Dipper threw the door open, and ran into the house. He peeled through the living room, nearly kicking a sleeping waddles. He got to the display case, and found it empty.

"Hey dude," said Soos. Dipper turned around. Soos was standing in a nearby doorway.

"Oh man, I am so sorry," said Dipper. "I don't know why I didn't give you a key. It's just yesterday was so hectic and junk, and I guess my head got all messed up. I just have all this crap to deal with, and the whole not leaving you trapped in the display case thing slipped my mind."

"It's okay," said Soos. "Robbie came by early this morning, and he left me out. I just made up some story about cleaning it from the inside and locking myself in it."

"Well I'm glad you got out," said Dipper.

"So am I," said Soos. "It would have sucked if I was in there all day. I'm thin now, but I still need to eat." Soos looked behind Dipper. "Where's Mabel?"

"She's talking with Wendy," Dipper said. Soos noticed that Dipper was staring at the floor, and biting his bottom lip. Soos walked over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey buddy, don't be so down," said Soos. "It was an honest mistake." Dipper looked into Soos's eyes, and felt waves of emotion wash over him. He turned way from Soos, and began to walk out of the room. Soos walked with him, and Dipper sped up. Dipper felt Soos's hand on his shoulder again. Dipper slapped it off. He turned towards Soos. His eyes were blazing, and his teeth were gritted.

"Why can't you just be angry at me!?" Dipper screamed. Soos backed up a pace.

"You want me to be angry at you?" Soos asked.

"Yes!" shouted Dipper. "Just scream at me or something!" Soos shook his head.

"No way dude," Soos said. "I wouldn't do that. You're a good friend, and I'd never want to hurt you."

"No I'm not!" Dipper put his hands on his head. He grabbed a bunch of his hair in each hand, and started squeezing. "I'm a terrible friend. I left you here all night, and didn't come to visit you to make sure you were okay. I locked you in there without a way out. And I can't find a cure for you." Dipper shook his head, and tightened his grip on his hair. "I'm a horrible friend."

"No you're not," said Soos. "Most people would have tried to hurt me if they found out I was a werewolf. But you've been helping me. You're a good person."

"I'm not," Dipper whispered. "I'm not a good person." Soos pulled Dipper into a hug. Dipper tried to pull away, but Soos had a strong grip.

"Just calm down for a second," said Soos.

"Don't tell me to calm down," said Dipper. "You're not my father."

"No I'm not," said Soos. "But I love you like family." Dipper stopped struggling. "You've been gone for five years dude. Five years. I was afraid I would forget about you or something. I tend to do that, you know?" Soos let go of Dipper, and backed up a pace. "But the second you walked through that door, it was like some part of me that had been missing came back. I don't have any brothers or sisters, and my parents never really gave a damn about me. You, Mabel, and Stan were the only people who really seemed to care about me. When you and Mabel left, I was so heartbroken." Soos took of his hat, and held it against his chest. "I finally had a little brother and sister, and someone came and took them away from me. It was horrible. I wanted to call, but I was afraid you'd have forgotten about me. But these past five years have been pretty lonely. You were only here for a few months, but I remember every second I spent with you and your sister. Sometimes I'd look in a corner, and see you and her fighting or something. Or sometimes I'd go to the couch, and see you and her watching TV. Sort of like memories, but somehow more real. But then that'd fade away, and I'd have to deal with the fact that you and her were gone." Tears started to drip down Soos's cheeks. "But you guys didn't forget about me. You knew who I was when you came back. And you talked to me like we were old friends. I was so worried you'd just blow me off or something. That to you, I was just the other guy who worked in the shop. But you cared. You helped me when you found out about my problem." Soos squeezed his hat harder. "I'd never yell at you Dipper. You mean more to me then I could ever say."

"Of course I wouldn't forget about you," said Dipper. He was crying himself. "But I had no idea you felt that way. I thought to you we were just some little kids that hung around the shop." Dipper walked over to Soos, and put his arms around him. "You're like a brother to me as well. Sometimes it's tough with just me and Mabel. We got left alone so often, it got so bad sometimes. And I'd think about you. I'd think about how much better things would be if you just walked in the door. About all the times we hung out. All the times you gave me advice. All the fun we had."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," said Soos.

"You were," said Dipper. "In a way you were." They stood there for a second, each overwhelmed with emotion. They finally released each other, and Dipper sighed. "Sorry I was such a dick. I just have a lot going on."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Soos. Dipper nodded.

"Yeah," said Dipper. "I think that would help." The two walked over to the couch, and sat down on it.

"I guess you're feeling pretty upset," said Soos.

"I am," said Dipper. "I just feel like it's all so unfair. I'm just a regular kid." Dipper's shoulders sunk. "I'm not special in any way. I'm just a normal, average, every day guy. But now I have all this responsibility. Not just for me, but for my sister. And now for Wendy, who I drug into this." Dipper shook his head. "I just want to know, why me? What did I do to deserve all this? I think I'm a good guy. I've done some bad things, sure, but who hasn't? I feel like I'm being punished for a crime I didn't commit." Dipper looked out a window, eyeing Mabel and Wendy. They were sitting next to the car, eating sandwiches and talking. "I guess I am a jerk for dragging Wendy into this. I was just afraid I wouldn't see her anymore."

"You really like her, huh?" Soos asked. Dipper nodded.

"It's funny," said Dipper. "I've dated girls for months, and never felt a damn thing for them. And I've been hanging out with Wendy for a couple of days, and I'm head over heels. I guess I never believed in the whole love at first sight thing. But that's what this is for sure."

"Well, people never plan to fall in love," said Soos.

"It's weird," said Dipper. "It's awesome, but terrifying all at once. I feel like if she ever rejected me, I might die."

"Being in love is dangerous for sure," said Soos. "Nothing worse than being told that someone doesn't love you back. But the rewards if it works out are so worth it."

"You'd know better than me," said Dipper.

"I'm not so sure," said Soos. "If I remember correctly, you were pretty in love with her when you were twelve."

"That doesn't count," said Dipper. "That's kid love."

"I think that counts for a lot," said Soos."You don't really know how to love at that age, so you just do it with your entire being. No one ever forgets their first crush, because they felt that love so intensely. It must have been harder for you, because she actually reciprocated it. If she had just said no, you could have moved on. But she actually did something with it. And then you had to leave. It must have hurt."

"It did," said Dipper. "I told her I got over it, but I'm not sure I really have. Sometimes I look at her, and I feel angry. Just for no reason. And it scares me, because I don't want to feel like that towards someone. Especially someone I care about."

"You can't help it," said Soos. "It's just how you feel."

"I guess," said Dipper. He looked at Soos. "Do you think me and her are a mistake." Soos shrugged.

"I honestly don't know," said Soos. "But I do know that right now, you have an incredibly difficult task ahead of you. That right now, everything seems horrible. But you have her. And I bet when you're with her, you feel awesome. I bet that when you hold her, everything else kind of melts away. Right?"

"Yeah," said Dipper.

"So keep holding onto her," said Soos. "Because you need something. You're not going to be able to handle this fight without some sort of release," said Soos.

"But isn't that kind of using her?" asked Dipper.

"Only if you don't actually feel something for her," said Soos. "And you've made it pretty clear you're head over heels." Dipper smiled.

"I really haven't felt like this with anyone but her," Dipper said. "More and more lately I've been feeling like a kid. Likes some scared kid, alone in a dark room. But when I'm with her, I feel like a man. I don't think I've ever felt like that before."

"Just be careful," said Soos. "Wendy is a really good girl. But sometimes good people can do bad things when it comes to love. A lot of times they don't mean it, but they do it anyway."

"I'll be careful," said Dipper.

"Good," said Soos.

"I should go out and talk to the girls," said Dipper. "We have a lot to do today. We're talking to Grenda, Robbie, and Old Man McGucket."

"Old Man McGucket?" said Soos.

"He may be crazy, but he knows a hell of a lot about the town," said Dipper. "Plus he might actually believe us when we tell him that the town is being overrun by monsters."

"He thought he was a hot dog for a while, so I think you've got a good shot," said Soos.

"Hey Soos?" asked Dipper.

"Yeah?" said Soos.

"Thanks for talking to me," Dipper said. "I really needed this." Soos smiled.

"Any time little brother," said Soos.