It was an extremely rainy day in Gravity Falls Oregon, and the effects this had on the inhabitants of the Mystery Shack were far too obvious. Dipper had watched the same three episodes of Ghost Harassers three times in a row and was now lazily flipping through Journal Number Three. He wasn't bothering to read the pages, as he had already read through the book thousands of times over. Rather, he was so bored out of his mind that even the monotonous action of flipping pages provided some amusement.

Mabel was far worse off than her brother. She was already knitting her fifth sweater of the day, and she was practically drowning in yarn and scraps of fabric. If someone were to walk into the room she shared with her twin brother and investigate the mountain of sweater-making supplies, they would never be able to find her. In fact, the only indication that Mabel was even there was the mountain's slight pulsing as Mabel moved her arms to knit.

Dipper looked up from his casual, page-flipping boredom to see Wendy poking her head into the living room. "Hey Wendy," he said in a bored monotone. Even his voice refused to be the slightest bit amused, it seemed.

"Hey Dipper," Wendy greeted, sounding equally as exhausted as she looked. "If you see Stan, tell him I left for the day, okay? Nobody's coming in this weather, and I'm so bored."

"Can do," Dipper said, returning to his futile attempts at fighting the boredom the rain brought with it. As he heard Wendy start to walk away, however, a faint tingling noise met his ears. Dipper looked up from the Journal once more.

"Hey, Wendy? I think someone just walked in."

Wendy sighed with exasperation and started to make her way towards the gift shop when a new sound met Dipper. It was a voice, a voice he recognized.

"H-hello?"

Dipper stiffened as his blood ran cold. That voice… "Bill," he whispered to himself. In one swift movement, Dipper slammed the Journal closed and shoved it under the cushion of Stan's old recliner.

"Is a-a-anyone th-th-th-there?"

There was a creak. Out of the corner of his eye Dipper saw a figure. His head darted to the side and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was only Mabel, crouching on the steps, knitting-needles clenched tightly in her hand. She had heard the voice too. Pieces of loose fabric and yarn stuck to her clothing and hair. She turned to Dipper and put one finger to her lips. Dipper returned the gesture.

"Hello, and welcome to the Mystery Sha-"

"Oh no!" Dipper groaned as the voice cut off. "Wendy! I didn't get to warn her!"

Without another word, the twins ran into the gift shop, Mabel at the head, her knitting needles poised and ready to strike. The only thing stopping her from shoving the needle straight into the newcomer's eye were Wendy's next few words.

"Kid, are you okay?!"

Mabel and Dipper both paused to get a good look at the child (suspected to be Bill Cipher) who had entered their tourist trap that rainy afternoon. He was shivering and soaking wet in only a t-shirt and shorts. His lips were blue, and his eyes were wide and green with normal pupils. Not yellow with vertical pupils, like Bill had. His hair was a matted dark chocolate color, and he was clutching himself tightly. Teeth chattering, he glanced over at Dipper and Mabel. The twins, Mabel especially, couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the poor kid. "H-h-hey… got a b-b-blanket or s-somethin'?

Mabel lowered her knitting needles and smiled at the boy. He definitely wasn't the evil, no-good dream demon she was expecting. In fact he was actually kind of...cute. Mabel hastily tried to remove the remnants of her knitting. "Wait here! I'll be right back!" She ran off in the opposite direction, coming back a few moments later with a recently-knitted sweater. It was bright yellow and covered in pink stars. The sweater was ugliness in its purest form, but the boy accepted it gratefully.

"Th-th-thanks."

Mabel helped the shaking boy put the sweater on. "Follow me into the kitchen. I'll make you some hot chocolate. It's my secret recipe!"

"Mabel…" Dipper eyed the kid warily. "Are you sure we should-"

"Oh, stop being a Suspicious Sally, Dipper!" Mabel scolded. She was only slightly annoyed, however. She tended to be more careful herself, especially with what happened at her puppet show. Even so, the boy seemed harmless. "Don't mind him," she said, winking at the boy. "He's a bit paranoid."

"I am not paranoid!"

Mabel rolled her eyes and took the boy's hand. It was cold and clammy. "What's your name?" She asked, leading him into the kitchen.

"B…William. Will for short." Will huddled in Mabel's sweater, trying to draw as much warmth from the item of clothing as possible. He tucked his free hand into the sweater and balled it into a fist, closing off the opening of the bright yellow sleeve.

Mabel pulled out a chair for Will. He, quite awkwardly, sat down in it and retracted his arms into his hideous sweater. As soon as she was sure the newcomer was comfortable, Mabel set out on her quest to make the world's best cup of Mabel Chocolate.

Dipper and Wendy glanced at each other. Wendy laughed and Dipper sighed. The two shook their heads. "Watch out for your sister for me, okay?" Wendy punched Dipper lightly in the arm before exiting the Mystery Shack. Dipper watched her go before returning to the television, not willing to retrieve his journal just yet. He grabbed the remote and started lazily flipping through the channels, knowing that if anything were to happen to Mabel, he would be able to hear from the living room.

"What brings you here, cutie?" Mabel asked Will as she bustled around the kitchen, gathering the supplies she would need. She glanced over at Will, who didn't even so much as blush. Mabel turned back to her work, a little more frustrated than before. This would be a tough shell to crack!

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

Instead of telling her the story of how he wound up half-drowned, stumbling into the Mystery Shack, Will waited in silence as Mabel finished his cup of hot chocolate. Mabel set a brightly-colored mug in front of him with a flourish before stepping back and watching the boy, an eager grin on her face.

Will glanced down at the drink, which looked to be more sparkles than hot chocolate. Nonetheless, he drank it eagerly. "More!" He demanded after he slammed down the first mug.

"More what?" Mabel asked, more amused than anything at the boy's bad manners.

"More now!" Will demanded. Mabel sighed. He would definitely need work.

It wasn't long before Mabel handed Will another mug of her Mabel Chocolate, and he was about to slam it down when something made him pause.

Another person walked into the room. A man this time. Will's eyes widened as he caught sight of the man. The brightly-colored mug of Mabel Chocolate shattered on the floor, ceramic pieces and Mabel's precious beverage flying everywhere.