This is the big chapter, and the second to last.
Chapter 9
"Hey, Mabel, do I look cool?" Ethan asked, shamelessly trying to rock a slick pair of shades. Mabel snorted with laughter.
"You look so cool. The coolest…" She promised between laughs.
"Okay, maybe not my style. What would you suggest?"
"Hmm…" She looked around, trying to find a pair. She grabbed some mirrored shades and held them slightly away from his reach.
"I suggest you don't hide those pretty eyes, but if you insist, here." He tried them on and grinned.
"I like them, they're perfect, just like you. Do you want anything?" Mabel thought for a second.
"Let's go to the craft store! I need more yarn for sweaters." She tried to grin slyly, holding in a secret. She was almost done with making him a sweater. Something to complement his eyes, with a nice little pattern, nothing flashy or over the top like she liked, just a string of triangles on the bottom of the sleeves and the sweater. Purple and gold would go well with his gorgeous eyes, so she had to pick out more golden colored yarn. Ethan was happy to oblige her knitting whims, paying for his sunglasses and letting her drag him to the craft store. A few guys from school sometimes teased him about how quirky Mabel had him wrapped around her finger, but there were some people you'd go to hell and back for.
"Do you think he'll love it? I'm pretty sure he'll love it!" Mabel was beyond excited about how her boyfriend's new sweater had turned out.
"He'll love it," Dipper said, sounding lackluster. He'd been worried for a long time now. Ever since the visit with Gideon he'd been terrified about what was going on that had them being watched again. The Bill nightmares had started back up, and they were petrifying. Sleep was no longer a friend. Now it was a weapon, delivering bullet Bill.
"Hey, are you alright Dipper?" She could see that he wasn't. Mabel was concerned. She wanted to help but didn't know how. So she hugged him and noogied him, trying to cheer him up. He let out a sigh.
"C'mon Dipper… It's okay…" He pulled himself out of it, giving her a small, fake smile. Things would have been easier for him if their friends were all around them… So Mabel slipped away to make a few discreet phone calls.
Ethan looked a little bit restrained when he saw her today, he was wearing his new shades. They weren't against dress code or anything, but Mabel wished she could see his eyes. She had his present in her arms and was kind of waving the overly wrapped package around in excitement.
"Ethan! Ethan come here I have a thing for you look look look here! Here's the thing! Do you love it?"
"Calm down Mabel, let me open it, I'm sure I'll love it."
"Sorry I had like, four glasses of Mabel juice."
"...Right…" Ethan took his time unwrapping, making Mabel bounce impatiently and chastise (Dipper word) him every few seconds for being slow.
"I love it, Mabel, it suits me."
"I knew you'd say that. My friend is a psychic. Well, he's not really a psychic. Or my friend. He kept wanting to date me. He's really just an acquaintance who I might get a restraining order for. Anyway… Put it on!"
"Of course. I always hoped to get one of your sweaters. Since the day we met." Mabel blushed.
"You're too nice to me."
"Anything for me."
"I have to go Ethan class is going to start soon, bye!" As she took a step away, he put a hand on her shoulder. She turned back and suddenly jumped at him, squeezing him tight in a hug.
"Later…" He decided.
"Later what?"
"Can I hang out at your house later?"
"Of course you can goofball, you're always welcome. Mi casa is totally su casa, you get what I'm saying? It's Spanish it means you're always welcome at my house-"
"Mabel, I know that."
"Oh, right! Anyway, love you!"
"Yup… Love you too Mabel Pines." When she was out of sight he fidgeted with his sunglasses and smiled.
Ethan and Mabel were cuddling on the couch, and Dipper was sitting in an out of place rocking chair rocking back and forth in a sort of panicked way, staring down at his opened journal, feeling nervous.
The doorbell rang.
"Mabel I think you have guests." He muttered glumly.
"Au contraire, did I say that right?" She turned to Ethan, "Babe, did I say that right?" He gave her a thumbs up.
"Au contraire, you have guests."
"What? Mabel, what did you do? Did you hire the Mariachi guy to follow me again? You know how much I hate that guy. He's super clingy and he smells like gross onion rings. This isn't funny Mabel."
"Just go open the door dork." Dipper sighed and went to get the door, convinced his day was about to be made worse by Mariachi Marshall.
Instead, he was met by a hug from Pacifica.
"Oh thank goodness someone less terrible. Your friends are maniacs they listened to terrible music the whole way down."
"Like I liked it any better than you, spoiled brat. Soos's car, Soos's music."
"Come on you guys, my music isn't bad." Dipper's eyes grew wide.
"Pacifica, Wendy, Soos! You guys came… Why?"
"Mabel called us and said you'd been freaking out lately. Like we'd miss a chance to watch you freak out." Wendy teased.
"Haha… Thanks, you guys… I think it's Bill…"
"Naw come on dude, that creepy triangle has to be long gone. Right? Right?" Soos asked.
"My house is being watched. Something big is going down and I don't know what. I'm useless and terrified." Pacifica knocked on his head.
"Hey dum dum, are you in there? You've taken on Bill before and won."
"It wasn't me…"
"Dipper it's always you. If anyone has what it takes it's you and Mabel." Wendy encouraged. He nodded but was unconvinced.
"Where's Mabel anyway?" Soos asked.
"Oh, right. Come in, this way." He led them to the living room, Pacifica picking up his journal and thumbing through the mostly empty pages.
"Guys! I'm so glad you made it. I told Dipper he was just being paranoid, but he needed a second opinion. He's just being paranoid, right?"
"I don't know Mabel, you don't think his claims are credible?" Wendy asked, skeptical. Mabel shrugged.
"What claims? What are you guys talking about? Mabel?" Ethan looked around, seeming skittish. He recognized Pacifica, but the other two…
"Oh yeah, Ethan this is Wendy and Soos. Guys, this is my boyfriend Ethan."
"And what are you guys talking about?" Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances, unsure what they could tell him.
"Oh dude, you haven't heard of Bill? He's an interdimensional triangle demon. That dude is a nasty piece of work." Soos said helpfully. Ethan reached for his glasses.
"Oh, I've heard of Bill. You've hurt my feelings, Soos." He whipped the mirrored glasses off dramatically to reveal Bill Cipher's glowing yellow eyes. Mabel screamed and Pacifica dropped the pine tree journal. And then Ethan Cipher got punched in the face.
"I won't let you hurt my family again!" Dipper yelled, having tackled the older and bigger boy to the ground, punching him repeatedly.
"I don't want much Pine Tree. Shooting a little smaller than world domination. Your corpses will do just fine."
"Well, you don't get our corpses you big creep!" Mabel yelled, stabbing him in the arm with a knitting needle, tears stinging her eyes.
"I trusted you, Ethan," Mabel said, tears dripping down her face now.
"Trust? I was your crush of the week." Pacifica stomped down on his foot.
"She made you a sweater you ungrateful, insignificant-"
"Pacifica, keep it pg, there are kids present!" Cipher chuckled, ignoring the abuse on every hand. Dipper was attacking furiously, Bill's laugh filling the air. Mabel had entered sweater town, and Wendy was just about to bring out her reliable ax when the door was kicked down.
"Do you Pines have to stick your noses in every paranormal catastrophe?" Agent Powers asked as he and Agent Trigger looked around the normal living room now wrecked by the fighting.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE HAVING FUN?!" Dipper shouted as he was pummeled in the birthmark by Ethan Cipher.
"You know I can't process hilarity or fun," Agent Powers complained.
"Boss?" Agent Trigger asked.
"Yes. Neutralize the demon." A taser deployed, and Ethan went limp. The next thing they knew, all six of them were being carted off in the back of an armored truck.
It was hard to say who was more bummed out, Dipper or Mabel. Both sat with their head in their hands, Dipper's face was majorly bruised. Mabel's heart was just as bruised. They spoke at the same time,
"I thought Bill was out of our lives." Dipper groaned.
"I thought Ethan loved me…" Mabel sobbed. They wrapped an arm around each other, supporting one another. There was a croak from the floor.
"I… I did… I do… I love you, Mabel." Ethan promptly got kicked in the face. But it was just Ethan. Bill wasn't making an appearance right now.
"No you didn't, you just used me to get Bill close to my family. I hate you, you scumbag!" She yelled through her tears. He scrambled to his knees and reached for her hand.
"I was crazy for you before I knew that Bill guy… My mom, Mabel, she got really sick. That's why I was gone in February. I was with her. Then this guy tells me he can make her better, I just had to make a tiny little deal. If I'd known he wanted to kill you I wouldn't have agreed… At least I don't think I would have." Mabel kept crying into Dipper's shoulder, not letting Ethan take her hand.
"Do you think I'm going to take you back after what you did? Do you think I can just forgive after you hurt me and my brother? Get out of my life Ethan Joseph. And never ever come back."
Ethan was carted away, and Dipper and Mabel were returned home. But there was a darkness, a gloom over the Pines twins. But they would not let it stay. It was just getting hard to fight their demons.