So... I'm updating a bit earlier than usual. I guess that's a good thing. c:

You may have noticed that this chapter should have been chapter 39, however I took three chapters from the past (The ones that said: Part 2) And combined them into one. So that is why this story has three chapters less now. Don't worry, you didn't miss out on anything. I just wanted to make the past chapters that were less than 1,000 words a bit longer. I figured it would make this story seem a bit more put together since I used to have a habit of wanting to publish a daily chapter that consisted of less than 1,000 words. Hopefully it will look better for any new readers that may come to read this in the future. c:

This story is now at 200,000 words, that's crazy! I wonder if this fic will ever make it to 500,000... now that's a goal for sure. xD

Here is chapter 36 of "Welcome Home"!

The ride back home to the Mystery Shack was a quiet one. With Ford driving, Stan sitting in the passengers seat, and the twins, McGucket, and now Bill in the back seat, there was nothing too interesting to be seen. No one dared to speak or make conversation with Bill, which the demon didn't seem to mind, as he had opted to look out the back seat's window the entirety of the way back.

Soos had taken his truck back to Abuelita's, along with his son. His heart shattered at the fate of him having to explain to his grandmother that his girlfriend had tragically passed. At the very least his grandma could give him some parenting tips and pointers for the long future ahead of him. Stan had been generous to give him some time off work to get his family situations all sorted out. Soos knew that Wendy wouldn't be too pleased with working longer shifts, so the handyman encouraged himself to get back to work as soon as possible.

Ford parked the car near the gift shop entrance as he usually did and shut off the car. Stan got out of the car first and stretched his back, groaning at the relief of the stiffness in his back being released. The others emerged from the vehicle and they all walked towards the door.

Fiddleford glanced over at Bill and noticed the man's frown. This expression he wore was one McGucket wasn't used to seeing from him. FIddleford felt guilt building up inside of him once more, as it was his fault all of this had happened in the first place.

Ford opened the gift shop door and held it open for the group, watching Bill with his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he walked inside. Bill noticed the stare and looked straight forward to avoid eye contact. Once everyone was in the gift shop, Ford shut the door behind him. He walked over to the vending machine, looking down at his watch and pressing a button atop it which opened the vending machine. He stepped inside and walked downstairs, the door automatically closing behind him.

Stanley let out a sigh and folded his arms. "Not even a word, huh Pointdexter?" He muttered to himself at how quick his brother had been with retiring to his laboratory.

Everyone in the gift shop save Dipper walked towards the 'Employees only' door. Dipper grabbed his sister's sweater sleeve and gently tugged to get her attention. Mabel turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, dip-dop?" Mabel asked.

"Hey Mabel, can I talk to you?" Dipper asked.

Mabel nodded and stayed in the gift shop as the others departed to the living room and kitchen. Mabel waited for everyone to leave and folded her arms as she looked back at his brother.

"What's wrong?" Mabel asked. She gasped as her eyes widened. "Did the tooth fairy finally pay her debt?" She asked with a grin.

Dipper shook his head at the question. "Not yet." He muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and looking away.

Mabel frowned. "Aw, Boo!" She exclaimed, cupping her hands by her mouth to make her voice louder than it already was before folding her arms once more.

"I was gonna ask..." Dipper began, "Why did Bill come back here instead of going along with his plan?" He asked.

"Because he felt bad about what he did." Mabel answered with a simple shrug.

Dipper scoffed at the answer. "Come on, Mabel. This is Bill we're talking about." He reminded. "Bill doesn't feel bad about stuff that happens, all he wants is for others to feel bad." He stated with an eyeroll.

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Dipper, be considerate! At least he's making an attempt to change!" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"You call trying to place a curse on a newborn an attempt to change?" Dipper shot back, raising an eyebrow.

Mabel sighed. "Look, bro-bro, I don't want a repeat of the other day." She said.

"Yeah, me neither." Dipper agreed in more of a mutter.

Mabel took a step back and pointed towards the 'Employees only' door. "I'm gonna go talk to Bill." She announced to her brother.

Dipper's eyes widened. "Mabel, are you crazy?" He asked.

"Maybe," Mabel admitted with a shrug, "But if no one else will talk to Bill, I will. He should at least have his side of the story heard." She said.


Meanwhile, Stan, Fiddleford and Bill were in the kitchen. Fiddleford was grabbing a mug from the cupboard, while Bill took a sip from his water glass at the table. Stan, however, was leaning on the fridge with his arms folded in clear annoyance.

"So let me get this straight," Stan began. Ford had filled Stan in on the majority of what had happened back when they were walking through the tunnel back to the front of the cave. Stan looked at Bill. "You took Soos' baby, went to that weird cave system with your dumb girlfriend, and used the dumb amulet you nerds had been testin' all with the dumb intention of getting 'revenge' on my brother?" He asked Bill, narrowing her eyes.

Bill cringed at Stan overusing the word 'dumb', however he pushed the thought aside and nodded, taking another sip of water.

Stan glared and growled in anger, unfolding his arms and taking a step closer to the demon. He raised an arm up and swiftly brought it close to Bill, harshly backhanding the man in the face and clenching his fists by his sides. The water Bill held in his hand dropped to the floor along with Bill himself at the pressure of the slap. Bill bit his hip. This pain wasn't hilarious, however he kept silent as to not give the other man the pleasure of hearing his cry of pain.

Fiddleford heard the noise of the sudden sound of skin smacking against other skin. He turned around and gasped in fear at the sight of Bill laying on the kitchen floor with a hand up to his face.

Stan looked down at the demon who lay on the floor. He pointed a finger down to the demon, his glare still apparent.

"Alright, you listen here ya' freak," Stan began. "Ever since you got here, my brother's been nothin' but good to ya', so don't go sayin' you're seeking revenge on him." He said, narrowing his eyes. He folded his arms. "If Ford wasn't here and this was my house, you wouldn't even be here right now. So if I was you, I'd be a little more grateful." Stan said.

Bill sat up and pressed a hand gently towards his cheek, hissing at the stinging feeling. He had forgotten just how powerful a simple slap from the man could be.

"Now I might not hate ya', but that don't mean I like ya' hangin' around the house." Stan stated. "Don't think I can forgive ya' so fast about takin' the kid."

Fiddleford watched the exchange in shock. Sure, Stan could be voilent, however he couldn't stop but wonder just how differently the situation would have been had Ford been in the room. Surely he would protect Bill, regardless of the situation that had just been presented earlier in the day.

Bill brought himself to stand and shot a glare at Stan. He didn't bother to clean the water that has been spilt, instead he just kept a hand on his cheek as he walked out of the kitchen.

Mabel and Bill walked into the living room from different areas of the house in unison. Bill and sat atop the couch chairs' armrest. Mabel walked over to the man.

"Oh, Bill! Just the guy I wanted to talk to!" Mabel said with a smile.

"Why?" Bill asked, raising an eyebrow. He immediately questioned why the girl looked so happy.

Mabel shrugged and sat on the couch chair beside Bill. "Well," She began, "Because everyone should have their sides of the story heard." She said with a smile, standing up atop the chair and leaning her arm atop his shoulder.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Bill asked, retracting his hand from his face and folding his arms instead.

Mabel looked at the large mark that was sure to bruise by morning and gasped. She sat back down on the couch and looked the demon in the eyes.

"Oh my gosh, Bill, what happened?" Mabel asked, placing her hands atop her mouth in shock.

Bill opted to laugh it off. He just chuckled and shrugged. "It's nothing, Shooting Star." He lied.

Mabel wasn't convinced. "Who did this to you?" She asked.

"Your uncle, who do ya' think?" Bill shot back with an eye roll.

Mabel squinted her eyes to get a better look at the mark. She counted the apparent finger joint marks and was relieved to see only five fingers bruising into his flesh. At the sight of the five fingers, she knew that she would have to give Stan yet another lesson on why violence is for bullies. Her grunkle seemed to need the third lesson of the week after nearly tackling a customer for only giving a $10.00 tip.

Mabel sighed. "Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Fire away." Bill agreed.

Mabel nodded slowly and looked up at Bill. "What... What were you and Grunkle Ford talking about earlier?" She asked.

Bill's mouth hung open at the question he certainly wasn't expecting from the girl. Mabel noticed the hesitant response. Eventually Bill just shrugged. "It's nothing." He responded.

"Bill," Mabel groaned, folding her arms. "That's what you said about your injury." She pointed out.

This counts as an injury, doesn't it? Bill shook the thought aside and offered the young teen a smile. "Just some stuff that happened a couple months ago." Bill said.

"Ooh, personal situation stuff?" Mabel asked with a look that tried to encourage Bill to continue speaking about what had happened.

"Yeah, personal stuff," Bill encouraged, giving the girl a small glare. "So I would appreciate it if you didn't try getting involved." Bill hissed with narrowed eyes.

Mabel's frowned, her eyes showed clear skepticism. She decided not to push further in to the question, as Bill had a small gleam of sadness in his own eyes. It was gone in a flash, and Mabel had to blink to be sure of what exactly she had seen.

Bill let out a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry, Shooting Star, I just don't know how to explain it without..." He continued, but stopped himself before he could give something he didn'want want the girl knowing away.

Mabel just nodded with a smile. "It's okay, Bill-Bill, everyone has secrets!" She said, standing up from the couch. "I'll be back, I need to go give Grunkle Stan another lecture." She said, excusing herself to the kitchen.

Mabel skipped to the kitchen and watched McGucket leave with a mug in hand, containing a warm drink. Mabel stepped into the kitchen and folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at her Grunkle.

"Grunkle Stan," She started in an firm tone, tapping her foot on the floor.

Stan shut the cabinet and turned to look at the girl. "What's up, pumpki-Wha-Woah!" He exclaimed, regretting taking a step forward and slipping on the water that had been previously spilt, collapsing to the floor.

He looked up at Mabel who looked down at him, her arms still folded. "What did we say yesterday about violence?" Mabel asked with a stern voice.

Stan sighed and folded his arms before speaking in a low, bored tone. "Violence is strictly for bullies and should only be shown in the act of self defense." He muttered, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

"That's right." Mabel said with a nod of her head.

Stan sat up. "But that jerk deserved it! No one messes with Stan Pines' employee's son!" He said, cracking his knuckles and making fists.

"Okay," Mabel began, "But what's the better option here?" She asked.

Stan looked at the girl with a smirk. "Dynamite!" He exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air and laughing darkly. His laugh was quickly replaced with repetitive coughs.

"Uh-uh." Mabel retorted, shaking her head in a disapproving manner.

Stan sighed and looked at the ground in defeat. "Using my...words." He forced out, cringing at the disturbing and unfamiliar way the three words matched together.

Mabel grinned. "Very good!" She cooed, patting the top of Stan's head with a giggle. Stan just huffed.


A few hours later, Stan and the kids were watching a movie on the Tv, Ford had yet to leave his laboratory, Bill was in the gift shop staring down at the amulet he had placed on the counter, and Fiddleford was walking towards said shop, unaware of whom he would encounter.

Fiddleford walked into the gift shop and saw Bill sitting in the chair behind the cash register. He gasped and took a quiet step back, reaching for the door behind him in an attempt to leave before the demon saw him.

Unfortunately for McGucket, Bill could tell he had entered the room without looking up from the amulet he was so focused on.

"What do you want?" Bill asked, using the amulet as an excuse not to look at the man.

Fiddleford cringed and adjusted his glasses. "Erm... Nothin' really." He said, backing up.

Bill sighed and pushed the chair away from the counter before standing up. He looked at McGucket and noticed fear in the man's eyes. It gave Bill both annoyance and relief.

"Tell me, Fidds," Bill began, putting his hands behind his back as he walked closer to the other man. McGucket gulped. He looked into Bill's eyes, shaking.

Bill scoffed at the cowardly look Fiddleford wore. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Bill assured, rolling his eyes. "I just want you to tell me something."

"A-And what would t-that be?" Fiddleford asked.

Bill put his hands on his hips and looked back at the man. "What do you see in ol' Fordsy?" He asked.

McGucket raised an eyebrow. "W-What do ye' mean?" He asked.

"What made you do what you did?" Bill asked.

Fiddleford was going to ask for more context, however he already knew what the demon was speaking of.

"Well..." Fiddleford began in a hesitant manner. "He-He's a smart man. We've known each other since our days back in college. He's aged well, a sight for sore eyes, really." He admitted.

Bill felt a wave of deja vu at the words. Sight for sore eyes. Bill remembered telling Ford that once. Back then he hadn't meant it in a love type of way, of course. But hearing the expression months later hit Bill hard, as if someone had chucked a hard clay brick at his heart.

"Can't argue there." Bill agreed with a sigh, looking away with his arms folded.

Fiddleford noticed the frown on the man's face and felt a wave of guilt. He put his hands in his pockets. "Listen, er... Bill..." He started. "I-I just wanted to tell ye' that I'm sorry about this. All of this." He said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. (Mainly to mess with his fluffy hair, courtesy of Mabel.)

Bill looked back at the man, raising an eyebrow. "You are?" He asked. Fiddleford nodded. Bill narrowed his eyes for a moment before scoffing. "Oh please, You were just getting rid of the competition." He muttered before giving a sarcastic smirk. "Well congratulations Fiddlesticks, you did just that."

"Ford made his choice." Fiddleford interrupted before the demon continued. "After I kissed im', he told me he wasn't interested. Stanford chose you, and...and I respect his choice." He said, putting his hands behind his back.

Bill was taken aback by the information. He looked at the man for a bit before shaking his head. "You're lying." He stated, putting his hands on his hips. "There's no way you just gave up." Bill said with his eyes narrowed once more, yet this time in more of a skeptical manner.

"No liar here," McGucket assured, putting his hands up slightly. "I've backed off. Ye' can go ask 'im yerself." He said with a shrug.

Bill gave a quick shake of his head along with a chuckle. "Oh heck no, I don't think Sixer's gonna want anything to do with me for a while." He said.

"How can ye' be sure?" Fiddleford asked, tilting his head.

Bill gave the other man an unamused look. He pointed towards the vending machine beside him. "He's been in there all afternoon. He hasn't come out once." He pointed out.

"Doesn't he norm'lly do that?" McGucket asked.

Bill face palmed and huffed, groaning as his hand slowly slid down his face. He let his hands fall to his sides and sighed. "I don't feel like taking the chance." He admitted.

"I could talk to 'im for ye', if ye' want." Fiddleford offered.

Bill's eyes widened at the offer. "Really?" He asked.

Fiddleford nodded at the question. "It's only fair after makin' this big misunderstandin' between the two of ye'." He said with a shrug. "In fact, I think I know how ta' fix it." He added.

"How?" Bill asked.

Fiddleford hummed and adjusted his glasses. "I'm not sure if ye' would exactly approve of the idea." He admitted.

"Tell me anyway." Bill answered back, putting his hands on his hips once more.

McGucket nodded slowly and motioned for Bill to come closer. Bill did as told and got down on one knee as Fiddleford spoke in a quiet manner. "Did Stanford ever tell ye' about that spare memory gun I kept all these years?" He asked.

"Uh... No-" Bill admitted before coming to the realization of the other man's idea. He gasped and stood back up in fear, looking at the smaller man who nodded up at Bill.


Ford was down in his laboratory, working on an enchantment spell he had written about years ago. And by working, he meant struggling. The spell had been down in the basement before he had ever disappeared through the portal, and he had yet to even test the spell. He had tried making the spell work multiple times throughout the afternoon, however he felt too stressed to actually perform it correctly.

He had been told of the spell by Bill years ago. Twice had Ford wondered if Bill remembered the spell, and how to correctly perform it in case he was missing something. Both times Ford reminded himself that he didn't need Bill's assistance. Ford was confident that his note taking had been just as good -if not better- than it was now.

The basic workings of the spell were this: One would select a blade that had been well sharpened, place it atop a flat surface, call out the exact chant that was listed, and focus their eyes on the blade. The spell was meant to keep a knife's sharpness last for much longer periods of time. Ford figured it would be an effective tool to use for adventures. If he could manage to complete it, that is.

On one side of his desk was the page of the notebook he had written down the notes of the spell in, and on the other side was a small, sharp blade which he was planning to enchant.

Ford looked down the notebook as he hovered his hand over the blade that lay flat on the desk.

"Vkcus cv c qhhgoh, Vkcus cv c qhhgoh..." Ford muttered, following along with the spell's wordage. His pupils disappeared from his eyes, making his eyes white and glowing. The light from his eyes reflected against the knife, and ended up reflecting onto an empty vase at the corner of his desk. The white light reflecting from his eyes became warmer by the second, eventually heating the glass to the point where it shattered. A piece of glass scraped at Ford's chin, leaving a small wound on the side of his face.

Ford gasped and his eyes turned back to normal. He brought a hand hesitantly up towards his face and hissed at the stinging pain caused by the open wound. Ford looked over at the broken vase and sighed.

That's the third vase that's broken this afternoon. Ford thought to himself, rolling his eyes. He didn't understand- what was he doing incorrectly? The thought of asking Bill crossed his mind again- however he chose to deny it. He wished to keep his distance from the man for a while. Ford wasn't sure if it was the best option, but at the very least it would give them some time apart.

I haven't been upstairs since everyone got home. Ford had to remind himself. Maybe just one more attempt at this spell... He thought before looking over at the vases he had so far used. He had but two vases left.

Maybe it needs to be a bit more sharpened. Ford thought. He figured it would be worth a try, but he knew that it could wait a bit. He walked towards the elevator, deciding to go upstairs for a bit. Ford pressed the button on the elevator, walking inside.


"No!" Mabel and Dipper exclaimed in unison at the stupidity of a character in a movie that was being played on the Tv. Stan just laughed, knowing the deep mistake the character had made. Bill, who has sat himself on the skull beside the couch, just watched along.

The four all turned to the 'Employees only' door, watching Ford emerge from the gift shop and head towards the kitchen without a sound.

Mabel turned around to look at Bill and tugged on his black jeans to get his attention. Bill looked down at the girl to see her pointing towards the doorframe, encouraging him to go talk to Ford. Bill looked over and bit his lip, looking back at the girl and shaking his head. Mabel gave him a sad frown, one that she knew was irresistible to 90% of the people she had tried it on. Bill made the mistake of looking into her eyes, seeing her bottom lip quiver.

Bill sighed and narrowed his eyes at the girl. Mabel gave a wide grin, showing off her braces, and nodded. With a groan, Bill stood up and walked towards the door frame, blocking the tv as he passed by to Stan's audible annoyance.

Hesitantly, Bill put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the kitchen. He leaned on the doorframe and watched as Ford grabbed some grapes from the fridge that had been previously washed, placing the bowl they were placed in atop the table.

Bill waited a moment before sighing silently. He leaned his head on the doorframe to keep his bruising cheek hidden. Bill took a deep breath and worked up the bravery to speak.

"Hey." Bill muttered.

Ford looked over at the doorframe when he heard the voice. He gave a wave before looking away. "Hello." He muttered back, suddenly finding a plate on the counter interesting.

Bill nodded for no real reason. Ford ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, looking down at the table and grabbing a grape, popping one into his mouth before putting his hands in his coat pockets.

Bill walked over hesitantly. "Can I have one?" He asked, pointing at the grape bowl.

Ford just nodded with a shrug. "Go ahead." He muttered.

The smaller man extended his arm towards the bowl. He grabbed a grape and put it in his mouth. Bill and Ford heard a noise from the living room and both looked over frantically. Ford was first to notice it had only been a sound effect from the tv and looked back over at Bill. He noticed the other man had a forming bruise on his cheek.

"What happened here?" Ford asked, looking carefully at the injury. Bill looked back and gasped, placing a hand back atop his cheek to hide the injury to no avail. Ford carefully grabbed his wrist, pulling it away to look at the injury once more.

Bill looked at his wrist that was being held, then looked back into Ford's brown eyes. Bill tried speaking, however couldn't find the words. Eventually he was able to say, "J-Just a smack." He said with a shrug.

Ford narrowed his eyes at the injury and took two fingers, gently caressing the area. Bill hissed at the sting that he (to his surprise) didn't find funny. Ford quickly retracted his hand.

"Sorry, sorry." Ford apologized.

"Don't be," Bill said. "It's nothing."

Ford nodded in a skeptical manner and looked at the man. Bill looked back, trying to read Ford's facial expression. If course Ford was mad, and he had every right to be, however for the first time all afternoon, Ford had a look of temptation. The look had only stayed on his face for a bit, of course. Luckily for Bill, he had caught it just in time.

Bill gave a small smile as he looked into the other's eyes, taking his spare hand and bringing it up to Ford's fluffy hair, running his hand through it. Ford leaned into the touch and shut his eyes. His mind was scolding him for giving in to such a thing, however his heart allowed the action to go on for a bit longer.

It was at this moment that Bill noticed a new scrape at the side of Ford's chin. Bill slipped the hand ruffling the man's hair to the back of his head, rubbing the bit of Ford's neck that wasn't covered by his maroon sweater. Ford opened his eyes halfway at the contact and noticed Bill's eyes staring back at him when he looked into his shining yellow eyes that showed concern.

"What happened there?" Bill asked.

Ford was hesitant before responding. He knew just what Bill was referring to, words just seemed difficult to form at the time. "...Just a shard of glass." He answered, finding himself to have gotten lost in the other man's eyes.

It wasn't until now that Ford truly admired how perfect the man looked in that fancy outfit. He had noticed it earlier, yes, however he had never taken the time to truly admire his choice of fashion. In the heat of the moment, Ford put his spare hand on Bill's hip, which Bill seemed completely unopposed to. Bill took his other hand out of Ford's and hesitantly put both his hands at the back of the scientist's head, Ford putting his now spare hand atop Bill's back.

Bill parted his lips slightly at the contact, keeping their eyes locked, neither man looking away. Ford suddenly felt as if Bill were a magnet as he felt himself willingly leaning closer to the other's lips. Bill tilted his head to the side as Ford took his hand off Bill's back, instead placing it underneath his chin. Bill's eyes fluttered shut as he felt their faces drawing closer towards each other.

Their lips hardly got the chance to brush against each other when Ford stopped. He pulled his face away and cleared his throat, taking his hands away from the smaller man.

"Stop, this needs to stop." Ford stated, grabbing Bill's wrists and taking them away from his hair, letting go of the other's arms and placing his own hands behind his own back.

"Six-" Bill began, but stopped himself when Ford shook his head.

"It's not right." Ford muttered.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" He asked.

Ford scoffed. "Why?" He repeated, giving the man a firm glare. "I think you know exactly why." He said.

"I don't see why it's not right." Bill said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Must I remind you of the sickening act you attempted to perform earlier today?" Ford asked, his glare still apparent as he raised his voice.

Bill groaned obnoxiously and rolled his eyes. "I would have explained earlier if you hadn't rushed off and pouted in your little laboratory!" He shot back.

Ford narrowed his eyes. "I'll have you know I was working on a very durable sharpening spell for a specific blade I've kept safe down in the laboratory since I returned from the portal." He stated.

"Wait," Bill began, "The sharpening spell I told you about?" He asked.

Ford sighed and nodded. "Yes," He said, looking away for a moment before looking back at Bill with the previous glare he had shown. "But that's beside the point, Cipher. If you expect your actions to be forgiven so easily and quickly you are surely mistaken." He stated with a sneer.

Bill folded his arms. "Question Mark was pretty quick to forgive me!" He said.

Ford rolled his eyes at Bill's remark. "If you haven't noticed, Soos is one of the easiest people in all of Gravity Falls to persuade. He would forgive a carnival business for ripping him off with overpriced snacks and rigged games if it meant he could take home a balloon." He said.

Bill sighed. "Alright, you've got a point there. But Shooting Star was quick to forgive me, too!" He stated, putting his hands on her hips.

Ford adjusted his glasses and glared at Bill. "And what about Dipper? Or Stanley? Why, I'm sure you remember that slap to the face my brother gave you earlier, don't you?"

"So?" Bill shot back, glaring. His glare faded and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how did you know it was-"

"It's not a challenge to identify." Ford said.

"So what, you're just gonna give me the cold shoulder?" Bill asked, hands on his hips. Words were not needed- the man's glare answered the question for him.

Ford walked over to the doorframe and looked back at Bill. "You'll need to prove yourself before... " He began, stopping himself mid-sentence.

"Before?" Bill repeated.

Ford looked away at the living room to see those watching the tv laughing. He looked back and shook his head. "It's nothing." He said, walking away with a glare.

Stan saw his brother storming away and looked over before Ford could disappear.

"Jeez Ford, what crawled up your pants?" Stan asked. He was unamused when Ford left without giving an answer.

Dipper looked at Mabel in confusion. The girl could only shrug.


Fiddleford had snuck down to the basement when Ford had left. In his hand, he held the spare memory gun he was surprised to have seen in the portal room after all these years about a month ago. McGucket had hidden the device away in a room in the shack none of the Pines' used often at all. He hid behind the file cabinet, awaiting Ford's return. Bill had seemed somewhat apposed to the idea of Fidds taking Ford's memory away, but Fiddleford knew it was something he had to do. He owed it to the demon for messing everything up in the first place.

After a few minutes of waiting, McGucket could hear the faint sound of the elevator coming down. He took a knee behind the file cabinet and kept the memory gun up against his chest.

He looked his head out slightly as Ford walked past him, retreating towards the desk beside the portal room's window where the knife lay.

Ford looked down at the knife atop the desk and hummed. He considered sharpening the knife a bit more before attempting the spell again. Maybe then the spell would work. He placed his hands atop the desk as he turned his head to look over his notes for what had to be the fourteenth time.

Just go fer' it, Fiddleford tried telling himself. He's distracted with them notes there.

Ford narrowed his eyes at the notes. He didn't understand- he had followed the instructions perfectly. It had to be the knife, there wasn't a doubt in Ford's mind.

Ford scratched the back of his neck, looking down at the knife. He could see his reflection when he looked at the shiny silver dagger.

Fiddleford slowly walked towards the man, standing behind Ford from a distance. McGucket looked down at the memory gun and slowly moved the dial, typing into the gun, "B-A-B-Y-C-U-R-S-E".

Ford raised an eyebrow at hearing the sound of a dial slowly clicking. He turned around and gasped at the sight of a memory gun being charged up. Fiddleford couldn't see that the man had turned around through the blue light charging up by the light bulb bit. He squinted his eyes shut and pulled the trigger, sending a flash of blue light Ford's direction. Ford ducked down onto the ground, protecting his head with his arms as the shot was fired. He did a forward somersault towards the smaller man and swiftly disappeared behind McGucket.

The blue flash ricocheted off the window. McGucket gasped at the sight of Ford gone and the light coming back to hit him.

"Get down!" Ford exclaimed, grabbing Fiddleford by the shoulders and pulling the man down onto the floor beside him. Fiddleford exclaimed in fear and placed his arms atop his neck to protect his head, as did Ford. The blue light continued to ricochet around the glass objects in the room until the light's power began to ware out.

After a moment of staying down and safe from the light, Ford poked his head up from out of his arms to make sure the light had faded. When he saw no sign of the light around the room, he got on his knees and grabbed McGucket's shoulders with a firm grasp. Fiddleford looked at the other man, his eyes wide.

"What were you thinking?" Ford asked with a serious facial expression.

Fiddleford found words to be failing him. "I-I...Th-I-" He tried, however couldn't seem to form a proper sentence.

Ford gently released his grip on the man and adjusted his glasses. "Take your time." He said. He noticed a memory gun laying on the floor beside McGucket and slowly took the weapon, sliding it closer towards him so the smaller man wouldn't try to use it a second time. He sat atop his knees as he looked back over at the smaller man.

"I-I'm sorry, Stanford." Fiddleford apologized, sitting criss-crossed on the floor. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, straightening out his olive V-neck sweater vest.

"Why did you do it?" Ford asked. He had a feeling Bill had encouraged him to do this, however he didn't want to make a false assumption. He looked at the memory gun he had placed beside him and picked it up, looking down at what McGucket had dialed in to the device.

Ford looked back at Fiddleford. "Did Bill tell you to do this?" He asked.

Fiddleford shook his head at the question. "Naw, he actually said it wasn't a good idea." He informed. "But... I kinda owe it to the two of ye' after messin' up whatever the two of ye' shared." He said in more of a mutter, looking down at the floor.

"So he did know you were planning this." Ford said. Fiddleford nodded at the question. Ford huffed and narrowed his eyes. "He may have thought it wasn't a good idea, but he sure didn't think to tell me." He muttered in a bitter tone.

"How easy would it have been for him ta'?" Fiddleford defended, looking at Ford.

Ford was taken aback by the question. He looked at McGucket who had his arms folded. "Bill was in the kitchen the same time I had been. He could have told me then." He stated.

"He spoke to ye'?" Fiddleford asked, surprised.

Ford nodded at the question. "Yes, was there a reason he shouldn't have?" He asked.

McGucket shook his head at the question. "He said he din' wanna bother ye' because he knew ye' were upset with 'im." He answered.

"Well, who wouldn't be after that thickheaded stunt he pulled?" Ford shot back with a scoff. He sighed and looked at the floor, noticing that he had raised his voice a bit more than what would have been decent. "I'm sorry." Ford muttered.

Fiddleford shrugged and the apology and put a hand atop Ford's shoulder. "A-As crazy as this might sound, Stanford," McGucket began, "I-I'm gonna haveta' side with Bill on this one." He said.

Ford looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Come again?" He asked.

"Well," Fiddleford began with a shrug, retracting his hand from Ford's shoulder. "If ye' think about it... he did have a good reason ta' do what he did." He defended.

"And what reason is that?" Ford asked, rolling his eyes.

Fiddleford adjusted his glasses before speaking. "He did it fer' love." He said. "A-And I know I've never gotten along well with im', but I see that he's a changed... well, person. He really does love ye', Stanford. Bill told me he didn't want ta' do this in the first place." He said.

"Then why did he?" Ford asked in a more calm manner now.

McGucket shrugged at the question. "He's done a lot ta' change his ways after all these years. Ye' can't expect 'im ta' get everything right. I'm sure he sees the world different than we do. He hasn't had to deal with all these human-like emotions his whole life like we have." Fiddleford said. He sighed and looked away. "He...He never woulda' done such a thing if I hadn't gotten in the way of it all in the first place. If yer' gonna' be mad at anyone, ye' should be mad at me." McGucket muttered.

Ford shook his head slowly and placed a hand atop his friends shoulder. "I'm not mad at you." He assured.

"But yer' mad at him?" Fiddleford asked with a firm look. One that Ford hadn't seen from the man in quite some time.

Ford's mouth hung open slightly. The hand he had placed atop the smaller man's shoulder was frozen in mid-air as he tried to think up a response.

Fiddleford sighed. "Bill had a true reason, Stanford." He said, "As strange as it is ta' hear me say it, ye' shouldn't be this hard on 'im about it." He said.

Ford closed his mouth and looked away with a small frown. He hummed in a low tone and placed his hands atop his lap.

There's chapter 36! I'm sorry if the old chapter combinations were confusing. I can assure you that you didn't miss out on anything.

So... A lot of emotion in this chapter as well. Not so much sad, save Bill's down mood. I feel a bit evil for writing the kitchen scene how I did. Heh...

Unfortunately, Ford's still going to be like this for a while, as we know he holds a grudge on a lot of things. It felt a bit strange writing Fiddleford so defensive of Bill, as he has shown to have a distaste for Bill both cannon-wise and fic-wise. I also feel like the characters said "It's nothing." A lot in this chapter. I was originally going to have a character call them all out about it, but I figured it would be unnecessary.

I found the scene with Mabel scolding Stan quite humorous whilst writing it. xD

The next chapter will be up soon.