Disclaimer: I do not own GF
It's only fitting that the last chapter is the longest, yes?
I won't waste your time. Enjoy.
~~0~~0~~0~~
"Sir? Are you okay? You seem...tense."
He stared outside the window, watching the congested streets of the Big Apple go through their standard motions- of people pushing and running and walking and selling.
Above, the sky was surprisingly clear. Not a single cloud stained the firmament.
"I'm fine." He replied eventually, straightening out his cuff.
That was a lie. He wasn't fine. Not really.
Not right now.
He had felt him. Another god. One he hasn't seen in seven hundred forty six years, who was locked away deep inside this place that wasn't even called America quite yet.
What a time. Lifetimes ago.
How many lives had he lead since feeling Cipher? How many parts had he played? How many times did he kill and rebirth himself over and over and over again?
Oh, he knew the number, but that really wasn't all that important right now.
"Sir?"
He waved his servant away. "Not now. Could you please come back later?"
She nodded. "Of course sir."
He waited till the door softly closed behind her before fully turning his chair to face the window fully.
Cipher was back.
That insane...monster was back. How could this of happened?
He could feel the little strands of fear tug in his heart, a warning sign.
He ignored it. He shouldn't feel fear. After all, even if Cipher was free of his imprisonment, he still couldn't access the Mindscape. He still didn't know the gears and cogs of this world, how everything was put together, taken apart, and who was for what and what was for who.
No. Cipher knew nothing. From pure statistics and probability, he would be safe from his rage.
He turned his icy gray eyes from the window to the phone sitting on his desk, rotary as innocent as ever.
He stretched out his hand, rubbing the pads of his fingers over the metal, tapping out a small tune with his perfectly manicured nails before pulling back.
No. He wouldn't be the one to call.
It's not that what he knew would be of importance, really.
Okay, that was a lie. What he knew could break or make them. It had been for years. But this time, his lips would be sealed.
He may not have been one for entertainment of this sort, not like Cipher. But he had to admit, these mortals really did wear him down at times. And besides, they hadn't been forthcoming in their own information and dealings, favoring to wallow in their secrecy while holding out a hint of an idea to him, practically begging him to ask questions he never actually voiced out.
He wouldn't give them the pleasure.
Besides, he wanted to see how long it would take for Cipher to slip up...
...And drown.
~~0~~0~~0~~
"What...was...Dipper..." Mabel slowly stuttered out, her voice louder than life in the chilling silence Bill had left.
Dipper honestly didn't know what to say, what to even do. He was barely able to push himself back up to his feet, knees trembling slightly, staring at his sister with wide, alarmed eyes.
"Mabel..." He began, so many questions and worries thrashing in his head, beating down from the inside of his skull. Why were the NMA here? Why is she so dirt and bloody? Where was Stan? There were so many questions he wanted to ask, each vying to be on the tip of his tongue, weighing him down heavily and without remorse.
Mabel shook her head, eyes still wide and staring throughout the motion. What could she say? What could she do? Dipper just let Bill out. Let out a known dangerous god that their family had been watching over for decade. No, longer than that. For centuries and Dipper just let him out...
And Bill kissed her brother. Not a sweet and innocent peck, but a full on press.
She wanted to believe that the god had only done it because she was standing there. Only did something so personal to get a rise, to shock, or something.
But Dipper hadn't even flinched. He didn't turn away, he made no protest. He didn't wipe his lips on the back of his hand in a bid to get the feeling off.
No. Her brother had blushed. An honest to gods blush. The kind he reserved back when he liked Wendy only a few months ago.
Like...like he liked Bill.
And Bill...well, liked him back.
"Dipper are...are you and Bill..." Mabel started, swallowing thickly. "...Dating?" She finally coughed out.
Dipper blanched. What would he- how could he...?
"He prefers 'courting.'" Dipper replied, soft and terrified.
Mabel honestly didn't know what to think. From her brother liking both guys and girls to the fact that he was dating a god to the fact that he was dating someone who looked like they were in their twenties at the least...
It was all too much to take in.
"What...but...how-?" She scrambled, honestly speechless from shock. She wanted to say so many things right now. "-And he's free...you freed him..."
She had wanted the dam of silence to break between her and her brother, but not like this. Never like this.
Dipper sighed. "I don't know. It just...happened." Dipper answered her unspoken question, unable to look at her in the eye. The brunet scuffed the ground with his foot nervously.
Mabel licked her dry, chapped lips, feeling a bit light headed. There really wasn't anything she could say, was there? He had freed Bill. Dipper had actually broken magic keeping a god bound to the forest for centuries. He actually went and did that. Mabel blinked hard.
"I know I said you should go and get a date but...that isn't what I meant." Mabel joked weakly, her mouth twitching to form a watery smile but not quite able to reach that point. She wanted to yell, to scream at her brother for making such stupid decisions but at the same time, couldn't. She didn't know what was holding her tongue. Maybe she was going into some sort of shock from everything going on all at once or maybe it was the way Dipper was staring at her, eyes wide shining with an honest innocence of what he did wasn't wrong in the slightest.
Or maybe it was the blood lost getting to her.
Dipper put his head in his hands, rubbing hard. His nails scratched at his skin, leaving thin lines that would fade within a matter of minutes. "Mabel- I don't- what is even going on here?!"
Mabel jumped as the terrible cracking in his voice. The girl blinked hard and slapped her cheeks a little.
She had totally forgot what she had even come back for! On top of that, Dipper still didn't know anything!
Because he was out in the woods, freeing Bill...
Mabel crushed that thought. They could sit and talk and worry about Bill later. Right now, there was a Grunkle to save.
"-And the NMA were here and...what were they doing here?" Dipper continued.
Mabel chewed the inside of her cheek as she zoned back into what Dipper was going on about.
"Something happened." Mabel suddenly interrupted. They really didn't have time for this, even she could see that. Stan was still in jail and the proof for his innocence was still not found.
"Stan was arrested because those acronym guys thought he was doing dark magic or something. They claimed they caught him stealing organs from the hospital."
"Organs? Wait, what?"
Mabel just nodded and plowed on. "Anyways, I was thinking and I had an amazing idea! If we get the footage of Stan still just stocking the shop, we can prove he's innocent! Even he can't be in two places at once!" Mabel finished.
Dipper's mouth fell open in surprise of everything that happened. "Okay...but why are you so bloody and dirty? And where's Stan now? And-"
Mabel raised her hand once again, stopping Dipper's storm of questions. "The car crashed and I just jumped out of a moving truck. Now are you going to help me or not?" Mabel asked.
"What do you mean you-" Dipper shook his head, worry overtaking him. Mabel had gone through so much, and he hadn't even been there to help her.
She had gone through all of that, alone.
He really was a terrible brother, wasn't he?
"Of course I'm going to help you!" Dipper cried out, interrupting his own train of thought. Right now wasn't the time to sit and cry over what just happened or how he hadn't been treating Mabel like the sister she was.
Right now, they had to break their Grunkle out of jail.
Again.
Mabel gave him a wide grin. She knew Dipper was going to help her. He might have just made some huge mistakes, such as freeing Bill and before even that, start dating him, and before that lied to nearly everyone... but if there was one thing her brother prized more than anything, it was her and Stan. Family came before anything else.
That was a given.
Dipper wouldn't just leave her to do this on her own.
Mabel darted out and grabbed Dipper's hand, her grin tightening into a grimace. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
And the two disappeared into the Shack.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Bill stretched his legs as he swaggered into this weird town that he'd heard so much about over the past thirty or so years, swinging his cane around his wrist, this time whistling You aren't the Champions.
What a great day, in every way.
Around him, humans were slowly trying to get back to their feet, muttering in confusion of what just happened before easily bleeding back into their daily lives, already forgetting what exactly happened.
Mortals were so stupid.
Bill's lips twitched.
Well, not all mortals. Glasses had been frustratingly clever, though even he didn't quite hold a candle to the potential that his Pine Tree had.
Pine Tree.
Bill didn't know what he would do without the kid and the thought sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't good to be so attached to someone else, especially to someone who could get taken away or killed so easily.
Bill shook his head, giving himself a mental reminder to fix that as soon as he could.
The god surveyed everything around him with an almost childlike wonder. To the weird metal wagons that came in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and color to the long metal poles topped with a strange almost glass-like object, almost like a weird lamp of some sort.
Bill sighed, biting back a sudden surge of anger.
If only he had his omnipotence. Then he know what everything was!
Bill turned and watched as some more black cars speed by him, the NMA.
He wasn't so sure why his sapling had panicked seeing them. Sure, he was...not exactly his strongest right now, but even in this state he could take down some puny mortals!
Bill tapped his cane against the weird surface he was walking on, his shoes tapping pleasant staccato.
Well, as much as he loved looking at all the weird things the world had produced without him, as well as listening to all their weird sounds that that floated in the air, it was high time for him to actually search for Tad. Now that he was out of the forest, he and the other god could actually sit down and talk.
About the world. About what was next.
About the plan that had been brewing in his mind ever since he was locked away.
But before all that, he had to find Tad.
Bill would normally hesitate in sending out a signal. In the past, at least his past, it was dangerous and unneeded, alerting everyone to where exactly you were, giving away your position to potential enemies.
However, right now, he honestly couldn't care less. He was out and free, his Pine Tree soon to be at his side permanently, and his flames were still curling in the air, showing off the raw power he could still command.
It was liberating in every way. Bill could get drunk off this feeling, of pride and power and control.
He was in control right now. No one else. And the thought pleased him greatly.
So, that was what Bill did. Breathing in, he closed his eyes and cast himself out, just a little bit of his presence for Tad to pick up and hone in on.
Bill opened his eyes and leaned against a nearby building, tapping a small pattern out on the ground as he did so, loving the dull sound he was making. This stuff that humans used was a lot better than cobblestone and dirt!
Humming lightly, Bill nodded his head to invisible music, still watching the sky churn above him.
"Bill?"
The blond snapped his head over to the right, where a man in a purple tux stood, surprise still swimming in the depths of this purple eyes.
"The one and only!" Bill laughed, pushing himself off the building with a jut of his hips.
Tad shook his head. "So you finally got out and-" The god of emotions glanced up at the sky. "Left a pretty big-ass calling card as to what just happened." A frown tugged at his lips.
Bill scoffed. "Please, Tad. These are mortals were talking about." The blond haphazardly waved his hand. "We'll be fine."
Tad hissed. "Bill, you don't understand. The world isn't like how it was!"
"Oh, I know! Look at all these metal wagons!"
Tad blinked and shot the other a confused look. "Metal wag...do you mean cars?"
"Cars? Is that what they're called? Weird!" He chirped.
"You of all people shouldn't be calling anyone weird." Tad muttered under his breath, eyeing the other god and thinking of his latest odd doing- becoming completely enamored by a human boy. Louder, he said, "That's not exactly what I meant-"
The loud wail of a siren cut his sentence in two as it barreled part, fast enough for Bill's tailcoat to flap in the wind and for Tad to grab a hold of his hat to keep it pressed down over his skull.
"Listen, we need to get out of here. And fast. I have a car-"
"Why do you have a c-caar?" Bill said, trying to sound out the word. Before Tad could correct, or even explain, Bill was already hopping over to his next topic. "Whatever, that's not the point. I still have a few things to do here, Tad. Including the deaths of two teenagers as well as getting Pine Tree."
"Bill- what? We don't have the time to-"
But Bill had already turned and started walking off. He wasn't completely sure where to find them, considering he had no way to sense their presence, but that didn't mean he didn't get their appearances or known favorite locations from his sapling's head itself.
He'd be able to find them. Eventually.
"Bill! Would you please listen to me for just a moment! The only reason the NMA isn't after you right now is because all of the magic you just pumped into the air by breaking free! Once that leaves, they'll be able to pick up on the signal you just sent me and track you down! We really don't want to be caught by them."
Bill turned and gave Tad a sharp scowl. "One, I couldn't care less about stupid mortals. We're gods Tad. We're above them. Two, you listen to me. Not the other way around. Got that?"
Tad returned his scowl with one of his own. "Sorry, my pharaoh." He bit out. "I'm just worried for our safety. These humans aren't like the ones you used to play with, Bill. These one's are not just violent, but have weapons to back them up. The longer we stay here, the longer we put ourselves in danger!"
Bill continued to ignore Tad, turning and walking down the street, looking around with a clear expression of wonder.
Tad growled a bit. Of course Bill wouldn't listen to reason. When he got like this, the god of the mind liked to toss common sense out the window.
"What about-" Tad scrambled in his head for the name. "-Dipper? That boy?"
Bill whipped around on a dime to face him, face drawn in a careful, but wary mask. "What about him?"
Tad refrained from biting his lip, forcing himself to stand tall and strong under the strange glare Bill sent his way.
"The longer we wait here, the greater the chance you'll be separated from him. Forever. We have to get out of here now."
A growl rumbled in Bill's chest as his eyes flashed in the mere thought of him and his sapling being separated. His skin darkened slightly, becoming a near black before going back to it's olive tone.
"That's not going to happen." Bill stated.
Tad believed him. He couldn't say why Bill was so hung up over the young boy, but it was clear that Bill wouldn't ever let go of him.
Tad shook his head. Dipper was a strange child, there was no doubt about that. Anyone who would give themselves to a god this day and age was and not only that, had such strong...romantic feelings for said god must be at least a little off their rocker. On top of that, Bill himself was a very odd god. In some sort of twisted way, the two were kinda made for one another.
Tad didn't really want to put anymore thought into it.
"Fine then, let's go get Pine Tree." Bill started, a few flames starting to dance across his shoulders and hands.
Tad jumped into action quickly, grabbing a hold of Bill's right shoulder. "Wait! No godly magic. They'll be able to track it."
Bill sneered, but let his flames fade into oblivion. "So, what? We're going to walk?"
"I assume you know where your human is?" Tad asked, making sure to put plenty of emphasize on the word your.
Bill never liked others touching or even talking about his things.
Tad knew this was no different.
"Of course."
"Then we'll walk to where he is. Gravity Falls isn't that big of a town. We'll be able to find him pretty soon, I reckon."
Bill gave Tad a terse nod and turned in the opposite direction of which he was walking, going back the way he came.
He'd get his revenge for his Pine Tree later.
Right now, they had to get out of here.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Madam Feylie peeked around the corner of the building. As soon as she spotted the weird guy from earlier just...poof into existence next to this even stranger man in gold, she knew something was up.
It wasn't just the man's floating top hat that caught her attention either. It was the forceful presence that had briefly washed over her just as she dived into the alleyway she was crouched in now, it was the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, and even the way his grin was much too wide and much too sharp.
Everything about him spoke of danger.
However, all of that wasn't what truly surprised her. No, it was the words about gods between hisses of panic and leaving, did she hear a single word that shocked her to her core, froze her insides completely and leave her speechless.
Dipper.
The strange purple man had said Dipper's name.
She knew it was Dipper's name. It was the only way that word would make sense in the context they were using.
And though she had no real proof of it besides a few hushed words out of context, Madam Feylie was certain the two beings before her were gods.
Like, actual living and breathing gods.
She didn't know what to do. Gods never wandered so close to civilization like this. They preferred to be in places still untouched by technology and society.
So why were, not just one, but two of them doing here now?
Madam Feylie couldn't say she really knew, but that didn't mean she couldn't find out.
She narrowed her eyes as the two turned and started walking away from the town, in the same direction she was originally heading.
The Mystery Shack.
Worrying the bottom of her lip, tightening her hands into fists, she waited a handful more seconds before darting around the corner on silent feet to pursue.
If they were truly after Dipper...
...Well, someone had to protect him.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Stan stumbled out of the forest, nearly tripping over yet another root in the process.
Maybe taking a shortcut through the forest wasn't the best idea. But with all the craziness going on, he had to hurry up and complete his task. NMA and weird fire in the sky be dammed!
The older man's eyes roved over the Shack, taking in all the doors still open and hanging on their hinges and all the windows completely shattered beyond repair.
Stan sneered. Yeah. The upholding and good NMA his ass. Didn't matter what branch they were apart of, all those types of government people were bad news. FBI. CIA. And the worse of the lot, the NMA.
Stan bared his teeth in anger before making a mad dash to the door to the shop that was still hanging wide open on it's hinges.
Glancing around the inside of the shop, Stan briefly took in all the broken merchandise on the ground, along with broken shelves and shattered glass. Shaking his head, Stan whipped around to the vending machine, quickly punching in the code he had long remembered.
As always, the door unlocked and swung open for him, his eyes meeting long faded walls peeling with paint.
Stan hurried on through the gaping doorway and down the stairs, almost tripping twice as he finally reached the elevator, punching in the code and waiting for the damn thing to open for him.
Tapping his foot impatiently, Stan squeezed himself through as soon as the opening was wide enough to accept his larger frame. Stumbling into the rickety metal box, Stan punched the number he needed in to go down. Almost too slowly, the doors closed again and the elevator shuddered as it made it's slow descent down into the earth, rocking back and forth unsteadily.
Stan ignored the safety hazard and tightened his fists as his stomach rolled around. He was so cloe right now.
So close.
All of this was about to be over. And he could hardly wait, hardly breathe, hardly hold himself still in anticipation.
The door to the elevator slide open and Stan darted out.
One more incantation left.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper and Mabel flung themselves into Stan's office, making sure to close and lock the door behind them just in case the NMA decided to come back and snoop more.
The twins glanced nervously at one another, their entire fallout still fresh in their minds. Even though both decided to sit down and actually talk about everything once all this was over didn't mean their mind wasn't still spinning with ideas and questions and fears.
In an odd, twisted way, both were still unable to speak with one another.
At least, the way they used to with jokes and laughter and pranks and everything else that made their relationship...well...their's.
It was disconnecting, and neither liked the way the weight hauled their heart's down.
"Alright. If I was Stan, where would I hide those surveillance tapes?" Dipper asked, mostly to himself, slowly padding deeper into the room. Next to him, Mabel wandered away to open up a filing cabinet, already rifling through. Seeing he already get to work, the brunet sidled up the only bookshelf in the room, shuffling through a few open boxes that were found and a number of old books, ranging from How to Pick Up Chicks for Idiots to a high school year book, to even another book labeled Daddy Issues.
Dipper frowned. Nothing here.
Across the room, Mabel yanked open the next drawer to the cabinet and started leafing through that as well, all the while mumbling "tapes, tapes" under her breath over and over. Finding nothing yet again, she shut the drawer closed and turned around, wandering back into the center. She stared up at the blank walls around her. They could use a bit of color and that mounted head could totally-
Wait.
The antler, it was...
"Wait! The antelabbit!" Mabel cried out, grabbing her brother's attention and causing him to whip around and dart to her side, staring up at the same mounted head she was beaming up at.
"Don't you mean jackalope?" He asked, wincing at the awkward tenseness that still plagued the air between them.
She snorted. "That can't be right." And jumped up, grabbing a hold of an antler bent just a bit too far up back into place, revealing a hidden nook inside the wall with not only a relatively new television, but a tape from this week already halfway inside. Underneath the television in an opening of it's own was a beat up cardboard box.
"Here it is!" Mabel crowed, pushing the tape in as Dipper grabbed the nearby remote.
"So, when did the agents said he did this again?" Dipper asked, finger already on the fast forward button as the tape slowly brought a grainy, gray image to life.
"Um, I don't actually know. They just said 'recently.'" She answered.
Dipper groaned, but went ahead and hit the button, watching as everyone and everything sped up on the tape. In the corner, time ticked away, going through the day in a matter of very slow minutes.
Both Dipper and Mabel twitched, sending one another awkward looks when they thought the other wasn't looking. All that could be heard in their silence was the familiar background static of the tape as it played, depicting everyone play out through their days.
Dipper winced as a past him slipped out the door alone, early in the morning while glancing around in a suspicious manor.
Mabel chewed on her lip and ignored the oppressive feeling of hurt. Now was really not the time.
One the third day of this week, the tape finally showed something interesting.
Well, first it was the clear picture of Mabel and Wendy thrusting their fists in the air as Soos squirmed around on the floor awkwardly.
Dipper shot his sister a look.
"What? Someone yelled 'wormy-y dance.' We had to do it!" She protested, feeling the air between them shift slightly into something more normal.
Dipper rolled his eyes and snorted and both twins returned their focus to the tape in front of them, the awkward air returning quickly.
Finally, the tape showed something else interesting happening the same day.
Stan, leaving the Shack late at night.
Mabel's stomach dropped.
Dread settled into Dipper's heart.
"No...No..." Dipper muttered, clenching his hands.
"M-Maybe he's just going to the bathroom outdoors. The way nature intended." Mabel said, her voice shaking a bit. She didn't believe her own words.
The clock in the corner ticked the hours away and Stan still didn't return.
Not at eight.
Not at nine.
Not at ten.
Not at eleven.
Not at midnight.
Early morning passed by too, and Stan was still nowhere to be seen on the screen.
One, two, three, four...
Finally, at five in the morning, a familiar figure returned, donning an entire black ensemble, heaving a large crate that Dipper instantly recognized as housing shipments of merchandise.
"Oh, no. Stan, yo-you didn't..." Dipper muttered, trembling horribly.
Stan, the man who had taken care of them the past eight years, did indeed steal organs from the hospital. It was as clear as day. After all, he wasn't wearing a mask.
Mabel made a small sound of protest. "There could be anything in that crate! This doesn't prove anything!" She said, her voice falsely cheerful.
Dipper gave her an incredulous look.
On the screen, Stan dropped the crate onto the ground, causing a plank of wood to fall loose and a small bag with something gross looking to fall out.
Dipper shut the tape off.
"Mabel, if this isn't proof, I don't know what is! Stan just stole organs from a hospital. Organs!"
Mabel chewed on her bottom lip. "That doesn't mean he's using them for dark magic! Maybe he just has a weird collection or hobby or something."
Dipper shook his head. "I-I don't quite believe it myself, but the proof is right there Mabel. Right in front of us. They call it the truth for a reason, you know. Truth wills out, after all."
Mabel cast her eyes down to the ground and she wrung the bottom of her sweater in her hands.
"I-I know." She admitted quietly.
Dipper frowned and bent down, yanking out the cardboard box from underneath, unable to hold in his gasp of surprise.
"What?" Mabel asked.
Dipper picked up the box and hurried over to the desk, dropping it and turning on a lamp. Mabel quickly joined he side, peering down into what Dipper had found.
"What...What is this?" She asked, pulling out a card from the top. "Stetson Pinefield?"
Dipper pulled out a number of his own cards, reading and flipping through them as his eyes widened in horror. "'Hal Forrester?' 'Andrew '8-Ball' Alcatraz?' These are fake IDs, Mabel! Why would Stan need fake IDs?"
Mabel shrugged weakly as she dropped the ID she was holding. "We already knew Stan got in trouble with the law..." She trailed off.
Dipper frowned. "You only need fake IDS if you were running from the law! Sure, we know Stan will sometimes steal. And push the elderly. And commit tax fraud. Con people and he can be mean, but none of that requires a fake ID. What has he been doing?"
"I don't know!" Mabel cried out in distress as she pulled out what felt like a newspaper clipping. "But-" She looked down at the headline, and froze.
She felt her brain crawl to a stop as everything she ever knew flipped upside down. Her mouth went dry and she swore even her heart stopped beating.
No. No, this couldn't be...
She tapped Dipper on the shoulder an weakly passed it to him, unable to say anything herself.
"WHAT?" Her brother shouted in shock. Stan Pines dead?"
Mabel looked over and read the article connected with it, barely able to put two sentences together as she did so.
"Foul play suspected in Pines' death. Fiery car crash, brakes cut..."
Dipper handed the article back over and dug into the box a bit more, pulling out another newspaper clipping.
"Unnamed grifter at large?" He said, staring at a clear picture of Stan, raising his arms to try and block the camera, looking as disgusting and messy as ever. "Why would they call him that unless Stan..."
"isn't..."
"Stan?!" Both twins shouted together, holding onto one another's shoulders while the newspaper clippings sunk to the ground.
"What is- what is going on?" Dipper was finally able to cough out after he and Mabel separated. His mind was moving a billion miles an hour in every direction, spinning hard and fast into an unanswerable oblivion.
Mabel shook her head hard from side to side, letting her hair fly. Barely restrained tears were obvious in her voice as she spoke. "I don't know, but we better get to the county jail or something."
Dipper nodded tersely. Before, they had been trying to find proof of Stan's innocence.
Now, they needed answers.
"Let's go then." Dipper said, getting up and running to the door, trying to unlock everything with his shaking hands.
Mabel stood next to him and tapped her foot impatiently, swaying back and forth a little. She stared down at her cut hands, noting that the blood had indeed stopped bubbling from her cuts and were now starting to scab over. Spitting into her hands, she tried her best to wipe some of the dried liquid off her hands and onto her skirt.
Finally, Dipper unlocked the last lock and the twins bolted out of the room, almost slipping and falling multiple times as they ran to the shop part of their home, colliding into one another a number of times. Dipper started to pull ahead slightly, more used to running than Mabel was.
However, the young brunet pulled to a screeching stop as he entered the broken and damaged shop, staring at the vending machine.
Or, at least where the vending machine should've been.
Instead, it was a wide doorway down into what appeared to be a basement.
"What the- what is that?" Mabel asked, hugging herself and staring with wide eyes.
Dipper bit his lip. He had no answer.
"Let's find out." He replied shakily after a beat, turning and walking to the opening slowly, shoes crunching against the shattered glass, creaks from the floorboards joining in on the symphony.
The twins stared at the opening, dimly lit by a small scone holding a small ball of light. The two poked their head's through and stared down a flight of stairs that lead to a rusty and definitely not safe elevator.
What exactly was this? And why was it open?
Dipper felt he already knew the answer. After all, there was only one other person that lived in the Shack beside him and Mabel.
And, now that he thought about it, the one thing on the tape that was just out of the camera's sight had been the vending machine.
Dipper tightened his hands into fists, feeling his nails dig into the flesh of his palms easily, carving out crescents.
He didn't even need to glance back at his twin as he wandered into the passage, stepping down the cracked and old concrete stairs carefully.
He brushed his hands against the machinery, which looked both incredibly old, yet miraculously advanced, as if it itself couldn't decide what time period it belonged to.
"Well..." Mabel spoke up, slowly padding past him into the elevator before him, gripping the available rail as the entire thing shook.
Dipper didn't wait a second before joining her. Normally, he would've fought against the decision of going inside something so obviously dangerous that lead to who-knows-where.
But the situation he found himself in was far from normal.
Heck, this entire day was probably the farthest from normal one could ever get.
So Dipper swallowed his words that never even existed and stepped next to Mabel in the smallish box, pushing the only button that was alight.
Three.
The elevator shuddered as it's doors closed.
And the twins descended into the darkness.
~~0~~0~~0~~
"Bill." Tad hissed under his breath as the two traversed down the dirt road. "You are aware we are being followed, yes?"
Bill rolled his eyes at the other, but kept himself forwards, keeping his pace steady and giving no indication of falter. "Of course I am."
"Well, what are we going to do?" Tad continued, making sure his voice was low so the tag-along couldn't hear.
"More like what I am going to do. I've been thinking about it for several minutes now." Bill replied evenly.
"Fine then. What are you going to do?"
Bill smirked. "I don't really know. Do you know how long it's been since I've heard a human screech in pain, writhing in the agony I gave them?"
"No."
"Me neither. Lost track over the years. But it's been a fucking long time, I can promise you that."
"So what are you thinking?"
Bill's smirk grew into a bloodthirsty grin. "I'm going to have some fun."
Before Tad could say or so anything else, Bill stopped and whipped around, cane still in hand as he leaned on it casually. "I know you're there, human. Come on out."
No answer. No shuffle.
No nothing.
Bill frowned.
"You really don't want me to come looking for you. I can promise you that. Now c͟o͘m͏e̡ ̴ou̕t͠. ͝" He said, a deadly echo in his last words that only promised to deliver what he said.
Very slowly, a thin and shapely women stepped out from behind the nearby treeline to the left, melting back into the sunlight with ease. Her skin was a shining, clear off-white, her silvery eyes glaring at him. Her hair was short, barely brushing her chin and was reddish blonde.
"Ah, an elf! Who knew?" Bill laughed, eyeing the woman. She was just as tall as he was, if not taller.
"And you are gods, am I right?" She challenged right away, trying her best to cover up the fear pounding through her.
Bill licked his teeth slowly, bringing attention to exactly how sharp they were. "Well, aren't you observant?"
"Bill-" Tad murmured in warning, eyeing the woman himself. He recognized her from earlier this morning, staring up at the clouds in recognition.
She knew her magic.
And Tad would prefer if they didn't run into any trouble.
Unfortunately, trouble followed Bill like a shadow wherever he went. It did back in the days of Ancient Egypt, did so back seven hundred or so years ago, and it did now.
Tad felt a smile tug at his lips. Nothing really changed, did it?
"Well, she is isn't she?" Bill cut in, his fingers already curling into claws.
The woman hardened her glare. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She demanded.
Bill snorted. "Like you should be bossing me around! You mortals need to learn your place." He curled his lip and stared down at her.
Madam Feylie stared at the gods before her in disbelief. Learn her place? What does that even mean? Everyone knew that god's were powerful, but rare. Pure magical power can't stop numbers, after all.
Then again, she was alone right now...
Madam Feylie started to slowly shuffle back, keeping her movements as hidden as possible.
"Yeah? Well, if your so great, how come your walking with a cane of all things." She replied. Sure it was a bit ableist and kinda weak, but it was the only thing she had right now.
The golden god before her threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, do you really want to know?"
"I want to know who you are and what your doing here!"
Bill threw the woman an easy grin. "How about a deal? I tell you my business and you tell me your. I'll even show you why I have a cane for free!"
She bit the inside of her lip. "Deal. Who are you?"
Bill smirked as he felt the weight of a godly deal settle around him. The energy would've been much stronger if they had shaken on it, but this would do perfectly.
"Name's Bill. Bill Cipher!" Bill said, gesturing wildly to himself.
Tad watched on in slight confusion. What was Bill up too? He had an inkling of an idea, but he couldn't be too sure.
"Aoleis Feylie." She replied, mind ticking away. Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher...
Nope. Never heard of him. Then again, she didn't know all that many gods.
"Really, now? Interesting!" Bill shouted, still grinning as wide as every.
Aoleis held back a shiver. This creature was creepy. No doubt about that. There was something definitely not right with him.
"I suppose so. Now, what are you doing here?"
Bill's grin grew even wider. "Nothing much. Just fetching my Pine Tree and heading out."
Aoleis cocked an eyebrow and all her thoughts ground to a halt. "You're...fetching a tree?"
"Not just any tree, Pine Tree!"
She blinked in clear confusion.
This god wasn't just off. He was completely insane.
"So!" He picked up again. "What are you doing out here on the open road?"
Aoleis gritted her teeth some. "Going to the Mystery Shack to see if the Pines' are okay." She ground out, trying to be as vague as possible.
"Really, now?" Bill's eyes sharpened and narrowed.
"Really. Now if that's all, I must be off now-"
Bill raised his hands quickly. "Nu uh! Remember our deal? I said I'll show you why I have a cane!"
Aoleis felt the oppressive weight of magic settle around her as blue flames started sparking in the air, no doubt caused by Bill Cipher to not only put fear into her, but also hold her in place.
She was ashamed to say that the tactic worked on her both ways.
Bill strode up to her easily, whistling some old 80's hit she couldn't quite name, spinning his cane around his wrist. His posture screamed of relaxation, no worry or tenseness whatsoever.
He stopped about a foot in front of her.
She glared into his eyes, wishing she were just a little bit taller so she could stare down at him.
Then again, she doubted that sort of intimidation tactic would work on him.
She cocked an eyebrow as he just continued to stand there for a few seconds, staring at her with an unblinking eye.
She sighed. "Well?"
She wanted this to hurry up so she could leave. This guy was seriously starting to creep her out and even though she swore she heard Dipper's name being spoken before, now she wasn't too sure. What would a freaky pair of gods want with an innocent sixth, going on seventh grader?
A black flash overtook her vision and Aoleis buckled as something sharp cut straight through her, causing agony to flare up from her sternum and her back to arch.
Bill smiled as his cane, end sharpened to a deadly point, slice through her flesh, organs, and bone like butter, easily poking out the other side of her body. Blood trickled down from where he pierced her straight through while more crimson liquid bubbled from her mouth, spilling over opened and chapped lips. Her eyes were widened in a look of terror and surprise.
He smirked.
"See? This-" He twisted the cane around inside her body, causing a shrill noise to echo from her vocal chords. "-is what my cane is for. Hope you liked the demonstration!" Bill pulled the cane back out of her with a sickening shluck, spinning it back around as the end morphed and dulled, becoming normal once more.
Aoleis collapsed to the ground. Without the cane to staunch the flow, blood heartily poured out of her wound, forming a large puddle of red quite quickly.
Bill smirked as he used her body to wipe away some of the blood left over, uncaring about how hard he was prodding her.
"Well, that was fun!" Bill continued after a few beats of silence, turning back around to Tad. "Now, let's go get Pine Tree, shall we? We're almost at the Shack!"
Tad nodded silently and followed Bill's lead as he started whistling another cheerful tune.
The last thing Aoleis saw before her eyes fell shut for the last time was their retreating backs...
...And Bill swinging his cane around once more.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper and Mabel glanced at one another uneasily as the door to the elevator creaked open.
Before them, barely lit by the magical lights still around, was what Dipper could only describe as an old laboratory of sorts. Machines of all sorts covered the walls, encased in dust and cobwebs; a telling of how many years it's been since they've operated. Pieces of metal and glass littered the dirty concrete ground, along with wires and gears and other parts that Dipper didn't recognize.
It was like nothing Dipper had ever seen before.
Both twins stepped off the metal box, staring at their surroundings with wide eyes.
"What is all this?" Mabel whispered to him, hugging herself once again. "And what's it doing under the Shack?"
Dipper shook his head. "I don't know. But whatever it-"
Before Dipper could continue his train of thought, a large scream sounded from within the laboratory before them, paired with words in a language Dipper had never heard before.
The scream...it sounded familiar. Hauntingly so.
Dipper knew he's heard that voice before.
It was a voice he'd been hearing constantly for the past eight years, after all.
Mabel and Dipper turned around, brown eyes meeting brown eyes in understanding.
"Stan." The said together.
And took off running.
Both twins' chests heaved in exertion, the only thing keeping them kicking the adrenaline still rushing through them. Their feet pounded together on the floor, staccato and frenzied. Both their breaths' came in short gasps, lungs desperate to grab more life in the area around them. Nearly tripping many times over in the cluttered, dark mess, the twins sprinted.
Sharp, green light flashed before them the closer they got and the voice- Stan's voice- crescendoed as well, getting faster and messier and more panicked as time went on
Dipper and Mabel pushed themselves faster. Green light flashed all around them, leaving spots in their vision as they stumbled onward.
Finally, just as the two stumbled into a cracked doorway to peer into what Stan was doing, another flash flared up, brighter than the others. Oppressive magic that practically made both Dipper and Mabel choke swirled around them, almost knocking them down to their feet.
Both twins' felt like their very bones were being crushed by the unseen force, flesh melting away and smooth muscle torn into shreds. Pressure built up in both of their heads as their ears and nostrils started to leak blood, unable to contain itself under the weight that settled all around.
Their heads were stuffed with the magic around them, fuzzy agony building up up up. Though their eyes were screwed shut, both swore that the orbs would just pop right out of their skulls.
Then just as soon as both thought they'd pass out or die or something from the oppressive magic all around, the green light faded and along with it, the screaming chant. Their ears rang in release and their noses, still dripping a bit of blood, stopped bleeding.
Very slowly, both came to, and both opened their eyes to stare at what was before them.
The room was covered in some sort of sigils, which were now glowing dully. The most intricate was the one on the very back wall, emitting a red light. The other two on either side were smaller and purple in color. A yellow sigil was stretched out above, even smaller than the purple ones and on the floor, stretching out with long fingers, was the sigil that was the same green as the earlier light.
And in the very center of that sigil, was two things.
An alter with what appeared to be a human body lying on it...
...And Stan leaning against said alter, panting and sweating like mad, blood not only dripping out of his ears and nose, but also out of his eyes.
"Stan! What's...what's..." Dipper's voice trailed off as everything clicked into place.
The body on the alter was eerily similar to Stan. No, not just similar, but exactly like him. Just a bit younger.
And even though Dipper was pretty far away and the lighting terrible, he could see the rise and fall of his chest.
It didn't take much for everything to click into place.
Creepy sigils around an alter in a secret underground basement.
A naked human body that looked exactly like a younger Stan laying on said alter and alive.
Stealing organs.
And if he cast his thoughts back even farther...
Mabel's allergy to blood magic.
Dipper's eyes widened and he took a step towards his Grunkle, anger twisting his features into an ugly scowl.
"What is this?!"
Stan weakly scrambled up to his feet, blood still dripping off his chin, eyes wide with horror at the sight of both Dipper and Mabel.
"Kids? What-" His eyes zoned in on Dipper's haggard appearance and the amount of blood now dried on Mabel. "What happened to you?! Are you okay?" He asked, panicked.
Mabel fast walked to join her brother, eyes bubbling with disbelieving tears.
"You have no right to care about us! You're the reason Mabel had that attack! You've been lying to us our entire lives!" Tears finally broke through Dipper's anger and streaked down his face. "You...you..."
Mabel sniffed. "Grunkle Stan...what's going on?"
Stan rubbed a hand over his face. "It's not what it looks like. You have to trust me on this. Everything I've done, I've done for this family."
Mabel stared up into her Grunkle's eyes, which spoke only of remorse and raw honesty, something that she had never seen before.
Stan hadn't meant to hurt them. Or, more precisely, her.
She knew, it that honest to gods gaze, not only filled with remorse and honesty, but love too, that Mabel knew that she could, indeed, put trust into her Grunkle.
She always had in the past, after all. And no matter what the world threw their way, their Grunkle was always at their side, every step of it.
"That's a pathetic excuse! Do you know what you just did?! You created a monster!" Dipper yelled. He saw it. He saw what his Grunkle was trying to do; the proof was laying out in front of him.
Stan was trying to make himself another body. One that he could live in once this one has died.
Stan was trying to commit a magical taboo- make himself immortal. Or at least, as immortal as he could get.
Dipper tightened his hands into fists.
"Dipper please! Let me explain-"
"No! I don't need to hear it!" More tears fell from the younger's eyes as the entire day's events grabbed him and dragged him down.
Dipper crashed.
He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but suddenly his fist was flying towards the older man, knuckles white, letting out a broken cry that spoke of betrayal.
He was so done.
Oh, so done.
Seeing her brother lose himself, Mabel acted fast, grabbing a hold of him in an awkward backwards hug and dragged him away, using her own greater weight and strength to her advantage.
Dipper stumbled and his fist went nowhere, but that didn't really matter.
His punch didn't have to hit it's mark to hurt Stan.
Dipper stumbled over Mabel and nearly fell down to the ground. Quick as a snake, Mabel made sure to step between Dipper and her Grunkle, separating the two.
"Dipper, calm down! You're acting crazy!"
"Me?! Acting crazy?! Mabel! How could you-"
"Dipper, please-"
"Oh, I see. You're taking his side, aren't you. Again."
"What?!"
"Oh, you didn't help when I got caught going into the forest. Heck, you didn't even talk to me after that!"
"Dipper I thought we said we'd discuss that-"
"How could you stand up for him?! He's just going to lie to us like he's been doing the past eight years. Eight years! That's almost our entire lives!"
"Dipper-!"
Dipper sneered at the two of them, his entire body shaking with a rage he didn't know he could possess. He was just so tired and hurt and confused. Energy was bubbling right under his skin from the overwhelming emotions, causing his entire body to shiver.
He looked up at Mabel's broken eyes, the matching brown orbs leaking wet tears of their own.
Dipper couldn't stand it anymore.
He turn and ran.
"Dipper!" Mabel screamed out after him, along with another pair of footsteps joining his own.
Dipper didn't stop. He didn't look back.
He just kept running.
He threw himself into the elevator and smashed the button to go up, turning his back to his fast-approaching sister so he didn't have to see the expression on her face.
As soon as those creaky doors popped open above, Dipper flung himself up the stairs, stumbling and tripping the entire time.
As soon as he stepped out of the vending machine into the ruined shop, the tell-tale sound of the elevator sounded out, along with Mabel's scream of his name.
Dipper darted out of the shop.
He had to run, to get away, to-
"Oh, heya Pine Tree!"
Dipper gasped as he ran right into a familiar figure, who caught him easily around the waist, warm arms circling him.
"Bill?" Dipper muttered weakly.
Bill chuckled.
"One and the same."
Mabel gasped as she rounded the corner, standing in the doorway of the Shack, staring at the triumphant gaze of Bill Cipher, who wasn't alone this time.
Another, what Mabel assumed to be god, stood next to the blond, close enough for their shoulders to be touching.
"Dipper!" Mabel screamed, pushing off with her feet.
Pushing off too slow.
Blue fire had already started encasing the trio, just as Mabel sprang back into action.
"DIPPER!" She screamed yet again through her tears.
This time, Dipper caught sight of her expression, along with the cobalt flames quickly encasing him.
"Bill! Let go!" Dipper cried out, trying to break the god's hold on him.
Bill simply smirked down at the boy and shook his head, his grip like steel.
Dipper couldn't get away.
A new, different wave of panic came over the boy and he tried to wriggle away even harder with no real success.
"MABEL!" Dipper yelled out in return, voice shrill and cracking. More tears bled from his eyes and his throat tightened up, nearly choking him.
Mabel tried to pump her legs faster. It was only a handful of feet! Only a few more steps to go!
But it was like she was moving through molasses, unable to keep up and unable to reach out.
The blue flames overtook the trio.
"DIPPER! DIPPER, NO!" Mabel called out once again, finally falling into the ground with a sob.
Tad Strange, Bill Cipher, and Dipper Pines were gone.
~~0~~0~~0~~
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~~0~~0~~0~~
To Be Continued...
~~0~~0~~0~~
.
.
.
And there we go! Cliffhanger time.
God, this chapter was an adventure to write. Literally. When writing this the other night, a grasshopper crawled up onto my elbow. Didn't know he was a grasshopper until I brushed him off and he jumped off me. Freaked me out 'cause it was dark and I thought it was a spider.
Nope, just a big-ass grasshopper. Like, huge. I have no clue how he got into my room and onto my bed and I have no clue how I didn't notice until midnight but yeah...that happened.
He's still alive, by the way. I threw him outside. Now he's just sitting there and chilling. Anyways...
watch?v=R4UnNwhWifQ
^^^^That link will take you to a magical song that will get you pumped for the next installment. Don't forget to put YouTube's URL before it. I hope you enjoy it!
Speaking of sequels, I guess I should tell you about it, huh?
The sequel will be called Limbo is a Legend
And it won't be out for at least a few weeks.
*Dodges tomatoes*
Hey! Don't throw things at me!
The Author/Stanford/whatever the fuck his name is now is going to become a major character and since there's only a week till "Tale of Two Stans" I'm going to wait till our answers are, well, answered and so I can make him at least close to his canon personality.
On top of that, I'm still planning chapters. You guys love the foreshadowing and the only way to get that down is to have all the chapters planned out.
Now, I have the first five...roughly thought of AND I have an idea on how it's going to end, as well as a couple more plot points but besides that, nothing.
So, I'm going to wait and plan. When's Limbo is a Legend coming out? I have no idea. Length? Don't know that either. It'll probably be as long as Life is a Fairy Tale, if not longer.
I want to note that Limbo is a Legend will be rated a high T and might even move into the M rating, mattering on what happens. Just want to give you guys a heads up!
On another note, however while we wait, I'm going to kinda do a Q & A thing starting now and ending when Limbo is a Legend is posted. I'll be answering any questions you have about my writing, whether it be about style, or if you need advice and you want mine for whatever reason and etc. along with questions about how I wrote Life is a Fairy Tale if you have any. AND I'll even answer non-spoiler questions about Limbo is a Legend if you have any.
You can ask me personal questions if you want to, but I'm a secretive person so I might not answer them. Just sayin'.
Here on Fanfition. net, I prefer you either ask me in a review with an actual account, or just send me a PM. If you are a guest or whatever, please ask via tumblr. My URL is Lanx Borealis. If you ask a question in a guest review, I won't answer it.
[Shameless self-advertisement starting now]
If you like my style of writing and want to read something by me while you wait, I have a number of Gravity Falls fics written up.
If you like BillDip, I started a non-plot story revolving the two in a high school setting called Keep Your Heart Marching in Time which I'll be working on now.
If you like mystery, foreshadowing, and dark stuff, I suggest My Sincerest Apologies warnings are placed inside.
If you like the Transcendence AU, I suggest Singularity
If you like sad family stuff and Bill being manipulative, I suggest What We Can't See, What We Can't Hear, What We Can't Say
[End of shameless self-advertising]
Anyways, I really hope all you guys enjoyed this fanfic. It was a joy to write and is currently, my longest project I ever completed. And I did all of it in a little over a month.
Huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed. It wouldn't have been completed without all of your support! Thank you guys so much for reading my story and I can't wait till I see you guys next time.
Stay classy, folks!