Dipper stared at the yellow construct of nightmares. "What?" The eye of Bill Cipher squeezed upwards, indicating an unseen smile. "What do you mean 'leave and never return'?"

"I mean I want you and shooting star out of this town once and for all time, never to return," Bill elaborated, keeping his hand rigidly stretched out. "You pack your silly earthly belongings, put them in a larger box of case or whatever, and use your weak, noodle legs to walk, run, or flail out of town. Forever."

"You never said why," Dipper told him. Bill chuckled.

"I don't need to."

"Then no deal," Dipper told Bill.

"Fine, fine," Bill rolled his eye and let his hand fall to his side, the cane spinning in his other hand. "It's just a matter of what's batter in the long run, you see."

"How so?"

"Well, I've got my plans at eternal life and all time and energy to dominate, and you've got your pitiful one hundred year reign of life to waste away, and it's best if we don't interfere with other of our plans for the future, huh? I'd personally like to see us get past our little attempts at actually destroying one another."

"Liar," Dipper snarled, "you've always loved the idea of killing me-"

"And Shooting star!" Bill added. "But killing an destroying are different things, huh?" Bill shrugged, and hovered a few inches closer, Dipper's reflection in Bill's maddening eye, "besides, you being destroyed isn't a lie."

"...y-yes it is," Dipper replied shakily.

"Ohhh, look at you, all unnerved at the idea that I could actually be honest."

"I know your penchant for being honest," Dipper gulped, "and it tends to be when you like what the truth already is."

"HA!" Bill roared with laughter, "you know me better than I expected a three dimensional corporeal spit of decaying thought to be able to. That's 'human', by the way," Bill added with a blink to Dipper. "Humans are spit to me."

"You're just lying-"

"Fine, fine, here," Bill spin his cane around quickly, causing the black line to blur, "look into the future for yourself, kid."

Dipper squinted at the demon, but allowed himself a moment to wonder. It was enough to risk letting himself be deceived by Bill. Worst came to worst, it would be a trick. Unless Dipper made a pact with Bill, nothing permanent could be done to him. That would tide his fears over for the time.

He leaned closer, and saw the blackness now of the circle. Then, the shadows faded and showed a clear day. Swashing away from Gravity Falls like oil, the darkness left Dipper staring at a view of the horizon by the cliffs. It was... odd. Something seemed off about the town. There was more smoke trails than there should have been. The trees seemed lifted in some areas. What had happened? How far in the future was he being shown?

Then came a blast of light. Dipper would have thought the sun was rising, and it's unflinching rays hitting his eyes, but the day was clear already above him.

He saw it in the distance- a tower of light shining above town in the distance, somewhere in the woods. He wanted to peer closer, see where it was basing itself.

Then the beam collapsed and fizzled out of existence. Replacing it with a blast of sound so loud the trees bent away from the source, a huge pure white explosion began to push itself outward. It devoured everything it touched- trees, buildings, cars, buses- everything.

Dipper stared in horror as the town he was currently staying in was blow away by the source of light- erased from existence like shredding a paper in the wind.

He screamed and turned just as the blast met his face. The bright white was too much for him to peer into.

"Ah, there, see?" the uncomforting and uncaring voice of a two dimensional demon spoke, "all gone. Whoosh. Like it never existed."

"How? Why!?" Dipper demanded, turning back and approaching the being.

"Why should I tell you?" Bill asked, resting the end of his cane atop his hat.

"Because... maybe, uh," Dipper looked about the cosmos.

"Don't even try lying to me, Pine tree," Bill chuckled, "you're just trying to do that stupid noble thing and save lives or whatever. Well guess what? It wont matter what you do," Bill said, getting inches from his face again, "this will happen."

"Y-yeah?" Dipper asked. When Bill made no sound, Dipper squinted at him again, his mind coming to a realization, "you have something to do with that. I know you do!"

Bill blew a raspberry in the air. "Impossible. I can't even issue standard deals anymore, let alone force mortals to do what I want them to. What makes you think I can do anything in the dimensional locker with good 'ol secand grunkle?"

Dipper stared into the eye. He hated to say it, Bill seemed to be truthful there. Dipper and Mabel had the chance to lock away the demon of corrupted dreams and the burning future into a space between spaces. To their knowledge, it would be something of a miracle to get him out. And it would have to come from their side. Not only that, as Dipper thought, Bill wasn't a good loser. He would have come for Dipper and Mabel before this to get back at them. Three years maybe not sound like much when Bill talked about time, but his concept of time passing was already warped.

"Look, kid," Bill sighed and zoomed back, "I can see that horribly limited mind of yours trying to come to a decision. Why don't we both take our time, huh?"

"What?" Dipper asked.

"I'll give you a few hours to stew on the idea, and I'll just sit here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for you to come to your senses of unreality. Then, when you finally see I'm Red's best hope at not being a cannibalistic rabid monster, although that sounds adorable," Bill added with a long sigh, "you'll beg me for that deal."

Dipper then felt the ground beneath him give way. Before he could reach out and grab something, he was falling again into the starry darkness around him. Above, as he screamed, he heard, "and a reminder- she'll look like this-"

A version of Wendy dived down from the whole in the platform. White eyes, wild, tangled hair, and a hateful, ravenous glare all descended onto Dipper. As he closed his eyes, he yelled-

"Dipper!"

- and again he owned them, and found himself awake.

His eyes darted around him. It wasn't just the voice of Wendy that told him he wasn't alone. Four faces turned down and stared at him with a mixture of worry and apprehension. Mabel leaned over the arm of the couch, directly above Dipper, and Wendy extended a hand to him.

"Bro, that was something intense you were dreaming about," Mabel said to Dipper.

"Yeah, it was," Dipper mumbled as he let himself be pulled upright, taking Wendy's hand.

"Well," Stan chuckled, "I'm sure it wasn't anything too horrible! Not like the Cipher came back or anything!" Dipper turned and stared at Stan, not betraying any trust by keeping his face darkened. "...oh," Stan's posture fell, "you talked to the parasite."

"Bill Cipher?" Soos asked.

Dipper nodded. Mabel puffed her cheeks as she furrowed her brow. "But why?" she asked. "He's been a locked up loser for three years."

Dipper began explaining the whole conversation. Everything from the possibility that Bill Cipher had been sneaking out of his prison to speak to others, and of his deal to have Dipper and his sister leave town, and finally, of his impending words on the doom of the town. The four watched with baited breath, but Dipper swore Stan looked the worst. His face had gone a faint green, and he looked away from Dipper as he spoke.

"Well, I wanted lunch soon," Stan grumbled, "but for the sake of keeping tiles in the bathroom clean, I'll pass on food."

"So he's coming back," Mabel grumbled and fell back on the couch.

"Not necessarily," Dipper argued, "he said something about how he couldn't make a full deal or something. I don't think he's at his fullest strength yet."

"But dude, if he's able to keep doing that," Soo added, "that means he could be getting stronger."

"Could be... yeah," Dipper worriedly agreed, "I just... how do we know?"

"Well, is the town in any actual danger?" Wendy asked to her boss directly. The three others turned and stared at Stan. He glanced to the four, and began to chew on his finger. "Stan?" Wendy asked after a paused moment.

"Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked, "do you know something else?"

"What?" Dipper quickly demanded, "what else is there? If Bill's right-"

"Look, look," Stan shrugged and looked around them, perhaps checking for eavesdroppers, "I didn't want to say anything. But, uh, you remember that night where Arline got all huffy with me?"

"The night before Summerween?" Mabel asked.

"Yeah, that one," Stan nodded, "well... I, uh... had a dream."

"Lucky," Wendy said wistfully.

"Anyway," Stan glared at Wendy, who grew red in the face and scratched her neck as she looked away, "the dream showed me the future of town. It... it looked really rough. Town was in ruins- monsters running around, plants and animals fighting themselves and people, civilization collapsing-"

"That has Bill written all over it," Dipper growled, "why didn't you tell us about it?"

"Because, according to the dream, I should have already prevented that future!" Stan declared.

"Huh?" Mabel cocked her head to the side.

"Look, it was a premonition by a ghost of the future," Stan bluntly said, causing the four listeners to blink in confusion. "It was warning me what the future would look like if I didn't change my ways around Summerween or something. I don't know, but I did! So the future that I saw shouldn't happen!" Stan glanced around, and peered over their heads, "where's Yuki?" He pushed past Dipper and Wendy and rushed out of the room.

"Well, I haven't seen him that spooked in a long time," Soos stated aloud, "heck, not even when the poltergeist was in the building was he that spooked."

"So," Dipper scratched his chin, "Stan's also seen the future. Great. So Cipher could have been telling the truth," Dipper sighed. "That's not what I wanted to discover."

"Why?" Mabel asked.

"Because that means... that means I need to actually consider his-"

"No way," Mabel cut him off. Dipper sighed and Mabel began to rant. "Are you kidding, Dipper?! Do you remember what happened last time?! He totally took advantage of you and made you his personal-"

"I know, I know," Dipper groaned.

"You still didn't say what he was offering for you two to leave town," Wendy asked, studying Dipper carefully. Dipper looked to her and gulped. It seemed to be enough for Wendy. "Oh... me."

"Cipher came to me and said he could cure you," Dipper explained as Mabel grumbled behind him, flopping her arms against he couch.

"Dude," Wendy shook her head and pursed her lip, "I told you that it's not something you need to do! I can't be cured!" she shouted.

"Ah, I'm just going to go help Stan with... whatever he's doing," Soos said, verbally excusing himself from the room. Mabel slowly stood off the couch and backed away, out of the room. Though Dipper was certain he could see her shadow against the wall just outside the room, listening in.

"I'm sorry Wendy, I was going to tell you that I'm still working on it," Dipper began but Wendy sighed.

"No, no, sorry dude," she held out her arm and shook her head, "I... I shouldn't have gotten huffy about it."

"It's okay. I should have told you," Dipper shrugged, timidly smiling to her. Wendy grinned and looked to the floor around him.

"You've really been going at it though," she mentioned, bending down to lift a pile of papers. She scanned them as a smile crept over her lips. "Man, I wish Robbie had sent me even evidence of his 'so called research'," Wendy admitted.

"I wish he sent me the research," Dipper sighed, "I could cross-analyze them to find a result quicker."

"I don't know if you can," Wendy reminded Dipper.

"And that's why.. I'm thinking about Bill's offer," Dipper told her.

"Dipper," Wendy shook her head.

"I know! Just what Mabel said, yeah," Dipper sighed. He shuffled his feet and in the process kicked open his journal. "Then again... there is still..."

"Huh?" Wendy asked as Dipper bent down and picked up the journal. When Dipper stared into his last open pages, on cures, Wendy waved a hand before his eyes. "Dude. You're drifting on me here."

"Sorry," Dipper turned to her, "in town, there's this guy. A traveling Djinn."

"A genie?!" Wendy gasped.

"A... yeah," Dipper blinked and nodded, "how did you-"

"My favorite movie as a kid was about a genie and a lamp," Wendy shrugged.

"Right," Dipper grinned and nodded, "and he's trading things for panaceas- literal cure alls."

Wendy froze. "Wait... wait..." she said twice, looking deep into Dipper's eyes, "you mean... that whole 'ultimate medicine' rumor is true?"

"It cured Yuki, didn't it?" Dipper told her. Wendy began to breathe quickly, pacing around. "Wait, wait, Wendy-"

"I could actually... feel again. Eat again," she said aloud, and looked back to Dipper, "I could know what it means to be warm!"

"Y-yes," Dipper nodded, and the weight in his stomach tightened and grew heavier. Just in concept Wendy was enthralled and beyond excited. She wanted the cure now, so evidently and clearly- yet he had hesitated in trading the journal for the ultimate cure for her.

"Dipper?" Wendy asked, spotting the downtrodden look he wore.

"Sorry," he said honestly.

"What?"

"I... in order to get one of these things, you have to trade, not buy."

"Okay," Wendy shrugged, "what does he like? Stuffed animals?"

"No, he wants the things you value most," Dipper explained, and held out his journal, "and I value this journal more than any other book, game, computer- you name it. And I-"

"Well duh," Wendy rolled her eyes, "you're not going to get it for me."

"I... what?" Dipper asked timidly.

"Dude, this is my curse. It's my trade."

"But the journal could get me one instantly, and I-"

"Dipper, look," Wendy smiled and put a hand to his mouth, "I'm glad you're thinking about me here. Really, dude, I am. But you're not just going to go toss the most awesome book in the world for this. For all we know, somewhere in that book is the answer anyway."

Dipper looked down, his eyes feeling heavy. "I'm not so sure about that anymore."

"Besides, I need to think of something that he'd want from me," Wendy admitted, and left the room. "Thanks dude!" she waved once behind her before leaving Dipper alone in the living room, his heart the weight of lead.

From behind him, the footsteps of an equally weighed body came stepping in. Next to him a single finger gently poked his arm. "Bro?" Mabel asked.

"She's not angry at me," Dipper sighed, and fell back against the couch with a resounding squeak of springs.

"Guess she's more excited about the idea that it'll actually work. Still though," Mabel sat next to him, using the arm on the couch as her seat, "why don't you do it?"

"Because this journal is still useful!" Dipper snapped back, keeping his voice lowered. He glared at Mabel and indicated at her with the journal. "How about you, huh?"

"I would, dummy," Mabel crossed her arms together and glared, "but what do I actually care about? Hm?"

She didn't need to answer, and Dipper didn't need an answer. People. Mabel loved people and animals. Neither were things that she could trade, nor would she if she had the chance. The closest thing Dipper considered arguing for was her summer journal upstairs.

"And we can't have Grunkle Stan trade anything," Mabel continued, "he'd just give away money! And Mister Cardinal didn't want any money."

"Or he'd give away the other two journals," Dipper told Mabel, "which then the same issue comes into play."

"And Wendy?" Mabel asked. "What does she have to give away? Huh?" Dipper opened his mouth and stared. To that question, he had no answer. For all he knew, Wendy's current belongings were her bike, a spare set of clothing, her pay as you go phone, and a her side pack. Nothing there seemed immediately worthy of trade.

Dipper gritted his teeth and looked into his hands. The Journal sat there, a large bound book in his hands of knowledge and wisdom. Yet... three years in his possession, Dipper did acknowledge it's abilities were waning.

It told him less and less of new monsters. It had nothing on dragons, or wraiths for that matter. Also, it made no mention of the mysterious Guardsmen of the woods, nor that strange stone, or the four golems the twins had encountered. Sure, Dipper never had fully memorized the other two books, but when he had skimmed through them, it was a collection of notes that went from collaborations in journal three to out-dated notes. In the end, number three was the most up-to-date and most informed, and if that was the case, it's uses were becoming limited.

Dipper gripped at the leather bindings.

He was fifteen now. Maybe he could make do without the journals for now on.

"I'm heading out" Dipper said, pushing past his sister with a decision clear in his mind. "Where's Wendy?" Dipper asked to Mabel as he walked by.

"She left," Mabel told him.

"Huh?"

"As soon as she left you here, she was out the door like, "Mabel made her best race-car drive by noise.

"Dang it!" Dipper shouted and ran out of the room.

"Bro?" Mabel called, her creaking footsteps along the floor in hot pursuit.

"She can't give anything away- that's not right," Dipper explained as he stepped through the gift shop, passing Stan and Soos with a collective group of tourists, "I'd rather give up something than have her lose even more."

Mabel stalled as Dipper bounded off the front steps of the porch and onto the ground, pushing ahead towards his car. "You got this, dude?" she called as he opened the door to his car. He only needed to look back to her once, his eyes full of the same angry confidence his tone carried, and Mabel knew he would be fine. "I'll be waiting here. Go prove Bill wrong!" She called with a cheery wave.

Engine one, gears in reverse and the gas pedal pushed, Dipper turned himself out of the dirt and gravel path and onto the main road. He still hadn't spotted Wendy, but he doubted he would be seeing her until he got to the trailer of the djinn. Wendy could take her own trails in the woods, and Dipper only had the streets.

True to his word, he didn't see her even as raced into the parking lot and nearly hit a small family. "Sorry!" he waved through his window as he finally slid to a stop and pulled himself out of his seat and to his feet. Closing the door and checking around, he spotted a large, unfocused, group of leaving townsfolk.

"Trading my secret recipe was a great idea," Lazy Suzan told herself as Dipper passed by.

After the weaving through retreating guests, Dipper leapt up the small stairs and passed inside without announcing himself. "Mister William," Dipper called. With a jump and gasp, the man turned from a large pile of strange and ordinary looking objects.

"Dipper Pines," William Cardinal smiled and moved over to the table, "you've come back."

"Yeah," Dipper nodded, "I needed some thought to that deal we wanted to make."

"Understandable," William nodded and grinned, "no rush either."

"Well, also," Dipper started as he began to remove the journal from his vest, "I, uh, you haven't traded with a girl with long red hair have you?"

William Cardinal cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "I've met a family of red-heads, but all men. I think I-" William suddenly stopped, and flicked his head towards the entrance. "Oh no," he grunted. "Dipper, stay back my boy," William told him, gently pushing him away from the door. As Dipper side-stepped with Williams push, a knock came from the paneling next to the door. "Go away! I already told you that I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Huh?" Dipper asked.

"Whoa dude, you've got the wrong person," Wendy's voice fluttered through the curtains. Dipper grinned, but gasped as William cried out loud and ran to the other side of the table.

"Another one!" he roared as Wendy poked her head through the fabric. He lifted up a large, double barreled shotgun and aimed it at her.

"Whoa!" Dipper rushed forward, and lowered the gun, "what gives!?"

"Dipper, let go! That's a monster of darkness behind you!" William told him as Wendy remained at the curtain, shocked at the aggressive response.

"She's not evil!" Dipper told him with a shout, "she's been cursed! That's all!"

"Wait," William allowed Dipper to tear away the weapon before he dropped it under the table, "you know of this creature?"

"She has a name," Wendy added.

"That's Wendy," Dipper told William.

"Wendy?" William turned and glanced at her. "Well... I assume you understand the nature of a wraith, Dipper?" the Djinn asked Dipper worriedly, rubbing his hands across the back of his neck.

"More or less," Dipper nodded. He then added, "she's perfectly in control of herself."

"Well... then as long as you continue to act like this, you may enter," William told Wendy with a nervous look to Dipper. "You know a wraith?" he asked as Dipper watched his friend come in.

"I knew her before she became one," Dipper told him, smiling at Wendy the entire time. "We're..." Dipper blinked and wandered just what to call the two of them now. Friends, obviously. Best friends? Yeah, he could say that.

Was there another title he could use he wasn't able to remember?

"Well, have a seat, Wendy," William told the redhead, "I'll help you with whatever I can after I deal with Dipper first," William grinned shakily to Wendy, who shrugged.

"I figured dude. Take your time," she said.

"Yes. So Dipper, "William looked back to the teen, "what decision did you come to?"

Dipper sighed and held the journal in his hands. Gritting his teeth at first, Dipper nodded and said, "I'll trade my prized journal of the Mysteries of Gravity Falls for-"

"Dipper, no dude!" Wendy stood up. William jumped and stepped away, staring at her. "That's your prized thing!"

"Yeah, it is," Dipper told her, "and that's why I'm trading it."

"It's not worth it," Wendy repeated.

"Yes, it is," Dipper told her with a firm grasp on his words that she couldn't deny. With only the sliver of resistance in her look to him, Wendy sat back down shaking her head.

"You shouldn't have to-"

"But I will," Dipper cut her off. He turned back and extended the journal to William. "Sir, here's my deal." William nodded and took the journal from Dipper. The moment that Dipper felt the journal leave his hands, he felt a small, hard object in his hands. He looked down, and small pearl of blue and shimmering gold had appeared.

"There you are, my friend, "William told Dipper as he turned and put the journal onto his seat.

Dipper sighed and looked to the journal. This was it now. He had that cure that they needed. Wendy would finally be able to rest and eat and sleep. Dipper faced her and held open his hand.

"This is it," he told her, "the cure." Wendy said nothing. She only stood slowly, and walked over. Dipper gulped, "I... when this is over, we should go to Greasy's and just eat everything on the menu."

Wendy smiled, her lip giving a momentary tremble. "That sounds freakin' awesome, dude."

Taking her hand in his, he lowered the pearl into her hand. She seemed to feel the weight in her palm, and then she gasped, a tear falling down her cheek. Dipper wanted the cheer. They had it. Wendy then raised her hand and-

"What are you doing!?"

William rushed over and snatched the pearl from her hand.

"HEY!" the two roared at William, who held the pill in his hands, hiding it from them.

"What gives, dude!?" Wendy roared.

"Yeah!" Dipper shouted, "we have a deal, Cardinal!"

With a sad look to the two of them, William Cardinal shook his head, and held the pill in his hand. It lifted but an inch into the air, and then faded from existence with a small pop. As the two before him gasped, William turned and lifted the journal with his hands, and directed it back to Dipper.

"You should have told me," William drearily said to Dipper.

"Told you what?" Dipper asked, hesitant to take back the journal if he knew it meant not getting Wendy happy again.

"That the Panacea was for her," William shook his head.

"Why are you going back on Dipper's deal!?" Wendy roared, stepping into his face, "It's just because I'm some scary undead!?"

"That's not right," Dipper added at William, who cringed.

"I... what you have, Wendy," William extended a hand to her shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off, "is not something I can cure."

"What?!" the two gasped.

"Djinn are created only so powerful, " William explained, "most of our wishes have some limitation, sure- but all Djinn have three things they can't do."

"And helping me is one of them!?" Wendy asked, her throat tightening. Willing sighed and shook his head more.

"No, no, no, that's not it at all," he said, his voice wracked with guilt, "we... we cannot make two fall in love, we cannot kill, and we cannot raise the dead back to the living, in any sense."

"Then... but Wendy is technically alive!" Dipper told him, "she's moving! Animated! She can think and want and do anything she wants!"

"She is a wraith," William told him, "and cursed to an unliving life. She is more life-like now, but... No, Dipper," William stared to Wendy and then to him, "she is among the dead. I can sense them before I even see them, and I tell you- she is a dead."

"But... your cure-"

"Cure's people from diseases and ailments," William repeated, "but nothing I make can revive the dead."

Wendy clearly had enough. She whipped around, he long hair blazing behind her as she marched out the curtains and down the stairs. Dipper, with a moment of anger blazing inside his heart, turned to him, and ripped his journal out of his hands, and marched away.

"Dipper, beware," William said, but Dipper never looked back, "the curse of the wraith is one to be feared. Only one has ever truly conquered it."

Dipper marched down the steps and found himself alone. Wendy was rushing to her bike, near the parking lot.

"Wendy!" he called.

A pause in her steps, she turned slowly, seeming to refuse to look at him. As he approached though, he caught her arm gently in his hand, and she looked to him. She was crying more than Dipper thought Wendy was capable of. Tears streamed freely down her face, but her eyes were blank, along with her face.

"I just almost remember what food tasted like back there," she told him, "what it felt like... not being hungry."

Her voice was so empty, it felt more hollow than anything Dipper had heard from the most jaded of people he had ever met in his life. It crushed him. She was so broken, those usually strong, green eyes wavering in their power over her fate.

He couldn't accept that as a reality. There was not a single fiber in his being that would allow someone as perfect as her to be so crushed and lost. It angered him. Made his blood pump and his brain crackle with an energy he hadn't felt in a long time.

True rebellion against fate.

"No," Dipper said, and marched towards his car, "we're not out yet," Dipper told her.

"Huh?" she asked, spinning to keep up with him. He got in his car with speed, and then Wendy paused. "Wait dude, you're not talking about-"

"I'm going to negotiate the terms of the deal," he told her and closed the door.

Driving away from a stunned and fearful Wendy, standing in the parking lot, Dipper wasted no time getting back to the Manor. He had to prepare the ritual. More importantly, he had to be uninterrupted when doing so. He could already hear the protests the others would have for doing this- but he couldn't let this chance slip his fingers.

Not at least without looking a bit deeper.

"C'mon, c'mon," he told the wheel of his car, turning up the gravel path to the building in the woods. There would be a threshold at some point- he could feel a point of no return creeping on him.

The car wasn't even turned off when he stopped at the Mystery Manor. Put in park and left there to wait for his return, Dipper rushed inside, passing Soos and Mabel, who both called him over. Their words were water against the windshield of his mind, not remotely mattering as long as they didn't totally block his passage.

He turned for the stairs, hearing a more concerned call behind him. It belonged to Mabel, and that boded bad for his plan. She was more intuitive than anyone with his silent plans, and the fact she kept calling him made him worry. He would need to be quick. Otherwise, she could ruin his chance to speak with him one last time.

Dipper made it to their room, and locked the door behind him. Mabel's voice was right behind him as he began to gather the candles and small box of matches in a cabinet.

The door was pounded on loudly as he set the candles up, reciting the incantation under his breath. He wasn't going to be summon Bill, but sending himself to him. He didn't want any chances in missing his opportunity.

The voices by the door grew louder. More had come to stop Dipper it seemed, but he knew what he was doing.

He sat down, surrounded by seven candles, quickly reciting the same passage again and again.

With the practice from Arline's training, Dipper began to let his mind fall away, freeing itself from the conscious while still perfectly awake.

Pounding on the door grew even louder.

Then he felt it happen.

He fell through himself, and into then starry abyss.

Just as before, Dipper fell through stars and galaxies, and came to a small platform. Awaiting him while resting on a sun chair was Bill, who seemed to be sipping into a straw that pointed just under his eye.

"Ah! So you did come back!" Bill said, snapping his finger to vanish away the drink of water and chair. He floated up and leaned on his cane as he looked to Dipper. "So, how'd it go with the genie?"

"You knew?" Dipper asked.

Bill laughed, "Kid, just because I get locked into a inter-dimensional prison that is essentially torture to any creature, living or otherwise," Bill added with a leer to Dipper, "doesn't mean I stop hearing things. I see lots of things, Dipper. Lots. Of. Things."

"Y-you knew I'd try curing Wendy!"

"Yup!"

"And you knew it wouldn't work!" Dipper shouted.

"Also yup!"

"You- you-"

"Ohhh, c'mon Pine Tree! Hit me with your best!" Cipher egged him on, "I love the chaos of a good shouting match! Wanna bet one a winner? Oh! OH! I know! The one who doesn't have lungs!" Bill told Dipper.

Dipper scowled and clutched his hands tightly. There wasn't anything more infuriating than Bill when he knew more about something than you, effectively making him the most annoying thing Dipper had ever met. There was little to reason with him, and worse was when he knew it all.

"So, Pine tree," Bill continued, hovering closer, "let's cut to the juicy part. You're back, and what's more, you're considering the deal. Good. Let's make it happen," Bill said, and extended his arm.

Dipper looked to the hand. That same hand had screwed him over on multiple occasion. Dipper looked up to the eye. He wouldn't allow his desperation to play him into a bad situation.

"Wendy," Dipper stated.

"Yes, red," Bill added.

"When you cure her, she'll... go back to normal?" Dipper clarified.

"Yeah, yeah, right back to eighteen years old, as she should be, the little tyke, "Bill confirmed.

Dipper continued. "She wont die the instant because of malnurisment and lack of sleep, will she?" he asked. Bill's hand slightly lowered, but Dipper grinned at the sign. "Ah. No deal then-"

"Okay, okay, she'll be all fine- won't die the instant she's back to standard health," Bill added. "None of those dumb human things."

"Yeah? What about hormone bursts?" Dipper added. Bill gasps, and lowered his hand entirely. "I thought so. Bone malformations due to skeletal developments, sudden cysts due to cellular growth, brain-"

"ALRIGHT!" Bill roared, clapping his hands next to his top hat angrily, "Yes! Yes! Fine! She will be exactly the way she should be, if she never had the curse at all!"

Dipper paused, his lips pursed. "Healthy as she should be? Healthy as she could be."

Bill groaned. "Oh c'mon-"

"Or no deal," Dipper told Bill.

Bill grumbled and spun around. "You!" Bill pointed to Dipper, "you've been making deals with others, haven't you? What kind of nefarious training have you undergone to become such a shred negotiator?"

"It's part of dealing with you," Dipper told him. Bill scoffed.

"Whatever. FINE!" he roared, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Wendy Dumbface Corduroy will be perfectly healthy and restored to the age she should be. Deal!?" Bill whipped out the hand again.

Dipper looked to it as he had before. That hand which had tore out his soul and spirit from his body and possessed it for him, the hand which had nearly caused the end of the world, the hand that could snap it's fingers and cause the sweetest dream to become the worst nightmare...

That hand was the same kind that could revive Wendy to the way she should be.

Dipper moved forward. It was worth it. He would lave town with Mabel, as part of the deal, and warm everyone to leave as soon as they could. Wendy would be allowed to live her life again...

And he would probably never see her again.

As his hand stretched out, Dipper spotted something. The blue fire associated with the sealing of a deal wasn't present. Dipper stared at the demon hand, and then to Bill.

"Do we have a deal?" Bill repeated.

Dipper scowled and then slapped the hand away.

Bill stared. "W-what?" Bill asked.

"I don't know what you're playing at, Bill," Dipper told him, "but I can smell something's up. You've got something planned. And you... you want me out of the way for it!" Dipper shouted at him, "so forget it! Deal's off!" Bill began to shake and tremble, his golden temperament shivering into crimson. "And you know what?! Same for any deal in the future!"

"WHAT!?" Bill roared, his form shattering and instantly glowing red.

"I'll never accept a deal from you again in my life. You can just leave me and my sister alone, forever," he told Bill with fury.

"PINE TREE!" Bill raged, floating above Dipper now. "YOU... YOU!"

Just as quickly the fury and anger began, it vanished. Bill returned to normal size and color and zoomed up into Dipper's face.

"This isn't over, kid," Bill told him, "You think that 'oh, I tricked good 'ol mister Cipher' means that you've beaten me? Kid, I warned you what will happen in the future. Things have been set in motion, and now what I showed you will happen."

"The future can change," Dipper told Cipher.

"The future is change, idiot," Bill snapped at Dipper, "so don't go thinking that you can avoid the punishment you've brought to yourself by ignoring my offer. This isn't over, Pine Tree," Bill said, and floated upwards, a large circle appearing above him. Dipper gasped- unlike last time, there were fewer strange icons laid into it's sides. Only an axe with a broken handle, two hands with thick wrappings on them, and a skull with a single eye remained. The spaces once filled with other icons had vanished.

"Remember kid, Reality is a-"

"DIPPER!"

Dipper opened his eyes as the door was kicked down. Wendy stepped in first, delivering the kick that snapped open the locked door. Rushing inside first though was Mabel. Before Dipper could say a thing, she ran over, grasped him by the collar of his vest, and lifted him up.

She glared into his eyes, staring deeply. Dipper blinked and sighed. "He's not here," Dipper told her.

"You- you idiot!" Mabel told him, settling him down to the floor on his feet, "what could have happened if it hadn't gone to plan? You could have been a walking puppet again!"

"I know," Dipper shrugged.

At the door, Stan walked by, and checked the status of the door. "Hm. Well, that's another chore for Yuki." And he walked by Wendy.

"What were you thinking?!" Mabel asked, still holding onto his collar," you could have... you could have..."

"I'm sorry," Dipper said, putting his hands on Mabel's shoulders, "but the Djinn's pill can't-"

"I know," Mabel nodded, her head fallen and looking to the floor, "Wendy told me. It's stupid," Mabel looked back up, shaking her head. "I could have lost you again."

Dipper nodded.

Wendy stepped in. "You... didn't make a deal with it, did you?" Dipper stared to her, his eyes shimmering with emotion. What could he say to her? In the end, he chose the truth. He merely shook his head. Wendy nodded and leaned against the door, her tired eyes even more evident.

"I'll be outside," Dipper said suddenly, excusing himself from the two.

Down the stairs and away from the shop, Dipper stepped from the others. Wendy and Mabel left behind, Dipper turned to the left and down the hallway that lead to the side entrance.

At the steps, Dipper sat, feeling the weight of his promise crashing down on him as much as his attempts had.

Two deals, and neither completed. Wendy was still cursed, and Dipper still had a promise to complete. With the light of the dying sun, dipper lifted up the journal. Was it really worth keeping now? He stared at what it was, what it meant to him. So much, and yet only as a grim reminder to what he had lost.

The door opened behind him, and out stepped Wendy. Before he could speak, she sat next to him and sighed.

"Wendy?" Dipper asked quietly.

"It's okay dude," She admitted with her own nod, "In the end, I probably would have just smacked you a bunch had you made any deal with Cipher."

"But-"

"We'll figure this out somehow," Wendy told him, nudging his arm with her elbow, "we're great at improvising new things."

Dipper looked to her, the very real desire of grasping her chin and feeling her skin surging through his mind. He tamed the urge and looked away. Even with all that he had failed to accomplish, she had faith in him.

As long as she did, Dipper was certain he could do anything.


One update a little early, one a little late. Eesh. That's the life for ya!

And there you have it! Bill's return over and gone before we knew it. Wonder what he's up to. Something seemed off about him, didn't it? Hmm... who knows.

And alas, the Wendy curse still goes on. Try as we might, we're still looking for that cure. But maybe Dipper will find it. But to be frank, next episode, he'll be finding out some other things. Some... bad, and sad, things. So get ready- the big hunt for the warlock is about to begin.

And for those of you who didn't get who William Cardinal is supposed to represent, take a guess at what Disney Movie as a Genie in it. Now, find the actor who played it. :p Ya sillies.

Also- I'm off next week! Sorry guys, I'm heading to a place with no internet, so that's not really a thing I can help. :p BUT! But... to make up for it, next MONDAY I will have the chapter poster around midday. So remember- not update next sunday, but instead monday.

Seey- (EZB is swallowed into Quicksand.)

Quicksand: Burp.


"Hello?"

Yuki opened the front door to the seemingly abandoned warehouse. Lights were dim, and the orange glow of the setting sun cast it's rays into the building.

He pressed inside, his eyes skimming the boxes around him. They had old, dusty labels of a child with pudgy cheeks, saying strange things like 'Widdle' and winking a lot. Yuki even spotted a doll on the floor ahead of him, out of place from the rubbish around him.

"What is this?" Yuki muttered to himself as he lifted the doll with tall, white hair to his face.

"Uki-Dohth," a voice called to him.

Yuki whipped his head to a corner of the building and stood up. There a figure approached, walking through the shadows. Yuki stared and gasped.

"I'm g-glad you saw the ad," the Warlock said with a grin as he stepped into the light. "I think we have a lot t-to t-talk about. I have... a d-deal to make with you."


(Vigenere)

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