Did anyone get confused by the chapter name? If you did, have some deer teeth!
(I actually like the way the chapter name turned out, it relates well with the events in this chapter :3)
Well, here's chapter 30!
The ride home to the Mystery Shack was extremely quiet. The strange thing about car trips is that they're either filled with conversation, or very, very quite. When they got back to the Mystery Shack, Stanley parked the car where the car was usually parked. Before Bill and Ford got out of the car, Stan stopped them by turning around in his seat and putting a hand up.
"Alright, what's up with the silence?" Stan asked, looking at both of them.
Bill looked at Ford and narrowed his eyes. Stanford looked at Stan and shrugged as he spoke. "I don't like thinking back on my past relationship with Fiddleford. It's a very long story that I would rather not get into." He admitted, looking away.
"I have enough patience to listen for a little while." Stan said, unbuckling his seat belt to turn around completely and wrapping his arms around the top of the seat.
"I don't." Bill stated, and opened the car door past the seat with the bags to leave. He was quick to shut the door and head to the shack's front door.
Stan turned his head to look at Bill as he walked up the steps. "Hah, idiot!" He said with a mocking laugh. "He needs the keys to the house if he wants to get in-" He said, but was rather surprised when he had gotten into the house by simply twisting the doorknob.
Ford looked over at Bill as he entered the shack, then looked over at Stan, clearly annoyed. "You didn't think to lock the door when we left?" He asked, folding his arms.
"What? I wanted to get to the drivers seat before you did! Because if you got in it first, Cipher wouldn't have been able to get his revenge on 'ya!" He said with a shrug.
"Revenge?" Stanford asked, tilting his head slightly. "What kind of 'revenge'?"
Stan just shrugged. "Well, he said it was 'payback'. I guess he was pissed that you were lettin' Fidds sit up in the front seat all the time instead of him." He said.
Ford rolled his eyes at this. "I'm not surprised." He muttered.
"Don't go soundin' like Dad, Sixer." Stan said, pointing his finger at his brother. "If you start to pick up his whole 'I'm not impressed' thing, I'm out!" He said with a joking grin. "But, I'm not impressed that I've been waitin' around in this dang car for you to tell your little love story." Stan added, narrowing his eyes for a moment. He leaned his back on his car door and extended his legs atop the empty passenger seats, practically laying down atop the front seats.
Ford knew that Stan wouldn't settle for hearing about it later, so he ran a hand through his hair before speaking. "Do you remember the first day I was back in Gravity Falls, when I addressed Fiddleford as my old college buddy?" He asked.
Stan nodded, ready to listen to the story.
Meanwhile, Bill was in the living room on the couch, confused as to why Stan and Ford hadn't come inside yet. Eh, why should I care? He asked himself. With that, he stood up and pushed the Employees only door open to head down to the laboratory. He typed in the code on the vending machine and descended down the stairs.
I wonder if Question mark has worked on the portal. Bill thought to himself, however he knew it was unlikely. He knew that when Dipper and Mabel were visiting Gravity Falls, Stanford would tell them to stay up in the shack rather than the basement, and Bill was sure that the rule would apply the same to Soos.
Bill pressed a button and stepped into the elevator. He turned around and pressed the button that would lead him down to the laboratory. As the elevator door closed, he backed up into the corner, holding onto the railing. I wonder what would happen if I jumped in an elevator when it was moving... He thought to himself. As the elevator went down, he looked around the elevator randomly, the silence feeling a bit strange to him. He looked beside him at the corner and noticed a small carving.
Is this that carving Sixer was talking about a few months ago? Bill wondered. He looked closer at it, squinting his eyes at what was carved into the wood, and finally noticed what it was. Bill scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course." He muttered.
The elevator door opened, and Bill stepped out of it, planning on checking out the portal. He walked over to the portal door, turning around to check his surroundings. When he saw no sign of anyone downstairs, he cautiously grabbed hold of the doorknob, stepping inside the room.
He looked up at the portal and wasn't surprised when it was in the same condition as it had been when Stanford had been unconscious. As much as he was considering looking around for some information on the portal project, he knew that Ford would come back inside soon, and he couldn't risk getting caught. It was times like these when Bill wished he was still all-knowing, back when he didn't have to turn to books and notes for help. However, he was glad that Stanford had written down some of the things he had told him in the past, as it may be beneficial to him in the future.
Bill was completely silent for a moment. He couldn't hear a sound around him, save the small ringing in his ear. Even though he was down in the basement, the silence was a bit suspicious. He walked over to Stanford's desk and looked up at the security monitors. He couldn't see any signs of Stan or Ford around the shack. Not in Stan's office, not in the living room, not in the kitchen. They were no where to be seen.
Bill hummed and narrowed his eyes at this. Are they still outside? He wondered. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like a good opportunity to look around after all. With that, he walked over to the file cabinets and opened the bottom drawer. He got down on his knees and scanned through it with his hands. He didn't find anything relating to what he was looking for, however he couldn't help but admire how well everything was sorted out. I guess I never noticed the organization when I was frantically searching through these cabinets last time. He thought to himself.
He closed the first cabinet and searched through the second one. Nothing.
Bill then closed the second cabinet and looked through the third one. Still nothing.
He stood up and opened the fourth cabinet. He still couldn't find anything involving the process, and his searching seemed useless until-
"Aha!" Bill exclaimed, grinning and holding up a file in front of him. He noticed just how loudly that came out, and he bit his lip, looking around the room cautiously. The room was still silent, and he went back to grinning. He took the file and scanned through it quickly, reading only one or two sentences per page to make sure this was what he was looking for. He saw the word 'portal' a few times, which was just enough to convince him that this was exactly what he was looking for.
Bill held the manila folder close to him, and was quick to slip it under his shirt to hide it. He folded his arms to keep it from falling out, and headed towards the elevator, not realizing that he had left the top file cabinet open wide.
"Hah!" Stan exclaimed, grinning at his brother who was still sitting in the back seat of the car. "So, the basic point of the story is that you and Fidds became friends in college, and got together during the portal process?" He asked.
Ford ran a hand through his hair awkwardly, but nodded. "Well yes-"
"And then you got laid!" Stan added with a wide grin.
Stanford rolled his eyes and facepalmed, looking down at the car flooring. "Well-"
"Okay, okay," Stan said, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, he got laid. My mistake." He said, shrugging.
"That was over 30 years ago..." Ford muttered, looking out the window, clearly annoyed.
"Ya' know, it's funny," Stan continued, folding his arms and snickering. "All this time, I thought you were a virgin-"
"Can we not talk about this?" Ford shouted, the question coming out much louder than he had intended. His fists clenched beside him, which didn't go unnoticed by Stan. "I would rather keep the past times in the past." He stated, glaring.
"Woah," Stanley said, putting his arms in front of him slightly. "I didn't mean anythin' by it, pointdexter. Jeez."
Ford shut his eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry." He muttered, frowning.
"So you're really not interested in him?" Stan asked.
Ford shook his head slowly. "I'm more focused on keeping Fiddleford my friend, and nothing more than that." He said, speaking truthfully.
Stan hummed for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, even if ya' did still love 'im, I'm pretty sure he's taken by a racoon." He said, muttering the last bit.
Ford raised an eyebrow. "Come again?" He asked, confused.
"Yeah," Stan said with a shrug. "After Fidds lost his marbles, Mabel told me he got married to a racoon." He informed.
Ford opened his mouth to say something, however he wasn't sure how to respond to something like that. "Uh," He blurted out, "I-I'm sorry, a racoon?" He questioned, deeply confused now.
"Yup." Stan muttered, nodding his head in confirmation. "I wouldn't bother judgin' him about it. I mean, no one judges your gayness." He said with a shrug.
Ford rolled his eyes at his brother's words. "Stan, I'm not gay..." He stated, folding his arms.
"Well you sure ain't straight." Stan said, chuckling.
Ford wasn't exactly sure what to say to that, but he couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Well, you got me there." He admitted.
"Hey, nothin' wrong with it, Sixer." Stan assured with a shrug. "People are less sensitive about it than they were back when we were in high school." He stated. "Well, the younger people at least." He muttered with a shrug. "We should probably get into the house before Cipher burns the house down."
Ford nodded at the last statement. "You're probably right." He said, grabbing the car door's handle and getting out of the car.
The twins walked up to the shack's front door, and walked inside. They both saw a man fleeing up the stairs at a quick pace. Stan raised an eyebrow, watching Bill run up the stairs without context. "What's he rushin' for?" He asked.
Stanford shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about." He assured, but wasn't quite sure himself.
"That sounded convincing." Stan said, punching his brother in the shoulder in a joking manner. "I'm gonna go see what's on tv." He said, and walked over to the living room.
Ford nodded slowly, and took a step back as his brother left the room. He grabbed the front door's doorknob from behind and was quick to sneak back outside. He closed the door silently and turned around, trying not to make any noise as he planned to go back to the car. He walked over to the shack's stairs and took a step on the first one, but was quickly surprised when a blonde haired man appeared suddenly in front of him.
"Ah!" Ford exclaimed, slipping back on the steps and falling to the floor.
"Sorry," Bill muttered, putting his hands on his hips.
"How did you get out here so quickly?" Stanford asked in a confused tone, as he got up from off of the floor.
Bill shrugged. "It's better not to ask questions." He stated in a chill manner. "What are you doing out here? You literally just got inside." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Ford scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was going to the car-" He began, but was cut off by the blonde.
"To go get fiddlesticks?" Bill asked with a fake smile, folding his arms. "You can't last one day without him anymore, can you?" He asked with a small glare, poking his index finger at the scientists chest, causing him to take a small step back.
"That's not-" Ford tried.
"That's not what?" Bill asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Oh, That's not true, Bill! That's not what I was gonna do, Bill!" He mocked, narrowing his eyes and looking Ford in the eyes. "Because I'm pretty sure it is, Sixer!" He stated, a small glare on his face.
"That's not the point of me leaving." Ford said, finishing his own sentence. "I had an idea that I wasn't planning on telling you about just yet." He admitted, putting his hands behind his back.
Bill tilted his head, confused now. "What is it?" He asked.
"Well, I figured if Fiddleford was here after we got home from town, then the three of us would go down to the lab and test out the amulet." Stanford informed with a shrug.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Wait, wait. Amulet? When the heck did you see an amulet as important?" He questioned.
"That's what I expected you would ask." Ford said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I suppose you'll just have to find out." He stated, walking past Bill and heading towards the car.
An amulet? He's never even mentioned an amulet. What does he mean? Is it special? What is there to 'test'? Multiple questions were rushing through Bill's head at the same time. He shook his head and turned around, running towards the car.
"Wait!" Bill exclaimed, rushing over to the car and standing beside the passengers seat. "What would we need Fidds for?" Bill asked.
"Fiddleford was the one who found the amulet." Ford began, "It's only fair to involve him in the project."
Bill hummed. "What do you need to 'test' on the amulet? Is it, like, magic or something?" He asked, opening the car door and sitting in the passengers seat. Ford opened the drivers seat door and stepped inside as well, shutting the door behind him.
"Well," Ford teased as he buckled his seat belt. "As I said before, you'll just have to find out." He said with a smirk.
Bill just scoffed. "Come on, Sixer! Don't be so infuriating!" He said, clenching his hands in his hair in annoyance. "I'm like, your best friend!" He reminded.
Ford looked at Bill and raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said that?" He asked in a joking manner that was unreadable.
Bill huffed in an offended manner and folded his arms, looking out the window. Stanford rolled his eyes and chuckled, starting the car.
Soos and Melody were on their way to yet another doctors appointment. Their child was 6 months in the process, and the gender was still unidentified, after multiple appointments.
Melody looked over at Soos, who was currently driving. "Do you think we'll get an answer this time?" She asked her boyfriend.
Soos shrugged at the question. "I hope so, one would think that you would know the gender after fourteen visits." He said.
"Well, I'm not too worried about knowing as long as our child is healthy." Melody said, a smile on her face.
Soos nodded. "Agreed." He said, turning the corner to enter the clinic's parking lot. Soos and Melody got out of the car after parking, and were quick to check into the lobby.
Soos walked over to the lobby counter to check in, feeling rather impatient to check in for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Hello," He greeted. "Soos Ramirez and Melod-"
"Yes," The lady at the desk said, an bored look on her face. "Sir, you've visited enough times that I remember the two of you. I never remember people who come here." She admitted with a shrug.
"Sorry dude." Soos muttered, chuckling awkwardly.
The lady raised an eyebrow, but decided not to question the way she had been addressed. She pointed to the chairs in the lobby and said, "Please take a seat and wait for Dr. Lutwin to come get you."
"Thank you." Melody said with a smile, as the two walked over to the chairs. Melody and Soos sat next to each other. Melody looked out the window across from her, and Soos looked down at his feet. Beside the chair leg on the carpet floor was a small crystal. It was a light sapphire color, almost like a turquoise color. He raised an eyebrow at the object.
"Melody?" Soos addressed, picking up the crystal.
Melody looked at Soos, tilting her head slightly. "Yeah?"
"Did you drop this?" Soos asked, holding the crystal up in front of her.
Melody shook her head. "No, I didn't. It must have belonged to someone else. Maybe you should give it to the front desk." She suggested with a shrug.
Soos nodded. "Good idea." He said. He stood up and walked over to the front desk. The lady at the front desk looked up from her computer, an unamused look greeting Soos.
"What do you want?" She asked, clearly annoyed. "My shift ends in 5 minutes."
Soos held up the crystal for the lady to see. "Did anyone come in with something like this?" He asked. "I found it over by a chair, and I think someone lost it." He admitted.
The woman shrugged. "I didn't see anyone with it," She admitted. "But, hey! Finders keepers, right?" She said with a small smirk. "You can take it, just don't tell my boss." She said.
Soos scratched the back of his neck, unsure of that choice option. "I don't know. Isn't that, like.., stealing?" He asked.
"If the owner cared about the darn thing, they would have come back to get it." The lady pointed out.
Soos hummed, still not sure if taking the crystal was the right thing to do. "I'm not sure if I should take it..." He muttered.
"Well if you don't take it, then it's my responsibility. And if it's my responsibility, I'm stuck here for another half hour getting the lost thing documented to the clinic's files!" She stated in a stern manner, her voice raising in tone as she spoke. "Now are you going to take it or not?" She asked, her fists atop her desk in frustration.
Soos's eyes widened at the woman's reaction. He nodded slowly and tried to smile. "U-um, sure..! Totally, dude!" He stuttered, showing the lady that he put it in his pocket and quickly walking back to his chair.
Melody looked at Soos confused. "What was all that about?" She questioned.
"That lady is pretty frightening when she gets mad." Soos muttered, looking down at his feet once more. "I guess we own a random crystal now..."
"Don't they have a lost and found?" Melody questioned, looking over at the lady at the front desk who was currently typing on her computer.
"It's better not to ask her about it." Soos advised, adjusting his hat. Melody just nodded, clearly confused.
A few moments later, a young woman burst through Dr. Lutwin's office with tears in her eyes. Her husband sped over beside her, handing his girlfriend a tissue which she used to wipe away the forming tears. The woman continued to sob as she attempted to speak. "I-I can't b-believe t-th-is..." She stammered.
Her husband nodded. "I know, I know..." He said, rubbing his wife's back as a small tear formed in his own eye as well.
"I..I thought our baby was healthy..." The woman said, shutting her eyes and crying into her husband's shoulder.
"I don't know how something like this could happen," The man muttered. "You're in good health, and so was he." He said, sighing.
Melody and Soos looked at each other, alarm and fear on their faces once the saddened couple left the building. Melody bit her lip and looked away, afraid that something would happen to their child as well. Soos noticed Melody's emotions and locked their hands together, using his other hand to place atop hers. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, Melody." Soos assured with a small smile.
"What if it's not..?" Melody muttered, looking at Soos. "What if something has already happened to our child, and-" She questioned, but stopped when Soos shook his head.
"Don't think like that!" Soos said, "I'm sure our kid is okay." He said with a nod of his head.
Melody kept her frown. "Ihope so..." She muttered, looking out the window.
Just then, Dr. Lutwin came out of his office. "Soos and Melody?" He addressed, walking down the small hallway into the lobby.
"That's us!" Soos said, smiling. He was still holding Melody's hand, but the two stood up and walked over to the doctor.
Dr. Lutwin greeted the two, and welcomed them into his office. "Please come in, I don't want to keep you waiting." He said with a small frown.
Melody looked at Soos with fear in her eyes. He doesn't want to keep us waiting, does that mean something bad? Is something wrong? What if there's bad news? She asked herself as they walked into the doctors office.
Soos and Melody sat down in chairs, and Dr. Lutwin sat on his spinny-stool. He set down the clipboard that was in his hands atop his desk, and turned towards the couple with his hands clasped together. "I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news..." He said in a slow pace, which only raised the suspense.
Oh no... Melody thought to herself. Bad news, bad news...why does it have to be bad news?
Dr. Lutwin cleared his throat and sighed. "I'm very sorry to tell you this..." He began. Melody shook her head in fear and closed her eyes, laying her head on Soos's shoulder with a frown on her face.
"I lost the files of your last visit, so we'll have a few extra tests to run today." Dr. Lutwin said with a clumsy smile. "I apologize for the minor inconvenience." He said, grabbing his clipboard.
Melody sighed in relief, and Soos rubbed her shoulder gently to assure her that it would be okay.
"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," Stanford said to McGucket, who was sitting in the passengers seat of the car. Bill was in the back seat with his arms folded. He wasn't very pleased with Fiddleford coming back to the shack.
"Water under the bridge!" Fiddleford said, waving his hand dismissively.
Ford looked at McGucket for a split second before looking back at the road. "Are you sure? The way Stan kicked you out of the car didn't seem very pleasant." He muttered.
"Aw, it was just a little dam'ge!" Fiddleford assured. "It's not your fault." He said with a shrug, watching in front of him as Ford turned onto the Mystery Shack's path.
"You're arm is bruised," Ford stated, still concerned. "Are you sure you weren't hurt elsewhere?" He asked.
Bill scoffed silently. "You might wanna check Fidds for some neuro problems. I'm sure he's got some brain damage somewhere." He muttered.
"Bill," Ford warned, shooting a glare towards the man. Bill just rolled his eyes and looked out the window.
The three got back to the Mystery Shack sooner than they thought the drive would be. When Stanford parked the car, Bill unbuckled his seatbelt, waiting for Fiddleford to get out of the car. McGucket unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door, taking a step out. That's when Bill grabbed his door and pushed it open with force, the car door slamming right into Fiddleford.
McGucket fell to the ground, exclaiming in pain. Bill rolled his eyes and got out of the car, an innocent look on his face. "Woah!" He began, "You okay?" He asked.
Fiddleford stood up and narrowed his eyes at Bill, not fooled by the careless act. Bill just shrugged his shoulders, looking at Fiddleford with a smirk on his face.
"What was that?" Ford asked. He hadn't seen the innocent when it happened.
"He got hit with the car door." Bill informed, pointing at McGucket.
Ford adjusted his glasses. "How did that happen?" He questioned, confused.
"A little thing called gravity, Fordsy." Bill said.
Ford nodded slowly. "Right..." He muttered. "Well, we should probably head down to the lab!" He said, shutting his car door and smiling.
Bill nodded, glad the subject had been changed. "Yeah, I wanna see this amulet you were talking about!" He said, walking with Ford to the front door, Fiddleford following behind them.
"Wait," McGucket began. "You told him about the amulet?" He asked Ford.
Stanford nodded. "Yes," He confirmed. "I figured it would be best to have Bill with us, knowing that he's had much more experience with magic his past, especially since I haven't studied these types of things as much as I study other things."
Bill folded his arms and sighed. "I don't know how helpful I'll be, I'm not all-knowing anymore." He said with a sigh.
"I'm sure your magic will still come in handy." Ford assured with a shrug.
"My magic?" Bill repeated. "Is that all I'm good for?" He joked, putting his hand on his heart with his mouth open slightly.
Ford rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You know that's not what I mean." He said.
"True," Bill said with a shrug. "I'm sure I'd be good at a lot of things." He stated, raising his eyebrows in unison with a smirk.
Ford pushed Bill away as he attempted to hide his face, unlocking the front door. Fiddleford looked at Bill and folded his arms, unamused by his statement.
Bill and Fiddleford walked through the door, and Ford shut it behind them. They walked over to the living room to see Stanley watching Tv.
Stan looked over at them as they were passing through, and groaned in annoyance. "You brought 'im back already, pointdexter?" He asked, extending his arms out to show his annoyance.
"Yes, we're going to study a magical object." Ford said, nodding.
"I'm not surprised." Stan muttered, looking back at the tv for a moment. It took him a moment to realize what he said, and when he had he facepalmed. "Crap! I'm the one startin' to sound like Dad!" He said, shaking his head.
"I have the results," Dr. Lutwin informed, looking at Soos and Melody who were sitting down in chairs beside each other. "I'm sorry for the extra tests today." He said.
"It's no trouble, dude." Soos assured.
Melody nodded. "Yeah, I'm just glad the child is alive." She said with a smile. Soos nodded in agreement.
"Well I can assure you that your child is, indeed, alive and healthy." Dr. Lutwin said, grinning. "However the gender is still unidentified, which is peculiar since your child is already six months." He added.
Melody hummed at this. "Couldn't you do a chromosome test?" She questioned.
"I don't think that would be possible for today," Dr. Lutwin responded. "I have another appointment that was scheduled five minutes ago. I'm sure we can get another appointment scheduled over the phone next week, if that's alright with the two of you."
Soos and Melody shrugged in unison, saying, "Sure!"
"Great," Dr. Lutwin said with a smile. "I'll talk to the two of you next week, then." He said, writing a reminder down on his clipboard.
"Thanks for all you've done for us, dude!" Soos said with a smile.
"Yeah, it means a lot to us." Melody said, nodding her head.
Otis shrugged and smiled. "It's what I do, have a nice day." He said. With that, Soos and Melody left his office, walking out the clinic door.
"Did you ever tell Stan?" Melody asked once they got back to the truck.
"What?" Soos asked, raising an eyebrow as he started the car.
"Did you ever tell Stan that you were becoming a dad?" Melody asked.
Soos's eyes widened, surprised that he still hadn't had the bravery to do so. He wasn't sure why he felt different about telling Stan than he had with telling his friends and family, so why hadn't he?
"Um," Soos muttered, chuckling awkwardly. "No, not yet." He admitted.
"I mean, it's no rush," Melody said, shrugging. "Just tell him when you feel comfortable about it." She suggested.
"I know..." Soos muttered. "I just feel like I should have told him by now, don't you think?" He asked.
When Stanford, Bill, and Fiddleford walked out of the elevator into the laboratory, they wanted to get straight to the amulet process.
"Alright," Stanford began as they walked forward, "The amulet is over by the small desk in front of the portal window. I had it on my regular desk earlier, but figured I use that desk too often and it was possible that it would break." He said, putting his hands behind his back.
"I wanna see!" Bill said, eyes wide. He was clearly curious to see the magical object.
"Well, it's right over the-" Ford said as he extended his arm, but stopped himself when his arm was pointing directly to an open file cabinet. He raised an eyebrow and took a step forward to look inside the file cabinet. "What in the world..?" He muttered, grabbing the sides of the drawer and looking inside.
Bill bit his lip in alarm. Crap, I forgot to close the file cabinet drawer! He thought to himself. He didn't want to make anything obvious, so he just raised and eyebrow in the act of pretending to be confused.
"What happened?" Fiddleford asked, looking at Ford.
Stanford hummed in confusion. "The file cabinet was left open. Which is rather peculiar, as I don't remember opening it today." He said. Bill exhaled silently as his hands shook at his sides. He noticed his shaky hands and put them behind his back to hide them.
"Bill," Ford began, closing the file cabinet and looking at the man. "Did you get into the file cabinet at all today?" He asked.
Bill's mouth was hanging open slightly as he tried to speak. He looked at Stanford and shook his head. "Nope." He lied.
Ford hummed in confusion, but shrugged. "Well, never mind that. I'm sure you're more interested in seeing the amulet." He said.
Bill nodded, and Fiddleford folded his arms. He still wasn't too sure about involving Bill in the amulet project, but he didn't want to argue about it. The three walked over to the small desk across the room and looked down at the amulet.
Bill squinted his eyes at the rather familiar amulet. I swear I've seen this amulet before... He thought to himself, folding his arms. Oh, right! It belonged to that annoying kid Gideon.
Ford looked over at Bill and noticed his confused look. "Are you okay, Bill?" He asked.
"Yeah," Bill responded. "I've seen this thing before." He informed.
"You have?" Stanford asked. "Where?"
"It belonged to this one kid, Gideon." Bill said, "The twins must have known about it too, 'cuz he told me that Mabel destroyed it."
Ford adjusted his glasses. "Mabel knew about this?" He asked. Bill nodded his head at the question.
Fiddleford hummed in suspicion. "What if 'yer lyin'?" He asked, squinting his eyes.
Bill just rolled his eyes. "What's the point in lying?" He asked.
"You've lied b'fore, who says you won't do it again?" Fiddleford shot back.
Ford noticed the glares that were being sent, and cleared his throat to make the situation a bit less awkward. "Do you have any information on what powers the amulet possesses?" He asked Bill.
Bill shrugged. "Don't quote me on this, 'cuz I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure he said something about telekinesis and being able to control people." He informed.
Ford nodded and grabbed a pen and paper from out of his lab coat, jotting down the facts quickly. "Control people how?" He questioned.
"Basically being able to control people's body movements." Bill restated.
Fiddleford hummed and put his hands behind his back. "Could it be used, in any type of way, to get rid of demons?" He asked.
Bill glared at McGucket and clenched his fists. "No," He responded with his teeth clenched. "But it could be used for punching yourself in the face!" He stated.
Fiddleford glared back at him. "Really? How fascinating!" He said, "Would you mind demonstrating?" He asked.
Bill growled and made a fist at McGucket, about ready to tackle him to the ground. He took a step forward, staring the old man down. Ford was quick to turn towards Bill and put his arms out, stopping the man from demonstrating acts of violence. Bill grunted and tried to fight past Ford's grip, but Stanford was proven stronger in the attempt. Bill narrowed his eyes at Fiddleford and folded his arms, taking a step back.
"Please," Ford said. "Is violence necessary?"
"That's yet to be seen." Bill said, not taking his eyes off Fiddleford.
Ford put his hands behind his back and shook his head. "If you have any idea of redeeming yourself to Fiddleford, I would keep violence out of it all." He said.
Bill huffed and narrowed his eyes. "I might not be a vile fleshbag, but that doesn't mean I can't be violent." He stated, walking away towards the elevator. "I'll be back." He informed, not saying another word.
"Take your time!" McGucket called out, folding his arms as Bill left the laboratory.
Ford sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry about him. He can be a bit... exasperating at times." He said to McGucket.
Fiddleford shrugged. "I don't see how the two of you get along." He admitted in more of a mutter.
"Well, a lot has changed." Ford said with a shrug. "Getting onto a different subject, I believe I have something that may help with the amulet process." He said, walking over to the lab's makeshift bedroom.
Fiddleford raised an eyebrow as Ford walked inside. "What is it?" He asked.
"Well," Ford began, kneeling beside a nightstand and opening the drawer. "I believe I have a device that can help us detect some of the amulet's abilities." He informed. McGucket's curiosity got the best of him, and he walked into the bedroom to see the device.
"Ah, here it is." Ford said, holding a small detector in his hands that looked a bit like a taser. "This may help." He said. "It can detect certain types of magic. It may not be extremely useful, but it can be helpful somewhat." He admitted.
"Right..." Fiddleford muttered, looking down at the floor.
Ford noticed the expression and raised an eyebrow. "Fiddleford, are you okay?" He asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
McGucket shrugged. "I don't know.. there's been somethin' I've wanted to talk to ye' about." He said, still looking away from the man in front of him.
"What is it?" Ford asked.
"It's...about the past." Fiddleford began. He wanted to explain, he just wasn't sure how.
Ford tilted his head, concerned. "What about it? Is it anything bad?" He asked.
McGucket shrugged. "That's the thing, I-I'm not really sure." He admitted.
"Well, what's it about?" Ford asked, not really understanding the man.
Fiddleford shrugged once more. "Er...It's kinda' hard te' explain to ye'..."
Stanford nodded slowly. "Well, I hope I have your trust if there's something yo-" He began, but was cut off by the man in a very unexpected manner. McGucket cupped Ford's face in his hands and pressed his lips against his. Ford's eyes were wide as the action was presented. How do I get out of this? Ford asked himself.
Bill returned back down in the laboratory with a crust-less sandwich in hand. He noticed the empty room and raised an eyebrow. "Sivzr?" He called out, his mouth stuffed with part of the sandwich. He looked to the right and noticed a light coming from the other room down in the lab. He walked over to the room to find the others, and turned to peek through the door that was cracked open slightly.
Bill's eyes widened at what he saw. He narrowed his eyes, which ended up turning into a glare. The sandwich in his hand was getting crushed as he clenched his fists. All this time... He thought to himself. All this time Sixer was still interested in that guy? He said that they were just friends! Well, that's sure not what it seemed to be in Bill's eyes. He had left for five minutes, only to come back and see the one person he trusted most kissing the man he hated most.
With a huff, Bill stormed away and threw his sandwich onto the floor. He walked over to Ford's main desk and got out a piece of paper, along with a sharpie marker. Atop the paper, he wrote:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
The nice me is DEAD,
And I don't need you.
-B
Bill glared down at the paper and shook his head in disbelief. To think, the one person who he had trusted to handle his emotions and keep him on track as a human, played him like a pawn. He looked down at the ground. "You're playing it this way, huh Stanford?" He muttered to himself. He looked up and turned around, looking at the amulet on the table. Bill hummed at the magical object and grabbed it in his hands, wrapping the necklace around his neck and securing it so that it wouldn't fall off. With that, he made his way towards the elevator.
I can handle the world on my own. Bill told himself, sure of himself this time now that he had been a human for a while. Before anyone knew it, he was back upstairs, storming out of the Mystery Shack.
Meanwhile, Ford was completely stunned by the action given by his old college friend. I can't handle this... I have to tell him that I don't have the same feelings as I did when we were younger. He thought to himself. He grabbed Fiddleford wrists and pulled them back gently, turning his face away.
Fiddleford raised an eyebrow at the action, noticing his friend's frozen reaction. "A-are you okay?" He asked. "Did I do something wrong?"
Ford shook his head. "No, it's not that..," He assured. "I just..." He continued hesitantly. He was afraid of hurting the man's feelings.
"What?" McGucket asked, not being able to read Ford's facial expressions.
Ford sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Look, Fiddleford. We had a lot of good times back in college and back in the portal process, but I just don't have the same idea as you do for the future." He began, feeling a bit guilty at the look of hurt McGucket showed. Ford sighed, but continued. "I meant it when I said that a lot has changed around here. But, I'm hoping we can keep and remain in a stable friendship." He said, hoping he said it as nice yet straightforward as possible.
Fiddleford nodded slowly, looking to the side of him since eye contact seemed a bit awkward at the moment. "I understand." He said, scratching the back of his neck.
"I would have said something earlier, I just wasn't aware of how you felt." Ford admitted, adjusting his glasses. "Even though there's been a lot of change, I suppose I never suspected it." He said, muttering the last bit.
"Cipher," Fiddleford muttered suddenly.
Ford tilted his head at the mentioning of the man's name. "What about him?" He asked.
"You love 'im, don't ye'?" McGucket asked.
Ford wasn't sure how to respond to the question, he found himself at a loss of words momentarily. "Well-" He began hesitantly, but was cut off before he could hardly begin.
"I guess a lot has changed." Fiddleford said, chuckling slightly. Ford was deeply confused by the small laugh. Was the laugh sincere? Was it sarcastic? Ford wasn't very sure.
"Are you... upset?" Stanford asked, running a hand through his hair.
Fiddleford shook his head. "Naw," He assured with a small smile. "I trust yer' judgement, Stanford. And if you really believe he's had a change in heart, I don't want to get in the way by thinkin' otherwise." He said.
Ford gave a small smile to this and nodded his head. Fiddleford spread his arms out, and the two shared a hug. "Thank you." Ford muttered, glad that the conversation hadn't ended in a bad way. Fiddleford just nodded his head.
"Well," McGucket began when he took a step back. "We should probably get back to the task at hand." He said, looking over at the door.
Ford nodded and stood up. "You're probably right." He said with a nod of his head. With that, the two walked back into the laboratory.
The two walked out of the room and back into the main part of the laboratory, walking over to the small desk in front of the portal window.
Fiddleford looked at the device in Stanford's hand and asked, "What kind of magic can it detect?"
"Well," Ford began with his hands behind his back, "It can detect magic wave signals better than anything, however it can also be used to identify sparks of magic around or inside an object such as telekinesis, force fields, and-" He continued, but stopped speaking when he looked down at the desk, not seeing the amulet where they had left it. He raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Where did the amulet go?" He asked.
Fiddleford shrugged. "Didn't we leave it here?" He asked, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair before placing the hat back atop his head.
"I thought we did..." Ford muttered. "It could have fallen." He said with a shrug, getting down on one knee and checking under the desk. Fiddleford nodded in agreement and looked around the desk, under a few pieces of paper that were scattered around the top of the desk. When McGucket couldn't find the necklace around the desk, he walked over to the larger desk against the wall on his left. He searched around the desk, still left without a sign of the amulet. He hummed in confusion, and looked at the top of the desk. He looked down at a note laying atop the table that hadn't been there before.
"Hey, Stanford?" Fiddleford asked. Ford stood up and turned around to look at the man, tilting his head. Fiddleford looked down at the note once more, and pointed at it. "W-was this... here before?" He asked.
"A likely possibility," Ford said with a shrug as he walked over to the other desk. "Admittedly, I've left a few things laying around quite recently." He said, and looked down at the desk to look at what Fiddleford had been pointing at.
Huh... Ford thought to himself. Fiddleford was right, I don't remember this being here. He took hold of the small note and held it up in front of him, taking a step to the right to see a bit better. He squinted his eyes and read the note that he could tell had been written by Bill. He had to read the note twice to understand why it had been written. There was a look of both worry and sorrow on his face. Fiddleford tilted his head at the look. "What is it?" He asked.
Ford kept the note in his hand, but held it up for Fiddleford to see. McGucket squinted his eyes at the note to read it, and also displayed a small look of worry. Stanford looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "Dammit..!" He muttered, hands in his hair.
"Do ye' know what that's about, and who wrote it?" Fiddleford asked. He had a good idea of who had written it with the "B" At the end, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.
Ford nodded slowly. "It was Bill," He said, looking over at the elevator with a small frown. "He's gone."
Oooh… where will Bill go? Will he be back?
I hope I raised a bit of suspense in this chapter, sometimes I don't usually know if something I write is suspenseful enough. Sometimes I show a friend a bit of a chapter to see if it's the mood I'm trying to set, but she doesn't really know either since she hasn't watched the show very much. So I usually end up rereading my stuff more than once. Anyway, I hope it was okay. New chapter with some answers will be up soon! (Plus new cover art when I get home today.)
