I've come to you all with yet another chapter! First of all, I'm considering taking part of the title of this story out a bit, making it "Welcome Home" Without the Billford tag along with it. The reason for this is that "Billford" is already stated in the description of this fic, and I don't feel that it's necessary to list twice. Also, for the sequel of this story (Whenever the heck that'll be- however I have very small bits of it planned.) I have a title in mind, making it something like, "Welcome Home: This again!" As a reference to the "My mummy's a werewolf" movies from the show. I don't know, do you think I should just make it "Welcome Home" Instead of "Welcome Home- Billford"?

Second of all, this chapter has quite a bit of Mabel and Bill bonding, because everyone needs a friend! xD

(And because it'll have a big impact on the plot of this story. Why, you may ask? Well... you'll see.)

Here is chapter 39 of 'Welcome Home'!

When Bill, Fiddleford, and Ford returned to the Mystery Shack after a long day in the woods, they stood outside for a moment before heading inside. The three all wondered what they would say when the twins and Stan were to ask what they had been doing all afternoon. The sun was setting, which only gave Stan one more reason to complain. Ford, however, wasn't too worried. Surely Stan wouldn't ask too many questions, right?

Wrong. Ford thought to himself as he stood in the kitchen before a ranting Stan.

"You've been away all afternoon!" Stan began with his hands on his hips, narrowed eyes on his brother. Ford leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded, an unamused look on his face as Stan ranted. "The sun's settin', Pointdexter. You'd better have a good reason for taking both my employee's off work all day." He said.

"I have a completely valid reason," Ford said, "In fact, I'm sure you'd forget about ranting to me if I told you what happened." He stated.

"Really?" Stan asked, not convinced. "Doubt that."

Ford adjusted his glasses. "What if I told you that Melody's death is no longer a problem?" He asked.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "What are ya' talking about?" He asked with a glare directed towards Ford. "Ya' clearly have no idea how hard this is for Soos if you've got the nerve to come in here sayin' something like that." He said, sneering at his brother.

"That's not what I mean," Ford assured, putting his hands up slightly. "What I meant was..." He continued. "She's no longer dead."

Stanley was left very confused by this information. He tilted his head. "What're you talkin' about, Stanford?" He asked.

"Melody is alive." Ford restated with a nod of his head.

Stan's eyes widened. "You serious?" He questioned.

Ford rolled his eyes. "Why on earth would I say so otherwise?" He asked.

"Dunno." Stan admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. He turned around and was quick to grab a Pitt cola from the fridge. He turned to look at his brother. "Ya' want one?" He asked, to which Ford declined. Stan shut the fridge and opened the soda can. "Suit yourself." He said before taking a swig of the cold beverage.

Ford put his hands in his lab coat pockets. "Out of curiosity, when are the twins' parents expected to return from their trip?" He asked Stan.

"A week." Stan answered. "6 days."

"That's not a week, Stan." Ford pointed out.

Stanley rolled his eyes. "For cryin' out loud, Stanford. I could tell ya' the sky is blue and you'd argue with me." He stated.

"Actually," Ford began, pointing a finger up, his other hand behind his back. "The real color of the sky is what we see at night. The sky doesn't actually have color, it's transparent. The skies nitrogen and oxygen components are colorless. The reason the sky appears to be blue is due to the lights reflective-" He continued to retort, only for Stan to groan obnoxiously.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, nerd." Stan said with a dismissive wave of his hand, walking out of the kitchen before the conversation could go any further. As he passed by his brother he said, "Ya' should get some sleep, Ford. You've been stayin' up too late with that dumb dagger thing the past few nights." He said.

"Right..." Ford muttered with a nod of his head, running a hand through his hair. In a matter of moments, his eyes widened. Ford turned to look behind him. "Wait, how did you know that?" He asked his brother.

Stan turned around. "Ya' make it pretty obvious, Pointdexter. You look like ya' could fall asleep any second." He stated, taking another sip of his soda before emerging to the living room.

Ford hummed. I suppose Stanley is correct. If the twins only have six days left, I would hate to have too low of energy. With that, he walked into the gift shop, entering the vending machine to head downstairs.


The next morning, Mabel was first to wake up. She looked beside her to see Dipper still fast asleep. The clock read 5:30, which was very early for someone like herself. The only person bound to be awake in the household at this time was Ford, though he had seemed to retire to sleep early the night before, so her Grunkles schedule was quite unpredictable.

Mabel pulled the covers overtop her, attempting to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned around in her bed, trying to find a comfortable place to lie down. She tried flipping the pillow around. Nope. She tried fluffing the pillow. Nope. She tried sleeping the other way. Nope. Mabel had even tried sleeping on the other side of her bed. Still no. The teenager groaned at this as sleep seemed to fail her, and opted to wake up early for the morning.

Mabel walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth and change for the day. She wore a light pink sweater with two hearts that looked like watermelons sewn onto the garment. She opted to wear a green skirt and headband to go along with the look.

The girl quietly skipped down the hall, tip-toeing down the stairs as to not make noise that would wake up the others in the household whom were still fast asleep. The lights in the house were all turned off, however the rooms were lighted by the orange-colored sunlight shining in from the windows of the house. Mabel heard a cup being placed down on the counter in the kitchen, which quickly sparked her curiosity.

Mabel hesitantly walked over to the kitchen, peeking through the doorframe to see Bill pouring a cup of Mabel-juice. She wondered why the demon was pouring the overly-sugared beverage into a mug. I thought everyone hated that stuff! Mabel thought to herself. However the sight caused her to smile, knowing that her creation was appreciated by someone. Bill screwed the lid back on the bottle and opened the fridge, placing the remainder of the beverage back in hopes that the girl wouldn't notice that part of the beverage had gone missing.

As Bill placed the bottle back in the fridge, Mabel tip-toed up to Bill and stood behind him. Grinning, she took her index finger and extended it out, poking the man's belly button. "Poke!" She said with a wide smile.

Bill's eyes widened at the sudden attack. "Aaghh!" He exclaimed, letting out an inhuman cry of fear. He slammed the fridge door and leaned against it, his heart racing as he looked around the kitchen in alarm. His eyes turned red to hide his fear of being caught. When Bill looked down, he noticed Mabel standing in front of him. Bill sighed in relief, his eyes returning back to their original state.

Bill huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Crackers, kid!" He began, looking at the teenager with wide eyes. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be sleeping?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well... yeah," Mabel admitted in more of a mutter. "But I couldn't sleep!" She defended, looking up at the demon once more.

"Eh, that makes two of us." Bill said with a shrug. He glanced at the mug on the counter and moved it away slightly, quickly putting his hands behind his back and laughing awkwardly.

"I didn't know you liked Mabel juice!" Mabel said with a grin. Bill frowned at knowing that the girl had caught him. Mabel sighed. "Everyone else hates it." She muttered, folding her arms and looking away.

Bill saw Mabel's frown and scratched the back of his neck. "W-Well, they're wrong." He said, hoping to at least cheer the girl up.

"Do you really think so?" Mabel asked.

Bill nodded with a smirk. "You kidding? I know so. I used to know all!" He said with a grin. He looked at the mug on the counter. "Besides, that stuff's the only stuff keeping me sane." He added.

"...What do you mean?" Mabel questioned in concern.

Bill ran a hand through his hair. "Look kid, ya' want me to be honest?" He asked. Mabel nodded, to which Bill continued. "This... all of this, it's not right." Bill said, extending his arms besides him and looking down at himself. "This body, this new form, this lifestyle... it doesn't seem right. Not for me." He admitted with a sigh.

Mabel gave a sympathetic frown. "Aww, Bill... I'm so sorry." She said, holding her arms out and hugging the demon. Bill's eyes widened at the hug. Why was she hugging him? What was the point? Mabel put her hands behind her back and looked at the blonde. "You know, I'm sure things will get better." She assured.

Bill scoffed. "Right." He muttered, folding his arms and looking away.

"I know you didn't get the choice of becoming a human, but it's not all bad!" Mabel encouraged with a small smile. "You've got me, Grunkle Ford, even Grunkle Stan- Well, kinda." She said.

Bill leaned on the fridge and shook his head. "Nah, your Grunkles couldn't care less about me." He stated in a bitter manner.

"That's not true!" Mabel retorted. "Grunkle Ford was really worried about you when you ran away."

"Was." Bill muttered to himself.

Mabel turned to look at the doorframe of the kitchen when Waddles came running into the kitchen. The pig began biting at Mabel's sweater to get the girl's attention. Mabel got down on one knee, raising an eyebrow.

"What is it, Waddles?" Mabel asked. When Waddles began running out of the kitchen, Mabel figured she wouldn't get her answer until she followed the pig. She waved a quick goodbye to Bill and rushed out of the kitchen, making a sharp turn towards the living room. She stopped with wide eyes and gasped when she ran straight into Ford, crashing into him. Her uncle kept his balance and grabbed the girl's shoulders, placing her back a bit, putting his hands on his hips as he looked down at his niece.

"Mabel Pines, what on earth are you doing awake?" Ford, who was wearing grey pants and his ordinary maroon turtleneck, chided. He raised an eyebrow. "It's much too early to be running around the house." He stated.

Bill, who remained in the kitchen, cringed at the sudden voice of the scientist. He feared what would happen were Ford to enter the kitchen.

"Sorry, Grunkle Ford." Mabel apologized. "I couldn't sleep." She said.

Ford hummed. "Well, I see you've already gotten ready for the day." He muttered, folding his arms.

"Y-You're not gonna tell Grunkle Stan, are you?" Mabel asked, hope in her eyes as she looked up at her uncle.

"What?" Ford asked, chuckling. "No, that's absurd." He stated.

Mabel grinned, giving Ford a quick hug. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" She said before heading off into the living room.

Bill listened in and heard the sound of footsteps walking away. He saw this as his chance to leave before Ford could come back. Bill ran to the doorframe, glad that Ford had left rather than entering the kitchen.

Or so he thought.

Bill ran to the doorframe, crashing into Ford and giving him an unintentional punch to the stomach with one of his fists. During the collision, their foreheads slammed against each other. Bill took a step back, holding his head and groaning in pain. Ford held his head with one hand, placing his other arm to place atop his stomach.

Ford groaned, squinting his eyes shut at the sudden pain rushing through his head. "You too? How many people in this household am I literally going to run into this morning?" He asked aloud, mainly to himself.

Bill too groaned at the pain in his head. "This isn't hilarious. Why isn't this hilarious?" He asked, putting his hands up in front of him. He hissed at the pain circling his knuckles when he unclenched his fists. "Jeez, Sixer. Do ya' have a metal plate in your stomach, too?" He asked, holding the hand that had collided with the other man's torso.

"What are you doing awake?" Ford asked, opening his eyes as the pain began to fade. "It's yet to turn 6:00 in the morning." He stated.

"Couldn't sleep." Bill answered.

Ford narrowed his eyes. "That's funny, Mabel said the exact same thing." He said, folding his arms and leaning on the doorframe. "Mind explaining the truth?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bill shot a glare at Ford, ignoring the odd pain that he didn't find humorous. "What could I possibly be lying about here, smart guy?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"You have a record of being quite unpredictable." Ford answered.

Bill smirked. "Compliment taken!" He said. Ford gave an unamused look at the response to his statement. Bill looked at Ford once more. "Seriously though, what's with your stomach?" He asked.

Ford raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" He asked. Bill took a hand and grabbed the bottom of Ford's sweater, lifting it up hesitantly. Ford's eyes widened at the action. He grabbed Bill's wrist with one hand whilst pulling his sweater back down before any of his skin could be exposed.

Ford shot a glare. "What are you doing?" He roared, putting his hands on his hips.

"I was just-" Bill began, only to be cut off by the other man.

"My skin is not to be exposed in such a manner." Ford bellowed with folded arms. "I will not tolerate showing such a hidden part of me." He stated. Besides, I don't need one more reason to be called a freak.

Bill just raised an eyebrow. "...Are you okay?" He asked, looking at Ford as if he were a crazy person.

"Of course," Ford said, walking into the kitchen. "Are you assuming otherwise?" He questioned.

Bill shifted before speaking. "...No." He lied.

"Good," Ford said, walking to the coffee maker. He got the supplies out of the cabinet above him, placing the items down on the counter. He grabbed a coffee filter, placing it in its correct spot in the machine. He felt the presence of eyes watching him from behind, causing him to turn his head. Sure enough, Bill was still standing there, watching him.

"What?" Ford asked.

Bill shook his head slowly. "Nothing." He muttered, folding his arms and walking away.

Mabel, who was on the living room floor with Waddles, looked up at Bill as he walked towards the gift shop. She saw the small frown on the demon's face- it was a facial expression that was very rare for someone like Bill. He always seemed to be filled with energy in Mabel's eyes. She watched Bill and tilted her head in confusion.

"Bill?" Mabel called out. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

Said demon turned to look at the girl. "Yeah, why?" He asked, hoping to change the subject as soon as possible.

Mabel hummed at the response. She could tell when someone was upset, however she didn't wish to push further into the discussion; this was Bill after all. And who knows how he would respond to her extra concern. "Okay." She muttered. Her eyes lit up, a grin suddenly plastering along her face. "Wait-wait-wait!" She called, extending an arm out before Bill could depart into the gift shop.

Bill turned to look at Mabel once more. This time he merely put his hands on his hips. Mabel kept her grin. "Do you wanna learn how to make a sweater?" She asked.

Bill looked away, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stood at a loss for words. He looked down at the teenager. "I don't know, Shooting Star. I don't think I'd be very good at it." He said.

"You don't have to be!" Mabel encouraged with a smile. "It's not about making something good, what matters is the amount of effort you put into it!" She said, holding up a couple balls of yarn in her hands.

"Well, I'm not sure I'd put much effort into it, either." Bill responded.

Mabel frowned. "Aw, come on! It'll be fun!" She tried.

"Uh... Maybe later." Bill said. His eyes widened and he immediately regretted his response to the statement. Mabel squealed in glee, grinning. Bill just sighed.

"Later, like, when Grunkle Ford, Dipper and McGucket go on their adventure?" She asked.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Adventure? I was never told they were doing that." He said, folding his arms.

"Yeah, Grunkle Ford didn't tell me about it, either. Dip-dop was the one who told me about it last night." Mabel informed. Waddles rubbed his face against the girl's sweater sleeve, causing her to giggle and boop the pigs nose.


"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Dipper said with a grin, at around 1:00 in the afternoon. Lunch had just finished, and all Dipper had to do now was wait for Ford and McGucket to come back up from the laboratory.

Stan, who sat on the couch, looked over at Dipper. "Excited for what?" He asked.

"Ford, McGucket and me are all going on a trip to the forest!" Dipper responded with a smile, slinging his tan backpack over his shoulder.

The two in the living room turned to look at the 'Employee's only' door as said men emerged from the lab.

"McGucket and I," Ford corrected with a small smile. Dipper looked at his uncle and returned the smile. Stan just rolled his eyes. Sure, his brother was the biggest nerd in the household, though sometimes he wondered what exactly Ford got out of correcting one's grammar. Ford looked down at Dipper as the boy stood up. "Are you ready to go, Dipper?"

Stan just groaned, tilting his head back on the couch chair before looking over at Ford. "Seriously Pointdexter, can't ya' go one week without going on some nerd adventure.

"Nope!" Dipper, Fiddleford, and Ford responded in unison, wide grins plastered along each of their faces.

"And isn't your outfit too fancy for travelin', Fidds?" Stan asked, folding his arms.

Fiddleford just shrugged. "A lil' dirt never did no harm." He responded.

"Fair enough." Stan muttered. Though he would never admit it, Stan too thought that Mabel had done a nice job of giving Fiddleford a new style. He looked back at Ford. "Hey, aren't ya' gonna take that demon along with?" Stan asked his brother.

Ford shifted at the question. He adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat before responding. "I-uh, I'm not sure he'd be too interested in what we're going to go see." He said, scratching the back of his neck and looking away.

Stan scoffed. "Bluffin'." He muttered. He looked over at the doorframe and gave a smug grin. He shouted from the room. "Hey Blondie!" He exclaimed with a wide grin.

Dipper's eyes widened. "Grunkle Stan, don't!" He pleaded, his voice cracking as he spoke. Fiddleford looked up at Ford, who just pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

It took no more than ten seconds for Bill to come downstairs. He walked into the living room and looked at Stan with an unamused groan. "Don't tell me you're gonna make me work on a Saturday." Bill grumbled, leaning on the wall.

"Not this time," Stan assured. He smirked at Ford before looking back at Bill. Stan would be much happier to have Bill become Ford's responsibility rather than his own whilst the three were out for the afternoon. "Actually," Stan continued. "These three nerds were meaning to ask ya' if you wanted to join em' on their little quest for adventure." He said, looking over at Ford with the same smirk. Ford gave a quick death stare towards his brother before looking at Bill.

Dipper cleared his throat a bit louder than necessary. "Or not, you know." He said with an awkward chuckle. "I mean, seriously." He said, giving the demon a blank look.

"It's quite boring, actually." Ford added, looking away in an awkward manner. Fiddleford stood silently, and while he considered calling the other two out for excluding the demon, he decided against it.

Fiddleford just shrugged. "I don' mind either way." He said to Bill.

Bill looked at the three and gave an awkward chuckle, noting that he wasn't well welcomed on the adventure. His bottom eyelids raised as he looked away. "Hehe... Uh, actually," He began, running a hand through his hair. "I already had plans for making a sweater with Shooting Star." He said, hoping that the excuse would get him out of the awkward situation.

"Good." Dipper muttered, folding his arms.

The four in the room watched as Bill departed back upstairs. Moments later, they could hear the muffled yelling of Bill as he shouted, "Shooting Star, where's the yarn?"

Stan scoffed and looked at his brother, shaking his head in a disapproving manner. Ford noticed the look and raised an eyebrow. Stan just rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sixer. I know no one really likes 'im, but you out of all the nerds in this house have the most stable friendship with him." He stated.

Noticing the tension in the room, Fiddleford nodded slowly in agreement. "Ye' know, he's got a point there, Stanford." He said, looking at the other man. Ford looked down at McGucket as the other continued. "Stan tolerates im', but no one would go as far as to say they're friends." He began.

"True." Stan confirmed.

"An' Dipper can hardly stand bein' in the same room as 'im." Fiddleford continued.

"Accurate." Dipper said without hesitation.

"Sure, Mabel an' Bill have a bit of a friendship, but how often does she get the chance to visit Gravity Falls exactly?" Fiddleford added as if it were a question.

Ford's mouth hung open slightly at the statements. He stood frozen, not knowing how to reasonably respond to the statements. It seemed to him as if all eyes in the room were now staring at him. He ran a hand through his hair, awkwardly adjusting his glasses as he drew his eyes away from the others. Under his breath, he muttered, "I really don't need this right now..."

Regardless of the situation, the three as well as Stan walked over to the door. Dipper grabbed hold of the backpack over his shoulder, McGucket held onto his notepad and pen, and Ford adjusted the black strap across his chest.

Stan opened the door for the ground. "Have fun, nerds. And be back by 7:00." He said, pointing a finger at Ford to let his brother know that he was in charge of Dipper's safety. Dipper and McGucket left first, Ford following behind. Ford stopped and the door and turned towards Stanley.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Ya' goin' or what?" He asked, rather impatiently.

"Stan, keep an eye on Bill." Ford began. "Who knows what he may try to do while I'm out of the house." He said.

"Yeah, he might try to put a fork in the microwave or something." Stan said in a sarcastic manner.

Ford frowned, his face firm. "I'm serious, Stanley." He said.

"Yeah, Yeah," Stan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You three go along and have your little trip to Narnia." He said, somewhat gently pushing his brother out of the house. Ford turned around to say one more thing, however Stan slammed the door before he could speak. Ford rolled his eyes and opted not to confront his brother further. He had faith in Stanley to keep track of Bill and Mabel whilst he was away.

Stan sighed and walked back to the living room. Before he could sit down on the couch, he heard the phone ring. The old man grunted, walking over to the table at the other side of the room. He grabbed the red corded phone, picking it up and responding with an annoyed, "Hello?"

The man on the other line was a voice he didn't recognize. The man was informing Stan of a once-in-a-lifetime sight currently taking place at the Gravity Falls park.

Stan just grunted. "Look, I could care less about some dumb community gathering." He said. Stan was about to hand up the phone when he heard the man say something that really picked up his ears.

"What's that?" Stan asked, his eyes widening. "You're tellin' me that Lil' Gideon is stuck between the park's monkey bars?" He asked with a wide grin. "Hah! Can't pass up a chance to see that!" Stan said with a maniacal laugh, slamming the phone back down on its stand and rushing upstairs. He ran across the house, quickly slamming Dipper and Mabel's bedroom door open wide. Mabel and Bill looked at Stan in confusion.

"Grunkle Stan, what's wrong?" Mabel asked in concern.

"Nothin'!" Stan said, his large grin still apparent, his hands on his hips. "Listen, I'm goin' over to the Gravity Falls park for an hour. Na-no, two hours. Yeah, that's enough time to plan a blackmail." Stan said, rubbing his hands together mischievously with a smirk. "You kids gonna be okay here all alone?" Stan asked.

Bill narrowed his eyes. "Hey! Who you callin' kid, kid?" He asked, folding his arms.

Stan just rolled his eyes. "Sor-ry." He muttered, walking away and closing the twins' bedroom door behind him. He snickered as he walked back downstairs towards the gift shop. "I gotta find the camera!" He told himself. Surely Bill and Mabel would be fine home alone for a bit, right?

Mabel and Bill looked at each other in confusion. "You got any idea what that's about?" Bill asked when Stan left the bedroom. Mabel shook her head at the question, to which Bill didn't reply. He looked down at the two knitting needles in his hands and scoffed when his nearly-completed knot untied. "Come on! I almost had that one!" He pouted with a groan.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually." Mabel encouraged.

Bill huffed. "That's what you said this morning." He muttered in annoyance.

"No one gets knitting a sweater perfect on their first try." Mabel stated.

"But this isn't even a sweater!" Bill shot back, narrowing his eyes at the small line of various knots that dangled down by the floor. "It's just a dumb line. It's like a thicker, worse version of string." He commented, pushing his excuse of a project away from him and folding his arms.

"Well, maybe it would work out better if you put love into it!" Mabel said, grinning at the idea.

Bill just raised an eyebrow. "Love?" He asked. Mabel nodded with a smile. Bill squinting his eyes. "Why?" He asked, very little enthusiasm appearant in his voice.

Mabel shrugged, unraveling a bit more yarn for her to use as she knitted her work-in-progress sweater. "It's always seemed to help me!" She said with a smile. "Just think- what do you love?" She asked, looking at the demon with a grin.

Bill was taken aback by the question. "Uh..." He sputtered, not sure how to respond to such a question. "...Arson?" He asked, giving an awkward smile, assuming that 'arson' was a correct answer.

Mabel cringed at the answer. "O-kay... what about family? You love your family, right?" She asked.

"Don't have one." Bill responded in more of a mutter. He looked away with a small, regretful frown. "Not anymore."

Mabel gasped, putting her hands atop her forehead. "Really?" She asked. Bill nodded. "Agh, that's so sad!" She said, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "What happened?" She asked, setting her project aside and putting her hands in her lap to show that Bill had her attention if he wished to tell the story.

Bill froze at the question. "I don't think it's something you'd understand." He said. "Besides, if I did tell you, you'd probably hate me. Again." He added.

"It'll be impossible to hate you if you have a sad backstory!" Mabel retorted.

"Doubt that," Bill stated, folding his arms. "Ya' see... It's kinda my fault." He revealed.

"I'm sure that's not true!" Mabel said with a shake of her head.

Bill face palmed. "You're too positive for your own good." He groaned, tilting his head back and sliding his hand down his face. He looked back at the girl. "What I did was selfish. Really selfish. If I ever got the chance to see my family again, they'd never forgive me." He said.

"...W-What did you do?" Mabel asked.

Bill sighed, closing his eyes for a total of three before looking over at the girl. "I burned it all down." He answered.

"Burned it? Burned what?" Mabel questioned. She silenced herself when Bill continued speaking.

"I burned my dimension. Seeking power." Bill continued, "It worked, but not well. I can't believe I was dumb enough to destroy the one place I could ever call home." He said. "If I'm being honest, I wish I could go back. If I would have known that I would have become this pathetic fleshbag, I never would have done it." He admitted. Bill looked at Mabel. "Look kid, ya' think we could keep this between us?" He asked. "I don't want people thinking I'm getting soft by regretting my actions." He muttered.

"I won't say a word!" Mabel said with a confirming nod of her head.

Bill offered the girl a small smile. "Thanks, Shooting Star." He said. There was silence for a moment, until Bill grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "Well, never mind all that!" He said with a dismissive laugh. "Let's talk about something better! Like fears, blackmail, explosions even!" He said with a quick maniacal laugh before returning his facial features to a blank look.

Mabel gasped and smiled. "Ooh, fears!" She said with a giggle. "I'll go first!" She volunteered. Bill shrugged, listening to the girl. He took the two knitting needles in his hands, attempting to make the correct knots as Mabel thought for a moment. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know!" She said. "My fears are old glass dolls, and Dipper's terrible singing!" She said.

"I don't blame ya', kid." Bill stated as he attempted to make a knot.

"Oh, and triangles." Mabel admitted, shivering at the thought.

Bill stared dead pan at the girl, his mouth wide open. He scoffed. "Okay, first of all, I'm offended." He stated, knitting at a faster pace now. He wasn't looking at his progress as he knitted, he just looked at the girl with narrowed eyes.

Mabel's eyes widened when she realized what she had said. She put her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Bill! I'm so sorry!" She apologized. Bill could see the true remorse in the girl's eyes and knew that she didn't mean anything by it. Mabel looked at the man as she continued to knit once more. "What about you? What are your fears?" She asked.

"Me?" Bill asked. Mabel nodded. Bill narrowed his eyes, putting his project aside and rubbing his chin in thought. Eventually, a fear came to him. Synthesized music." He responded.

"That's it?" Mabel asked, tilting her head.

"Uh, yeah." Bill lied with a scoff. "I'm not some scaredy-cat." He said with an eye roll.

Mabel hummed and looked at the demon in suspicion. Bill noticed the girl looking at him and looked away uncomfortably. Why was she just staring at him? Bill looked back at the young teenager to see her still looking at him in a skeptical manner. Bill sighed, rolling his eyes. "Look kid, ya' want me to be honest?" He asked, to which Mabel nodded. Bill looked away. "I don't know, I don't wanna get all cheesy." Bill said, saying 'cheesy' as if it were a disease of some sort.

Mabel just snickered. "Are you kidding? Have you seen the movies I watch?" She asked.

Bill nodded slowly at the question the girl had asked. "Fair point." He muttered. "Well, if I'm being honest..." He muttered. Mabel nodded eagerly, on the edge of her figurative seat on the wooden floor as she waited for an answer from the other. Bill took in a sharp breath before forcing out the word, "Love. That's... that's my fear." He muttered, looking away with his arms folded, feeling stupid for even saying such a thing.

"Really?" Mabel asked in surprise, in no way intending to sound judgmental. Bill nodded slowly. He grabbed his knitting project and began attempting knots once more as he looked at Mabel. Bill continued speaking, not really paying attention to his knitting progress, however still making motions in his hands with the needles.

"I'm scared of being alone again, but... I feel like something pathetic like love would do nothing but tear me apart and make me forget who I am." Bill continued. Mabel put a hand on her heart, having no idea that Bill Cipher could say such things. The demon sighed. "I never thought I could love again. If at all." He said, muttering the last bit.

Mabel was surprised- did Bill really feel like this? Was he afraid of love? She began to wonder if something save family problems had messed with his past. It seems like he doesn't intend to have love in his life. Mabel thought to herself. So... why did he say 'love again'? She gasped. Did he really love Karen? Or does he love someone else? These were all questions Mabel couldn't find the answers to. She looked at Bill as the demon continued speaking.

"That's why I was so mad at Sixer." Bill informed. Mabel raised an eyebrow, listening as Bill continued. He shrugged whilst speaking. "I thought he had betrayed my trust. I jumped to the crazy conclusion that he had used my new form to get revenge on me. Acting to tolerate me. Pretending to care about me. I-I thought your uncle had betrayed my trust of... feeling... stuff." Bill said, practically forcing out the last bit and cringing at the strange way he had put it.

Mabel hummed at the information. She never knew that Bill could think this deep about something like this. She began to remember what had gone down back in Crestfallen Cavern when Ford and Bill had a heated argument. She hadn't understood most of it, though she had assumed it was about drama between the two of them.

Bill sighed once more. "I know I deserve it. I know that it's my fault. I already know that he'll never look at me the same after what I did." Bill continued, biting his lip before speaking yet again. "But... with all these human emotions I have to deal with now, it kinda hurt. It... No, it really hurt..." He muttered. Bill looked away. "Especially what happened on Christmas." He added.

Mabel raised an eyebrow, finally opting to speak. "...Christmas?" She questioned.

Bill nodded. "Yeah, when we kissed." He said. Bill's eyes widened at the information he had just given away. He clasped his hands over his mouth, looking at the girl in horror. He immediately dropped his knitting project, looking at Mabel with wide eyes.

Mabel, however, wore a small smile that formed into a wide, surprised grin. "Wait, wait," She began, "You and Grunkle Ford kissed?" She asked with a gasp.

"N-No!" Bill sputtered, his heart racing. He felt like kicking himself for giving too much away so foolishly and oh so easily. He felt his face flushing slightly as his breathing became more consistent.

Mabel squealed a high pitch squeal, ignoring the response Bill had given to her question. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She exclaimed, balling her hands into fists as her pupils got big in admiration and glee. Bill pinched the bridge of his nose as groaned at his stupidity. Mabel kept her grin. "Details!" She practically commanded, squealing once more.

"No way!" Bill said with a shake of his head.

"So you admit it?" Mabel asked with a gasp.

"Ye- w-wait, No!" Bill said with a scoff. "You kidding? Human interactions are overrated. There's no way I'd... I'd..." He trailed on, looking at the girl as Mabel scooted closer to him. The girl grabbed Bill's yellow T-shirt, a small smile still on her face. Bill looked at the girl, gulping before saying, "Shooting Star, what are you-?"

"Have you kissed since then?" Mabel asked, shaking the man slightly. She just had to know now.

Bill shook his head, placing his hands behind him to keep balance. "No." He admitted.

"Just that once, then?" Mabel asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah." Bill answered. He gasped and growled. "Dang it! How'd you trick me like that, kid?" He asked in frustration.

Mabel giggled and let go of the demon's shirt, sitting back across from him. The girl shrugged. "Brainwashing, I guess? I dunno, It's like my superpower!" She said with a chuckle.

Bill huffed, running a hand through his hair. He wondered if the girl truly had possession of that power. Regardless of his confusion, he shot a glare at the fangirling Mabel across from him. "Listen here, Shooting Star," Bill began, pointing a finger at Mabel in a somewhat threatening manner, his eyes turning red in rage. "I swear, if you tell absolutely anyone about this, I'll murder your bloodline!" He threatened, shouting now.

Mabel didn't seem bothered by the statement whatsoever. She just gave a sly smirk. "But you'll spare Grunkle Ford, right?" She teased. Bill shot a glare at the girl. Mabel looked down at the wooden flooring, her eyes widening at Bill's abandoned project. "Woah!" She exclaimed in surprise, grabbing the project. Bill's eyes turned back to yellow, and he looked down at the project that she held in her hands. She looked up at Bill with a smile. "Bill, you did it!" She said with a grin.

"I... I did?" Bill asked, scratching his head in confusion. "What did I do this time?" He asked, assuming it was something he would get lectured or chided for later in the day.

Mabel held up the knitting project Bill had mindlessly worked on as he spoke. "You learned how to tie the knot!" She said. Bill grabbed the project from the girl's hands, looking at it himself. His slit pupils widened horizontally to the point where they almost looked like circles. "Holy crow, I did it!" He said, astonished with his work. He grinned and laughed mischievously, holding his creation up in the air. "I'm the king of yarn! Bow down to me, string!" He commanded, pointing at the various yarn balls beside Mabel.

"That's amazing!" Mabel said to the demon.

Bill's eyes returned to normal. He grinned back at Mabel. "Yeah, and all I had to do is put my loathing and grief of past situations into it!" He said with a maniacal laugh.

Mabel cringed at the reasoning. She waited a moment before giving a poor excuse of a smile. "...And love!" She added, chuckling awkwardly and opting to push the demon's reasoning's for his success at the yarn project out of the discussion. "Don't you see? You're heartbroken!" She told Bill as if it were an accomplishment. She put an arm overtop her forehead in a dramatic manner. "Agh! A heartbroken soul! I know your pain, fellow human." She said, reaching a hand out towards Bill.

Bill folded his arms, narrowing his eyes when the teenager called him a human. "Once again, I'm offended." He muttered.

"I know what you need!" Mabel said with a grin. Bill looked back at the young teenager in confusion. "You need a matchmaker! Lucky for you, I happen to be a professional at matchmaking! I've gotten tons of people hooked up before!" She said with a giggle.

Bill shifted. "A... Matchmaker?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to know what that is?" He asked.

"I know how to get you and Grunkle Ford together!" Mabel said with a gleeful squeal. Bill cringed at the loud, nearly inhuman noise exclaimed by the girl. Mabel apologized for the noise, however she kept her smile. "I have the perfect plan!" She claimed.

Bill scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I don't know, Shooting Star. You only have six days left until you have to leave. There's no way that Sixer is gonna have a change in heart in that amount of time." He said.

"Sure he will!" Mabel retorted with a smile. "You and Ford are like, best friends!" She said.

Bill scoffed. "You kiddin'? Sorry to sink your ship, Mabel, but your uncle kinda hates me now." He stated.

"Aw, come on!" Mabel said with a frown. "Six days are better than none, right? I'm confident that I can get him interested, or my name's not Mabel Pines!" She vowed, pumping her fist in the air. "Please, just let me try! I know you want me to." Mabel said with a sly smile.

Bill sighed. Mabel was right, he did wish that she could help him. Though deep down, he had very little confidence in the girl. He hummed in thought and looked down at the wooden flooring, cupping his hands in his lap. Even if Mabel's attempt failed, at the very least the girl could convince Ford to open his eyes a bit more and listen to Bill a bit more.

Bill looked at Mabel. "Are you sure this will work?" He asked. Regardless of his lack of confidence, he figured it would feel better if Mabel told him otherwise.

Mabel nodded and stood up. She put a hand out towards Bill for a handshake. "Of course!" She said with a smile. Bill looked at the hand and wondered why on earth the girl would offer him a hand shake, especially after all the events that his handshakes had led to in the past. Hesitantly, he took Mabel's hand and shook it, resisting the urge to ignite it in blue flame. It would do nothing but remind him of the summer.

"Then it's settled!" Mabel said with a grin. "Project Allure is a go!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. She couldn't wait to see the outcome of her soon-to-be hard matchmaking work. She looked down at her knitting project. She then looked over at Bill's long, straight knitted chain. Her eyes lit up. "I have the perfect idea! What if we combined our projects into one and made a sweater for Grunkle Ford?" She asked.

Bill hummed at the thought. "Maybe..." He muttered. He looked at Mabel. "Oh yeah! Actually, I had this one idea..." He began. Mabel nodded frantically, curious to hear any suggestions Bill had for their recently founded Project Allure. (She had come up with the name herself.)

"Do you have any experience with cooking?" Bill asked.

Mabel nodded, putting her hands behind her back. "Yeah, I've made simple stuff. Like muffins, pudding, pie, cookies..." She muttered. Bill and Mabel gasped in unison, both exclaiming, "Cookies!"

"Ahh!" Mabel squealed with a grin. "That's a great idea! Maybe we can make some later." She said with a giggle. Bill nodded at the thought. At least he would have an assistant when he made his first attempt at baking. "But first, I'm gonna go get some tortilla chips!" She said, rushing over to the door.

"Wait, isn't that-?" Bill asked, extending an arm out. He slouched when the girl left before he could finish his sentence. Triangle food... Bill thought to himself. That's like cannibalism to myself!

He looked over at his knitting project and held it in his hands. He too had been shocked at himself when he had made such a creation out of anger. He wondered just how much he could accomplish, and if he even remembered the steps. Due to his curiosity, Bill picked up the knitting needles, attempting to make knots once more like he had done earlier. To his annoyance, the knots wouldn't knot together like they had when he was mindlessly kneading them in his hands as he spoke to Mabel about his problems. He huffed and wondered if his stress was the only way that would make the stupid knots tie. For a moment, Bill even wondered if Mabel had been correct, and if the key to knitting really was love.

No, that's ridiculous. Bill thought to himself. It's been trillions of years, and yet I've never learned how to knit? Seriously? Bill began to blame himself for his failings at the activity. He looked at the various colors of yarn. He looked at Mabel's creation and saw that she had chosen a dark blue color for her knitted creation. Bill quite liked the color and wondered if Ford would like it just as much. He opted to ask Mabel later if that was the color they could mainly use in progress of the sweater. Perhaps he could use his string's color to put overtop the base of the sweater, like an extra design. Bill wondered if writing out words with the knotted string he had made could spell out words.

Surely Ford would like something like that. Bill thought. Wouldn't he?

Ten minutes passed, and Mabel was yet to return from the kitchen. Bill grew confused, and waited around for the girl, getting progressively frustrated when the young teenager didn't return. Bill went so far as to label himself worried. He assumed his worry was reflecting from the fact that Stan was currently out of the house. Surely if something were to happen to Mabel, everyone would blame it on him, being that he was the only other person at the house with Mabel.

Eventually, Bill exited the twins' bedroom and headed downstairs. "Shooting Star?" He called out, looking around in confusion. He checked the living room, behind him, in the gift shop, but the girl was no where to be seen. Bill looked around frantically before remembering that Mabel had gone to the kitchen.

Duh. Bill thought to himself. He ran over to the kitchen, nearly tripping on the living room carpet. He rushed over to the kitchen door frame, looking in the kitchen. Bill froze at the sight he saw before him. Horrified, he drew in a sharp breath as he gasped. "Shooting Star!"

HAH! Cliffhanger!

I'm sorry... I just had to stop it there. xD I wonder if all those evil cliffhangers The Forest Dog likes to put in her fics has rubbed onto me now. Oh well...

I'm pretty excited to write the next chapter, a lot is going to go down. With Bill at home alone with Mabel, and with Mabel suddenly... well, I can't really say much right now, can I? Hmm... let's just say that there's going to be a lot of misunderstandings in the next chapter.

Well, Bill kinda spilled the beans here, didn't he? Now Mabel knows more than he had intended for her to know. Mabel's "Project Allure" Can basically swing two ways; Work out magically, or go terribly, terribly wrong. And being that this is Gravity Falls that we're talking about, I wouldn't lean too far into assuming that it's the first one.

To leave this chapter on a happy note, I intentionally left out the detail of what color of string Bill was using whilst knitting. I figured that pretty much any color could go nice with dark blue, so I'm letting you guys decide what color you want his bit to have been. You know, imagination and all. xD

New chapter up soon!