SO sorry for the longer wait on this chapter! I think it's been about two weeks since the last update? Yikes. Well, I just had my last basketball game today, so our season is basically over. However, track sign ups are happening ALREADY since our basketball season started late. Soo... I guess there's not much of a break between the sport activities, but that's fine! :3

Yes, I know the name of this chapter makes this seem boring, but some really bad stuff is about to heat up. On Fiddleford's part, at least.

Okay, okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who absolutely HATES Karen! She just- I just- ARRRRGHH! Did I mention how much I hate Karen? No? Eh, I'll save my ranting. (I'm pretty sure there isn't, but if someone reading this fic happens to be named Karen, no offense! ILY :3)

Just a quick reminder: Joe is the man who kinda looks like Agent Trigger, but with a moustache. Fred is the black haired guy who has a hair style like Tad Strange. (Fred also has a little crush on Joe, even though Fred was fired in earlier chapters. Now, it's just Joe and Mr. Powers.)

The outfit that Fiddleford gets during the makeover in this chapter is based off a pin I saw on Pinterest. I'm assuming it was meant to be a Fiddauthor type pin, hence the drawing of Ford blushing at the end, however that's not the case in this chapter. I know things seem crazy in this fanfic right now, but don't worry! This is still a Billford fanfic. (I have a lot planned for this fic and for the future chapters. And when I say a lot, I mean... a lot.)

Here is chapter 35 of "Welcome Home"!

Stanford, Mabel, and Fiddleford all made their way down to the laboratory, where Mabel ended up jumping atop the spinny-chair before looking up at her uncle. "Grunkle Ford?" She began.

"Yes?" Said uncle answered, looking at the girl.

"Is... something bad happening?" Mabel asked in a worried manner. "I mean, you hardly ever let me or anyone else come down here. Not even Dipper!" She stated.

Ford just shook his head at the concern given. "I... don't believe so." He responded in a hesitant. However, he couldn't promise that to his niece.

"That's... not reassuring." Mabel muttered, looking away. She looked back at Ford and tilted her head. "So, what's the point of coming down to the basement to talk instead of just staying upstairs?" She asked.

"Well…" Ford muttered, looking away in thought. Now that he thought about it, the request of going down to the lab really hadn't been necessary. He looked back at Mabel and shrugged like an idiot. "I'm not exactly sure, now that I think about it..." He admitted in an embarrassed mutter. Oh well, there's not much that can be done about it now.

Ford took out a pen from his lab coat and jotted a few notes down on a note pad. Mabel noticed the action and chuckled in an awkwardly confused manner. "Uh... you're really starting to creep me out here, Grunkle Ford. Will you just tell me what's going on?" She asked, folding her arms and sitting crisscross on the chair.

"Sorry, Sorry." Ford apologized, putting the pen and paper back in his lab coat. "An idea sprung to mind, and my first instinct was to write it down." He said, putting his hands behind his back. "I had a few questions I had been planning on asking you." He finally began, his voice in a serious and firm manner now.

"Razzle-Dazzle!" Mabel exclaimed gleefully with a large smile. "I'm a master of answering questions! Like how many chicken nuggets I can eat without passing out, how much glitter Waddles can intake without sneezing, and how much Dipper sweats when he's around girls!" She said with a wide grin, rather proud of her facts she had gathered in the past.

Ford raised an eyebrow at the strange answers, however he chose not to question. It was Mabel, after all. And she didn't exactly have a reputation as levelheaded. "Well," He began once more, "I'm not sure they relate to those variety of topics, my dear." He said running a hand through his hair. "There's a boy I was told you were familiar with."

"Oh, I'm familiar with tons of boys!" Mabel said, cutting the man off once more. "The list is so long, I don't even know where to begin. Let's see-" She continued, holding a hand out towards her and counting on her fingers just a few of the guys at the top of her head. Luckily, Ford stopped her before she could begin.

"Are you familiar with a boy with the name Gideon?" Stanford asked, putting his hands behind his back once more.

Mabel looked up at Ford and groaned. "Is this about Gideon?" She asked, folding her arms. "Look Grunkle Ford, if Gideon asked you to confess his undying love for me, or... something, tell him that I'm not interested!" She said, rolling her eyes.

Fiddleford and Stanford looked at each other for a moment in complete confusion. Ford just shook his head before speaking. "I can assure you, that's not what this is about." He said with a confirming nod of his head. "It's clear to me that you know the boy, but I was hoping to ask you if you knew a specific item of power he had possessed at one point." He said.

"Item of power?" Mabel asked. "You mean, like, magic?"

Stanford nodded his head at the question. "Yes." He confirmed. "By any chance, did you see Gideon with an amulet of some sort? A teal-ish green color, to be a bit more specific?" He asked, looking hopefully at his niece.

"Uh, yeah." Mabel answered. "He had it back when he went all psycho-crazy on Dipper." She informed.

Fiddleford looked down at the ground in deep thought. "Hol' on a minute..." He muttered, folding his arms and putting his index finger atop his chin. "I think I might be startin' to remember' somethin'." He said, still looking away.

Ford looked over at McGucket and tilted his head. "Can you recall what you're remembering? Is it a subject related to something such as this?" He questioned.

"I...I think so..." Fiddleford said, squinting his eyes down at the ground and putting a hand on his forehead. "There was this one night, yall' two kids were on a boat on the lake."

"Dipper and Mabel?" Ford questioned.

Fiddleford shook his head at the question. "Naw, Mabel and Gideon." He corrected. He looked up at Mabel for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, wasn't that the day the two of ye' had yer' date?" He questioned.

"Oh, I wouldn't call it a date." Mabel said, chuckling in an awkwardly disturbed manner. "But... yeah, why?"

"I'm a'thinkin' I was there for part of it." Fiddleford said, narrowing his eyes.

"Hold on," Mabel said, getting off the spinny-chair and extending out an arm. "I thought the only memories you lost were because of the memory gun." She observed, folding her arms.

Fiddleford just laughed and shook his head. "That's different, lassie." He said with another chuckle, "This is jus' some plain ol' man memory loss." He said.

"Mabel," Stanford began once more, getting down on one knee and placing a hand on his niece's shoulder. "Is there anything you can tell us to assist in our investigations? Anything at all?" He asked in a calm manner.

"Investigations?" Mabel asked with a wide-eyed smile. "Ooh, like a mystery? I want to go on a mystery adventure, or, whatever it is that's happening!" She said, clapping her hands together. "We should make a deal! I'll tell you whatever you need to know, and I get to help out!" She said, a clear showing of eagerness in her voice.

Ford just chuckled and looked over at McGucket. Fiddleford just shrugged, and Ford looked back at Mabel. "I'm sure that's somewhat feasible." He said with a nod of his head.

"Yay!" Mabel said with a smile. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" She thanked, ruffling the hair on his head before speaking once more, "Okay, so this is about that amulet thing?" She asked.

"Yes." Ford said, "Do you know anything about it?"

"Hmm, let's see," Mabel said, folding her arms and putting a finger on her chin. "It had some sort of floaty-people magic." She began.

Fiddleford tilted his head and put his hands in his brown overall pockets. "Do ye' mean Telekinesis?" He questioned.

Mabel just nodded. "Yeah, that thing." She said with a chuckle. "Telefleasis. He went all crazy on Dipper after he tried to tell Gideon that I wasn't interested in him and all." She said. "That's all I know, I think."

Ford just sighed, standing up. That's all Bill knew, as well. I suppose this information didn't bring us much assistance. Stanford looked back down at Mabel and put his hands behind this back. "Are you still in contact with this boy?" He asked.

"I mean, kinda." Mabel said with a shrug. "I could talk to Gideon now that I'm back here in Gravity Falls-" She said, but was cut off when Fiddleford exclaimed at the top of his lungs, throwing his fists into the air and grinning from ear to ear as he shouted,

"ROAD TRIP!"

Ford and Mabel looked at each other both with a mix of confusion and annoyance in their eyes, then looked over at Fiddleford. Ford cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back hesitantly. "Fiddleford, I'm not so sure about the idea-"

"Road trip!" Mabel eagerly encouraged, now throwing her hands into the air and laughing with a smile.

Stanford just sighed, face palming. "Oh, dear..." He muttered.

Mabel and Fiddleford looked at each other with smiles and nodded at each other, chanting, "Road trip! Road trip! Road trip! Road-"

"Alright!" Ford suddenly exclaimed, putting one hand out in front of him and pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "I suppose, since Mabel is clearly okay with it, we could pay the boy a visit." He said, adjusting his glasses. "But first," He continued. "I would like to have a chat with Dipper. I would feel awful for leaving for this without speaking with him for a bit." He said.

"Yeah," Mabel agreed, nodding slowly. "Dip-dop did have his journal he wanted to show you." She admitted as the three walked towards the elevator. She looked at McGucket when the elevator door closed and she gasped. "I have an idea!" She exclaimed with a grin.

Fiddleford noticed the look on the girls face and raised an eyebrow. "An idea? W-what kinda' idea?" He asked, rather nervous judging by the look the girl was giving.

"A makeover!" Mabel exclaimed with a wide grin.

"S-say wha'?" Fiddleford questioned, folding his arms nervously.

"Yeah!" Mabel said with a smile. "While Grunkle Ford goes to talk to Dipper, I could give you a superior, exemplary makeover!"

The elevator door opened once more, and Mabel stepped out of the elevator, standing on the first stair step and putting her hands up in front of her face, closing one eye and looking carefully at McGucket. "I think...yes! I have the perfect idea!" She said with a wide grin.

Fiddleford put a finger up to protest, but before he could say anything, Mabel was bolting up the stairs. Fiddleford just sighed, shaking his head slowly.

Ford just chuckled and looked at McGucket. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be so bad," He assured. "She insisted on giving me a makeover once, I'm sure it will only consist of bracelets and a bit of nail polish."

"Are ye' sure?" Fiddleford asked. Ford gave a short nod, however he couldn't be 100% sure with how and what his niece would do for the man. McGucket just hummed in a low tone, squinting his eyes. "That's not very reassurin'..." He muttered. However, McGucket decided to trust the girl, he knew that Mabel wouldn't do anything to hurt him, after all.

Before Fiddleford knew it, he was up in the twin's bedroom, sitting criss-cross on the floor as Mabel wrote with a crayon on a piece of paper. "Hmm..." She muttered. "I'll need to get some supplies, just wait a sec." She said, walking over towards her closet and digging through a random cardboard box. She took out a pair of large scissors, along with an electric razor.

Oh golly... Fiddleford fearfully thought to himself.


Meanwhile, as Mabel was in the process of giving Fiddleford a makeover, Joe and Mr. Powers were watching the cameras that they had instructed Fiddleford to place around the Mystery Shack.

"Sir," Joe began, looking at his boss. Mr. Powers gave a small grunt as he watched the cameras, which told Joe that he could speak. "You've been looking at those cameras for hours. Might I suggest a break?" He said with a shrug.

Mr. Powers just shook his head. "You and I both know that we need as much information as possible from the Pines family in order for this plan to succeed. With the children back in the shack, we may have a chance of getting some crucial information on this case." He stated, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair as he put his ankles atop his desk. Mr. Powers looked to his left to look out the large glass windows.

Joe just hummed, scratching his moustache. "How's your daughter?" He asked, changing the subject.

"She seems to be doing just fine." Mr. Powers said. He then shot a glare at Joe, "Why are you asking? If you even attempt to get with my daughter, I'll show you the door and have your ass fired from this case, leaving you with nothing to defend yourself with!" He threatened, keeping his glare firm. "And besides, she has a boyfriend now, however I've never seen or met him." He added, muttering the last bit and looking away.

Joe shook his head frantically, putting his hands up in front of him in defense and gave a fearful chuckle. "Oh, d-don't worry, sir. I have no intention of busting a move on your daughter whatsoever." He reassured.

Mr. Powers just grunted and gave a bitter chuckle. "Good. She's out of your league, anyway." He said with a smirk. Joe narrowed his eyes at the cold comment, but didn't dare to speak his mind about it. Instead, he just folded his arms and looked out the window.

"Now," Mr. Powers continued, "Where's Fred?" He asked, looking over at Joe.

Joe looked over at his boss and spoke hesitantly. "You, uh... you fired him, sir." He responded.

"When?" Powers quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

Joe hummed slightly at the question before responding. "You... ranted to me soon after about how he had nearly cost us this entire investigation." He reminded.

"How?" Powers asked, squinting his eyes in confusion.

"When he lost track of the cube on the tracking device. And when his attempt to get answers from Stan Pines was a poor one." Joe continued to remind.

"Has Fred been in contact with the Pines since then?" Powers asked.

Joe just shrugged at the question. "I'm not sure, sir." He admitted in more of a mutter.

Mr. Powers just scoffed. "Go find Fred. Talk to him." He commanded. "While you're off doing that, I-" He continued, but stopped when one of the cameras that Fiddleford had placed had been taken out. The screen was all staticky, which only confused Mr. Powers more. He tried to sense some audio from the microphone that was coming from Fiddleford's jumpsuit, however he could hear nothing more than a muffled static.

Powers glared in distaste. I see Fiddleford has chosen to disobey my orders. He thought to himself. Before his anger could be noticed, he turned to look at Joe, giving a blank look. "As I was saying, while you're off finding Fred, I will confront Fiddleford McGucket myself." He stated with a firm tone of voice.

"What should I tell Fred, sir?" Joe asked, grabbing his clipboard that was laying on a desk and grabbing hold of it as he took a pen in hand. He found that taking notes on what his boss said always helped. Without it, he would have been fired a long time ago.

"Ask him if he's spoken with the Pines, you idiot!" Mr. Powers stated, rolling his eyes and growling.

Joe nodded a bit more frantic than necessary, and was quick to jot down the instructions given on paper. "Yes, sir." Joe said with a nod of his head. "Is that it?" He asked.

"Actually," Mr. Powers began with a hum. "Tell him to stop by some time. I can't see him hesitating long with orders given by you." He said.

Joe tilted his head at the statement. "What are you saying?" He asked, rather confused.

Mr. Powers just chuckled, shaking his head. "Some things are for you to find out yourself." He said with a smirk. "Maybe with Fred's information, we can push further on our target's blackmail."


"Aaaand...we're...done!" Mabel said with a wide smile, throwing her hands up in the air and setting the hair brush down.

Fiddleford felt the top of his hair and smiled in approval at the fluffiness. "Wow, ye' really outdid yerself, Mabel!" He said, standing up from off the round carpet and looking down at his outfit. He was now wearing an olive green sweater vest, with a long sleeved light yellow button up underneath, along with a purple tie underneath the sweater vest. Fiddleford also wore brown dress pants, along with a black vest.

Throughout the process, Fiddleford had forgotten all about his old outfit. He had taken his hat with the camera off. He had replaced his jumpsuit with the microphone with his new outfit. Worst of all, he had forgotten all about it.

"And now to show Grunkle Ford!" Mabel said, putting her hands on her hips and smiling.

"Stanford..?" Fiddleford repeated, adjusting his glasses. "I'm not so sure about that, Mabel." He muttered.

"Aw, come on!" Mabel encouraged. "I'm sure he'll love it!"

"Are ye' sure?" McGucket questioned hesitantly. Mabel just nodded in confirmation. Fidds sighed, but nodded his head. "Alright..." He muttered, still not so sure how the man would react.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Ford were in the living room, sitting on the couch chair and talking about anomalies and Dipper's personal journal.

"I must say, that is some outstanding work on anomalies you have written in your journal, Dipper!" Stanford praised with a smile. "I'm truly impressed."

After hearing the compliments, all Dipper could do was grin like an idiot. "Uh... thanks!" He managed to say. He opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he heard Mabel yelling from upstairs.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel exclaimed, rushing down the stairs as she held onto McGucket's wrist. "He's done!" She said with a smile, peeking through the doorframe to the living room.

Stanford looked at the girl and tilted his head. "Is he now?" He asked, adjusting his glasses and standing up. Dipper watched his uncle head walk away and sighed, folding her arms. How come Mabel's getting all of his attention recently?

"Ready?" Mabel asked, looking at Fiddleford who was still hidden behind the other side of the wall. McGucket nodded, and Mabel threw her arms up in the air as the man walked into eyesight. Fiddleford chuckled awkwardly and adjusted his glasses, giving a small wave to the man in front of him.

Ford's mouth hung open slightly, and he found himself at a loss of words. Mabel was just about to break the silence by throwing some glitter she kept in her sweater sleeve between the two, however Fiddleford broke the silence first. "Erm… Hi, Ford." He said, adjusting his glasses and running a hand through his hair awkwardly.

"H...hi." Ford responded, still speechless.

As if on cue, Dipper walked over to the group and looked at Fiddleford. He smiled in approval and put his hands in his coat pockets. "Woah, you look great, McGucket!" He complimented.

Mabel nodded in agreement. "My work never fails! Except for that one time when I tried to give Grunkle Stan a makeover for his around-the-house attire. He didn't really seem to understand the fashion industry. Talk about clothes minded!" She said with a snicker.

"What was that about me?" Stan asked, suddenly appearing behind the girl after his trip to the kitchen. Mabel turned around to look at her uncle, however Stan seemed to notice Fiddleford before any explanation was given. "Woah, what happened to that guy?" He asked, nodding his head over at Fiddleford.

"I gave him a makeover!" Mabel exclaimed with a grin, throwing her hands into the air.

"Huh," Stan said, folding his arms and tilting his head to show his approval. "He don't look half bad." He admitted with a smirk.

"Yeah, you won't need your old outfit anymore!" Mabel said with a smile. "Good thing you like the new outfit, I kinda already threw your old one out." She said with an awkward chuckle, squinting her eyes and looking away.

Fiddleford just tilted his head. "Er… Come again?" He asked, confused. Threw out? What does she mean by-

That's when Fiddleford realized; He had completely disobeyed the orders Mr. Powers had given him. Aw, fiddlesticks... I'll nev'r hear the end of this if I don't get that outfit back. Fiddleford looked over at Mabel and adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Erm… Mabel, where exactly did you put the clothes?" He questioned, putting his hands behind his back. He found that doing so helped him to stand up straight rather than slouching.

"Outside." Mabel answered.

"Wha- When?" Fiddleford questioned, his eyes widened in surprise at how Mabel could have possibly taken them outside when she had been with him the entire time during the makeover, save the bit where he had left the room to change into his outfit. But even then, how would the girl have possibly gotten hold of the garments?

Dipper just folded his arms, looking over at McGucket. "I wouldn't question her, man." He advised with a shrug.

"Grunkle Ford, can we go to Gideon's now?" Mabel asked with an innocent smile.

Stanley put his hands on his hips. "Say what now? Kid, you've been here for, what, an hour?" He stated, rolling his eyes. "And plus, why are you going to Gideon?"

Ford adjusted his glasses and looked at his brother. "It's a rather important matter, Stanley." He tried.

Stan just grunted. "So, ain't no one gonna tell me what's goin' on?" He asked.

Ford cringed at his brother's terrible grammar, however proceeded. "There will be time for explanations later." He stated.

"Road trip!" Mabel exclaimed, throwing her fists into the air.

Fiddleford, however, was rather hesitant to agree. Should he risk leaving the Mystery Shack after he had disobeyed the orders given? What if Mr. Powers found him and punished him? After taking his hat off last time, McGucket knew he wouldn't be let off the hook easily this time. However, staying at the shack with Stan and Dipper didn't seem too reassuring, either. He knew that Stan wouldn't really care if he were to be found or escorted away from the shack; his best bet would be to go with Ford. Surely Stanford would ensure his safety.

McGucket sighed before nodding his head in agreement with a smile. "Yea', road trip!" He chimed in. With that, the three left the house to head to Gideon's home.

Stan looked over at Dipper and leaned against the doorframe. "How come your sister's so eager to see that idiot?" He asked.

Dipper just shrugged. "She didn't tell me." He admitted.


Meanwhile, Bill was plucking the strings on the instrument he had recently shown some interest in. Karen had encouraged him to continue trying out the instrument, which, to Bill's own surprise, he was completely unopposed to.

Oh yeah, Bill's life was going great. Much more knowledge of the amulet capabilities had been brought to his attention, as well as some information about the things around him. He had his whole plan of revenge planned out; for the most part, that is. He had just recently obtained an official relationship with his girlfriend who loved and cared about him to the point where she had actually brought up having children later in life. Bill was hesitant when Karen had mentioned having kids. He had only been human for, what, six months now? Bill wasn't sure he would be ready for something like that. And regardless, he had never shown an interest in that type of plan, even before becoming a human.

As much as Bill tried to push a specific thought away from his mind, it just seemed to keep coming back to him. He couldn't avoid thinking...

What would Stanford say?

How would the man react? Would he be upset, glum, or would he be... happy? Maybe if-

"Hey," Karen said, suddenly walking into the living room. Bill jumped at the sudden presence of the woman, his entire train of thought disturbed.

Regardless of the sudden appearance, he just waved. "Hey." He responded back.

"Do you know why the blender's been acting up?" Karen questioned as she brushed her hair. "It's been acting weird lately."

Bill knew the reason why the blender wasn't working well; I guess putting rocks inside a blender wasn't a normal activity. Instead of explaining his excuse of a reason for putting the blender on full speed with large rocks inside, he just shook his head. "No." He lied.

Karen just hummed in confusion. "It was working a few days ago..." She muttered.

"Maybe it was your dad." Bill said with a shrug.

Karen shook her head at the thought. "No, he hasn't been here for a visit in a while. I'm trying to get him to stop by, but he's been really busy with work stuff recently. Something about 'needing as much information as possible' or, whatever." She said with a shrug. "I bet it's not even that important." She added in more of a mutter.


When Stanford, McGucket, and Mabel arrived at the tent of telepathy, they found a place to park. The tent was a short enough drive from the shack that the three could have walked, however no one was quite sure how far of a distance it would be. It had been quite a while since Mabel had been to the tent of telepathy back in the summer, after all.

The three walked past the tent, over to the front door of his home. Fiddleford noticed the hesitant look on the girl's face, and offered to knock on the door for her. Mabel declined the kind offer and stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. They waited for a moment, and heard footsteps from inside the house making their way towards the door. The wait didn't take long until, suddenly, the boy they were intending to speak with opened the door.

The boy still had the same hair style as he had back in the summer, and he seemed to prefer the attire he had worn the majority of the summer, since he was wearing his light-blue suit.

Gideon looked at Mabel, not even realizing nor acknowledging the presence of Ford and McGucket. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and he tilted his head in complete confusion. "M-Mabel? What're ye' doin' in town?" He asked, completely forgetting to say 'hello'.

"Oh, just visiting for a couple weeks. Our school ended up getting this really bad lice problem, so they shut it down for a bit. Me and Dipper were just going to stay at Mom and Dad's, but then they made plans to go to Vegas." She said with a shrug.

"Dipper and I." Stanford corrected, holding up a finger before putting his hands behind his back.

"Vegas?" Fiddleford chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "Why would yer' parents go to ter' Vegas on such short notice?" He questioned, adjusting his glasses.

It was at this moment that the two who had come along with Mabel had finally been noticed by Gideon. He looked at Ford; he looked oddly familiar to Gideon, and had an appearance similar to Stan's. Gideon was quick to remember him, recognizing him as the smart science guy who had nearly saved the town from the events of Weirdmageddon.

Gideon then looked over at Fiddleford, not recognizing him at first. The makeover had made him hard to recognize; the white beard that had been cut to a short length that didn't go past his shoulders, and the entire outfit in general. It took a moment, but Gideon remembered him, noticing how he looked much more sane and put together than he had back in the summer.

Gideon just gave a smile to the men standing behind Mabel. "Well howdy, fellers!" He greeted. Ford gave a small, awkward wave as Fiddleford reached up to his head in the action of tipping his hat, only to remember that it was gone. He just ran a hand through his hair as to not make the movement look as if it were for no reason and greeted the boy.

"Is there a certain reason yall're here?" Gideon asked. He looked at Mabel and narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Or are ye' just here to see me?" He asked with a few seductive raises of his eyebrows.

Mabel just scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm still not interested, Gideon." She stated, folding her arms and looking away.

Ford noticed the short silence and cleared his throat. "...Well, to answer your questions," He began hesitantly. "...Yes and yes."

Fiddleford noticed the hesitance in the man's voice, however he knew that Stanford was never the best at socializing. However, it seemed as if he were trying to stay on the young boy's good side, rather than having the chance of receiving answers blown.

Gideon raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do ye' mean?" He asked.

"We came here in hopes of you answering a few questions for us-" Ford informed, adjusting his glasses.

All of a sudden, the group heard Gideon's father trying to address him, "Gideon, would you be so kind to help with-"

"Gimmie' a minute, dad!" Gideon exclaimed, clenching his fists and turning around to look at his father who was hardly visible from across the house. Bud did as told and was quick to leave towards another room. Gideon cleared his throat and smiled once more, looking at the group innocently.

Ford ran a hand through his hair and looked at the boy. "I hope we're not interrupting anything." He said.

Gideon just chuckled with a smile. "Of course not!" He assured, taking a step back and extending his arm beside him. "Come in, come in!"

The group walked into the house at the beckoning. The living room wasn't huge, however it wasn't small either. It was a nice, comforting size with rather welcoming furniture. Ford noticed a painting of a sad clown on the wall. It was different from the other pieces in the living room, weird even. At the thought of those flaws, he had quite a liking to the piece of artwork.

"Please," Gideon began, pointing to the couch. "Sit down, make yourselves comfortable, fellers!" He said with a smile, walking over to a comfortable chair across from the couch. He crossed one leg over the other and clasped his hands together on his lap, looking at the three. "Anyone want some tea?" He asked.

Mabel and Stanford politely denied the kind offer, however McGucket nodded with a gratified smile. "Yes please!" He said with a grin.

Gideon just nodded and turned around to look at the kitchen, yelling, "Make some tea, dad!" He commanded with a glare. There was a sound of clattering in the kitchen for a moment. The group cringed for a moment at the cold order. Mabel just tilted her head with a skeptical look on her face. I can see that he's trying to make an effort to be good, but he's still gonna need some help on the whole father-son thing.

Gideon cleared his throat and turned back around to look at the group with a smile appearant on his face once more. "Now, what kind of questions were ya' hoping to ask me?" He questioned.

Mabel and Fiddleford both turned to look at Ford, the scientist noticing that all eyes were suddenly on him. A wave of nervousness passed by him, however he cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "I hear you are familiar with a specific magic amulet, if I am not mistaken." He began in a firm and confident manner.

Gideon nodded at the remark as a look of annoyance appeared on his face. "I used to have one, until your dimwitted, moron of a brother smashed it!" He exclaimed, pointing at Mabel with his other fist clenched and glaring. There was a moment of silence in the room, and Gideon chuckled awkwardly, leaning back in his chair. "Er... probably for the better'a things. The magic capabilities that amulet had kinda got to my head." He admitted in more of a mutter.

"Hey, Dipper didn't smash the amulet!" Mabel said in her brothers defense, folding her arms. "I did! You went all psycho on him when you-" She began to rant, however Ford put a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking. He didn't want to risk having Mabel make Gideon irritated and enraged to the point where he wouldn't assist with the questions they were hoping to get answers to.

"So you have had possession of this amulet before?" Ford asked. Gideon nodded at the question, however he was rather confused on why the man wanted to know.

Ford adjusted his glasses and looked at the boy. "What exactly was it used for? What was it's use, it's purpose?" He questioned, taking a pen and paper out of his lab coat to take notes.

Gideon noticed the gesture and had a small feeling of unease. "Uh..." He began, "It was used for tricks and all at the Tent of Telepathy. It's purpose, well, I-I'm not exactly sure about that one." Gideon admitted, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands and looking away.

Ford nodded in an understanding manner and wrote down a quick note on his notepad before looking back at the boy. "And where did you get the amulet? How did you obtain it?" He questioned further.

Gideon bit his lip, and looked at the man, a look of unease very apparent on his face. "W-what's it to you?" He asked, folding his arms.

Stanford wasn't exactly sure how to respond to a question such as that. Surely the boy wouldn't understand. He just shrugged in an awkward manner. "Research is very important to me in my book." He said. This was true- which is why the half-lie sounded much more convincing when he said it.

Gideon narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Book... book..," He pondered, looking at the man with his eyes still narrowed. "Yer' the author of those journals!" Gideon observed, pointing at the man. "Don't ye' already know all these facts?" He asked in a very suspicious manner.

Fiddleford looked at Ford and raised an eyebrow "Wha-?" He began, but was cut off by the young boy.

"You were the one who wrote all those facts about the amulet in the first place!" Gideon stated, folding his arms once more.

Mabel was just as confused as the others, if not more confused. She turned to look at her uncle and raised an eyebrow. "Grunkle Ford, what's he talking about?" She asked.

At first, Ford had no clue what the boy had been talking about when he had said that he had researched the object. It took him a few moments before realizing...

This had been the same amulet he had researched about in the past. After his close research of the object, he had written his facts in Journal 2, eventually hiding it near the elementary school. Ford wanted to kick himself for not realizing this simple observation earlier. For the past couple weeks, he had been wondering, pondering the thought of what power this amulet could possibly possess besides the information that had been given to him by others beforehand. When Fiddleford had first shown him the amulet that he had found shattered and had rebuilt, Ford knew that the accessory looked familiar. Somehow.

Ford rolled his eyes, remembering that Bill had burnt the journals. He looked back at the group and put a finger up. "Well," He began, however was stopped when an familiar face to Ford appeared in the living room.

"Here's your tea, precious!" Bud said with a smile, handing the tea over to his son. Gideon pointed at Fiddleford, motioning that it was for him. Bud nodded and handed the teacup and saucer to Fiddleford instead. The older man thanked him and Bud excused himself from the room before he could be seen as a disturbance to his son or the group.

Ford cleared his throat hesitantly, "Well, as I was-" He began, but stopped frantically when Fiddleford jerked forward, nearly spitting out the tea that he had attempted to drink too quickly. He squealed frantically and squinted his eyes shut as the tea continued to burn his mouth, along with his tongue. Luckily for him, he managed to swallow the tea rather than spitting it out and making a mess.

Fiddleford opened his eyes slowly, one of the bottoms of his eyelids twitching slightly. He could feel the intense heat in the inside of his mouth, along with the burnt tongue. Mabel too looked at Fiddleford and raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you okay there, doofus?" She asked.

Fiddleford nodded slowly, however he sure didn't feel okay. "Y-ye'." He lied with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry 'bout that." He apologized, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Do you need some honey?" Gideon offered. "It helps with burnt tongues." He said. "There's a water fountain outside." He added, pointing towards the door.

Fiddleford denied the kind offers, however Gideon insisted that he got some help with the situation. He knew that the boy was only trying to help, so McGucket went along with it and went outside for a moment. When Fiddleford had gone outside and shut the door behind him, Gideon looked back at Stanford. "So, what were ye' sayin?" He asked.

McGucket stood on the porch and looked around the lawn in front of him. To the right was a stone water fountain with fresh, flowing water. He sighed in relief at the sight, and took a few steps forward. However, before he made his way to go down the porch stairs, a man in a black suit appeared in front of him suddenly as if he had fallen from the sky.

"Gah!" Fiddleford exclaimed in alarm, stumbling backwards. He looked up at the man standing in front of him with his mouth open wide in fear. "W-what're ye' doin' here?" He questioned.

"Don't play dumb with me, hillbilly." The man said, folding his arms. "You disobeyed the strict yet simple orders I gave you." He stated.

"I-I din' mean no harm," Fiddleford tried, "I-I-"

"Oh, save the sauce." The agent commanded. "You're coming with me." He stated in a bitter manner.

Fiddleford shook his head frantically. "N-No, please don't make me g-go back, s-sir..." He begged.

"Give me one good reason." The man said, putting his hands on his hips. "I'll wait."

"I-I, um.." Fiddleford tried, however he had no good reasons. Nothing to help him. No way out of this.

"I'm not very sorry to say," The agent continued. "You must be taken to the station today. I have plans of visiting my daughter tomorrow after her constant begging. I'm skeptical, being that she has obtained a boyfriend within a time period of only two weeks." He added, muttering the last bit and looking away.

There was a short silence. Fiddleford knew that Mr. Powers has a daughter. He also recalled seeing a girl similar to the one in the photo on the agents desk when he had gone to the magic festival. He recalled Bill being with a girl that looked like the girl in the photograph... but why?

That's when he realized...

No, Fiddleford thought to himself. That's ridiculous. There's no way his daughter is a'with Bill.

Powers facial expression turned back to a glare as he looked down at the man who was still sitting down. He drew out a black pistol, pointing it at Fiddleford. "One more time, old man," Mr. Powers warned. "Come. with. m-" He began, until he heard a sound coming from inside the house. The agent stopped speaking and narrowed his eyes at the sound of footsteps walking over to the front door.

If Mr. Powers were to take McGucket now, he would be caught by whomever was walking towards the door. Mr. Powers narrowed his eyes at the man he was about to spare as he put his gun back. "I will be back." He threatened. "You're not safe Do not attempt to feel safe. Do you understand me?" He asked.

Fiddleford looked up at the man and gave a frantic nod. With that, Mr. Powers quickly left, jumping into a bush and departing from the house with stealth.

McGucket quickly stood up on the porch and turned around to see who was coming outside. Ford walked out of the house and looked at him, adjusting his glasses. "Are you okay, Fiddleford?" He asked.

Fiddleford could only nod. What was he supposed to say? If he were to say anything otherwise, the agent would only blackmail and punish him further. Punishments aside, Mr. Powers could still be near. Watching. Listening.

Waiting.

"H-How did the discussion go?" Fiddleford asked, adjusting his glasses.

"We worked out the confusion," Ford confirmed with a reassuring smile. His smile then faded slightly, as he looked away, talking in a lower tone so that the others in the house wouldn't overhear. "I believe coming here was a bit unnecessary." He admitted.

"T-That's n-not... true," Fiddleford stuttered, putting a hand on Ford's shoulder. "Ye' found out t-that the amulet Cipher got w-was the same one ye' researched back in t-the day." He said. "A-At least now you know what we're dealing with." He said, returning the previous smile before taking his hand away from the man's shoulder.

Stanford just nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's true." He said with a nod of his head. He looked back at Fiddleford with a look of concern. "Fiddleford, are you certain that you're okay? You seem to be stuttering quite a lot." He observed.

Fiddleford's eyes widened, and he chuckled in fear, his top eyelids rising as he looked away. "Y-Ye', I-I'm fine." He lied. "My, erm… m-my tongue is just buggin' me a tad bit." He lied, running a hand through his hair in an awkward manner.

Stanford hummed in minor suspicion, however he knew the feeling of a burnt tongue. It's certainly not fun to deal with.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel suddenly exclaimed, walking over to the door and tugging Ford's sweater to get his attention.

Ford looked down at his niece with a smile. "Yes, my dear?"

"Can we leave?" Mabel asked in a hopeful manner. "Gideon's starting to talk about a fresh start..." She said, going from a mutter to a whisper when she said, "You know what that means? A date!" She informed with a frown. She groaned and shivered at the thought of her dates with Gideon back in the summer.

"I suppose so," Ford answered with a shrug. "Just be sure to say goodbye to the boy as to not be rude."

Mabel nodded at the simple request and did as told. Moments later, the group headed out the door towards their car that had been parked by the Tent of Telepathy. By the feeling of the cool air and the faint colors of pink in the sky, the sun would begin to set soon. Ford always did like watching the lovely Sun set Oregon had to offer. Some days there would be only faint color in the sky other than shades of blue, but even then the outstanding fresh air would be enough to satisfy a person. The scenery in Gravity Falls, and around Oregon, always assisted in calming him from whatever stress had built up throughout the day. Ford wasn't the only author who could understand that.


"Grunkle Ford, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper called, holding his journal in hand as he ran towards his uncle as he walked through the front door. "I saw something weird in the forest!" He informed with a grin.

"Really?" Ford questioned as he shut the front door to the house. He looked down at Dipper and raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?" He asked.

Dipper shrugged slowly, looking away. "Well, I'm not exactly sure..," He admitted in a mutter. He was quick to smile once again and look up at Ford. "Can we go check it out?" He asked in a hopeful manner.

Mabel just groaned. "The forest, Dipper?" She asked. Dipper nodded, which only annoyed Mabel further. "Can't you go 24 hours without getting involved in some sort of mysterious situation?"

Dipper shook his head with a wide grin plastered along his face. "Nope!" He answered.

Mabel just shrugged, and looked over at Fiddleford, who looked rather worried as he fidgeted with his hands. She tilted her head at the strange behavior. "You okay there, ol' McDonald?"

Fiddleford looked at the girl and was quick to nod with a smile that he was hoping looked reassuring. "Y-ye', I'm all good!" He said with a chuckle, looking away.

Mabel squinted her eyes at the behavior. "O...kay?"

"So can we go?" Dipper asked Ford, looking hopeful.

Stan came out of the living room with a bag of chips and rolled his eyes with a grunt. "Aw, c'mon kid, he just got back from his little secret meeting with a child. I don't think he's gonna-"

"I suppose so." Ford answered with a shrug. Dipper exclaimed in glee, and Stan looked at his brother with his mouth hung open.

"You sure about this, Pointdexter?" Stanley asked. "Ya' don't wanna overwork yourself."

"Oh, I'm just fine." Ford assured with a smile. "It would be foolish to deny a chance to discover something weird." He stated.

Mabel looked at Stan and smiled bright, "Ooh, Grunkle Stan!" She called with a large smile. "Can we make Picklocko art with chewed gum?" she asked with a smile.

Stan hummed in consideration for a moment, and shrugged. "I don't see why not." He answered. Mabel was quick to run off to get the supplies; Chewing gum, a canvas, a picture frame, a steam iron, and other objects that the average person would find strange.

With Stan and Mabel gone, that left Stanford, Fiddleford, and Dipper by the front door. Dipper looked at Fiddleford. "Are you coming with, McGucket?" He asked.

Fiddleford was hesitant. He looked at Dipper, then at Ford, then back at Dipper. The forest... anything could happen in the forest... He thought to himself. What if Mr. Powers finds me again? Fiddleford was afraid of leaving the house again- especially after the encounter he had recently had with the agent. Could he honestly risk it? Again? He had been hesitant the first time, and was foolish enough to go along with, away from the Mystery Shack. With Stanford off with his attention on the weirdness his nephew had spoken about, McGucket feared he could be dragged away without the others noticing.

"Fiddleford?" Ford said suddenly, causing said man to flinch slightly.

"O-oh, sorry," Fiddleford said, scratching his back awkwardly with a chuckle. "I-I'll go." He announced, instantly regretting his decision. "But," He added, holding up a finger, "What if I get captured?" He asked in a hesitant manner. The worry couldn't seem to leave him alone.

Ford just raised an eyebrow. "Why on Earth would you be captured?" He questioned.

Fiddleford's eyes widened at the way he had asked his question, and was quick to restate it. "B-By the... the monster!" He said in a louder tone.

"That won't happen." Ford assured with a small smile. "I'll make sure of it." He said, grabbing hold of the doorknob to the front door and opening it, Dipper quickly getting out of the shack with a wide grin, with Fiddleford hesitantly following behind.

The three looked around at the trees as they walked towards the forest. Even though Dipper wasn't exactly sure where the mysterious thing had gone, Ford allowed him to take the lead on the adventure.

"I hope it's a monster," Dipper said as he grabbed a broken tree branch off the ground. "As long as it's not too dangerous." He said, waving the stick around as if it were to be a defensive weapon.

"That stick you are holding in your hand happens to be poison oak, Dipper." Ford figuratively pointed out with his hands behind his back. Dipper exclaimed in fear and threw the stick far away from him, the wood landing in a small bush nearby.

A sudden noise came from a few larger trees in the distance. Dipper gasped, however the smile was still apparent on his face. "Great uncle Ford, can we go check that out?" He asked.

Ford nodded. "Lead the way." He encouraged before looking over at Fiddleford, who had tripped over a rock and was now laying on the ground. Ford knelt down to check on the man and looked over at Dipper. "You go ahead, we'll be right behind you." He assured, waving his hand. Dipper nodded and walked towards the part of the forest where he had heard noise.

"Are you okay, Fiddleford?" Ford questioned, looking at the man who was squinting his eyes at the sunlight shining onto his eyes. He groaned at the blinding light and nodded, sitting up. Stanford stood up and held an arm out, which Fiddleford grabbed hold of, pulling himself off the ground.

"Y-yeah, I'm... fine." McGucket lied, nervously adjusting his glasses and looking away.

Ford wasn't convinced. He was a terrible bluffer, and he had used that excuse many times in the past, the short stutter unintentionally included. Stanford put his hands in his lab coat pockets and tilted his head. "...Are you sure?"

McGucket ran a hand through his hair. He shouldn't say anything about what was going on. He couldn't. There was no way that he could explain what was happening, especially with the possible eyes watching him. He then remembered that they were in the forest, and it was very easy to get lost in a place like that. With a sigh, he looked up at Ford with a firm glance, grabbing the man's shoulders and swiftly pinning him against a tree.

Ford's eyes widened, not sure what to expect next. "Fiddleford, what are you doing-?" He questioned, but was cut off by the other man.

"Listen. Just... listen." McGucket hoped, looking at the scientist. Ford was confused by the strange action, this wasn't like Fidds at all, so what was bothering him? He had picked up on the man's nervousness, however he wasn't sure what had been causing it. Fiddleford shut his eyes and sighed once more before muttering, "I'm being blackmailed."

"Blackmailed?" Ford asked aloud, unaware of he fact that Fiddleford was intending to keep their voices down. Fidds frantically placed a hand over the scientist's mouth.

"N-Now I'm only gonn' say this once," Fiddleford warned, looking at Stanford, "I don't wanna risk... him hearing." He muttered, looking away.

Ford grabbed McGucket's wrists and took his hands away from his shoulder, as well as his mouth. "...Him?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow, minding his volume.

Fiddleford just nodded before continuing to speak. "I'm gonna speak frankly, here," He continued to mutter. Ford nodded, ready to listen to what the man had to say. "I'm bein' blackmailed. Manipulated. There are small cameras and microphones that'a been hidden around the shack, as well as yer' car." He said.

Ford's mouth opened slightly at the information. "..Why?" He asked. "What's the reason to all of this? And who is doing this to you?" He continued to question.

"Mr. Powers." Fiddleford blurted out. His eyes widened immediately and he covered his own mouth with both his hands. Oh dear, I probably shouldnt'a said that... McGucket sighed and looked away with a look of regret on his face. "I-I'm just... I'm scared, Stanford. I'm not gonna lie ta' ye no more. I'm sorry fer' not tellin' ye' earlier, I just, he, Mr. Powers, I, When he-" McGucket continued to ramble.

Ford sighed, noticing the sudden rambling from the other man. He put a hand on McGucket's shoulder and gave him a firm look. "It's going to be okay." He assured.

"H-How can ye' be so sure?" Fiddleford asked. "He-He's out there, lookin' fer me." He stated. "I don't feel safe anywhere anymore." He admitted, looking down at his feet.

"You can stay at the shack." Ford offered, "Until all of this comes to an end, you can stay at the shack. I'll make sure you stay safe." He said.

"A-Are ye' sure?" Fiddleford asked hesitantly. "I don't wanna' be a bother..."

"You won't be." Stanford assured. "Besides, I would much prefer you staying at the shack rather than encountering Mr. Powers again." He added, adjusting his glasses before putting his hands in his lab coat pockets.

After hearing this, Fiddleford sighed, hesitantly looking up at Ford with a small smile. "I don't deserve yer' kindness, Stanford." He muttered, running a hand through his hair. He looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, where'd yer' nephew go?" He asked, changing the subject and looking around.

Ford looked around and noticed Dipper standing over by a tree, writing something down in his journal. Ford gave a small smile at the sight, pleased to see his nephew writing and cataloging his findings in a journal, just like he had done in the past.

There's the end of this chapter! Again, I'm sorry for the longer wait than usual. This chapter was over 9,000 words. Yes, I know it was long, but I had been hoping to get all of this out in one chapter before the events of the next chapter. I really tried to push this chapter out towards the end, because I didn't want to leave this story two weeks with no new updates. Next chapter will be up sooner than this one!

(Also, I'm making some new cover art for this fic. If you're at all interested in seeing some art I've made/am making for this story, it's on my Pinterest board, "Welcome Home ART!" My pin user is listed on my profile. It's not very full yet, sorry about that.)