Three days had gone by slowly. Ford hardly ever emerged from the basement and when he did it was only for a few seconds to grab food. During that time he would explain his progress and why he couldn't and didn't want to go faster. A lot of it was hacker mumbo jumbo Dipper didn't quite understand very well but he eventually gathered that Ford was being more cautious than usual. He was making sure he wasn't leaving a trail behind to alert the government what with all their previous encounters with it over the past few years. Most hackers got in and out as quickly as possible, he was doing the opposite and it seemed to be working.

And though Ford had been hard at work for three days, the rest of them had not. No one knew what to do while they waited. Dipper and Mabel retreated to the living room and watched the TV but neither paid it much attention. Both were lost in their thoughts and much rather be left alone if they weren't so scared. Bill was always with them. He didn't necessarily sit next to or with them but he was always in the same room, next to a window to gaze out of. Stan, on the other hand, had had half a mind to drink himself into a stupor again but opted against it. Everyone was still afraid to sleep and being drunk would only encourage his body to rest. Not to mention they all feared a surprise attack from the Warlock and in its eventuality; it was best to not be intoxicated.

So they sat around for the most part. They tried to act normal in the face of their dangerous predicament. It helped them pretend none of their lives were actually at risk in the midst of their endeavour. Their three days were thus spent as such.

"Ford says he's still got a couple of hours to go." Stan said as he emerged from the basement, "He's collecting information onto his computer and deviating the government's attention or something. I didn't really get it. The point is he's almost done."

"That's good." Dipper said, trying to remain optimistic.

"What's less good is that we're running out of food." Stan groaned and wearily glanced out the window. Everyone stiffened. Fetching food meant going outside, beyond the protective ward.

"Is it really necessary…?" Mabel asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid it is, sweetie." Stan confirmed regrettably, "We've barely got anything left and what we still have is on the verge of spoiling." After a pregnant pause he continued with, "I'll go. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, get Ford."

"I'll go too." Dipper said and rose from the sofa.

"Dipper no—!" Mabel objected and grabbed her brother's arm to stop him, "It's dangerous!"

"She's right." Stan nodded, "Stay here. I'll be fine."

"You need someone to watch your back." Dipper insisted with a frown, "I know a lot of things concerning the supernatural; Grunkle Ford's been teaching me everything he knows. I even know a few useful spells that could buy us time to get away if the Warlock attacks. We'll be safer in a pair."

Stan sighed heavily, evidently debating the matter in his head. "Alright, fine." He conceded and Mabel seemed dismayed by his decision. "Stick close and listen to whatever I say, got it?"

Dipper nodded. He took a step forward when his sister also jumped from the sofa with a look of conviction in her eyes. "Then I'm going too." She declared.

"You can't." Dipper said and he was, admittedly, partly being a hypocrite. He was worried for his sister and didn't want her to step into danger, but there was also another matter of preoccupation at hand. The brunet glanced at Bill who sat quietly at the other end of the room, glancing out the window as he had for the past three days. The blond had been unnaturally quiet during said time and hadn't regained much of his colour after the Warlock had scared him. He had climbed into a shell – one not even Ford could break but it wasn't like he was trying. The latter was too busy hacking into a government database but Dipper couldn't help but suspect something more was at play. "We can't leave him alone." He insisted quietly.

Mabel frowned, chewing her lower lip in frustration. She still wanted to go but she wasn't insensitive to Bill's situation. The guy was still terrified out of his mind and, like the rest of them, he hadn't slept since the incident. "Okay…" She agreed reluctantly.

She followed them to the front door and watched grimly as they pulled on their shoes. Stan grabbed the car keys he normally kept in a bowl by the entrance and flashed her a reassuring smile before leaving. Dipper followed him, smiling to his sister as well before closing the door behind him. Honestly, he was a bit scared to leave the Mystery Shack's protection but he was also excited. He had spent far too much time in that house and breathing fresh air was as relieving as it was exhilarating. Today was a beautiful day – something Dipper found endlessly ironic considering the gloomy mood raining over the house. Nature – what with the bright blue sky above, the soft singing of the birds, and the warm summer breeze – did little to reflect their situation. And as they barreled down the street at insane speeds, with their windows lowered, Dipper could almost forget a Warlock was onto them and could potentially kill them given the chance. It didn't matter that he was after Bill, he knew they were helping the ex-demon which meant they were all at risk now.

They pulled into the grocery store's parking lot abruptly. Stan shut the car's engine and removed the key, swiftly jumping out of the beaten vehicle without the slightest groan. He might as well have been an old man, it didn't show as Dipper followed him in a jog into the store. The place was mostly vacant. A bored teenager with an acne problem stood disinterestedly at the only opened cash register. He yawned every few seconds and glanced at his watch – eagerly awaiting the end of his shift. In terms of customers, Stan and Dipper were relieved to see they were just middle aged women. Said women shopped leisurely, calmly pulling items from the aisles and dropping them into their baskets. It helped relieve some of their apprehension – there was always the possibility that the guy working the register was the Warlock but his demeanour seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Alright," Stan said, heading to the fruits and vegetables, "We need a lot of these."

"Really?" Dipper asked, admittedly shocked, "You never eat healthy!"

"Kid, I'm going to go insane if I'm stuck eating salt-covered crackers one more time." Stan said frankly.

Dipper fetched a few plastic bags and began piling fruits and vegetables into them. As much as Stan wanted a healthy option, he didn't know what to get and left it to the brunet's discretion. Dipper thus grabbed almost every green vegetable he found – with the exception of bell peppers. Then he took a few carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. He wasn't much of a fan of fruit, finding satisfaction with a simple apple, and so he catered mostly to Mabel's tastes. He took a plethora of peaches, apples, pears, apricots, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. When what he had chosen was finally dumped into their basket, Dipper reckoned he might have been a bit excessive.

"There's no knowing when it'll be safe to go back out." Stan said, anticipating his nephew's train of thought, "We'll probably be confounded to the Shack for another week."

Dipper nodded and followed the old man as he led the way through the next aisles. They grabbed various meats – mostly steak what with there being a sale, new cereals that wouldn't kill Stan's remaining sanity, pasta and pasta sauce, and other treats that would last them a while. By the time they finished, they had two large baskets nearly overflowing with goods. Dipper was surprised his Great Uncle hadn't yet started to weep in anticipation of the upcoming expenses.

"Oh shoot." Stan cursed as they were getting ready to pay, "We have no milk. Go get some, quick."

"How much?" Dipper asked.

"Three pints." Stan said.

He nodded and ran off. Unfortunately, the milk section was at the other end of the store but it wasn't like the building was particularly big. He got to the section quickly enough and, in his rush, he failed to notice someone had moved behind him. The moment he spun around with the intention to dash back to Stan, Dipper smacked right into the person with such force he fell back on his butt and dropped the milk. The brunet groaned, wincing as he apologized though he interrupted himself half way when he noticed he had collided with a man. He all but had a heart attack when—

"Oh, Tad, sorry." He said dumbly, his heart beat calming to something normal.

"It's alright, it's really my fault." Tad assured with a pleasant and charming laugh. The man extended his hand to help Dipper up. "I shouldn't have been so close. You seemed like you were in a rush. I guess I just didn't want to miss you."

"Yeah, well, sorry." Dipper said sheepishly and gathered the cartons of milk he had dropped, "So what did you want?"

"Stan wouldn't happen to be nearby, would he?" Tad asked and he glanced around hopefully, "I've been wanting to catch up with him to tell him about my date for a while, but I can't seem to get a hold of him."

"Uh, yeah actually…" Dipper admitted slowly though he wasn't sure it was a good idea. He didn't want Stan to get into a big conversation with his friend and give the Warlock the opportunity to attack. "He's in line."

"Good!" Tad grinned and he followed Dipper to the line.

The teenager had already started checking their items and sorted them into bags. He wasn't being particularly fast and that seemed to annoy Stan who stood with a scowl on his face. However, the old man brightened upon seeing Tad approach.

"Tad!" He said and shook the man's hand as Dipper added the milk to their load, "Good to see you, pal!"

"I'll say, I haven't seen you since the party." Tad said, "But even then we didn't have much of a chance to talk."

"Sorry about that, buddy." Stan apologized, "Things have been busy lately. Family things and whatever."

"I understand." Tad said and Dipper noted he seemed a bit disappointed. "I hope you get it all sorted soon. I want to invite you to dinner."

"Sounds great. I'll tell you as soon as I'm free." Stan grinned and slapped his arm playfully. "By the way, how's our Mayor doing?"

Tad blushed and glanced bashfully at his feet. He was being oddly adorable for a man approaching his forties. "He's really great." He said with a shy smile on his face.

"I bet he is!" Stan laughed and Dipper didn't want to think about the implications of what his Great Uncle had said.

"Grunkle Stan." He said instead and gestured the teenager who was now waiting for them to pay.

"Anyways, I'll see you later, Stan." He said and offered them a wave as he left, "Take care."

"You too."

"God, what a great guy." Stan muttered and fished his wallet from his pocket.

They paid the teenager and loaded the bags back into their baskets. Then they hauled the items they bought to the car and drove off. They were back at the Mystery Shack before they knew it and, thankfully, without having come across the slightest bit of trouble. Mabel emerged from the house as soon as the car pulled to a complete stop and she helped them bring the bags inside. Bill stood at the entrance with a deadpan expression and watched them move around quietly. He only spoke when the car was empty and the kitchen table was covered in groceries.

"Sixer said he's done."