AN: Alright… another chapter… a little surprised to be honest. But the reception has been… pretty decent to be surprisingly, so I'll give it one more shot before I'm absolutely sure I wanna continue this or drop it. To those of you who are new readers, welcome, to those not, welcome back.

Oh, and I also want advice on something. The only reason I haven't placed this in the crossovers section is because I plan to make it a large crossover eventually, multiple shows. And I'm not sure how to proceed with that. Suggestions? Keep it here? Move it to the Steven Universe crossover section and do different stories for the other crossovers? The General Crossover section? I don't know… this was easier when it was a one-shot, heh.

Oh, and for anyone curious, the reason this update took so much longer, my mother came down with pneumonia and I've had a grand old time driving over and nursing her back to health.

Anyway, enjoy the story and make sure to practice my three R's. Relax, Read, and Review. Seriously, review. It feeds my bottomless hunger!

Two days. Two rises and sets of the sun and moon. Two simple rotations of the world. A mere forty-eight hours.

An eternity to a tortured mind.

Two simple days had passed since Dipper's… Bill's… Bipper's departure. And it had been hell for his loved ones.

Ten minutes after Bipper had disappeared into the woods, the magic holding Mabel, Stan and Ford had dissipated, releasing them to do little more than panic. They attempted to find him. They scoured the woods for hours with no luck. They then enlisted Soos, Wendy and so many others and searched for nearly an entire day.

But to no avail. He was gone. Long gone.

Stan and Ford had been talking intensely since then. Well, 'talking' being a polite word for it. Some might have called it 'debating' or 'arguing', or perhaps even 'screaming at each other for hours on end'.

And Mabel… well, Mabel had yet to leave her room… her room. It used to be their room. How she wished it was such once more.

Mabel cried softly into her pillow, tears spilling from her eyes as choked sobs escaped her throat.

It had been hours since they had given up the search, although Grunkle Ford had insisted they were merely withdrawing to rest and properly plan their next move. It still left a bad taste in the twin's mouth however, whatever they called it.

It still felt like giving up. It still felt like they were abandoning her brother.

They should still be out there. Searching until they found him, brought him home and fixed whatever Bill had done to him. Until they did… it felt like there was a hole in her heart. One she could feel every single second of the day.

So many horrible ideas and questions bubbled in her head as she cried. What exactly had Bill done to Dipper? Where was her brother now? What terrible deeds was Bill forcing him to do as the rest of them impotently sat here and did nothing but talk and yell? And why… why did he have to leave?

As these and other thoughts jumbled inside her mind, the bedroom door opened and in walked Stan with a grim look on his face.

Without a word he sat on the edge of Mabel's fluffy, pillow-laden bed and took in his weeping niece with a tired, forlorn look.

"Hey kiddo." Stan nearly whispered as he placed a comforting hand on Mabel's back.

"What do we do, Grunkle Stan? How are we gonna get Dipper back?" the older twin sniffled, her voice muffled by her pillow.

Her older relative let out a suffering sigh as he looked at the ground and remained silent for a moment before responding.

"Ford and I and have been talking. He thinks he knows what Dipper did… some kinda Faustian bargain. I don't know. But what's more, he thinks he knows how to track him. Whatever and wherever he is now." Stan explained to his grandniece.

"So we can go get him, right? We can track him down and fix whatever happened to him!" Mabel nearly shouted as she got up from her lying position to look at Stan in the face.

Stan's old heart ached as he took in the girl's red, puffy eyes and excited yet desperate expression. He wanted so much to reassure her. To hold her and tell her yes, that everything was gonna be fine. But he couldn't lie to her. In one of the few instances of his life, he had to be honest.

"That's the problem, Mabs… we can track him… follow him, sure. But he's… already so far away. Finding him is gonna take a lot of work and time. Add into the fact he could just run off again… Not to mention, Ford has no idea if it's possible to 'fix' him at this point…" Stanley slowly replied, trying to soften the blow of the truth as much as possible.

"It is. I know it is… and… if it really isn't… at least we can figure out why this happened… what he is now! Maybe we can still bring him home regardless! We can't give up on him. No matter what happens, he's still my brother!" the energetic child stated, determined.

"I know kid, I know. And me and Ford are gonna find him. But it's a bad scene, right now Mabel. I need you to understand that. Unfortunately, what with Dipper taking the Journals with hi… well, Ford's gotta work from memory and side notes now. Which ain't one of his strong points, believe me. Especially at our age." Stan joked, jabbing Mabel's side with his elbow.

He was rewarded with a small laugh from his niece, which went a long way in easing his mind about what came next.

"I'll be closing the Mystery Shack for a time. Scrounge up some cash and supplies, then me, Ford and Soos are hitting the road as quick as a lick." The old conman explained, his eyes focused on Mabel.

"But… what about me?" Mabel asked carefully.

"You'll be here by yourself for a day or so… I know you'll be fine. Or you could stay with one of your friends. Just until your parents come to pick you up. Eesh… that's gonna be an awkward reunion. Sorry, I'm not TRYING to dump all the explaining on your folks on you but, I think it might be better if they DON'T take me to court or have me questioned about their son's disappearance. At least until I actually get their son back."

"But I want to help! Dipper's my brother, I have to be there too!" Mabel nearly screamed.

"Mabel, no. I'm sorry. But Ford and I think it would be best if you went back with your parents until we… sort this out."

"I'm coming with you guys!" She cried, stamping her foot defiantly, with little effect; since she was currently standing on a soft, cushy bed.

"Mabel." Stan warned sternly.

"Don't 'Mabel' me! I'm coming too Stan!" Mabel declared, shocking her uncle by this being one of the few times she didn't refer to him as 'Grunkle'.

"Mabel, this isn't a game. This is the safety and future of your brother we're talking about. Tracking him, finding him, catching him, fixing him… it could all take weeks. Months. Years even! And you've got a life to think about. School, friends. A future. Summer's almost over and I've already arranged for your parents to pick you up. What are they gonna think if you've just vanished with me and Ford?"

The room was silent for a long while before Mabel looked at him square in the eye, her face like stone, her gaze determined.

"Grunkle Stan… when Grunkle Ford disappeared… did anything stop you in trying to find him? To fix the portal and bring him back?" Mabel asked in a near whisper, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

The near-seventy conman was slightly taken aback but let out a sigh and responded with the only answer there was, the truth.

"No."

"Then how can you expect me to do anything different? It's my fault this happened. I yelled at Dipper. I ran away. I gave the rift to Bill. I'm the reason my brother isn't here… I have to get him back!" Mabel cried desperately.

Stanley Pines could only stare at his grandniece with a mixture of frustration, love and pride. She took after him in so many ways… just like Dipper took after Ford…

Against his wishes a smile spread over his wrinkled features. She had a point… how could he turn her away from doing what he himself had done?

"Alright kid… but what about school? Your friends? Your life?" Stan questioned, having to be absolutely sure of the young teen's conviction.

"My family is my life." She said simply.

And that was all that truly needed to be said. There were still things to do. Calls to make. Bribes to send. Explanations to give. Preparations to attend to.

But a family was now heading out, to get their Dipper back.

Meanwhile, miles upon miles away, a certain demonic entity let out a small, contented burp as he finished his first ever meal as a new entity.

And what a meal it was.

After the bust with the donut shop, Bipper had gone to the nearby pizzeria instead. A small, charming place amusingly called 'Fish Stew Pizza'. Not at all deterred by the name, Bipper walked right on in with a cheery/creepy grin.

He was immediately pleased with the much shorter line, that is to say; none, and so after a short glimpse at the overhead menu he placed his order for one large pizza of every type they served. Considering Fish Stew Pizza prided itself on a decent variety, most famously their Anchovy Supreme, it was a hefty order.

The cashier, who was one Jenny Pizza at the moment, was skeptical at first. She asked the kid before her where his parents were and tried to tell him that he'd never be able to eat that much pizza by himself. The younger teen, who she noticed had… weird eyes but for some reason couldn't tell herself why, simply responded by repeating his order several times. Completely ignoring her protests.

She wanted to refuse, but after getting the go ahead from the chef and owner, who also happened to be her dad, she took his order. Thirty minutes later eleven large pizzas were laid out on several different tables before the grinning demon.

Bipper thanked her and with a knife and fork that seemed to appear from his sleeves, he slowly began to cut up his meal, pizza by pizza, slice by slice, and politely and pleasantly began to devour each morsel, chewing quietly with a joyous expression on his face.

Jenny Pizza, as well as her father and sister; Kofi and Kiki, who had come out from the back to catch a quick look, were then witness to a small, thin, scrawny kid that couldn't be any older than a certain magical boy they all knew, slowly but surely devour every inch of every pizza. Crust, toppings and all.

It took him the better part of an hour, but he did it. Never slowing down, never stopping. He just continued to shovel bite after bite into his mouth.

Jenny stared, gaping at the kid she was half-sure wasn't human.

She didn't know how right she was.

Her father and sister were of a similar mind, but shrugged it off more easily and headed back to the kitchens to continue their share of work.

As the Pizza family gaped and pondered on the spectacle, Bipper reflected on his meal.

The demon boy quickly decided then and there that eating was one of his favorite things to do. Ever. Period.

The tastes. The textures. The fragrances. The chewing!

Never having had to eat as Bill, and requiring it for survival as Dipper, eating for sheer pleasure was a peculiar and unique experience for the newly born demon that had both and neither experiences. As a being that was not quite human, Bipper could eat as much as he liked. The food offering no actual nutrition or energy and simply disintegrating the moment it entered the void-like organ that passed for his stomach in his new anatomy.

Even the burp he had uttered was more for comedic effect than anything. Bipper liked comedic effects.

Hopping down from his chair, the small magician made his way towards the exit.

"Whoa! Hold up there, little dude. Props to ya for finishing that, although you'll probably be spending some mondo time in the throne room later. But ya still gotta pay." Jenny called after him.

In a quick motion the small boy turned on his heel and began walking towards the counter. The brunette stared up at the older teen with a quizzical expression for a moment.

"Pay?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, you know… pay… for the meal?" Jenny asked, leaning down to look the kid in the eye.

Bipper scratched his chin for a moment in thought.

"Pay? Pay… oh! Pay! That's right! You lot use a variety of different currencies that differ from region to region on this dustball and assign them baseless monetary value, then trade them for goods and services! Ha! Oh, that is quaint as all get out." The half-insane entity giggled.

Jenny raised an eyebrow at the kid before her but other than that did little to react to the odd statement.

"Right. So, you gonna pay your bill? Cuz trust me, if you don't have the cash, Pops could use some help in the back with the dishes after the buffet you ordered." The older teen stated plainly.

"Hmmm. I'm guessing you guys don't accept souls, huh?" Bipper asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Heh, sorry kid. Only American currency accepted here." Jenny snarked back, thinking the yellow eyed youth before her was making a joke.

He wasn't.

"Hmm… Well! Let's see what we got in the old coat pockets then!" Bipper cried out excitedly as he plunged both hands into the pockets of his overcoat.

He rummaged for a brief moment before beginning to fling things out onto the counter.

"Loaded dice…" he said casually, tossing a pair of red and black dice onto the counter, they rolled for a second before coming up sevens.

"Mandrake Root…" the demon continued, pulling out a small root-like plant in the vague shape of a human. Every once in a while it shook slightly and seemed to whine. Bipper merely shrugged and dropped it on the floor.

"Madagascar hissing cockroaches…"

"Wait, what?!" Jenny asked as she took a step back.

"Oh wait, no, those are plum raisins. My bad, Puff!" The young demon chuckled as he tossed the small dried fruits over his shoulder.

Jenny merely huffed, partly at falling for what she believed was a trick and partly at the strange nickname.

"Ah ha! Here we go! Money!" Bipper cried victoriously as he raised a large tin can over his head with a hastily scrawled note taped to it that read 'For A Rainy Day'.

"Great… ya think there's enough for the entire bill in there?" Jenny asked skeptically.

Bipper raised the can to his ear and shook experimentally. Hearing a few jingles from within he beamed at the girl and nodded.

"Yup! I think so!" He cawed happily.

The teenager sighed and held out her hand.

"Alright kid, lay it on me." She sighed, not looking forward to counting out a load of change.

Bipper held the can over her hand and turned it upside down. For a while, nothing happened. No coins or bills came out. But then he gently began to shake the can up and down. Slowly, a few pennies began to fall into her waiting palm… then a few more… then a lot more… then a ton more… then a veritable tidal wave of copper coins began to tumble out of the simple tin can, spilling out of Jenny's palm and onto the counter and soon after that, the floor.

The teenage girl retracted her hand swiftly out of the crushing flow of coins, letting the large number her outstretched hand had collected tumble down to join the others. She gaped at the sea of pennies slowly but surely filling every nook and cranny of the counter and the floor around it.

"There we go! That should be my bill, plus your tip! I hope 500% is enough." The voice of her strange customer snapping her attention back away from the large collection of currency.

Jenny looked at the young boy, who was smiling innocently at her with his arms behind his back. This wouldn't be so strange if the tin can wasn't still in the air next to him. Floating… still shaking up and down, only this time by itself… and still unleashing a torrent of pennies into the pizzeria!

"What?! Stop! Stop it already!" Jenny shouted, trying to get whatever freak show trip this was to end.

"Sorry, but I owe you a debt. Good food, good service. You asked for payment in the form of money, and so money you shall receive! Bipper always pays his debts and honors his deals! It's a Rule! The very first Rule of my new Code! Ooooo! It's so exciting!" the demonic teen jumped up and down in a hyper manner, not unlike a kid on a sugar rush.

"But this is enough! And you can't pay all in pennies!" the older teen tried to reason.

"Oh, enough for the bill, sure. But like I said, you still got your tip coming to you! And who says I can't pay in pennies? Not against the law. And not against any house rules that I can see." Bipper shrugged casually.

Jenny looked between Bipper, the tin can that was still unleashing ton after ton of pennies and the growing ocean of the copper coins, which had now totally engulfed the counter, cash register, and was up to her ankles and spilling out all across the floor.

"But… wha?!" the confused and freaked out teen babbled as she grabbed a broom by the counter and tried to futilely keep the pennies in a manageable area.

"Well, it's been fun! I'll have to come back another time! See ya, Puff!" the yellow-eyed youth waved as he once more made for the exit.

"Wait! You can't just leave me with this!" Jenny called as her broom was unfortunately caught underneath the avalanche of copper and snapped in half under the crushing weight.

"Yes I can!" Bipper cackled as he walked out the door.

Jenny fumbled with her broken broom for a moment before tossing it to the floor and running to the back.

"Dad! Kiki! Help!"

Bipper departed the pizzeria and walked around the boardwalk for about an hour, arms behind his back and a pleasant smile on his face all the while, simply taking in the sights and sounds of the beach. Every once in a while he would watch a few people talk to one another, idly listening to their meaningless conversations. Or he would enter a shop and observe their trivial transactions. He even walked down to the beach and took in the strange habits of the beach goers.

All the time, simply watching. He got a few odd looks, but for the most part he was left alone to wander the boardwalk as he willed. Which was exactly what he continued to do.

He liked this place, he thought idly as he walked towards the end of the boardwalk. He really did! The sunshine, the quaint shops and good restaurants, the sound of the sea and smell of salt winds and last but not least, the plethora of mortals to have fun with! Oh yes, he liked it here very much.

And now all he had to do was find another one to play with! It was getting late now, so it would be best to get a move-

Bipper stopped, his form stiff and his eyes wide as he heard something. Something that set his soul ablaze with manic glee and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up in excitement. A most wondrous thing, a grand thing, a… noisy thing. Soft, subtle notes of sound drifted through the air, like raindrops pelting his brain. He knew what it was the moment he heard it of course. Thin, tuned cords pulled tight, plucked and strummed at specific intervals and reverberated through a wooden frame. But then, that's what was causing it, but it wasn't what it was.

It was music.

Pure and beautiful music filled with talent and emotion. And Bipper fell in love with it.

As if in a trance, the small demon walked towards the music, passing people and places he would in other instances love to observe and mess with, but not now. Winding past the boardwalk and a little ways into the town outskirts itself, he continued on, towards a grassy plain and one of the small mountains that surrounded the city.

He stopped for a brief moment as he neared the source of the heavenly sound and took in the sight.

A carwash… certainly not his first guess, but so be it. Without any more delays he soldiered on into the grounds surrounding the small building and twisted his head to and fro, desperately trying to pinpoint the source of the heavenly sound.

The reason for this single-minded drive to hear more of the music was simple and had everything to do with his newly acquired demonhood. As a former dream demon, emotion was a very big deal to him.

Human emotions were like sweet nectar or putrid tar depending on which ones you picked and plundered, cultivated and consumed. Humans, with their small minds and even smaller lives, had one edge over demons… they could feel things in ways that were entirely pure and unpredictable. And demons, no matter what their motives, craved that. And this music… filled with calm happiness and an undying passion for simply making the sweet sound itself… it was like a siren's call to the small magician.

Finally the demon eyed a small, older model van painted like an old rocker's tour bus.

Grinning from ear to ear Bipper marched forward and circled around, spying a middle-aged man perched on the edge of the van's opened back and happily strumming on an old wooden guitar. He was a short, slightly overweight male, with a sunburn tan and a bald head. Interestingly however, he still had plenty of hair in the form of his flowing mane that grew everywhere but his scalp.

If he had to hazard a guess, Bipper would probably say he was the main worker here at the carwash.

The man had his eyes closed, completely engulfed by his playing and utterly oblivious to his small visitor's presence. With a final strum of his guitar the aging musician finished his song, a small original piece from the sound of it. It was pure gold as far as Bipper was concerned.

"That was really good, Music Man." Bipper smiled up at the guitarist, clapping wildly in applause.

Said musician let out a yelp of surprise and nearly dropped his guitar at the sound of the voice, his eyes snapping open in panic.

The long haired man looked down at the small boy and let out a small chuckle.

"Hey there kiddo. Sorry about that, but you gave me a bit of a scare. Oh, and thanks. Always happy to meet a fellow music lover." The man smiled.

"Oh, no, thank you! That was a lovely little ditty! Original piece?" Bipper asked eagerly.

"Oh yeah. I play all kinds of stuff in my down time, but sometimes I like to just strum a bit, see what comes to me. I got a whole album of original- Bah! Listen to me carrying on. Anyway, what can I do ya for, little dude? Parents' car need a wash?" the musician asked a bit eagerly.

"Heh, no, no. I'm new in town. You could say I'm… sightseeing. Just heard those soft tones and I had to come over and check them out for myself. You've got talent. Quite a bit. You a professional, by any chance?" the young demon asked with genuine curiosity.

"Huh? Oh, thanks little dude. But no, no. Not professional. At least… not anymore. I own this place. Best carwash this side of town." He said proudly.

Bipper took a look around, taking in his surroundings a bit more thoroughly this time. It was a small complex, only one small building that seemed to be mostly taken up by the machine wash. Overhead was a neon elephant sign, proudly displaying the establishment's name.

'It's A Wash… I don't know if I should consider that clever or sad.' Bipper thought with an inner smirk.

"Hmm. Don't seem to be doing much business at the moment." The yellow-eyed youth observed, causing the sunburnt man to rub his neck in embarrassment.

"Er, well yeah. It's just a slow day. It happens. Hence me sitting back and chillin' a bit with some old and sweet sounds here. But what's your deal, little guy? Got a name? Or better stuff to do than a bother an old man?" the wild haired man asked with a chuckle, showing he was merely joking.

"Oh ho! Where are my manners? The name's Bipper. And you are, Mister?" the teen asked.

"Name's Greg kid. And drop the whole 'mister' stuff right here and now. Greg will do just fine."

Bipper nodded, finding he was liking this man more by the moment.

"Hmmm. You said 'not anymore'. So I suppose you used to be a professional?" Bipper pressed in a friendly manner.

"Well, kinda. Full name's Greg Universe. Used to be 'Mister Universe' if ya can believe it."

"Hmm. Mister Universe…" Bipper asked thinking back to all of his memories he could from both Bill and Dipper's past. Finally he found something on Bill's part and quickly contrived a plausible story to hide his insider knowledge.

"I think I remember hearing something about you from my uncle… some kinda up and coming rocker a little over two decades ago. But then you just… vanished. Same guy?" Bipper asked rhetorically.

"Yup! Same guy. Your uncle knows about me?" Greg asked skeptically. It wasn't that he didn't believe the kid necessarily. But the kid seemed... off. Greg wasn't sure if it was his attire or his speech or his... eyes? What was wrong with his... eyes? Greg quickly pushed such thoughts out of his mind. Nothing was wrong.

"My great uncle to be precise. Me and my sis call him our grunkle. And he's into a lot of odd stuff. Obscure music sometimes, for example." Bipper responded, hopping up and sitting on the edge of the vans open back alongside his newfound acquaintance.

"Ha, grunkle. I like that. And 'obscure'? Gee, thanks." Greg said with a roll of the eyes.

"Heh, sorry Music Man. Didn't mean anything by it. But if you don't mind me asking… why did you disappear? The way my grunkle talks you were pretty good. Had a decent shot at making it big… what happened?" Bipper asked.

As he did, he leaked just a bit of his power into his words… a compulsion to answer his question. Bipper liked this strange, bald, Music Man… but he liked information just a bit more. Knowledge was power and all that. And personal information? Oh… worth its word count in gold.

"A little personal there, eh kiddo?" Greg asked, but not unkindly. Already Bipper could feel his magic start to do its work.

"Oh, my apologies. I was just really curious. Your music was… really good is all." Bipper said, putting on the 'embarrassed/disappointed kid' act to coax the adult a little further, rubbing the back of his neck for good measure.

All the while he leaked even more magic into his words.

"Well… let's just say I met someone. Here." Greg said with small smile of remembrance, his mental walls finally collapsing.

"Ah! A woman. Isn't that always the way." Bipper responded with what sounded like a disappointed air.

He expected something… a bit more.

"Not just any woman, kiddo. She was… the one." Greg replied, somewhat defensively.

Bipper merely raised an eyebrow in question.

Greg took his meaning and shrugged, deciding he had already come this far.

"I was doing a gig, right here in this town. She came… and when I saw her… I knew she was all I ever wanted. All I ever could want. It's… weird, ya know? A lot of people, even a good friend of mine, says love at first sight doesn't exist. That love takes time to build and develop. Hard work and care to nurture. And that maybe true… but when I saw her and she saw me… a connection of some kind formed." Greg explained, unsure why he was telling this random child, a stranger something so personal.

Completely unaware of the powerful magic that was all but forcing him to.

"And so you stayed… for her? She must be very special then. Where is she? Can I meet her?" Bipper asked, actually eager to meet what could possibly be Music Woman.

"She… she's no longer with us." Greg said, his smile fading.

Bipper stopped at that, a small frown of his own adorning his face.

"I'm sorry." He spoke softly.

And he was. Genuinely. That was a first… sad for someone else? Apparently he didn't like the thought of death… or others dying. Well, that was good to know.

"It… was a while ago. It's all good. Besides, I still got my son to remind me of her. So it's not like she's gone completely." Greg shrugged, dispelling the melancholy he was feeling quickly before had truly had a chance to dwell on it.

"Well, there's always that. And I suppose you're not doing too badly, are you? Father… business owner… widower… ok, that last one's not so great. But, still…" Bipper smiled, somehow half kindly and half snidely, at the man before him.

A moment of silence passed between the two.

"You gave up a lot… didn't you?" Bipper suddenly asked, his eyes glowing with knowledge he was gleaming from the man's unprotected mind.

Greg looked at him oddly.

"To be here, I mean. To stay here. Establishing yourself here. Starting up this business. Caring for yourself and your son. It couldn't have been easy. But you did it. And what's more, you chose to do it. You wanted to do it. Gotta ask… has it been worth it? Fame… fortune… could have been yours. You had a decent shot. Any regrets?" he asked, his voice soft, subtle, pleasant and practically stuffed with magic.

Greg was so caught off guard by the boy's inquiry, the older man didn't even question that such an insight or demand came from a child of all things. The question, the way it was asked, the tone of his voice, the magic infused in the words… Greg couldn't help but think back on his life. His hopes and dreams… and the ones he had to give up to stay here in Beach City… to be with Rose… to raise Steven.

And the human smiled.

All the while, Bipper watched him. His demonic eyes taking in every aspect of the man. His face, his thoughts, his aura.

Bipper didn't simply look at the man before him. He saw him. Looked at him in every way he could, even reaching out and trying to read the man's surface memories.

To the fusion's delighted surprise… he saw no doubt. No anger. No regret.

What he saw… was an aura of a pure and glorious white color, with trace amounts of pink and blue. And what he sensed… was happiness. Happiness and love from the scraps and fragments of the surface memories the small magician was able to sense from the musician's mind.

Bipper was completely and utterly surprised…

Usually when people think back… they almost always have doubts. Anger. Regrets. Oh, they think they don't… but they do… it was impossible to lie to your heart of hearts… and it was impossible to hide once you knew how to look for it. But Bipper… saw none of that. He saw a man… content. And proud to be here, of all places.

And the demon smiled.

Quietly he reached over to Mr. Universe's wooden guitar, settling the overly large instrument in his lap and began strumming it experimentally.

The twangs of the strings snapped Greg out of his thoughtful stupor and looked over to his young guest.

Bipper hummed a bit as he got used to the weight of the guitar and sound of the strings. And despite the difference in size between instrument and player, a soft gentle melody erupted from the guitar and the demon… began to sing.

"Dreams abandoned, time withstanding,

All for the sake of love pure and true.

But you may find, your fortune's changing,

Good things are sure to come to you."

With a small flourish of the C cord Bipper ceased his one minute melody and smiled.

This time it was Greg's turn to clap as he nodded approvingly.

"Hey, that was pretty good little dude. You been playing for long?"

"Nope. First time." Bipper smiled widely as he strummed a few more notes, completely ignoring the flabbergasted look on the man's face.

Greg was about to voice his doubt at the flippant statement. No one could be that good their first time, no matter how much talent you have, but he never got the chance.

"Welp, it's been a blast but I think it's time to depart. I've got SO much more of the city to see." The golden-eyed youth spoke excitedly as he handed the musical instrument back to its owner.

Greg reached out and grabbed the neck of the guitar, the second he did, a dull golden light sheened over the wooden surface of the instrument.

Bipper's grin got just a bit wider as the phenomenon went unnoticed by Greg, the older man too focused on the mysterious and frankly, slightly creepy child.

"Are you sure about that? It's gonna get dark soon. Not exactly the time for sightseeing." The aged rocker warned as he leaned his guitar against the side of his van.

"Oh ho! Don't worry about that! I love the dark…" Bipper said ominously as he hopped down from his seat.

He began spinning in place before stopping on his heel and walking away.

"Well, er… if you're sure. Bye little dude! Good talking to you and be careful." Greg smiled, though he scratched his bald head in confusion.

The magic was leaving his system… and he was beginning to have a lot of foggy thoughts and random questions about what just happened.

"Goodbye to you too, Music Man. I had a wonderful time. Don't spend it all in one place!" the young demon cackled and he disappeared around a corner.

Greg Universe tilted his head and frowned in confusion as he chuckled and turned to close up the carwash. It was getting late and it had been a slow day, he doubted he'd get any last-minute customers.

As he moved to do just that he stopped as he spied something large and yellow out of the corner of his eye. Confused he craned his neck and felt his mouth drop open.

He stood there for a few moments before shaking his head, as if trying to wake himself from a dream. After he was done he looked again… but saw the same thing… still there.

Greg could only stare in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth agape. With a shaky hand he reached out. His hands grasping around the neck, he hefted his old guitar up with a bit of strain. If the look and unnatural sheen wasn't enough… the feel and weight of it erased any doubt from Greg Universe's mind…

His once simple, plain wooden guitar, strings and all… had somehow turned to solid gold.

AN: The current market value for gold is a bit over a thousand dollars per troy ounce. The lowest possible scrap value is just under a thousand dollars. A troy ounce is heavier than a regular ounce and is just over 31 grams. There are over 450 grams in a pound. A normal, wooden guitar weighs about four pounds. Also, Bipper isn't so cheap as to give Greg anything less than the finest 24-karat. When he does something, he goes all out. Any way you do the math… Greg just got a rather nice payday.

And for those wondering, if I do keep this up, as I've said before this is a side thing really, Mabel and the others will pop up every few chapters. And yes, oh ho yes… Bipper will be meeting Steven and possibly the Gems properly next chapter.

And yes, Bipper is one of those odd people who eat pizza with silverware.

Hey-ho, have a good one.