The next day went by quietly. Aggie was relieved to not have to wake up at four in the morning, but was surprised that Ford was so curt with her throughout the day. Other than giving her instructions on what he wanted for the portal, she felt that they weren't speaking to each other at all. Aggie thought they'd made some progress, but perhaps she'd imagined it.

They'd restructured the frame, and later they were going to try a trial run. If it even gave the tiniest spark, they'd know they were on the right track.

The silence was bothering Aggie. She didn't know if Ford wasn't that talkative to begin with, or if he was preoccupied with something. So, she decided to fill the void.

"I hope you don't mind, I made a phone call last night to a friend of mine, just to let him know I'd settled in." Aggie said. "Of course, I'll pay for any outgoing calls."

Ford looked surprised, but tried to shake it off. "Who did you call?"

"My old buddy, Rusty Venture. Goes by T.S. now, but he'll always be Rusty to me." Aggie chuckled.

"The boy adventurer?" Ford asked in disbelief. "How do you know him?"

"I started college a little early, so it was hard to get anyone to take me seriously when it came time for summer internships. I thought I made it when I was accepted at the Venture Foundation. Maybe I'd be doing super science with the big guy himself. Turns out it was a clerical error, and I was basically a glorified babysitter for Rusty when he wasn't on set for his tv show."

"Sounds humiliating." Ford commented.

Aggie shrugged. "More so for him than it was for me. But it was okay for the most part. I basically got paid to get kidnapped every now and then with Rusty and then play Atari on our off days when he wasn't in his learning bed. Can't really be a stranger after that, we've kept in touch ever since."

"Can we go back a second? Learning bed?"

"REM wavelength cognitive transmission. Jonas prerecorded everything he thought necessary for Rusty to learn and played it while he slept so he wouldn't have to go to school." Aggie explained.

"Jesus Christ, that is bleak."

"You don't know the half of it." Aggie declared. "The boy adventurer gig isn't what it's cracked up to be."

Ford frowned. "You know, I always used to want to be just like them as a kid. Not Rusty, he was after my time, but definitely Action Johnny."

Aggie laughed, then felt bad about laughing, and adjusted her glasses. "Oh, I'm not sure that's any better. But I can see the appeal in running around the jungle, finding treasure."

"My brother and I…we used to pretend to be pirates when we were kids. You know, find buried treasure, travel the world…" Ford paused, rubbing his chin. "You know, that's the first time I've thought about that in, I don't know."

"What happened?" Aggie asked.

Ford stiffened. "Things change. People change too. It's not important, we should get back to work." He grabbed a wrench and started working. Aggie tried to ask what he meant, but it seems that he wasn't listening.

After a few more hours of silence, they headed up to the main floor for dinner- both of them were too exhausted to make anything, so it was canned soup. Ford sat at the table, ignoring her while he scribbled frantically in his journal, flipping pages and cross referencing other notes.

"Anything you'd like to share with the class?" Aggie asked lightheartedly.

"Just making some calculations. Once this thing is up and running, the gravitational field around it is going to be disrupted."

"You mean altered?"

"No."

Ford stood up, and left the table, leaving behind his dishes.

"Don't worry, I'll clean up," Aggie mumbled, mainly to herself.

As she washed the dishes, she sang some showtunes. This week she was leaning more towards Showboat.

"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, I gotta love one man 'til I die…"

She found a dishcloth and dried the bowls, placing them back in the cupboard.

"Can't help…loving that man of mine."

"Not bad." Ford commented from behind her. "You got anything else?"

Aggie turned towards him, only to feel something was off about her boss. His posture was different, and there was something in the eyes…she wasn't sure what that was.

"Do you like it?" Aggie asked nervously. She wasn't sure why she was nervous.

Ford leaned on the side of the wall. "I've always had a soft spot for the classics. And it's not everyday you meet a…kindred spirit when it comes to jazz standards. So, let's hear it. What else have you got?"

Aggie couldn't quite place it, but it sounded like a threat under those glowing yellow eyes. Something wasn't right.

"I can't do acapella. I need a piano." Aggie protested.

"We have one. It's underneath that sheet in the living room, by the T-Rex head."

"You said the other day you didn't…"

"I fixed that. There was an abandoned church that wasn't using it. So, I liberated it."

Aggie blinked. When could he have had the time for that? The only time she was away from him was when they were asleep.

Gingerly, she walked over to the shroud and pulled it away. Sure enough, there was an old and battered piano underneath. It looked like it had been recently repaired.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm bored. And consider this your first test. Let's see if you pass."

A test for what?

Aggie sat down and stared at the grimy keys. She took a deep breath, and slowly began to play.

"I used to dream that I would discover/The perfect lover someday/I knew I'd recognize him/If ever he came 'round my way…"

Aggie took a deep breath, then continued.

"I always used to fancy then/He'd be one the god-like kind of men/With a giant brain and a noble hand/Like the heroes bold in the books I've read…"

She paused as she adjusted her hands to change keys.

But along came Bill…

Suddenly, he started laughing.

"Is something wrong?" Aggie asked. She stopped playing to notice he had covered his face, but his laughter increased.

"No. It's just…oh, that's just too much. Ha. Ha. You know, you don't even have to finish the song, though maybe you should. I've never heard this one before."

"Really? It's kind of famous. It's from Showboat."

"I never saw that one. I met Hammerstein once, you know. And I offered him some free inspiration on Oklahoma."

"I sincerely doubt that." Aggie replied. "Stanford, are you alright?"

Stanford blinked a little too slowly, one eye at a time, his pupils still slits. "Never better. Why don't you finish that song."

Stanford walked unevenly toward the armchair, falling into the seat with a thud. Aggie looked over at the figure, making sure he was still breathing and continued.

"Oh, I, I can't explain/It's surely not his brain/That makes me thrill/I love him/Because he's just my Bill."

He started to slow clap, each clap more sarcastic than the last. "Bravo. Fantastic."

Aggie scoffed. "Ok, I get it. It sucked."

"I never said that. It did a number on the ears though. They're still ringing." He laughed, then smacked his head.

"So I guess I failed the test then?" Aggie asked.

He stared at her. "Oh that? You passed? As long as you stay out of my way, you're free to do whatever. Do you know any other songs?"

"In general, or just jazz?" Aggie started to play a riff similar to the Coltrane version of My Favorite Things.

"Yes. That. I love musicians, they're so willing to sign away anything for a little fame. Shame they're not more useful. Just keep going, I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Aggie kept playing for almost an hour before realizing he wasn't coming back. She was too scared to stop.

The next morning, when she asked Ford about what happened, he denied it ever happened.

"I went to bed early last night. Though I'd appreciate if you'd not stay up playing the piano anymore, it gave me such a headache."

The rest of the week went by in a similar manner. Work, lunch, more work. Sometimes Ford would take a break to meditate, which Aggie had to give some respect for. She certainly wasn't that self-disciplined. Though, if she ever saw him acting weird, she had the good sense to hide in the attic and let him go about his business.

It wasn't until about a week into their project that Ford asked if Aggie wanted to go on an expedition with him.

"It's not relevant to the portal, but there's a phenomenon I've been waiting for that's only going to happen tonight. I thought you might be interested in joining me." Ford explained, as his hands fidgeted with a button on his jacket.

"I'd love to." Aggie smiled. It must be something that he was willing to take her along.

They waited until nightfall, and brought along knapsacks full of hiking gear.

"We're going to have to go deep into the woods." Ford explained. "Stay close to me, and don't wander off."

As they trudged through the forest canopy, the branches cast spiraling shadows above them. Aggie could hear the screeches and hoots of the nocturnal animals as they walked. She inched closer to Ford, who seemed to know where he was going.

When they climbed to the top of a hill, they reached a clearing by a stream. In front of them was a circle of blue mushrooms with caps the size of hubcaps.

"We're here." Ford whispered.

"So now what?" Aggie asked.

Ford checked his watch. "We wait." He placed his knapsack on the floor and sat down. Aggie followed him.

"What are we waiting for?" She asked as he leaned on him. Ford wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Five more minutes."

They sat in comfortable silence, taking in the sound of the rushing stream and the bright stars in the distance. It was a Strawberry Moon, and its beams drifted slowly across the canopy, until it reached the clearing. As it touched each mushroom, they started to glow.

"Bioluminescence?" Aggie asked.

Ford grinned. "Neat, huh? Come on, we don't have much time." He handed her a pocket knife and started to cut samples off from the mushrooms.

"I've tried to study the properties of this fungi for months, but it doesn't activate unless under the moonlight for some reason."

"What does it do?"

"It has unusual hallucinogenic properties, which could be useful." Ford mused. "But if synthesized, I think it could allow a human to cross realities."

"Instead of the portal?" Aggie asked curiously.

"More like a backup. Not sure if it would work on other beings though." Ford admitted.

"Beings?"

Ford clamped up. "I…"

"Does this have to do with that…roommate of yours?" Aggie asked.

"You've met him?" Ford asked in surprise. He stopped mid cut.

Aggie nodded. "A couple of times. Though he doesn't seem to think I'm a threat, so that's probably a good thing." She cut a few more samples until her knapsack was full. Ford followed suit. As they were about to leave, he grabbed her hand.

"I need to show you something else."

Aggie stared dumbfounded and followed him deeper into the forest, to a small cave. Ford took out his flashlight as they crouched down into the mouth and followed the slippery trail to the center. He flashed the light at a mural that looked like it had been there, for a few thousand years at least, of a large triangle with an eye surrounded by a circle of unusual shapes.

"This is Bill. He's my muse." Ford said proudly.

"Oh. This is certainly not what I expected." Aggie replied.

Ford continued, explaining how he found the cave, why he was searching for the source of Gravity Falls's weirdness, and how Bill changed his life.

"And that's why you're here, and why we're building this portal. To share Bill's knowledge with the world. If he trusts you, then I trust you too." He turned to her and smiled. "You get it, don't you? I knew you would understand."

Aggie's eyes widened in horror. Ok. This was what, a demon? Not out of the possibility, but way beyond her pay grade. Maybe she would need some backup, and soon. Where's Eick when you need him. Could she call Rand? Demons weren't a Team Venture thing.

"Of course. I'll help you every step of the way," Aggie replied. Her mouth felt like it was full of marbles.

Ford squeezed her hand affectionately, then pulled her close to him in a hug. "I knew it. I knew you were meant to be here with me."

When he let go, she found his face a little too close to hers. Aggie wondered if he was going to kiss her, but he pulled back. "We better go, it's getting late," he said. He strode quickly away, Aggie rushing to keep up with him.

When they reached the cabin, they placed the samples on the kitchen table.

"We can sort them out in the morning," Ford said aloud. "I'll bring out the glassware from storage and we can try to synthesize it tomorrow."

"Do you think we'd have something similar to portal fluid?" Aggie asked. "Rick had his own formula, but he wasn't willing to share it, something about paradoxes."

"Who knows? At this point I'm just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks."

They bid each other goodnight. Ford raised his pointer finger as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Oh, one more thing. I've invited my friend Fiddleford over to join our project. He won't be able to drive over until the end of the month, but I just wanted to let you know."

"Is he familiar with…Bill?" Aggie asked.

"No, and it's probably best we keep it that way for now. Fidds is a bit…well, he's a hobby occultist, so he'd misinterpret what's going on."

"Hobby occultist?" Aggie snickered.

"You know, former Southern Baptist who read too much Lovecraft and Poe. He wanted to start his own secret society in undergrad when we were rejected in the fraternity rush process freshman year." Ford recounted, trying to suppress his laughter.

"You don't sound like you weren't opposed to it." Aggie noted.

"Well, I am a specialist in the field now, so you can guess how it turned out." Ford agreed. "Though the real occult is a bit different than what we were doing."

He gave some last minute information on when McGucket would arrive, and their plans for the next week.

Aggie went upstairs and started getting ready for bed. She noted that the light in Stanford's bedroom went out almost as soon as he closed the door behind him. As she finished brushing her teeth, she heard the phone ring. She ran down the stairs and plucked the phone off the receiver.

"Hello? Is everything alright?"

She could hear heavy breathing on the other end.

"Is this the number for Stanford Pines?"

The voice was raspy, and mid-Atlantic from what Aggie could guess. A bit working class.

"It is. Could I take a message?" Aggie asked.

"Are you his girlfriend or something?"

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Aggie asked. "Are you a friend of Ford's?"

"Something like that. I'm his brother, Stanley." He admitted. It seemed like he was in a phonebooth, she could hear the rain pounding against the glass.

"Oh, it's you! Nice to be able to put a face to a name, well, a voice." Aggie said cheerfully.

"Wait, Ford's mentioned me? What did he say?" He sounded surprised, hopeful.

"Oh, something about you two playing pirates. It was kind of cute."

"He still remembers me." He mumbled. There was a pause, then a cough. "Uh, I was calling to say I've taken a contract job, it's going to be long term abd I don't know if I'm going to make it."

"Army?" Aggie asked.

"Not exactly. But I just wanted to say goodbye, bury the hatchet and all."

"I can wake him up," Aggie offered.

"Nah, don't bother. Listen, you seem like a nice lady. Take good care of my brother. Who knows? Maybe I'll see you around."

Aggie bit her lip. "Do you need anything? Money? A place to stay?"

"I've got that covered for now. But if you don't mind I might put you and Ford down as my next of kin. Haven't talked to Shermie in a while and that might be awkward."

Aggie blinked. "Ok. Take care then, Stanley. It was nice to meet you."

"You too, sweetheart. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. It's Aggie, Aggie Davis."

"Alright then, I'll see you around."

"Wait. What are you doing? Drug running? It's not too late, we can get you some help and get you out of there." Aggie pleaded.

"What? How did you…? No, I don't do that anymore. I'm henching."

"Oh? With who?" Aggie asked. "I know a few people in the Guild."

"Some new guy, Phantom Limb?"

Aggie frowned. That couldn't be right, could it?

"Well, Hamilton's not so bad, just don't piss him off. He's not as trigger happy as the others. Better than Hatred. Just be careful, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're not getting rid of me so easily." With that, he hung up.

Aggie wondered how Phantom Limb was already arching in 1981. Had the timeline split? Or was it unraveling. She was going to have to hope it held together until they finished the portal.