Authors Notes:

Chapter 2: The Real Dipper

Two day's latter Mabel sat on the couch and watched as her brother paced a good foot off the ground with his hand at his chin his face scrunched up in worried thought. They hadn't had any luck in finding Dipper's body or Bill, and the news had been all kinds of crazy lately. People were calling conspiracy and hoax as sightings of the inexplicable started happening all around the world. She sighed. It was boring to watch this, and her chest hurt with loss. Dipper was floating in front of her, but... was he really Dipper? His eyes were black and gold. Not the normal white and brown that he'd always had. A part of her knew that it was Dipper. It couldn't be anyone else with the way he talked and moved. The feeling of connection she had with him wasn't fake ether. She closed her eyes. No. She couldn't pull the depressed and doubtful card. She was Mabel. Always optimistic always looking for the bright side. She took in a deep breath and lifted her hands to her chest tugging lightly on that feeling deep inside wondering if it would be a good idea to mention to Dipper that his eyes were a little scary and that they glowed now. "Mabel?"

She opened her eyes at her brothers worried voice and let out a small scream as his face was right in hers, his black gold eyes staring right at her. He blinked confused. "Dipper! You surprised me!"

"I'm sorry... I thought you said my name... but then you looked... and felt... really sad." Dipper looked down. "I can't explain it. It was like you were calling me... Is..." He hesitated before he stepped back looking at her with worry rolling in his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Pst! Wrong?" Mabel rolled her eyes and waved her hand laughing nervously. "Of coarse noting's wrong! Silly!"

Dipper didn't look convinced. "Why did you scream?"

"I told you, you startled me."

"By being close to you?" Dipper asked a sadness in his voice.

Mable looked up to him and her heart felt a tug. She wondered, with strong guilt, how she could have even thought for a second that this wasn't her Dipper. She swallowed. "Dipper... its... not you being near me... its... your eyes." He just had to know. Maybe he could help her turn it into something she liked. Like he sort of did with the stop motion.

"What?" Dipper asked slowly blinking those black and golden orbs.

"They're different. They glow and they're not normal, they're black and gold."

"What?" He let out a little disbelieving laugh and Mabel reached into her pocket and pulled out a little hand mirror. Dipper glanced at it for a second before pushing her hand down.

Dipper was silent as he stared at his sister wide eyed. Then he pulled his shaking hands up covering his eyes. "What is going on?" He asked again, fear running under the echo in his voice. His hands went to his hair and he sunk to the floor. "Mabel. I'm scared."

Mable got off the couch and wrapped her arms around her trembling brother. "Dipper... it'll be okay some how... we'll figure this out. We'll find Bill and your body and you'll be back to normal. You'll see."

"It's gone..." Dipper whispered.

"What?" Mabel asked.

"My body. Bill... they're gone."

"You don't know that Dipper." Dipper didn't answer her his boddy still shivering. "Come on bro bro. Everything will be okay."

"No! No it wont!" Dipper yelled blew flame licked around him and Mable took a step back gasping. "It's not- it's not right!" Dipper cried his face was contorted in terror and he laughed as he looked at her. "The Transcendence... it occurred the moment Bill tried to take over my body. He was weak. I fought him- it was so painful." Dipper stood. "Look at me!" He motioned to himself. "I'm not a ghost!" His form suddenly shifted and he was a small star like shape with a single black eye with a golden iris. His blue hat floating loosely above him as he floated in the air. The article looking over sized to his new small body. "It's not right."

"Dipper!" Mabel jumped up and grabbed a hold of him.

When Stan walked into the living room he found his niece floating in the air. Her feet kicking wildly. "Dipper! Calm down!" Mabel was saying. "It's going to be okay! No matter what! I promise." She froze as she hung in the air her voice growing angry. "What are you saying Dipper?"

"Uh..." Stan started. Suddenly the light in the room exploded and Mabel plopped to the ground. She stared at a single spot in the middle of the living room floor fear flashing over her face before it was replaced with and angry frown. "Is... everything okay in here?"

Mabel stood her bottom lip trembling. "Fine! Mope for all I care! I don't care if you ever get your body back or not you jerk!" With that she spun and ran up the stares crying. Wendy who was sitting at the desk put down her magazine.

"I'll go check on her." She said jumping the desk and taking the steps two at a time.

Stan sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked the perceptively empty room as he took a seat in the Lazy Boy.

Dipper stayed on the floor where he'd fallen, his knee's curled up to his chest tears rolling down his face. Stan cleared his throat and Dipper rolled over to look at the old man. "Look... Dipper. I don't know what's going on exactly... but... you've got the worlds most shit-tastic team on your side. We'll fix this. Kay, kiddo?" Stan looked around the room for any sign that Dipper understood. After a moment he sighed and flipped the TV on. "Well... If I were you I'd go apologize for what ever thick headed thing I did to upset your sister." Stan looked around and shrugged uncomfortably. "Or don't it's up to you." Stan stared at the screen as an infomercial played. "Right..." he sighed settling into his chair a bit more. Dipper scooted up to the chair and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"I want to Gruncle Stan." Dipper buried his head in his arms. "I just don't remember what I said to upset her! Everything is so messed up!" The thirteen year old sat listening to the television and his uncles deep breathing for a moment. "I wish I could actually talk to you. You would give me some bad advice I wouldn't even listen too... I wish I wasn't... a..." He squeezed his eyes shut before he stood and walked toward the stairs. Ignoring his Gruncle as he started to talk to himself. He probably could float right up to their room, but he was nervous about getting caught in a wall or something. Images flashing in his head told him that it would be at the very least very uncomfortable. Why were these disturbing images popping into his head anyway? He shook his head clearing it as he reached the door to his and Mabel's room.

"Come on Mabel, it can't be that bad." He heard Wendy talking to Mabel.

He heard his sister sniffle. "He said I can't understand because I'm too happy go lucky." Dipper bit his lip. Was that what made her so upset? It didn't feel like the whole story.

"Well... it's Dipper, he always say's kill joy stuff like that."

"I know..." Mabel mumbled. "It's just..." Their was a long sigh. "I'm scared. I feel like it's Dipper, but part of me feels like running from him. I'm scared of him Wendy! It's not right! What if I'm wrong and it's not Dipper I'm seeing?"

Their was a silence in the room as Dipper stood outside the door feeling like the world just fell out from under him. "You know Dipper better than anyone in the world." Wendy said. "If your gut is telling you its him... then I trust it..."

Dipper got a jolt from this and peeked into the room seeing Mabel wrapped in a large comforter on her bed. Wendy sitting on the floor leaning against the bed. "It is Dipper..." Mabel said. "It is Dipper and it's not."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked looking to Mabel.

"He... has these glowing gold eyes... with black... and... he keeps shifting into this little thing that looks like Bill but not."

"You said that before." Windy said. "Is he a square?"

Mabel snorted. "No!" She giggled. "Actually he looks like a chibi star- kinda like Sparkle Heart!" Mabel grinned. "Its actually a bit cute..."

Dipper felt his face go red being called cute was feeling extra embarrassing and a bit insulting. Dipper decided then that he really did need to talk to Mabel, not to apologize but to let her know that it really was him. He pushed the door and it creaked slightly, but he couldn't get it to open any farther. He tried harder and it squeaked again. The girls stopped talking to look to the door. Suddenly the door was not physically there and Dipper found himself flying into the room. "Whoa!" He cried rolling into Mabel's stuffed animals. One of the teddy bares fell over. "H-hi." He waved up to an upside down and confused looking Mabel.

"Uh..." Mabel said. "Did you hear us?"

"Was that Dipper?" Wendy asked looking a bit confused to the toppled teddy bare.

"Yeah." Mabel said with a slight snort. "He just rolled in."

"Ha ha." Dipper rolled over onto his feet and dusted off his shoulder. He paused staring at the blue vest he was wearing. "Was my vest always this ugly?" He asked no one in particular.

"What?" Mabel asked.

Dipper shook his head. Looking to Mabel, he looked away almost immediately when he remembered how she said his eyes looked. "I... don't want you to be scared of me..." Mabel looked down seeming to be ashamed of herself. She opened her mouth to respond. "It's okay." Dipper said. "I know... I'm weird right now..."

"Well it's okay- when we find Bill-

"I don't..." Dipper interrupted her. "I don't think we're going to find Bill..."

"Why...?" Mabel asked and looked to be getting angry. "Why do you keep saying that?!"

"Mabel?" Wendy asked.

"The Dipper Pine's I know doesn't give up without trying!" Mabel growled. "That's what's really confusing me! Dipper you always think of something! You're always planning and solving problems!" She looked like she was about to cry. "Why have you given up without even trying?"

Dipper stared at her surprised. He could tell it was true. She doubted him not really because he looked wired. He could probably be a taking cat plushy and she'd believe it was him- she just didn't trust it because she thought he wasn't acting right. He sighed. "I haven't given up... exactly." Dipper grabbed the little puppet that Mabel had made way back when. He stuck his hand it it and started making faces with it. "I just... feel it... Deep down. Like... I KNOW. I know that my body is gone- or no... not gone." Dipper looked up to Mabel. "It's right here."

"The puppet?" Wendy asked.

"What?" Dipper looked to her. She looked all kinds of disturbed as she was looking at the little puppet. "Is that your body?"

"What?" Dipper asked. "You can hear me?"

Wendy nodded.

"Oh!" Dipper smacked his head, the puppet mimicking his movement. "That's right. I can talk through empty vessels."

"So...?" Wendy asked.

"This is just a puppet."

"Okay..."

"Ghost and such can talk through puppets. It's kinda creepy though..." Dipper said.

"No kidding." Wendy crossed her legs as she sat up. "So... what are you saying about your body then?"

"I... I think it was sucked into the Dreamscape with Bill." Dipper paused trying to make sense of the thoughts rolling through his head. "Sense we were struggling for control at the same time... it happened... right when..." Dipper grabbed his head. "It happened at a particular moment- oh man! I feel like its just... right their... what happened. Like I already know... I just cant access that information." Dipper looked like he was getting a migraine.

"Well don't hurt yourself..." Wendy said, seeing the puppets face scrunch up. She smiled. "I'm relieved, at least you sound like you..."

Mabel smiled. "Right, and even if you are right and Bill is gone, and you've got sucked into that dream place we'll figure out how to pull you out of there!"

"What she said." Wendy said. Then the teen stood stretching. "Well that's enough nightmare inducing puppet talk for me." She gave a wary grin before walking toward the door. "I am going to go home, tomorrow we'll catch up and hatch a plan, okay?"

"Sounds good." Mabel and Dipper said together.

Wendy shut the door to their room and shivered. That was just a little too weird. "I'm gonna need some serious therapy after all this."