Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Alex Hirsch owns Gravity Falls, not me.

"Mabel, how do you even know if that voice really is our grandfather?" Dipper whispered in the early morning hours to his sister.

"Well, I know cause I've seen him! He looks just like Grunkle Stan, just a lot younger and more attractive!" Mabel whispered back.

Dipper made a face. "Attractive?"

Mabel rolled her eyes at his tone. "I don't mean that in a gross way. It's like if I say Mom is beautiful, which she totally is."

Dipper couldn't argue the fact that their mother just absolutely gorgeous. Wait, this wasn't what they were speaking about. "But, Mabel, that doesn't mean anything. He could be just a fake or like a monster pretending to be him."

"He's not a monster, Dipping Sauce. How would he know about Grunkle Stan's first girlfriend? Her name wa-"

"Carla McCorkle...Stan's told me about her before and how he saved her."

Mabel frowned. "He didn't save her! She saved him."

"What? Mabel, he told me the story and everything."

"And since when do you believe everything he says?"

Dipper recalled how the end of the story became all "hallucination-y" as Stan had stated. "Wait, so Carla saved him?"

"Yeah! He almost got his wallet stolen and she punched the thief in the throat! Then, they fell in love with each other..." Mabel dreamily concluded.

"So, you think only Stan and his brother would know that?"

"Yes! Plus, he knew when Grunkle Stan started boxing. There's no way anyone would know that unless they were there around that time."

Dipper couldn't argue that either now that there was evidence. "Ok, but why is he stuck between two universes then?"

Mabel frowned. "He never told me why...he doesn't seem freaked out about being there though. I wonder how long he's been there...?"

This was beginning to sound quite suspicious. "...Mabel, don't you think it's weird that only I can hear him and only you can see him?"

Mabel fidgeted. "I...I see things all the time though and you...you used to hear things..."

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance and the thick drumming of rain on the attic's roof. When the lightning flashed, for a second, Dipper could of sworn there was a triangle floating in the middle of their room. He pulled his covers over his head, gulping thickly. "Bro-bro?"

"W-What?"

"You ok?"

"Y-Yeah...just the thunder..."

Mabel didn't reply to that. "Dipper...Are you ok?"

Dipper frowned from underneath the covers. "Uh, yeah. Didn't you just ask tha-"

"No, I didn't mean that...I mean... well you've been acting sorta...jumpy lately?"

"...I'm fine. Just...I miss Dad."

That wasn't a lie. He hadn't spoken to his Dad all summer. Every time he called, it was their Mom that picked up. She typically informed him that Dad would be around next time, but the man always appeared to be sleeping, or working, or even taking a shower. Dipper suspected it was his own fault though. He should of never yelled at his Dad like that when he came to visit his room, a week before being released from the psychiatric ward. And thanks to him, Mabel never got to speak with their Dad either. He must of been pissed at the both of them. "Oh...did he still not call back?"

"No, it's always Mom calling or picking up."

"Well, he'll have to talk to us when we come back, right?"

Dipper peeked out the covers, beginning to feel smothered underneath. "...Yeah, probably."

"...Wanna go get breakfast?"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Mabel, it's 4AM."

"Well, I can't sleep! I kept on...I kept on thinking about Gideon and Bill-" Dipper cringed at the name. "-and h-her..."

A thought occurred to him. Her tone of voice. It was...Oh. She was afraid. She was afraid of her. Oh. It all made sense now. Bill. He was afraid of Bill Cipher. Dipper felt a giggle bubble out from his lips, but immediately stifled it with a feeling of alarm. Where in the world did that come from? "D-Dipper?"

Dipper peered over to where her bed was, unable to view her face in the darkness. Oh, no. Dipper gulped. "Sorry...I'm...I'm t-tired."

"...You c-can't sleep either?"

"Yeah."

"...why do you think s-she wants Gideon?"

Dipper frowned. "...she kept saying you were...you were 'p-pretty'...so...I think maybe...she thinks he's p-pretty?"

They both cringed at that thought. It sounded eldritch when Dipper put it like that. Mabel continued on, sounding concerned. "I think we should go find him."

"Mabel, he left three hours ago. And just because I can't sleep, doesn't mean I'm not tired."

"Gideon is wandering out in the forest with an infected burn and a super high fever and you only care about lying in bed!" She furiously shouted, sitting up in bed.

Dipper felt his cheeks flush in shame and eyes well up a bit. He didn't mean to sound so selfish. "I-I-I didn't m-mean it t-that w-way, j-just that he won't l-let us find him so e-easily or...or..."

Or, she wasn't letting him be found. A chill rolled down his spine, shame evaporating. "We n-need to s-summon...him."

Mabel's fury calmed somewhat, though her tone still felt annoyed. "Summon Gideon?"

"N-No...h-him."

She seemed to catch on. "Bill? Why?"

Dipper cringed. "He...he m-might... know how to find him."

His twin's eyes widened. "But, Dipper, you're sc-"

The brunet was beginning to feel a connection to the 10-year-old. He couldn't let fear become an excuse. "Now, lets do i-it now."

Mabel appeared surprised at the confidence voiced. "Dipper we don't have the journal to summon him though."

Dipper had forgotten. "Journal 2 has it written in there, but it went missing after Gideon used it that last time...maybe mine has..."

He removed himself from his bed, and felt around on the desk near him, mindful of not hitting his arm brace on it. Having located a flashlight, he flicked it on and studied the ground. There. Mabel appeared next to him, getting down on her hand and knees, tugging on a certain floorboard. It popped out of place and she settled it onto the floor next to the hole. Dipper passed the light to his twin, then reached inside and pulled out the journal, but frowned when he felt a slip of paper come with it. "What the-?"

"It's a letter!" Mabel shouted in excitement, while plucking up the envelope with the name "Pines" written across the back in type of italic cursive.

Dipper felt his blood run cold. "Mabel, only you and me know where I keep the book."

Mabel's excitement morphed into nervousness. "Who...who do you think...?

"I d-don't know..."

Mabel began to fragilely open it and pulled out a folded up letter. The flashlight was returned to Dipper and was aimed at the paper as she unfolded it. The brunette gulped as she began to read it aloud. "'You and Mabel should treat this spell with care. There is a lot of potential one spell can simply have. Whenever that potential is great or dangerous depends on how it is spoken or the intentions. To summon Bill Cipher you must use the Latin phrase: Triangulum, entangulum. Vene foris dominus mentium.Vene foris videntis omnium. Variations of this spell may do various things to him and one version you might need of this is to remove all vowels of this spell. This is to protect ONLY if he chooses to become violent. I trust the two of you will not misuse this power. One more thing: It would be in your best interest to locate the others in Gravity Falls that now own the other two journals'."

Mabel and Dipper gave each a look. "H-How did this person know we needed this spell when we just...just d-decided this right now?"

"Uh, maybe it's a future us?"

"Mabel, this is serious!"

"I know, bro-bro, I'm just throwing out ideas!"

Dipper snatched the letter from her and she retrieved the light from him, shining the it over the writing. "And who has the other journals?! I thought they went missing!"

"Well, maybe it was whoever left this paper here that gave them to the others?"

"But, who is this?"

Mabel didn't have an answer for that one, but thought maybe a certain someone had witnessed the person coming in here. "Maybe Grandpa Stanley saw? He's been watching the Shack for awhile now."

Dipper didn't like the sound of that. He did believe the man was his grandfather, but thought the whole situation appeared fishy. What if he was stuck for a reason? "Watching?"

"He says not all the time, but when he wants to see what's going on. He might of seen."

"And from what mirror? The only reflective thing here is the window and it faces outside!"

"I don't know! I was just trying to be helpful! You don't have talk to me like I'm stupid!"

Dipper was about to retort, but was halted when he saw the look on her face. She was right; he been snappy with her ever since they were locked up in the closet. "I...I'm s-sorry..."

"...no...it's ok...sorry for saying things that aren't helpful."

Dipper reached out and touched her shoulder in a comforting way. "Mabel, everything you say is helpful to me."

Mabel smiled, appearing touched. "Thanks, Dip."

~!14-15-20/1-12-12/5-22-9-12/9-19/19-21-16-5-18-14-1-20-21-18-1-12!~

Gideon Charles Gleeful was laid out on his bed, staring off into space. He wasn't all sure of how he got back to his house or even into his bed for that matter, last thing remembered was him being in the woods, attempting to cast that spell. The spell to...to do what again? And why was he still in his daytime clothes? He recalled fragments though. Dipper Pines appearing in the forest, following him into the Mystery Shack, seeing Mabel Pines, maybe Bill Cipher showing up? It became completely hazy after that. He remembered during that haze though that he felt warmth and comfort. It was different than her's though. He heard He had felt a hand tenderly stroking his head and the voice of concerned tones of a young boy. They seemed to soothe and comfort him. She on the other hand, seeming to squeeze him possessively, whispering sweet-nothings into his ears. He gasped, feeling a burning sensation in his hand. He glanced down, opening his clenched fist, taking in the bluish hue settled into his hand. The amulet had returned, healing his burn, and easing his raging fever. Physically, he felt fine, mentally he was immensely satisfied, yet spiritually, his soul was screeching and retching at the power. It burned inside terribly, causing him to clench his torn pants at the pain.

He didn't even know the time, but it was dark, and he felt his mental state slowly rejecting the forced relaxation placed instead him. Gideon wanted the comfort and warmth back. He wanted that hand stroking him and that voice soothing him from his fears. He began to weep, feeling worse by the minute. An sinister voice breathed throughout his mind, as a old timely tune began to play. "Gideon...Giddy...relax...just relax..."

His pupils flashed a glowing bluish hue and he gasped in pain. "S-Stop!"

"Giddy...won't hurt...if...relax..."

He couldn't relax. He needed to fight this. If he did, he could feel the comfort once more. Comfort and warmth an- "REMEMBER...DEAL."

His eyes widened. The deal. His deal with her. He had to keep it or...There was a slow pounding at his room's door. He shot up and stiffened at the noise. "Gideon...what you up so early in the morning for?"

Gideon felt wary of the slurred timbre, sensing what was to occur. A image of his father flashed through his mind, him bellowing into his face. The 10-year-old trembled at the vision, the door creeping open. Gideon wailed a plead aloud. "I REMEMBER! THE DEAL, I REMEMBER! I WON'T FIGHT YOU ANYMORE! PLEASE!"

"...sorry...sweetie...need to remember...your place..."

~!-?-!~

Dipper quivered before her, lighting the final candle with the lighter. It had been borrowed from Stan's "secret stash" of cigarettes in the kitchen, that he assumed the twins were unaware both had caught him, typically towards the evening, digging around in that drawer, for a smoke on the back porch. Mabel had snuck downstairs though, to retrieve the lighter they needed to begin summoning the dream demon. She was concerned about her brother's behavior though, knowing how bad his anxiety was flaring. His breathing was steady, for now, but she knew once Bill Cipher appeared, his condition would take a turn for a worse. She stepped inside the circle, crouching down to grasp his quivering hand. She could tell how afraid he was. "You don't have to summon him, if you can't."

His chocolate eyes stared into her own. "I-I have to n-now...s-something d-doesn't f-feel right."

Mabel swallowed at that sentence. She could feel the power of her lingering in the air, seemingly sighing out her desire. And she had a feeling Gideon, where ever he was, was in peril. For Dipper to feel that as well, made her apprehensive. It was as if...as if the three of them had a sort of...connection in way? Mabel wasn't completely sure how to describe it. She recollected when she first observed Gideon in that tent, that a tremble rolled through her...soul? Was it her soul though? She had immediately been distracted by the performance, immediately forgetting the sensation, but had felt the same when she witnessed him at the pool and next when he appeared at the Shack to steal the deed. Each time they had met, she had momentarily felt that spark. Feeling as though the 10-year-old was in peril set her on edge. If it came down to it though, she would always pick Dipper feeling safe, rather than doing something he wouldn't actually want to. "If you are too scared, I won't be upset if you don't do something."

"I...feel like I-I need t-to."

The brunette stared at him. "Dipper, when you last saw Gideon, did you...did you feel...a weird sorta...um...tingle inside?"

Dipper stared at her. "Tingle...?"

"Like, uh..."

Dipper gave her a blank look. "I...I don't know what you're talking about?"

"It's just..." Mabel trailed off with a distance look, a thought occurring. "Dipper, didn't you say you forced yourself not to hear those voices?"

Her twin fidgeted, clearly not comfortable on the topic. "Uh, y-yeah."

"Do you think...maybe you forced yourself not to...feel other things?"

"Mabel, what the heck are you talking about?"

"Never mind...if you really wanted to summon B-him, then I won't stop you."

Dipper nodded, then standing on trembling legs, breathing turning harsh. Mabel wasn't sure if he was capable of much at the moment. "Do you want me to read it?"

"Uh, L-Latin isn't easy to r-read."

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Come on, Dipping Sauce, it can't be that hard!"

She, of course, stumbled ungracefully over the dead language. Dipper simply reached out his hand, silently asking for the letter. Mabel handed it over without a word. "T-Triangulum, entangulum. Ve...Vene foris d-dominus mentium.V-Vene foris v-videntis om...omnium!"

The intense flash of light was familiar to Mabel, reminding her of the first time she witnessed Bill beginning summoned. And, sure enough, the room's saturation wasted away, and Bill Cipher appeared before them. A mouth appeared on his face and he released a yawn, hand covering his it. His eye roved over the darkened room, settling on the twins. "A bit early to be doing summonings, isn't it?"

Dipper stumbled back, directly into Mabel. The demon seemed to leer at him, moving closer. "Don't tell me you're finally scared of me now, Pine Tree."

Mabel detested the way her brother cowered before Bill Cipher and she stepped in-between them. "Leave him alone."

The demon narrowed his eye. "Since when did you give commands, Shooting Star?"

She puffed her chest up, hoping to appear somewhat intimating. "Since I decided to not let you bully my brother anymore."

The triangle stared at her for a moment, before bursting out in laughter. "You crack me up, you know that? Ok, ok, I won't pick on him...for now. What can I do for you two?"

"...m-maybe a-an explanation..." Dipper muttered from behind her.

Bill picked up on the words. "About what? The meaning of life? How babies are made? Why I call you Pine Tree?"

Dipper set his gaze to the floor, cringing at his voice. Mabel intervened though. "How about what happened this morning?"

The demon seemed to ponder the question. "Not sure how much I should reveal to you two. Maybe if you made a deal..."

"We don't want to make a deal about that."

"But, you two do want to make a deal." Bill stated, clearly seeing their intentions.

Mabel peeked over her shoulder to her brother, who nodded. "We want you to destroy Gideon Gleeful's amulet."

Bill replied in the blink of an eye. "Sorry, no can do. The kid is in a binding contract."

The twins gave each other looks of confusion. Mabel wasn't aware he was in a one that didn't involve Bill. "Contract?"

"Yep. A deal. He's bond to it and no other demons can interfere with that."

"T-There's other d-demons?" Dipper asked, clearly skeptical of such a claim.

"Of course! What do you think was with Gideon this morning?"

Mabel's eyes widened. "S-She...she's a demon!"

Bill transformed into a slot machine and the handle on the side of his body was pulled downwards. The pictures rapidly spun, before halting on check marks. "We have ourselves a winner!"

Mabel trembled and covered her mouth. The dream demon observed them both and seemed become serious. "...Never show her fear or worse, acceptance; she feeds off of that."

Dipper gulped. "...l-like...y-you?"

"...Pine Tree, I'm nothing like her."

Mabel felt a flare inside. "You're a liar! You lie to people about being able to help them, then you stab them in the back! You and her are both terrible monsters!"

Bill's golden glow, began to turn a shade of maroon and he floated inches before her face. "Shooting Star, I have never lied. I have truthfully told my clients my terms, and how they interpret my intentions are their decisions, not mine. And, there are much, much worse things I could do than lie. Much worse things I am capable of, yet I don't do them, unlike she would."

Mabel stumbled back into Dipper, and watching the maroon recede from him. She didn't expect for him to blow up like that, causing her to be uncertain to ask what she wanted to. The brunette couldn't stop herself from doing so though. "...what t-things?"

His eye seemed to glow the same color as his golden body as he whispered his next statement. "Purposeful murder of the body, mind, and soul."

Before she could reply, the triangle floated over to her brother. "Kid, I know you don't trust me, but if we don't do something about your state of mind, you're going to completely lose yourself," Dipper squeezed his eyes shut. "Those triangles you keep seeing? That was a side effect of me inhabiting your body and mind. If it was your soul, the damage would be irreparable, but since I only invaded your body and mind I can help you fix this issue."

Mabel once more stepped in between the two. "What if we see your 'intentions' the wrong way?"

He rolled his single eye. "Then, I'll clearly explain them. My intention is to stop my presence inside of him from breaking him, in a nonthreatening or backstabbing way."

She turned to Dipper, needing to know if the claim was true. Mabel grasped his quivering hands and he opened his eyes. "Are you really seeing things?"

"W-When we...were in t-the c-closet..."

"Do you want to...stop it?"

He immediately nodded and seemed to muster the courage to making eye contact with the demon he so feared. "Why...w-why did y-you t-take m-my body?"

"You needed my presence to let yourself 'hear' again."

His eyes widened. "How d-did y-you..." He shook his head. "A-Are you l-lying?"

The triangle floated beside him, wrapped his arm around Dipper's shoulders, causing the preteen to tense. Mabel didn't appreciate Bill causally touching her brother like that, but decided against interfering. "I'll let you in on a secret; I can't lie."

Dipper looked at him. "W-Wait, what?"

"Not going into details on that, but I need to know if we have a deal?"

Dipper looked into his sister's chocolate eyes and after a moment she hesitantly nodded. If she wanted to make up for not helping her brother a year ago, then she needed Bill Cipher to heal is mind, if only it was a bit. "W-What do you w-want?"

"Trust your great-uncle if it involves family matters."

"Wha-"

A severed hand appeared out of thin air and covered Dipper's mouth. "No spoilers, kid."

Dipper stiffened and Bill removed the severed hand from the preteen's face. Bill's hand flames ignited and he presented his hand to Dipper. He eyed it uncertainly, before accepting it. "Before we begin though, I believe your sister has a deal as well."

The dream demon turned to her. She wasn't all that surprised by the fact that he could sense that she had a desire to create a deal. It was as if he could predict the future sometimes, yet that didn't quite frighten her. "Could you tell me how I could destroy Gideon's amulet?"

A light of mischief appeared in his eye. "There you go kid; I may not be able to directly involve myself, but someone else could. In exchange though, you just need to get your Gramps out of the 'rabbit hole'."

Her mouth fell open. "Ho-"

"I just know. Now, to be clear on this matter, I will tell you how to permanently destroy the amulet, which will break the deal between Gideon and her."

She could do this. She could eradicate the amulet along with somehow rescuing her grandfather from where he was. She had never asked, but could feel how lonely he was in that Mystery Shack and had a feeling he had been there for a extended amount of time. Mabel confidently nodded and reached out her hand to the other flaming one. They shook and she felt a tremble run throughout her body, much like a burn from a hot surface, without the pain. "Alright, you need to set up a circle of candles like this, say her name, then repeat the phrase 'destruere malum' 13 times, while holding the amulet in the palm of your hand."

Mabel blinked. "Well, that sounds easy."

"Shooting Star, you should know anything involving a demon is never easy."

She didn't like how ominous that sounded. A thought occurred to the brunette. "Wait, what is her name?"

"That wasn't part of the deal. I tell you how to destroy it and in exchange you free your Gramps."

She cringed. That was her fault. "Ok, can you tell me what it is?"

"Gideon will know."

Mabel wanted to question further, but he was already moving on to her brother. Thankfully, Dipper had seemed to relax as the encounter with Bill Cipher went along. He no longer trembled, though his voice continued to tremble as he spoke. "Kid, you ready? Should let you know though, that this will hurt."

He swallowed thickly at that. The demon's eye became a wall clock. "Tick-tock, Pine Tree. We need to do this sooner, rather than later."

Dipper nodded, squeezing his eyes shut once more. The demon's hand gripped the side of his face and his eye began to glow a black color. When Dipper's eyes did the same, he released the beginnings of a scream. It was smothered as Bill covered his mouth. Mabel's face paled at this action. Oh, god, he was going to kill him. She attempted to shove him away and pry at the hands to recuse her twin. "S-Stop! You're hurting him!"

Bill gave no indication he heard her and she was unable to wrench his hands off. The veins throughout Dipper's body became black, seeming to pulse and throb. She cried in horror at this. The demon's voice echoed threateningly throughout the room, muttering an unidentifiable Latin incantation. What appeared to be black blood, oozed from Dipper's eyes, nose, and ears. The blood seeped into Bill, as if he was absorbing it, before finally letting her twin's limp body drop to the floor. Dipper's veins and eyes returned to normal. As Bill Cipher disappeared in a flash of light and the room restored it's saturation, he began to gasp for air. Mabel fell to her knees, before her brother, cradling his head in her lap. "Dipper! Dipper, are you ok?!"

He placed a hand over his heart, clenching the fabric of his nightshirt. "I-I CAN FEEL!"

"I-I thought he was going to hurt you!" Mabel replied, tears welling in her eyes.

He reached out and clenched hold of the front of her nightgown, head lifting from her lap. He didn't seem to register what she had replied with. "I FEEL G-GIDEON!"

Mabel was becoming confused and anxious at his behavior. "W-Wha-"

"DON'T YOU FEEL IT?! DON'T YOU FEEL HIS PAIN?!"

She didn't like her brother's behavior. Bill Cipher broke him! She began to cry and attempt to pull away from her raving brother. He continued to cling to her nightgown and began to shake her. "MABEL! DON'T YOU FEEL IT?!"

"S-STOP, D-DIPPER!" She wailed at him.

"HE'S IN DANGER! WE HAVE TO HELP!"

Their bedroom door was flung open, after this scream, and their great-uncle rushed in. "What the hell is going on?!"

"GRUNKLE STAN! WE HAVE TO HELP!" Dipper released her and stood, stumbling over to him. Stan rushed forward as the preteen collapsed into the elder man's thick arms. Mabel witnessed all of this through a filter, the vision of a figure menacingly looming over her. Oh, god. She understood, she completely understood her brother's panic now. Gideon. They needed to save him or else...or else...

"Kid, what's wrong?!" Mabel appeared by Stan, collapsing onto her knees and grasping one of her great-uncle's shoulders.

"Grunkle Stan, we need to go to Gideon's house."

"Gleeful? Mabel, there's something wrong with your brother an-"

"He's warning us. Dipper, I feel it. I feel he's in danger, too." She informed her brother, who appeared too exhausted to speak any longer.

"Warning? About the Gleeful's being in danger?" Stan questioned, appeared confused by these claims.

"No, Gideon...we need to...we need to go, now!"

"Mabel, that little punk i-"

"Please, Grunkle Stan, you need to forget about Gideon being your 'enemy' and believe me when I say he needs help." Mabel whispered, hoping someone would finally listen to her, for once in her life.

He gazed in her chocolate eyes, before softly speaking. "...Ok, I believe you kid."

Her great-uncle scooped up her now unconscious twin and settled him into his bed. His eyebrows furrowed as he studied him, before turning to Mabel. "Your brother ok?"

Mabel realized that Bill Cipher must of healed the block Dipper had created against the sounds and that now he was open to his powers, much like Mabel was at the moment. That wasn't important though, so she began to tug on her great-uncle's hand. "He's ok, but we need to go right now...or...o-or..."

"Alright, alright, let me at least get a pair of pants on if we're going to show up at someone's house at 4 AM , ok?" Mabel knew leaving immediately was imperative, but decided to not fight Stan on the subject, knowing it would waste more time. Her great-uncle began to make his way downstairs and she followed behind. At the base of the staircase, he turned to her. "Wait here while I go get the car keys and find some pants."

She bobbed her head up and down as Stan left. The brunette paced and wrung her wrists, until he returned a minute or two later. She sprinted outside and great-uncle followed at a pace that was speedier than usual. As the ignition was started up, she began to bite at her lip, feeling as if they would never make it in time. As they made their way onto the dirt road at around 50 miles, she fidgeted. "Grunkle Stan, can you go faster?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and began to speed up to around 60 miles. "...kid, what are you expecting to find when we get there?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, mind repeating the menacing shadow looming over her. "...I...I d-don't know."

Chapter 9 End

Somehow asked me in a PM when the twin's birthday is. I discovered recently that Alex Hirsch said it was the last day of summer, but I actually made it the same as his & his sister's birthday, which is June 18th, making Dipper & Mabel 13-years-old. I decided to just keep it the same though, since I've mentioned their ages several times in this story. Now, I have a bit of a warning: I have a job now (my first!) and since I go back to school next week, updates will be a bit slower. I apologize in advance. Maybe I could squeeze in one more update, before break is over, but if I can't then you all will have to wait a bit longer.