I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and its ending.
I wasn't sure about putting the song lyrics at the end of the last chapter, but how I was imagining the scene in my head I figured it would help paint the picture, if that makes any sense. I hope they weren't annoying or anything, and if they are just tell me and I'll do something about it (:
The song playing in the last chapter was originally going to be 'Lover' by Taylor Swift, I literally had the scene planned out in my head for MONTHS. Like, since Halloween! Then, when I was FINALLY writing the chapter, I realized that the song didn't come out in the timeline that this story is set in. If I'm not mistaken, the year in the show was 2013, according to the Boys Crazy episode. So, I just decided to go with a classic instead.
Without further ado, let's get into chapter 28! (And some pure Billford cuteness!)
Ford grabbed Bill's wrist to take the hand that was resting on his cheek away. He pushed the hand away gently and turned his head from the other, a look of remorse on his face. Even though Bill had encouraged the action, Stanford still felt like he had done wrong. He looked down at the carpet and began apologizing. "I'm sorry..," He said. "I'm so, so sorry..." He continued, shaking his head as he rambled.
Bill just rolled his eyes. "Aw, toughen up, Sixer." He commanded, folding his arms and looking at the other. "It's not like you did anything wrong." He said. Ford sighs and looks at Bill, listening to the other. "Want me to be honest about something?" Bill asked.
"Honesty is key." Ford muttered with a shrug.
Bill nods and smirks, looking at the other. "I kinda liked it." He said, shrugging his shoulders innocently afterwards.
Stanford looked away from the other once more. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he adjusted his glasses. He wasn't sure how to respond to a statement like that. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to react? Whatever questions he came to ask himself, he didn't know the answer. He looked forward and blurted out the most pathetic thing he had heard all day. "Oh."
Bill looked at him with squinted eyes. "You okay?" He asked. "You look traumatized. Did I do something?"
Ford shook his head. "No, you didn't." He assured.
Bill shrugged, looking at the other, uncertain. "Are you sure? I feel like I did something to make you all silent. Is it just the fact that I kissed you in general, or did I do something wrong during-"
"No, Bill. You're fine." Ford stated, a small scowl on his face. "It's not you."
"Then what is it?" Bill asked.
Ford shrugged. "That's the problem; I don't know. I just... feel like this isn't right." He said, sighing.
Bill nodded in agreement. "I've hurt you. No matter how much we try and forget about it, no matter how much we believe this 'clean slate' thing, the fact that I hurt you so emotionally in the past won't change." He said with a frown. "But," He continued. "If you know that I've changed, and if I know that I've changed, maybe your family can start to see that, too." Bill assumed. He looked away, the frown reappearing on his face. "I just don't see how you could even consider loving someone like myself." He admitted.
"Because you have changed, Bill." Ford began once more, turning to look at the other man. "If someone would have told me a couple months ago that any of this would happen, and that I would end up... catching feelings of any sort, I wouldn't have believed them for a split second. But I've seen you change. I've seen a tremendous change in the Bill Cipher we were all once threatened by in the past. I've seen it for myself." Ford said, looking at the other with a sincere look on his face.
The words spoken hit Bill hard. It actually felt nice to know that the other had learned to forgive him like this. Dam these human emotions... He thought to himself. Bill looked at Ford for a moment before wrapping his arms around his neck, resting his head atop Ford's warm chest and sighing. He closed his eyes, muttering under his breath. "Would it be so weird if I said I love you?" Bill asked, his eyes fluttering shut.
Ford looked down at the other man and gave a small smile. He could feel the blush on his face growing. But for the very first time, he didn't care. What was happening at this moment seemed much more real to him than his dream. I'm glad I'm back in reality. Who knows what could have happened had I not woken up. This whole illusion topic is getting confusing. I just wish I had more information to go off of for my research. Ford thought to himself. Maybe I've dealt with something similar before... It might be a good idea to look through some older files just in case.
There were so many questions Ford wanted to ask the other. How long? How long have you felt this way? What changed your mind on my personality in general? Were you ever planning to tell me beforehand? "Multiple logical questions filled his head, but he shook them away. He didn't want to ask a load of questions and disturb the other man, no matter how badly he wanted to know the answers. Instead, he just sighed, still smiling. He put his hand on Bill's head, ruffling his hair gently and responding to the other's statement. "Love is the best type of weird." He muttered back.
Bill looked up at the man for a moment before the two locked their lips together once more, not a hint of regret between either of them this time. Bill sat up straight and tightened his grip around the others neck gently, getting closer to Ford and deepening the kiss. Bill crawled up in front of the other, sitting atop his lap as the action continued for a good while longer.
The two weren't exactly sure what time it was; it seemed as if they had lost track of time during the moment. When the two pulled away, Bill laid his head atop Ford's shoulder, and Ford did the same. Bill smiled, a true smile, wrapping his arms around the other's torso. Ford didn't know exactly how to react, so he opted to return the gesture. He closed his eyes and let a small smile appear on his face.
Neither Bill nor Ford had noticed that there was someone watching them. The person standing at the doorframe with an awkward look on her face was none other than Wendy Corduroy. She had her arms folded and her head tilted, awkwardly saying, "Uh... Stanford?"
Ford kept his eyes closed, not really engaging in the situation. What he said came out in more of a mutter. "The shop is closed today. You can go home, Wendy..." He said, sighing. It took him a moment of process to realize just who he was speaking to.
In just half a second, his eyes shot open wide.
"Wendy!" Ford exclaimed, quickly sitting up straight and immediately looking at the teenager.
Bill opened his eyes slightly, leaning back a bit to look Stanford in the eyes. "Huh?" He questioned, confused.
Ford leaned over towards Bill's ear, whispering, "She doesn't know you're here."
"How the hell does she not know-" Bill began, but was stopped mid-sentence when Ford put a finger up to the others lips. Bill just folded his arms, looking away and glaring at the ground at how easily he had been silenced.
"Uhm..," Ford began. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled awkwardly. Dammit... He thought to himself. He opened his mouth to speak, only to end up stammering out a sentence. "I-I'm sorry you had to, uh.. see that," He said, looking down at the carpeted floor.
Wendy squinted her eyes and chuckled awkwardly. "Um, right... I think I heard Stan calling me, so I'm gonna go see what he wants." She said, pointing her thumb behind her in a motion showing her exit as she excused herself.
Bill finally looked over at the living room doorframe once the girl had left. He snickered for a moment. "Stanford Filbrick Pines, you've officially scarred a minor for life." He said with a smirk.
"Oh please, we're both to blame." Ford stated, rolling his eyes.
"More you than me." Bill said, folding his arms.
"We both know that's not true." Ford retorted, looking at Bill with a rather blank facial expression.
Bill shrugged at the statement. "Agree to disagree." He proposed. He looked over at the doorframe once more, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "Hey, wait a minute!" He began, "Red lied! Stan's not even home."
"You're just now realizing this?" Ford asked with a chuckle.
Bill narrowed his eyes at the other's comment as Ford stood up, leaning against the wall. "You know," Ford began. "I wonder if it would be a good idea to call Fiddleford..." He thought out loud.
"Do you even have his number?" Bill asked, folding his arms and tilting his head.
"If he has the same number that he did when were working on the portal together, then yes." Ford said.
"Why are you calling him?" Bill asked.
Ford just shrugged as he walked to the table, grabbing hold of the home phone and dialing the number. "Well, we spoke last month for a bit. We haven't spoken since." He informed.
The phone rang a few times before Stanford heard a voice on the other side of the line. He was surprised that it was the man he was hoping to speak to. The man on the other line began with a, "Hello?"
Ford smiled at the familiar voice. "Hello, Fiddleford. It's me, St-"
"Stanford?" McGucket finished.
"Yeah," Ford answered. "How are you doing?" He asked, leaning on the table a bit.
"I've been pretty decent!" Fiddleford began, "I was a'thinking about calling you the other day, but I wasn't sure if you were busy."
Ford chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I was a bit busy, I suppose." He said. He wasn't very sure if now was the appropriate time to mention his month-long illusion. I wonder if Fiddleford has any ideas or information on my previous state of unconsciousness. He was silent for a moment before proposing a question. "If you're not doing anything later, you're welcome to come over to the house. We would be happy to give you a ride."
"We?" Fiddleford asked.
"We?" Bill asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ford ignored the statement made by the man beside him, and he confirmed the statement. "Yes, we. I understand if you already have plans-" Ford said with a shrug.
"No!" McGucket assured a bit more frantic than he intended. "I don't have any plans."
The two men on the phone worked out the situation, and decided that McGucket would come to the shack after being picked up by the other.
"It's no trouble, really," Ford assured. "Goodbye." He said before hanging up the phone.
Bill folded his arms and sighed. "So, is he coming?" He asked.
Ford nodded his head. "Yes, would you like to come with?" He asked, grabbing his lab coat from one of the chairs and putting it on.
Bill shrugged. "It's not like I have anything better to do." He said.
Directly after the statement, Stan walked in from the back door, and the two men looked over at him. Stan was carrying a couple of grocery bags, and he got the key to the front door, holding it up in front of his eyes to pick the correct key. Bill and Ford rushed over to the front door to get the car. Ford extended his arm out, swiftly snatching the keys from his brothers hand and grabbing the doorknob. He held it open and Bill walked out, Stanford following behind him.
"Hey!" Stan shouts, looking at his brother. "Where are you going?" He asks, putting his hands on his hips. He looked over at Bill and Ford as they were already at the car doors.
Ford got into the car before he could catch his brothers question and before he could notice the appearance of the car. Bill, however, took a moment and smirked over at Stan, opening the car door and waving mockingly. "See ya, Fez!" Before sitting down in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
Ford looked around the car in confusion, raising an eyebrow and looking over at the other. "Bill?" He began.
Bill looked at the man as he buckled his seatbelt. "Yes?"
"When in the world did we get another car?" Ford asked, buckling his seatbelt as well.
Bill raised an eyebrow for a moment before remembering what had happened to Stanford's old car. "Oh, right. You're wondering why there's a new car suddenly after your old one so tragically fell into a pit when we were being escorted to the police station. Right... Hm, pretty tragic indeed." Bill said, a small smirk at the end of his sentence.
Stanford rolled his eyes and looked at Bill. "Would you just explain what happened?"
Bill snickered. "Relax, IQ. Stanley got a new one while you were unconscious with this stash of cash he found under one of the floorboards in the living room." He said with a shrug.
Ford's eyes widened in fear. "Come again?"
Bill nodded. "Yeah, there was this totally random stash of cash underneath one of the boards in the floor." He said, and chuckled. "Wow, look at me rhyming! Mabel would be so proud of me right now." He said.
One of Ford's bottom eyelids twitched slightly, and he sighed. He clenched his teeth and face palmed. "I was saving that for a Dimensional Carbine Neuralyzer." He muttered under his breath. He looked over at Bill. "Stan didn't spend all of it on the car though, did he?"
"No, he didn't spend all of it..," Bill began. Ford gave a sigh of relief before he could finish his sentence. "..On the car."
Ford raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
Bill chuckled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, he spent some of it on the car. And he spend the rest of it on hospital visits."
"Hospital visits..?" Ford asked. "For what? Doesn't he have health insurance of some kind?" He asked, raising his voice slightly.
"It wasn't for him." Bill said. "We took you to the hospital a couple of times, and we got some sort of advanced help. But even they couldn't do anything about your state." Bill said, folding his arms and sighing.
Ford sighed, but nodded. He couldn't stay mad when Stan and Bill were only trying to help him. "Well, never mind that." Ford began, "We have more important things to do than simply sit around."
"Aren't you upset?" Bill asked.
Ford shrugged as he started the car. "Honestly, I'm not as upset as I probably should be. It's better knowing that you and Stan were trying to help rather than wasting it on who knows what."
Bill could only smile at this. He nodded and looked out the window as Ford turned the car around, getting on the road towards town.
Meanwhile in California, Dipper and Mabel were thinking a lot about the people they left behind in Gravity Falls. Dipper was busy at the couch sketching a creature he had swore to have seen just the other night, while Mabel was knitting a yellow sweater out of yarn.
"What's wrong, Dipper?" Mabel asked, looking over at her brother with a concerned look on her face.
Dipper looked at Mabel and shrugged. "I can't get the thought of Ford's state out of my head. It's been bugging me ever since we got back home."
"I'm sure he's okay," Mabel assured. "I'm sure Stan and Bill are taking care of him!"
"Bill?" Dipper repeated, looking at Mabel and dropping the pencil in his hand on the side table. "With all of this happening, you seriously think Bill is helping Ford, Mabel? Bill was the one who caused all this!" Dipper exclaimed.
"You don't know that!" Mabel shot back. "You heard Grunkle Ford, Bill has changed since the summer!"
"Have you seen him change, Mabel?" Dipper asked. "I mean, seriously! It's only been a few months. It's not that easy for someone to change!"
Mabel shook her head and glared at her brother. "How would you know?" She asked, folding her arms and glaring.
Dipper was quiet for a moment, not sure how to respond to the question. He decided to go with the most logical reason. "After all Bill has done, he couldn't just change within a couple of months!"
"We have to think positive, Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed, a tear forming at each side of her eyes.
Dipper rolled his eyes and stood up, putting his hands on his hips and looking at his sister. "Fine! You think positive while I think logically!" He said, and stormed out of the living room.
Mabel groaned and clenched her fists into a nearby pillow. Waddles noticed the girl's reaction from the other side of the room and came up to her, making his way onto the couch and climbing into her lap. Mabel sighed and gave a sad smile at her pet. "Dipper just doesn't understand, Waddles..." She muttered, letting go of the pillow in her hands and instead hugging the pig tight.
Dipper stormed out of the living room, passing through the kitchen and walking up the stairs to his room and slamming the bedroom door behind him. He glared at the carpet in the dark room with his fists clenched as he sat on his bed. Dipper sighed and looked out the bedroom window at the stars forming in the sky. He's dangerous. Dipper told himself. Bill hasn't changed, he can't change after everything he's done. And I'll never forgive him, no matter how much Mabel will.
"What if he's not home?" Bill questioned as he got out of the vehicle.
"We spoke twenty minutes ago, Fiddleford not being home is unlikely." Ford stated, shutting off the car before stepping out of the car.
The driveway at the mansion was very spacious, almost too spacious that Ford didn't know where to park the car appropriately. He made sure to keep the car away from the edge of the mountain that the mansion was on. Stanford was sure he would lose his mind if his new car fell off the steep mountain. As Ford shut his car door, Bill was already dashing over towards the gate. Ford noticed the other running off, and he was quick to catch up to Bill.
Bill grabbed the gate and clenched the bars with his hands, shaking the gate madly and hollering, "You home, old guy?"
Ford rolled his eyes and walked up to Bill, folding his arms. "Bill, that's not how you-"
"Yeah, yeah, not how you treat the elderly." Bill said, "I know the speech."
"That's not what I'm talking about this time." Ford said, pointing towards a doorbell on one of the pillars beside the gate. He rang the doorbell and put his hands in his pockets, looking forward at the door that was a distance away. The two waited a few moments until seeing McGucket come out of his house. Ford smiled when he saw the man and waved. "Hello!" He greeted.
McGucket walked over to the gate once he pulled the lever to open the gate. "Hey there, Ford!" He greeted with a grin.
Bill looked at the man for a moment, and looked away before McGucket could see his eyes.
"I see you're well settled." Ford said, looking over at the mansion.
"Sure have!" McGucket exclaimed. "Hard to find things in there if you misplace em', though..." He muttered. He gave Stanford a smile before wrapping his arms around his torso in a hug. Ford looked down at the man and repeated the gesture with a smile.
Bill looked at the two and rolled his eyes. "Alright, we got him. Can we go home now?" He asked rather impatiently as he folded his arms.
Ford shot Bill a quick glare, sensing the lack of kindliness in his words. Bill shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What? It's cold out here!" He stated innocently.
McGucket nodded at the statement made by the man he was unfamiliar with. "The young man's right, it gets really cold up here, peculiarly."
Stanford shrugged and grabbed his keys from out of his coat pocket. "I'm sure Stan is going to wonder where we were, being that we left without context." He said.
Bill nodded. "Yeah, he looked really confused." He said with a snicker. The three headed towards the car as Ford unlocked it.
Bill grabbed hold of the passenger seat's door, and was in the process of opening it as Ford shook his head. Ford looked at Bill blankly for a moment, and then looked over in McGucket's direction. Ford wants McGucket in the passenger seat, and not me? Bill thought to himself. Bill looked at Ford with a large bewildered look on his face as he tried to speak. "Wh-How- But he- Wh- why?" Bill asked Ford in complaint.
"Go to the back seat." Ford commanded with a firm tone of voice.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sixer. Are you seriously-"
"Back seat." Ford repeated. "Now."
Bill rolled his eyes and groaned obnoxiously, but obeyed the order. He opened the door to the back seat and sat down on one of the seats. He shut the door and buckled his seatbelt before he looked up, glaring directly at Ford.
Stanford noticed Bill's facial expression after sitting down into the drivers seat. He sighed and looked away, putting his hands on the wheel.
Once they were on the road heading back to the shack, McGucket looked over at Ford and smiled. "How's Stan been?" He asked, concerned for the others well-being. "Did he move out after summer like ya' said he would?"
"There was a minor change in plans," Ford began. "At first, I was going to have Stanley move out when the summer was over. But, we talked it over a bit while the twins were staying at the shack, and I figured it would be best for him to stay a bit longer. Better for both of us. In fact, we had plans to sail across the Pacific Ocean after summer." He said with a small smile.
"Well, why didn't ya?" Fiddleford asked.
"Stanley lost his memory after Weird-" Ford started, but stopped himself in between his sentence. He remembered that the remorse-filled host of Weirdmageddon was sitting in the back seat of the car, likely listening in on the conversation. He corrected himself, saying. "After I wiped his mind with a memory gun."
McGucket nodded. "But he's better, ain't he?"
"Yes, he was cured by Mabel, as surprising as that may sound. Long story short, He was feeling much better, and got all of his memory back. Until a couple side effects came along. He started feeling dizzy often, and I had to assist him once and a while to keep him from passing out." Ford said.
Stanford looked at McGucket and gave an assuring smile before looking back at the road before speaking once more. "However, there is no need to worry, the side effects seem to have fully passed since then, and he seems to be doing just fine. We've been talking about our plan to travel across the ocean again," He said, and gave a small grin. "And maybe even bring along someone else." He said, looking in the mirror and looking at Bill.
Bill noticed the eye contact and his jaw dropped. He grinned from ear to ear and nodded frantically at the sound of an adventure.
"Me?" McGucket asked, a look on his face of hope and cheer.
Ford bit his lip. That wasn't exactly what we were thinking... He thought to himself. Regardless of the plans, he cleared his throat and said, "Possibly."
Fiddleford smiled and cheered. "Woo-hoo!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.
Bill rolled his eyes at the reaction made by the man, and he folded his arms in annoyance.
"How about the twins? How are Mabel and Dipper?" McGucket asked.
"Well," Ford began with a chuckle. "We have a lot to catch up on." He stated.
"Hey, Soos!" Melody greeted her boyfriend as he walked in the door to his grandma's house.
Soos gave a smile and waved. "Hi, Melody," He said as he closed the front door, "Are we late?" He asked, concerned.
Melody shook her head. "No, we still have plenty of time before our appointment starts, don't worry about it!" She said with a smile.
Soos nodded at the assurance. "Do you think we should get on the road early?" He asked. "Ya' know, in case traffic gets out of hand?"
"Sure!" Melody said, shrugging. With that, the two went to the car. Soos offered to help his girlfriend, but Melody shook her head and chuckled. "I can get around fine, but thanks for volunteering, Soos." She said with a smile.
"Just making sure you're doing okay." Soos said with a sigh. "I don't really know how to handle these situations."
"Neither of us do," Melody admitted, taking Soos's hand in hers and looking up into his eyes. "But we can get through this together." She said.
Soos nodded and smiled back, and the two walked over to the car. Soos sat in the drivers seat, and Melody sat in the passengers. He grabbed the keys from out of the pocket in his shorts. It didn't take long until the couple was on the road.
A few minutes later, Melody turned her head to Soos and asked, "Hey Soos, how come your Abuelita stayed at her home instead of the mystery shack? Didn't the shack basically become yours?"
"Well, I didn't really own the shack, I just became the new Mr. Mystery when Mr. Pines and his brother were planning on traveling the Pacifica ocean. Then their plans changed and Abuelita decided that the shack was a little too big for her. She basically felt safer in her house since it was smaller. It makes it easier for her to get around since she's... a little older now." Soos informed.
Melody nodded. "That's totally understandable." She said, "It's probably better for her that way."
"Yeah." Soos said with a small chuckle. "I just hope she lives to see our kid." He said with a sigh.
"I'm sure she will." Melody assured, putting a hand on Soos's shoulder and rubbing it gently as she gave a warm smile. "Speaking of the baby, I had some ideas for names."
"Really?" Soos asked, "Like what?"
"Well, if It's a girl, I was thinking Violet or Dana." Melody said with a shrug.
Soos nodded. "Yeah, Violet would be a great name!" He said with a smile. "If it's a boy, recently I've been thinking Sam would be a good name." Soos said, shrugging.
Melody hummed slightly for a moment, shrugging. "I don't know, I really like the name Brock." She said.
"Brock?" Soos repeated, tilting his head, looking at his girlfriend for a split second before looking back at the road. "I dunno…"
Melody shrugged. "Well, we have a lot of time to decide, don't worry about it." She said with a smile.
Soos nodded in agreement before informing, "Oh, the clinic is just around the block."
"Really? I didn't know it was this close." Melody said, surprised. "I fell asleep on the way to our last visit here."
"Abuelita used to take me here all the time when I was a kid," Soos said, chuckling. "I know the location by heart after going so many times."
Soos drove to the parking lot of the clinic, finding a decent parking spot close to the front of the building. The clinic was fairly small, with a lemon-colored paint outside of the building. There was a set of double glass doors at the front with thin black framing. There were a few small windows near the lobby area, showing a clear view to a few comfortable chairs placed against a wall across from the window. Melody and Soos got out of the truck, and went over to the front door. Soos grabbed a door and held it open for Melody, and she thanked him for the considerate gesture.
Soos and Melody went up to the front desk to the right, and greeted the woman working at the desk. The woman had long, black hair with her hair tied in a ponytail that hung down her back, and dark blue eyes. Her nametag read 'Marleen'.
"Hello!" Marleen greeted. "Are you here to renew medications?" She asked.
Melody shook her head at the question. "No, we have an appointment in a few minutes. We're just checking in." She said, smiling.
Marleen nodded. "Of course!" She said, and grabbed hold of her clipboard. She grabbed a pen with her other hand and put it near the paper. "Names please?"
"Soos Ramirez and Melod-" Melody, began, but was cut off by the woman.
"Oh, you're right there." Marleen pointed out, circling their names on the list. "I've got you checked in. Go ahead and take a seat in the lobby!" She said, pointing her pen over to the chairs.
"Thanks!" Melody and Soos said to the lady at the desk. The worker gave a smile to the couple, and they walked over to the chairs. Melody and Soos sat beside each other, and Soos grabbed hold of a magazine displaying the most popular video games in the state. Melody chuckled at his option and looked over at the page that Soos had turned to. She pointed at one game that was shown, and commented. "I used to love that game!"
Soos nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I-" He began, but stopped in the beginning of his sentence when a lady burst out of the doctor's room, the door slamming into the wall as she stormed out.
The woman's husband chased after her, saying, "Jamie, come back! It's not as bad as it seems!"
"Don't tell me how to feel, Harold!" Jamie spat at her husband, screaming at him as she spoke, "You know I need my heart medicine!" She exclaimed, her hands balling up into fists.
"Honey, don't worry. We can get the money for it another way!" Her husband tried, but it seems to be no use what the woman began yelling again.
"There you go, telling me how to feel again!" She spat, "I don't have time for this, we're going home!" She exclaimed, stomping over towards the door.
Harold nodded slowly, walking over to the door behind his wife. "Yes dear." He said, a look of sympathy for his wife on his face as the two left the building.
Soos and Melody looked at each other, then at the door, then back at each other. Soos bit his lip and took off his hat, looking down at it in worry. "M-melody?" He muttered. His girlfriend looked at him and tilted her head. Soos sighed before speaking again, "You don't think we're gonna run into money troubles like that, do you..?"
"I don't think so," Melody said, shaking her head. "We should set aside some extra funds though, just in case." She said, grabbing hold of one of her boyfriend's hands.
"Good idea." Soos said. He sighed. "I'm just worried is all. I mean, we're still reading video game magazines and watching cheesy teenager movies. Maybe... maybe we're not ready for all this... adulting." He said with a frown.
Melody shrugged slowly, and opened her mouth to say something. Before she had the chance to speak, a doctor walked out of the same room as the last couple with a clipboard in hand. "Soos and Melody?" He asked out loud, walking towards the other side of the hall where he could see the people in the lobby.
"That's us." Soos says, standing up. Melody nods and puts on a smile. The two walked over to the doctor and greeted the man.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Otis Lutwin," He said, putting a hand out. "We spoke on the phone last week." Soos nodded, and accepted the handshake. "Follow me, please." Otis requested. Soos, Melody, and Otis walked over to the doctor's room, and the doctor held the door open for the couple. Soos and Melody thanked the man, and Lutwin closed the door behind him.
"Take a seat, please." He said, pointing to a couch beside his desk. Melody and Soos sat down as instructed, and they gave each other small smiles, hoping to forget the talk they had just had in the lobby.
"Do we need to sign any paperwork?" Melody asked.
"Or answer any questions on a clipboard?" Soos asked.
Dr. Lutwin shook his head. "No," He began, "However, I would like you both to review the questions you filled out last time, and tell me if anything has changed on the list since then. If so, inform me about it." He said to the couple.
"Will do!" Soos said, grabbing the clipboard from out of the doctor's hands. Dr. Lutwin turned around on his spinning-stool and typed down some information on his computer, looking around in a few files to access Soos and Melody's recent information from past visits. Soos and Melody reviewed the list a couple times, and confirmed that nothing had changed since the last visit.
"Nothing on the list has changed." Melody informed with a shrug.
"Great," Dr. Lutwin said, standing up from his stool. "Now, if you would just walk over here to the bed so we can do a quick sonogram." He continued, pointing over to the hospital bed behind the couch.
"Absolutely!" Soos exclaimed with a grin, walking over to the hospital bed and laying down atop it.
Dr. Lutwin tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at the behavior. "Um.., not you, sir." He said, motioning for him to get off the bed. "I was speaking to the lady."
"Oh," Soos muttered. He chuckled awkwardly and got off the hospital bed. "Sorry, dude."
Melody walked over and handed her purse to Soos before laying down. Dr. Lutwin moved his desk over to the bed and positioned his computer close by Melody. He grabbed a special camera from above the bed and hovered it over her stomach. She lifted her shirt up slightly enough so the camera could get an accurate photo. "This will only take a moment." Dr. Lutwin assured.
Melody nodded, and it only took a total of two minutes for the process to be complete. Once the photos were taken, Dr. Lutwin printed them out for Melody and Soos to see. He walked over to the printer and grabbed the photos, handing one to the couple and looking at the same image on his computer.
Soos and Melody both had smiles on their faces as they looked down at their child in the photo. Soos looked up at the doctor and asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?" He questioned.
"The gender is unidentified..," Dr. Lutwin informed. He turned to face Melody and Soos and said, "It's nothing to be alarmed about. Not knowing the gender this early in the stage of development is not uncommon. I'm sure by your next visit we will have figured it out." He assured.
"When can we schedule an appointment?" Melody asked the doctor.
Dr. Lutwin reached for a clipboard of the schedules. "Well," He muttered as he looked at the paper on the clipboard. "I can get you in...in two weeks, 2:00PM, if that works out for the two of you."
Soos and Melody looked at each other and shrugged. "That works for us!" Melody said with a smile. Soos nodded in agreement.
"Perfect, I'll see you both then." Dr. Lutwin said. "Feel free to keep the sonogram photos." He added.
"Thanks dude!" Soos said, taking the photos and looking at the two.
"Have a nice day." Dr. Lutwin said, looking back at his computer. With that, the couple left the office.
It wasn't long until Stanford, Bill, and Fiddleford got back to the Mystery Shack. When they did, Stan was waiting for them by the front door. Fiddleford was the first to leave the car and walk into the house, not really paying a look around at his surroundings. He looked over to his left after walking in the door to see Stan suddenly standing beside him. "Ahh!" McGucket exclaimed, jumping backwards and nearly tumbling to the floor.
Stan laughed in a mocking manner at the motion, and he looked over at the door to see Bill and Ford walking inside.
Stan folded his arms, looking at his brother. "What'd you do?" He asked.
"What?" Ford asked, shutting the front door behind him.
"We went to pick up this old prune." Bill informed, pointing over in Fiddleford's direction.
Ford gave a small glare at him. "Bill..." He muttered in a warning tone of voice.
Bill shrugged innocently. "What? He is what he is!" He stated, folding his arms and frowning.
Ford rolled his eyes at the statement and looked at Stan. "We left the shack once you got back home to go and pick up Fiddleford from his house"
"Wait, wait..," Stan began, narrowing his eyes. "Are you saying that you left the house with my new car, just to pick him up? Shouldn't the guy know how to drive on his own at his age?" He asked, muttering the last bit to himself.
"Your car?" Ford asked, adjusting his glasses. "You used my savings from in the living room to buy that car. Wouldn't that make it my car?" He asked, folding his arms.
Stan put his hands on his hips and glared. "No, I chose it out and I paid for it. That makes it my car!" He exclaimed.
"My money, my stuff!" Ford shot back.
Stanley glared. "Can't ya' just be happy we got another car?" He asked his brother.
"A new car... with my money!" Ford exclaimed, glaring.
Stan clenched his teeth together. "You ungrateful jerk!" He shouted, putting his hands on Ford's shoulders. Ford glared and extended his arms out to keep his brother away from him, swiftly moving a step away and then grabbing Stan's wrists. He grabbed Stanley's wrists and held them up against his back. Stan grunted at the way he had lost. "Let go of me, Ford!" He commanded with a glare.
Bill just rolled his eyes at the childish behavior. "Calm down there, Stan! If you try to fight him, you're gonna end up breaking a hip!" He stated, folding his arms.
"That's not the only thing we used the money on, pointdexter!" Stan exclaimed.
"I know!" Ford exclaimed. He got rid of the glare on his face and replaced it with a frown. He sighed, taking his hands away from Stan's wrists. He backed away slightly and looked at his brother. "I know..." He repeated once more, his tone of voice sounding almost remorseful.
Bill looked over at McGucket for a split second. He noticed that the man looked confused and awkward as he witnessed the situation. Bill clasped his hands together obnoxiously at the silence filling the room and he looked at Stanford. "Are we going down to the lab now or what?" He asked in a highly annoyed tone.
Ford nodded in agreement to the proposal. "Yes, that seems like a good idea." He stated, walking over to the living room. "Come along." He encouraged with a wave of his hand.
McGucket was quick to follow, meanwhile Bill stayed behind for a moment, looking at Stan and folding his arms. "I told Ford about the whole hospital thing." He informed, once the man mentioned left the room.
"Was he upset?" Stan asked.
Bill just shook his head. "Nope." He said.
Stan narrowed his eyes. "You lyin' to me, demon?" He questioned, suspicious.
Bill shook his head and shrugged innocently. "I'm not lying, Fez." He stated with a faint glare. "When I asked if he was mad about it, he said that he wasn't as mad as he should be about it." He said. Bill then snickered and said, "Heck, i'd be pissed off if someone just spent my life savings like that!" He commented, smirking.
Stan rolled his eyes and grunted. "Typical Ford. His life is more valuable to him than his dumb science crap." He said, looking away.
Bill was considering arguing with the statement, but he didn't want to be gone for too long. The longer it took him to get down to the lab, the more suspicious Stanford would get. He walked into the living room, making a shortcut through the Employees only door and turning to face the secret entrance to the laboratory. Bill took a moment to recall the code to get into the vending machine.
Ford and McGucket had already headed down the stairs, and they were about to open the elevator. Stanford turned around and saw Fiddleford, but no Bill. He raised an eyebrow. He looked at McGucket and said, "Do you know where Bi-" He began to ask, but stopped himself when he heard someone coming down the stairs. He looked over at the staircase.
"I'm here." Bill assured. "What's the plan?" He asked, rubbing his hands together as he stood beside the others.
Ford shrugged. "That depends." He said.
Bill tilted his head in confusion. "What does that mean?" He questioned, not really understanding the situation.
Before Ford could answer, McGucket opened the elevator door, taking a step inside. "This elevator brings back memories." He said with a small smile on his face. He stood in the corner of the elevator and held onto the bar railing secured onto the walls. He looked to his right in the corner and pointed to a marking on the wall. "Remember this, Ford?" He asked the other.
Stanford looked over at the marking, squinting his eyes slightly before realizing what it was. His eyes widened when he saw the markings. They were Stanford and Fiddleford's initials carved into the dark, wooden wall from many years ago. After today, the last thing he wanted Bill to see was that, afraid that he would get the wrong idea. Ford rushed over to them, hiding them by laying his back against the corner of the wall.
Bill raised an eyebrow at the quick movement. "What was that for?" He asked, confused.
Ford shrugged. "Old memories, just like Fiddleford said." He responded, looking down at his feet and trying his best not to remember.
McGucket nodded. "You've got that right!" He commented with a smile. Ford looked away and closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly and sighing silently. Bill noticed the reaction and grew even more confused. He decided to just let it go for now, as it was probably nothing to be concerned about in the first place.
When the elevator doors opened to the laboratory, the three walked out. Bill pushed past the two and ran up to the office chair, nearly tripping on his way over and jumping atop the chair. He laughed when he almost fell off the chair, and pouted when he didn't
"Is that man sober?" Fiddleford asked, tilting his head.
Ford nodded and chuckled awkwardly. "He really likes that chair. For some reason..." He said, muttering the last bit.
McGucket shrugged at the answer and walked over across the room to the large, covered window that used to show a clear view to the portal. "How long has this been covered up?" He asked Ford, pointing to the covered window.
Stanford shrugged. "Ever since I got back, really." He said.
"...Back?" McGucket repeated, confused.
Ford nodded slowly, and his eyes widened after realizing something that he figured the other should have known a long time ago. "You... you don't know?" He asked, a look of remorse on his face.
"I'm not sure what 'yer talking about, Stanford." McGucket admitted, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh..," Ford muttered. "Well, I suppose it's only right for me to tell you where I've been for the past...30 years..." He said with a sigh, leaning on the small desk in front of the portal window.
"Good golly, is that a memory gun?" Fiddleford exclaimed suddenly, turning around and running over towards Ford's main desk. He looked down at the memory gun and picked it up cautiously. "This is the original design, I've been a'looking for this ever since I got my memory back!"
"Memory back?" Ford asked, raising an eyebrow. He was about to ask about the lost memory, but his thought was stopped when Fiddleford walked over to the portal room's door.
"If my original design is still here, then I must have left the instructions in this portal room!" McGucket said, his eyes wide open. He grabbed the doorknob and opened it, looking around the room cautiously.
Ford raised an eyebrow, but followed the other. "How can you be so sure it's in here?" He asked. "It's been over 30 years since-"
"I'm sure it's in here." McGucket stated. "Unless it was moved, it'll be here." He said.
"It was probably moved." Bill muttered, folding his arms and rolling his eyes.
"Boy, this room brings back a lotta' memories..." Fiddleford said, sighing. He couldn't help but smile as a few memories came back to him.
Ford looked over at the portal with suspicion. He raised an eyebrow and walked over towards Bill. He took another glance at the portal before muttering, "Bill?"
"Yeah?" Bill responded, looking at Ford, only to see that he was looking at the portal with squinted eyes.
"Did you... try fixing the portal while I was unconscious all that time?" Ford asked.
Crap, he noticed. He's not as dumb as Stan was. "Uh," Bill began. "No, I didn't." He assured, half-lying. I'm telling the truth, right? I didn't fix the portal, Soos did.
"Hmm..." Ford hummed, tilting his head. "I could have sworn something was different."
Fiddleford's eyes widened and he smiled wide, picking up a piece of paper. "Look Stanford, I found it!" He exclaimed.
"That's great!" Ford said with a smile.
"I'm surprised you still kept em' down here after all this-Woah!" McGucket exclaimed in horror as he looked into Bill's eyes. "I-It's you!" He blurted out, pointing at Bill.
Bill sighed and rolled his eyes, muttering. "Aand…here we go."
"S-Stanford, that's Bill Cipher! Get him out!" McGucket shrieked. His entire body was shaking, and he looked down at the memory gun in his hands. "Stay back, demon! I-I'm sure this thing works!"
"Woah!" Bill exclaimed, glaring. "Don't you point that thing at me!" He commanded, pointing his finger at the memory gun that McGucket was threatening him with.
Ford put his hands out in front of him, shaking his head and walking towards the scared man and said, "Fiddleford, calm down! I meant it when I said we have a lot to talk about." He said. McGucket was still shaking but looked at Ford as he walked towards him. Ford put a hand on McGucket's shoulder, and the other man lowered the gun in his hand, dropping it to the floor gently. "Bill's not the same anymore." He assured.
"Y-You got that right!" McGucket stuttered.
Ford sighed and shook his head. He looked into McGucket's eyes as he spoke. "Okay, he's changed in multiple ways." He muttered, but continued. "Even since he's become a human, he's begun to have a change in heart. He's still a bit rough around the edges, but he means well."
"I don't know, Stanford," McGucket began, "Those eyes... they remind me of the past. Our past." He adds. "Back when we were making the portal, back when he possessed you, back when he fooled you and messed with me, I just..," Fiddleford continued, sighing. "I just don't want you to get fooled by him again-"
"It will be okay, Fiddleford. I'm not as naïve as I used to be. You don't have to worry." Ford assured.
Bill narrowed his eyes at the conversation, and he felt like leaving the room completely. Before he made any choices of action, Ford left the portal room to go upstairs. Fiddleford decided to follow behind him, but when he saw that Ford was already heading over to the elevator, he figured it would be a good chance to confront the demon standing before him.
McGucket was about to pass by Bill, but stopped in his tracks to look at him. "This better not be some trick of 'yers, Cipher." He stated, pointing at the other with his eyes narrowed. "I won't let you hurt Ford again."
Bill narrowed his eyes back at McGucket and put his hands on his hips. "You forgave Ford pretty easily, maybe you should forgive me, too." He said.
"That's different," Fiddleford stated, folding his arms. "You've done a lot more damage than Stanford ever did. I don't want you hurting the man I've still loved all these years." He said, keeping his voice firm.
Bill glared at the 'love' statement. Love..? Love? Oh, ne-ne-no. He didn't just say that. Bill ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his facial expression. "Love?" He repeated in a confused manner.
Fiddleford nodded. "Well, we fell in love back in college, we had even been officially together at one point during the portal process. Until you started takin' control of Stanford." He added, a scowl on his face.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm not like that anymore, so there's no need to hold a grudge." He stated.
Fiddleford sighed before speaking. He looked away, then looked back at Bill. "Be a good friend to Stanford, maybe then I can start to see if you've had a change in heart." He said. Bill was about to comment something, but before he could speak, McGucket had already left the room.
He looked over at the portal for a moment, and wondered how Ford had noticed changes. Jeez, either Soos is good at hiding results, or he hasn't done much of anything. He thought to himself. He sighed and looked through the small window on the portal room's door, noticing that McGucket had already left the room.
He better not get any ideas. Bill thought to himself, clenching his fists by his sides. If he lays a finger on Ford, I swear I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind. I shouldn't be too worried about this love triangle anyway, I've been a literal triangle for as long as I can remember! Until I got this stupid, restricting fleshbag to call my own. Watch out, McGucket. You're gonna end up with a broken heart if you mess with Sixer...
Oh Bill...
Enjoy the Billford cuteness while you can, things are gonna get crazy in the next chapter!
...
(Don't worry, this is NOT turning into a Fiddauthor fic. This is still a Billford fanfic, I promise.)
