Dear Readers: I just wanted to say thank you for encouraging me to continue with this story! The support had been great, and I wanted to thank. But enough sappy stuff. Here's the result of the 'I've-rewritten-this-far-too-many-times' chapter seven! Let me know what you think!


The amount of times that Dipper and Bill got along for the next few days could be counted on one hand. The more time they were forced to spend together, the more irritable and hateful they became.

For those few days, Bill held the unlikely trio back in their journey. When they could've been travelling, half of the time Dipper and Primrose had to wait while Bill had to take breaks and throw out the sickness via vomiting. He'd learned his lesson, and whenever Primrose brought them dead rabbits, voles, squirrels and the lot like a pet cat, he would ask her to set his share on fire like Dipper had done. Dipper never wanted to admit the fact that Bill was ever so slowly getting the hang of having a physical body. Bill was a fast learner after all, and just like Dipper had said, he was slowly recovering from his awful sickness.

They were travelling among lush green trees again, leaving the aftermath of the wildfire behind them. Its presence still lingered, but soon it would heal and regrow into a stronger forest.

The day soon came to a close, and the group set up another camp for the night. They knew how to work such things now, they wouldn't make the mistakes again that caused the forest to burn. Primrose once again left to find them some food, and once again the former demon and the now-teen were left alone with each other.

No words passed between them. The consequences would be disastrous if they did. Silence was better than more arguing, which by now everyone was tired of.

Though he would never admit it, Dipper was still deathly scared of Bill. His past lingered behind him like a dark shadow, waiting for the correct moment to rip them apart.

For that moment Dipper let his thoughts soar. He had dreamed of being back in the Mystery Shack more than once now, the nostalgic smell of sagging wood tickling its way up his nostrils and reminding him of home.

Home.

There was not a time before where Dipper had been as homesick as now. Here, all was lost. Just trees everywhere, offering nothing but emptiness. They tried to comfort him in their strange language, but it ceased to work its feeling of security and became alien and strange. Yes, a part of him still wanted to recognise this forest for some reason, but that part was buried beneath the anxious human exterior of Dipper Pines. In the Gravity Falls forest, he knew every tree, every bush and every creature, so well that he could fly through it in his sleep, where he had the tactical advantage of knowing where everything was. But here, he was disoriented, lost in the wilderness. He felt like a little lost child stumbling blindly and helplessly after his mother. He was sure Bill felt like that too, though he would never admit it. It was surprisingly easy to decipher how Cipher was feeling; all you really had to do was look at his eyes and they would tell you everything, and Dipper was an observant person. He needed to know as much about his enemy if he ever was to face him and defeat him fully. The eyes gave everything away.

A rustle made him look up from the campfire. Sure, Primrose had come back with food, but he had expected something small just as she's brought before. No, this time the dragoness had brought back something that was much bigger than a thrush or a stoat, and something that was still alive. Struggling in her jaws was a stag, brandishing its antlers in a feeble attempt to free itself.

Dipper jumped to his feet, electrified at the sight. Bill made a strange gagging noise as his eyes widened in disgust. The dragon threw the stag at the boys' feet, where it bleated and barked with bared teeth. Before it could get up however, its head was squished into the ground by a wide dragon paw.

"What the heck?" Bill gasped, but Primrose looked up at them innocently with a weird glint in her eyes. She turned her head to look at Dipper, and stared at him blankly. Again, Dipper had no idea how to react. What should he do in a situation like this? All he could do was hyperventilate and stumble back away from the violent sight.

His reaction caused Primrose to deflate with hurt disappointment. Evidently she had expected him to know what this was. She made a desperate crowing sound, begging the boy to recognise the sight, but understood reluctantly that he had no idea what she was trying to tell him. With another sad whine Primrose promptly tore the stag's throat out, putting it out of its misery.

At least they had a big meal afterwards to recover their strength after the long day.

The next morning Dipper woke to the sound of vomiting, the sky was no longer black but a blue-grey of a wolf's fur. His eyelid flickered as he sat up, all sleep vanishing from him in an instant. He took a deep breath, then instantly regretted it as he coughed out the sulphurous smell of bile.

Bill must be having trouble with his food poisoning again, Dipper decided, watching the golden beast struggle behind the cover of plants. He flinched at the hearable pain Bill appeared to be in, and he fixed his hat to give him something to do other than listen helplessly.

He had been poisoned many times, and knew exactly what pain it caused. He knew exactly what it was like to throw up everything you tried to eat, how frail the muscles felt weakened thanks to the awful sickness. He knew his pain.

Dipper's eyes settled on the dead campfire, the cinders long lost their smoke, leaving behind only black charcoal. It could help him...

He's your enemy. Let him suffer.

Dipper hesitated.

Don't help him. He deserves the pain.

The boy reached out into the fireplace. The burned remains were still warm to the touch. It left a black powder on his fingers from where he touched it.

Leave him be. He needs to suffer.

"Hey, there's charcoal here if you want some," Dipper called to him, then watched as Bill stumbled out of the bushes. He hardly looked like a proud dream demon anymore. Sickness had really gotten the better of him. Dipper hesitated again before he held out the piece of charcoal like holding a piece of bread to a wild animal. Bill also hesitated before he took the charcoal and put it into his mouth desperately.

"How long will this last?" Bill croaked out once he'd swallowed. "I don't know how much more I can take."

For the first time ever, Dipper found himself feeling a little bit sorry for his enemy. However he quickly came to his senses and pushed the awkward feeling away from him.

"Trust me, there are a lot of worse things that could've gotten you," Dipper told him emotionlessly.

Without further ado, the unusual trio was on the move. They had been travelling for quite some time now. But as they travelled, the forest got less and less dense. Something began to reveal itself through the gaps in the trees, something that wasn't forest. Dipper looked to Primrose for an explanation, since she was their guide and knew this forest like her own mind, but she looked almost as confused as he was. When he asked her what it was, she shook her head and closed her mouth indignantly and made a babble that sounded suspiciously like 'I don't know' in human english.

The closer they got, the gaps in the trees got bigger, and the strange silhouettes became more clear. It was stones, marble and granite, stacked in houses no bigger than the Mystery Shack.

Civilisation!

The trees ended, and the small village in the clearing showed itself to them. Not a soul moved, probably all still slept in the very early morning. The houses stood alone, isolated in the forest. Three different pairs of eyes- human, dragon and demon- set upon the little band of houses, different eyes, same expression.

Without further ado, the trio made their way down to the small village (They had to persuade Primrose to come with them). The soft grassy ground turned into hard concrete as the houses loomed on from every side.

But it was in Dipper's nature to be observant, and he soon noticed that there was something off with this town. The houses had smashed windows and broken down doors, so the poor buildings looked like they were crying for help. Not just some of them. All of them.

"Is it just me or is this town really shady?" Dipper mumbled under his breath. This haunting village was twice as scary by day than any town by night. He could almost taste the strangeness on his tongue.

Gravity Falls was also a strange place, but it was a different strangeness than here.

His beloved Oregon town was also in the middle of of a forest, a place you could only get to through roads which twisted and turned like snakes around strange cliffs, which were ridiculously easy to get lost in. There was not a place like it. The people that lived there were strange beyond measure, each rememberable irregardless it was their physical appearance or stupid dialogue that caused you to know them in the first place. The creatures in the surrounding forest were also strange too, but for every inch that they were strange, there was always a mile that they were familiar. You could understand them, why they were there, what their stories were. Sometimes those mystical creatures that lurked in the coniferous woods that surrounded the strange town were more human than some of humans in the world. But at least, it was a good strange that rang with hearts.

Now this village, it was a whole different level of strange. Silence hung around like a poisonous gas, so thick that it could choke the living days out of anyone. The quiet pawsteps and slightly louder footsteps bounced about as echoes, as if the sad little band of houses was excited to see someone in who knew how long.

"You humans live in towns like this?" Bill finally broke the eerie silence between them. "And I thought Gravity Falls was bad. This place looks like its been ravaged by me on a good day."

"It's been abandoned," Dipper remarked. "Primrose, how long had this place been like this?"

The only answer Primrose gave him was a comical shrug with her wings to the side. In truth, Dipper actually doubted that Primrose knew this place existed. Even if she did, it was quite evident she hadn't been here in a while.

"Well that's helpful," Bill mentioned helpfully. The charcoal had clearly helped him and eradicated his pain, at least for the time being. "Look, someone must've had a very bad day," he commented, pointing to a flock of spare change that was laying about on the street.

Dipper's eyes however strayed from their track, and set upon a payphone. His heart leapt.

Bending down to pick up as much of the coins off the ground as he could, he rushed over to the vertical box, feeling the chain spark up to life and pull Bill along. The rusty door swung on its hinges and Dipper muttered a quick plea for it to be still working.

He knew the Mystery Shack phone number off by heart. He'd dialled it many times at times of distress, for it was a place of comfort and help, even though it looked to be the exact opposite.

So he dropped a few coins into the slot and punched in the number for the Mystery Shack onto the dial pad in the phonebooth. He pressed the handset to his ear and twirled his finger nervously in the curled cord that kept it attached to the machine. For a while he waited.

The person you're trying to reach cannot take your call right now.

Dipper barked in annoyance at the dead voice he was greeted with. Goddamn those idiotic answering machines! He dropped a few more coins and dialled the same number again.

The person you're trying to reach cannot take your call right now.

"Goddamn it, pick up!" he snarled the third time the beeping noise escaped the small speaker.

The person you're trying to reach-

"ALRIGHT I GET IT!" He was screaming now, unable to hold back his anger any longer. He had tried. What else could you want? He had tried to call home. He had tried to tell them where he was. If they weren't gonna answer, that was their problem. So Dipper slammed the door of the phonebooth and sat down with his head in his hands.

However it was on Dipper's fault that he forgot he was not alone. An overly familiar tutting sound made him look up.

"Really Pine Tree? I expected more," Bill tutted, shaking his handsome head. "What are you trying to do anyway? Call home?"

"Yeah," Dipper replied heartlessly. "You wouldn't understand."

Bill shrugged his shoulders. "You're right. I don't. But that doesn't mean I'm not aware of stuff like this. I've lived for the entire time this stupid dimension existed, I think I know distress when I see it."

Dipper made a noise like a displeased horse. "Are you gonna mock me about it? I seriously couldn't care less right now. Just leave me alone."

Bill grabbed his shoulder and dragged him to his feet. "Stop lamenting Pine Tree and get your shit together," he told him harshly. "We can't have you slowing us down with your pathetic human emotions."

Dipper tore himself away from Bill's grasp. "Pretty rich coming from you," he spat.

Then, without warning, Bill knocked into him at the force of a runaway shopping trolley, knocking the air out of his lungs. The boy found himself pressed against the plastic glass wall of the payphone, unable to free himself. He didn't even get to inhale again as two hands tightened on his throat, blocking his windpipe.

The second Dipper felt pressure at his throat, he began to panic and struggle against his sworn enemy, but Bill had an iron grip. He didn't have to say any words, Dipper already saw the hatred in his eyes.

"Bill you'll die if you kill me!" Dipper gasped desperately. His fingers curled round Bill's hangs and tried to force them off his neck, but Bill was much stronger than him. The ex-demon tightened his hand tighter, enjoying the sight of his enemy struggling for his life, then loosed again, knowing he couldn't kill Dipper if he wanted to keep his own life.

Suddenly Bill was torn away from Dipper, letting him fall to his knees and gasp for the sweet, sweet air. It took him a few moments to become aware of the familiar growling at his side.

Once again Primrose had come to break up the fight.

But Bill wouldn't go down that easily. He was annoyingly stubborn, and would go great lengths to get what he wanted. In no time at all he was up on his feet again, knees bent at the ready.

"C'mon then!" he challenged. "I'm not scared of you!"

What was he doing!? The brown-haired boy wanted to stop them, but what little strength he had left him, restricting him to laying on the ground and taking long, deep breaths to allow his lungs to recover. Looks like Bill's hostility once again emerged from his shadow.

At first, Primrose resisted his challenge, but then she crouched low to the ground, dragging her claws across the ground, ready to charge at him. She lowered her crooked horns and showed her side teeth, where fire began to leak through the gaps.

"There we go," the ex-demon hissed in glee, the pupils in his eyes going ridiculously thin. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

A monstrous grawl tore through the already uneasy atmosphere, and Primrose leapt towards Bill, fire crackling at the base of her open mouth and bared teeth. A wide demonic smirk appeared on Bill's face as the dragoness charged at him with lowered horns.

Bill's hands flew out and grabbed her two crooked horns before they impaled his chest. His feet skidded back across the undergrowth with Primrose's charge, eventually managing to hold his own against the dragon's strength. Bill was stronger than an average human, but this was overwhelming, even when he was supposedly weakened by his food poisoning. With a heave, Bill turned to his side and threw the dragoness round the axis and to the ground. A loud whimper escaped from her, and she froze over, pretending to play dead like an animal who knew that it has lost.

"What the heck are you doing?" Dipper yowled at him, but Bill ignored him. Dipper jumped back, causing the hated chain to spring back to life and hold the threat back.

Bill looked back at him, and for a moment he looked as if he was going to attack him again. But after a few brief moments, Bill backed down.

Dipper didn't actually expect Bill to listen to him, so his shock at Bill's docile response was almost indescribable. The white curse chain dropped, and shimmered away into nothingness. It wasn't like Bill to be so obedient. It was horribly out of character for him, but Dipper held his tongue behind his teeth, not wanting to start more fights. Bill padded to him, unemotional.

"I've got better things to do than fight with a dragon," he hissed in a low voice to Dipper, who silently agreed.

Primrose got up onto her full height and began to scold and hiss at him in annoyance, just like a cat that just had its tail stuck in a door.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it mum," Bill bleated back sarcastically. She trotted up to him, then proceeded to hit him over the back of the head with the back of her paw- which would be the equivalent of a teacher hitting a student with a book.

Even Primrose grew to distrust Bill.

"You want another go mate?" the frustrated demon threatened, jabbing his finger at Primrose's snakeskin chest, but the dragoness backed off, sat down calmly and began to lick her paw with a forked tongue.

Dipper ignored them. Oh well. It wasn't his problem, and it was situations like this where he began to ask himself why he bothered in the first place.

One more try in trying to call home wouldn't hurt...

So Dipper went inside the phonebooth again, and let the remaining change slip into the machine. This time he hesitated before dialling the Mystery Shack's phone number.

As the beeping noise came out of the speaker, the door flung open to reveal another angry Bill.

"Do we have to travel with that piece of shit?" he exclaimed, pointing at Primrose, who was making a laughing noise deep in her throat.

"Keep it together," Dipper hissed back, beginning to fiddle with the cord again.

The voice that picked up on the other end wasn't the dead answering machine voice that Dipper grew to hate, but a voice that he could recognise instantly through a crowd.

"Hello?"

"Mabel?" he gasped, not believing that he was finally hearing her voice again.

"Dipper? Dipper is that you? Oh em gee it really is you bro bro! Are you okay?"

Mabel still sounded like Mabel, though she sounded like she had been dying inside before her voice lit up with its usual tic of happiness.

"I'm fine," Dipper reassured her, unable to hold back the relief and happiness, which leaked out of him like water out of a tap. "Are you okay? Bill didn't hurt you too bad, did he?"

He ignored the dirty look Bill gave him.

"No, no, I'm okay. But where are you Dipstick? Are you hurt? Are you safe?"

Dipper shook his head, then reminded himself that this was in fact just a phone call. "I'm not hurt, but I'm not too sure about the safe part."

"What could be safer than travelling with Bill Cipher?" Bill Cipher objected. Dipper mouthed for him to shut up.

"Thing is Mabel, I don't have a clue where I am," he told her. "I dunno what happened, but we were warped to some forest and now we're getting back home and we found this abandoned town with this payphone and-"

"We?"

Of course Mabel would want to know about the Bill situation, so Dipper actively avoided Bill's eye.

"Well, long story short Bill's with me," he explained, trying to sound as neutral as possible. "And we're kinda... how to say it... stuck together."

"What? Dipper you're not saying what I think you're saying."

Dipper nodded his head. "Yup, we're bound together by this sort-of curse thing, I can't hurt him and he can't hurt me. Can you ask Great Uncle Ford to see if he can break a white chain curse or something?"

"Got it bro! Lord Mystery Ham is on the case for the cure to the curse! Bill's gonna get it when you guys come back!"

Dipper raised his eyes again to look at his companion, who undoubtably wanted to know what the twins were talking about "He's right here. I can give him the phone if you'd like."

"NO!"

The ex-demon looked a bit confused on why Dipper was laughing, but crossed his arms and gave Dipper another unimpressed look.

A strange noise cut through the air, and once again their attention was shifted back to Primrose. At first Dipper thought she was doing some funny dance accompanied by her usual animal gibberish, but then he realised that the noises she was making were actually whines and whimpers of a hurt beast, similar to the ones she was making when they found her caught in a hunter trap. The strange way she was moving, she was trying to get something out of the back of her neck, a place where animals could not reach. She collapsed on the ground, where she twitched violently and unnaturally.

"Umm, Mabel, I have to go," Dipper awkwardly put it. Ending the conversation was the last thing he wanted right now. He wanted to hear Mabel tell him everything that has been going on back home, and tell her everything in turn. Tell her about the fire, about Primrose and about Bill getting food poisoning, because she would find that funny. But fate sometimes cuts across our plans. "Something's happening with Primrose, and I don't think it's good."

"What? Who's Primrose? What's happen-"

Dipper had hung up the phone and followed Bill as they hastily made their way over to their guide. But they were in for quite a sight.

Thick, dirty yellow foam frothed at the dragon's jaws, and her body was giving massive, sudden spasms as she lay there, helpless on the ground. The boys were reflected in her forest-green eyes- a plea for help.

"Holy- What's wrong Primrose?" Dipper tried to ask her, the sight of the chokingly revolting froth sending a nasty trickle of fear down his spine.

Primrose made an attempt of communication, but all that came out was an alien sound of complete and utter pain. She managed a raspy inhale to try again, but the terrible sound came again, only louder.

"What's happening to her?" Bill asked Dipper, slightly hysterically.

"Dude, I don't know!" Dipper replied with the same rising worry as Bill. He put his palm onto her diamond forehead, and the abnormal heat for a cold reptile he felt only deepened the pit of worry. "Try to stay awake Primrose," he told her swiftly, but the amber-scaled beast had already gone limp, the red spreading to the white of her eyes like the plague. Then her eyes lolled back into her head, the three-layered dragon eyelids closed over them. Her huge head dropped to the ground, and all life seemed to seep out of her so she lay there motionless.

Dipper's head began to swim, and he only vaguely registered the call of 'Pine Tree' in Bill's voice. The golden he-demon was pointing to a tranquilliser dart lodged into the back of Primrose's neck. Dipper made a reach to pull it out, but found he couldn't. Something had gripped him from behind, pressing a white cloth over his mouth and nose. It had a weird smell, one that reminded him of summerween sweets, but caused his head to spin. Then his mind leapt, and panic erupted from him.

Chloroform!