I've decided that I'm going to end this story at the tenth chapter.

When I do end it, though, I want to start a new one as soon as possible, and I am taking suggestions for what it should be. Feel free to look at the poll I've made and let me know what you think.

Also, I had some pretty crazy writer's block this week while trying to make Chapter 8, so bear with me on this one!

~ Three

Dipper had a song stuck in his head.

It had been there for days now. It was one of those horrid synthesized "songs" (if you could even call them that) that was from a movie Mabel had been watching. She had insisted that Dipper watch it with her, and he was forced to slog through ninety minutes of Dream Boy High.

Mabel had been giving him a really hard time recently, ever since she discovered his many drawings of Bill. She wouldn't let him rest for a moment without saying they should do some girly thing together, or ask him "how his boyfriend was doing," or try to give him romantic advice.

It was incredibly obnoxious... But then again, this was Mabel. Plenty of the things she did were that way.

The song was about love, and was playing on an endless loop inside Dipper's head. He hummed it almost every second, even though the tune drove him crazy.

And yet... The abomination of a song had become true for him, in a way- it was all about loving someone more than anything.

Dipper really wanted to see Bill again, even if it was just for a few brief minutes in a dream, but what the demon had said the other day still disturbed him.

Bill couldn't save him.

Save him from what? He remembered hearing talk of the "plans" Bill had coming, but nothing specific or helpful at all. He didn't know what Bill was plotting in any detail, just that it was big and dark and would change the way everything was.

But if these were the demon's own plans, why couldn't he put a stop to them? If he wanted to keep Dipper safe, it shouldn't have been that hard... Right?

He didn't know too much about the laws or rules that dream demons had to follow. He didn't know what they could do, especially not Bill. Sure, the journal had some information on him, but it was pretty limited.

Dipper remembered the one dream Bill had set up for him some time ago, where he had walked into the attic and see blue fire burn through the wheel of symbols. Was the demon trying to give him hints, or was that his way of conveying what he had told the boy, about being unable to save him from the darkness that lay over the horizon?

Dipper's brain started to malfunction. Maybe he was overthinking this a little bit.

He closed his eyes and tried to drift off. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to confront the demon. He had some questions he needed answered.

~~~TIME SKIP~~~

Several days passed without Bill appearing once. Dipper would enter a dream and wait for the demon to show up, but he never would. It seemed like he was actively avoiding the kid, trying to keep his distance.

But for what purpose?

Dipper couldn't quite get his head around everything that was going on. For so long, he thought he had been getting close to figuring out the big picture, to cracking the case wide open, using Gravity Falls as the key... But now he seemed farther away than ever before. It was like it had all slipped through his fingers.

Bill had always been a confusing piece in the puzzle- he didn't seem to fit in anywhere, yet was everywhere at the same time, if that made any sense at all. The dream demon didn't match up with anything else that happened, and yet Dipper knew it could all be traced back to him. He was the one making plans, the one with visions of some world-changing darkness...

Almost a week after Bill had last shown up, Dipper realized that the summer was nearing its end. It was already the beginning of August, and still he had gotten nowhere.

He decided that it was the time for desperate measures.

There was something about summoning Bill in the journal, he was sure of it. He flipped to the page about Bill and scanned it, but couldn't find a single clue about the summoning ritual.

Confused, Dipper shut the book and stared at the wall, thinking.

Gideon had the second journal before he was arrested, and had somehow called Bill to this dimension. Was the summoning ritual written down there?

He wouldn't be able to get his hands on that any time soon. He didn't even know where it had gone after the whole Gideon incident. It had simply vanished, and nobody had questioned its disappearance until now.

He needed Journal #2. It would hold the answer.

He wouldn't give up.

~~~TIME SKIP~~~

Bill had been watching Pine Tree from a distance for the past week. It was one of his favorite things to do, especially since the boy's thoughts right now were so entertaining. He was really invested in figuring out what Bill had meant.

The demon shook his head, not wanting to think about it.

He lurked in the shadows for a while, part of him wanting to pay Pine Tree a visit in his dreams... But he just couldn't bring himself to.

There went those stupid emotions again.

Bill resented that. He was weak, and gradually growing weaker.

Maybe... Maybe the only way to get rid of these weaknesses was to get rid of Pine Tree...

Bill had really been hoping that he wouldn't have to do that, that such action would be his last resort. It was starting to seem like it was his only option.

He was at his breaking point, about to fracture. He was one step from the edge, one slight push away from plummeting.

Sighing, the demon twirled his cane around in one hand as he hovered above Pine Tree in the attic, wondering if he should enter the kid's head.

He felt like a broken record, like every single thought and action was playing on repeat. Everything that had happened before was basically happening again.

Bill bit his lip. Last resort or no, feelings or no, he needed to talk to Pine Tree.

He descended on the sleeping boy, placing his fingertips on his temples, and found himself inside Pine Tree's dreams.

Dipper was waiting for him, sitting down on the porch of some unfamiliar building. He walked up to the kid and sat down next to him. Everything was happening in the exact same way. History was repeating itself. It was déjà vu, in a way that redefined the term...

"You wanted to talk to me about something, kid?"

"Yeah. What did you mean when you said you won't be able to save me? What's going to happen, why is it happening, and is it unstoppable?"

"I'm tired of this," Bill snapped, suddenly angry. "I don't need to explain myself. But it is unstoppable. This world will be burned to ashes, and you'll be burned with it. Okay?"

"But-" Dipper started to reply. Bill cut him off.

"NO. I'm done. I'm done with having to fight this. I like you, Pine Tree, but the apocalypse is coming, and I don't want to be crying over your grave when all this is over. I can't let myself bow to these stupid emotions."

The irate demon stormed off, leaving Dipper speechless and utterly shocked.

What had just happened?

Sorry this one was pretty short. Like I said, I'm kind of having issues with creativity at this point... Anyway, Chapter 9 will be posted next week. Thanks for reading this awful chapter.

~ Three