This chapter is way late. Life has been so busy. I'm taking acting and modeling classes now, hopefully to make a career of it at some point.
Since it's been over a month, here's a recap of last chapter: Mabel ran away to Candy's house because she didn't want to leave Gravity Falls. When her parents found her they took the kids back to the Mystery Shack and prepared to leave, only to be stopped by the police who were supposedly ordered by Agent Trigger for the Pines family to stay until the case was solved. In fact it was Gideon who disguised his voice to sound like Trigger who made the order, tricking the cops and mayor into keeping the twins in town.
Bill is still angry with Ford. Ford, too stressed with everything that happened recently, went outside to meditate. He transcended into the Silent Void, a place of pure peace, where he ran into his mentor Jheselbraum. The reunion was short lived as she warned him Kryptos would kill her within the hour.
Thank you to everyone who read and has been patient with the posting of the new chapter. And a special thanks to the reviewers: Energy witch, Frostbite, BrentFox99, 13ForLife, Abigail Rose V, and QuickestSecret.
Here is the first chapter of Season Three!
The rare chance he'd run into the Oracle during his transcendence couldn't be calculated, but yet there she graced him with her presence. The moment his eyes caught sight of her, he filled with bliss, only to have it immediately ripped away like a bandaid on tender skin.
Ford floated in silence, certain his ears heard incorrectly. Jheselbraum offered the human the best smile she could despite the circumstances.
A wave of white lights dashed by in the pink skies and for a brief two seconds Ford saw that four of Jheselbraum's eyes were slashed. The lights cascaded down an eternal path and his mentor's eyes returned as he remembered them.
"Don't look at me that way," Jheselbraum said and placed her large palm against Ford's cheek. He leaned into the warmth of her touch.
"I don't understand," Ford whispered. He placed his hand atop of hers, his feeling like a child's in comparison to hers.
The oracle released a sad sigh. "I wish most intently that we had reunited on happier terms." She put her other hand on the other side of his face. "I wish to know so much about your travels upon leaving my world, and how you've been since arriving home."
"You knew?" Ford asked.
Jheselbraum removed her hold on Ford. She shut all of her eyes save the top one. It flashed white for a second and then revealed the town of Gravity Falls. The images within the orb panned across the darkened forest beneath starry skies. At last the frame landed on Stanford Pines sitting cross-legged on the gravel path, surrounded by a dozen candles, only half of them lit. His eyes shut tight in a trance and his soul in another realm.
The images vanished and the light dimmed. The other six eyes gradually opened and Jheselbraum smiled warmly at the much younger being.
"I'm treated with loads of knowledge and visions of the future for various dimensions each day, but I tried to keep at least one eye on you," Jheselbraum said winking said eye. "I do know you defeated Bill Cipher." She frowned, "Although I sense he's still alive."
Ford sighed. "Things didn't go exactly as I planned. And Bill, he's living with us at the moment."
"He no longer causes you trouble?" the Oracle questioned.
"Anything that involves Bill is trouble," Ford answered. "You may find it odd, but we have grown close over our time together."
"So you were able to save him," Jheselbraum said. She crossed her legs and placed a hand on each kneecap. "Then I was wrong to assume he was too far gone to rescue."
"To be frank, I thought it was nonsense when you told me he wasn't truly evil, just unfortunate to be warped for millions of years and tormented by his own thoughts," Ford confessed. "I couldn't understand why you tried to make me feel sympathy for the demon."
"If you were able to save him, then I'm relieved you didn't have to kill him."
She relaxed her legs and floated on ahead with her arms stretched out beside her, slightly kicking her feet as though swimming through a placid lake. Ford imitated her motions, following close behind as he had done the first time she brought him to this plane.
Jheselbraum had never met Bill Cipher in person, but many visions of death and destruction surrounded that creature. However with the seventh empath eye she sensed the agony stirring inside Cipher's heart, the dread, the growing insanity, and for that reason she wished to have one day met him. It was impossible for her to heal him, but she wanted to try, although she assumed he was too far gone for anyone to help.
She kept all eyes straight ahead, although she felt the younger being's stare on her. "I sensed Kryptos' feelings and he is filled with anger and desires of revenge towards you and Bill." She paused for a few beats then added, "Yesterday I saw a vision of what he plans to do to your town." She glanced back at her formal pupil. "I sent the vision to the nearest clairvoyant in your location. I sense she's delivered the message."
Ford hummed. "She was vague. She couldn't give us much information other than the chaos." He brought his hand to his mouth. His gaze fell on the bond markings. "Somehow mine and Bill's bond is essential to the resistance."
"Then I was correct in assuming it's Bill," Jheselbraum replied. "That explains why Kryptos is eager to destroy him." She smiled. "Then I am more relieved you didn't kill Bill Cipher."
A moment of silence passed between the two as they simply moved, how long couldn't be measured as time didn't exist in the void. Ford closed his eyes and merely basked in the absolute peace of that world. How he wished the reality he and his family would soon face could disappear and he could forever exist in absent bliss.
Ford suddenly stopped. Jheselbraum felt the change in energy and moved into an upright position. She turned to meet the human's frown.
"You said you're going to die," Ford stated.
"Everything in this universe has its end, even the immortal," answered Jheselbraum. She gave him a weak smile. "Kryptos and his lackeys made it to my dimension. They infiltrated my home and seized my scrolls."
"Then he has discovered how to transport between dimensions at will?" Ford asked.
He recalled the moment Tias handed him the scroll. Ford couldn't read it and even with Tias' translation, he couldn't figure out how to make the spell work. Kryptos, however, was likely to have the knowledge on that type of magic and a greater chance of success.
"Not quite," said Jheselbraum. "On my orders Tias tricked him. He gave a false translation on the transporting scroll, and in his attempt to spite me, Kryptos burned the very information he sought."
Ford's mouth curved upwards. "You are clever."
Her smile faded. "Unfortunately, Kryptos found out he'd been fooled when the last of the scrolls were destroyed. It cost gentle Tias his life."
The oracle shut her eyes and lowered her head at the memory of her faithful servant's screams that echoed through the hall into the chamber that held her. She felt each tormenting blow as Kryptos allowed his underlings to bludgeon the small creature to death.
Ford clenched his fists.
"And you?" the author spoke in a barely audible voice, hoping her ears didn't pick up the question.
"He's coming for me next," the oracle replied. "Before your mind returns to your realm, my dimension will be erased."
She noticed the dread in Ford's eyes and put a hand on either side of his face. "Now's not the time for mourning," she warned. "We managed to slow him, but he's heading for your home. He's ambitious and will find another way."
"Please, do you know how to stop him?" Ford pleaded.
"Yes and no," Jheselbraum replied. "There is one way to close the gates between all dimensions. No one has dared attempted it in the past, as it is permanant."
"You mean...there'd be no contact between other worlds?" Ford asked.
Jheselbraum nodded.
Ford stared speechless. In his younger years that had been his goal, to prove other worlds existed. And he was one of few humans who experienced other dimensions and lived to share his experiences.
A part of him wished one day he'd have the chance to travel the multiverse again, perhaps with Dipper, or even Bill. Now armed with previous knowledge and this time for leisure rather than survival, it be a perfect way to spend the rest of his days.
With the gates permanently sealed shut he'd never again step foot on the beaches of Selvrin. He'd never skate on the frozen lakes, or dine in the palace with his friend Kellen. All the creatures he met during his travels would exist only in his memories. What more, there'd no longer be proof the multiverse ever existed.
With a heavy sigh Ford asked, "How do we close the gate?"
"I don't have that information," Jheselbraum responded.
She suddenly gasped at a sharp pain in her abdomen. Jheselbraum bent forward and placed her hands against her belly. Crimson liquid dripped between her fingers.
"Jheselbraum!" Ford cried. He crouched down next to her and helped pull her shaking hands away. He gulped at the deep gash in her torso.
The oracle gasped and gurgled. She opened her mouth only for blood to spill down her chin.
"What's going on? What can I do?" Ford asked. He ripped off a piece of fabric from the bottom of his coat and folded it into a thick square. As he placed it against the wound, the woman pushed it away.
Jheselbraum shook her head. She placed a bloody hand atop of Ford's smaller one. "It's too late for me," she rasped. She moved too sharply and winced at the sudden acute pain. "Bill Cipher," she wheezed.
Jheselbraum turned her head to cough.
"Bill...what about him?" Ford asked. He contemplated returning to his world and forcing Bill into the Silent Void with him. However there was no guarantee he'd transcend a second time in the night, let alone know if Bill could even make the journey.
"He knows the answer," the oracle forced out. "It's hid-hidden somewhere in his mind."
"How...how can you be sure?" asked Ford.
The female smiled. "It's what he used to fear most."
With that the oracle's eyes closed for the final time. "Afara solonama," she whispered with her last breath. The words, a formal goodbye in her native language that Ford heard her speak as he drifted into sleep the night before she sent him on his journey to the next dimension.
A wave of white lights surrounded her body. Ford stared with a gaping mouth as the form of his mentor gradually vanished from sight.
He reached out his hand just as she disappeared. His fingers touched only air in the empty space she recently occupied.
The author suddenly felt alone. His arm fell by his side. Feeling absolutely nothing he could only stare out into infinite space.
Ford opened his eyes to find himself back at the opening of the woods with the Mystery Shack behind him. Ford sat still for a few minutes. All but one candle had burned out. How long had he been meditating?
Due to the moon overhead it hadn't been more than a few hours at most. His legs stiff from their crossed position, he groaned when he stood, stretching and stomping out the tingling. He looked straight ahead in the woods. For once there weren't any sounds from nocturnal life, almost as though the creatures of the forest also paid their respects for the recently deceased.
The old man moved to his feet. The hem of his jacket swayed around his boots as he made his way into the woods. He trekked down the path, keeping his eyes out for large stones. Another hundred yards in he found a rock about two feet high and eight inches wide. He lifted the heavy stone and headed back towards the shack.
Suddenly he stopped upon seeing one just a bit smaller. Ford grabbed the rock, carrying one under each arm. Crickets provided a somber melody while he walked the trail back to his home.
Ford planted the larger boulder right at the edge of the forest. He then set the tinier stone to the left of the first. The author surveyed the gravel pathway for nice sized rocks and with both hands filled he returned to the boulders. Ford arranged a circle of stones around both markers then moved down to his knees.
With both palms against the earth Ford bowed his head and offered silent prayers on behalf of his two late friends. He finally released the sob he had held during his meeting with the oracle. The sound cracked in his throat followed by a second one. Tears streamed down his face. One slipped onto his nose then slid down to the tip and plummeted to the gravel pathway where it splattered and seeped into the dirt.
Grief switched into anger. Ford inhaled deeply and wiped away the tears with the back of his hands. He stood slightly hunched and trembling. He dared Kryptos to come. Ford vowed the moment of that monster's arrival, he'd make Kryptos pay for Jheselbraum's blood with his own.
The next morning Stan woke to find his brother and the twins missing from the shack. A few minutes after his initial shock he remembered Mabel and Dipper presently stayed in the motel with their mother. Ford, however, was a different story. Not counting he technically would be arrested if found outside of his home, but Stan worried if someone had possibly taken Ford while they slept.
Two hours passed without any sign of his brother. Thrice Stan called Ford's cell only to be sent directly to voicemail. The third time greeted by the voice messaging system Stan slammed the phone on the receiver.
Thoughts raced through Stan's mind. They ranged from the agents capturing his brother and forcing him into working for them, to Abigail Powers having escaped and enacted her revenge on the man who brought her misery, to those monsters arrived early and demolished him. Stan stared at the phone wondering if he should try again.
A knock on the front door brought color back to Stan's face. He hurried to the door dressed only in his boxers and tank top. The smile faded when he greeted Tad Strange instead of his twin.
"Good morning, Mr. Pines, is this a bad time?" Tad asked.
"Kinda," Stan answered half tempted to slam the door in the younger man's face.
"Oh...I'm sorry for coming unannounced," Tad said. "But if you don't mind, I heard Bill was released from the hospital. I just wanted to see if he's okay."
"Physically he's a lil' banged up, and mentally he ain't doin' so good," Stan replied.
"Oh man, then I should probably come back another time," Tad said. "I'm so sorry if I caused you any trouble."
Stan shrugged. "You ain't never did me no wrong, Tad," he said. "I'll let him know you stopped by."
"No need," said Bill from behind. He moved closer into the room, his glowing yellow eye returning to normal as he passed into the light. A fresh bandage covered the right eye. "Please, come in, Tad," he greeted with a smile.
Tad looked over at Stan who with a grunt stepped aside for the visitor. Bill gently took hold of Tad's wrist and led him to his bedroom. Tad looked over at Bill for a second then made his way into the other man's room.
Stan grabbed hold of Bill's elbow and spun him so that their eyes met.
"Just whattaya think you're doin'?" the old man spat.
"He came to see me," Bill replied. He struggled in Stan's grip to no avail. Bill narrowed his eyes and said, "Obviously he cares more about me than that sh-ty brother of yours. And I ain't with your brother no more, so it's really none of your business." Upon Stan's shocked state Bill yanked his arm free. "Now if you don't mind, we'd like a little privacy," the demon hissed, rubbing at the sore spot on his arm as he walked backwards into his room.
Despite the venom in his words, Bill closed the door with little force. Stan stood there for a moment, until Gompers' call forced him to look outside.
Relief washed over Stan at the sight of his brother emerging from the forest. The conman rushed onto the porch ready to confront the man who nearly caused him an early heart attack. However, he halted upon seeing the clump of wildflowers in Ford's hands.
The author turned towards the two monuments Stan knew hadn't been there yesterday. Ford placed five flowers on Tias' grave and then a colorful bouquet against Jheselbraum's marker. Ford bowed his head and whispered, "Afara solonama."
"Who are they?" Stan asked as he approached.
Ford jumped and grabbed his brother in a headlock. Stan yelled as he wiggled in Ford's hold. The instant Ford recognized the intruder he released and profusely apologized to the other man who now complained of the ache in his neck.
Ford turned his gaze back to the decorated monuments. Softly he answered, "She was my mentor."
Stan stood quietly next to his brother. Stan recalled the brief mention of Jheselbraum in the updated pages of the journal he once snuck a peak at. Ford wrote highly about her, although he never spoke aloud of the Oracle until now.
"I had the priviledge to talk to her last night," Ford said. His frown deepened. "Before Kryptos killed her."
"I'm ready for that bastard to show his face, 'cause I'm gonna bust it into pieces, then sell 'em to payin' customers for twelve bucks a shard, maybe twenty," Stan spat with his fist raised.
Ford gave a half smile.
The two turned and headed back to the shack. Ford noticed the vehicle in the driveway and inquired about the visitor.
"Tad stopped by to check on Bill," Stan said.
Ford hummed then said, "Maybe Bill will actually talk to him."
"He's probably tellin' him how awful you are," Stan joked and elbowed his brother in the side.
Back inside the shack Bill closed the door to his room and stood next to it for a few seconds while Tad moved further inside. The visitor took a seat on the unmade bed. Tad took in the mess that contrasted with his pristine house. His gaze fell back on Bill whose cuts and bruises appeared to be healing.
"How are you doing?" Tad finally asked.
"Been better," Bill answered.
He let out a sigh then turned to meet the man who made an effort to check on his wellbeing. Bill sat down on the bed beside Tad making the other man blush.
"What-um-what happened to your eye?" Tad asked indicating the bandage. He immediately held up his hands and added, "If you don't mind me asking. You don't have to if you don't want."
"Nah, it's fine," Bill said. He paused for a moment then answered, It's damaged-dead. The doctor's thinking of removing it because of infection or some crap."
Tad offered condolences then lowered his head.
Bill shrugged; he had lived with one eye for thousands of years, while two were infinitely better, it wouldn't hinder him. However the pain in his chest festered, growing worse with each thought.
"Can I ask you something?" Bill inquired. Tad nodded. Bill leaned back on his hands. "What would you do if the person you claimed to love was in danger. I mean, their life depended on you kind of danger."
Tad sat silent for a moment. "I don't really know, I mean, I've never really experienced it."
"But you wouldn't leave them to die?" Bill questioned.
Tad's eyes widened for a second. "No, not if I could do something about it."
"Let's say you can do something about it," Bill pressed. He stared into Tad's eyes. "Let's say you're the only person who can help them while they're suffering. You're the only one who can change their fate."
Tad turned away. "I'm not really comfortable with these kind of questions," he confessed.
Bill placed his hand atop of Tad's making the human blush harder.
"You came to see me," Bill said.
"Of course," Tad replied. "You're my friend."
"Just friend?" Bill asked.
Tad opened his mouth to question when Bill turned his face and let his lips meet the other man's. Bill took advantage of the open mouth and slid his tongue past Tad's teeth. The blond man's hand gently caressed the darker-haired man's cheek.
Tad accepted the kiss at first, but then turned away.
"I can't-I can't do this," Tad said and put his hand over his mouth. "It's not fair. You're in a relationship."
"Not anymore," Bill said then stood. "Clearly I'm not a priority to him." Tad watched with wide eyes as Bill lifted his shirt off his head and threw it to the floor. He then stripped of his pants leaving him only in black boxers. Tad's hand slid from his mouth back onto the bed.
Bill grinned at the other man then put both hands on the bed. "There's a reason you came here today." He crawled close to the trembling guest. "You know you want me," he whispered then kissed his lips once more. He winked then said, "Anything you wanna do to me is fair game."
Bill placed both hands on Tad's cheeks and pushed their mouths together. Tad closed his eyes and barely parted his lips before his conscience took control. He shook his head and muttered protests, then pushed Bill off of him. The blond stared with a hurt expression as Tad stood and backed away.
"No, this isn't fair," Tad panted. "You're using me." He cleared his throat and spoke in a firmer tone, "You're using my feelings against me. It's not fair. I said I'm not going to be the rebound."
"Tad," Bill begged.
"No," Tad repeated with a shake of his head.
"You came here. You care about me," Bill pleaded. He stood and reached his arms for the other man.
"I'm not doing this," Tad cried. He clamped his hand around the doorknob. "Please, I don't want this. Not like this."
Tad threw open the door surprising the Pines brothers. He stopped before the two, all three staring in stunned silence. Tad spoke a short farewell to the brothers then pushed his way to the exit.
Ford peeked into Bill's room to see him seated on the bed. The demon felt the stare and looked up and scowled at the last person he wanted to see.
"What did you do to him?" Ford asked.
"Get out," Bill growled.
"Please, I can't fight with you right now," Ford said with sorrow in his voice. He turned around and said with his back to Bill, "When you're decent we need to talk."
Ford left the room shutting the door behind him.
Bill sat silent and stunned for about a minute. A mix of emotions fought inside him. He grabbed a porcelain mug that had been there since before his arrest and chucked it at the door. The cup shattered into seven pieces. Bill stared at the broken dish for about a minute then laid down on the bed with his arms above his head.
Blond curls laid every which way. He placed his hand on his chest to hear his heart rate slightly increased. He laughed at the irony of it all, for it felt as though it should have stopped altogether.