Dipper ran out of the house and down the street. He passed by the bus stop and considered for less than a second to take the public transport back to the Mystery Shack. However, the teen was far too rattled and overcome with emotion. He didn't expect he could muster the will to stay still and sit in place during the thirty minutes it would take the bus to get to destination. Without much of a second thought, he opted to simply run back home instead. It would take him roughly an hour but Dipper didn't care. He needed to think, he needed to breathe, he needed to run.

It can't be him, can it…? Dipper wondered as he ran through the streets of Gravity Falls. The people he passed by gave him strange looks but he ignored them.

The truth was that no matter how hard the brunet tried to brush off the presence of the soul box in Robbie's possession as something exculpating, he couldn't think of anything plausible. There was no reason for the man to have such an item unless it belonged to him – or rather, his Grim Reaper counterpart. And despite how much he tried to find even the smallest inconsistency in the theory, he couldn't manage that either. Robbie had been in Washington DC when the murders had first started. Hadn't someone mentioned he was staying with his uncle to attend university in that particular city? Coincidentally, when Robbie had also left DC to return to Gravity Falls, the murders moved with him.

No. It can't be… Dipper thought. It can't be this simple, I don't want it to be this simple!

His heart suddenly began beating faster because his mind was beginning to realise there truly was no other explanation. And yet, Dipper fought against the truth. He ran faster; faster than he ever had. Perhaps a part of him thought that he could outrun reality and live in the blissful past where he hadn't known Robbie was the Grim Reaper. Life had been better then. Dipper's heart hadn't hurt as much as it currently did. He thought it might be less painful to just rip the organ out of his chest with his bare hands.

What was he meant to do now?

The obvious decision was to tell his family of his finding. Then they could concoct a plan to trap Robbie and seal him away for a hundred years or longer with a spell. The remaining citizens of Gravity Falls would then be saved and maybe, if Bill got his magic back, they could resurrect those that had been reaped. Things could go back to normal and they could continue living as they once had.

Without Robbie.

The thought had Dipper's heart throbbing painfully. He didn't want to live a life without Robbie. Was it a strange thought to have about a friend? A friend he wanted to kiss and hold. A friend he wanted to spend all of his time with and go on dates with. A friend that wasn't just a friend, but something more. Dipper reckoned it was likely the worst time for him to come to terms with his feelings, especially because they would only increase his torment. His eyes stung with tears and they began to fall down his cheeks but the brunet hardly noticed them.

What was he going to do?

He essentially had to choose between his family and Robbie. He loved them both, and Dipper had been ready to let thousands of people die if it meant keeping his family safe. What was he ready to do for Robbie – the boy he liked more than he cared to admit? Would he sacrifice his family's safety, his family's life, if it meant preserving his? Would he throw away the lives of the thousands of innocents Robbie was planning to reap? Would he go against his family?

Dipper looked up in front of him and found the Mystery Shack. Getting there had taken far less time than he had thought it would – but perhaps it only felt that way because he had been so focused on his thoughts. The old building was bathed in the red, orange, and yellow light of the setting sun. The teen hadn't realised it had gotten so late either. His heart ached as he beheld his home. And as if on cue, Mabel wandered to the front porch and called him over with a bright smile and big wave. Dipper fell to his knees and sobbed.

He could never betray his family, but he didn't want to go against Robbie.

Mabel was by his side in a flash. "Hey, Dipper," She cooed softly as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "What's wrong? What's happening?"

Dipper pulled his sister into a hug and buried his face in her shoulder. He stained her shirt with his tears but she didn't seem to mind. Mabel held onto him and rubbed soothing circles into his back. She let him cry for as long as he needed before helping him up and guiding him back into the Mystery Shack. Mabel seated him in the living room and it took a while longer for Dipper to calm down enough to start talking. By then the rest of the family, Stan, Ford, and Bill, had arrived and were hovering around at a respectful distance, waiting for the cue to wander closer.

The teen then regretfully told them everything. He began by telling them of the soul box he found in Robbie's possession. Stan sympathetically argued that it didn't mean he really was the Grim Reaper, but the further proof Dipper gave had him snapping his mouth shut and looking away apologetically. Robbie had been in DC when the murders first started. The murders of Gravity Falls only commenced when he returned. He owned the soul box. There was no way he wasn't the Grim Reaper.

"What do we do?" Mabel asked seriously, eyes narrowed on Ford.

Ford looked uncomfortable. He glanced around the room and breathed deeply, "We still have to find a spell." He said, "So we can't act now, though having uncovered the Grim Reaper's identity will be a significant advantage."

"But we need to act now." Mabel frowned and Dipper could see a fire burning in her eyes. He didn't quite understand.

"As much as I would like to, we need a plan." Ford frowned as well.

"Screw making a plan!" Mabel snapped unexpectedly, "That ass hole hurt my brother! He's also murdering people! We can't wait around anymore!"

"Mabel, calm down…" Stan tried softly.

"I'm not going to calm down!" She growled, "This isn't a time to be calm!"

"Mabel—" Dipper tried.

"If none of you are going to do anything, then I'll just deal with this myself!" She declared and rose from the sofa.

"What are you going to do?" Bill questioned, annoyed, "You can't kill death. Even if you could, you're not nearly strong enough to be able to accomplish such a feat."

"I can try!" Mabel fired back.

The demon sighed and stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "You're acting like a brat." He stated, "I know it's your magic, but it's really annoying right now."

"Move." She demanded in a dangerous tone.

"Make me."

"Fine."

Without more than a simple word of a warning, Mabel raised her hand and hit Bill with what looked like a magic shield. The impact sent him flying out of the way and smacking into the wall harshly. Ford immediately rushed to his lover's side whereas Stan went after Mabel. However, Dipper stopped him. It was clear his sister was out of her mind at the moment; he didn't want her to accidentally hurt their great uncle. Stan was the most fragile of them all what with his advanced age. Mabel could seriously mess him up and she would never forgive herself if she did.

"Let me." Dipper said quickly before chasing after his sister.

"Ow…" He heard Bill groan as he left the room, "I didn't actually think she would…"

The brunet ran out the front door and onto the porch. The moon was slowly rising over the tip of the surrounding pine trees and the night sky was void of clouds. Despite the darkness, the moon produced enough light to be able to see very clearly. Dipper saw his sister storming off, down the road.

"Mabel!" Dipper called desperately, "Mabel, stop!"

"No!" She yelled back.

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted again. He walked down the stairs and onto the grass, "Mabel, what are you going to do!?"

"I'm going to kill him!" Mabel answered and it sounded like a promise. "I'm not going to let him hurt you like that ever again!"

"Mabel—" Dipper tried.

He only managed to take one step forward when a terrible screeching echoed in his ears. He winced and covered them in a desperate attempt to muffle the sound. However, the piercing cry seemed to stem from the inside of his head and it rattled his brain. The pain it brought about was so terrible Dipper couldn't help but start yelling as well. He had no idea what was going on when—

Roderick Llamanic Pines, I gave you a chance and you have failed. I cannot allow for my vessel to be harmed. Farewell...

And then Dipper heard a crack like thunder before everything went white and he was swept off his feet by a powerful blast.