So, I had hoped this chapter would be uploaded last night, but all the sewing that still needed to be done for tonight's event made that impossible. At long last here is chapter fourteen.
Thank you to Marisol777, Energy witch, TheConManAndTheGhost, BILL CIPHER, ImpossibleJedi4, Berrybanana05, Fantasy Female Freak, MooMoo Mouse, Guest, CornChip, 2021FanGirl, Ella Le Hissy, Firefox, and Mosaic Mouse for your reviews on chapter thirteen.
Credit for this chapter goes to Guest. This actually seemed the best place in the story to put it. Guest, your ideas will be used in this chapter and the next, although I changed some things around to make them fit better with the story.
There is violence in this chapter.
The instant Stan locked the doors Ford escorted Shifty back into the lab with Dipper and Soos at his side just incase he needed assistance. Shifty didn't fight as he knew that remote rested somewhere within Ford's reach. However he glanced over his shoulder to catch Ford's glare. The author pushed the creature onto the elevator. His face smacked against the side and he pouted only to see the human's frown deepen.
Soos looked from Ford to Shifty. He wanted to say something about the way Ford treated the man he had come to know as their new guest, and potential friend, but the hard stare on the older man's face stopped any complaints before they could rise to his tongue.
The elevator shook as it reached the bottom floor. Shifty had resumed his original form and Ford grabbed hold of the top of his arm. Squeezing as they walked he tossed the shapeshifter out of the lift and followed closely behind, his eyes not drifting off the creature.
The four walked deeper into the lab. Ford halted when something crunched beneath his shoe. He instructed Soos to hold onto Shifty and handed the remote over to Dipper. The boy looked down at the item that would send severe pain to their unwanted house guest, then back up at his great-uncle. He then looked over at Shifty; despite their history, he too felt a hint of pity for the captured creature.
The scientist stared at the shattered glass on the floor with a few splatters of blood mixed in. His eyes followed up to see the monitor for the camera that spied on the inside of the gift shop damaged. He gasped and knelt down to examine the extent of the damage. A single hit must have broken the screen. Ford pushed ahead of the others down the blood stain path where he found Bill lying atop Ford's bed with the journal in hand.
Bill's right hand was crudely wrapped in bandages. At the very least his injuries weren't severe enough too have cost him a good amount of blood, but he would still need to look over it just to make sure it didn't get infected.
Ford instructed Soos to lock Shifty in the cell then turned to the fuming man just before him. Those gold eyes full of rage he hadn't seen since the night he considered transferring his hold on Bill over to Alicia Remington.
Ford approached Bill with an outstretched hand. With both hands Bill pushed Ford away from him then tossed the binder at Ford's feet. The pages flipped open and by freakish chance landed on the page where Ford recorded his first encounters with Shifty.
Bill picked up the whiteboard and wrote: Don't touch me.
"What's gotten into you?" Dipper asked.
Soos pressed the button that moved the two cylinders reinforced steel into the corresponding holes that secured the door in place. Thus far no matter how hard Shifty tried, none of his assaults were strong enough to break the lock. The handyman walked over next to Dipper. Subconsciously he put positioned himself in between the boy and the demon. He put his hand on Bill's arm and tried his best to suppress the shiver caused by his fierce glare.
"Come on, dawg, that Avery woman's gone, why don't we go watch some TV," Soos suggested. He put his arm around Bill. "You, me, and the kids. If you want Mabel brought season two of Downton Abbey."
Bill wrote: Why don't you ask the better Bill?
Soos let go of Bill. He parted his mouth, but found himself at a loss of words.
Dipper gasped and Ford facepalmed.
"Is that why you broke the camera?" Ford asked.
Bill let out a snarl then mashed the tip of the marker against the board. He welcomed the pain in his hand due to the cuts. Soos and Dipper exchanged glances. It was the longest and most passionate message they witnessed their friend write.
The three stared at the message meant for Ford: If you ever let him touch you like that again I will break more than one lousy monitor. To better prove his point Bill nodded at the journal that lay open on the floor.
"You're overreacting," Ford argued.
The board was cleaned with the sleeve of his black and white checkered shirt. A moment later he wrote: It's my body, but you know it's not me.
"I know," Ford said. He picked up the binder and shoved it inside his jacket pocket. With a sigh he added, "And I'm sorry. I meant nothing by it." Even if he were to explain that Shifty's performance was too convincing, Bill would explode. At the time an apology was the only safe method to calm him.
At the very least Ford decided he wouldn't leave the journal unattended in the lab any longer.
Bill turned away from Ford with a frown still on his face. Ford looked back at the cell and for a moment he swore he saw the shapeshifter staring back at him with a smirk.
Silently the group made their way back upstairs. The secret door opened for the four to gape in surprise at Wendy and a few of her friends who could only stare back. Mabel looked over at Dipper who in turn looked at Ford.
Ford only moved towards the group of teenagers who continued to look in the direction of the vending machine. Lee and Nate whispered among themselves. Tambry even lowered her phone to take a good look at the staircase that had been hidden behind the snack machine all that time.
"Maybe that old man is cooler than we thought," Nate whispered to Lee. The latter only nodded.
Ford stopped directly in front of the group. The three stared with open mouths at the scientist.
"You keep this quiet, and I won't tell your parents how you carelessly left drugged brownies out for anyone to consume," Ford said.
Everyone turned to Lee who nervously laughed. He scratched at his head and said, "Well now I know where I left 'em."
"Hold up, can we take a peek?" Nate asked and leaned over to peer at the vending machine behind Soos.
"Yeah, you can't keep something that cool from us," Lee added.
"We won't tell anyone, we just wanna see," Nate begged.
"It's too dangerous right now with the broken glass everywhere," Ford answered. "Maybe some other time."
"Who cares about broken glass?" Nate pressed.
Ford ignored the teenager's comment and moved on into the kitchen.
"Whoa, what happened to your face?" Lee asked when he caught sight of the wires.
"Big fight," Wendy answered. "Should've seen it, he totally kicked the other guy's ass."
Lee, Nate, and Tambry each congratulated Bill and patted him on the back.
"Anyway, Robbie's gonna be playin' at this basement party tonight, are you down?" Nate asked.
Tambry sneered at her friend. The instant he realized his words he clamped his hand over his mouth and mumbled an apology to Wendy.
"I don't want to have anything else to do with that loser," Wendy spat.
Tambry nodded at the other girl's words. Ever since Wendy and Robbie got back together Tambry found herself disgusted everytime she saw them kiss or even hold hands. Now the only person who nauseated her was Robbie.
"So, Wendy, I was thinking," said Lee.
"Now that's news worthy," Tambry commented.
Lee stuck his tongue out at the purple-haired girl then continued, "Now with you having a baby and all, you should go on Teen Mom."
"Sweet!" Nate cried. He turned back to Wendy who was highly unamused. "If you're on TV, you'll get money, and you need that for babies, right?"
"Will you two idiots shut up?" Tambry snapped.
"Yes," Dipper said and pulled himself in the stool next to Wendy. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Anything regarding the baby is for Wendy to decide alone."
Wendy smiled and thanked Dipper with her eyes.
Tambry's phone chimed. She stared down at the screen with gritted teeth and contemplated letting the redhead view the contents of the her message. In the end she decided it was best she know.
Wendy's stomach twisted as she caught sight of Tambry's facial expression. The tiny device was placed in Wendy's cupped hands. On the screen she read Robbie's response to Tambry's text demanding him to take responsibility for his actions: How do I even know it's mine? You know Wendy's got a reputation around town.
Tambry screamed as her precious phone bounced twice on the checkout counter. The purple-haired girl quickly snatched it up and searched the entirety for scratches. Dipper peered over Tambry's shoulder to catch a glimpse at Robbie's words. He clenched his fists and announced he'd be back later.
"Dipper, no!" Wendy cried as the boy opened the gift shop door. She rushed towards the door and shut it back in place. The younger teen looked up at the panting older one. Wendy knelt down and put a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Don't do this. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I can handle him," Dipper countered.
"Please, you promised you would let me call the shots," Wendy reminded him.
Dipper sighed and released the door handle.
Wendy stood up and noticed the look in Bill's eyes. She walked up to him and said, "You too. All he has to do is hit you in the face and make your jaw even worse."
"That's messed up," Lee said as he read the text.
Dipper clenched his fists. For once he wished Bill wasn't bound by Ford's spell so he could teach the Valentino teen a lesson. Mabel could only watch the scene in silence, surprised that someone she knew (and once considered a friend) could be so cold.
Wendy grabbed her coat from the closet. "You guys go on to the party, I'm going home," she said and closed the door behind her.
She figured she might as well get used to spending nights indoors, because once the baby came she wouldn't have time for outings with her friends any longer.
The next two days passed without incident. However just because there was no sign of Avery didn't mean they let their guards down.
Both days the Pines followed the same routine. Shifty was fed breakfast then led to the gift shop where he would spend the day until closing. Afterwards Ford and Soos led him back into the basement where he was locked away.
During that time of passing Bill barely looked at Ford, let alone spoke to him. Ford chose not to give into Bill's childish antics and returned the cold shoulder.
On Thursday Shifty commented to Ford, "Don't be sad, Stanford, I can pretend to be Bill to lift your spirits."
As he laughed Ford pressed the button. The shapeshifter was knocked to the ground where he gripped at his stomach with labored chuckles. With a grin Shifty watched Ford attempt to console Bill only for the latter to turn his back and walk on a head with his hands in his pockets. Ford fumed, yet selected not to yield to Bill's behavior.
Come Friday when the rush died down, Mabel excused herself to the bathroom. When she finished her business she grabbed a pack of oatmeal cookies for her and the crew to snack on. Wendy, Dipper, Soos, and herself each munched on the soft cream cookie.
The girl looked over to her right to see Shifty staring. He licked his lips which prompted the female twin to offer one to him. Ford found no reason to deny him the treat. Shifty examined the round dessert then took a bite. He smiled and asked for another. Ford chided him on greed, but Mabel fulfilled his request.
Down in the basement Bill watched the exchange on the recently repaired monitor thanks to Soos. He turned away as he promised he wouldn't destroy it a second time. However Bill grabbed a few books and hurled them at the shapeshifter's holding cell. Each one bounced off the reinforced glass, none of which even put a dent in the walls.
He then picked up the empty bowl that an hour ago contained tomato soup Mabel had been kind enough to give him. How grateful he had been to indulge in something other than chicken broth for the first time in five days. The porcelain bowl smacked against the door, directly against the button that secured the lock. The cracked dish toppled on the floor, while the jammed button slightly pressed in.
As the anger dissolved from his body Bill passed by the mess and threw himself on Ford's bed. For a moment he considered ripping apart the sheets. Instead he covered himself up in their warmth as he imagined happier times in that very bed when he laid in Ford's arms. How he wished he'd quickly heal.
Later that night close to seven the family sat at the table for dinner as Soos brought the pot of noodles to the hungry crowd. Due to liking the cookie earlier that day, Shifty wanted to try other foods. Both Stan and Ford found it to be a reasonable request and allowed their new guest to join them at the dinner table.
With the metal tongs Soos filled each plate with a heaping helping of spaghetti. Dipper followed behind to serve the sauce. Once the other two sat down he basket of bread was passed around the table. Dipper ignored Bill and passed the basket across him to Ford. Ford scolded his nephew for reaching across another person's food then selected his own roll.
Bill stared down at yet another bowl of chicken broth. He inserted his spoon into the golden brown liquid and stirred about. Already his stomach begged for more to consume than the soup would provide. Already he had grown quite a distaste for chicken soup.
In the three dinners alone he already missed out on pizza, chicken with mashed potatoes, and chicken nuggets with fries. Now he was to be denied spaghetti.
All eyes landed on Shifty who tried his best to hold a spoon. He cursed his three fingers then switched into the form of Baron Num Nums which returned Dipper, Mabel, and Soos to the very first time they met the shapeshifter. With the extra two fingers he found it easier to grasp the utensil.
Mabel showed him how to twirl the noodles about the prongs. It took three tries for Shifty to catch on. He rose the fork to his face and slurped up the noodles much to Ford and Dipper's chagrin. Stan on the other hand laughed and Soos praised him for a good first try. In time they all tuned out the loud slurps and splatters of marinara sauce on his mouth, cheeks, and chin.
"If you like it, you can have more. I made a whole lot," Soos said.
"Oh yes, I will," said Shifty. He licked the sauce off the corner of his mouth. "It's a lot better than beans."
"Then I'll have three plates full!" Mabel exclaimed as she finished her first helping.
"That kind of greed gets you put on dish duty," Stan said and whacked Mabel over the head with his fork.
Mabel rubbed at where she was struck. She felt something sticky and lowered her hand to see pieces of sauce and parmesean on the side of her pinky finger. She licked it away causing Dipper to shout his disgust. A moment later and everyone save Bill laughed.
"We should have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow," Stan said.
Bill narrowed his eyes. He gripped at the edges of his bowl. All the others at the table laughed. His ears picked up the sound of Shifty's laughter.
Bill let out a yell and slung his bowl across the kitchen. The dish shattered upon impact and the broth leaked across the floor. All laughter ceased and all eyes stared upon the demon who stood slightly hunched with balled fists by his side. He took shallow breaths.
Gold eyes locked with the brown ones of his lover. Bill stomped out the room. Ford stood and threw his napkin over his empty plate. He strode over in the direction Bill fled.
"So I take it Bill ain't gettin' no dessert tonight?" Stan asked, referring to the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer.
Ford stopped in the doorway and sighed. He looked over at his brother and said, "He can't eat it anyway." With that he passed into the hallway.
He tapped on Bill's door only to receive no reply. Ford opened the door to see Bill laying on his stomach with his arms crossed beneath his pillow. He took a glimpse at Ford then turned his face against the wall.
Ford sat down on the bed next to Bill. He put his hand on the center of Bill's back.
Bill scrunched himself into a ball and scooted away from Ford's reach.
"You're being a brat," Ford scolded. "And you're cleaning that mess up in the kitchen."
Bill glared at Ford. He picked up the whiteboard and wrote: I like spaghetti. Underneath it he wrote: I hate chicken soup. I hate it. Hate it. HATE IT!
Ford snatched the whiteboard from Bill's hand. "You're throwing a tantrum over soup? You've been in a foul mood for the past few days." Ford stood and Bill looked away. "I understand you're not in the best condition, but it's no excuse for your behavior."
Bill stood and the look in his eyes made Ford thankful that he couldn't use his magic to cause harm. He expected the room to erupt in flames. In a swift motion Bill pointed at the door.
"Go wit' 'e o'er Bill," he said, his voice full of venom towards Ford and his replacement currently in the kitchen.
Ford stood motionless for nearly a minute. Bill repeated his nonverbal request. With a sigh Ford tossed the whiteboard on the desk then exited the bedroom. Bill listened for the click of the lock, but all he heard were Ford's heavy footsteps away from the door.
The author returned to the kitchen to see Soos cleaned up the spill. He tossed the broken pieces of the bowl in the trashcan. Those at the table looked over at Ford then hurried to resume conversation.
"Perhaps Stanford will be better off without Bill," Shifty commented.
"That's horrible," Mabel exclaimed. She folded her hands against her heart. "Grunkle Ford and Bill love each other so much."
"I doubt it," Shifty said with a chuckle. "He's had enough of Bill. Or maybe Bill's had enough of him."
"That's enough out of you," Ford snapped. He yanked Shifty to his feet. The shapeshifter hissed as Ford tightened his hold on his arm.
"Grunkle Ford! You're hurting him!" Mabel exclaimed.
Despite the pain Shifty laughed.
"It's time for you to go back in your cell." Ford hissed. He then nodded at Soos who rushed over and took hold of Shifty by the shoulder.
The twins watched as Ford and Soos led the creature back to the lab.
Shifty stepped into the cell without struggle. He grinned at Ford while Soos closed the door then pressed the button. Shifty's laughter covered up the silence as the lock never clicked into place. Ford's hand hovered over the remote. How much Shifty begged for another jolt, but he took a deep breath and turned away. The prisoner watched the two humans disappear from his sight.
The shapeshifter resumed his original form. The three-fingered hands pushed against the door and nearly fell when it budged. He pressed his face against the glass to see the the locks not quite in the holes. With a smirk he pushed harder and the door opened enough for him to switch into the form of a gnome and slip through the narrow opening.
Shifty assumed Soos' form then closed the door. The figure of Soos complete with Shifty's red eyes made his way through the lab. He hurried over to the desk. One by one the drawers were opened and rummaged through. Documents were tossed about, but no sign of the journal. He then eyed the two bookshelves a little ways down. Each one was plucked by the spine from the shelf. The human fingers flipped through the pages, unable to understand the words, but stopping each time he set his eyes on a picture.
Eventually the books were thrown on the ground. If he ever figured out how to use Bill's powers he would certainly burn each of the books to a crisp. How he would cackle as Ford lamented the destruction of his precious references.
Shifty glanced over his shoulder to see the bed where Bill had been found asleep when he was forced to accompany Ford to fetch the demon before dinner. Ford wasn't pleased with the mess by the holding cell, but chose not to start an argument with a recently woken Bill. That was the very same place he witnessed Bill reading from the journal a few days prior.
The false Soos pulled back the comforter to see only blue cotton sheets beneath. He flipped over the pillows to seem them vacant of anything that would be of use to him. Shifty tossed the pillow back on the bed then turned to the dresser. He grinned as he recalled finding snacks the author used to hide in the dresser in the bunker.
As he opened the first drawer his ears picked up the sound of the rickety elevator. He quickly assumed the form of a roach and skittered up the wall then perched on the ceiling.
The author stepped into his familiar room. He looked back in the direction of the entrance to the laboratory and wondered if he should have checked on his boyfriend one last time. With a sigh he decided against it-Bill would approach him when he was ready. He glanced over at the cell to hear silence and figured Shifty had already fallen asleep.
Ford sat down at the desk. The journal was produced from his jacket and Shifty groaned at having not considered that option sooner. He opened up the page on the shapeshifter and read over previous information on his first captured specimen. At the bottom of the page he jotted down a footnote to turn to a later page. Ford then flipped to a vacant page towards the back.
Unaware of the roach crawling down the wall he wrote down new information he collected on Shifty both through his own interactions and what Dipper told him from last summer. After listing the new information he wrote in possible advantages for the multi-formed creature. Most notably were his hypotheses on how Shifty could be used as a weapon against Kryptos.
In insect form Shifty moved to the floor. For the first time he caught Ford alone. Now was the time to take his revenge against the man who had kept him prisoner for too long. after the author.
He took on the role he had been assigned to play for the past few days. Shifty grinned and mirrored wires on his teeth. The top two buttons on the shirt were fastened to hide the metal collar.
Slowly he made his way over to the author. Ford felt a presence behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the very man who had been the reason for his grief the past hour slowly approach. The false Bill put on a charade of sorrow then threw his arms around Ford.
The embrace surprised him, but Ford quickly returned it. He had missed his boyfriend's touch and his scent. Ford planted a kiss on the fake Bill's forehead.
"I'm sorry," Shifty said in Bill's voice, limited by the fake wires.
"So am I," Ford said. He took hold of the other man's hands. "I didn't consider your feelings. I can't imagine how stir crazy you must be locked up in the basement everyday." Even when he had broken his leg nearly a year ago, he still had the option of leaving the room and the house without fear of being caught by a looming threat.
Shifty leaned his head in the crease of Ford's neck, unaware it was a common affectionate gesture for Bill. How easily he could strike Ford's artery and he'd bleed out on the floor hours before anyone came to check on him. Still there was one more goal he needed to accomplish to ensure he could escape alive with the journal in hand. Within the hour he'd be out of the shack and never again to be tracked by the Pines.
With a grin Shifty inserted his hands into Ford's jacket. The author was shocked, but quickly smiled. He gently caressed the fake Bill's uninjured cheek then ran a hand through his hair. Shifty continued to search the pockets for the remote. Ford removed his own jacket which caused Shifty's smile to widen.
Ford led the man he believed to be Bill to the bed. He couldn't kiss him and he would have to be careful not to harm his lover, but he knew a moment of intimacy was something both he and Bill needed after everything they had been through in the past week.
Ford tried to remove the other man's shirt, but Shifty pushed his hands away. He pushed Ford down on the bed. His fingers slid in between the human's. Even if the remote was stashed in his pants pockets, he wouldn't be fast enough to grab it when he launched his assault.
The monster grinned. After all the humiliation Ford had forced him to endure, he would bask in the look of horror and betrayal when Ford realized the man about to kill him was not his beloved Bill.
Shifty leaned closer to Ford. Their noses nearly touched. The creature licked his lips then smirked as he prepared to protrude spikes from his body, all of which would impale the human. He would then break both of Ford's arms to ensure he couldn't reach for the remote.
Just then the two looked up to see another figure step off the elevator. Bill moved into the light ready to apologize for his actions at dinner. Gold eyes set upon the forms of the impostor of himself on top of Ford.
A blinding light seized Bill. Before anyone could blink he tackled the fake version of himself to the ground. Bill screeched as he reached for Shifty's throat. The shapeshifter gripped Bill's hands. Two sets of red eyes locked.
Ford eyed his coat a little ways away. He dashed for it and grabbed the remote. Shifty pushed Bill from him who collided with Ford. The remote was dislodged from his hand and slid underneath the bed. Shifty hurled himself at Bill. He aimed for the broken jaw. Bill jumped out of the way in time. He kicked the shapeshifter in the stomach then another kick landed the fake on his back.
Heavily breathing Bill grabbed Shifty by the neck. Fangs bared and straddled atop of the imposter he gripped at Shifty's throat. He squeezed causing the shapeshifter to squeak. Bill basked in the sound of Shifty's futile gasps for air.
Ford threw his arm around Bill's neck and pulled him off of Shifty. Before Bill could explain a tranquilizer syringe was injected into his arm. The demon screamed then his muscles slowly relaxed. A few seconds later and Bill was out. Ford dragged him to the cell where Bill was tossed inside. His unconscious body bounced twice landing him on his back. It was then Ford noticed the jammed lock.
The scientist tried to dislodge it. After three attempts he aimed his laser gun at the lock and let the beam weld the door in place. He sneered at the unconscious form he believed to be Shifty in Bill's skin. Although he wondered why Shifty hadn't switched back to his true form, he didn't want to waste another thought on the shapeshifter.
Ford turned to the creature still disguised as his lover. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Shifty rubbed at his neck and nodded.
"Did he reinjure your jaw?" Ford asked and reached for the other man's face.
Shifty held his hand in front of his mouth and shook his head. While he knew he should probably check for damage he decided to trust Bill's judgment.
"I'm sorry I put you in danger again," Ford said.
With a smile Shifty shrugged.
In that moment Ford decided that he would take Bill on a month-long vacation. They would return only when it was time to remove the wires.
He glanced back at the cell and kicked himself for not checking earlier. Now he glared at the sleeping form of Bill. He'd let his family know to stay away from the cell and the prisoner within. There the captive would rot away.
Well, this chapter took a darker turn. Guest, I hope you like the way it turned out. I will have the rest of your suggestion in the next one.