Hey everyone! I'm here with another chapter. Make sure to stay safe from the virus.

There's a bit of swearing in this chapter. I really tried to find a way around not using them, however it seemed fitting for the heat of the moment situations.

Here is chapter 38 of "Welcome Home"!

Soos drove back the way to the Mystery Shack, so that they were close enough to the shack to perform the resuscitation in case anything were to go wrong, yet far enough that any possible people around them wouldn't look on at the event. Soos was skeptical about the process, and a couple times he had wondered what he would feel if the process were to go wrong. Whatever the cost- he knew that he had to take the chance. He wouldn't let Melody's story end this way. Soos hoped that Bill knew what he was doing just enough for his plan to work. This had to work. This needed to work.

Soos parked the car beside a large stone, a stone they opted to use as a marker for their location. Around them was nothing but pine and spruce tree's, along with the occasional bush. It was still bright outside, the sun had not yet set.

The moment Soos shut the car off and got out of the truck, Bill looked beside him and unbuckled the middle seat which Soos had placed Melody in. He gently took hold of the woman and picked her up, taking her out of the vehicle whilst being careful not to harm her. Soos walked over to Bill with intentions of helping the man. Soos took Melody in his arms and gently placed her atop the grass, the back of her head leaned up against a tree.

Meanwhile, Ford and Wendy got out of the vehicle, both shutting their doors. Wendy walked over to the old man and leaned over his shoulder slightly, trying to read what he was writing down. Ford was quick to notice the presence of the teenager and turned around.

"Can I help you?" Ford asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wendy shrugged. "You've been writing in that notebook the whole way here, and even now you're writing. What's so important?" She asked out of mere curiosity.

"Oh, this?" Ford asked, pointing at the mini notepad in his hand. Wendy nodded at the question, and Ford continued, "There's a sharpening spell I've been working on as of recently," He informed, "I have quite a few theories on the spell, and when one comes to mind my first instinct is to write it down." He answered with a small smile.

"Cool," Wendy said, folding her arms. "What's the spell for?" She questioned, tilting her head.

"A dagger of mine," Ford answered without hesitation. "Beautifully crafted, made up of durable materials. If I could just get this sharpening spell on it to work, it just might be one of the greatest blades I've carried in my possession." He said, putting his notepad and pen away in his lab coat.

"Aw man," Wendy began with a grin, "If you figure out how that spell works, you've gotta show it to me. It would make chopping logs so much easier." She stated.

"If it doesn't seem to have any dangerous side effects, then yes, I would be happy to share." Ford said, putting his hands behind his back.

"Sweet." Wendy commented before walking off. She walked over towards Soos and noticed the handyman speaking to Bill about the process, mainly asking questions. Bill leaned against a tree, his arms folded as Soos asked question after question. Wendy noticed a small look of annoyance on Bill's face.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Soos asked.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Bill questioned.

"Yeah, but what if it doesn't work?" Soos continued.

"Tough luck." Bill stated with a shrug.

"What's gonna happen if it does work?" Soos asked.

Bill rolled his eyes at the question. "Then you get your girlfriend back." He replied.

"Okay," Soos said hesitantly, looking away and nodding slowly before looking back at the demon. "So are you sure it'll work?" He asked once more.

Bill glared, his eyes glowing red for a moment before returning to yellow. "I don't know, Question Mark!" He shouted, his fists clenched by his sides in annoyance.

Soos put his hands up in front of him in an innocent manner. Wendy walked over to Bill and folded her arms. "Calm down, man." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

Bill groaned and rolled his eyes, sighing obnoxiously before staring at the teenager. "You try answering repetitive questions you don't know the answer to, Red!" He shot back with a sneer. For a moment he began to have second thoughts about helping out, as it was a rather stressful process. He shook the thought out of his head. His human emotions wouldn't allow him to opt out of this after he had gotten Soos' hopes up so high. Even worse, backing down would only earn Bill disapproval from Ford. More disapproval that he didn't need on his back at the time.

"Sorry dude." Soos muttered, looking away awkwardly.

Bill pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You're fine, kid. I'm just..." He began, stopping himself before he spoke. He just shook his head. "Nevermind." He muttered.

Wendy was skeptical of the demon's stopped explanation. She wondered for a moment if Bill was hiding something from the group. She had even assumed perhaps he was hiding an important bit of the plan. It was Bill, after all, and Wendy sure didn't trust him very much, if at all. However, her assumption didn't seem reasonable for long- as Bill's tone of voice seemed to have a more personal ring to it when he had spoken. She looked over at Ford, who went back to writing in his notepad.

Bill took the amulet from off his neck and looked down at it. He looked over at Melody and sighed. He too began to wonder what would happen if the plan didn't work correctly. He wondered if his effort was only stirring up more disappointment. Normally he wouldn't exactly care, however he owed it to Soos to give it a shot. And though Bill wasn't responsible for Melody's death, a part of him still felt as if it were his fault.

"Well," Bill began hesitantly, "I guess there's no point in hesitating." He said, looking at Soos once more. Ford looked up from his notepad at the words, yet no one seemed to notice.

"S-So what do we do?" Soos asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bill looked over at Melody and pointed at the grass in front of her before looking back at Soos. The demon wore a serious facial expression. "We need to get her on level ground, we should move her to the grass." He said.

"Do we have, like, a blanket or something?" Soos asked as he walked over to his girlfriend. "Melody always hated that weird scratchy feeling you get after laying or sitting down in grass." He said.

Wendy nodded at Soos' statement. "Plus, she's wearing white shorts. The grass could stain those pretty easily." She added.

Bill rolled his eyes. "If anyone had a blanket, it would be you, Question Mark. You're the one with a truck." He pointed out.

"Oh, right!" Soos said with a chuckle. He walked over to his truck and looked in the front seat, back seat, back of the truck, yet he couldn't find a blanket. This didn't come as much of a surprise to him, as he didn't remember a time where he had kept a blanket in his car.

Soos looked back over at Bill. "Sorry dude, I don't have one." He apologized.

Bill hummed. "What about you, Red?" He asked.

"Sorry man." Wendy said, shaking her head.

Bill just sighed. "Well then where would we-" He began in confusion before looking over at Ford. His eyes widened when he saw the scientist wore his lab coat overtop his turtleneck. Ford noticed three sets of eyes on him and looked back at the others in confusion. He scratched the back of his neck in an awkward manner.

Wendy looked at the old man. "Hey dude, can we borrow that?" She asked.

"Borrow?" Ford repeated, tilting his head. "Borrow what?" He questioned.

Bill pointed at his coat. "Your lab coat." He answered.

Ford tossed his notepad aside into the back of Soos' truck. He looked down at his arms as he shrugged the garment off his body. Ford grasped his coat in one hand and handed it over to Bill.

Bill took the coat from the other man. "Thanks." He muttered. He handed the coat to Soos, who walked over towards Melody. Soos got down on one knee and placed the coat atop the grass, flattening it out. He then grabbed Melody and placed her down atop the coat.

Soos looked over at Bill. "Now what?" He asked.

"Now..." Bill began, walking over towards Melody and kneeling beside Soos. "This is where I take over." He announced. "Everyone back away." He commanded, an arm behind him as he clutched the amulet in his hand with a bit of force. A blue light surrounded his palm, which Bill smirked at. He took his spare hand over towards Melody's chin, and gently moved the woman's jaw to open her mouth.

Bill remembered how when he had taken the remainder of Melody's soul to heal in the amulet, what he assumed to be her 'life' left from her mouth and floated towards the amulet. Bill assumed that if he reversed the action, the same smoke could leave the amulet and float back into her mouth similar to what had happened at the hospital.

He held the amulet up close by Melody whilst placing a hand atop her stomach as a blue light emerged from his palm. Soos gasped at the sight and assumed it was flame. He was about to run up to Bill to stop the process when Ford extended an arm beside him to block the handyman from moving any closer. Ford turned his head to look at Soos and shook his head.

"B-But-!" Soos sputtered in fear.

"It's not fire." Ford assured.

Soos was skeptical for a moment, however he knew that Ford wouldn't lie about this. And even if he would, Soos had heard from multiple people that Ford was terrible at lying. Soos sighed and took a step back. Ford looked back over at Bill and put his arms behind his back.

Wendy's eyes widened at the sight. She was surprised that Bill was actually helping rather than making the situation worse. Her question was why. Why was he doing this?

Bill doesn't care about people. Wendy thought. He only cares about himself. He only does something if it benefits him. So why is he helping? Wendy had several questions she wished to ask about the current situation, though she knew that now certainly wasn't the right time to do so.

Bill looked at the amulet as the light blue substance emerged from the amulet and floated away from the jewel. He grinned at the sight all until the point where the light began to spread around the air rather than into Melody's mouth. Bill gasped at the sight and coughed when part of the smoke-like substance entered his mouth. He clutched his chest and lost his grip on the amulet. He quickly placed his hands on the ground to prevent himself from falling over.

"Bill, W-What's wrong, dawg?" Soos asked, a look of concern on his face. Ford didn't bother stopping the handyman when he walked over to Bill. He was more focused on the blue smoke floating around in the air, as was Wendy.

Bill wheezed and looked up at the sky, seeing the smoke spreading. "N-No!" He exclaimed in fear. "Th-That's not supposed to happen!"

"What do we do?" Soos asked, looking at Bill.

Bill looked back at the handyman, then up at the air. "I... I don't know." He admitted, remorse apparent in his eyes. "I don't think-" He began, but was interrupted by Soos.

"Aw dude, don't say there's nothing we can do!" Soos pleaded, putting his hands on his head.

Bill just looked at Soos for a moment before looking down at the ground under him. He shut his eyes and sighed. Soos understood what this meant and bit his lip.

Wendy and Ford walked over to the others. Wendy tried grabbing some of the blue smoke substance in her hands. When she assumed she had caught some, she got down on one knee and put her hands by Melody's mouth to force the dust inside. Wendy waited a moment before taking her hands away. The others looked on at the action in hope. Their hope was shattered when the smoke floated up out of Melody's mouth.

Bill groaned and clenched his fists. "Why didn't this work?" He muttered, mostly to himself. "This was supposed to work!" He exclaimed in a louder pitch. He growled and slammed a fist on the ground. "Why isn't any of this working?" He shouted, his eyes turning red.

Soos looked at the man and was taken aback by how effected the demon seemed by this. He knew that Bill was trying to help, but he didn't know that the failing of the event would have this much of an affect on the man. Soos hesitantly put a hand around Bill's shoulder.

"It's okay." Soos tried assuring to no avail.

Bill shook his head and looked at Soos with a glare, his red eyes still apparent. "How can you say that?" He shot, anger rushing through him. "I told you this would work, and it didn't. This is your girlfriend, Question Mark! How can you possibly say something so positive in such a negative situation?" He asked, fighting the urge to punch the grass once more.

"You never said it would work," Soos retorted in attempt to make the man feel better. "You were never completely sure on what would happen. It's not like you promised this would work or anything. Don't be so hard on yourself." He said.

Bill's eyes returned to their normal yellow shade. There was no point in denying it- because by the end of the day, he knew that Soos was right. He had never promised anything, not was he fully confident the plan would work correctly. Bill sighed and grabbed the amulet in the palm of his hand, standing up now. He looked at Ford and walked over to the man. Ford looked at the demon and glanced at the amulet in his hand.

"Do you have any ideas?" Bill asked.

Ford shook his head at the question. "If anyone would know, it would be you." He said in a calm manner. "Surely you've had some experience with viewing or instructing this to someone in the past, haven't you?" He asked, tilting his head.

Bill huffed at the question. "Well, I hate to break it to ya' here IQ, but I don't exactly have that knowledge anymore." He pointed out, putting his hands on his hips.

Ford folded his arms at the remark. "Did you ever consider, perhaps, that certain knowledge would stay if you were to have participated in a specific act, or taught someone?" He questioned.

Bill thought about that question for a moment, looking away. After a moment of pondering the question, he sighed. "No." He admitted in a muttered tone.

Wendy continued to look around in the air at the smoke as it continued to drift away. She pondered multiple ideas and theories in her head (A trait that had rubbed onto her ever since the twins had visited Gravity Falls) and wondered if there was something, anything that could possibly make this work.

There has to be a solution. Wendy thought to herself. This is Gravity Falls, there's gotta be more to this.

Ford looked over at Wendy and noticed the girl was in deep thought. However it wasn't grief- no, she looked as if to be questioning something big. Being the informed scientist he is, Ford hesitantly walked up to the teenager and tilted his head to look at her eyes. Wendy noticed the maneuver and raised an eyebrow whilst making eye contact with the old man.

"Is everything okay?" Ford questioned.

Wendy didn't hesitate to nod in response, though she wasn't too sure herself. Ford was skeptical, however decided to give the teenager some space. He took a step back before departing to where he had previously stood. Before he could walk away, he heard a feminine voice calling his name.

Wendy looked back at Ford and put her hands in her jean pockets. "Actually," She began, "I had a thought. It's stupid and I know it won't work. In fact, it's a pretty bad idea." She admitted, looking away.

Ford put a hand on Wendy's shoulder, cauing the teenager to look back at him once more. "At this point," Ford began, "All ideas are good ideas."

Wendy folded her arms and sighed. She remembered a time when Mabel had said those exact same words. "Well," Wendy began, unsure of if what she was about to recommend would be anything close to effective.


"Hah!" Stanley exclaimed with a wide grin as he watched on at the wrestling program that was playing on the living room tv. Brock, too, giggled in an evil-like way as one man put the other in a chokehold.

"This is great!" Stan, who had changed into his ordinary grey tank top and blue boxers as of recently, exclaimed with a smile. Stan somewhat carefully grabbed Brock from under his arms and held the child up off his lap to look at him. Brock was dressed in a blue hoodie and soft grey pants, along with orange, green, and white striped socks. Stan was surprised that Soos had already gotten the child an outfit being that the baby was currently no older than just a few days old. Brock flung his arms around and giggled.

Stan kept his grin. "Just you and me, kiddo! Don't know what your dad's doin', though." He said. Stan had seemed to have forgotten that Wendy and Bill were still supposed to be working.

Brock raised his nose in the air slightly, a tingly feeling in his nose suddenly appearing. This was a sense little Brock had never before experienced, which caused him to fear the sensation. Brock parted his lips and opened his mouth slightly as he tilted his head back, as if doing so would get rid of the feeling.

Stan questioned the odd behavior displayed by the child he was still curently holding in front of him. "Kid?" He asked. Stan was rather quick to realize that Brock was about to sneeze, and his eyes widened. "Kid, what're ya'-!" Stan exclaimed, squinting his eyes shut as he heard a sneeze sounding like a kitten come from Brock. Stan groaned at the disgusting feeling of the mob of miniature saliva particles that now surrounded his face. He gagged at the feeling of mucus sliding down the slide of his face.

Brock looked at the old man with wide eyes. For a moment he had questioned why the man had a change of facial expressions from what he had gotten used to from earlier. However Brock found Stan's facial expression to be quite a funny one, resulting to the child merely giggling in response to the situation.

Stan opened his eyes slightly, silently grateful that his glasses had helped protect his eyes from the fluid projected. He took the glasses from off his face and cringed at the sight of small saliva drops littering the lenses of his glasses. He pulled Brock close in his arms and used the child's jacket to clean the saliva off his glasses.

Brock looked down at his jacket in confusion. Why was the man wiping the odd reflective frames he wore atop his face on his stomach? For a bit he wondered if the old man was trying to turn him into a strange reflective frame. Brock whimpered at the thought of possible danger as his bottom lip quivered.

Stan used his spare hand to place his glasses back on his face. He buried his head inside his tank top as he wiped the saliva from off his face before looking back up at the tv. He looked down to see Brock whimpering and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Stan blurted out in alarm when he had realized that the baby was about to cry. He didn't know how to stop a baby from crying! What was he to do now? Before Brock could begin his fit, Stan slowly rocked him in his arms, hoping that doing so would cause an effect other than crying.

Brock looked up at the man as he slowly began to feel his eyelids getting heavy. Stan saw Brock yawn as the baby shifted in his arms. His eyes widened when Brock rested his little head atop Stan, burying his face in the old man's chest before peacefully drifting off to sleep.

Holy makerel! Stan thought to himself. Hah! I just stopped a kid from cryin'! Just wait until Pointdexter hears about this!

Stan remained on the couch, smiling down at the baby as he turned down the tv. He looked over at the 'Employee's only' door and watched as Fiddleford emerged from the gift shop. Stan began to wonder where hw had been all day.

"Hiya, Stan-" Fiddleford greeted in a normal tone of voice. Stan's eyes widened at the man and shushed him from across the room. Fiddleford raised an eyebrow until realizing the child resting in Stan's arms.

"Hey, Fidds! Get a load of this!" Stan whisper-shouted, pointing a finger from his now spare arm down at Brock who slept peacefully in his other.

Fiddleford gasped and gave a warm smile. Hesitantly, he walked up to Stan and Brock and adjusted his glasses. "Aww," Fiddleford muttered, his smile still apparent. "Now that right there's somethin' ye' don't see everyday." He said, gently patting the child on the head before folding his arms.

"Ain't it?" Stan asked with a grin. "He was gonna' cry, but I put him ta' sleep instead."

McGucket's eyes widened at the information. "W-Wait, ye' knocked a newborn out cold?" He asked in horror.

"What?" Stan asked. "No, I rocked him ta' sleep." He assured with an eye roll.

Fiddleford gave a sigh of relief at the confirmation. "Heh... Right." He said, feeling foolish for asking such a ridiculous question. Then again, this was Stanley whom he was thinking of. Stan had a reputation of being quite an unpredictable person.

Fiddleford and Stan turned to look at the door frame as Mabel poked her head out after coming downstairs from her room. She looked at Fiddleford and smiled. She was glad that he had taken quite a liking to the makeover that she had given him to where he now wore it regularly. She turned to Stan and widened her eyes at the sight of Brock sleeping peacefully in his arms and against his chest.

"Oh my gosh!" Mabel beamed in a hushed tone. "Hold on!" She said before running off. Stan and McGucket exchanged glances at the strange disappearance of the girl. Mabel was quick to come back with a camera in hand. Before Stan could protest, Mabel snapped a photo of Stan and Brock. She took a second photo with the plan of giving it to Soos.

"Scrapbooker-tunity!" Mabel said with a giggle. She was about to show Stan the photos until the three heard the ringing of the gift shops bell that ring when someone entered.

Mabel gasped and grinned. "That must be them!" She exclaimed. "I wonder if they got her back!"

"Her?" Stan and Fiddleford questioned in unison. Clearly they had not been informed on the situation.

Without hesitation, Mabel ran off into the gift shop. Stan looked at Fiddleford with a look of confusion. "Uhh..," He began. "What, are ya' gonna go follow and see what she's talkin' about?" He asked.

"Er... Sure." Fiddleford responded with a shrug. With that, he followed after Mabel.

When Mabel entered the gift shop, she saw Wendy and Ford enter first. They looked to be in a hurry, Mabel just wasn't sure of why. Bill followed after the two.

"You're back!" Mabel exclaimed with a grin.

"I'm afraid we'll only be here for a bit, my dear." Ford responded.

Mabel questioned the statement. "Where are you going?" She asked. "And... Where's Soos? And Melody?" She continued to question.

"Soos stayed where we were earlier as to not lose our location." Ford responded. He looked around the gift shop in confusion. "Now... Where does Stan keep the vacuum?" He asked himself aloud.

Bill pointed behind the gift shop counter. "Behind there." He responded. Wendy nodded in confirmation. Ford walked behind the counter and was quick to notice the device.

"Ah, there it is." Ford said, grabbing the vacuum and setting it beside the counter. He opted not to wonder why it was stored under the counter, of all places.

Mabel looked down at the photos in her hand and walked over to Bill. She extended an arm with one of the photographs out to the demon. Bill looked down and raised an eyebrow. Why is she handing me a piece of paper? He asked himself.

"It's a photo," Mabel began as if she had just read the man's mind. Bill began to wonder if the girl obtained such an ability. Regardless, he took the photo from Mabel, looking down at it and noticing the humans in the photo. The photo displayed an image of Stan on the couch with Brock in his arms.

Bill looked down at Mabel in confusion. "What's this for?" He asked.

"For Soos!" Mabel answered with a smile. "Can you give it to him?" He asked.

"I don't know, Shooting Star..." Bill began hesitantly, "Do ya' think I could use this for blackmailing Fez instead?"

"As great as that would be, I think giving it to Soos is for the greater good." Mabel retorted with a shake of her head.

"Fair enough." Bill said with a shrug. Everyone in the room turned to the 'Employee's only' door when Stan walked into the room. He still held Brock with him, though he pretended as if the child weren't in his arms at the moment.

Ford tilted his head at his brother's calm behavior. "Stanley, how in the world did you manage to calm a newborn to where he fell asleep peacefully?" He asked in a hushed tone, though surprised.

"Oh, this little guy?" Stan asked, looking down at Brock for a split second before looking back at his brother. "He just kinda crashed." He said with a shrug. Brock shifted at the sudden movement by the man, and Stan looked down at the baby in surprise. Brock's eyes fluttered open slowly. He squinted his eyes at the bright light of the room, causing his bottom lip to quiver.

"Aw jeez," Stan muttered, noticing how Brock looked ready to throw a fit at any moment. "Anyone know how ta' stop a baby from cryin'?" He asked, looking at the people in the room. Ford and Wendy shook their heads at the question.

"Glitter?" Mabel asked, not confident that her answer was the right one.

Stan shook his head at the suggestion. "Nah, we need somethin' more... normal." He muttered. "You, uh, Fiddlenit, you've had a kid before. What am I supposed ta' do?"

"Erm... give im' a pacifier?" Fiddleford suggested with a shrug.

"We don't got none." Stan said with a shake of his head. Ford was about to correct his brother's incorrect grammar, however everyone in the room turned to look at Bill when he raised a finger up hesitantly.

"Uh..." Bill began, a look of unease on his face as he felt eyes on him. "I know." He said.

The room was silent for a total of five seconds before Stan, McGucket and Wendy began bursting out laughing. Bill was taken aback by the sudden laughter, though it wasn't unusual. I guess I should have expected that. Bill thought to himself. He turned to look at Ford. The scientist wasn't laughing, however he had a look of both skepticism and anxiety. Bill frowned and sighed, folding his arms.

Mabel put her hands on her hips and glared at the three laughing in the room. "What's wrong with you all?" She practically shouted in anger and disbelief. The sudden question that had been asked caused the three to freeze in unison. They all looked at Mabel with wide-eyes, as if they had forgotten how powerful the girl could become in a situation. Even Brock looked over at the girl, his bottom lip quivering a bit more slow now.

Mabel sighed and lowered her tone. "Come on guys, just give him a chance." She pleaded, holding both her hands out to the side of her as if presenting something. Bill looked down at Mabel with wide eyes.

"Shooting Star, you don't need to-" Bill began, but stopped when Mabel narrowed her eyes up at the man.

"Hush, you!" Mabel chided. Bill rolled his eyes at the order, however he did as told and kept his mouth shut. Mabel turned to look at Stan. "Grunkle Stan, give Bill the baby." She commanded, pointing a finger at Bill.

"Come on dude," Wendy began, deciding to step into the conversation. "Bill could, like, shove a rock down the kid's throat." She pointed out, folding her arms.

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Does it look like Bill has any rocks?" She asked. As if on cue, four pebbles fell out of Bill's yellow T-shirt sleeve. Mabel looked down at the pebbles, then up at Bill. The demon chuckled awkwardly before drawing his eyes towards the floor.

"O...kay, just because he has rocks doesn't mean he was planning on doing something like that!" Mabel attempted to defend.

Brock looked at the pebbles on the ground, his eyes widening. He took a hand and lazily extended an arm out as if to grab it from where he was. His bottom lip quivered when his plan to grab the pebbles failed. His breathing got heavy as his eyes began to shine against the light. Stan looked down at the baby and cringed when the boy began to cry.

"Holy Mackerel, fine, fine!" Stan said, holding the baby out in front of him. "If it'll make the little squirt to quit that racket, then do whatever you're gonna do." He said. With that, Bill walked over to Stan. He held his arms out and carefully grabbed the child.

Bill looked down at the kid. "Silence, meatsack!" He commanded.

Ford glared. "That's your plan?" He asked with an eye roll. Brock opened his eyes and was facing Ford when he had heard the first voice. Brock assumed it had been Ford that had spoken and began crying once more.

Bill narrowed his eyes at Ford before looking down at the child. Hesitantly, he grabbed Brock's left wrist, rubbing the child's palm with his thumb in a gentle manner. This caused Brock to quiet his crying, however he was still whimpering. Brock opened his eyes slowly, his eyes widening at the sight of Bill's shiny yellow ones. The baby was quick to giggle at the sight, taking his hands and putting them up above him as if to grab the unusual eyes. Bill squinted his eyes each time Brock tried to grab for his eyes, though he was glad he had gotten the child to stop crying.

Bill turned to Ford and smirked. "How's that for a plan?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He turned to Wendy with the same smirk. "You got anything to say now, Red?" He asked. Wendy huffed and folded her arms, looking away from the demon.

Mabel squealed in glee and smiled. "Oh my gosh, you did it!" She said with a grin.

"Eh, I picked up a couple techniques." Bill said with a shrug. "Apparently the little fleshbag likes rubs on the palm of his hand." He said.

Ford looked at the time and cringed. "We should get back to the forest, Soos is still waiting on us." He said. Ford looked at McGucket. "You're welcome to come along if you'd like, Fiddleford." He offered.

"Ooh, can I come?" Mabel asked.

Ford looked at the girl in a hesitant manner. "...Mabel, I'm not sure if this is something you should be dealing with." He said.

Mabel frowned at the answer given. "But-" She began, however Ford spoke before she could continue.

"Perhaps you could spend some time with Dipper." Ford said with a shrug. "It seems as though the two of you haven't spent much time together recently." He added, putting his hands behind his back.

Bill turned his head to look at Ford once the scientist had finished speaking. "Do ya' think we should take Timmy- Er... Brock?" He asked. It would take a bit for Bill to get used to the name.

Ford had to think about this for a moment. Even though it seemed a bit dangerous, he figured that Soos would be better off with his son in his arms if this were to go wrong. After a moment, Stanford looked at Bill once more. "That would be wise." He said. Bill nodded and walked out of the gift shop with Brock in his arms when he saw Ford grab the vacuum cleaner.

Wendy looked at the mechanical device and sighed. She put her hands in her pockets and held the door open for Ford and McGucket. She shut the gift shop door behind the others and looked down at the ground as she walked to Soos' truck. The handyman had borrowed the truck to Ford so that the three could get to the shack and back faster.

This is stupid. Wendy thought to herself. This isn't going to work... I don't know why I suggested it in the first place.


"Is it working?" Soos asked the group moments after they returned.

"Well," Bill, who stood beside Soos away from the rest of the group, began. "This circular barrier I set up with my magic was able to keep all the smoke in just in time. And even if some of it got away, I don't think it would matter." He said, "But just because the barrier is working like it's supposed to, that doesn't mean Ice Bag's idea is going to work." He said, folding his arms and watching as Ford, Wendy, and Fiddleford examined the vacuum cleaner, trying to get it to work.

"Then again," Bill continued, "I have more confidence of this barrier breaking before they get that thing turned on than I do for this stupid plan of Red's." He said with an eye roll, folding his arms.

Soos hummed. "My question is why they're trying to make a vacuum cleaner turn on when they don't even have it plugged in to an outlet." He muttered, watching as the three messed with the vacuum from afar. "Kinda makes you wonder how well the plan was thought out in the first place." He said with a chuckle.

Bill snickered. "They look like idiots-" He commented, but stopped mid sentence. He froze for a moment with wide eyes, and turned his head to look at Soos. "What did you say?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That what they're doing would make someone wonder how well the plan was thought out?" Soos repeated as if he had asked a question.

Bill shook his head dismissively. "Na-no, before that." He responded.

"That it's confusing why they're trying to make a vacuum work without an outlet?" Soos asked. Bill nodded, and Soos was confused on why Bill had wished for him to repeat his question. Bill sparked a flame from his palm for a split second before burning it out. Soos gasped at the realization and grinned.

Fiddleford narrowed his eyes at the vacuum. "Hmm..." He said aloud with narrowed eyes.

"They make these things much more complicated than they used to be." Ford said, placing his hands on his hips.

Bill walked over to the group and unwinded the cord from the back of the vacuum cleaner. He lit his hand in a blue shock flame and held the cord in his hand. He looked at Ford with an unamused look on his face when the vacuum started up. "Ya' know, IQ, out of the 12 PhD's you've obtained in your lifetime, I would think you'd know that vacuum cleaners don't work in the forest!" He shouted with a huff.

"I knew this idea was stupid." Wendy groaned, face palming.

"You should be lucky you have me here, because otherwise, this would have been a waste of time." Bill continued. "Now that I think about it, by the time you idiots would have figured out why this thing wouldn't work, Melody would already be dead!" He said. "Again!"

Wendy narrowed her eyes at Bill. "Look dude, I don't see you with a better plan." She said, folding her arms.

"I had a great plan!" Bill shot back with a glare.

"A great plan that didn't work." Wendy reminded, putting her hands on her hips.

Ford walked up between the two and folded his arms. "Calm down. Both of you." He said, looking at one to the other as he spoke.

Fiddleford looked out in the distance, seeing a small piece of paper flowing in the distance. "Heh?" He asked aloud, tilting his head. He looked at everyone in the barrier to see them all arguing. Soos walked up in an attempt to calm the others down like Ford had previously attempted, though Ford had seemed to get himself wound up in the argument with the other two.

Fiddleford looked back at the small paper, then the sky. The clouds were gray, and it looked as if it could rain at any moment. Seeing that the other four were all 'talking', McGucket decided to step out of the blue barrier and retrieve the distant paper.

"Well at least I don't have dumb hair!" Bill told Wendy with a glare.

"At least I'm not a yellow-eyed freak!" Wendy shot back, glaring.

Bill narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to use that against me?" He asked. "I'm the king of freaks!" He said.

"Until you got outsmarted by Stan." Soos said with a simple shrug, not trying to get into the argument intentionally.

"Stay out of this, Question Mark!" Bill sneered.

Ford adjusted his glasses. "Would everyone tone down the bickering? None of this is going to help in getting Melody's soul back into her body." He pointed out.

"What, you're just gonna let them offend me like this?" Bill asked Ford with wide eyes.

"Honestly Bill, I really couldn't care less right now." Ford responded.

"I'm not surprised," Bill muttered, looking away with his arms folded. "Because it's pretty obvious you don't give a f- about me anymore." He said.

Ford's eyes widened. Soos gasped at the language and covered Brock's ears, even though he wouldn't be able to understand the word regardless. Ford was surprised by the comment Bill had made. While a part of him wanted to let Bill know that he did still care, he just couldn't bring himself to say the right words. Or, any at all, for that matter.

"Dude," Wendy began, breaking the silence. "Ever since you used him thirty years ago, I don't think he's ever cared." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"And what would you know to support that thought, Red?" Bill asked with a glare, clenching his fists.

"He's probably been using you." Wendy said with a simple shrug. Bill raised an eyebrow, and Wendy continued. "You know, using your magic, using your knowledge, using your help for lab stuff, using your body." She said.

"Ford would never." Bill said, narrowing his eyes at the teenager. The fact that he had said the scientists real name surprised himself for a moment, however he kept staring at the girl with a look that was daring her to continue speaking.

Bill continued, "Sixer's a lot of things, but he wouldn't do something like that to someone. Not even to me." He stated, adding the last bit with a mutter.

"Really?" Wendy asked, pushing on. "Because it seems like what happened on Christmas was just him-" She continued, but was cut off.

"That's irrelevant!" Bill and Ford shot back in unison, their cold glares on Wendy. Ford and Bill looked at each other for a total of two seconds before looking away, each of their arms folded.

Soos looked at the group in complete confusion. He decided not to say anything. The last thing he wanted was to stir the pot. Whatever was going on- he probably didn't want to know anyway.

Wendy noticed the long silence. She sighed. "Look guys, sorry for losing my cool. I-I don't know what came over me." She said, looking down at her hands.

Ford took a couple hesitant steps back. "I'll... Be back." He announced before stepping out of the blue barrier. There were a few raindrops falling from the sky, which Ford didn't seem to mind. Rain had normally been quite a calming thing for him in the past.

He walked off a bit, over to a large rock beside a tree. To his left, he had a clear view of the barrier, as well as the people inside it. To his right, he watched as Fiddleford looked to be chasing after something. He opted not to wonder what it was.

Ford sighed and looked down at his feet, and the patch of grass underneath him. Using Bill? He thought to himself. Where in the world is she getting all of this? The question remained unsolved to him. He just didn't understand what had made the teenager think such things of him. Did Wendy honestly see him as that kind of man?

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Bill walking towards him. Ford was quick to look away from the blonde as the other man continued to walk towards him. Ford wasn't interested in making conversation with the demon at the moment, if at all. He was quick to realize that regardless of his opinion, Bill had other plans.

Bill stood in front of Ford, folding his arms. He waited somewhat patiently for the scientist to so much as look at him. After a minute of waiting, Bill understood that his wish wouldn't be granted.

"Is it true?" Bill finally asked in a hesitant manner.

At hearing the question, Ford finally turned to look at the demon, however he remained in his position of leaning against the tree. He raised an eyebrow. "Can you be more specific?" Ford asked.

"Was any of what Ice Bag said true?" Bill restated.

"Are you believing it to be?" Ford questioned.

"Don't change the question, Stanford." Bill said with narrowed eyes, his hands on his hips. "Tell me- was what Red said about you just using me real?" He asked.

Ford adjusted his glasses and put his hands in his lab coat pockets. "I had hoped you'd have known that I'm not the kind of man who would simply use another person, regardless of the context." He responded, placing his hands behind his back before continuing. Bill let the man speak. "Do you remember several months back when I had said that I wasn't the 'revenge -type'?" Ford asked Bill.

Bill nodded slowly in response. "Yeah, b-but that's different." He claimed.

"Is it now?" Ford asked, raising an eyebrow once more. "I believe the question you had asked was if I was using you, your question basing off when Wendy had mentioned the past times." He stated.

"You're avoiding the other part." Bill said. He took a couple steps closer to Ford, causing the scientist to back up against the tree once more. Ford cringed at the stinging pain inflicted on his back by the rough bark of the tree. Bill looked the other man dead in the eyes before speaking. "I'm not just talking about my power, I'm not just talking about my not-so-all-knowing knowledge, I'm talking about the more personal details." He said.

Ford couldn't find himself to look away from the other. He hoped that there was a way out of this situation. He hoped that Bill would avoid questioning him further, and he sure as hell didn't want to lead Bill on with things he may say. What had happened in the kitchen a few days ago had severely let Ford's guard down, and he couldn't afford to have anything similar happen again.

Bill couldn't know that Ford still cared for him. He couldn't know just how Ford had felt when he had witnessed the nurse at the hospital's lips trace along Bill's, regardless of if the transaction was merely a CPR attempt.

And besides- even if Ford did want to explain his emotional state to the other man, he knew that he couldn't. Doing so would likely do nothing but make matters worse. Being that Bill had just (Technically) gotten out of a relationship with another person, Ford wasn't sure how Bill felt about his ex girlfriend. The woman who had claimed Bill as her own, the woman whom Bill had kissed multiple times -and, quite likely- slept and had sex with.

"I'm just... Curious." Bill admitted hesitantly, finally looking away for a moment before looking back at Ford. "Did it matter? Did any of it matter to you?" He asked the other man.

Ford knew exactly what Bill was getting at. Though some part of him thought it would be a rational idea to stall. "Explain?" Ford asked, a hint of awkwardness in his voice.

Bill rolled his eyes. He took both his hands and grabbed the sides of Ford's lab coat up by his neck, pulling the scientist close to the point where their noses were nearly touching. However the two were just far enough away to where their eyesight wouldn't go blurry whilst looking at each other. Ford was taken aback by the sudden move pulled by the other man, and for a moment he had thought that Bill was attempting to embrace him for a kiss. Luckily for Ford, this was not the case.

"Did it matter to you when I let my guard down around you?" Bill began in a firm manner, his grip on Ford's coat tightening as he clenched his fists harder. "Did it matter when I told you that you were the only human I trusted? The only human I'll ever trust?" He asked, staring Ford dead in the eyes once more. Ford was about to say something, but Bill wasn't done. "Did it matter to you when we kissed?" Bill questioned in a softer tone, a tone Ford wasn't used to hearing from the other man at all.

Ford was hesitant. After a moment, it seemed to Bill as if he would give him no answer. Bill glared at this. "Answer me!" He demanded with wide eyes, shaking Ford for a second as he tried to force a response.

Stanford looked at Bill, grabbing his wrists. Bill looked at Ford, the scientists face calm for no more than two seconds before he shoved Bill away from him slightly.

"Don't touch me, Cipher." Ford commanded with narrowed eyes, a glare forming.

Bill mirrored the facial expression and put his hands on his hips. "Then answer my question, Stanford! Did any of it matter to you?" He asked.

Ford put his hands behind his back, looking at the other man before speaking. "Well..." He began in a hesitant manner. He lifted his chin up slightly, looking down at the other man. "It used to." He stated.

Bill's heart stung at this. Sure, it was more than he was expecting, but the fact that what they truly could have had was gone was a lot to take in. Bill cursed his human emotions for making him experience such feelings. He would skip out on them all of he could. Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't be possible at his state of form.

"And now?" Bill asked, figuring he might as well get the whole truth rather than a slice of it.

Ford looked at the amulet that hung around Bill's neck and grabbed hold of it, swiftly yanking the necklace off the blonde. Bill gasped and looked at the amulet that Ford now held in his six fingered hand. Ford held it in the palm of his hand, holding it out beside him and looking at the demon with yet another glare.

"Look at this." Ford commanded. "Look at this amulet and tell me what's it's done in your possession. It could have been used for good, but you opted to go with the complete opposite and use it to effect others in the most bitter of ways." He said, looking at the demon with disgust.

"Do you know why I did all of that?" Bill asked, attempting to grab the amulet once more. Ford pulled the amulet away which enraged Bill. He looked at Ford once more. "Did you ever take the time to actually listen to my reasoning?"

"Do I have to?" Ford shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, Bill. I don't see any point in listening to your absurd explanations." He stated.

Bill scoffed at the response and shoved Ford back against the tree, however this time it was out of rage. Stanford tilted his head back and groaned at the sudden move. He glared at Bill and felt the urge to push back. Ford took a step closer to Bill and shoved the demon in response to the others attack. Bill nearly tumbled to the ground had he not kept his balance just in time.

Bill dove at the man. Ford dodged the attack just in time, causing Bill to slam into the tree. Bill shot a glare at the scientist and reached for the amulet.

"Give it back, you idiot!" Bill commanded.

"Oh, you want this back, do you?" Ford mused, holding the necklace high in the air. Before Bill could react, Stanford turned behind him and looked into the distance. He took the amulet and tossed it far away, far to the point where it landed just outside the barrier.

Bill's mouth hung open. "What was that for?" He asked.

"To remind you of the task at hand." Ford answered.

Bill raised an eyebrow in confusion before making the realization that they were yet to come up with a solution to Melody's state. "Oh man, I completely forgot!" Bill groaned. He along with Ford began to make their way to the barrier. The surroundings were not damp, in fact the rain clouds had seemed to completely pass by their area, only leaving a few raindrops here and there around their location.

Meanwhile, Fiddleford had finally caught up to the scrap of paper flowing in the wind. He grabbed hold of it and was quick to realize that it was a photograph of Stan and Brock; the same photo which Bill had been specifically instructed by Mabel to give to Soos.

Fiddleford turned around and saw Soos and Wendy still in the barrier, uselessly waving the vacuum cleaner in the air. Fiddleford began to run behind him to give the photograph to Soos.

At this point, Bill, Ford, and McGucket were all dashing towards the barrier at once. Bill looked at the barrier to see it flickering. He stopped running and put an arm out beside him to stop Ford from moving. Ford raised an eyebrow and looked at Bill.

"Wh-?" Ford tried to question.

"Look." Bill said, pointing at the barrier. "It's fading away. The barrier I set up is disappearing, and it won't be able to work any longer." He said as Fiddleford continued to run towards the barrier.

"Couldn't you simply make a new one?" Ford questioned.

Bill just rolled his eyes. "Ya' know, I hate to inform you, smart guy, but I'm not exactly a magic machine. Making the first barrier drained most of my power, making a new one would be next to impossible." He said before the two continued to head towards the barrier.

Fiddleford, at this time, was frantically waving the photograph in his hand. "Hey! Hey!" He exclaimed, hoping Soos would notice him dashing towards the barrier. "This here photograph is 'fer ye', Soos!" He said, completely unaware of the amulet that lay on the ground just a few feet away from him.

Bill and Ford gasped in unison at the sight. "Fiddleford, stop!" Ford exclaimed in fear.

"Stop running!" Bill shouted with wide eyes.

Fiddleford looked over at the two as he continued to run. "Heh?" McGucket blurted out in confusion. Ford and Bill's eyes got increasingly large as they witnessed the situation they could do nothing about. By the time Fiddleford looked down at his feet, it has been too late as his foot came crashing down onto the amulet, the old man gasping at the sound of the shattering amulet.

Smash.

Bill shook his head in disbelief, his mouth wide open. "No..." He muttered to himself, slowly walking over to the shattered pieces of the amulet. "No, no, no, nonono..." He continued, standing in front of the broken necklace and getting down on his knees.

Fiddleford's eyes widened as he looked down at the amulet he had unintentionally "Aw shucks..." He muttered, putting a hand stop his forehead.

Bill took hold of a few shards from the amulet. "It's broken..." He said. He looked up at Fiddleford and glared, standing up now with his fists clenched. "What are we supposed to do now?" He asked, his eyes turning red.

Fiddleford yelped in surprise at the demon's sudden mood change. "I-I didn't mean no harm." McGucket said, a tone of guilt apparent in his voice.

The barrier faded, causing Soos and Wendy to look over at the others in confusion. Wendy set down the vacuum cleaner and carefully grabbed Brock whilst Soos picked up Melody in a bridal style manner. The two walked over to the others.

Bill didn't seem to acknowledge the others now standing there. He turned to Ford, his glare hardening. "And you-" Bill continued, walking over to Ford and putting his hands in the scientists hair, gripping it tight with a force Bill had never seemed to have used. Ford looked at the demon in surprise as the other man brought Ford's face close to his, the glare on the demon's face still apparent.

"This is your fault too, you dimwit!" Bill said, narrowing his eyes at Ford.

Stanford was stunned. When had Bill obtained such strength? Regardless of his questions, he grabbed Bill's shoulders and pushed the blonde away, not bothering to respond to the other man's statement.

Wendy looked down at the crushed amulet and cringed. "Ohh man, that's not good." She commented.

"Dudes, what happened?" Soos asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bill turned to look at Soos. "Oh, I'll tell you what happened," He told Soos before glaring at Fiddleford and Stanford. He pointed at the two old men. "Those idiots happened! Sixer threw the amulet, then Fiddlesticks stepped on it and shattered it into what it is now!" He said.

"Calm down, man." Wendy said to Bill, noticing the demon's red eyes.

Bill glared at the teenager. "Calm down?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"What can we do?" Soos asked, looking down at Melody's dead body that he currently held.

Bill looked back at Soos once more, seeing the look of optimism in his eyes, and yet a glimmer of agony. Bill's eyes went back to yellow, and he sighed. "There's nothing we can do." He muttered, looking away.

"W-What?" Soos asked. He was hesitant to continue speaking. "But... there's gotta be something, right?" He asked.

Bill looked at Soos and took a step closer to the man. "Look around you, Soos," He began bitterly, putting an arm behind him to indicate the presence of the broken amulet. He continued to look at the handyman. "We all know how you see things, how you try to imagine and think positive even in the worst situations. Heck, even when the world was ending, you labeled yourself the 'handyman of the apocalypse'!" He stated, putting his hands on his hips.

Soos looked at the demon, a hint of sadness in his eyes now. "What are you saying?" Soos slowly asked.

Bill just scoffed. "The world isn't a positive place, Question Mark. No matter how you see things, no matter what you do, and no matter who's there by your side, there's always treachery and grief behind everything we do. And there's nothing we can do about it." He said, looking at the man with a firm look on his face.

Soos just bit his lip. "Do... Do you think we could fix it with duct tape?" He asked.

Bill looked at him with a deadpan look on his face. He was stunned by the question, and it took him a moment to respond to the absolutely ridiculous question. "Duct tape?" Bill repeated in complete disbelief. Soos nodded slowly, and Bill glared at the man. "Look at the amulet! Look at it! Look at the tiny shards!" He commanded, a cold glare still apparent on his face.

While everyone was looking at either Soos or Bill, McGucket took a glance at the tiny turquoise shards. The tiny pieces of the broken jewel were rising from the ground slightly. The old man gasped as teal smoke rose from the shards. His eyes widened and he pointed at the sight. "Look at the tiny shards!" Fiddleford repeated in surprise.

Everyone turned to look at McGucket, then at the shards. Wendy and Ford looked at the smoke rising, the same smoke that had been released when Bill had attempted to return the smoke to Melody in the first place. Soos' eyes widened at the sight, along with Bill and the others. Bill's mouth hung open in complete disbelief and confusion. What's going on? Bill asked himself, though he could think of no answer.

The shards began to fall back down to the ground, whilst the teal smoke began to grow. The smoke formed into a thick line in the air that was the height of approximately six feet. Everyone took a step back as the smoke shot sideways, the line of color dashing over in Soos' direction. The handyman's eyes widened in alarm and looked as the smoke line curved up in the air sideways, coming down to land towards Melody. The smoke entered the woman's mouth in a rush. Melody's back curved as her head tilted back in a fast motion.

The others all looked at Soos and the woman whom he held in her arms. The remainder of the teal smoke filled Melody's mouth. Fiddleford, Wendy, Bill, Ford, and Soos all looked at the woman's state, no one daring to make a sound.

Soos nearly jumped back when he felt the brushing of another's skin against his arms as Melody shifted weakly against him. He gasped at the sight of his girlfriend's shut eyelids fluttering open. This was the first time he had seen Melody conscious in days. What a relief it was to be able to look at her beautiful eyes once more...

The woman coughed a hoarse cough as a hint of black smoke emerged from her mouth, making its way over towards the shattered amulet on the ground. The amulet lost its teal color and instead changed to pitch black.

Melody squinted her eyes at the light of her surroundings. She shifted and hissed in pain at the sore feeling by her stomach. She clutched her stomach and bit her lip. Ford was quick to remove his lab coat, rushing over to a tree to Soos' left and placing his coat atop the patch of grass. Soos looked to his left and rushed over towards said tree, placing his girlfriend against it.

Soos got on his knees and cupped his hands in one of Melody's. "You... You're alive!" He exclaimed in surprise.

Melody wheezed in pain and put her spare hand atop her neck. "My throat..." She forced out, trying to speak. Her throat was incredibly dry, making it difficult for her to speak.

Soos quickly turned to look behind him. "Mr. Pines, can you get a bottle of water from my truck?" He asked.

Ford was quick to nod, rushing over to the truck and hopping in the back to retrieve the requested item. Soos looked back at Melody, brushing the hair out of the woman's eyes.

Bill, out of everyone, was surprised most. What just happened? He asked himself. How... How did this happen? It doesn't make any sense...

Ford walked up to Soos and handed him the water he had requested. Soos thanked the older man and opened it, handing the plastic bottle to his girlfriend. Melody brought the beverage up towards her lips, sighing in relief as the water hit her tongue and slid down her throat. She made quick work of the water and ended up downing the majority of it.

Fiddleford walked up to the couple hesitantly. He looked at the photograph he still held in his hand and gave it to Soos.

"Mabel wanted ye' ta' have this." Fiddleford said as Soos looked at the photograph. The image brought a smile to the handyman's face. He handed the photograph to Melody, who glanced at the image.

Melody gave a weak smile. "That's... our baby. Right?" She asked.

Soos nodded. "Yeah, he-" The handyman tried to continue, but stopped and widened his eyes when Melody gasped sharply, frantically looking around. She looked at her stomach and back up around her surroundings, ignoring the pain in her lower stomach.

"Where's our child?" Melody fearfully asked, looking at Soos.

Soos grabbed Melody's hand in attempt to comfort his girlfriend. "It's okay, Wendy has him." He assured.

Melody calmed down and looked at Soos. "Him?" She repeated, tilting her head slightly. Soos nodded at the question as Wendy walked over towards the others who surrounded the young couple. She carefully took Brock out of her arms and handed the baby to his mother. Melody looked down at the child with a teary smile, pulling her child close in her arms. Brock had been wrapped back up in his blue blanket overtop his ordinary clothes sometime during Bill's encounter with Ford.

"He has your nose." Melody said, looking up at Soos.

Soos nodded and took the small blue hood off the baby's head, revealing his short, light brown hair that matched Melody's.

Melody's eyes widened at the sight. She embraced the child close to her as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Bill was left confused. With his arms folded, he hesitantly leaned over to mutter in Fiddleford's ear. "Hey, Fidds?" He began. McGucket looked at the demon and raised an eyebrow. Bill continued. "Why is she crying?" He asked the other man.

Fiddleford gave Bill a pat on the shoulder and smiled before looking back at the young couple. "Those there tears aren't from sadness. She's happy." He informed, adjusting his tie and putting his hands behind his back.

"Happy tears?" Bill repeated, raising an eyebrow in clear confusion. "Is that even a thing?" He asked.

Fiddleford merely chuckled at the question. "Ye' may have been human for a while now, but you've still got a lot ta' learn." He said.

"Little Sam." Melody began with a smile. She looked up at Soos. "You know, maybe that name isn't so bad after all." She said with a small shrug.

Soos' mouth hung open at the statement. "Uh..." Soos muttered, looking away awkwardly. "Actually," He continued, scratching the back of his neck and looking at Melody. "I went with your idea and named him Brock." He said with an awkward chuckle.

"You did?" Melody asked.

"Yeah." Soos said hesitantly. "You... You're not mad, right?" He asked.

Melody shook her head at the silly question. "Of course not!" She said with a chuckle. "Even if you named him Felipe, it wouldn't make a difference." She said with a smile.

Soos nodded and smiled. "You're right, all that matters is that we're all together now." He said, embracing his girlfriend in a gentle hug. Melody smiled and gave Soos a short yet sweet peck on the cheek. Soos' face flushed at the kiss received knowing that there were eyes watching them from behind.

After a bit of bonding, Soos stood up, holding a hand out to assist Melody in standing. The woman held Brock close with one hand, using her other arm to grab Soos' extended one. She bit her lip at the sore feeling in her lower stomach, though she tried her best to ignore it. Soos, however, noticed Melody's slight limping and swiftly grabbed his girlfriend, picking her up bridal style. The sudden action alarmed Melody, though it wasn't unwanted. She smiled and leaned her head atop her boyfriend's shoulder, holding Brock close in her spare arm.

"Let's go home!" Fiddleford exclaimed with a wide grin. The others nodded in agreement to the statement the smaller man had spoken aloud. Ford walked over to the tree and grabbed his lab coat, putting the garment back on.

Soos turned to look at the others. "You dudes need rides?" He asked. Wendy agreed and thanked her coworker for the offer, whilst the others kindly declined. They figured that the Mystery Shack as close enough distance to where they wouldn't have trouble walking. Soos nodded. "Suit yourselves." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey," Melody began in confusion, looking over in the distance. "Why is there a vacuum cleaner in the middle of the woods?" She asked.

The others looked over at the vacuum cleaner that they had left. Wendy scratched the back of her neck, chuckling awkwardly. "Oh yeah, uh... that was my idea." She admitted. "It's a long story." She said, rushing over to retrieve the mechanical device.

Bill put his hands on his hips. "Those nutjobs had the lovely hypothesis that sucking up the smoke from the air and then shoving the vacuum cleaner's tube down your throat would bring ya' back to life." He answered with an eye roll, pointing at Wendy and Ford.

That would explain the dry throat I had. Melody thought to herself. Her mouth hung open at the strange reasoning. "...I'm not gonna bother asking." She said, looking up at Soos. Her boyfriend just shrugged.

Soos walked over to his truck as McGucket and Bill began walking in the direction of the Mystery Shack, Ford walking shortly behind him. Stanford felt a hand on his arm from behind, and turned around in confusion. He looked behind him in alarm, only to see Wendy looking at him. The teenager looked at him before looking away awkwardly.

"Look man," Wendy began, folding her arms and looking back at the old man. "I...I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It wasn't cool." She admitted, hanging her head in shame.

Ford wasn't sure how to respond to the apology. He merely adjusted his glasses. "...Do I really seem like that kind of person?" He asked, not in a scolding way, only from mere curiosity.

"No," Wendy assured, shaking her head. "I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I know I've been upset recently, but I shouldn't have taken my anger out like that." She said. "I didn't mean to put words in your mouth like that. Sorry, dude." She apologized.

Ford put his hands in his lab coat pockets and shrugged. "Believe it or not, I know how you feel. Everyone makes mistakes." He said.

"So... we cool?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ford cringed at the strange phrasing of the question. He assumed it was some new teenage slang and nodded slowly. "Well, yes. I suppose 'we cool'." He said, making an air quote gesture with his fingers, a look of unease apparent on his face as he spoke the horrifyingly incorrect grammar.

Wendy smiled. "Sweet!" She exclaimed. "Well, see ya' later, Fordster." She said before rushing over to Soos' truck, hopping in the back of the truck.

Fordster. Ford thought to himself. What a strange nickname. Though even more strange, I don't quite mind it.

Fiddleford looked behind him in the distance and waved at Ford. "Hey, Stanford! Are ye' coming?" He asked.

Ford turned around to see the others walking back towards the shack. He was quick to nod at the question asked, walking over to the other men. Fiddleford noticed Ford coming over and glanced at Bill, who seemed to be pondering a thought. Fidds cleared his throat, catching Bill's attention.

"What?" Bill asked in a partially annoyed tone.

Fiddleford put his hands in his dress pant pockets. "I, eh... I-I don't mean to seem like an eavesdropper, but I noticed that you and Stanford looked like ye' were arguing for a while earlier. Is everythin' okay?" He asked.

Bill sighed and shrugged. "Sixer seems to be doing just fine." He muttered with an eye roll, folding his arms.

"And you?" Fiddleford questioned further, raising an eyebrow. Bill turned to look at the other man. He was about to speak, however he heard Ford walking up behind them and looked forward once more, deciding not to answer. Fiddleford just hummed, looking down at the path beneath them. He glanced behind him for a moment and looked at Ford, who seemed like his ordinary self. He looked back at Bill who had a hint of hurt in his eyes. It was clear to McGucket that Bill was trying to hide his emotional state, however the demon didn't seem to fool Fiddleford. He too had wore that same expression before.

Well, there's that! Quite a lot of mixed emotions in this chapter. Hopefully I got all of it somewhat accurate. Just to clarify- Ford still cares about Bill (Hopefully I made that obvious enough in this chapter) However he refuses to let Bill know that. He figured it's better to be left alone and ignored completely. As for Bill, he wants nothing more than to know how Ford really feels. And right now, he thinks that Ford's better without him.

I hope everyone is glad that Melody's back. In fact- my plan from before she died was to bring her back. I apologize for being evil with the angst, but I just couldn't resist! As for the amulet, it's gone now. Useless. But it served a good purpose and was able to bring Melody back to life after all! And actually, had McGucket not accidently smash it, Melody would still be dead, as her 'soul' was basically trapped inside the amulet healing. (Does that even make sense..?)

As for the vacuum cleaner bit, I honestly thought it was a rather stupid thing to add into the chapter, however if I didn't the whole plot would have gone elsewhere which wouldn't be good, as I have a lot planned for the future.

I had to leave this chapter on a happy note after all the drama and emotion that was shoved into it. The next chapter will be... interesting. xD