"Have you got your journal, Dipper?"

"Yeah!" Dipper opened the side of his vest and waved the blue book in the air. In the light it glowed to reflect off of Ford's tinted glasses. Stan was busying himself around in the gift shop, barking orders to Wendy and Soos and grumbling about a missing disembodied hand. He asked them to check the insides of their shoes frequently for stray fingers. The thought was enough to make Dipper check his own.

Someone zipped down the stairs with the velocity of an angry chihuahua, nearly bowling into Dipper in the process. He caught himself before he toppled over and took off his brown hat to smooth down his hair. "Mabel, watch where you're going!" He placed the hat back on with a grunt. "Are you coming with us?"

"Nope!" Mabel bopped him on the forehead. She was dressed in an obnoxiously sparkly sweater with a skirt to compliment, and hair pulled back into a loose braid. "I'm going to see Candy and Grenda today, remember?"

"Right." Dipper tried not to cringe. He loved his sister but when matched with her friends she was a force to be reckoned with. He smiled at her and fixed a loose strand of hair from her forehead. "Have fun then."

"You know I will, bro bro!" She returned his affection with a light punch to the shoulder and promptly spun around to receive a hug and a pat on the back from Ford. She looked up at him and pouted. "Hey! You're not wearing the flower crown I made you."

Ford ran a hand over her head. "I don't want it getting lost in the wind. It's safe upstairs."

She seemed satisfied with that answer, skipping out through the door. "Have a good time," Ford called as she left. For a moment he turned to the gift shop, face imbued with a purpose that crumpled away in seconds. "Let's get going. If this anomaly is like you described, we could have a problem on our hands."

Dipper had the location mapped out in his mind, all the way to the very last tree he and Mabel had looked at. It took twenty minutes on foot and by the time they were there he could feel something was off; none of the plantlife was decaying. In fact, it looked more lively than ever with the trees standing tall and grass seeping into every alcove it could find. He didn't voice his concerns. It could've moved further in.

"Was Wendy's family concerned?" Ford asked when they passed the cabin.

"It doesn't like salt," Dipper said. "It's real loud about it. I told them to make a circle around the cabin so it'd be like an alarm."

Ford nodded. "Smart."

Hearing Ford, of all people, call him smart? It never failed to make Dipper feel giddy. There was an extra pep in his step when they came across the first tree it had infected, a pep that was curtailed when he saw just how green the leaves were, how much the bark thrived. He never thought he'd be someone to wish illness upon a tree. Gravity Falls continued to surprise him.

"I..." Dipper stammered over his words. "It was all through here yesterday! I swear!"

Ford passed him to knock his knuckles against the wood. "Don't worry, I believe you. If this is a poltergeist it's possible it left to haunt another area. We just need to find out where." He reached into his coat, rustling through paper to pull out a wrinkled sheet. "Hmm… We'll check further down the forest and if it's not there we can ask around town. It has to have left a mark."

Dipper joined him and looked over his shoulder. "That's..."

"A page from one of my journals? Yes. I managed to rescue some before… You know." Ford stuffed it back into his coat and placed a firm hand on Dipper's shoulder, guiding them both deeper into the forest.

"I've been meaning to ask." Dipper scrutinised Ford's expression before he continued. "Why do we have to keep Bill a secret? I know it was important back then, but… It's been a long time."

Ford kept a steely stare. "I didn't think Stanley would have his memory returned to him at all. I'm glad for it, of course, but it poses a risk. If he remembers Bill..."

"...He could come back too." Dipper looked down. "Isn't it different, though? Bill's not a memory."

"Better to be safe than sorry. Bill's clever. He learns. If he manages to come back I fear he'll be unstoppable." Ford's face softened. "I know we'll have to tell him eventually; either that or he figures it out himself. I'd just like to prolong it."

At times Dipper envied Stan's situation. Bill had plastered himself on every corner of history; from the walls of the Northwest manor to every dollar bill in the country, he was a persistent plague. It was a small symbol, a simplistic parody of what the demon truly looked like, but even that was enough to dampen any good mood. Ford's return was a comfort he hadn't felt in a while. Everyone had suffered, but only Ford had suffered in the same way as Dipper.

Ford's arm snapped out to halt him. Dipper let out a feminine squeal as a large branch crashed onto the ground ahead of them.

"Do you see that?" Ford mumbled, staring up to the treetops. Dipper followed his stare. His eyebrows raised.

"Oh hey, it's that cat."

Grey fur and green eyes, it was hunched over a high branch with its head cocked to the side. It was as ominous as he remembered and creepy to boot. Cats had always rubbed him the wrong way; they stared into corners for too long and had a constant aura of knowing something he didn't.

"You know it?" Ford said. "I don't think it's safe for it to be up that high."

The tree it rested on was rich with protrusions. The bark was segregated into large, sturdy chunks and its roots ran deep into the ground. "Why don't I climb up there and get it?" Dipper suggested, taking his journal out of his vest and placing it on the ground for safety. "You'll catch me, right?"

Ford's lip twitched but he stepped back. "My elbows aren't what they used to be, but I'll try. If you feel things are too unstable, come down immediately. That cat will survive the fall. You won't."

"Got it." Dipper saluted on reflex. He regretted it.

The first few branches were easy to traverse. The higher he got, the more difficult it was to resist the urge to look down. The cat proved a reliable source of focus, unmoving from its position and calmly watching him climb. He found the thickest base of a branch adjacent to its position and carefully balanced himself on it. "Come over here," he cooed. "I'm here to help you."

Wide golden eyes bore into his mind. Unblinking. Ethereal. All knowing.

Dipper fell back.

The air was weak to slow his fall, desperate as it was to try. He descended rapidly. Time slowed, the two jagged pupils watching his decline. He could hear Ford yelling, scared, boots scuffing the dirt. Two strong arms wrapped around him before he could hit the ground. A heartbeat pounded against his head, quicker than a rabbit's.

"Dipper! Are you alright, son?" Ford pressed his hand to Dipper's cheek. When the blur of the world stopped Dipper was allowed a full view of his face. His eyes were creased, mouth pulled tight with worry. "What happened?"

"I –" Dipper steadied his breathing. He stared back up to the cat. Yellow yellow yellow… Green. Its eyes were green, green as the leaves and the grass. It blinked once at him then hopped across branches to sink away with the tree leaves. I must've been seeing things. We were just talking about him. He's dead. He's dead. "I just slipped. Sorry."

Ford placed him back on the ground but the touch never left. "Looks like the cat's gone," he said, bending down. He placed the blue journal back into Dipper's hands and squinted at him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dipper pushed the book back into his vest pocket and smiled wearily. "I did just almost fall to my death."

"Fair point," Ford said. The majority of his worry melted away but a subdued concern lingered. "I'll make a point not to let you climb any trees from here on out."

Mabel returned to the Mystery Shack with too-long eyelashes and an eyesore of a display of mixed foundations on her face. Candy and Grenda had been all too eager to make their reunion 'special,' special in a way that involved ten tonnes of makeup and two years worth of gossip. It was nostalgic; she wasn't so social at school. She spoke to everyone with the charisma of a romance novel heroine but as far as deeper friendships went, she spent her hometime with Dipper. He turned up his nose at any mention of makeup.

The gift shop was empty, Wendy and Soos leaving for their breaks, and she found Grunkle Stan attempting to become one with the couch with the television blaring into the empty spaces.

"Grunkle Stan!" She ran to stand in front of the television, arms in the air. "How do I look?"

"Kid, you look like a clown that just got told their below minimum pay was being docked." His tone was flat at first, lifting when he added with a softer tone, "But a very pretty one. How was your little get together?"

"Great!" Though taller than she was years ago, Mabel was still able to wiggle onto Stan's lap. "Did you know that Pacifica works at the diner now? She's Lazy Susan's apprentice!"

"That'll do her some good. I can already picture her parents sobbing at the counter everytime their darling daughter brings them some fries." Stan chuckled and wrapped an arm around her.

Mabel giggled. "Is Dipper back yet? I have something to tell him."

"Nope. Those two've been out for hours now." Stan's eyebrow twitched. "Here's to hoping they come back with all four limbs attached. Well, maybe not for my brother."

"Meanie." Mabel flicked him on the arm. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Their brainpower combined is like… a lot of brain."

"Not as much as you'd think." Stan reached around the side of the chair, reclining it and shimmying around so that Mabel could get more comfortable. "Channel's got reruns of Duck-tective on. Remember that show?"

"Oh, yeah!" Mabel looked to the screen. She recognised the episode immediately. "This is where he fights the Back Alley Cephalopod!"

"Yep! Then it turns out in the next season that the cephalopod was forced into a life of crime due to the country's declining economy." Stan paused and hummed. "You know, I'm starting to think this show might not be for kids."

"Shh! This is my favourite part."

They watched the show together for an hour, sharing banter and deep philosophical discussions about the morality of Duck-tective's work. When Stan had finally succumbed to his afternoon nap Mabel slipped away from his grip and headed upstairs to the attic. She could fit in some time for drawing before Dipper got back; he wasn't the only one who wanted to document what they saw!

She set up a neat workspace on her bed, book placed at her feet and pencils to the side with glue and glitter on the opposite. She started with doodling Waddles, bigger and stronger than he had been when they first met. Next was the Mystery Shack, Dipper, the odd creature they'd found on the trees and finally the grey cat that had approached them while exploring.

Every line of it was elegant compared to her natural scratchy style. She sprinkled some green glitter over its eyes, added soft highlights to the perimeter of its body then moved the book onto the bedside cabinet to let it dry. She hoped she'd see the cat again – it could be her new friend! Nothing could replace Waddles, but it could be her second favourite!

She relaxed back onto the bed, eyes feeling droopy. Stan's snores echoed from downstairs. Maybe she'd have a nap too...

No time. Harmonies suddenly rung out around her, warping in circles like flighty sirens. The sleep in her eyes faded and she perked up, scanning around the room. It wasrapidly saturating as if a wave of tragedy had flooded in, painting each and every corner. The wooden walls gasped for air, the windows rattled with fear and the once stable planks threatened to slip out of place with any movement the bed made. A flash of light above her then a feeling – a deep, deep feeling of uneasiness. Once the light had settled, her jaw dropped.

"You!"

"Me!" Bill spun in the air, comical pointed arrows forming to follow his motion, disappearing once he stopped. "Say! This is your first time, isn't it? Welcome to your mindscape, kid! Does it meet your expectations?" His pupil moved up and he tapped his lower eyelid. "Oh! I know!" He clicked his fingers. A small, round pig dropped to the floor.

Mabel gripped the bedcovers. That wasn't Waddles. "You're supposed to be dead, you stupid triangle!"

A crease formed above Bill's eye. Waddles squealed and decomposed right before her eyes. Muscles and tendon and flesh were pulled thin into the air like puppet strings. Bill sighed heavily. "That hurts, you know? It just..." His middle split into two, sounding like shattered glass. "It really breaks my heart." There was a gust of wind as he pressed himself back together. "I thought we had something special, you and me. Bill and Mabel, agents of chaos!"

She stuffed her fingers into her ears and pulled her knees up to cover her face. It only tempted the beast, bright and offensive yellow irritating her eyes when Bill hovered closer. His eye was a stark white, piercing through her, sluggishly circling her. His movements… They weren't as erratic as she remembered, nothing like the full-of-himself haughtiness he had back into Fearamid. The Fearamid… The memory of being tucked into his palm, red light glaring out her doom, was enough to send shivers down her spine.

He sensed it. He drew back, bottom eyelid raising into a twisted imitation of a smile. "I miss a good scare." He clicked his fingers a second time and Mabel found herself off the bed, sitting across from him in elegant chairs. Between them was a shiny glass table with two concentric patterned teacups on its surface. Bill poured a thin black liquid into them and pushed the rim of his cup between his eyelids. Its contents were sucked up with a vomit-inducing slurp.

"Let's talk," he said, placing the teacup down daintily and waving a hand at her. The way he held it was rigid, flexed, like Dipper's face when he was thinking too hard. "Catch me up on what's been going on around here. Why'd you two decide to come back?" He made a show of looking around and leaned over the table to whisper, "It wasn't pity, was it? You know, for the mole looking one?"

Mabel poured the foreign substance onto the floor. It curled back up into the air and settled into the base of her cup. She tried not to gag. "I'm not telling you anything. Get out of my brain!"

Bill shrugged and tossed his teacup behind his back. It burst into flames. "Moody, moody. Reminds me of your brother." The chairs skid painfully to the side, crafted arms interlocking and morphing into unison. Fabric grew from the softening metal. He placed a respective distance between them on the couch, leading the table to stand at their feet and smacking down a large box. "Care for a game? It's the greatest ice-breaker for nerds like you." He pulled off the cover and shook open a thin paper square. "Let's see… Did you bring your own dice set or did you need to borrow mine?"

Mabel looked on in horror. The title of the game was printed clearly on the box cover: 'Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons.'

"Not working for you?" Bill pulled his top-hat from his tip with a crackle of static and reached into it. Neighs and whinnies echoed from within, growing louder as he pulled out the hindquarter of a white animal. He shook the hat, eye straining as he struggled to pull the rest of its form out. He placed both feet on the rim of the hat and made a show of pulling at the leg. "Unicorns, I tell ya –" POP! Rainbow mane and a long, alien tail glided through the air. A unicorn floated angelically above them, backed by sparkles and snow.

Mabel was almost interested. She bit her tongue, shook her head a second time. The unicorn offered her a knowing nod and evaporated.

"Well," said Bill, placing his knuckles against his sides. "That was just rude." The couch and table sparked at the edges and engulfed themselves in flames. Once they had shrivelled to dust he faced her and raised his hand once again. The edges of his eye creased and twitched. Nothing happened. He closed his eye; the tension in his hand intensified. The world warped. Then it settled. His arm flopped limply by his side. Something sparkled. Something new.

Mabel was careful not to step too close. She craned her head forwards. "Are you wearing a bracelet?"

He tucked his hands behind his back. "Vanity is a penchant with folks like me."

She snorted. Silly of her to think the monster would give her a straight answer.

"It's unlike you to dismiss some old-fashioned fun," he said. His feet clinked against the floor as he dropped. "Well, I guess we all have our days! I'll cut to the point – being dead isn't really productive towards the whole global domination thing, so I opted out. Turns out the Nightmare Realm is a bit… How do I put this? Its dilapidation is starting to reach a head."

"What?"

"You don't know what dilapidation means?" Bill pressed two fingers against his eye and frowned. "It's destroying itself, numbskull, and I need a new home. This dimension clearly thinks I'm stepping on its toes with the whole 'lawless land' thing. Bunch of stuck-ups, if you ask me!" He hopped back into the air and held his palm out flat. A mockery of a map danced in the center. "Why don't you help me get somewhere else?"

There was a myriad of words she had for him. Enough to fill an entire dictionary two times over. Words about how he was a coward, a bully, and questions, the most pertinent of which being how he was alive in the first place. But looking into the sliver that was his pupil, intense and unyielding, sharp eyelashes close to encroaching her cheeks… There was nothing that could come out of her mouth. She was frozen.

Bill chuckled. "Typical of the Pines. I'm offering you a chance to get rid of me but you're too scared to take it!" He tapped her temples with a cold finger. "Maybe you need some time to chew on it. Tell you what – you can take five and I'll come back for your answer!"

Mabel released a baited breath when he pulled away. Beams of light protruded from his sides, his golden glow pervading with black. He saluted her. "See you in your next nightmare, kiddo!" Then, he was gone.

There was only one thought in her mind when the world restored its colour.

I have to tell Dipper.

Author's Note -

I encourage questions and thoughts on what may be happening- they're fun interactions to have!

Have some trivia! This story goes through changing constantly and I have no shortage of ideas that haven't been able to weasel their way in, or have weaselled in through different aspects.

1. Originally, Dipper and Wendy were going to investigate the trees in chapter three and Mabel, feeling dejected, would wander off. She would encounter the cat as well as Pacifica, who would state that the cat's eyes are yellow when Mabel has seen them as green, causing a bit of discourse there as well as establishing a budding friendship between them. I kept the twins together because I feel that's more important.

2. Bill was going to contact Dipper instead of Mabel first, and not through the mindscape but instead through Cat. This was scrapped because the reason for Bill contacting in the first place would've been a riskier endeavor had he spoken with Dipper directly.

3. Ford wasn't going to have a plotline established at all. Watching the series, his ties to Bill and the themes has made it seem like it would be appropriate to incorporate into Bill's character development. Same goes for Stan, though he was always going to play something of a role. The twins bonds are very important here.

4. Bill wasn't always going to start out stuck in Gravity Falls. He was going to spend a bit of time outside of it and drift back in around the same time as the twins. Again, changed because it's more conductive to the plot that he is in a tighter position than wandering around Earth like a bus boy's ghost.

Thanks for reading!