her spot holding Hazel's hand. Ford stood stiffly to one side of the room, a pained look on his face as he stared at what he believed to be his only family left. Amber felt her phone buzz again in her pocket and gave a small sigh.
"Hey momma?" She questioned quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. Mabel gave a small sniffle and turned to look at Amber. Amber bit her lip and glanced at the door for a second. "I uhm, I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel room, I have no doubt you want her moved home as soon as possible, so I will go ahead and start packing everything up to be moved, and uhm see if I can find an excuse for ford." She said with a nod to Ford who gave a sheepish smile, despite the situation.
"That would probably be a good idea, I don't think I have a social security number anymore, ya know being presumed dead for almost thirty years will probably cause that." He said, Mabel gave a watery smile and nodded. "Do you need my help, I think I can still hack into some computers and inside access will probably help with my identity and successfully moving Hazel without much fight." He offered stepping forward.
"N-no no thats okay. I ah, I know how to hack pretty well." Amber said quickly, throwing her hands up in front of her. "It's just, I think you should be here for mom and in case Haze wakes up." Amber supplied, Ford rose an eyebrow but Mabel seemed to buy it through her grief. Amber felt awful lying to them but she needed to do it to save Hazel. "Just send me a text if her condition changes okay?" Amber asked and leaned down to give her mother a hug. "I love you, I'll see you later." She whispered, she straightened up and smiled at Ford. With one final goodbye she left the room. After a short walk out of the hospital, she glanced around and sure enough, there was the car, good as new. Bipper had even had the audacity to put a golden bow on the hood of the car. Amber shook her head and got in the car. With a gulp of air and stolen moment to steel herself, she started the car and began the drive to the outskirts of town.
Meanwhile in thew nightmarescape.
Hazel stood in an empty field all she could see for miles were seas of tall grass. She couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. One minute she was bleeding out on the forest floor, tired broken and cold. Now she was In the middle of nowhere. A sigh slipped from her as she thought of what to do.
"I guess I should start walking. "She mumbled, Rubbing her arm that throbbed dully. She set off at a casual pace, she had faced death less than an hour ago so she figured she was either dead or immortal, if anything decided to jump out of the tall grass at her, she figured she could take it. After what felt like hours she stopped to rest, her spine was beginning to throb and her leg hurt as well. she sat on the ground and sighed watching the grass sway in the light breeze around her.
"Hello baby pinetree." A voice she knew all too well said from behind her, a yelp slipped from her lips a painful jump causing her to jar her spine. She stood and turned to see the source of the voice, frowning at what she saw.
Bill said casually with a grin to her, He was a mirror of Dipper in terms of body build, or at least he was a healthier version of him. The differences fell to his actual looks. His hair was a deep gold, his skin a light tan and completely unblemished, no freckles, no scars, no wrinkles. A golden eye that seemed to hold all the malice in the world shined mischievously at her, the other hidden behind a black triangle eye patch. He wore a old fashioned suit, the fabric was a deep yellow, the details of a pyramid design were made by gold threading. the jacket was form fitting, Hazel could see pointed coat tails swaying behind him in the light breeze. His pants were simple black dress pants, his shoes black dress shoes shined to perfection. In one hand he held a cane with a gold rounded top, and a sleek black base with inscriptions that were foreign to hazel. In the other hand he held a chain that just so happened to be wrapped around the neck of dipper, who sat on his knees, his head down and his hands bound behind his back, presumably with the same chain that Bill was using to walk him around.
Where bill was polished and looked like he had just stepped off a movie set, Dipper looked like he had been hit by a truck, that had been carrying several elephants, that were on fire. His hair was ragged and hung in his face, the brown locks were unkempt and had grown well past his shoulders. His entire build was slim, his ribs jutted out at odd angles from his skin, his shoulders were sharp and clearly defined, the shape of his hollowed collarbone sat stark in his pale build. The only color present seemed to be the shadows that defined each protruding bone, and the seep purple bruises that peppered his torso. Bill hadn't deigned to give him a shirt, so Hazel could see every single scar that lined his torso, fresh bruises wrapped his ribs and along his back and wrists. The denim jeans that sat loosely on his hips were dirty with old blood among other things. His eyes had deep bags under them, and due to the pale pallor of his skin, she could see every freckle that lined his the most surprising thing that Hazel could see on Dipper had to be his eyes. She would figure that someone in his condition would be so far gone that there would be no hope to get them back. But Dippers eyes were sharp and alert, a deep intelligence was obvious behind his dark brown eyes.
Hazel realized she had been staring and squared her shoulders to glare at the man.
"What the hell do you want bill? Can't you see I'm enjoying my after life?" She demanded, somewhere along her walk she had just decided she was in purgatory and accepted it. Bill gave a harsh laugh and shook his head.
"Purgatory?" He asked bewildered and shook his head. "No no baby Pine, you aren't dead, you are in the nightmarescape. have a seat." He said and gestured to an area to their left a table sat waiting, four chairs in their place.
Hazel rose an eyebrow but sat at the table, Bill on her right, Dipper on her left, an empty across from her. She was honestly confused, one minute she was exploring a literal endless landscape of wheat grass and now she was sitting down for tea with her uncle and the demon that had caused her family so much strife. She still felt achy, but it was almost as if it were sore muscles after a long work out, and not life threatening injuries.
"That would be the life threatening injuries that are being numbed by the morphine they are pumping into your body. It has a tendency to numb people. My personal favorite is a cocktail of Vicodin, morphine, and opium." Bill said casually sipping from a cub that had appeared before him, matching cups in front of Hazel and Dipper.
"I, what?" Hazel asked in shocked, not knowing how he had guessed what she was thinking.
"He can hear your thoughts here." Dipper explained from his place at the table. He reached carefully for the cup, his hands shaking slightly as he lifted it to his lips. "This place is his domain, He can do literally anything he wants here. If he wants the world to fall out from under us and leave us floating in empty space, he can. If he wants to blind us and leave us at his mercy, he can. Or if he decides to fill the world with puppies-"
"I get it, he can do anything his black heart desires." Hazel sighed in slight annoyance, biting her lip at the look he gave her at her tone.
"Now now flattery will get you nowhere baby pine." Bill tutted and leaned his chin on his elbow. "So how are you, I heard you had a rough night?" He asked with a sickly sweet tone, both Hazel and Dipper flinched at the memory of what had happened.
"I've certainly had better." Hazel mumbled and shook her head. "Why am I here?" She asked trying to change the subject. Bill frowned and gave a dramitic look to Dipper.
"See this is what I was talking about Dip. Shooting Star did an awful job at teaching her girls manners. Here I am keeping little Hazelnut alive and I even have the kindness to come have tea with her and keep her company, Hell I even bring you along, the whole reason she is in Gravity Falls, so she can meet you and have a nice conversation. And she is still all demands and rude behaviors." He sighed a mock sad look on his face.
"Keeping me alive?" Hazel asked and looked to Dipper who was suddenly avoiding her eyes. "Dipper?" She asked, he bit his lip and sighed.
"Bill, He uh, The injuries he gave you, you should have died the second you hit the hood of your car, glass pierced several important areas, I don't know why, but he is keeping you alive for a reason." Dipper sighed and glared at the Demon who was casually sipping tea, watching the two of them talk, a snarky smile on his lips.
"Okay and what is that reason then?" Hazel asked in mild bewilderment. Bill leaned forward and shook his head.
"Sorry Hazelnut, but that is a secret." Bill said then glanced at a pocket watch he pulled from seemingly thin air. "Ah I must be going now. But I'm a reasonable guy." He said and waved his hand a table of food and different teas appeared before them, as well as a shackle trapping Dipper to the chair. "I don't need my little toy for a while, so I will leave him in your care Hazelnut. So eat talk, have a good time, I will see you later." He said and stood. Hazel stood with him in mild alarm.
"Wait where are you going, I still have- questions." Bill vanished before she could finish her sentence. She gave a heavy sigh and plopped down in her chair. "So your my uncle huh?" She asked with a sigh and a look to him.
Back to the waking world, Amber-
Amber came to a stop on the shoulder of the road. She gathered her thoughts and opened the car door. It was the same place that Hazel had almost died, though the area looked different. Hell it felt different than the rest of the world. Where the rest of the town was a sweltering 98 with humidity, this path that Amber walked down felt almost cold. The rest of the plants outside what looked like a thirty foot radius of the path wilted under the intense heat, however everything close enough bloomed and seemed to be thriving healthily, no wilting, not even a hint of over heating and dehydration from the leaves. Amber looked around trying to figure Bills game out this time. The only thing she could figure was he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. Which was going to be impossible for him after making her watch him almost kill her sister. His plan to make her relax seemed to grow when she saw the clearing.
Wild flowers of all colors bloomed along the ground, wrapping the trees that surrounded the circle, looking kike a colorful picket fence. Butterflies and birds fluttered around in harmony, a few wild animals tread the edge of the clearing, curious to the flowers that beckoned them near. No doubt over half the flowers were non native to America, or even this realm. Amber's eyes finally found the wrought iron table in the middle of the clearing, a delicate tea pot sat with a matching sugar bowl and creamer pitcher. Two matching tea cups sat exactly opposite each other on the table. One of the high backed chairs was occupied by non other than Bipper himself, he wore a casual day suit befitting a southern gentleman from the civil war era, it even had a kerchief neatly folded into a triangle in his breast pocket.
"Hello Gemstone." He said with a relaxed grin. "Care to have a seat?" He asked gesturing to the only other seat at the table. Amber bit the inside of her cheek and sat down carefully across from him. He smiled gleefully and leaned forward to grab the steaming tea pot.
"I hope you like earl grey." He said casually, Amber decided the best course was to play along. She saw how bad it went for Hazel and she needed him in a good mood to help her sister.
"I do." Amber said politely and nodded in thanks as he poured her cup, she added her own sugar as she watched him pour his own tea. "Bipper, you said you had a deal for me?" She asked after a few moments of them silently staring at each other.
"Yes I do, but perhaps we can enjoy our tea before we jump to business." He said with a casual wave of his hand, Amber wanted to scream, instead she smiled pleasantly and nodded.
"Very well. May I ask a few questions then?" She asked, watching his face as he mulled it over. After a few moments he nodded with a sly grin.
"I suppose a few questions wont hurt." he said with a second nod. "Ask away Gemstone, but know some answers I won't give if I'm not comfortable with it." He said in warning. Amber nodded and sat back in her chair.
"Fair enough." She supplied and traced the lip of her cup thoughtfully. "Okay first question, why my family?" She asked watching his face for a reaction, his eyes twinkled and he gave a small laugh.
"I figured that would be one of the questions, but never the first." He said with a chuckle and nodded. "Well it all comes back to your great grunkle Ford." he said with a thoughtful look. "He had to have been one the smartest dumb meat bags I had met in a long time. He was literally on the verge of opening the dimensional rift on his own, that's how he was smart, but he was also so caught up on technicalities and morality, that he held himself back. That's how he was dumb. He could have had the world at his feet, and yet he only wanted his stupid brothers acceptance really. He couldn't bring himself to throw out the safety nets of his reality, so he failed. That is until he met me. I gave him what he asked, I gave him all the possibilities of the universe, and hell I was going to give it to him for free, all he had to do was let me have a doorway to this world." Bipper said stopping to take a sip of his tea.
"But then that McGucket got in my way and Ford decided he no longer wanted my help or the world on a string, slamming the door in my face. Unfortunately for him, the brother that he trusted so much unintentionally pushed him through that doorway when he slammed it shut. Sure I could have gotten revenge there, I could have made his every nightmare come true and tear him to pieces and move on to my next meatbag. But I decided to have a little fun, and I waited. Then Pine tree showed up, sure I was having fun with your dad at the time, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to have two pines under my belt, so I targeted him. But unfortunately he found those damned journals, specifically the one that Ford had described me in. He was a cautious one, I managed to get him once, but then Shooting Star got the better of me and saved him. I was furious and decided that I would somehow find my revenge." Bipper said a dark look crossing his face. Amber listened with apt attention, finding it ironic that the last person she expected to give her answers was the only one willing to.
"Okay, second question then." Amber said "You had Dipper, still do. Why wait an entire generation to start, whatever this is again?" She asked her tea forgotten as she listened to him. Bipper gave a dark smile and shook his head.
"When a demon makes a deal, they are magically sworn to honor that deal. No matter what. So we demons-and yes there are more than just me- but we demons need to find loop holes. And that's what I did, I assume you know what happened to Ford and the snow globe?" He asked pausing to watch Amber nod in acknowledgement that she knew what he was talking about. "Well after the snow globe incident, Dipper came to me to make a deal. He asked me to spare his sister and any remaining members in that decrepit shack, but he didn't mention any members after that particular line of pines. And I never said my revenge stopped with just them." He said calmly Amber nodded a thought forming.
"so what now? You just keep using my uncle to terrorize future pines generations? "She asked, Bipper smiled as he finished his teas and set it aside.
"That's where our deal comes in actually." He said casually and leaned forward. "Care to hear?" He asked, Amber nodded a careful look to her eyes. He grinned and leaned his elbows on the table, bridging his fingers. "You see uncle Dipper is getting old, and I'm looking for a new model. I was thinking that you and I could strike a deal that you would be happy with?" He said with a hungry grin. Amber bit her cheek, her heart suddenly racing and nodded.
"What do you suggest?" She asked warily. He leaned back and thought for a minute.
"Well what do you desire?" He asked with a raised brow. "Both parties have to agree to the deal after all." He added. Amber bit her lip and thought for a moment.
"Okay, you can have my body as a puppet, BUT you will not harm a single hair on the head of any one who has pines blood running through their veins, or anyone they care about. And you will heal my sister tonight. The second this deal is made she will wake up and by the time she is leaving the hospital tonight, her bones will have miraculously and Painlessly" She stressed the word painlessly with a glare into his eyes, "healed, as if they had never been broken. And you will return Dippers soul and body to him, alive." She said thinking everything over carefully before saying it. Bipper leaned back in his chair and grinned.
"You drive a hard bargain gemstone." He said, he nodded and smiled wider. "But you have a deal." He said holding out his hand Amber bit her cheek and pulled out her phone, she sent the message she had typed up before walking into the lions dent to Hazel's phone just in case things went south and looked to Bipper her hand reaching for his.
AN: Holy shit I did not expect to write so much. I would have had this up earlier, but I needed to go to the pound to look for a dog to adopt and then a bunch of personal stuff happened. But I wrote it. Next chapter is probably gonna be up sometime thursday, I gotta go back to the pound the get the dog then, and we are expecting some nasty weather so hopefully I still have power on thurs. Anyway as always feel free to drop a review.
Stay safe, Stay awesome, and don't go making deals with random triangles.
~Fangy =^,..,^=