When Dipper came through the other side of the portal, something was different than the other times he'd done it. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
He clutched at his head, feeling a sensation that wasn't painful but unpleasant nonetheless.
He didn't know what was happening, but it definitely wasn't dimensional sickness. That wasn't near as soul crushing as this was.
He didn't know he was going to pass out until he tried to speak to Bill. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and he swayed on his feet.
Remembering the safe word, he barely managed to croak out, "Pine tree," Before his vision went dark.
When he again gained awareness, he was in the mindscape. But… It didn't look like it normally did.
Instead of a gray and colorless forest, he seemed to be in a bright white… Train station?
He looked around in confusion, wondering why Bill picked this new setting, "Bill?" He called.
There was no answer. Dipper's frown deepened. Why was he in the mindscape if Bill wasn't there?
"Bill?!" He called again, noticeably concerned for his mental companion.
He looked around once more, and this time he saw him.
The Dorito was standing at the edge of the tracks as if waiting on a train.
He turned around, "Seriously, Pine Tree, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me a Dorito," He sounded serious, which was a rarity for the ever fun loving dream demon.
"What's going on? Why are we in a train station?" Dipper demanded.
Bill looked at him like that was the most idiotic thing he had ever heard, "Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a train," He said.
Dipper was confused, "A train? But why? Where are you going?"
Bill shrugged, "No idea. No one knows what the demon afterlife looks like, if there is one at all,"
Dipper's entire being filled with dread, "What are you saying? Why are you talking about the afterlife?"
Bill, "Calm down, kid. I knew this was going to happen. I'm ready. I think I've been ready for millenia," He said.
"Would you stop being so cryptic? Why are you talking like you're about to die?" He demanded.
"Because I am about to die, Dipper! When you chose to return to this world permanently, it meant giving up your power. I held on last time for Ki-Ki's sake, but now… There's nothing left to do. I'm finally done," He sounded a little exhilarated at the last note. The relief in his voice as he talked about his rapidly approaching demise was palpable.
"Wh-What? No! Why didn't you tell me, you asshole?!" He screamed, his voice cracking with emotion.
"I already told you. I want this. If I would've told you this was going to happen back there, you would've refused to go through the portal," He said.
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in Dipper's throat as he said, "Yeah, I wouldn't have gone through if you- God, Bill. Just when I thought you changed, you've always got to fuck me over at the last second, don't you?" He said.
Bill looked guilty, "Pine Tree-" He began.
"Why, Bill? I thought we were supposed to be friends. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked emotionally.
Bill was mystified, "Dipper, it's okay. There's no reason to be upset. If it's about the power, there's nothing that can be done-"
"Shut up!" He snarled
"Huh?" He asked.
"I said shut up!" He snapped.
"But- Why?" He managed.
"It's not about the power, you dumbass dorito. When will you learn that I care about you? I don't want you to die, Bill," He said.
Bill looked touched, "I'm sorry, Dipper. I never wanted to hurt you, but I have to go. There's no way around it," He said.
Dipper looked away, "I know… It's just- I never imagined we'd be saving goodbye so soon. This isn't much of a happily ever after," He said.
Bill laughed wryly, "Happily ever after? Pine Tree, you of all people knows it's not that simple," He said.
He sighed, "Yeah, I do. Doesn't mean I didn't hope for a better ending,"
The triangle shrugged, "This ending isn't so bad. Sure, I'm dying, but it's not the end of the world. Go live your life. Reproduce. Name one of the little creatures after me," He said.
Dipper smiled through the tears gathering in his eyes, "You're still an ass," He said.
Bill laughed, "And you're still a hopeless sap," He said.
"I know this is stupid, but… Do you think I'll ever see you again?" Dipper asked, not daring to hope.
Bill shrugged, "It's hard to say. No one really knows what happens after you die. But knowing how much the universe hates the two of us, chances are we'll probably get stuck with each other again," He said.
Dipper looked down the tracks, trying to see any oncoming train, "Aren't you afraid? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Don't you feel fear?" He asked.
Bill burst out laughing, "Afraid? Pine Tree, don't you get it? The unknown risk… The possible danger… That's the fun of it!" He said.
He shook his head, "I should've known. Even when you're about to die, you're still a crazy bastard," He said.
Bill grinned, "Yup!"
The briefly cheerful atmosphere was decimated by the sound of a whistle and a train pulling into the station.
Bill looked at it succinctly, "Well. That's my ride. Before you say anything, can we not do goodbyes. I've always hated them," He said.
Dipper looked at him for a long moment before speaking, "Okay. No goodbyes then," He agreed, "See you later, alligator," He said.
Bill stared at him like he was nuts, "See you later alligator? That's your touching farewell?" He demanded.
Dipper stood his ground, and Bill eventually gave in. He muttered something that sounded like, Stupid Pine Tree's gonna make me cry, Before saying…
"After a while, crocodile,"
With that, he turned towards the train, ready to embark on a new journey. Before he could get on, Dipper called after him, "Wait!"
He turned around, annoyed, "What is it now?" He demanded.
Without warning, Dipper pounced on him, wrapping the triangular being in a tight hug, "Thank you," He whispered, "For being there for me when no one else was. You saved my life," He said.
"Godammit, Pine Tree. I have a reputation to keep up," He said, clearly failing to hold back his tears.
Dipper pulled away, "I know, I know. Just dust in your eye, right?" He asked.
Bill nodded, "Glad to see you're not getting the wrong idea here, kid. Now. As nice as this is, I have to go,"
Dipper nodded, "I understand. Go," He said, trying for a smile.
Bill returned it as he stepped onto the train. Before the doors could close, he shouted something, because he just had to have the last word.
"I love you, Dipper!"
Before he could react, the train left the station, leaving the place to slowly fade into nonexistence.
He shook his head. The demon clearly wasn't confessing romantic feelings. Dipper learned a long time ago that he didn't understand the concept. No.
He was putting into words a deep platonic love that the two of them shared. Their bond over the years had strengthened from a reluctant partnership to a familial relationship.
He smiled, not bothered by the tears running down his face, "See you on the other side…"
The mindscape slowly faded into bright light as Bill left to the great unknown. Before the light could swallow everything, he had to get one last word out.
"Brother,"
Dipper's eyes flew open as the mindscape winked out of existence.
He looked around wildly to see that he was still on the floor of the lab.
"Whoa! Calm down, Bro-Bro, you're okay. We're in Pacifica's basement, remember," Mabel quickly spoke.
Dipper realized something, "Pine Tree! Did I say the safeword? Pine Tree!" He rambled.
"Calm down, we know it's you. Kira's not awake yet, but you said the safeword before you passed out. What happened? You really scared me there, Dip," She said emotionally.
The events of his subconscious hit him, and he quickly searched his mind for any trace of Bill. His face fell when he found nothing. A void where his powers, demonic knowledge, and Bill used to be.
"Dipper? Is everything okay?" Mabel asked gently.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah. Everything's fine. Where are Stan and Ford?" He asked.
She gestured vaguely towards the door, "They went to go get breakfast. You were out for about an hour,"
He nodded, "No kidding. I'm not surprised. Where's Kira?" He asked.
She pointed to the other side of the basement, where Pacifica was tending to an unconscious Kira.
Dipper slowly got to his feet, still trying to get used to the sheer lack of a dream demon in his mind. He would miss the sarcastic conversation and backwards advice. He didn't even remember what it was like to be bored. Bill may have been annoying, but he was a well of endless knowledge which led to some pretty… interesting conversations.
Bill was the main reason why he stopped doing random drugs in underground space bars. If you think anything he did during Weirdmageddon was terrifying, you should've seen him high. The two destroyed several planets while under the influence.
He would miss having a built in partner in crime.
Dipper shook off his grief. He would process Bill's death later. Now he decided to focus on his very much alive wife.
He knelt by her side and gently shook her shoulder, "Kir?" He asked softly.
She groaned and curled in on herself. Clearly she didn't want to wake up. Despite his emotional exhaustion, he felt a surge of fondness in his chest. He missed her so much.
"Kira? It's me, Mason," He said.
She finally opened her eyes, "Ugh… My head," She groaned, "What hap-" Her eyes widened, "My powers! Mason, are your-"
He nodded, "Yeah. Our powers are gone, Kir. I'm sorry. If I had known this was going to happen…" He trailed off, looking away.
Her eyes were filled with tears but she shook her head, "No, it's- It's okay. I kinda had a feeling this was going to happen. I don't know how to explain it, but… It feels like this was supposed to happen," She said.
Dipper nodded sadly, "That's what Bill said. Hey, Pacifica. Did everything go well with the portal?" He asked his young friend.
Pacifica nodded, "No eldritch abominations came out if that's what you mean. We weren't sure it was you at first. Luckily Mabel managed to hear you say the safeword before you passed out. What happened to you two anyway?" She asked.
Dipper and Kira exchanged a glance before he explained, "We- Our powers that we gained in the multiverse essentially died when we decided to stay in this dimension. They've been with us both so long that to have them just… Be gone. It's like losing your best friend," He said.
Kira nodded wordlessly, her eyes red from suppressed tears.
Dipper reached over and rubbed her back comfortingly. She leaned into his side, burying her face in his shoulder.
Pacifica looked at the two of them sympathetically, "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that's like," She said.
Dipper shook his head, "It's alright. We'll be fine," He said.
Pacifica understood what he meant. As long as they had each other, the two of them could conquer anything.
Just then, Stan and Ford reentered the room, "We brought breakfast- Dipper! You're awake!" Ford cried excitedly, running to his nephew.
Dipper gave him an exhausted smile and stood up, "Hey Grunkle Ford. Grunkle Stan. Nice to see you guys again," He said.
Stan wrapped him in a one armed hug, which Dipper gratefully returned. Honestly, a hug was exactly what he needed after all the shit that he just went through.
Dipper pulled away and surveyed the worry on his father figures' faces.
Ford looked the most concerned, "Are you alright, son?" He asked.
He gave him a clear `we'll talk about this later' look, "We will be," He said.
He helped Kira up from the floor. She stepped forward and offered a handshake, "Hello, I'm Kira Pi-"
Both brothers stepped closer to her, their distrust written all over their faces.
"So you're the woman Dipper risked his life for," Ford said, clearly trying hard not to reach for his blaster.
"We've got some questions to ask ya," Stan said, crossing his arms.
Dipper quickly intervened in the rising conflict, "Alright, alright. You two can do the Dad interrogation later. For now, we could use some food," He said.
Mabel chimed in, "Let's go back to the shack! I wanna give my sister a tour!" She said.
Ford looked confused, "Sister?" He asked.
Dipper nonchalantly showed off his wedding ring, "We're married, remember?" He asked, "And I agree with Mabel. We shouldn't risk staying here any longer than we have to. If Preston and Priscilla come back while we're still here, they're going to have a few questions. I see you cleaned up the portal, Ford?" He asked.
He nodded, "I disposed of it shortly after the two of you came back through. We cannot allow it to open again. It'll destroy our dimension for good," He said.
The Pines family headed towards the door, but Pacifica hung back. Dipper turned to her, "Are you coming? You don't have to worry about this being a family thing. After everything that's happened, you're basically a Pines at this point," He said.
She shook her head, "It's okay, you guys go ahead," She said.
Mabel looked disappointed, "You sure?" She asked.
Pacifica nodded, "If my parents come back and I'm not here they're going to freak out. Besides, I haven't slept in two days. I'm going to go upstairs and sleep for fifteen hours,' She said.
Dipper laughed, "You've more than earned it. Thanks for everything, Pacifica. And don't worry, I'll make sure the two of you can keep in touch," He said with a wink.
Pacifica grinned, "You'd better. I don't want my girlfriend to steal another car just to come see me," She said.
Mabel looked starstruck, "Girlfriend? We're- Yeah! Okay! Girlfriend," She said confidently.
They headed out of the front door and waved their goodbyes to Pacifica. She probably would've kissed Mabel, but Stan and Ford were giving her warning looks, so she settled with a hug.
That was okay. There would be time for all that later. There would be talking and crying and grieving. There would be discussions to be had, celebrations to hold, and punishments to dish out. But for now, the Pines allowed themselves to enjoy being a complete family again.
Dipper smiled at Kira and took her hand, "Let's go home, Kir," He said.
She nodded, "Home," She agreed.
And so the Pines family walked back to their origin, all with bright hopes, diving headfirst into the future.
Keep in mind that, much like the show itself, this isn't the end. In fact, this story is only the beginning.
A/N: Well! That's a wrap, folks! Lost Time is officially finished. But this isn't the end! Stay tuned to see information about request based oneshots for sequels, a prequel, and a next gen fic in this universe.
Now for the acknowledgements. Thank you to all of the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed. You are the reason I was able to finish this story. Thank you all so much! I couldn't have done any of this without your relentless support.
I want to thank The Forest Dog directly. Your reviews were easily the most constant and the most helpful. I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you!
See the next chapter for information about continuations. I love you guys!
PS: I hope I wasn't the only one who cried at the Bill death scene. That one wrecked me when I was writing it.
Saiph