As a warning, there's a very brief situation of harassment in this chapter. Nothing horrible, just...

You'll see.

Here is chapter 47 of "Welcome Home"!

Thankfully, the rest of the night had gone by peacefully. Bill shifted a bit in the bed. His eyes opened slowly, and he looked beside him to see Ford still sleeping soundly under the covers. Bill looked up at the clock to see that it was currently 9:02AM. He hummed and put an arm on Ford's shoulder, shaking the scientist in an attempt to wake him. Ford gave a low moan at the sudden gesture, moving slightly and laying atop his back. He placed an arm over his forehead as his eyes opened, staring straight up.

Ford looked next to him, seeing Bill in a half sitting, half laying position. He offered the blonde a small smile before shutting his eyes once more, the side of his head buried into his pillow as if he were falling back asleep. Bill noticed this and gave a shake of his head.

"Nope," Bill said, shaking him again. Ford groaned and looked at Bill, a gleam of annoyance in his eyes.

"Do you need something?" Ford murmured, giving a weak raise of an eyebrow.

"You have work today, smarty-pants." Bill reminded.

Ford frowned. "Paperwork can wait another hour." He muttered, pulling the covers overtop his head and snuggling against his pillow.

Bill rolled his eyes. He got off the bed and walked over to Ford's side, turning on the lamp on his nightstand. He snuck back over to his side and got back on the bed. A bit of Ford's hair was poking out from underneath the covers. Bill extended an arm out to grab hold of the part of the bedsheets that Ford was under. In a quick motion, Bill yanked the sheets away from the scientist, exposing him to the room that was now lit courtesy of the lamp.

Ford growled and squinted his eyes, rubbing them with a fist. He looked at Bill and huffed.

"What in the world was that for?" Ford asked with an annoyed glance.

"If ya' sleep in any longer, you're never gonna hear the end of your brothers complaints." Bill pointed out.

"My brothers..." Ford began with narrowed eyes of confusion. His eyes shot open, and he remembered what it was Bill was referring to. "Oh, oh! Right!" He exclaimed, rolling out of bed and running his hands through his hair as his eyes proceeded to adjust to the light. He walked towards his dresser and grabbed hold of his hairbrush, bringing it up towards his hair.

Bill's eyes widened. "Let me, let me!" He pleaded, scooting closer to the edge and falling off the bed. He ignored the pain in his shoulder from falling and stood up, rushing over towards the other man. Ford looked at him in confusion.

"Are you alright?" Ford questioned.

"Can I brush it?" Bill asked.

"Brush my hair?" Ford asked, raising an eyebrow. Bill gave an eager nod, looking at the other man's fluffy morning hair. Ford gave a slight blush and handed Bill the hairbrush, looking away and down at the floor. "I-I suppose so." Ford said. Bill grinned and eagerly took hold of the hairbrush, bringing it up to the scientists hair and making gentle strokes through it. Ford smiled and sighed as the brush lightly passed by his scalp.

"Stanford Pines, you've got some of the best fur I've ever seen." Bill praised. Ford gave a light chuckle and shivered as the hairbrush brushed at the back of his head.

"Yours is surprisingly smooth for the crazy, reckless man you are." Ford replied, taking his right hand and raking his fingers through Bill's hair. Bill cracked a small smile at the gentle touch.

"Compliment taken." Bill said.

The two looked at each other with warm smiles for a moment, until the loud sound of the bedroom door being thrown open caught their ears in a sudden pitch that made them both flinch. Their eyes widened as they saw Stan barge in with a large smile.

"Time for work, Stanford!" Stan said with a wide grin. He looked forward and saw that his brother wasn't in bed. Stan raised an eyebrow and turned to look beside him, seeing Ford and Bill standing by the dresser with their hands near each other's heads.

Stanley narrowed his eyes. "What the heck is goin' on here, Sixer?" He asked in a suspicious manner.

"I'm brushing his hair!" Bill answered without hesitation. He grinned. "I tell ya', Stano, your brothers got some nice fur!" He said with a cheeky smile.

"Fur?" Stan repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Bill shrugged. "Fur, hair, call it what you want." He said.

Stan hummed. "Well, fate still stands- you've got work, Ford." He said before leaving the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

Ford looked at Bill in disbelief. "How on earth did you do that?" He asked.

Bill shrugged. "There's nothing suspicious about hair brushing. Besides, he's clueless! He has no idea." He assured.

Stanley shut the door and walked towards the elevator with a suspicious frown. "There's somethin' goin' on, and I don't like it." He muttered to himself.


Wendy Corduroy was walking to work, a sack lunch in hand as she headed towards the door of the Mystery Shack's gift shop. She walked up the stairs and towards the door, turning the handle and walking inside. She walked over to her ordinary spot behind the cash register with her typical bored facial expression. She sat down and set her lunch bag atop the counter beside her.

"Oh, hey Wendy." A voice greeted. Wendy lit up at the sound of a specific familiar man, and looked around the gift shop with her eyes to see Soos standing there, a broom in hand.

"Soos?" Wendy began. The handyman gave a nod. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I've missed working here," Soos admitted. "I figured that I should start working again now that the situations with Abuelita got sorted out." He said with a smile. "Well, for the most part, anyway." He said.

"Did you tell her the truth?" Wendy asked.

Soos started at the question. He looked down slowly with a small frown. "Uh, n-not exactly." He muttered. He looked up at his co-worker. "Abuelita wouldn't believe me. I know she wouldn't. I... I can't explain all of this to her. It would break her heart." He said.

Wendy gave a hum. The two looked over at the vending machine as Stan walked out in his ordinary Mr. Mystery outfit. He acknowledged the presence of Wendy for all but two seconds before his attention was turned to Soos.

"Soos?" Stan addressed. "What're ya' doing here?" He asked.

The handyman chuckled. "I guess I'll be getting that a lot today." He said to himself. "I missed working, and wanted to come back."

Stan gave a short groan, rolling his eyes. "Great. Now with you around, I'm gonna lose that bet with my brother for sure." He grumbled.

"Bet?" Wendy repeated, tilting her head. "Mr. Pines, what are you talking about?" She questioned.

"My dumb brother and I made this bet last night to see if Bill actually gets anything done around here." Stan informed, folding his arms. "Now with Soos here, the place is gonna look spic and span." He stated as the vending machines door opened.

"Should... should I leave?" Soos asked, pointing to the door with his thumb as he wore a small frown.

"That will be unnecessary." Ford retorted, looking down at his wrist as he adjusted the black suit jacket sleeve that he had changed into. "I can keep a look after Bill." He said.

Stan looked at his brother in confusion. "Ford, why are you dressed like me?" He wondered.

"Bill had told me last night that you wanted me to dress this way for today." Ford responded.

Stan narrowed his eyes. "I never said that." He stated.

"You didn't?" Ford asked, an eyebrow raised. "Oh. Well, then I suppose I'll go change..." He said, turning around to open the vending machine once more.

"Nah, keep it on." Stan said, giving a wave of his hand. "Ya' look more professional that way." He stated.

"Are you sure?" Ford asked.

Stan gave a nod. "Yeah, I'm sure." He assured. "Just avoid the angry tourists..." He added in more of a mutter.

"Angry tourists?" Ford repeated, tilting his head.

Stan paused for a moment. He had forgotten that he had yet to tell his brother about the angry tourists from the other day. He scratched the back of his neck and gave an awkward chuckle. "Oh, right. Uh... I kinda pissed off some tourists the other day. So... so just avoid them, and you'll be fine." He said.

"That's not very reassuring." Ford stated with half-lidded eyes. Stan muttered something under his breath that Ford couldn't quite catch, and watched as Stan headed out of the gift shop and into the living room.

Wendy looked at the vending machine as it opened to reveal Bill emerging from the laboratory. Bill wore a dark green question mark shirt, identical to Soos'. She rolled her eyes and offered the demon a miniature glare.

Bill looked over at Ford who stood beside him and grinned. "Hey, hey! someone's looking sharp!" He complimented.

"Not so bad youself." Ford replied. "Though I'm surprised you're wearing that- I thought you didn't like your work uniform." He observed.

Bill shrugged. "You're playing dress up, so I figured I would too." He said.

Wendy gave narrowed eyes at the two, whereas Soos chuckled. Bill looked at Soos and raised an eyebrow.

"So, Stanley Danley put ya' back to work, huh?" Bill asked. He smirked. "This bet is gonna be a piece of cake." He said to himself, rubbing his hands together mischievously.

Ford held a finger up. "Well, about that," He began. Bill looked back at Stanford and could already tell that bad news was coming. "The bet wasn't about the gift shop's progress for today in general, just yours specifically." He stated. "Meaning," Ford continued, muttering in a tone that showed his personal distaste for the meaning. "With Soos on the job now, you're going to have to work extra hard in order to prove that you can work like he can." Ford said.

Bill scowled and clenched his fists. "Are you kidding me?" He cried, grabbing the hair at the top of his head in frustration. He looked over at Soos and glared. "Alright, Question mark, you have got to go!" He commanded, walking towards the handyman and pointing towards the door.

"W-What?" Soos began in confusion, looking behind him as Bill pushed on his back in attempt to move him to the door.

"You're not... gonna... sabotage this... for me!" Bill tried to say, struggling to push the other man to the door.

"Bill, Soos is working today." Ford stated, putting his hands on his hips. "You're just going to have to deal with that." He said.

Bill gave a long groan as he tried to push Soos, stumbling to the floor and growling in annoyance. He looked up at Ford and stood up, rubbing the side of his head after hitting the floor so hard.

"Who's side are you on, guy who made this dumb deal in the first place?" Bill asked.

"I made this deal with Stan for your benefit, if you can recall." Ford pointed out.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Right. Benefit." He grumbled under his breath, folding his arms.

"I'm not going to willingly allow you to kick Soos out of the gift shop from working simply for your sake." Ford said. "It's not right."

"I-I really don't mind leaving, Mr. Ford." Soos said, putting a finger up hesitantly.

Bill was quick to nod. "See? See? He doesn't wanna work today!" He said to Ford, putting his arms out as if he were presenting Soos to the scientist.

Ford folded his arms. "Bill," He began in a warning tone.

the demon groaned and threw his head back. "Ugh, fine." He complied, looking back at Ford with narrowed eyes. "But you're not making this any easier." He stated.

Wendy blinked at the demons behavior. "Dude, you're acting like a child." She stated. Bill shot a glare at the teenager.

"As long as you don't slack off, you'll be fine." Ford assured, ignoring Wendy's statement. He grabbed the fez hat that was on the counter and placed it atop his head, his hair sticking out a bit.

"In that case, I'm doomed." Bill groaned.


For most of the morning, work had gone by fine. Wendy had snuck off to the roof, which gave Bill a good opportunity to run the cash register. He preferred this, as it was better than stocking items on the shelves.

Bill looked forward as a woman came up to the register. She held a hat and keychain in her hands, which Bill was quick to ring up. He gave the items to the lady and handed her the change with a wink. The customer giggled and walked out of the gift shop with heart eyes. Ford noticed this, but decided to let it go.

The next woman in line, who had black hair and hazel eyes, put her items on the counter. Bill was quick to ring it up and put the items in a Mystery Shack tote bag she had bought. Bill made a joke that made the woman laugh, and she placed a kiss atop his cheek which Bill eagerly accepted. He offered the woman a smile.

"You're a gorgeous man," The woman complimented.

"Oh, I get that a lot here." Bill replied with a smirk.

the woman laughed. "I'm not surprised," She said. "Would you like to join me at the diner tonight? You know, like a date?" She asked.

"Nope!" Bill answered without hesitation. The woman frowned at the answer and took her things, leaving the shop with her nose in the air. "Next!" He called.

Ford watched the woman leave with narrowed eyes. He was just grateful that Bill had declined the offer just as fast as he had accepted the kiss.

The next person in line was a man with short, brown hair and a mustache, as well as a grey tank top. He was a bit taller than Bill, and was quite clearly muscular. He slammed his large hands on the counter instead of any items, which confused Bill. He looked at the man for a moment, who looked back at him with a sneer.

Bill gave a look of unease. "Uh, you're gonna have to pay for something if you're-"

"I need help reachin' something." The man spat with a glare.

Bill looked up at the man, then down at his feet, and up at him again. It was obvious that Bill was shorter than the stranger. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Look meatsack, you're taller than I am. Whatever it is, you can go get it yourself." He said, folding his arms.

The brown haired man growled in a low tone. "That's fine," he began, very little enthusiasm in his voice. "I'll just go get whoever runs the place and tell em' that their employee is denying the assistance of a customer." He stated.

Bill narrowed his eyes at the man for a moment. If the man we're to take such an action, it wouldn't look good on his behalf of the deal. The demon rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright." Bill said with furrowed eyebrows. "What do ya' need?" He asked.

"One a' those snowglobes on the shelf." The man answered. Bill sighed and walked over to the shelf at the other side of the room. He looked up and got on his tip-toes, reaching up and grabbing the snowglobe, holding onto it. Bill's feet touched the ground once more, and he handed the snowglobe to the man who had requested it.

"Ya' need me to ring it up for ya'?" Bill asked.

The customer hummed. "Nope." He muttered. Bill raised an eyebrow and watched as the man shook the snowglobe for a moment. After a bit, he looked back at Bill, keeping the snowglobe in one hand. Bill gave him a look of confusion.

"Thanks, pretty boy." The man said, turning around and giving Bill a quick smack on his bottom. Bill yelped in surprise at the sudden action. His eyes flashed red for a moment before returning to yellow as he glared at the man, watching as he walked towards the door, the customer still carrying the snowglobe. Bill looked behind him at Ford with his mouth hung open, a look of surprise on his face. Bill stood frozen in place as he proceeded to give Ford a look of disbelief. Ford, however, kept his gaze on the man leaving with a cold glare, a glare that showed he was out for blood now. Bill watched as Ford walked towards the door with his fists clenched.

The brown haired man left the gift shop without bothering to pay for his snowglobe. He was about to head down the stairs towards his car, until he felt a strong hand grasp his shoulder and pull him backwards. The man gasped and groaned as two hands pinned him against the wooden wall. He looked at the person in front of him to see a death stare apparent on the supposed Mr. Mystery's face.

"Care to explain what the hell that was?" Ford roared.

The man looked at Stanford with wide eyes. "U-Uhm, I-"

"If I ever see you harass Bill like that again, if I so much as see you near him, I'll make sure you never have the ability to show your face around here again, do you understand me?" Ford shouted with a glare.

"B-But I-" The man began.

"Get out of here!" Ford demanded with rage in his tone, pointing over at the parking lot and staring the other man down. The younger man nodded frantically and slipped out of Ford's grasp, running to his car. He tripped on his ankle and fell to the ground, shattering the snowglobe. He groaned and hobbled over towards his car.

Ford watched him leave with a look of dominance, his nose scrunched at the younger man. Ford adjusted his suits outershirt, tugging it down slightly before walking back inside.

Everyone in the gift shop turned to look at the old man whom had come in from outside after hearing the ruckus and shouting. A few onlookers who had seen the incident of the stranger take an advancement on Bill gave the supposed Mr. Mystery smiles, along with minor applause. Ford shrunk slightly at realizing that all eyes in the gift shop were now on him. He avoided eye contact with the others in the gift shop and walked over to Bill, who still stood over by the high shelf.

Bill looked at the other man with his mouth hung open slightly, surprised at Ford for confronting the stranger in such a manner. "You uh... you didn't have to do that, ya' know." He said in a mutter.

A random woman in the gift shop looked at Bill as she passed by and offered him a wink. He grinned and winked back.

"Does this happen often?" Ford asked.

"The flirting?" Bill questioned.

"No- well, yes but, I meant the other thing." Ford clarified.

Bill shrugged. "The flirting happens all the time. The touchy touchy... not so much." He said, drawing his eyes to the floor.

"Has it happened before today?" Stanford asked, putting his hands behind his back and raising an eyebrow.

"Just once before." Bill answered. Ford gave a low hum of distaste. Bill smirked. "But it's good to know that if it does happen, you'll kick their asses." He said with a grin.

Bill looked up behind Ford to see Wendy climbing down the ladder that led to the roof. She put a finger up to her lips, motioning for him not to say anything to Ford. She didn't want Ford nor Stan finding out that she regularly snuck out to the roof to avoid work. Bill didn't say anything, however just before Wendy could turn around, she heard Ford speak, not turning around as he spoke.

"Slacking off and skipping work responsibilities again, Wendy?" Ford asked, his hands still behind his back. Wendy's eyes widened, and she got off the the ladder, her feet touching the ground now. Ford turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," Wendy blurted out suddenly, awkwardly taking a step back. "I was uh... just doing some work on the roof." She lied with an uneasy chuckle.

Soos looked at Wendy and chuckled. "You're so busted, dude." He commented before going back to sweep the floor.

"Work on the roof, you say?" Ford asked. "That's funny, I seem to recall you using the same excuse on Stanley just last week." He stated.

Wendy was silent for a moment. She now realized that Ford was much more vigilant than Stan was. "Heh... It's a... big job, Mr. Pines." She proceeded to lie.

Ford gave Wendy an unconvinced look that told her Stanford wasn't buying her story.

"Back to work, please." Ford said to Wendy, grabbing the 8-Ball cane leaning against the wall and pointing it over in the cash registers direction. "There's going to be a tour in two minutes." He stated. Ford looked through the window of the gift shop's door, and saw a few people emerging from their vehicles.

"You sure you can handle leading a tour, Sixer?" Bill asked.

Ford merely shrugged. "My brother says whatever comes out of his mouth, and even then people admire the junk he presents to them here." He said with a chuckle. "I'm sure I can handle one tour-"

"Stan Pines?" An old woman spoke aloud. Ford raised an eyebrow at the mention of his brothers name. At remembering that he was dressed in Stan's ordinary work attire, he turned to look at the door, seeing an elderly woman with her hair in a bun, holding a rolled up newspaper in her hand and smacking it against her other. There was a small mob of people behind this woman, all who wore glares that were directed towards Ford.

I suppose these are the angry tourists Stanley mentioned. Ford thought to himself. He gulped, and took a few steps backwards.

"Uhm," Ford began, nearly tripping on his ankle as he took one of the steps back. "W-Welcome to the Mystery Shack." He said, giving a sheepish smile and lifting the 8-Ball cane in the air slightly. The old woman turned to look at another member of the mob, and they gave a nod at each other with narrowed eyes.

"Get 'im!" The woman shouted, waving her newspaper over in Ford's direction. Stanford looked at the people as they ran towards him in a rush. He furrowed his brows and took another step back before leaping forward, placing his hands on the wooden ground as he performed a swift somersault through the mob of people. He landed on his feet and looked behind him to see the angry tourists pushing and shoving each other to try and find him. He adjusted his red ribbon tie, and headed towards the door. Halfway there, the woman noticed him.

"He's getting away!" The elder shouted, pointing at the supposed Stanley. Ford looked behind him as he ran towards the door, hoping to escape the people chasing him. He didn't wish to use the cane or violence, though he would if need be.

Bill watched Ford leave, noticing the scientists look of horror He now wore on his face. Bill smirked. "Smooth, Sixer! Very smooth!" He said, cupping a hand towards his mouth as Ford rushed out the door in a hurry.

"Should we help him?" Soos asked.

Wendy shrugged. "I'd like to help, but not as much as I'd like not to." She said before crossing her legs atop the gift shop counter and leaning back, opening a magazine to read.

Bill noticed a customer was by the cash register that Wendy was supposed to be running. He narrowed his eyes at this and walked over to the redhead.

"Hey icebag, you've got customers waiting." Bill said. Wendy looked up at him for a total of two seconds before shrugging, drawing her eyes back to her magazine.

Bill growled. "Well if you're not gonna do your job, I will." He stated. He walked behind the counter and grabbed the side of her shoulder, pushing her quickly. "Scoot!" He commanded. Wendy shouted in a high pitch at the sudden push as she fell off the chair and onto the floor. She looked up and glared at her co-worker for interrupting her reading.

Bill called out to the next customer in line. The customer place the merchandise on the counter, and Bill was quick to ring it up. Every customer he served counted towards success in the bet, and he was going to make sure he helped as many people as he could before the day was over.

The demon watched as Wendy walked through the 'Employees only' door. He smirked and turned back to the register, to see a short, elderly woman standing there. She carried no merchandise with her, and she wore a black cloak that covered the majority of her face, her long, grey hair noticeable as it hung down the sides of her face and out of the cloak slightly.

Bill had to lean over the counter to look down at the woman whom was but half his height.

"Hey grandma, ya' missed the funeral." Bill mocked with a smirk.

The woman folded her arms before speaking. "It wouldn't be wise to mock me, Bill Cipher." She said. Her voice was loud and raspy. Bill could have sworn he had heard the same one somewhere. He cringed at hearing the old woman use his real last name and put his hands out, shaking them slightly at the woman.

"H-Hey! Keep it down, will ya'?" Bill asked. He looked around him to see if anyone was watching them. At seeing no onlookers paying attention, he signed in relief. "Do I know you?" Bill asked, narrowing his eyes at the woman.

"Yes, we've met." The woman responded. "And if you come with me, I have something that will be of use to you." She said.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Come with you where? And why?" He asked. "Not sure if you can tell, but I'm kinda in the middle of working, lady." He stated.

"If you wish to rid both yourself and Stanford from a growing threat, you'll follow me." The woman replied.

Bill just stared at the woman for a moment. "You pulling my leg here, lady?" He asked.

"Sure I am, hence the use of your true last name." The woman said in a sarcastic manner, folding her arms for a moment. "Now come." She beckoned, waving a hand towards the door.

Bill hummed and looked beside him at Soos as the handyman placed the broom beside the window. "Hey, Question mark, ya' mind covering for me?" He asked.

Soos shrugged. "Sure, dawg." He answered.

"I owe you nothing!" Bill said with a grin before following the old woman towards the door.

"I'm cool with that! "Soos eagerly responded, watching as Bill walked out the gift shop door and chuckling.

Bill closed the door to the gift shop, stepping outside and looking around to make sure no one was nearby or listening. Bill turned to look at the woman and folded his arms.

"What do you want?" Bill asked.

"That's no way to address a lady." The woman chided. She grabbed the front of her black cloak and pulled it off her head so that her face was apparent. Bill's eyes widened when he recognized the woman to be none other than the hand witch.

"It's you." Bill began, still shocked from the sight of the woman.

"Yes, and I'm sure to have a long list of making others feel alienated if you're talking like that." The hand witch said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to offer you something that will take some weights off both yours and Stanford's shoulders." She began.

Bill hummed. "What, ya' gonna kill Stano so that he's not the 'growing threat' you mentioned?" Bill asked. "Now that I think about it, that wouldn't be so bad on my part. But you can't kill him no matter what I think. Sixer would be devastated." Bill said.

"I have no intentions to kill Stan." The witch assured. She looked away and muttered, "No matter how much of a jerk he is." She added.

Bill hummed. "So what're you offering?" He questioned. "And what's the cost?" He continued.

"Lucky for you, my services will be free of charge." The hand witch replied.

"That sounds suspicious." Bill said, narrowing his eyes.

"You have nothing I want." The witch stated. "Nothing you own is of value to me." She said.

Bill and the hand witch turned in unison when they heard a sudden shout from Ford as he ran from one side of the parking lot to the other. He was still being chased down by the tourists. The scientist mentally scolded himself. So he could survive thirty years in the multiverse, escaping giant alien mobs, yet he couldn't seem to escape a small mob of tourists that consisted of about ten people and an elder. Pathetic, really.

The hand witch turned to look at Bill with a deadpan look. "So that is what your boyfriend has become since I last saw him forty years ago?" She asked with unamusement in her voice.

Bill's lips were parted for a moment. "He's... he's not my boyfriend." He muttered with an awkward chuckle.

"But the two of you are close, I've seen?" The hand witch questioned.

"Well, yeah." Bill admitted. "It's kinda weird, really. Adjusting to a humanized life was strange enough, but actually caring about him is-" Bill began, before stopping. "Wait, from what you've seen?" He asked with wide eyes.

The witch nodded. "I've seen in my meditation visions that you're both growing very close with each other." She said. "At first I had wondered why I was seeing such things, until I saw a great threat inside Stanford's mind that was very frightening."

"Hold on, slow down!" Bill commanded. "Are you telling me you know? A-About the shapeshifters?" He asked.

"Yes." The hand witch revealed. "Which is why I'm coming to you today." She said. "I wish to offer you something. A tool that will help you resolve the troubles."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate." He commanded.

"Very well." The witch complied. "It's a potion. A potion for allowing a person to enter another person's dreamscape whenever they please." She said.

Bill grinned. "Go on." He beckoned.

"It's a one-time use potion, so you must use it wisely." The witch said. Bill nodded at the information, only for it to be interrupted by Ford failing to command the tourists to back away. Bill glared over at the other man.

"Hey, Sixer!" Bill hollered. "Could ya' suffer a little quieter?" He asked.

"Please, help me!" Ford pleaded from afar, keeping the 8-Ball cane in front of him to hopefully seem threatening.

Bill rolled his eyes. "He's obviously a little rusty." He explained to the witch.

"Yes, quite." The hand witch agreed. Bill sighed and snapped his fingers together, watching as one of the young, male tourists' hair was set on fire. The other tourists turned to look at the man as he wailed in fear, begging for someone to put out the flame. Three tourists rushed over and patted his head in attempt to put out the flame.

The old woman gasped. "He's making spells with his staff!" She said. The tourists glared and proceeded to chase Ford down.

"No, no!" Ford exclaimed, running away once more. He considered throwing himself in the bottomless pit to rid himself of the tourists. Surely they wouldn't dare follow him then. And by the time he (Probably) returned, they would be gone. Ford thought against it, as the chances of him not returning had reminded him of the dangers.

Bill turned to look at the witch once more. "So where's the potion you were talking about?" He asked.

"I have it right here." The witch replied, reaching into her black hoodie-cape and grabbing the vial from a pocket. The substance was a mix of the colors blue and purple, moving around at a slow pace inside the vial. Bill's eyes widened at the sight, and he eagerly put his hands out.

"Ooh! Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!" Bill commanded, grinning wide as he held his hands out.

"Hasty, are we?" The witch scolded.

"Yes, now give!" Bill pleaded, his pupils enlarged in width to where they nearly looked round.

"Patience can go a long way, for the record." The hand witch explained. She handed the vial to Bill. "Good things come to those who-"

"Haha, yes!" Bill exclaimed, holding the vial close. He grinned an evil grin. The hand witch took a step back as the demons eyes turned red as he now wore a vengeful glare. "I can't wait to turn those shapeshifters inside out for what they've done to my human!" He said, his voice turning into a deep, nearly echoey tone.

The hand witch raised an eyebrow. "Wait, I thought you said that the two of you weren't-"

"It's complicated!" Bill exclaimed, his red eyes staring at the witch as he wore a glare.

The hand witch rolled her eyes. "Watch your temper, Mr. Cipher." She chided.

Bill's eyes turned back to normal as he looked at the vial once more. He looked at the witch and grinned again. "Thanks, lady!" He said before opening the door to the gift shop.

"Wait! If I may have a word with-" The hand witch began, only to be cut off with a door that had been practically slammed in her face. The witch growled and considered taking the potion back. She walked away before she would have a chance to change her mind on helping them.

Bill looked down at the thin vial in his hands with a grin as he walked forwards. He put it in his front jean pocket where it would be able to be kept safe just until he was off work. He looked forward to see one of the Pines' twins panting heavily. Stan's hat was off his head a bit, as he groaned in minor pain. Bill noticed the man he assumed to be Ford in a slightly roughed up condition, and walked towards the other man.

"I see ya' got some good exercise running, eh Fordsy?" Bill asked. Stan was confused when Bill placed his hands atop his shoulders. The con man shivered at the strange touch from the demon, and looked at him in confusion. Bill only noticed his facial expression, though with Stan's chest still heaving, Bill assumed that he was annoyed.

Bill frowned. "Aw, don't give me that look." He said. "Those tourists that were chasing you down to your last breath can go take a hike." He stated. "Maybe then Stano will have enough time to get himself some alone time away from those refund thirsty buffoons." He added.

"Wha-?" Stan could only say, until Bill proceeded with a sly smirk.

"And speaking of alone time..." Bill continued, running his hands from Stan's shoulders and down to his chest. He glanced over at the vending machine before looking back at the man with a mischievous smirk. "Maybe after Stanley lets us get off work, we could slip away down to the lab for a few minutes." He proposed.

Stan wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Wouldja' get off me?" He exclaimed suddenly, catching the attention of Soos. Bill heard the extra grumbly voice and took a step back, looking up at the man.

Stan held a hand up so that Bill could count his fingers. Bill gasped and looked up, fear in his eyes. He had mistaken Stan for Ford, and had spoken to the wrong twin.

There's the end of this chapter! I'm leaving it on a cliffhanger, because I'm feeling evil. xD It would have been out earlier, but Bonded: Year two for updated, so if course I had to read that.

Well, Stan's beginning to piece things together. And the potion, what is it's poison? Is it poison? It's a possibility, but I'll leave that for you to ponder on. c:

A new chapter will be up soon!