Okay, I'm getting annoyed with myself. Half the time when I'm writing, I say "Door frame", and the other half of the time I say, "Doorframe". I've been switching between them when writing a lot, and it's beginning to annoy me. I don't know which I should stick with. Which would you guys prefer? Because I don't know...
I currently have a few projects going for Tumblr based on some future chapters.
One more thing; I got Lost Legends in the mail a couple days ago, and it's given me some ideas for future plot ideas. They're still very faint ideas, so I'll definitely have to do more thinking on them before anything comes together. (Not to mention I already have a few plot ideas in queue to write.)
Anyway, here's chapter 41 of 'Welcome Home'!
The Pines had all returned to the shack late that night, no one saying much of anything. The only stable conversation would have been Dipper talking to Mabel in hopes of getting her to come out of sweater town. He frowned when Mabel refused to say much about her reasoning to him. Dipper wondered why Mabel was keeping so much from him as of recently. He told her lots of things- so what was the deal with being so secretive? When the people in the household went to bed, the shack seemed more silent than ever.
Bill was the only one who laid awake that night. Recently the demon had had various troubles with sleeping. Whether it was the feeling of being upset, annoyed, or alone, he wasn't sure what was causing him to get such a lack of sleep.
The next morning was a bit more talkative. Stan was back to scamming his customers with false anomalies and high prices, and Dipper was back to feeling adventurous. However, when he went up to his great uncle about the adventure they had planned for the day, the boy was left disappointed with the answer he had been given.
"Actually," Ford began as he stood in the living room. "I don't know if today would be the best day for that." He admitted.
"What?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow with a small frown.
"I'm sorry, Dipper," Ford continued. "But I have a bit larger of a focus today. I seem to have lost my notes on the sharpening spell."
"Oh!" Dipper said with a small chuckle. "Do you need any help finding it?" He offered.
Ford gave a small smile at his nephew's eagerness. "That's kind of you to offer your assistance, however with all the papers and notebooks you can find in this household, I'm sure it would be very difficult to find." He explained.
Dipper nodded slowly. "Okay," He muttered. "Maybe... Maybe tomorrow?" He asked in a hopeful manner.
"I'm sure that's feasible, being that there are only four days left until you both leave to California." Ford said with a nod of his head. With that, Dipper rushed away to inform Mabel and McGucket about the change in plans. He walked up the stairs, walking to his bedroom where he assumed his sister was at the time. Seeing Mabel knitting a sweater didn't come as much of a surprise to him, being that she would make them regularly. The thing that did surprise him was that Bill was sitting across from her in the middle of the room, attempting to knit along.
Mabel noticed Dipper's presence and smiled. "Hey brother!" She greeted. "Do you wanna join us?" She asked, putting her project aside and holding up a couple balls of yarn.
"I'm gonna pass," Dipper said with a shake of his head.
"Aw, come on!" Mabel whined. "It'll be fun!" She tried.
Dipper ignored the statement, "Actually, I just came up here to say that Great Uncle Ford changed the plans for today." He said.
"Plans?" Mabel repeated, tilting her head. "What plans?"
"Well, yesterday we were thinking about inviting you to join us out in the woods to go look for cool anomalies," Dipper began. "But Ford lost his notes on that sharpening spell he's been working on, so he's trying to find them." He explained.
Mabel hummed. "What's so special about that sharpening spell, anyway?" She asked. Dipper could only shrug. He didn't know much on the spell, other than it seemed important to Ford as of recently.
"I'll tell ya' what's special about it," Bill chimed in, looking up from his knitting project. Dipper and Mabel looked at Bill as he spoke. "That sharpening spell is so powerful that it could slice through a person or object faster than you could say or call for help." He stated with a smirk.
Mabel looked at Bill and giggled. "Help!" She said, testing out the word as a joke. As soon as the words hit Bill's ears, he took a knitting needle in one hand, scooting over to the girl and placing it dangerously close to her neck with an evil-like grin. Mabel gasped, looking down at the needle. "Help!" She exclaimed in a fearful manner.
Dipper gasped and shot a glare at the demon. "What are you doing?" He shouted, clenching his fists. The boy raised an eyebrow in complete confusion when his sister began laughing. Bill gave a short chuckle and looked over at Dipper. He took the needle away from Mabel's neck.
"Cool it, kid!" Bill chided with an eye roll. He threw the knitting needle in Dipper's direction, causing the boy to jump sideways whilst letting out a high-pitched cry of fear. Mabel and Bill laughed mockingly at Dipper's behavior.
Dipper hardened his glare. "That could have hit me in the eye!" He stated, putting his hands on his hips.
"I see no negative here," Bill responded. He laughed with a smirk. "Someone needs to take up the torch of being the beast with just one eye!" He stated.
Dipper growled in anger at the statement. He grabbed the doorknob of the room and slammed the door shut, storming away with an annoyed glare as he walked over towards the stairs to go back down to the living room.
Mabel looked at Bill once Dipper left the room and frowned. "Hey, Dip-dop's no beast!" She retorted, folding her arms. "He's my brother!"
"Can he be both?" Bill asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No!" Mabel stated, shaking her head. She opted to ignore Bill's eye roll, and instead put on a smile. "Hey, we should make cookies today!" She said in hopes of changing the subject.
Bill just tilted his head. "Cookies?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Mabel beamed with a wide grin that showed off her braces. "Grunkle Stan loves cookies, and I'm sure Grunkle Ford will too!" She said.
Bill hummed at the statement. "I don't know how helpful I would be with something like that." He stated, folding his arms. "I've only ever tried baking once. And trust me- it went horribly." He continued. "In fact, if Sixer hadn't been there to help, I probably would have burned down the shack." He added in more of a mutter.
"I'll help you!" Mabel said, the same smile on her face. "Cookies are one of the easiest things you could bake!"
"Ya' think so?" Bill asked, doubting the statement.
Mabel nodded with a grin. "I know so!" She stated, nodding in confirmation. "As long as I'm here to help, you won't have to be scared of burning your home down!" She said.
Bill narrowed his eyes. "This is not my home," He stated in a bitter manner. Mabel looked at the demon as he added, "It never will be."
Mabel frowned. Though she had figured the shack was as close to a home that Bill had, she couldn't argue with his statement. Mabel recalled that Bill had a massive distaste for being human. She figured that there was no way to change the way he felt about the shack, and she certainly didn't wish to push the demon into believing something if he would know in his heart that it was incorrect.
Meanwhile, Ford was in the kitchen searching for his notes, and where he could have possibly misplaced them.
They couldn't have gone far. Ford thought to himself. I had them just the other day, and I've kept it on me at all times since I began taking notes on the subject. Where could they be?
Ford's attention was turned to the phone ringing on the kitchen table. He looked out the window to see Stan doing an outside tour with the golf cart. Being that Stan was unavailable, Ford walked over to the phone, picking it up and speaking a, "Hello?"
"Hey dude, I-Is Ford there?" Soos, who was on the other line, asked.
"Speaking." Ford answered.
Soos cringed at his mistake. Regardless, he continued, "Oh, w-well, I think you forgot something of yours in the back of my truck, dawg." He stated.
"Did I?" Ford questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What was it that I had left?" He asked.
"Well, I-It was a little notebook with some nerd notes about a spell. so I figured it was yours." Soos responded. He cringed once more the moment his answer registered in his head. He hoped that the 'nerd' remark hadn't offended the man.
Thankfully for Soos, Ford hadn't seemed bothered by the label whatsoever. "Oh yes, that's mine." Ford said with an awkward chuckle. "Would there be any chance that I could come to retrieve it?" He asked.
"Sure, that would be great!" Soos said with a smile. "I-I mean, it would be, uh... nice." He restated, trying not to let his glee get too out of hand.
Ford gave a small smile to this. "Excellent, I'll be over momentarily." He informed. Ford thanked the handyman before hanging up the phone. He was relieved that his notes were safe rather than lost or placed in the wrong hands.
He turned around to see Mabel walk into the kitchen. The girl looked up and saw her uncle. She gasped and avoided eye contact, afraid that Ford was still upset with her about faking her injury just the other day. She wished not to cause any more problems, causing her to draw her eyes to the floor.
Ford, however, didn't seem as upset as Mabel had expected. "Good morning, Mabel." He greeted.
Mabel looked up to see a small smile on Ford's face. "G-Good morning, Grunkle Ford..." She greeted back in more of a mutter.
Ford noticed the downcast expression on his niece's face. He tilted his head in concern. "Is everything alright?" He asked. Mabel shrugged slowly with an inaudible sigh, looking away once more. Ford hummed and knelt down to match Mabel's height, ruffling her hair gently. "If it's about yesterday, you don't need to beat yourself down about it." He stated.
"But..." Mabel said. "I still feel bad." She muttered. Mabel looked up when she heard her uncle speak once more.
"Which is perfectly understandable," Ford began, "And I'm not denying that what you did yesterday was out of place. In fact, it was completely horrendous." He said in a firm manner. He saw the look of building guilt on Mabel's face, and softened his tone. "What I am saying is that the best way to deal with something is to move past it." He said with a small smile.
"Like what you're doing with Bill?" Mabel asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Ford's smile fell. Words seemed to fail him after being asked that question. After a moment of silence, Ford opened his mouth as if to say something. He closed it when he looked over Mabel's shoulder, seeing Bill walk down from upstairs.
He sighed. "Well, yes." Ford answered with a slow nod of his head.
Mabel's eyes widened at the confirmation. She saw the scientist rise back up, standing now as he looked over by the stairs. Mabel turned around in confusion to see the man mentioned walking towards the kitchen. She looked back at Ford. "Why?" She pressed on.
Ford looked back down at Mabel. "Hm?" He mumbled, raising an eyebrow.
"What good does 'moving past' and ignoring Bill do?" Mabel asked, folding her arms.
Stanford exchanged glances from over at Bill, and down at Mabel. He shifted as the demon continued to approach. Ford looked at Mabel with a look of unease. "I...I'm not sure that's a very adequate question." He said in more of a mutter.
By the time Ford had spoken, Bill had already arrived over by the kitchen doorframe. He had heard the question Mabel had asked as he had walked over, and now seemed curious of the answer himself. He folded his arms and leaned on the doorframe, looking at the other man.
"Nah, she's got a point, Sixer." Bill said. "Ya' know, I'm curious to hear the answer myself." He added.
Mabel looked at the two. Ford seemed taken aback by the question he now had to answer, whereas Bill gave the scientist a look that expected an answer. Ford adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Curiosity can get the best of people." He stated, trying to leave the kitchen. Bill stepped in the way of Ford before he could leave, placing his hands on both sides of the doorframe.
"Don't think you can just leave." Bill said in a firm manner. "You can't answer like that!" He practically chided.
Ford narrowed his eyes. "Get out of my way." He hissed.
"You want me out of your way?" Bill asked. "Then you're gonna have to move me!" He challenged with a small glare.
"That's ridiculous." Ford muttered, shaking his head with folded arms.
"Alright then, answer Shooting Star's question!" Bill said, looking at the man.
Ford huffed. "If I give you an answer, will you move out of the doorway?" He asked, putting his hands behind his back. Bill nodded at the question, causing Ford to go silent for a moment. "Moving on is the best way to deal with all of this, especially after what you've done as of recently." He stated in a bitter manner.
Ford took a step closer to Bill, causing the demon to take a step to the side. Bill watched as the scientist looked over at the back door, as if he were about to go somewhere. Before Ford could leave, Bill grabbed Ford's wrist and turned him around. Ford's eyes widened at the sudden movement made by the other. Bill kept his grip on his wrist with one hand, putting his other hand on Ford's chin to face the scientist to look at him. Mabel watched the interaction and smiled.
"Answer something for me," Bill began.
Ford shot a glare at the man. "Bill, I have to leave." He stated.
"Answer something for me first," Bill commanded in a bitter tone. Ford narrowed his eyes at the man before Bill asked, "What am I to you?"
Ford just raised an eyebrow at the question asked. "Excuse me?" He started, looking at the demon who stared him down. Ford looked over at Mabel for a quick moment, looking at his niece that still stood in the kitchen. There was no way he could speak his mind truthfully in this situation. He looked back at Bill and said, "This is not the type of topic to be discussing, especially not right now."
Bill could only scoff at this. "What, are you scared to tell me?" He asked in a manner that could be easily mistaken for mockery. "What is it you're afraid of? What's the big deal?" He questioned, tightening his grip on Ford's chin.
Ford used his spare hand to grab Bill's wrist that held onto his face. He pulled the demon's hand away. "Don't touch me, Cipher." He commanded with narrowed eyes. He wished to keep his answers as limited of information as possible, as he didn't want to potentially lead Bill on to the fact that there was still a chance. Ford had no time to hear Bill's excuses of why he did what he did to Brock. Ford looked back at Bill. "I have reasons for doing what I've done." He stated, putting his hands in his lab coat pockets. "You have nothing but excuses." He added, as he headed towards the door.
Bill watched Ford leave with clenched fists. "Coward." He muttered under his breath. He watched as Ford opened the back door, closing it behind him as he headed outside. Bill growled. "He can't even answer the one question I've wanted to know all week!" He said, putting a hand in his hair out of frustration.
Mabel walked over to Bill and sighed. "I'm sorry, Bill." She muttered.
"No offense, Shooting Star," Bill began, looking down beside him to look at the teenager. "But there's no way all this can be fixed in four days."
Mabel put her hands on her hips. "There's always a second chance!" She tried.
Bill clenched his fists by his sides. "I've already used my second chance!" He shouted with a glare. Mabel gasped at the demon's sudden change of tone, and she took a small step away to give Bill some space. Bill noticed his tone of voice and lowered it with a sigh, drawing his eyes to the floor. "There's no such thing as a third chance with someone like him." He added in more of a mutter.
"He gave Grunkle Stan a third chance!" Mabel retorted, folding her arms. "Grunkle Stan ruined Ford's science fair project in high school, and he forgave him enough to ask him a favor ten years later. Then when Grunkle Stan pushed Grunkle Ford into the portal, he tried getting him back for thirty years, ignoring Grunkle Ford's warnings not to. And Ford still forgave Grunkle Stan for that, too!" She said.
"That's because they're brothers," Bill stated with a shake of his head. "They're family." He said.
"You're family, too!" Mabel stated.
Bill shot a glare at Mabel. "I'm not family. I've already told you, I'm family to no-one, and I never will be!" He said, shouting once more. He once more caught his tone of voice and sighed, not wishing to frighten the girl with his tone. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes and groaning.
"I'm sorry..." Bill muttered. "I'm just..." He began, unable to find the correct words for what he was trying to say.
Mabel just nodded in an understanding manner. She didn't blame the demon for his sudden outburst. She too knew the pain of tough love, and understood that it was difficult to get through. She figured the best way to change the subject was to get back to the task at hand.
"So... Should we make those cookies now?" Mabel offered.
Bill looked over behind him at the kitchen to see it still remaining unoccupied. He looked at Mabel and gave a nod of his head. This gave Mabel the idea to walk back into the kitchen, Bill walking behind her.
"We'll need to lay out our ingredients," Mabel began. "Grunkle Ford taught me that!" She said with a smile.
"Yeah," Bill muttered, "Me too." He said.
Mabel raised an eyebrow in confusion at the remark, however she opted to ignore it for now. "Do you know where Grunkle Stan keeps the cook book?" She asked.
Bill looked up at the shelf above him. He clenched a fist and punched the wall, causing the book to shift from the motion and fall off the shelf. Bill grinned at Mabel as he did so, which caused her more confusion. The cook book would have hit Bill in the head, had his other hand not been there to catch it. He didn't seem bothered whatsoever. Instead, he looked at the book in his hand and set it down beside the stove.
Mabel took a long blink of her eyes before looking down at the cook book. "I guess that answers one question." She said with a small chuckle, opening the book and flipping through the pages to find the correct page. "Aha!" She said with a smile, pointing her finger down at the cookie recipe. "I found it!" She announced. "Let's get those ingredients!" She said with a grin. With that, the two were off to find the ingredients needed for the cookies.
Meanwhile, Ford was on his way to Soos' grandmother's house. Originally, he had assumed the drive would be peaceful. This, however, was not the case. Not with the thoughts from moments ago. He wondered why Bill had decided to lash out so suddenly. Surely the demon knew not to do such things in front of the kids, so what was his reason for it?
Surely he's just looking for attention. Ford figured to himself. Which is the exact opposite of what he should be given.
The thought of Fiddleford's question from the other day crossed his mind. "What is it that he deserves, Stanford?" McGucket had asked. "What exactly do ye' think Bill deserves?" Ford had given the question very little thought. Mainly because he wished not to think of it. Ford knew that his reasonings for shunning Bill were completely valid and correct. He didn't understand why the others were defending the demon so much. Some days Ford thought the others were trying to 'talk some sense into him', which was absolutely absurd.
It became difficult for Ford to move on from the horrible man when the people around him kept bringing up the topic of his act of avoiding Bill. He didn't care to hear about Bill's 'reasonings' for doing what he did. Ford was certain that whatever the man had to say would be nothing but excuses. No matter how much Bill wished he would listen, Ford wouldn't. He couldn't.
They're wrong. Ford told himself. They're all wrong.
He saw Abuelita's house just a few houses away. He parked at the side of the fence, and stopped the vehicle. When he got out of the car, he cringed at the damage done on the vehicle, and kept the thought of damage repair expenses out of his head for the time being. He had a more important manner to attend to.
Ford shut the car door and walked up to the house. He walked up the small steps and stood in front of the door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. The moment he knocked on the door, he could hear a muffled exclaim from Soos shouting, "He's here!". This left Ford skeptical, he wasn't sure if there was something suspicious going on, or if the handyman was just happy. Regardless of his questions on the muffled remark, he put on a smile when Soos opened the front door.
"Hey dude!" Soos said with a wide grin.
"Hello." Ford responded with a small smile. He figured it would be best to get straight to the point, so he said, "Do you have the notes?"
Soos nodded at the question. "Of course! Come in, dawg!" He said, taking a step back and holding the door open for the older man. Ford stepped inside and was surprised to see and hear a quiet household. With a baby present, he had assumed that there would be a bit of racket.
Ford walked in to the house, not paying much attention to the ground below him. He took a step forward, nearly stepping on a rubber duck, had Soos not stopped him by putting an arm out. Ford looked at Soos in confusion, then looked down at the floor.
"Oh yes," Ford mumbled with an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry about that." He apologized.
"It's all good." Soos said with a simple shrug. "Just keep it down. Abuelita is asleep, and I think Melody just got Brock to get a nap, too." He said.
Ford just nodded. He opted not to bring up the fact that Soos had just shouted when he knocked on the door. He continued to walk forward, being careful to watch the toys on the floor. Soos kept unnecessarily moving Ford, grabbing onto his shoulders and shifting him side to side as if assisting the older man to dodge the miniature obstacles.
"Whoops, watch your step. Move aside, there's something there. Watch out, dawg. Another duck. Oops, don't know what that's doing there!" Soos kept saying, keeping watch of what was on the ground as he guided Ford around the small toys.
Ford opened his mouth to say something on the unnecessary contact, however he chose not to comment. He figured doing so would be out of place on his part. Soos let go of the sides of his shoulders and pointed down the hall.
"It's in Brock's room." Soos informed.
Why would it be in the baby's room, of all places? Ford asked himself. He remembered that Melody had tried getting Brock to sleep. Fear rushed through him at the thought of her coming across the notebook and looking inside. That would be problematic. He was sure that Melody was already confused enough at how she had been resuscitated, and she surely didn't need a miniature college-ruled notepad filled with information about a sharpening spell on her mind. Ford was sure that Melody wasn't ready for something like that, let alone being introduced to all of the weirdness Gravity Falls had to offer.
Ford silently rushed down the hallway, stopping in his tracks at the sight of an open wooden door to the left. He poked his head inside and saw Melody sitting on a comfortable chair, rocking Brock in her arms as the baby boy yawned. She looked up and looked at the door, giving a small smile to the visitor.
"Do you need something?" Melody asked in a hushed tone.
Ford gave a nod of his head. "Yes, there was a notepad I had left behind in Soos' truck from a few days ago," He informed, speaking quietly. "Would you happen to know where that is?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's on that shelf." She said, keeping Brock in her other arm as she pointed at the wooden shelf hanging above the white dresser. Ford looked over at the shelf and saw his notes atop the shelf. He thanked the woman and took a couple steps into the room, reaching up towards the shelf and grabbing hold of his miniature notebook. He opened it up and flipped through the pages, making sure that nothing sketchy was present. At the relief of there being nothing to worry about, he smiled and placed the notes inside his lab coat.
Brock shifted in Melody's arms. She figured that he was waking up from his nap. Ford turned away to head out of the room, until he heard Melody call out to him. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?" He questioned.
Melody looked down at Brock, seeing his eyes open slowly. She looked back at Ford. "Um... Would you mind grabbing that for me?" Melody asked, pointing at the baby bottle on the dresser. Ford looked beside him at the dresser, seeing a bottle of milk atop it. He took hold of the bottle and walked over towards the woman, handing it to her.
"Thank you." Melody said with a smile, taking the bottle and putting it up towards Brock's mouth to feed him.
Ford looked down at the child and gave a warm smile. "He's a lovely baby." He commented. Ford mentally cringed after he said those words, hoping the mother wouldn't find it strange.
Luckily, Melody just smiled. "Isn't he?" She asked with a chuckle. "Actually, ever since your boyfriend mentioned the palm-rubbing trick to Soos and I, helping Brock to calm down has been a lot easier than we thought it would be." She said.
Ford shifted at the 'boyfriend' label given. He felt his face flush, to his distaste. Regardless of the hopefully unapparent blush across his cheeks, he cleared his throat. "He's... He's not boyfriend." He stated, folding his arms and looking away in hopes of hiding his face. If he was trying to keep Bill out of his life, he wished he wouldn't be put in to situations such as this.
Melody caught on to Ford's look of embarrassment. She felt a bit of guilt for assuming the relationship status. "Oh," She blurted out. "I-I'm sorry." She apologized.
"No, no. Please," Ford began. "You have nothing to apologize for." He assured.
Soos poked his head out by the door frame. "Hey dawg, did you find it?" He asked.
Ford turned around to see the handyman looking back at him. Ford nodded and awkwardly left the room. Soos gave a small smile to his girlfriend before walking with Ford back to the living room.
"So... Is that it?" Soos asked.
Ford stopped in the living room and nodded. "I suppose so." He said. Soos frowned for a split second before noticing his facial expression and returning it back to its neutral state. Ford caught the look just in time and adjusted his glasses. He looked at the handyman before speaking in a hushed tone.
"If I may ask..." Ford began. Soos looked up and nodded quickly, eager to hear what the author had to say. "How are things with your grandmother?" He questioned.
Soos tilted his head. "What... What do you mean?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck and looking away.
Ford could tell that the handyman wore a look of unease, so he chose his words carefully before speaking. "Well, I happen to remember you speaking openly about her concerns with the situations at the hospital. Has she... brought it up at all?" He asked.
Soos sighed. "Well, yeah..." He answered in more of a mutter. "It's kinda personal..." He stated.
Ford nodded in an understanding manner. "Of course," He said. "I respect your privacy."
"But, if you insist," Soos said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Ford shifted. "I-I never insisted-" He tried to no avail, as the handyman had already begun speaking.
"It all started when Abuelita got a phone call from the hospital!" Soos began in a bit louder of a tone. Ford cringed and wondered if Soos' sudden eagerness of speaking of the situation was merely for his satisfaction, or is he just needed someone to speak to about it all. "She was on the couch knitting a scarf when the telephone rang. She answered the phone, and heard about the situation of Brock going missing, Melody dying, and me running off to go find him." He continued.
Ford clenched his fists slightly at the reminder of the terrible thing Bill had done.
"Then," Soos began once more, "When I had come home hours later with Brock, and without Melody, she started asking questions." He said in a nervous manner. "Actually, she was the most upset I've seen her in... Years." He stated with a shudder. "As she's gotten older, she's been so calm and peaceful. She hasn't yelled in so long..." He muttered.
Ford frowned. "I'm so sorry." He said with a sympathetic shake of his head.
"Luckily she got too tired to ask questions for the night," Soos continued, not wishing to stop for symphony. "Abuelita fell asleep in her chair, and I got Brock to bed. Surprisingly he was pretty quiet throughout the night. I only had to wake up from his crying once." He said with a small chuckle. "A-Anyway, I woke up the next morning and headed out to the Mystery Shack with Brock before Abuelita could wake up." He said.
"Is that why you stopped by so unexpected?" Ford asked.
Soos nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, B-But I made sure to call Stan first." He said. "I used the state of Wendy never seeing Brock as an excuse to not explain what was going on." He admitted in more of a mutter. "I-I mean, she hadn't seen him, but... that wasn't the point." He said.
"I understand your reasoning for saying so." Ford said. "I'm sorry things have been so hectic. You're certainly not the only man who has been tricked by Bill." He murmured.
"Tricked?" Soos repeated, raising an eyebrow. "N-No, I wasn't tricked by Bill. I-In fact, he helped more than he harmed." He pointed out.
"Is that so?" Ford asked, doubting the statement.
"Oh absolutely, dawg!" Soos said, a smile appearing on his face. "Sure, he may have taken Brock, but he didn't cause Melody's death. If Bill hadn't been there, Melody would have had a natural death from the pregnancy. He saved her life!" Soos stated.
Ford folded his arms at this. "That can't be right..." He muttered. He looked at the handyman once more. "Did Bill, in some way, instruct you to say these things?" He asked.
"Uh... N-No." Soos replied in blunt confusion. He wasn't sure why Ford would have asked such an unusual question. Was there something going on convincing Ford that Bill had something planned?
Ford caught on to Soos' minor hesitancy when he had spoken, as well as the minor stutter. He hummed and figured Soos was trying to hide the truth by lying. Regardless of what was true and what was not, Ford didn't wish to bother the younger man for much longer.
"I see," Ford muttered in a low tone. "Well, I'll be on my way. Thank you, Soos." He thanked, offering the handyman a small smile.
"Oh, it's an honor, dawg!" Soos chirped. He gasped after the words left his mouth, and chuckled awkwardly. "I-I mean... it's no problem!" He said, correcting himself as he adjusted his hat.
Ford just chuckled. "Take care." He said before walking towards the front door. Soos watched the scientist leave. He felt idiotic for saying such a strange thing in front of the older man, however he was relieved to know that Ford didn't think much of it. Ford opened the door, closing it behind him.
Soos sighed. "He's so cool." He muttered aloud in awe after being sure that Ford had left.
Melody walked up behind Soos with Brock in her arms. Soos turned around and smiled at his girlfriend. He looked down at Brock to see him fast asleep once more. Soos gently took hold of his son when Melody handed Brock to him. He looked down at the baby with a warm smile. He was glad to have his family reunited and unharmed. A part of him wondered why Ford was so hard on the demon. Regardless, he didn't think about the question for too long. He had family to spend his thoughts and time with.
Soos rocked Brock gently in his arms. Melody smiled and gave her boyfriend a sweet peck on the cheek. Soos returned Melody's smile.
"Has Abuelita asked any more questions?" Melody asked.
Soos shrugged. "Not today," He said. "It's probably for the best. I-I don't think she could handle the truth." He muttered.
"I don't blame you for thinking that," Melody agreed with a shrug, folding her arms. "You've explained all of this to me, and I still don't know if I understand everything." She stated.
"It's a lot to think about." Soos replied. Melody nodded before Soos continued, "I don't know how she would react to all of it." He said with a sigh. He looked at his girlfriend. "I'm sorry everything is so crazy." Soos apologized with a frown.
"It's okay, Soos. You don't need to apologize." Melody assured, resting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. Soos looked at Melody and returned the warm smile looking back at him. Melody looked at Brock. "Well, if he's asleep, we should probably tuck him in." She said.
Soos nodded. "Good idea." He said before walking over to the baby's room. Melody watched Soos leave, then turned to look at the door. She walked over towards it, stepping beside it to look out the window. She hesitantly peeked through the curtain, seeing Ford driving down the road. She hummed in confusion at the state of the car and wondered what could have possibly happened. She reminded herself that the man was a scientist, and the damage was likely from a lab accident of some sort. Regardless, she knew better than to question it.
"Can you put the sugar in?" Mabel asked Bill as she cracked a couple eggs in the kitchen.
"Sure thing, Shooting Star!" Bill responded with a grin. He looked at the ingredients on the counter. He looked between two different containers, one containing sugar, and the other containing salt. He hummed in confusion at the two, not knowing which one was the sugar. He opened the lid of one and was about to stick his hand inside it to taste it.
Mabel turned to look at the demon and gasped. "Bill! Don't do that!" She chided.
"Huh?" Bill asked, stopping frozen in motion and looking back at the young teenager. "Why not?" He asked.
"Grunkle Stan says we shouldn't put our hands in the ingredients!" Mabel responded.
Bill groaned. "But I washed my hands!" He complained.
"Maybe, but you just measured the flour, it'll get mixed in!" Mabel pointed out.
Bill just sighed. "Alright, whatever." He grumbled, taking his hand out of the container. He grabbed one of the two containers, assuming it to be the sugar, and measured the proper amount. He took the substance he figured was the sugar and placed the correct amount in the bowl. "Now what?" Bill asked.
"Now..." Mabel began, "We mix the liquid ingredients with the dry!" She said with a smile. "Well, after you mix in the sugar, we do." She added. Bill nodded at the order and took a spoon, mixing the ingredients together for a bit. When Bill was done mixing, Mabel poured in the other ingredients.
Mabel smiled. "Grunkle Stan and Ford are gonna love this!" She beamed, mixing the batter. "You put the sugar in, right?" She asked.
"Sure did." Bill answered with a nod of his head. To the side of him on the counter were the two containers. The 'sugar' container Bill had just previously used had a paper star stuck on it with tape, (courtesy of Mabel back during the summer). The paper star's tape lost its ability to stick, causing the star to come off and fall to the floor. On the container, the assumed sugar label read 'Salt'.
Stan walked into the kitchen, adjusting his fez and exhaling in a tired manner.
Mabel turned to look at the man. "Hi Grunkle Stan!" She said with a grin.
"Hi sweetie," Stan said, his tired state clear by the way he spoke
Bill looked at the conman in confusion as Stan tried breathing normally. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" He asked.
"Those tourists are crazy," Stan answered, shaking his head. "There were three of 'em askin' for refunds. Three!" He stated with a scoff.
Mabel gasped. "Did you scam them again?" She asked.
Stan just gave a chuckle. "Mabel, that's an everyday scenario." He said, folding his arms. "The heads on the chick-hens were fallin' off when the tourists walked off with 'em. They came back angry like ungrateful ninnies. I told 'em there are no refunds, but before I knew it there was a growing mob!" He said, huffing.
Bill just snickered. "Well, maybe you shoulda' left before they could do anything about it." He said with a shrug.
Stan just glared at the demon. "Don't you start givin' me advice, you're the one who put the heads on the chick-hens in the first place. I should be blamin' you for any damage they could've caused." He stated, putting his hands on his hips.
Bill rolled his eyes. "I was tired, Fez. I'm not perfect." He said.
"That would explain the bags under your eyes." Stan grumbled.
Bill's eyes widened. "Wh- Pff- Wh- B-Bags?" He sputtered frantically.
"Yup." Stan muttered.
"I don't have eye bags!" Bill retorted. He grabbed a metal spoon from on the counter and gasped at the sight of minor eye bags forming underneath his eyes.
Mabel looked at Bill and saw him over reacting. "It's okay! They're hard to see, I didn't even notice them until Stan pointed them out!" She tried.
"How come you care so much about your appearance?" Stan asked.
Bill huffed. "Well I used to say I couldn't care less about this dumb meat sack, but if I'm restricted to live in it, I don't want to look old and beat up like you!" He said.
Stan shot a glare at the demon. "Watch it." He commanded through clenched teeth. After a moment, his eyes were drawn over to the bowl in Mabel's arms. "What'cha got there?" He asked his niece, raising an eyebrow.
"Cookie batter!" Mabel responded with a grin.
Stan hummed and walked over towards the dough forming in the bowl. He took a finger and stuck it inside the dough, taking a bit and popping it into his mouth. Mabel cringed, hoping that her uncle had washed his hands recently. Regardless, she looked at Stan to see his reaction.
"How is it?" Mabel asked.
Stan took a moment before responding. "It's very... flavorful." He said, trying not to gag. Instead, he took a large gulp in hopes of getting the overly-salted substance down his throat. He placed a hand on the counter, forcing an assuring smile.
Mabel squealed at the assumingly positive reaction. "Yay!" She exclaimed. "Then they're ready for the oven!" She said, rushing to get the cookie sheets.
Bill looked at Stan and took a long blink. "Ya' look strange." He stated.
"I was just chased down by angry employee's. What were you expectin'?" Stan grumbled.
Bill shook his head. "It's not that," He said, folding his arms and squinting his eyes in suspicion. His eyes widened at a sudden realization. "Oh! I see what's going on here. You don't need to hide it, Fez." Bill stated with an eye roll.
Stan's eyes widened in minor fear of his bluffing needing work. "You-You do?" He asked.
"I'm not an idiot," Bill began, "You're clearly worried about getting an E-coli lecture from Sixer. He'd be on your back about it if he saw you eat raw cookie dough." He said with a smirk.
Stan nodded slowly with an awkward laugh. "Uh... yeah, you got me!" He lied.
Bill grinned. "Of course I did, I know all!" He said.
Do ya' really? Stan asked himself. Regardless, he excused himself from the kitchen. The direct moment Stan left the kitchen, he dashed towards the gift shop in a frantic hurry, tossing the door open and rushing over towards the employee counter.
Wendy looked at her boss in confusion. "Uh.. Mr. Pines?" She addressed, seeing the frantic, desperate look in his eyes.
"Ya' see any water around here?" Stan asked, looking around.
"Um..." Wendy muttered. She hesitantly took hold of her water bottle and bought it close towards her in attempt to hide it. Luckily for Stan, he caught sight of the beverage just in time.
"Aha!" Stan exclaimed with a grin. He extended an arm over the counter and grabbed the water from the teenager's grasp. Wendy put her arms out in annoyance, trying to grab the bottle. Before she could retrieve her water, Stan unscrewed the lid and desperately bought the top up to his mouth, downing the beverage at a quick page.
Wendy looked at the action in both annoyance an clear confusion. "What are you doing?" She asked.
Stan gulped down the rest of the clear beverage. He made a heavy exale as he finished off the rest of the beverage. Stan tossed the bottle back at Wendy and rubbed his forehead.
"Mabel and Bill are makin' cookies," Stan answered. "The dough's saltier than my brother on a Saturday, but I didn't have the heart to tell 'em that." He stated.
"I thought you liked salty foods," Wendy said. She remembered that her boss had said Bill was assisting Mabel in the kitchen, hence the reason her eyes widened in fear. "Wait- Bill's helping?" She asked, horrified, standing up now.
"Yup." Stan muttered. "I'd blame 'im for it, but I did something similar when I was younger. Once I switched up the salt with sugar, and the sugar with salt. It made Pa's birthday cake really salty. That's probably why I got grounded for a month." He said, laughing.
Wendy folded her arms. "Mr. Pines, what if Bill tries poisoning the cookies?" She asked.
Stan shook his head. "Bill's somethin' for sure, but I don't think he'd poison cookies. He's got no reason to." He stated.
"He's unpredictable," Wendy argued. "You could have just fallen into a trap, man." She said.
Ten minutes later, Wendy and Stan looked over at the gift shop door to see Ford walk into the room. He had a relieved look on his face, which gave off a good sign to the others in the room.
"Hey, Pointdexter." Stan greeted, leaning on the gift shop counter with his arms folded. "Did ya' find your diary notes?" He asked.
Ford ignored the diary insult and instead reached into his lab coat, pulling his recently found notepad out of his pocket. He held it up with a smile.
"Yes," Ford answered, putting the notepad back into his coat. "I had foolishly left them in the back of Soos' truck a few days ago when we had gone to the forest to help Melody. Luckily it had been safely kept away from their baby, so it couldn't be damaged." He said. His nose picked up the familiar scent of baked goods. Ford looked back at his brother. "Are the twins baking?" He asked.
"Mabel and Bill," Stan responded with a nod of his head. Ford hummednon minor suspicion at the response, causing Stan to roll his eyes. "C'mon Pointdexter, don't go thinkin' like Wendy." He said, saying 'Wendy' as if the name were a disease.
"Have you checked on them at all?" Ford asked, concerned that something could be potentially going wrong.
Stan shrugged. "I did about ten minutes ago." He said.
Ford sighed at this. "I suppose I should go see what they're up to." He said before walking towards the employee's only door. Stan shrugged as his brother left the room. For a moment he wondered why Ford needed those notes so badly. If he wanted help on the sharpening spell, how come he wouldn't just ask Bill for help? Stan didn't wish to think on this for too long, as he had other things to attend to before the gift shop were to close.
Ford walked through the living room, headed towards the kitchen. He stood by the doorframe and saw Mabel taking cookies off a cooking pan onto a cooling rack. Bill was placing his hand on the hot cookie pans, hissing in delight at the burning sensation. This was another one of those strange actions from the demon that the Pines chose to ignore.
Mabel was first to notice the presence of the old man. "Hi, Grunkle Ford!" She beamed. Bill turned to look over at the doorframe at hearing the name of the scientist.
Ford gave his niece a smile. "Hello, sweetie." He greeted in return. He took a few steps into the kitchen and hovered over the cookies, trying to identify what kind they were. "What do we have here?" He asked.
"Cookies!" Mabel responded with a smile.
"I see," Ford said with a nod of his head. "Well, it's reassuring to know that the two of you didn't burn the house down while I was away." He said in more of a mutter.
Bill just laughed. "Not like last time." He commented. Mabel and Ford both gave him blank facial expressions. Bill noticed the unamusement clearly shown from the others and gave an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, that was bad..." He muttered.
Mabel turned to look at Ford once more. "Do you want one when they're cooled?" She asked.
"Perhaps," Ford answered. "You didn't do anything to them, did you?" He asked the two, though he looked at Bill as he spoke. Bill noticed how the question was directed towards him and looked away. Ford narrowed his eyes at the response and hummed. "Well, I suppose one wouldn't hurt." He said with a small smile.
Mabel clapped her hands in glee and smiled. She got two cups from out of the cabinet and turned to look at Bill before placing the cups on the table. "Bill, could you get the milk and water from in the fridge?" She asked. Bill nodded at the request and went to get the said beverages. He took the two out of the fridge and slowly poured milk into one of the cups.
"Where did you go today, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked, looking at her uncle.
Bill, too, was curious to hear the answer. He grabbed the water pitcher while looking over at the two and began pouring the beverage, paying no attention to where or what cup it was being poured into. Not knowing he was doing so, the water was being poured into the milk glass. The milk and water mixed together in the cup. Bill's hand moved slightly to pour the water in the other cup. He looked back at the glasses, wondering why the water was pouring so slowly into its proper cup. He shrugged and looked as he poured.
Did I pour that much milk? Bill asked himself. He shook the thought out of his head- it probably didn't matter.
Mabel grabbed a cookie and placed it on a plate, bringing it over to the table beside the beverages. Bill had spilled a bit of water on the table, hence the reason he was so quick to clean it up. He wished not to have a lecture from Ford about cleanliness.
Ford just chuckled. "Mabel, dear, there's no need for a setup." She said.
"Yuh-huh!" Mabel retorted. "Chocolate chip cookies are fancy!" She stated. Mabel took hold of her uncle's hand, guiding the man over to the table. She tried getting him to sit down, only for Ford to deny.
"Mabel, please. I'm fine." Ford assured, remaining standing. Mabel just shrugged, she didn't mind going along with his request. She took hold of the plate and pushed it closer to the man.
"Try it!" Mabel beamed with a smile.
"Yeah," Bill nodded in agreement. "We made them special." He said.
Ford hummed at the statement. The 'special' statement have him a small reason to worry. He wondered if Bill had in fact done something to the cookies. Then again, Ford knew that Bill wouldn't dare ruin sweets. At knowing this, Ford extended an arm towards the plate, picking up the cookie and bringing it up to his mouth. After a moment of hesitance, he took a bite of the cookie, munching on the half he had consumed.
Mabel and Bill watched the man's expression to see how he would react. just a few moments after Ford had tried the cookie, the two who had made them were surprised and confused when he clutched his throat.
Ford put a hand up to his mouth, trying to keep himself from offending those who had created the treat by spitting it out. The taste of the cookie was horrible- it was so overly salted, as if someone had used the amount of sugar they needed with salt, and the amount of salt with sugar. The thought of this gave him the fear of the massive sodium levels in the cookie, causing him to retract his hand from his mouth. He spat the cookie back onto the plate, groaning in pain as his tongue began to sting.
Mabel's eyes widened. "Grunkle Ford, what's wrong?" She asked in concern.
"G-gah! The sodium levels!" Ford choked out, his tongue stinging violently from the amount of salt.
Bill's eyes widened at the sight of the sudden suffering. He knew that this act would be blamed on him. With quick thinking, he reached a hand towards the glass of milk.
"Here, take this!" Bill tried, holding it up towards the man. Ford was quick to take the drink from Bill, taking a large swig of the drink. This proved to be a mistake when Ford tasted the horrid taste of milk and water mixed together. He gagged once more and spat the drink out, Bill having been standing at the unfortunate angle to where the liquid was unintentionally spat on him. Bill groaned at the liquid dripping down his face, soaking his shirt.
Mabel gave an instant look of guilt. "Oh no, I'm so sorry Grunkle Ford!" She said as her uncle reached for the water. Ford was relieved that the water had not been tainted, and downed the entirety of the glass. The room was silent for a moment after the unexpected event, save Ford placing the water glass on the tabel. Mabel kept her guilty facial expression. Bill would have done the same, had he not been disgusted by the water and milk on his shirt.
"Seriously?" Bill muttered to himself as he looked down at his yellow T-shirt. Without warning, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling the soaked garment up and off his torso, revealing his bare chest. Mabel gasped at the sight of the thin, shirtless blonde and looked away to give him privacy. Ford's eyes widened in shock at the sudden move. Bill didn't seem to realize the flushed facial expression on the other man's face. Instead, when Bill looked, he had assumed the reddening effect on his cheeks was from mere anger. The glare on Ford's face only assisted in proving Bill's assumption.
"What kind of sick joke is this?" Ford asked in both annoyance and anger. Doing this made it easy for Ford to hide the small gleam of admiration in his eyes. He put his hands on his hips as he awaited a response from the demon. He became increasingly upset when he got no answer. "Well?" He asked, getting impatient now.
Mabel looked back at the two once more. She looked at her uncle with a frown. "Grunkle Ford, Bill didn't mean to do anything wrong!" She tried. "What... happened?" She asked.
"What happened is that he tried to give a sodium overdose of some sort through the cookies!" Ford began, clenching his fists. "This much salt could easily stop a persons heartbeat, especially someone my age!" he growled.
Ford looked at Bill with a sneer. He placed his hands on the man's bare shoulders. "Are you trying to kill me?" Ford roared, his glare hardening.
Bill was quick to shake his head. "N-no!" He claimed with wide eyes. "Stanford, I-" He tried to no avail.
"I don't believe that for one second." Ford bellowed with a shake of his head. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this stunt was?" He asked.
"I don't know what happened!" Bill argued. '"We were just mixing the ingredients together, when Shooting Star told me to measure the sugar, and... and..." Bill continued until he had made a sudden realization. "Oh." He muttered, looking away and feeling like an idiot for making such a foolish mistake.
Ford narrowed his eyes. "Which container did you use?" He asked.
"The one with the star." Bill answered, pointing over across the room towards the two containers that held said salt and said sugar. Ford walked over towards the containers and raised an eyebrow when the star was no where to be seen.
"I see no star." Ford said, looking back at the demon with an unamused look.
Mabel looked down at the floor by Ford's feet and saw the star. She pointed at the shape. "It's right there!" She said, about to retrieve it.
"I'll get it!" Bill exclaimed in hopes of seeming helpful. He dove over towards the floor, getting down on his knees in front of Ford as he did so. Bill grabbed the star and looked straight up, extending his arm in the same direction towards the scientist.
Mabel gasped at the sight of Bill's choice of position, and covered her eyes with her hands. Ford's mouth hung open once more. He face palmed with an annoyed look, though he could tell that his cheeks were reddening to his distaste. He mentally scolded himself for reacting in such a way. Nevertheless he took the star from Bill and placed it on the counter. Bill raised an eyebrow in confusion when Ford took a step back from him. He wondered what the reason was for, and why the others seemed so awkward and silent.
Ford moving back seemed pointless in Stan's eyes as he stood by the doorframe in both shock and anger.
"Hot Belgian waffles, Ford!" Stan cried with wide eyes. The three in the kitchen all turned to look at the man. Bill tilted his head in clear confusion when Mabel took her hands away from her eyes, and when Ford drew in a sharp gasp.
"S-Stanley!" Ford sputtered in fear, his eyes just as large as his brother's. "I-It's not what it looks like!" He claimed.
Stan scoffed in disgust. "Holy crow, Stanford, Mabel's in the room!" He scolded. "If you're gonna give in to that, at least wait for her to leave!" He chided with a glare, folding his arms. "You'd better have a good explanation for the giver being that guy, of all people!" He added with a huff. Bill was offended after being given a label under 'people'. Regardless, he stood up and looked over at Stan, still remaining confused with the situation.
Ford adjusted his glasses as he waited for the ability to calmly form words. When they came, he said, "I can assure you, that's not what's going on here." Ford stated, mirroring Stan's folded arms. "And besides, something remotely similar to an act like that would never occur." He added, shaking his head at the mere thought. It didn't help that Bill remained shirtless.
Mabel groaned in disgust at the topic, and felt as if she should leave the room. One look at Bill's confusion with the situation proved to her that he was completely unaware of what he had done. Because of this, she figured the conversation would soon pass.
Mabel was relieved by Stan's response. "Good." He had grumbled, before walking away into the living room.
Ford sighed in relief. Bill folded his arms in confusion. "What was that all about?" Bill asked.
Ford just shook his head. "Don't ask." He answered. Bill rolled his eyes at the response, and looked at the other man as he sighed deeply.
"Bill Cipher, if you do much as attempt to kill me again, there will be a variety of consequences." Ford stated. Bill frowned at this.
Mabel clenched her fists in anger. "Grunkle Ford, you're being unfair!" She claimed. "Bill didn't mean to put salt instead of sugar!" She stated.
Ford looked down at Mabel in a firm manner. "Mabel Pines, stay out of this." He commanded.
"But-!" Mabel tried, only for the firm look her uncle gave to cut her off.
Ford looked at Bill once more. "Consider yourself lucky I'm letting this attempt at my life go for the time being." He stated in a bitter manner before turning around to leave the kitchen.
Mabel watched Ford leave. "You are what you eat!" She exclaimed with a glare, huffing in annoyance at her uncle's behavior towards Bill.
"A cookie?" Bill questioned once Ford had left, looking at the girl in confusion.
Mabel shook her head. "Salt," She answered. "Because he's being salty!" She said, folding her arms with a saddened sigh.
Bill heard Mabel's response to his question. He gave a small snicker, causing Mabel to crack a smile at knowing that the demon found her humorous. After a moment of snickering, Bill began laughing at the joke. Mabel giggled along, proud to have at least made Bill happy for a bit. They both knew that the moment wouldn't be happy for long. Mabel was glad that she would be going too bed soon. Bill was annoyed at knowing that there would be another restless night for him to get over with.
Well, there's that. I'm sorry for this being three days late. School had just been wrapping up, so there were some assignments that had been thrown at us super last-minute that I had to finish. I also apologize for the rather sexual reference towards the end of the chapter. I honestly don't know what had given me the strange idea to write that drama, being that I hadn't planned that to be included. But... There it is, I suppose... ;-;
Speaking of drama, there will be lots of it in the next chapter. I feel as if I haven't been including Dipper much in this story, so if there's something you would like to see him do within the next three chapters, feel free to give a suggestion. I have the main ideas of the chapters planned out, however there is certainly room for a bit of time including Dipper.
The chapter name "Cookies and Steam" Is not meant to represent steam from the oven when the cookies were baking. Instead, it is meant to represent metaphorical steam. For example, the metaphorical steam from Ford when he was upset in the kitchen. Or Stan, when he was upset or angry on both occasions that he had appeared in the chapter.
I'm still not sure whether to say "Doorframe" or "Door frame". I used to always make it one word, though at one point I began making it two. Now I use both, which probably doesn't help whatsoever.
The next chapter will be up soon.
