Hey everyone! So, I was able to get this written. I had considered waiting until I was done with the story to post, but I wanted to get what I had out before the series ended. So here.

Why am I posting on a Wednesday? Mostly because it's my birthday, and I wanted to at least get something done for this story today.

The next update might take a while... I've not even started, and it's the climax of this whole story. I also now have a job (I hope at least) so that might eat into my time, but we shall see. I want to finish this story by April, at the very latest, so that is something.

This chapter is pretty short, mostly because it's setting up the next chapter, which as I said is the climax. I also was unable to spend all that much time editing, since I wanted to get this out ASAP, so please tell me if you see any mistakes.

Anyway, that's about it... please remember to review! I just want to see how many people are still ready, just for curiosities sake.

Enjoy!

They continued sword training for the next three days.

Every day at dawn Bill would wake Dipper up and together they would walk out to the back of the ship, where they would take up a sword, Dipper listening to Bill's instructions. The work was difficult, but not impossible. Dipper even found that he was getting better, his dodging excellent and his attacks getting stronger by the day. His heart soared every time his captain would smile at him or compliment his technique.

Once they were done with practice, at about lunch time, Bill would escort Dipper back to their room, where they would share a meal before Bill went to take control of the ship, while Dipper would spend the next several hours wandering the quarters.

Now that he was allowed free-range of the room, he had spent most of his time exploring. Some places were locked, like the chest in front of Bill's bed, blocking his entrance. It piqued his curiosity, but he let it be, not wanting to upset Bill by asking and potentially overstepping his bounds. Besides, he was allowed to look at the books that Bill had collected in the chest in his wardrobe, which kept his interest enough. He supposed.

At the moment he was taking advantage of his new found freedom, a book in his hand as he lounged casually on the lounge. He was doing his best to read one of the books that he had found in Bill's closet, the story having sounded interesting from the pages he had skimmed. However, even with the book in front of his face, he couldn't help his mind from wandering, his worries flooding his mind.

Now that he was unchained, things should have been better, Dipper thought as he stared blankly at the page in front of him, yet for some reason he could still feel… wrongness in the air. For instance, during his and Bill's practice, members of the crew would stop and watch them fight, but it was no longer with mistrust. Instead, it was with a weird, sick sort of… anticipation, their wide grins causing Dipper's skin to crawl. It was like… like they knew something he didn't. Like he was the butt of a prank that was about to happen.

Whenever he asked Bill, heart clenching with worry, his captain would simply reply with a smile and tell him not to worry. Needless to say, Dipper did. He tried not to, really he did, but it was difficult when Bill was clearly keeping something hidden from him. For it was obvious the man was hiding something, by the way he held his eyes, the way he didn't look at Dipper long before looking away. However, even though it bothered him that Bill was hiding things from him, he didn't feel confident in voicing his complaints. After all, while he may be unchained, it wasn't like he was free or anything. He wasn't stupid enough to ever entertain that idea. So he kept his unease to himself and did his best to convince himself that he was just imagining things.

It was really hard though, when he thought of how distant Bill had been over the past few days. He touched him less, kissed him less. It made Dipper's insides squirm, wondering if he had done something wrong. If confessing how he felt had been a mistake. Or… if it had something to do with the secret his captain was keeping from him. Neither option boded well for him, really. Not to mention the fact he missed Bill's closeness.

Everything combined together, it was clear that things had become tense and almost awkward. Dipper frowned at the book he was holding, squirming as he thought this. It was off putting, how anxious he felt most days now, like he was just waiting for the shoe to drop. He kept trying to lose himself in the book he held with a death grip, wanting to ignore his thoughts, but for some reason the words weren't as soothing as they usually were.

Shaking his head, he tried one last time to force himself to turn back to the book, doing his best to keep the panic and worry out of his heart and to successfully lose himself in the book. The words he was reading were interesting, he knew they were, but no matter how hard he tried his mind refused to focus. That just gave more evidence to the fact he was no longer Dipper Pines, he supposed. Dipper Pines had always been able to focus on books, even in the worst of times. This thought just made him feel even worse, which made reading that much harder.

Several more minutes passed before Dipper finally gave up, putting the book aside with a soft groan. He leaned back against the lounge he was sitting on, staring up at the illuminated ceiling. It appeared that he would be unable to get into the book until he had worked things out in his mind. How wonderful.

Right then. Okay. So, it was clear he was not doing okay. He could see that, logically. He wanted to pretend, wanted to have the luxury of being able to pretend, but he couldn't. Not now. Not when Bill was lying and things were going on that he had no idea of.

There was also the problem of his captivity. In this moment, it was easy to remember that he was a prisoner, no matter that he was unchained. For one thing, he desperately missed home. But more than that, he missed his sister. Yes, he loved Bill, but… but he didn't know what he wanted more. Bill? Or his family? He… he didn't know. And the worst thing was, he could escape. Right now, or when Bill was sleeping, he could get out of the cabin and onto a rowboat. It would work. But he… he still didn't know if he wanted to. If he escaped, he'd never see Bill again. And was that really worth his freedom? He hesitated a moment, eyes wide and mind racing. Was freedom worth losing Bill? Was… was his family worth more than his lover?

No, he decided after several moments, staring at the ceiling. His freedom- his family- was not worth leaving Bill. Bill was his savior, his everything. And as for his family… it was regrettable, that he had to give up hope of ever seeing them again, but it was worth it to be with Bill. It had to be worth it. Because if it wasn't… if staying here with Bill wasn't worth it… but it was. It was. Bill would always be worth it.

Even if he wasn't quite sure if that was true anymore.

With that settled, Dipper went back to his book, ignoring that last thought. Everything else would work out, he knew it. Once Bill got over whatever it was that was bothering him, things would be fine.

And besides, he thought forcefully, the book really was interesting, about a man who was shipwrecked on an island. It was bizarre, but he found he was enjoying it. It was much more interesting than going over his issues. Obsessing over issues never helped anyone, but reading did. Reading made everything better.

For an hour Dipper read, struggling to keep his dark thoughts out. The light in the room grew darker and darker, the sun setting and casting the world in orange dusk. He read the book, kept his mind focussed, refused to worry or panic. All he needed was to survive the next several days, somehow he knew that. After that, everything would be better. As long as he believed that, things would be easier to deal with.

Once the room was bathed in darkness, the only light coming from the little lantern that sat on Bill's table, Dipper felt the ship slowing to a stop to anchor for the night, like it did every night. As it stopped, he could feel his heart beat faster with anticipation, knowing that his captain would be arriving soon. He didn't quite know if the anticipation was positive or negative.

Before he even had time to think or mentally prepare, the door opened up, his captain silhouetted in the doorway with bright lamp light haloed around him, showcasing the hard lines and angles of his captain's face. Dipper felt his lips curve up in a smile despite himself, happy to see the man who caused such conflict inside of him, even as he simultaneously felt his stomach drop.

"Hey Bill." Dipper said casually, pushing down any off feelings inside of him. Don't think of it, he told himself, don't entertain those thoughts. He felt his heart clench when he saw Bill's weary smile, but he told himself it was just out of concern for his captain. Of course it was. Not worry at why his captain would be weary, not panic over what it would mean for him. Just concern.

"Hey there, Pine Tree. Have fun while I was out?"

"Yeah. Just, uh, reading one of the books you have."

Bill nodded his head, saying nothing else as he walked over to his wardrobe, removing his gloves as he went. Dipper watched him, wondering briefly what to say. Funny; he used to be able to speak to Bill so freely, now it felt stifled somehow.

"You like it?"

"Um, yeah. It's pretty good."

More silence filled the room as Bill walked over to his bed, taking his jacket off and hanging it up on the corner of the canopy.

"We should probably get to bed, sapling. We have a big day planned tomorrow." Bill stated as he pulled back the covers of the bed, looking expectantly at Dipper, who felt his heart start to beat faster.

Ever since Bill had stopped chaining him up, he had been spending the night in Bill's bed. Not doing anything other than sleeping, like part of him yearned for, but it was still more than he had ever had before. Yes, he had spent the night in his sister's bed, holding her as she cried, but this was different. Much different.

He couldn't say it wasn't pleasant, though. Bill's heat was soothing in the night, his presence comforting and relaxing. He slept better with Bill than he did while on the floor, at the very least. So, even as his heart pounded, his heart betraying the mild fear he felt, he stood on shaky legs and walked to the blood red sheets that his paramour was holding back, allowing him to climb into the bed first. He felt the bed dip as Bill climbed in with him, his breath catching as he felt an arm wrap around him. It was like a warm band of heat locked around his stomach, tight but not too tight. Funny how he sometimes imagined it as a worse chain than the actual chains he had once been trapped under.

"Goodnight, Dipper." He heard a tired voice murmur into his hair, eliciting a small smile to rise on the boy's face. It was nice to hear his name. Even if he wasn't Dipper anymore. The ghost that lived inside of him thought it was quaint.

"'Night, Bill." He murmured back, relaxing into the warm embrace.

He listened as Bill's breathing evened out, the man's exhaustion catching up to him. Dipper remained awake for a little while, however, determined to savor the contact. With everything happening, this was the only time that he had where Bill was this close to him, since the man had become distant with each day that passed. It was all he had now, so he might as well enjoy it.

He also wasn't quite used to this, even though they had been doing it for the past three days. After all, it didn't really help that Bill hadn't really spoken about it, that first day; had instead just looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. That was why the first time had been almost awkward, Dipper lying stiff as a board until Bill had thrown his arm around him and whispered that he should relax. By now it felt almost routine, but not quite. Dipper still felt hesitant, like any wrong move would make this whole thing collapse. He stayed awake, not wanting to wake up and find that he had done something wrong. He was so afraid of doing something wrong.

Eventually he drifted off, his exhaustion too much to stay awake much longer. No one could stay awake forever, he supposed. To his dismay, though, his dreams once again were full of fire. After days of having mundane, ordinary dreams, the dream of fire was unexpected and worrisome.

Instead of watching his family burn, however, like he always had before, he saw Bill. Not screaming, not crying, simply standing and staring with his piercing gold eye, watching coolly from within the orange and blue flames. Like he was the one controlling it while Dipper burned instead. When Dipper woke, taste of ash thick on his tongue, his heart was pounding and he wondered what the dream meant. If it meant anything at all.

"You alright, Pine Tree?" A sleepy voice asked, the arm around his waist pulling him a bit closer. Dipper let out a breath of air, doing his best to control his racing heart. It wouldn't help to let Bill know how shaken he was, how worried he was. It wasn't like Bill would do anything about it, anyway.

"I'm fine." He replied as steadily as he could, not sure if he would be able to say much more. His dream had shaken him greatly, though he couldn't quite explain why. He should be used to the fire by now.

He felt Bill hum behind him, the vibrations radiating through his back. He let out a soft sigh, pressing farther back into the warm body behind him, hoping things would go back to normal soon. Whatever 'normal' was, around here. This fear and anticipation was not healthy. All he wanted was to be content. Was that really too much to ask?

"Time to get up, Pine Tree. We're reaching our destination tonight, so we need to be ready." He heard Bill say, before the man pulled back to get up. Dipper considered protesting, his mind sluggish and tired, but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth the trouble, dragging himself out of bed as well. Not to mention he was a bit curious what Bill meant by that. Be ready for what?

Since the boy only had the one shirt and trouser set, he simply waited as Bill changed his clothing, turning respectfully with a blush when the man changed his trousers. Part of him wished he had clean clothes to change into- his white pine tree shirt looking more grey than white at this point- but he supposed he could live. Maybe one day he could convince Bill to get him something new to wear. He was going to be here for the rest of his life, after all. He tried not to let that thought ruin his mood.

Once his captain had finished changing, the two ate a quick breakfast of dried fruit, before they exited the cabin and went over to the poop deck, where the usual array of weapons were strewn. So far Dipper had used a few different types and lengths of swords, Bill trying to figure out which would be the best for him. Thus far, it appeared he was best with the cutlass, the blade fitting the best in his grip. He picked up the one he had felt best with, the weight not throwing him off balance like what had happened with a couple others.

For the next hour they fought, Dipper getting more aggressive as Bill demanded it of him, letting out his frustrations and fears. He had always been decent at sword fighting, but with the past four days of training he could say that he was finally good. Not great, but good. Good enough for Bill to smile at him halfway through and tell him he was almost ready.

"Ready for what?" Dipper had asked, only for Bill to smile and change the subject. Like he was wont to do, it seemed.

Ominous praise aside, the training went pretty well. The man in purple didn't even show up this time, which Dipper considered a plus. Once done, they went back to their room to eat lunch, gruel with preserved berries. It tasted alright, he supposed, but Dipper found he had a hard time swallowing. He tried his hardest not to think of why his throat was so thick.

When breakfast ended, Bill left to go navigate the ship, leaving Dipper to his own devices. Which was fine with the boy. Being around Bill now just felt tense, leaving him anxious and upset. He was missing how things were just days before, back when Bill wasn't as reserved and aloof. Back when things were okay.

To distract himself, he continued the book he had been reading, cannibals entering the scene. Truly a bizarre book, but interesting. Kept his attention well enough, at least.

All he could do now was wait. He had a feeling that something big was happening, something that would change everything. He remembered Bill's words from earlier, stating that they were reaching their destination that night, and he couldn't help but feel apprehension even as he read. Everything that was going on, Bill's distance and the crew's dark grins- they all traced back to this destination of Bill's. The destination that his captain refused to tell him about. Now, he may be a bit naive, but Dipper was never stupid. He knew that Bill was keeping he destination a secret for a reason. But what reason, was yet to be seen.

He'd figure it out eventually, he thought morosely as he read the words on the page.

Probably when he least wanted to.

That was how things always went, wasn't it?