I'm sorry that the last chapter was so long, and that it may have had a bit too much emotion? I'm not sure. This chapter is just as long as the last, if not longer :c I'm double-sorry that this chapter is a bit later than usual. Online schooling was being set up, so I didn't have much time to write as I figuring all of that out.
An explanation of the magic-detecting gizmo Ford has in this chapter, if you've ever seen Rick and Morty, it looks a bit like Rick's portal gun. Same type of look, except the exterior of it is dark grey instead of white, and the green glowing thing at the top is blue. The brighter it glows, the closer and/or more powerful the magic the device detects is.
As a warning, Karen makes a snarky comment about a certain someone being "asexual" in this chapter. Please realize that I do NOT intend for this to offend anyone in ANY WAY! Please don't take it personally. I actually have a friend who is asexual, and he's amazing :3. Karen just doesn't know how to take a hint that Bill isn't interested in intimacy with her. -_-
(There's also a minor use of bad language.)
Here is chapter 38 of "Welcome Home"!
Bill bolted down the hospital hallway, the newborn in his arms. He wore a smirk across his face. He had done it. He had finally done it. After weeks of waiting, his plan was finally going somewhere.
As he ran past a hospital room, a security guard recognized him. "Hey!" The security man exclaimed. Bill noticed the exclamation and knew it had been directed towards him. Bill looked around as he continued forward and saw a large rack of hospital supplies. He hurried over to the supply rack and hid behind it, watching as the security man flew past him.
Bill snickered. Yeesh, what an idiot. He thought to himself. Either I'm a master of stealth, or this hospital needs to up its security game!
Bill looked down at the newborn in his arms. The child looked as if he were about to cry. A feeling of panic washed over him. Crap, what do I do now? He asked himself. Bill bit his lip and figuratively cursed himself for not learning how to comfort a baby beforehand. In the heat of the moment, Bill took his thumb and shoved it inside the child's mouth before the boy could throw a tantrum of some sort.
Luckily for Bill, Brock seemed satisfied with the unfamiliar object and began to suck on it. Bill cringed in disgust at the feeling of saliva and drool coating his thumb. Disgusting. Bill thought to himself. He made a mental note to ask Karen to pick up a couple baby toys before reaching their destination.
Bill looked over by the lobby and saw the security guard long gone. He saw this as his cue to make his escape from the hospital. Hesitantly, he stood up and walked down the rest of the hall towards the front door. He took the 'Tyler' name tag off his vest and tossed it onto the ground.
Bill looked over at the front door of the hospital and smirked at the sight of his girlfriend's car parked in the front of the hospital. He looked around him one final time before rushing out of the hospital. He held the newborn close and walked quickly to the vehicle. Bill reached his hand out a bit, whilst being careful not to drop the child. As he kept the baby close, opening the car door was a challenge. He glared at the car's handle and tried using his elbow to open the door. When this plan didn't work, Bill grew frustrated.
Karen watched from the inside of the car and began laughing. She shook her head as she snickered, leaning over and opening the door from the inside. Bill noticed the laughter and rolled his eyes, however he sat down in the passengers seat, shutting the car door before buckling his seatbelt.
"You're ridiculous." Karen said with a snicker.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it off." He muttered. He looked at Brock, then back at Karen. "Do we have, like, a car seat for the little meatsack?" He asked, tilting his head.
Karen raised an eyebrow, confused as to what he had meant by 'meatsack'. She chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, do you mean the baby?" She questioned.
"Yeah," Bill confirmed. "Baby, meatsack, call it what you want." He said with a shrug.
"Does it have a name?" Karen asked.
Bill shrugged at the question. "Not sure," He answered. He looked down at the child, who looked back at him. Bill smirked at the baby and nodded slowly as he thought for a name. "You know, I think I'll call you... Timmy!" He said with a wide grin, looking at Karen. "Isn't that a good name?" He asked, putting the baby up in front of the woman so the child's face was close to hers. "Here, take the kid, Karen!"
Karen nodded slowly with an awkward smile, and slowly pushed the child back towards Bill. "Yeah, it's a great name!" She said, once the child wasn't right in front of her face.
"Alright, Alright," Bill began, placing Brock atop his lap. "Back to my original question. Do we have a seat for this kid or not?" He asked.
Karen bit her lip and drew her eyes to the car's floor. "...No." She muttered.
Bill just shrugged. "Well, that doesn't matter." He assured, "...Probably." He finished with a shrug, looking away with a grin.
After a moment, Karen narrowed her eyes, looking into the hospital. "Hey, babe?" She began, a look of worry apparent on her face.
Bill was leaning back in his car seat, eyes closed with his hands behind his head. He cringed slightly at the nickname given by Karen, however went back to his chilled-out facial expression. "Hm?" He muttered, not bothering to open his eyes. He felt a warm liquid seeping through his black jeans. Brock was face down on his thighs, and Bill hadn't noticed the baby drooling until the disgusting liquid hit his skin.
Bill's mind was taken away from the thought of the gross baby substance when Karen hummed in a tone of panic. "I-I see some security guards in there, looking around," She informed. Bill opened his eyes at this, and looked out the windshield. Sure enough, the same guards who had been trying to track him down were looking around the lobby. One had been smart enough to pick up the nametag which he had previously stolen from a man.
"I-I think we should go." Karen suggested, her eyes widened in fear.
Bill nodded, raising his voice in an annoyingly loud tone as he made hand signals. "Quick! Step on the gas, drive 3 o'clock, SCRAM!" He exclaimed, shouting to the point where Brock began to cry.
Karen was quick to obey the orders, regardless of the pain in her ear or the whining of the newborn. Bill looked down at the baby and bit his lip, he wasn't going to put his thumb in that disgusting, saliva-filled thing, so instead he just covered the child's mouth with his hand. Brock seemed confused, however his crying stopped. Bill sighed in relief and laughed when Karen took a fast turn from the parking lot of the hospital.
Soos reached the hospital's lobby and frantically looked around, seeing his child no where in sight. He looked out the glass doors of the front of the hospital and saw a car driving away faster than the speed limit, the vehicle unintentionally knocking down a garbage can as it left the hospital. Soos grew suspicious, however he hadn't had time to see the license plate.
"Step on it!" Bill commanded with a maniacal laugh. "At this rate, those suckers'll never know what hit 'em!" He said with a snicker.
"I can't go much faster," Karen informed with a concerned tone of voice. "I'm already going ten miles over the speed limit-"
"Who cares about the speed limit?" Bill asked, rolling his eyes with a wide grin. "It's not like they're gonna find us!" He said with a shrug.
Karen bit her lip, afraid that Bill was wrong about his statement. Regardless, she went faster and stepped on the gas pedal.
Bill smirked. "Next stop, Crestfallen Cavern!" He exclaimed with a grin. His smile faded and he spoke in a quieter tone. "Uh... after we get a couple things for little Timmy here." He said, pointing to Brock who lay atop Bill's lap.
Meanwhile at the Mystery Shack, Stanley, McGucket and Ford were in the gift shop. Dipper and Mabel were in the living room watching Tv. Wendy had just left once her work shift was over.
Stanley looked over at his brother, who was leaning against the wall behind the cash register, looking down at a gizmo in his hands. Stan had no idea what the gizmo was, so he decided to ask about it. "Hey Pointdexter," Stan began. Ford hummed in response, not bothering to look up from the object as he took a screwdriver out of a pocket in his lab coat. Stan adjusted his hat. "Whatcha' got there?" He asked.
"Oh, this?" Ford asked, putting the screwdriver back in his lab coat and looking at Stan. "This is a special device that can assist with identifying and detecting certain forms of magic." He responded with a small smile. "I used it a few times throughout my travels of the multiverse, and I was even planning on using it on the amulet." He said.
"Huh," Stan muttered, walking closer to Ford and grabbing the device. Ford started at the device being taken out of his hand, however he trusted his brother enough to not do something as senseless such as breaking it.
Stan grinned. "This thing could be on display in the gift shop." He said.
Ford quickly took it back and shook his head. "Absolutely not." He stated. "If this were to get into the wrong hands-"
"Alright, alright," Stan said, waving a hand dismissively and rolling his eyes. "Whatever, bro." He muttered.
Fiddleford looked over at the device. A wave of guilt hit him, as that was the same device Ford had shown him before Fiddleford had made the foolish decision to kiss Ford. McGucket began to wonder if he was the reason Bill had left. If that were true, surely Ford wouldn't have thought so much on why he had left. Fiddleford remembered the poem Bill had wrote, as had Ford. It was alarming for Fidds to think about. He wondered how Ford felt about it, however he didn't have the heart to ask about it. He knew that Ford missed Bill, and he didn't want to take his friend through a trip down memory lane.
Suddenly, the gift shop door burst open. Stanford and McGucket started and looked at the door with wide eyes at the loud intruder. Stan, however, didn't seem bothered. Ford assumed that Stan was used to this type of thing since Stan didn't bother to turn around to face the door.
"Gift shop is closed," Stan said, turning around to look at whoever was at the door with his hands on his hips. "So unless you're buyin' something over the price of two hundred bucks, get los-" He continued, however stopped at the sight of three business men at the door.
Stan's eyes widened. "Oh crap, it's the tax collectors!" He exclaimed. "Quick, everyone hide the Ferrets!"
"Ferrets?" Ford repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Fiddleford exclaimed in fear and jumped towards the gift shop's cashier counter and hid underneath it, tucking his legs up against his chest. Ford looked down at his friend and noticed his look of fear. This gave him the feeling that these were the men who had been blackmailing him for so long. Ford placed the magic detector down beside the cash register and put his hands behind his back, taking a defensive step closer to the door.
"I'm going to have to ask you three gentlemen to leave." Ford stated, his voice firm as he spoke. He recognized one of the men, Mr. Powers, from the interrogation he and Bill had been through months ago.
Joe smirked and shook his head. "Negative," He began. He and Mr. Powers both held up an ID, as well as a contract with print so small that one would need a magnifying glass to be able to read it properly, even up close. "We have full rights to be on this property at this time. Not to mention you forgot to flip the 'open' sign to 'closed'." He said, rolling his eyes as he added the last bit. Fred just nodded in agreement, not sure of what to do at the moment.
Mr. Powers glared at Ford, he held back the temptation to choke answers out of the man at this very moment. "Stanford Pines," He began, putting his ID away and walking towards the man to the point where they were face to face, their noses nearly touching. The two men made cold eye contact, not daring to look away from each other's eyes. They both had their hands behind their backs. They both had furrowed brows, with scowls on their faces. They both had their chins raised slightly, as if one was trying to look or feel taller than the other. Though it did very little, as the two were very similar in height. If not, the same height.
"Powers," Ford addressed, staring coldly into his eyes.
"I believe I have some... questions for you." Mr. Powers stated, mirroring the cold stare.
Stan noticed the ill temper feeling and awkwardly put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, yeah, congrats, Sixer. Ya' look mucho macho. Now wouldja' see what these idiots want already?" He asked in an impatient manner.
Ford heard the remark, however chose not to respond to it. Instead he narrowed his eyes at Mr. Powers. "Can I help you?" He asked insincerely. He had a good feeling on why the man was here. Ford knew that Powers was here to ask about Fiddleford. He also knew that his bluffing wasn't good, so perhaps if he were to intimidate the agent, he would leave before asking questions. He mentally vowed to protect Fiddleford with his life.
Mr. Powers rolled his eyes. "You know exactly why I'm here." He stated, putting his hands on his hips.
Ford swallowed, however kept his form and facial features firm. "Do I now?" He mused with a mocking smirk and raise of the eyebrow, along with a head tilt.
Mr. Powers growled and gripped the older man's shoulders, forcing him up against the wall with a slam. Ford cringed at the gesture and glared at Powers.
Fiddleford let out a quick audible cry of fear, however was quick to place his hand atop his own mouth before he could give his hiding position away. Stan, however, looked around frantically. Where's the camera, where's the camera? Stan kept asking himself.
"Alright Pines, answer this question for me." Mr. Powers commanded. Ford glared and was tempted to kick Powers away from him, however he felt the gesture was unnecessary at this time.
"Go ahead," Ford muttered with a glare. "But if you have any intention of hurting him-"
"Oh, I'll hurt him," Mr. Powers confirmed with narrowed eyes. "If you don't start talking, I'll make sure he gets every ounce of what he deserves." He said.
Stan rolled his eyes from across the room. "Then give him somethin' to answer!" He said, putting his hands on his hips.
"Silence!" Mr. Powers roared, shooting a glare at Stanley. He drew his eyes back to Ford's and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, Pines, I've had enough of your stalling." He stated in a bitter tone, digging his fingernails into Ford's shoulders. Ford cringed slightly at the contact and shot a glare at the man.
"Now tell me," Powers continued, raising his voice. "Why the hell is your ex-fiance suddenly in a relationship with my daughter?" He questioned, his teeth clenched.
Ford suddenly became confused at the question. Ex-fiance? Relationship? Daughter? None of these words had anything to do with Fiddleford. So why was the agent asking such a strange question?
Ford raised an eyebrow in absolute confusion. "...Come again?" He asked.
Mr. Powers rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me, you six fingered freak." He commanded, narrowing his eyes and sneering in disgust.
Stan glared at the statement and cracked his knuckles, balling them up into fists. "Ya' wanna repeat that?" He challenged, staring Powers dead in the eyes from across the room. An argument in the gift shop he could handle. He would have no problem with letting violence slide. But insulting his brother- oh, that was heading down a path no one would dare travel if knowing just what Stan would do to them without hesitation.
Powers looked over at Joe and nodding his head over at Stan. Joe understood and charged towards Stan to stop the older man before he could attack his boss. Stan, however, threw up a fist and punched the man straight across the face, and pounded him on the head, making Joe pass out and fall to the floor.
Fred gasped at the sight of Joe as he lay unconscious atop the gift shops cold, wooden floor. Stan looked over at Fred and narrowed his eyes. Huh... I swear I've seen him before... Pretty sure his name was Farm.
Mr. Powers looked into Ford's eyes and huffed. "That... demon-like creature. Thing, I would say." He continued.
Oh. Ford thought to himself. He must be talking about Bill.
"So tell me, Pines," The agent continued, "Why is he in a relationship with my darling Karen so suddenly?" He asked.
Ford looked back at the man awkwardly. "I... don't know." He admitted with a small shrug.
"You're lying." Mr. Powers stated.
Stan walked towards the group and folded his arms. He stood beside Ford, standing right beside the desk Fiddleford was currently hiding under.
"Alright, listen here, ya' assumer," Stan began, folding his arms. "My brother is a real excuse of a liar," He began.
"Stanley!" Ford hissed, looking at his brother with wide-eyes, mortification apparent on his face.
"Can it, Pointdexter," Stan commanded, pointing a finger at Ford. He looked back at Powers. "I've known him for...well...half my life, and I can tell ya' that I know when he's lyin' better than anyone else. He ain't lyin'." He stated, nodding his head in confirmation.
Mr. Powers scoffed. "Just because you say something doesn't make it true." He said.
"Don't believe me?" Stan asked. He gave a short chuckle. "Smart man." He praised. He went back to giving him a stern look. "If ya' don't believe me, ask this nerd down here." He said, pointing a finger towards McGucket.
Fiddleford gasped at the sight of six eyes staring down at him.
Mr. Powers gasped. "There's the little runt!" He exclaimed, hardening his glare. He let go of his hold on Ford and approached the shaking man. McGucket gave a high-pitched cry of fear and came out from under the desk, standing up and scrambling towards the 'Employee's only' door. Mr. Powers proved faster and grabbed McGucket's shoulders, pinning him against the vending machine with a slam.
McGucket cringed at the pain in his shoulders as the stronger man gripped them, digging his fingers into his shoulder blades. Fiddleford tried to grab the man's shoulders in an attempt to push him away, however Mr. Powers understood the move and moved his hands up towards Fiddleford's neck, grasping it tightly. Fiddleford waved his hands helplessly by his sides as his face formed a slight shade of purple.
Ford noticed the action and glared at the man. He stood behind the agent and flipped the side of his lab coat out of the way, drawing a gun out and facing towards the man's back. He took a step forward and cocked his gun, placing the weapon up against the agent's back.
"Get your hands off him." Ford commanded in a monotone voice. Though Mr. Powers loosened his grip on the smaller man, he didn't move his hands away from Fiddleford's neck. At the observation of the agent failing to retract his hands away, Ford pressed the gun onto his back with harder pressure.
"I'll say it once more," Ford said in a lower, more threatening tone. "Get. Your hands. off of him."
Hesitantly, Mr. Powers obeyed the order and took his hands away from Fiddleford's throat. Fiddleford gasped and slipped away form the man, instead running towards Ford to stand beside him. He felt safe with Ford, and he knew that he would do anything to ensure his safety.
Mr. Powers slowly turned around with his hands slightly raised. Instead of a look of fear, he wore a sly smirk. Ford was taken aback by the response of having a gun pulled on him, however he kept his facial expression firm and protective.
"Pulling a gun on an agent of the law," Mr. Powers began, his smirk still apparent. "Surely that could be feasible to become jail time, a mere fine if you're lucky." He stated.
"The act of self defense." Ford started. "Pulling a gun on another individual is legal in the act of self defense."
"En contre," Mr. Powers continued, "You clearly stated self defense. If I am not mistaken, you're protecting your little friend here. Therefor, you're helping him, not-" The agent continued, but stopped when he heard a notification on his cell phone go off. He was silent for a moment, looking around the room awkwardly before continuing once more. Before he could begin his sentence, his phone went off once more, along with a ring.
Mr. Powers scoffed and held his index finger up. "One moment." He said, looking down at the texts on his phone. The messages were texts from his daughter, Karen.
"Who is it?" Stan asked, not that he really cared, he was only asking out of curiosity.
"It's my daughter." Mr. Powers answered, reading the texts on his phone and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion and mortification at the words listed on his screen. "..What the hell...?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What?" Stan asked.
Mr. Powers shot a glare at the older man. "What's it to you?" He questioned in suspicion.
Stan was about to answer the question, until he heard the phone ringing in the living room. He sighed and made his way towards the 'employee's only' door. "I'll get it." He announced. With that, he left the room.
Mr. Powers looked down at his messages once more. Was this real? Was his daughter honestly participating in such an act?
Karen: Hey Dad!
Karen: Turns out, I won't be able to make it to the movie night we finally scheduled out.
Karen: I'm going with my boyfriend and our baby to Crestfallen Cavern. Well, I think it's our baby, not sure yet. Anyway, we'll be there placing a curse on a little meat sack... whatever that means.
Karen: Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what's going on. Something about revenge, a kiss, and a "Sixer". Never heard of one of those, but my boyfriend talks about it a lot, so it must be pretty cool!
Powers' mouth hung open slightly at the strange message given by his daughter. Why would Karen go along with something as horrifying as this? He asked himself. That demon man. He must be doing this to her. Forcing her. Brainwashing her. That's the only explanation to this. There's no way Karen would willingly do something so insane.
Stan came back from out of the living room and walked over towards his brother and Fiddleford, a look of worry on his face. Ford noticed the look right away and put a hand atop Stan's shoulder.
"Stanley, what's wrong?" Ford asked, tilting his head.
Stan's eyes widened; he forgot he had yet to fill Ford in on the situation. "W-Well," Stan began. Ford nodded, urging him to continue. "Soos took his girlfriend to the hospital, 'cause she was givin' birth, and... she died of blood loss." Stan said, muttering the last bit. He just didn't understand- why was he feeling so terribly about all this? Sure, the news would have been unfortunate regardless, but it seemed as if the situation was now emotionally effecting Stanley.
Ford's mouth opened slightly at the news. "That's horrible!" He commented in disbelief and sorrow. He didn't know the young woman too well, however he couldn't imagine the pain this sudden event must have caused the young couple.
"Yeah," Stan agreed with a nod, folding his arms. "Then, uh..," Stan continued, swallowing the building lump in his throat. "The kid. They lost 'im."
Fiddleford gasped. "The child's dead?" He exclaimed in alarm, placing his hands atop his head.
Stan quickly shook his head, placing his hands out in front of him. "N-No, he's not dead. It's-uh, It's a boy, by the way." He muttered. "The kid went missing, and they can't find him." Stan informed.
The group looked over to the gift shop door, seeing Mabel and Dipper walk out of the living room. Dipper had his arms folded, a frown on his face, meanwhile Mabel was wiping her tears onto her sweater.
"Tell us it's not true, Grunkle Stan..." Mabel pleaded, a fresh wave of tears coating her eyelids.
Stan just sighed. He walked over to Mabel and took a knee, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It is what it is, pumpkin. I'm sorry..." He muttered. Mabel's lip quivered and she shut her eyes, burying her face into Stan's shoulder as she sobbed. Stan just gave her a small pat on the back.
"Oh man, poor Soos..." Dipper muttered. He looked behind Stan to see a well-dressed business man who lay flat on his back atop the floor. "What happened to this guy?" He asked.
Stan turned his head as Mabel continued to sob on his shoulder. "He tried ta' charge at me." He responded. Dipper easily understood the situation at the sliver of information given.
Fiddleford sighed. "What kinda' maniac would find a newborn child an' take it?" He questioned.
Though Stan tried to hide it, Ford could see the deep grief and sorrow in his brother's eyes. Stan had known Soos since the handyman was just a young boy. Ford could only imagine how both Soos and Stan were feeling right now.
"Excuse me," Mr. Powers began, looking up from his phone. "What was that you said?" He asked, looking at Fiddleford. McGucket looked at the agent and noticed the taller man staring at him. Fiddleford bit his lip in alarm, however was surprised when the man didn't come charging at him. The remark made sounded more like a question rather than a command.
"I-I asked what kinda' maniac would find a newborn child an' take it." McGucket answered hesitantly.
Powers gasped and looked down at his phone, rereading the messages. He looked back at the group with a firm look on his face. "I know where the child is, and who took him."
Bill and Karen were now located inside Crestfallen Cavern. The cave was very large, with many different tunnels surrounding. The couple, however, located themselves directly in the middle of the cave, location of the largest 'room'. In the middle of the strangely-large rounded cave, there was a tall rock mountain about three times Bill's height. He sat atop it with his legs criss-crossed, along with Brock who was sitting in his comfortable baby carrier-basket. Bill looked at the child with a hint of guilt on his face. Something he never would have felt if he didn't have his human emotions.
"I'm sorry, Timmy..." Bill muttered, gently messing with the short, caramel colored hair atop the baby's head. "But if it's any consolation, you won't remember this when you're older. Probably." Bill tried to reassure, however he was unaware if he could be sure.
Bill just sighed. "Don't worry about it. The curse won't be too bad..." He muttered, until he saw Brock's wide eyes, looking down at his chest. Bill raised an eyebrow when Brock began to giggle, waving his hands around and making an effort to point towards Bill's amulet. Bill looked down at the amulet and gasped when it shined a bright blue.
"Curse..." A raspy yet feminine voice called. "Remember the curse..."
Bill's mouth dropped at the sight of the fortune telling witch whom he had easily recognized from the magic festival appeared on the amulet. Bill took the amulet that hung around his neck off and looked at the blue stone.
"What cur-" Bill began, until he had remembered the deal he had made with the hand witch at the magic festival. He gasped as fear began to pierce through him.
Bill had made a curse to the hand witch saying that if she gave him the information about the amulet, as well as extra abilities, that she would get the opportunity to curse anyone. Well, anyone other than the one person whom Bill was allowed to save from any affects of the curse. Bill assumed that the hand witch would affect someone he knew when she mentioned the curse bit, which resulted in him saving Ford.
Bill looked over at Brock who was still giggling at the glowing stone. Bill's eyes widened and he glared down at the amulet. "You'd better not curse the kid." He warned with clenched teeth. He quickly realized that his statement sounded too genuine, and blurted out a response. "Uh, B-Because I'm already doing that. There's no need to give the kid two curses, right?" He asked with a cold chuckle.
"It wasn't my intention." The hand witch revealed.
"Then who are you gonna curse?" Bill asked.
"I don't believe I'm entitled to say." The witch replied.
"It was worth a try." Bill said with a shrug.
Bill looked behind him and saw Karen climbing up the large rock. When Bill looked back down at the amulet below him, the hand witch's face had vanished and the stone ceased it's glowing light.
"Hey, babe." Karen greeted.
"Heya, Care-bear." Bill responded, putting the amulet back around his neck and hiding it under his bowtie. "Did ya' check around to make sure we weren't followed?" He asked.
Karen nodded at the question. "No signs of anyone. Not to mention that this is the biggest cave I've ever seen. It would take hours for someone to find us." She said, sitting down beside Bill.
"Perfect," Bill said with a smirk, rubbing his hands together. "Cursing this little meatsack will be a piece of cake! You really get things done faster when you're alone." He stated.
Karen nodded and placed a hand around Bill's back, using her other hand to run circles atop his clothed chest. "Speaking of being alone..." She mused with a seductive look on her face, wiggling her eyebrows slightly.
Bill looked into Karen's eyes and knew just what the woman was proposing. Karen gave Bill a quick peck on the lips before looking at him once more.
Bill stiffened. "Th-There's a kid right there." He pointed out, motioning his arm towards the newborn who was half asleep.
Karen shrugged. "We can move him." She suggested.
Bill cringed at his failed attempt to avoid intimacy. "Uh..." He muttered. "I-It would drain my power. " He lied. "No power, no cursing Tim-Tom, plan fails." He said with a fake pout of sorrow.
Karen tilted her head. "How do you know?" She asked. "You told me that you've never had sex before." She stated.
Bill shot a glare at Karen. "I just do, okay?" He hissed, rolling his eyes and looking away.
Karen sighed. "Come on Billy, what's holding you back?" She asked, getting up closer to her boyfriend. Bill flinched a quick look of disgust at the sudden close contact, however he opted to look away before the woman could see.
"What's holding me back doesn't concern you." Bill muttered with a frown. It quickly turned into a glare when Karen kissed the side of his neck. He clenched his fists and glared at the female. "Would you get off me?" He asked, rage filling in his eyes.
Karen backed off slightly and scoffed, folding her arms. "What, are you asexual or something?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"No, and even if I was, why would it matter?" Bill asked. "A relationship isn't all about that kind of stuff, ya' know."
"I know that," Karen said, putting her hands on her hips. "I just can't help but feel like I'm not good enough. Is that why?" She asked.
"No." Bill stated, looking away. His blood was boiling.
"Then what's holding you back?" Karen pushed, raising her voice with a frusturated glare.
Bill's eyes flashed red for a moment, but retured back to yellow when he looked at Karen. He stood up and glared at his girlfriend. "Why do you care if I'm waiting for him?" Bill spat with clenched fists. "Huh?"
"Him?" Karen repeated, standing up to match Bill's height and tilting her head in confusion. "Wait, does that mean you're gay?" She asked with a heartbroken frown.
"Oh, don't be so stereotypical!" Bill exclaimed with a scoff. "I like whoever I like! Is that such a problem?" He shouted loud enough to the point where Brock began to cry.
Karen and Bill looked over at Brock in unison. Karen looked back at Bill and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, Bill..." She muttered, looking away. "If you're happier with someone else, I understand."
Bill's eyes widened. He couldn't afford for Karen to leave just yet- he needed her for the plan. If Karen were to leave, then who would be there to supervise if something went wrong?
"N-No, I-It's fine," Bill started. "I'm sorry, too." He lied. However on the inside, he was raging. Even though he didn't really love Karen, he felt anger towards the woman for saying such senseless things, and acting all casual about it. Regardless, the two walked over to Brock in hopes of comforting the child.
"Are you sure we can trust this guy, Pointdexter?" Stanley asked as his brother and Mr. Powers rushed out of the gift shop.
"Fred," Mr. Powers called out.
"Yes sir?" Fred, who was standing behind Stan, asked. Stan was startled by the voice behind him. The man's sudden presence caused Stan to flinch, looking behind him and nearly tripping on his own ankle. How long has he been standin' there? He asked himself.
"Fetch Fred for me and carry him to the vehicle." Mr. Powers ordered. "It's more convenient than having the guy writing about us wait for Joe to get up and walk himself." He said. "Besides, I'm sure you'd like an excuse to hold him in your arms." Powers added with a smirk.
Fred's face flushed rosy red at the last comment and nodded. "O-Of course, sir." He said, and walked back into the gift shop to retrieve Joe.
Ford looked at Stan and nodded his head. "I don't have full confidence in this man, however he did show us the messages from that... Techno-box of his." He pointed out. "What better choice do we have than to go?" He asked.
Stan shrugged. "Good point." He said.
Dipper walked up to the group who were walking towards the two vehicles outside, along with Mabel who had finally stopped her tears. "We're coming too, Grunkle Stan." He stated with his hands on his hips. Mabel nodded, mirroring her brothers stance.
"Oh no, you're not." Stan said, shaking his head. "You're gonna stay here with McWhat's-it." He said.
"But-!" Dipper tried to protest until Ford put a hand up in front of Stanley's face.
"Fiddleford will be with me. I can't afford to leave him here being the only adult. The twins may come with as long as they promise to lay low." He said, looking over at the young twins who eagerly nodded.
"We promise!" Dipper and Mabel exclaimed in unison.
"Fine, whatever." Stan said with an eye roll, folding his arms. He turned to look at his brother. "But if the kids get hurt, so help me Ford you'll never hear the end of it." He threatened, poking Ford in the chest with his index finger.
Mr. Powers walked up to the group and put his hands behind his back. "Make it snappy, all." He stated.
"The man is right, we cannot afford to delay." Ford agreed, adjusting his glasses. "Why Bill is planning to do this is beyond me, and we must stop him before he can try anything." He stated. The group all agreed.
"You're coming with us." Mr. Powers said to Fiddleford, glaring down at him. McGucket gulped in fear.
Ford shook his head and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Oh no he's not." He stated, staring at the agent. "He will be staying with me."
Mr. Powers scoffed. "What gives you the right?" He asked, folding his arms.
Ford smirked at the man. "Consent." He answered. "Come along, Fiddleford." He said to the smaller man, motioning him towards the car behind him.
Stan gave a mocking laugh directed towards the agent. "Hah!" He said, snickering. Mr. Powers glared, however decided not to make the older man less of an enemy.
With that, the group of Stan, Ford, Dipper, Mabel, and Fiddleford went in one car, whereas Mr. Powers, Joe, and Fred went in their business car.
Once the cars began driving away from the shack, they saw Soos' pickup truck drive towards the Mystery Shack at the highest speed the speed limit would allow him. Stan poked his head out of the passengers seat window as Ford slammed on the brakes.
"Soos?" Stan called out, raising an eyebrow. "What're ya' doin' here?"
The handyman quickly got out of his truck and ran up to the car, looking at Stan in the eyes, panting slightly. "Mr.. Mr. Pines! Do you know where-"
"Get back in your car and follow behind us, Soos." Ford commanded. "We know where your child is." He assured.
"Y-You know where my son is?" Soos asked, a wave of relief hitting him.
Stan nodded at the question and rolled his eyes. "You heard the nerd, get in your car and step on the gas!" He ordered, pointing over at Soos' truck. The younger man nodded and rushed back to his vehicle, opening the front door to the truck and shutting it. He turned his car around and backed up. He looked behind Stan's car and noticed a black car with well-dressed business men inside.
He opened his truck window and called out to the Pines' family. "Hey dudes, who are these dawgs?" He asked, pointing over to the agents.
Mabel rolled down her window and cupped her hands by her mouth to make her voice louder, saying, "We'll explain later!"
"Good enough for me." Soos said with a chuckle. He rolled his window back up and drove behind the Pines, the agents driving directly behind Soos. With that they got on the road. The car ride to Crestfallen Cavern wasn't too long. It only took a total of 10 minutes. The group was relieved it was rather close, however Soos had more fear in his heart than the rest. He couldn't help but wonder... were they already too late?
When they were close to Crestfallen Cave, the pine trees scattered around Gravity falls ascended up a large mountain that led up to the cave. It took extra vehicle power to keep the vehicles from slipping down the thin circular path upward. This task didn't come as a challenge to Ford, for he was quite used to driving to Fiddleford's home before the other man began staying at the shack for safety reasons. Soos, however, had very little experience with tall, steep mountain drives upward, and he nearly crashed the back of his truck into Mr. Powers' vehicle a total of three times. Each time Mr. Powers honked his horn in pure annoyance, shaking his fist out the window in a threatening manner.
Mabel looked down at her feet in concern, whereas Dipper leaned on the glass of the car, looking down at the dangerous height. He just didn't understand how his family was able to fall for Bill's tricks once more. Well, this situation was sure proving him wrong. Dipper never let his guard down whenever he was encountering Bill, and he never would. This display of his 'plan' was just sick.
Mabel sighed to herself at the sight of Dipper giving an I-told-them-so look out the window. I-I don't understand... I thought Bill had changed. So why was is he doing something so evil? Mabel asked herself. She wished she would have been allowed to see the text message Mr. Powers had received. She looked at McGucket, who sat in the middle in the back seat of the car. The old man looked lost in thought similar to Mabel, however he seemed more paranoid. She assumed it had something to do with the very person who had been blackmailing him for months being so close in range to him.
When they reached the top of the large hill, they came upon a large cave. a huge cave with a large opening. Ford parked the car over by a singular tree that was atop the hill.
"Well... here we are." Ford said, unbuckling his seat belt. The twins and McGucket all unbuckled their seatbelts, whereas Stan was able to simply step out of the vehicle. He opted to tell the others that he had 'forgotten' to buckle his seatbelt if anyone asked why he had not used the safety belt. Soos parked beside the vehicle, and Mr. Powers chose to park closer to the cave in case he had to rescue his daughter.
Everyone walked towards the cave hesitantly. Mr. Powers walked alongside Fiddleford, causing the smaller man to shudder. Ford walked on the other side of his friend and placed a hand atop his shoulder as he looked forward at the cave system they were about to enter. Fiddleford looked at the hand, then up at the other man. He gave a small smile and felt some relieving comfort at the reassuring contact.
Joe, who had awoken from his time of unconsciousness stood beside Mr. Powers. He kept a hand on his aching head after being knocked in the head by Stan. The group walked further into the dark cave, and was finally able to identify some light. A total of two tunnels came into view, each tunnel being lit by torches that were hung up on the cave's walls.
"Two tunnels?" Stan groaned. "Ugh, this is gonna take longer than I thought."
"Maybe not," Ford disputed. "If we split up, we shouldn't have a problem." He said with a confirming nod of his head.
Fred gave a look of concern. "What if they both lead to dead ends?" He asked the scientist.
Ford shrugged his shoulders at the question given by the innocent man. "That would be unlikely," He began, placing his hands behind his back. "If there are only two tunnels at the entrance of the cave, there must be more beyond the path." He said, slowing waving his hand across the air.
Mabel giggled. "That sounded so poetic!" She cooed. She put one hand behind her back, and the other placed atop her chest in a fist. She lowered her voice in an attempt to sound like her uncle. "There must be more beyond the path." She repeated, making a wide grin that showed off her braces when Stan laughed in a mocking manner. Mabel looked at Soos with the same smile and put a hand up. "Ayo!" She exclaimed.
The handyman noticed the girl's gesture. He gave a small smile and returned the high five. Regardless of the pain he was currently feeling, he couldn't just leave Mabel hanging. That was crossing a cool-dawg line for sure.
"Well," Ford began. "I believe our best option is to split into two groups. Soos, Fiddleford, Mabel, you will follow along with me. Stanley, you will go along with Powers, Fred, Joe, and Dipper." He commanded, pointing to the tunnel on the other side of the tunnel's entrance.
"Now hold on," Mr. Powers began, holding out a hand and shaking his head, his other hand on his hip. "I will not tolerate being controlled by an old man. I'm going this way." He said with a confirming nod, pointing over at Ford's group, specifically Fiddleford. McGucket gulped and gave a faint nervous chuckle.
Ford folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Very well." He said. "But don't try anything funny." He warned, motioning his head towards Fiddleford so the agent would understand what he meant.
"As for you, Joe and Fred," Mr. Powers began, "Keep a close eye on the other old one and the sweaty kid." He commanded, pointing over at Stan and Dipper. Fred and Joe nodded at the orders and walked over to Stan.
With that, Ford, Fiddleford, Mabel, Soos, and Mr. Powers walked into the cave on the left. That left Stan, Dipper, Joe, and Fred to travel the other.
Though the tunnels were lit by torches, the tunnels were very dim-lit. Ford looked ahead as they continued further into the tunnel and noticed a burnt out lantern. He walked over to the object and picked it up, taking a match out and swiping it against the cave wall. He brought the match up to the lantern and lit the inside, the inside of the lantern catching aflame. Ford held the lantern up as he led the group forward.
After a few more minutes of walking, Ford's group came along three more tunnels to choose from. The group looked at the tunnels.
Mr. Powers glared. "Who would have thought? Even more tunnels." He complained, folding his arms and rolling his eyes. "How far into this cave did that idiotic demon take my daughter?" He asked, not expecting an answer.
Ford's free hand that hung by his side clenched at the agent's choice of words. However, he decided not to do or say anything about it, because he knew that Bill was certainly deserving of that title at the moment. Ford felt like a fool- he knew he should have continued to keep his guard up and be paranoid about Bill's warnings from when he had left. Ford just wondered why Bill was doing all this. If he had truly changed his ways, he wouldn't be.
Soos looked at the tunnels and sighed, face palming with a frown. "Aw dude... I'm a terrible father for letting this happen so easily." He said, closing his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Mabel noticed the handyman's state and shook her head. She pat his arm in a reassuring manner and looked up at him. "Don't think like that, Soos." She began. "None of this is your fault. No one blames you." She assured, patting Soos on the back.
I blame myself. Soos thought. He pushed his opinion aside and gave the girl a small smile, as she was only trying to help. "Thanks dawg. I needed that." He said, rubbing the top of her head and looking over at Ford, who took out a dark grey gizmo, pointing it towards each one of the tunnels hesitantly.
Mr. Powers put his hands on his hips, tilting his head. "Would you mind explaining what that ridiculous thing is?" He asked, cringing at the serious facial expression Ford wore while using the device. Ford offered the man no answer.
The device began to beep more frequently at the third tunnel. Less at the second, and least at the first. Ford took a hesitant step toward the third stone tunnel on the right, pointing the device straight forward. The beeping continued at about the speed of the average heartbeat.
Ford hummed and looked behind him to look at the group. "This way!" He announced, descending into the cave. Soos rushed directly behind him, along with Mabel, then Fiddleford, with Powers at the back. Fiddleford shivered at the sound of Mr. Powers' quick footsteps behind him. It made Fiddleford feel as if the agent was chasing him down.
Ford looked down at the device and looked at the tiny screen, listening to the beeps the device made audible.
"Grunkle Ford, what is that?" Mabel asked as the group continued to rush down the cave.
"Well, to explain it in a simple manner, it's a mechanical device that can sense the presence or use of magic. It's hard to say what type of magic it's picking up now, but I'm confident that it will lead us straight to Bill." Ford explained.
Mabel sighed. "Why is he doing this, Grunkle Ford?" She asked.
"That..." Ford began, "I can't say."
Mr. Powers pushed past McGucket and ran up to Ford. He glared at the older man. "You can't, or you won't?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I can't" Ford repeated with clenched teeth. "If I did, I'm sure we all would know by now. Well, the people who are entitled to know, that is." He said, motioning his head towards Soos.
Powers' glare hardened. "Entitled? You wish to speak of being entitled?" He roared. He grabbed Ford's shoulders and pinned him against the tunnels stone cold wall. The lantern fell to the ground, however it stayed lit rather than burning out.
Mr. Powers continued to glare at the scientist. "Must I remind you that your ex-fiance is now dating my daughter?" He asked. "That little slut of yours is brainwashing my child!" He exclaimed with his teeth clenched.
Soos and Mabel both questioned the words. Ex-fiance?
"I will not tolerate you using foul language in front of my neice." Ford began in a low tone, returning the glare. He shoved the agent off him and picked the lantern back up from the ground. "And for your information, the marriage act was all a trick you were foolish enough to fall for." He stated.
Mr. Powers felt the strong urge to physically attack the older man, however he knew that the other man was stronger, and that the others in the tunnel would only make an attempt to defend Ford.
"I can't believe you honestly think that little device is going to work." Mr. Powers commented to Ford as the group began walking down the tunnel once more. "If you continue to believe these types of things, you'll just go down the same road my brother did last summer."
"And what path is that?" Ford asked, looking down at the device as the beeping got slightly faster.
"Insane." Mr. Powers answered. "Next you'll start saying how you remember nothing about the supernatural events of today, and as you live each day, you'll slowly begin to piece everything together, but no one will believe you." He said.
Ford raised an eyebrow. He wondered just how badly using the memory gun's power on all the agent's last summer effected the workers. He wondered now where Agent Powers was, as well as Agent Trigger.
Around a corner of the cave, the group noticed that the torches on the wall with ordinary orange fire ceased. Instead, the torches ahead of them were replaced with blue flame. The magic detector began beeping uncontrollably as Ford held it close to the fire.
Ford scoffed. "It was detecting the magic of the flames Bill lit." He explained. "I'm not sure if this truly is the correct way. He could be anywhere at this point. Maybe we should-" Ford continued, but stopped in the middle of his sentence when the device vibrated madly in the palm of his hand.
"What in the-?" Ford questioned, looking down at the magic detector. Across the screen, it read, 'MAGIC WAVES'.
Soos heard a faint echoey cry that could only belong to a baby. His eyes widened at the familar sound of his son's crying.
"Brock!" Soos exclaimed. He looked at Ford. "This is definitely the right way, dawg. We have to hurry!" He said, running past the rest of the group.
Ford's eyes widened. "Soos, what in the world are you thinking?" He asked, following behind the handyman. "You don't understand, Bill could very well be capable of much more than even I am aware of." Ford explained. "You can't go trying to save your son alone." He said.
Soos gave a warm smile and nodded. The rest of the group followed after him. Mabel nearly tripped on her own ankle as she began to run once more, however McGucket was able to catch the girl before she could fall on her face. Mabel thanked the man and continued to follow along with the group.
"Grunkle Stan, are you sure we're going the right way?" Dipper asked, his hands in his pockets as he looked around the stone tunnel.
"Kid, I don't know if there is a right way." Stan admitted, holding a torch he had taken off the wall in one hand as the group continued to walk.
Fred sighed. "Hopefully we find this man soon." He commented, his legs aching from all the walking they had done so far.
Joe rolled his eyes. "Don't bother hoping. This cave is huge, surely we'll be walking for a good few hours at least." He said with his arms folded.
The other three groaned at Joe's negative comments in unison. Joe noticed this and scoffed. Stan just rolled his eyes. "Keep that up and I'll knock ya' out cold a second time." He threatened. Joe narrowed his eyes at the threat, however he chose not to speak of it.
As the group continued to walk, they noticed a blue light further down. They proceeded to walk in the direction of the strange light and grew confused when the orange fire the torches on the wall came to an end. Instead, the new torches had a blue flame.
Dipper gasped. "I recognize this fire! We're close." He said with a confirming nod of his head.
Fred smiled at the news. "That's a good sign." He commented.
Joe shot a glare towards Fred. "You're trusting the instinct of a child, Fred?" He asked. Apparently, Joe wasn't paying much attention as to where he was stepping. As he extended his leg out, he stepped on nothing but air. Before Joe could look where he was going, he stumbled down towards a deep, thin pit. Fred gasped at the sight of Joe about to fall to his death, and reached a hand out to save him. Fred grasped Joe's hand and lifted him back up onto the surface before Joe could be harmed.
Joe huffed. "Thanks." He muttered, tapping Fred on the shoulder before walking past him to catch up with the others.
Fred gasped. He had never been given such praise from the other man. His face flushed and he gave a smile before walking hesitantly behind the group.
"We're getting closer." Ford informed the group as they continued to run down the cave. Ahead of the tunnel was a long pit that could easily cause death to a person if they were to not be looking carefully. Soos jumped over and helped Mabel across, Ford following after. Mr. Powers was behind Fiddleford and saw the smaller man looking behind him. Mr. Powers smirked and ran up to Fiddleford, nudging the older man harshly and jumping over the pit.
Fiddleford exclaimed in fear and gasped at the sight of a pit he was falling into after being pushed. Ford turned around and gasped at the sight of his friend about to fall to his death. Ford jumped down onto the ground and extended his arm down into the pit. Fiddleford grabbed Ford's wrist just in time. Had he delayed one more second, McGucket's life would have come to an end.
Ford pulled the lightweight man up and adjusted his glasses. Fiddleford gave a warm smile. "Y-Ye' saved my life," He began, "T-Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Ford said to Fidds. He turned to Mr. Powers, and noticing that the group had stopped in their tracks, Ford placed his hands on Powers' shoulders and gave him a punch to the face. "And you," He continued, "I believe I warned you not to try anything funny." He reminded with his eyes narrowed.
Mabel put her hands on her hips. "Grunkle Ford!" She reminded, pointing at Soos.
Ford looked at Soos and was reminded of the task at hand. "Right." He said, taking his hands off Powers' shoulders and smacking him in the back of the head before running off with the others, Fiddleford following quickly behind. Mr. Powers groaned in pain, however ignored the throbbing in his head and followed after the group.
Stanford looked down at the device as it continued to vibrate. It was beeping continuously due to the magic blue torches Bill had lit, however the vibration from the device was detecting something different. From a distance the group could hear shouts.
"I see somethin'!" Fiddleford exclaimed, pointing ahead of him. "The end of the tunnel is up ahead, fellers!"
The group smiled at this and continued to run. From far away, Soos could hear the cry's of his son, and it killed him to think of what they may be doing to his child. Being a dad really changes people. Soos thought to himself.
When the group reached the end of the tunnel, they were shocked to see a large, circular room. Torches were hung up around the room, the flames in a pattern of orange flame and blue flame. There were different tunnels dug into many parts of the rounded stone walls.
"Do you think all the tunnels lead to the same room?" Soos asked, looking over at Ford.
"It would be safe to assume so." The scientist answered.
In the middle of the large room was a tall rock mountain. Stood atop it was the two people the group had been looking for. Soos gasped at the sight of his son floating in mid-air, supported by a source of magic. He looked to the left of his son to see Bill with one hand atop the amulet, which Soos figured was the power source. To the right stood Karen, the woman smirking.
In the heat of the moment, Soos shouted, "HEY!" And ran away from the tunnel, instead making his way towards the large rock.
Ford's eyes widened at the sight of the handyman bolting away from the rest of the group. He extended an arm out with a look of fear. "Soos, what are you doing?" He asked to no avail. Soos ignored the other man and rushed over to his crying son. He stayed on the ground, however, as he was afraid climbing the rock that was three times his height would be dangerous.
Ford, Mabel, McGucket, and Powers stayed over by the tunnel they had just emerged from. Mr. Powers didn't notice his daughter standing to the right of Brock, as he was mortified at the sight of what the demon was currently doing.
Mabel gasped at the sight of the familiar amulet she had delt with back in the summer. She noticed the amulet's extra power she had not known it ever possessed and felt a jolt of fear. She hid behind McGucket, making her difficult to see. Fiddleford didn't blame the girl for wanting to hide, as he was just as fear-filled as Mabel was.
Bill looked down by the tunnels after hearing Soos' call and noticed familiar faces standing by the tunnel directly in front of him, the handyman directly below him.
Bill smirked. "Well, well, well, it seems we have some company, Care-bear!" He pointed out to his girlfriend.
Karen looked over at the group and instantly tilted her head. "Dad?" She called out, raising an eyebrow.
Mr. Powers gasped at the sight of his daughter standing beside the dangerous demon. "Karen, darling, get down from there!" He exclaimed, pointing down at the ground.
Bill ignored the agent and continued to speak. "I'm sorry about poor Timmy," Bill began, "I told him to cry using his inside voice." He said, his smirk still apparent.
Soos looked up at Bill and glared, his fists clenched by his sides as he gave a defensive stance. "His name is Brock." He stated , narrowing his eyes.
"Really?" Bill mused. "Huh. I'm sure Melody would have liked that name, wouldn't she?" He asked, not expecting an answer.
Soos gasped at the name of his deceased girlfriend. His bottom lip quivered slightly, however he fought the urge to cry. He needed to stay strong in front of the man, and more importantly, in front of his son.
"And you," Bill continued, using his spare hand to point at Ford. "I see you brought your boyfriend along with you." He observed, narrowing his eyes.
Ford was taken aback by the statement. "Wh-?" He began, but was stopped when Bill cut off his question.
"I can tell Fiddlesticks is dressing up for ya' now." Bill said, "How charming." He muttered with a slight eye roll. Fiddleford bit his lip and blushed at the statement, however chose to say nothing.
Ford took a few steps forward. "Wh- Bill, what are you talking about?Whatever gave you this idea?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the man above him. "He...He's not my boyfriend." Ford stated.
Bill scoffed as his glare hardened. "Don't lie to me, Sixer!" He exclaimed with a glare, his eyes turning red for a split second before returning to yellow. "In fact, if you hadn't lied to me in the first place, none of this would be happening right now!"
Ford returned the glare as he looked up at the other man. "I'm not the lying type and you know it." He stated, clenching his fists.
Mabel, who still hid behind McGucket, was confused by the strange conversation. What are they talking about? She questioned to herself.
Bill hummed at Ford's statement. "Maybe not, but you sure didn't have a problem with kissing him behind my back!" He said, a faint look of hurt on his face. He shook the look away and brought back his glare. Literally. Bill added.
Fiddleford and Ford gasped in unison. So that's why Bill is doing all this... Ford thought to himself. How could he have been so foolish as to not have predicted this was what Bill had assumed? He felt a bit of pity for the man knowing that Bill took what happened that day the wrong way, however he couldn't believe the horrible way Bill thought up for 'resolving' the issue.
BIll turned to look at Karen. "What do you say, honey, should we get this party started or what?" He asked. The brunette gave a grin, along with an eager nod. Bill puts his spare hand that wasn't clutching the amulet in front of him. He summoned an unfamiliar green power source emerging from his palm thanks to the amulet's extra magic.
The man looked down at Ford. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to trust you, Stanford. But I hope you're happy with the outcome of breaking my dumb little human heart." Bill said with a glare. Ford couldn't form words. What was he to do now?
The green magic formed itself into a ball in the palm of Bill's hand. Just before he could place the magic atop Brock's forehead to place the curse, Bill heard a familiar young feminine voice yell, "Stop!"
Bill turned to face the people below by the tunnel entrance and saw Mabel take a step forward, coming out of hiding behind Fiddleford. Bill raised an eyebrow at the presence of the girl. His mouth opened slightly in shock.
"S-Shooting star?" Bill addressed. "W-What are you doing here, kid? It's dangerous!" He stated. Bill mentally kicked himself for caring about the girl's safety. Before becoming human, he wouldn't have cared what happened to Mabel. Now, his emotions left him concerned.
Mabel ignored the question, as well as the warning, and continued to walk towards the demon. Ford gasped and put a hand out in fear of his niece getting injured. "Mabel, what are you doing?" He asked. Mabel didn't hear her uncle. Ford's face became firm, as well as his voice. "Mabel Pines, get back here this instant!" He commanded, pointing a finger down to the ground he was standing on.
Mr. Powers scoffed. "Idiot girl." He muttered, shaking his head and folding his arms.
Mabel continued to walk towards Bill. She looked up at Bill and extended her arms by her sides as she continued to walk towards him.
"Why are you doing this?" Mabel asked, looking at Bill.
Bill narrowed his eyes at the girl. "For revenge on your uncle!" He answered, shooting a glare towards Ford before looking back down at Mabel.
Mabel stood beside Soos and put her hands on her hips. "How does this solve anything?" She asked, tilting her head and tapping her foot, expecting an answer from the man.
Bill was stunned by the question. The green power in the palm of his hand vanished as he was lost in thought. "Uh..." He muttered.
Mabel began to tear up, sniffling before speaking. "Grunkle Ford has been worried sick about you!" She stated. "W-Whatever he did to upset you, y-you can't just do this to an innocent baby!" She said, shaking her head.
Ford watched as his niece confronted the demon. He knew that Bill wouldn't harm the girl, so he just hoped that Mabel's stunt would pay off. He wondered how Mabel had found out just how worried he had felt for Bill's safety.
Bill was at a loss of words. He wasn't sure how to respond to Mabel. He huffed. "Look kid, you've got it all wrong if you think I want to do this." He said, frowning for a moment before giving a firm look once more.
"Well, then why don't you stop?" Mabel asked, folding her arms. Bill didn't respond. Mabel continued, "There is good in you, Bill. Whether you admit it to yourself or not doesn't matter, because I know it in my heart. I know you're not as bad as you think you are." She said, placing a hand on her heart as she spoke.
Bill's jaw dropped. He frowned. "Uh, I-I..." He stuttered, his mouth failing him.
Bill's attempt to form words went on hold when Karen hissed in pain and bit her lip, placing a hand on her forehead. Everyone in the room turned to look at the woman as she groaned in pain. She gagged, falling to her knees and gasping for air. Her lungs were failing her and she found it difficult to breathe.
The curse... Bill thought to himself. The hand witch chose her...
Karen clutched her throat, mentally begging for the slightest bit of air to fill her lungs. Her wish was not granted, and instead her vision got blurry. She inched over towards the edge of the rock mountain, hoping someone was there who could help her. She reached a hand out and went tumbling down the mountain, getting small scrapes on her arms as the rock's sharp edges hit her flesh.
The woman tried to cry out, only to realize that her throat had different plans. She crashed to the ground with a loud smack, and managed to bring herself to lay on her back before releasing her final breath.
Mr. Powers gasped at the sight of his daughter. "Precious!" He called out. He ran towards the rock mountain and got down on his knees beside Karen.
Bill looked down at the ground in surprise. That was fast. He thought to himself. He heard faint laughter coming from the amulet in his hands. Bill took his hand off the amulet to look down at it. He saw the hand witch's reflection saying, "As you can tell, I've made my choice."
Mabel gasped in horror at the sight of the blue magic surrounding Brock suddenly gone. She pointed at the child and screamed in fear. "Bill, help him!"
"Huh?" Bill blurted out, confused. He noticed that both his hands rested at his sides, rather than having one on the amulet to keep Brock in the air. Bill gasped and looked over at the baby to see him begin to fall. Bill quickly took a step to the right and caught the baby in his arms before the child could be harmed.
Brock gave a look of confusion up at Bill when he had noticed he was no longer floating. Bill got a reaction from the child he never would have guessed when Brock giggled as he looked at him. Bill was surprised by the unexpected reaction, however he found himself smiling back at the child with a look of guilt.
Bill walked over to the edge of the mountain and used a dangerously high amount of magic to safely levitate himself and Brock down onto the ground. Bill felt a bit lightheaded at the amount of magic he had used, however he didn't let it bother him.
Bill held the baby in his arms and walked over to Soos. When he was face to face with Soos, he carefully handed the baby over.
"I, uh.. I believe this little meatsack belongs to you." Bill said, awkwardly looking away.
Soos gasped at the sight of his son snuggled safely in his arms once again. "I-Is he okay?" Soos asked.
Bill nodded at the question and looked back at Soos. "Yeah, it was too early in the process for anything to take much action, if any." Bill explained, however Soos looked skeptical.
Bill sighed. "But just to be sure," He began, placing two fingers up to Brock's forehead. "There's a magic revoction spell." He said.
Soos sighed. "Thanks for doing the right thing, dawg." He said. "I'm just glad he's safe."
"Well, it's a good thing you guys got here when you did..." Bill said in more of a mutter. "Sorry for worrying ya', Question Mark." He apologized, awkwardly chuckling.
Mabel looked up at Bill and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his waist for a hug. "I knew you weren't this cruel." She muttered. Bill's eyes widened at the sight of the girl hugging him after the horrible act he had just attempted to pull off.
The other group arrived in the same room from a different tunnel to the right of everyone else. Joe and Fred look over at their boss, watching as he fumed with rage.
"Sir!" Joe called out. The two other agents rushed over to Mr. Powers. They kneeled down beside Karen, only to notice she wasn't breathing. "You're upset." Joe stated.
"Very." Mr. Powers agreed. "I was born unable to sense or feel the emotions of sadness. Instead, I feel nothing but anger."
"Why?" Fred asked. He gasped and felt like kicking himself for asking such a senseless question. Luckily, Joe did that for him.
"That monster... killed my daughter!" Mr. Powers roared, glaring over at Bill.
"I did not!" Bill retorted with a scoff.
Mr. Powers fumed. "Oh, yes you did," He muttered before raising his voice. "And I'll get my revenge on you if it's the last thing I do."
The Pines' family all looked over at Mabel at the sound of the teenager giggling. "Haha, that rhymed." Mabel said with a snicker. She noticed all eyes on her and looked around. "Not the time?" She asked.
Stanley walked over to Ford. "What happened here? And... why is there a dead lady?" He asked.
Ford adjusted his glasses and sighed. "There will be time for an explanation later." He assured.
"Fair enough," Stan said with a shrug. He noticed Soos walking over towards the rest of the group with a child in his arms. Stan gasped. "Holy Mackerel!" He exclaimed. "Is that who I think it is?" He asked. Before he could even get an answer, he rushed over to speak with Soos.
Moments later, Mr. Powers went back into one cave with Karen in his arms, along with Joe and Fred. In the tunnel Ford's group had originally came out of, Stan and Soos walked into said tunnel as they spoke about the baby. Dipper and Mabel followed behind Stan, Mabel informing her brother on the situation that had gone down. Behind them, Fiddleford walked silently. Ford was about to walk behind Fiddleford until he heard his nickname being called by the remaining person behind him.
"Sixer," Bill called out.
Ford turned around. He offered the man eye contact and a raised eyebrow, but nothing more. Bill accepted the fact that Ford wasn't likely to be in the mood for speaking to him for a while after what he had just done. Deep down, Bill knew he deserved the cold shoulder.
"Is it true?" Bill asked.
Ford was confused by the question. Bill understood this by his facial expression.
"Were... were you really worried sick about me?" Bill hesitantly asked the other man.
Ford gave no response. He turned around and gave an unamused facial expression. Bill frowned at not getting an answer to the question he desperately wanted to know, however he knew that it was only fair. Ford began to walk away towards the tunnel, however just before he stepped inside, he decided to answer Bill's question.
"...Yes." Ford responded, not bothering to look back.
Oh boy, how is Bill going to fix all of this? Well, I suppose it's a good thing that he was stopped before he could make matters worse. Again, I'm sorry that this chapter is so long, I PROMISE the next chapter won't be as long because I'm sure it gets really annoying having to either read a whole 12k word chapter at one time, or have to go back multiple times and find your spot. I'm sorry guys.
However, I did have a question I wanted to ask! About the whole Mr. Powers thing, and the "I'll get my revenge" situation, would anyone prefer for this not to happen? Is the whole 'Mr. Powers' situation getting a bit old? Because I'm not exactly sure what I would have planned for them in the future, so if you guys think it's best to leave their story here, that wouldn't be a problem :3 Feel free to comment your opinion!
Do I have remorse for killing off Karen? Well... no. I've actually been planning out her death for a while now. Heh...
A Bill redemption-type chapter will be up soon! (Multiple, of course...)
