At the Mystery Shack, Stan and Soos were working on their latest attraction out back. The tourist trap was closed for the day so the necessary cleaning and refurbishing could be completed without prying eyes. Ford was sitting on the beat up couch working on a shiny new laptop. Unlike his twin, Ford had adjusted to the latest technology easily; after all, he'd worked with much more advanced equipment in some of the dimensions he'd traveled to.
And thus the morning looked rather peaceful, until the younger Pines twins wandered out of the forest dragging a limp body between them.
"What'd you got there kids?" Stan asked looking up from his work. But before the old man could swap his safety goggles for glasses, his twin flew past him.
Ford eased Bill off the teens shoulders and onto the grass where he could get a better look at him.
"Stan! Bring my medical kit now!" Ford demanded.
"I'll get it boss!" Soos intervened, bolting back into the shack.
"Who is this? Where did you find him? What happened?" Ford asked in one breath, as he opened Bill's eyes and shined a penlight into them.
"Dipper thinks It's Bill, as in "Bill Cipher"' Mabel said as if the idea was ludicrous. Ford froze and looked to Dipper for and explanation.
"It is Cipher!" Dipper demanded. "I'd know that eye anywhere." Meanwhile, Soos had brought Fords rather large medical kit and opened it up for him. But the old scientist didn't acknowledge it; his mind was spinning. Stan came to stand behind his brother, an angry look in his eyes.
"Please Grunkle Ford, you have to help him!" Mabel begged giving her great uncle her best puppy dog eyes.
"He really doesn't," Dipper countered. "He knows more about Bill's atrocities than any of us."
"Stop using big words to make your point sound better! It'd be just plain wrong not to help him! He's just a kid like us! If you don't help him, you'll be just as bad as he was!" Mabel turned on her twin. Rarely had Ford seen them so at odds. He knew the logical decision was to let Bill die. He may have come back once, but would he really be able to a second time? However, he couldn't help but be curious. Questions about how a demon could turn into a human and how this would affect Bill and the world around him spun into his mind. And of course Ford's own humanity was fighting against him. Just by looking at him, this creature was a human child in desperate need of help, and Ford's animal instincts so desperately wanted to help him. Ford had made a decision.
"Of course I'll help him Mabel," Mabel quietly fist bumped the air. "However," Ford looked to Dipper, "At the first sign of trouble I won't hesitate to end him."
With that, Ford pulled his medical kit toward him and quickly did what he could to stop Bill's bleeding. Stan sulked into the Mystery Shake. After a once over, Ford realized he was going to have to move Bill to treat him properly. With Soos' help, who took no complaint at aiding the once demon, they took Bill inside and down to Ford's lab where he could help him better and keep a closer eye on him. Though Mabel wanted to stay with Bill, Ford forbade it; after all, if this was all a trick Ford had the best chance at facing Bill one on one.
"At least let me know as soon as he wakes up," Mabel requested.
"Of course Mabel," Ford consoled. "You'll be the first to know." He gave her the best smile he could muster and she skipped back to the elevator. Dipper begrudgingly turned to leave as well, but Ford asked him to stay a moment long.
"Dipper," he said solemnly. "I know you don't like my decision, but I want you to know I don't trust this situation in the slightest. That being said, your sister is right about one thing, it wouldn't make us any better than him if we act before we have all the facts. And if that means keeping Bill Cipher alive until we can get those facts and then ending him later, that is what I am going to do." Dipper squared his shoulders and nodded. "One more thing, I want to look out for your sister. She has a big heart, and while that's not a flaw in itself, it can lead her to leap before she looks. Just make sure doesn't throw herself into the fire."
"Grunkle Ford," Dipper laughed, "I've been doing that since we were born. I'm not going to change that now."
"Good," Ford nodded. "Now get out of here before the demon wakes up." Dipper went up to join his sister and Ford turned back to his patient.
"I really hope I don't regret this."
That night, Mabel woke to the sound of arguing. She crept out of bed and as quietly as she could and opened the door.
"I've allowed your ridiculous experiments before, but this is crossing the line," Stan said in a voice more angry than she had heard in years. "I sacrificed myself to have that thing destroyed! And I want it re-destroyed!"
"You know I can't do that Stanley," Ford's voice was too calm.
"Why not? Cause it would upset Mabel? We're talking about their lives! Just tell her he lost too much blood."
"Now you're really overreacting. I've been running tests, and they all say Bill Cipher is completely human. There's barely a trace of magic at all!"
"He could be screwing with the tests!"
"Impossible. He is perfectly safe!" Fords calm was leaving his voice.
"Safe?! Safe?! Are we talking about the same monster Stanford? The same one that nearly killed us, that destroyed our town? That made you build that crazy portal that caused me to loose you for so long? That perfectly safe monster?"
"Calm down Stanley. I've got everything under control."
"No you don't. You've bitten off more than you can chew. If you don't destroy that, that thing, I'll send the kids home first thing tomorrow."
At the prospect of leaving Gravity Falls only days after arriving, Mabel bolted down the stairs and startled her Grunkles into shocked silence.
"Me and Dipper will do no such thing," She stated matter of factly.
"Sweety, how much of that did you hear?" Stan asked a hint of fear in his voice.
"I heard enough to know that you still don't trust your own twin," Mabel said pointedly. "Just let him try Grunkle Stan. Having a twin means sometimes you just have to trust them even if you don't think it's a good idea. Dipper does that for me all the time. And most of the time he is right, but sometimes I am right. You just have to hope for the times that Ford is right, right?" Mabel looked over her shoulder at Ford, who had had little troubling following her line of thinking, nodded in agreement.
Stan sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll trust you Stanford. But the moment I think this experiment is going to hurt one of the kids that monster goes. You got that?"
"Of course Stanley. I may be brash but I'm not stupid."
"Now hug!" Mabel demanded. The older twins looked at her with baffled looks. "Have you really made up if you haven't had an awkward sibling hug?" she asked completely serious. To appease their favorite grand niece they hugged.
"Now that all the shouting is over can I go back to bed?" Dipper said from the stairs startling everyone in the room.
"You're not even awake!" Mabel laughed guiding her half asleep twin back to bed. After Stan heard the attic door close he turned to his twin once more, and in a quiet whisper said, "I meant it Ford, the moment I say so, that demon dies." Ford only nodded before wandering off to his room to pour over everything he knew about Bill Cipher.
The first thing he noticed was the floating sensation. His mind was so muddled that that was all he could focus on for a while. Floating through the endless nothing. But then his fingers felt the soft bedding and he knew he wasn't floating, he was just no longer in pain. Something was flowing through him and stopping it. When he finally managed to open his eyes bright lights assaulted his delicate vision and he closed them again. With much effort he turned his head and opened his eyes again. He was looking at a wall, a black wall with white writing on it, writing he felt he should be able to read but couldn't. With less effort this time he looked the other way and saw a colorful array of instruments and chemicals. Well, it was somewhat colorful, and his drugged brain had trouble figuring it out. After much concentration and focus, he realized that while his right eye, (the yellow one) could see in perfect color his left eye (the blue one) was completely color blind. Why this was he couldn't seem to understand. Had he always been this way? No. He'd had only one eye before right? When was that? It seems so long ago. A loud clang jolted him out of his thoughts. The sound of boots on a metal floor drew near and a figure appeared in his line of sight. He squinted to see properly, and a large hand appeared in front of him. A six fingered hand!
Ta da! Please review! Your feedback inspires me! And don't forget to spay and neuter your cats and dogs!
