"God, Pine Tree, you really suck at this." Bill huffed standing in akimbo. He dropped his head and shook it disappointedly.

"Maybe you're just a bad teacher!" Dipper barked.

"Maybe you just suck." Bill teased with a shit-eating grin.

"This is hard." Dipper mumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets as he pouted.

"Your sister would disagree." Bill countered.

Dipper looked off to the side and found Mabel flying. It was extraordinary. She propelled herself in the air by shooting magic out of her hands and towards the ground. Honestly, she kind of looked like Iron Man and that made Dipper all the more envious. Bill had been teaching them magic ever since the whole shebang with the Warlock had ended – or rather, he was teaching Mabel and trying to teach Dipper. No one really understood why Mabel had been able to unlock her magical potential with a little over a month's worth of meditation. The ongoing theory was that she was put in a dire situation which forced her to push past the theoretical barrier holding her back. However, Dipper had also been meditating for as long as his sister and had been subjected to the same stress and danger; why wasn't he able to wield magic?

"Stop being jealous." Bill chastised and smacked Dipper on the head.

"Ow!" Dipper protested and glared at the blond.

"Boo hoo." Bill fired back and stuck out his tongue, "Sit down and meditate. You're not ready yet."

He sighed angrily but did as he was told. Dipper took a seat on the grass and sat in the lotus position. He straightened his back and began resting his mind. He began listing all the tips Bill had previously given them the first time he had guided them into meditation. He cleared his mind, took deep breaths, focused on the subtle sounds one would never pay attention to were they not in a state of utter concentration, and he slowly tuned those little noises out in favour of listening to the gentle beating of his heart and the blood rushing through his veins.

The summer was almost done. Mabel had decided she wanted to stay and come back during their next break. The potential she had unlocked when facing the Warlock had inspired that change in decision. Before, she had been terrified because she had felt weak in the face of such a powerful creature able to bend the elements to his will. Tad brought down a new level of fear and destruction and Mabel wasn't able to feel safe in Gravity Falls due to the fact that she had once been a mundane, magic-less human. But all that had changed. She could wield magic now and, by extent, it meant she could one day hold her own against a Warlock. She was no longer powerless. She could grow and become stronger. One day, she would be able to protect everyone and everything she loved.

Dipper was relatively on the same boat. He hadn't unlocked his magical potential yet, but in due time he would – or so he hoped. Every moment he spent clearing his mind and tapping into his spirituality was a step closer to being able to conjure his mystical fire, sore through the sky, and do a plethora of other amazing things. If he remained hard at work and listened to Bill's teachings, he would be well on his way to learn what his sister was currently attempting to master.

"Dipper, look out!" Mabel cried.

Dipper barely opened his eyes in time to react and roll out of the way. A burst of teal fire had nearly smacked into him but instead left a black, steaming mark on the patch of grass he had been sitting on. Mabel gave an apologetic smile whereas Bill laughed so hard he was cradling his stomach.

"Sorry, Dip!" Mabel said and just then her magic wavered and she lost her balance.

Dipper's eyes widened as his sister began falling from a significantly high point but Bill was quick to react. He snatched her by the back of her shirt and gently lowered her to the ground.

"Whoa, thanks." Mabel said. "That was kind of scary."

"You're lucky he's so nice with you." Ford said as he stepped out onto the balcony. He brought a tray of coffee mugs with little snacks for them. "He used to let me hurt myself. Something about it speeding up the learning process."

Dipper jumped from his seat on the grass and made his way to his great uncle. He grabbed his mug of coffee and handed Mabel hers before digging into the snack. He was actually famished. Who knew meditating could work up such an appetite?

Rather than grab his own drink, Bill floated over the balcony railing and stopped by Ford with a wide smile on his face. Then he pointed at his lips, "I want a kiss." He declared.

"What? Why?" Ford asked, flustered. The man always got that way whenever Bill demanded any small degree of public display of affection. He was mostly uncomfortable when such a thing was demanded from him when Mabel and Dipper were around.

"Because I'm being nice and I deserve a reward!" Bill stated.

"God, you're such a child…" Ford grumbled and he quickly pressed their lips together but only for the briefest of moments before pulling away.

Bill frowned, evidently unsatisfied, but he knew he wasn't going to be getting anything better. At least, not within immediate public view.

Now that the demon officially lived at the Mystery Shack residence, Ford spent considerably less time in his basement. His research took a back seat to spending time with his boyfriend and his family. Dipper also noted how the man seemed much happier. He had never seemed miserable before, but always distant and lost in his own head. All of that had changed now that Bill had returned from the dead and was prohibited from restarting his Apocalypse by a deal he had made with Dipper. That being said, the twins were fairly certain the demon still wouldn't have felt inclined to destroy the world again had he not been stuck in a contract. Perhaps he wouldn't admit it to them or even to himself, but Bill did a poor job when it came to hiding just how much he loved Ford. His affection was evident in everything he did – like the way he looked at him when he thought no one could see him, the way he smiled, and the way he simply stood by him.

The other benefit that came with Bill living in Gravity Falls was that Stan finally made more hands to help him take care of the shop. Soos's availability had shrank significantly whereas Wendy was on the verge of starting university on the other side of the country. From then on she would only be available to work at the Shack during the summer. Dipper and Mabel could also only help during the summer time, but with Bill, Stan had reliable help all year around.

"Hey! Cipher!" Stan snapped as he poked his head from the shop's door just a few meters away from where the balcony was, "What are you doing!? Get back to work!"

"I'm on my break!" Bill whined.

"You've been on your break for two hours!" Stan stated, "This is coming out of your pay!"

"You're not even paying me!" Bill complained and regretfully floated towards the shop's door with his head hanging between his shoulders in disappointment. "We'll play again some other time, Shooting Star." He said to her dejectedly, then he added to Dipper: "You still suck, by the way."

Dipper scowled at him and turned away pointedly, ignoring the demon's mocking laugh as he went to resume his work shift. "What a dick." He grumbled then looked at Ford, "No offense."

"None taken." Ford laughed gently, "He is what he is."

"You still love him though." Mabel grinned.

"That I do." Ford conceded and took the remaining mug, "There must be something wrong with me."

They chuckled and finished their coffee and snacks. They had been through Hell this summer. They had witnessed terrible things but no one aside from them would ever know and that was alright. In the end, everything resolved itself and they were okay. In Dipper's mind, they would never have a normal summer ever, but whatever trials they were stuck to overcome next, they could handle. They nipped two Apocalypses in the butt, they could deal with a third one or anything else that was thrown their way.