Chapter 35

Disclaimer: Alex Hirsch owns Gravity Falls, not me. THIS IS PART TWO OF MY DOUBLE UPDATE. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER YET, GO BACK AND DO SO NOW.

"Happy birthday, to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gideonnnn, happy birthday to you!" The gathering surrounding Gideon Gleeful sang to him, causing the now 11-year-old to blush at all of the attention. When the singing finished off, he leaned forward, blowing out the flames of the eleven candles along the edges of the chocolate cake. The gathering cheered, causing him to blush deeper, burying his face into his hands as they laughed at his reaction. The brunette to his right punched in in the arm, nearly causing him to fall over, and the brunet to his left laughed.

"Happy birthday, kid." A hand from behind ruffled his hair, causing wisps to fall into his face. He glanced upwards, catching a glimpse Stanford Pines beaming down at him.

"T-Thank y-you, S-Stan..." He mumbled in reply.

Wendy Corduroy grinned at him, as she began to cut his cake. "Look at you! Practically a teenager, dude! Pretty soon you get to do a bunch of cool stuff, like going to the mall without an adult!"

She placed his slice onto a brightly colored paper plate, stabbing a fork into it. Gideon smiled shyly at her, mumbling his gratitude, before munching onto his richly flavored cake. Across the table was Stanley Pines, a sling around his arm, to keep his shoulder in place, appearing to be lost in a memory. Though he would have permanent damage to his arm, in time, most of the function would return. "I remember when I turned eleven...I finally got into the 6th grade and got to go on the school's field trip to the local museum...it was everything I dreamed it to be and more..."

"Only you would be excited about something as boring as that, poindexter." Stan replied, plopping down onto the bench beside him.

The younger twin glared at him. "You may of found it boring, but I thought it was quite rich with history an-"

"Blah, blah, blah."

Stanley rolled his eyes. "After all these years, I thought you would of matured a bit."

"Mature? He hasn't been in anyway mature whatsoever in the 20 years I've known him." Dick Thompson responded, causing the pair to burst into laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want nerds, but I'm the owner of a business, so that makes me a hell of a lot more mature than you two."

"If you call this dump a business. I honestly cannot believe you would turn my house into this mess!"

"Our house! And, I'll have you know, that the Mystery Shack is a respectable business!" He replied, crossing his arms.

"If you call fighting over a dollar bill with an eight-year-old respectable, Stan." Wendy inputted, finishing off her slice.

"I would fire you, if I could, Corduroy."

Gideon observed the scene, feeling his heart bloom at the lighthearted scene surrounding him, recalling his last birthday to be a living hell. Becoming ten, meant ten lashing with a belt in his father's eyes. He shook that thought from his head though, knowing it would only bring him down. He finished his slice of delicious cake (it had been years since he had actually had a real one) and observed the twins flicking pieces of cake at one another from their forks. A piece hit Dipper in they eye, causing him to cry out, before laughing. "Mabel!"

"Haha! Score! I win! Alpha twin, alpha twin!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air with triumph, fork flying from her hand.

"Ow, my eye!" Stan cried out from behind.

"I told you that taking off your glasses to appear 'cooler' than me would be foolish." Stanley chided, as the younger set of twins laughed about the exchange between the older set of twins.

"Shut up, Lee." He mumbled, replacing his glasses back onto his face.

"Sorry, Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called over to his great-uncle.

"That was you?! I'm gonna get you for that, you little gremlin!" Stan called back, rising from his seat.

"Wait, I didn't do i-" He cut himself off as he realized the elder man was heading in his direction, hoping up from the seat, and scampering off.

"Come back here!" Stan yelled after him, sprinting to catch up.

"Stan, you're going to overexert yourself and possibly reopen you woun-Stop chasing your nephew!" The doctor called out, though shook his head, upon realization that his friend was ignoring him.

"He really hasn't changed." Stanley sighed.

"Crap! That's what I forgot! The ice cream!" Wendy cried out, causing the group to shift their attention to her, as she slapped her forehead.

"Cake and ice cream?" Stanley incredulously asked. "Back when I was a kid, it was either one or the other."

The redhead rolled her eyes at the comment. "You sound like Stan, when he goes off on one of his rants about how teens back in his day weren't as 'bad' as teens are today."

"He said that? He was just as bad as a teenager could be today. He used to ditch class and play pranks on the teachers. He was the biggest trouble maker there was!"

"Was? He still is a troublemaker. I mean, look what happened to your house." Dick laughed at this.

"I have to agree on that one, the house looks terrible with all those tacky decorations." The younger Pines twin laughed with him.

"Ha, ha! No way, dude! I honestly pegged him as the geeky type, that pretended to be cooler than he really was." Wendy laughed.

"You have the latter part right. He always acted as though he was popular, though he wasn't. He wasn't much for the 'geeky' in life though. The closet you probably get him to that territory is perhaps his love of Star Trek. It's one of the few things we have in common!"

"He's a Trekkie? I didn't know that! I love Star Trek! I used to stay up late watching reruns on TV!"

"A 'Trekkie', huh? Haven't heard that one before..."

"Oh, snap, dude! I almost forgot about the ice cream, again!" She gasped, beginning to stand from the bench, then winked at Gideon. "Hope you liked chocolate ice cream, because I bought a lot of it."

The freckled boy, whom had been observing the scene before him with steadily growing bemusement at how everyone was acting, hesitantly nodded. He felt somewhat embarrassed each time she spoke to him, considering how upbeat and confident she was, while he seemed to nearly disappear into the wallpaper compared to her. Each time she did pay him attention, he couldn't function his mouth well enough to be as outgoing as she was. So, he would simply nod mutely had each question and phrase she would aim at him. She fist pumped the air. "Sweet! I guessed right!"

Dick and Stanley chuckled at her youthful energy, watching as she went off into the forest, intending on heading to her cabin for the the rest of the dessert. "I'll be back in like ten minutes!"

"UGH!" Stan cried out in the distance and the doctor's head immediately whipped around, observing the elder man clenching at his side. Dipper was a distance away from him, frowning, as though deciding if he was tricking him or not. When he began to hunch over, he appeared concerned at his behavior. He gasped out a curse, nearly kneeling completely to the ground.

"What did I tell you, Stanford?" Dick called out, sounding a mixture of irate and perturbed.

"J-Just come over and help me!" He choked out back to him.

"This has been my life for the past 20 years." The doctor muttered to Stanley.

"That was mine for 41 years," He replied with a sigh, the doctor heading over to the frantic brunet and gasping elder man. He turned back to the table, before frowning at his granddaughter, who was twirling a lock of her hair, eyes distant. "Are you alright, Mabel? You've been awfully quiet."

She ceased the twirling, beaming up at him. "I was just thinking about how much Gideon is gonna love the present I made him!" Gideon blushed at her sentence, fidgeting with the end of his plum colored sweater vest, in an attempt to keep his hands busy. She giggled at his face, leaning in closer to him, voice coming out as an eerie whisper. "You're gonna love it."

He paused in his fidgeting, paling significantly, as he glanced up at her eyes. He frowned, at her eyes, revealing them to the ordinary chocolate color, not a trace of the glowing blue hue he had grown to fear. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity at her friend and he witnessed a lock of her hair caressing down her shoulder, revealing it to be the same color as his own. The pure white color, dead and tainted, one he had grown from the year Jill Rephic had possessed his body. Her eyes flashed the blue hue, as though warning him, and he glanced away. "I-I c-can't w-wait..."

"Good! I should get them now!" She exclaimed, before turning to her grandfather. "Stanley, wanna help me get the presents?"

"I'm afraid I can't be much help, when I can only use one arm." He answered, gesturing to his shoulder.

"Pleasssse? You can just pick up some smaller ones!"

He gazed into her innocently sweet eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands, hopping up from the bench, grasping onto his good arm, tugging at it. "Let's go!"

"Alright, sweetheart, slow down though! I'm still injured, so I can't overexert myself."

"Let's go then! I want Gideon to see all his presents!"

"Alright, alright, let's head on in for them," He turned to Gideon, noticing how he had hung his head. "Are you alright, Gideon?"

He bobbed his head up and down in reply, avoiding eye contact with Mabel, fearing her eyes would flash that horrifying color. "I-I'm f-fine..."

"Well, alright then. If anyone asks, we went inside for your gifts."

"O-Ok..." He mumbled in reply, observing the pair heading inside of the Mystery Shack, leaving him with the guilt of his silence.

~!-?-!~

Stanford limped back towards the bench, his side screaming in protest, at each movement. The doctor's arms were wrapped around his waist and underneath his armpits, in an attempt to assist him, though he tried not to lean heavily into Dick. Dipper hovered beside him, eyebrows furrowed in concern, appearing to be on the verge of tears. He rolled his eyes, before smiling wearily down at his great-nephew. "I'm fine, kid."

Dipper appeared startled at the comment, before nodding, stress reducing a fraction at the comfort he was given. By the time they had arrived at the bench, Stan was releasing a barely contained set of pants. He swung his legs over, settling himself onto the bench with the elder man wiping the sweat from his brow, as Dipper sat next to him, before glancing up at Gideon from across the table. The freckled boy bit his lip, glancing over at the Mystery Shack. He raised an eyebrow at his, before realizing Stanley and Mabel were missing. "Where'd they go, Gideon?"

"I-Inside...g-getting t-the p-presents..." He muttered in reply, hands clasped together, on the tabletop.

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing..." He had began to twiddle his thumbs, staring at the wood below him.

"Gideon, are you alright?" Dick questioned, noticing how tense his former patient had become.

"Uh-huh...I-I'm f-fine..."

Dipper reached across the table taking his hands and unclasping them. He squeezed his friend's hand, voice coming out patient and comforting. "Gideon? I know you're not ok...what's wrong?"

His eyes welled with tears, squeezing the hand back. "I-I am o-ok...I-I d-don't n-need h-help..."

"I never said you did...do you need help though? What happened?"

Gideon's entire body tensed at the tone his friend was presenting him, tugging his hand away frantically. Dipper wouldn't be able to assist him or possibly understand the constant control she had over him. He had been possessed himself for a day and was harassed at times by Bill Cipher, but he couldn't possibly understand how deeply ingrained her words had become inside him. There were times that he could hear Jill Rephic in his ears, as clear as a bell. His words came out in a harsh gasp. "L-Leave me alone!"

The brunet flinched at his tone, jerked his hand away. Stan leaned forward, eyes narrowing him, voice exiting his lips as a hiss. "You better watch the way you tre-"

"Stanford, please." Dick interrupted.

The elder man snapped his mouth shut, realizing his tone had been threatening. He released a breath, aware that Gideon wasn't being aggressive in order to purposely hurt Dipper. He was actually afraid and deflecting his feelings off to those around him. He knew this better than anyone, recalling all the moments he had done so in his life. The worst had been when he had returned from prison and snapped every time Stanley would say a certain phrase or word, that would remind him of the year he had spent in Colombia. "Gideon? Come on, kid, we just want to help."

Gideon glanced up at him, a lone tear rolling down his cheek. He wasn't confident if Stan could understand what he felt, though he considered he would better understand than Dipper, since the elder man had had a dream demon possessing his body for a week. He was afraid that he couldn't understand, the fear of betraying Jill Rephic and the wrath that could follow. He opened his mouth, though choked on his words, unable to convey his thoughts. Stan frowned at his behavior. "Is it about...your Dad? I told you already that you don't need to go to the trial if you don't wan-"

The 11-year-old shook his head, a constant dripping of tears down his face. "Is it your Mom? We know you miss her, but she's still hanging in there and one she'll be awake, a-"

He hung his head, shoulders trembling, attempting to speak. "N-No...I-I...I-I...I-I..."

"Is it...Jill Rephic?" Gideon choked at the name, hands grasping onto the material of his sweater vest, hands clammy, as he whimpered his confirmation. "Shoot, kid, she can't have you anymore, do you understand? She'll never be inside you and take over your mind, ag-"

"S-SHE D-DOESN'T N-NEED T-TO B-BE! S-SHE'S A-ALWAYS T-THERE!" Gideon wailed in dismay, hand grasping onto the hair on the sides of his head, tears streaming from his eyes.

"...perhaps this is a personal matter...I'll be over there for now..." Dick muttered, slipping away from bench holding the remaining Pines, though the trio barely registered his leaving, caught up in Gideon's mental breakdown.

"Jesus, kid..."

"G-Gideon? S-She's not here...s-she would of showed herself, l-like Bil-" Dipper began anxiously, in his attempt to comfort his friend, though he ceased his speaking as his head began to shake.

"Gideon...you trust me, don't you, kiddo?" The elder man asked, shaking his head, as his grand-nephew attempted to reach across the tabletop to touch Gideon once more.

The freckled boy tugged at his hair, strands falling from his head, face beat red, as he choked on each sob. "I-I...I-I d-don't k-know..."

"Please, just answer me. Do you trust me?"

"I-I'm n-not s-supposed...t-to t-trust a-anyone..."

"Is that what she said?"

"T-Trust...n-no o-one..."

"Gideon, listen to me. When Bill Cipher was inside me, do you what he constantly told me?"

"..."

"He told me to 'don't think about it'. When he would physically hurt me, he would tell me that. When I wondered if I would ever have my body back, when I wondered if those around me would be ok, even when I was starving for a bite of pretty anything by that point, he would tell me that. Pretty soon, I stopped thinking. About everything. I would just sit there inside my body, watching everything happening around me. Do you know what saved me from that?"

Dipper stared in shock at his great-uncle, though Gideon remained the same throughout the speech. "My brother did. I didn't react to anything Cipher did to me and everyone around me, until he told Stanley 'don't think about it'. He couldn't get the portal to work and was really upset about it, so Cipher told him what he had always told me. My brother almost did give up on the whole thing, because of what Cipher said. I didn't want him to stop thinking about things like me, so I did think about it. And, when I did, I had my body back, just for a second. I told him to always think about it and keep trying. And, he did that."

"..."

"Look, what I'm trying to say, after spilling my guts like this, is that she's always there gonna be there, only when you do what she tells you to do. She says 'trust no one' and you do, you really do have no one to trust, and then you're alone."

Gideon stared up at the elder man, sniffling. "I-I d-don't w-wanna b-be a-alone..."

"If you don't want to give in, just tell me the truth. If we're back to the start, the start where you didn't trust me at your house, then, well, I guess I have to say sorry, because I've obviously failed at helping you, like I promised back then."

His lips wobbled. "...I-I t-trust y-you..."

"Tell me what's wrong then, Gideon."

"...s-she i-is...M-Mabel i-is...s-she's i-inside h-her..."

There was an ear-piercing scream from inside the Mystery Shack.

~!-?-!~

In the darkened hallway, leading to the staircase of the attic, Stanley and Mabel Pines were causing the floorboards to creak beneath their weight. He observed his granddaughter's hair, swishing back and forth with each step she made, though her features were dulled from the lack of light seen. He supposed the window meant to be open, was closed today, as the air conditioner was broken (again, for what was apparently the third time this summer, from what Dipper had told him) and the lack of light would keep the building cool. He thought he witnessed a shade of lighter hair peek out from Mabel's hair, but he supposed he had imagined it, since he couldn't view the streak no longer. "Mabel, are the presents in his and Dipper's room?"

"Uh-huh! We're almost there!" She called back, continuing down the hallway.

He wondered how exactly though would work out, considering the 11-year-old might of had a glimpse of them already, if they were housed in his room. He was about to question her on the matter, before pausing in front of a familiar room. His twin brother's, to be more specific. After all these years, apparently he had remained in the same exact room he had inhabited over 37 years ago. As he stood before the door, he wondered how much of it had changed and how much of it had remained the same, after all, he had yet to view the inside. When they had returned from the hospital yesterday afternoon, Stanford had spent the night in his room, watching over him as he slept. He won't say exactly why he did, though Stanley suspected it was due to the fear of losing him, again. "I wonder..."

He reached out, hand twisting the door handle, before he was startled by his granddaughter's voice. "Stanley!"

The older Pines dropped his hand, glancing over to his right, the outline of Mabel visible, her hand waving him over. "Come on! Let's go get the presents."

He sighed, before heading away from the door, towards her. The man supposed he could always go check the room, after the party, with Stanford. "Coming, sweetheart."

They reached the staircase, heading up to the attic, and Mabel sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. He groaned, before smiling fondly. "She always has so much energy..."

Half-way up the staircase, he paused, hearing what sounded to be distant music. He cocked his head to the side, listening to it, realizing it came from the hallways behind him. Stanley wondered why the echos of music presented him with a sense of nostalgia, before realizing this was a song he had heard in his childhood, one of his parents favorites. His lips fluttered into a smile, the image of his mother dancing with his father to this music. He breathed out the name of the tune, reminiscing the slow dances they would partake in. "Uptown Blues..."

"Stanley!" He jolted at the tone interrupting his reminiscing, curious of where the music came from. Perhaps Stanford had headed to his room, intending on bringing the record player outside to play for Gideon's birthday. Though, he thought it odd that he would choose this music, over The Eagles or Creedence Clearwater Revival. Perhaps, those records had been lost in the time he had been gone or even sold. His beloved Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan records were probably tossed away, maybe even The Temptations record left behind by Carla, forgotten through the passage of time. Those memories were quite fresh in his mind, but his brother would find those to be faded in his mind. He sighed, wearily sagging against the wall, wondering what life could of been, if he hadn't disappeared. Perhaps he and Fiddle-Wait, what had happened to Fiddleford? He hadn't seen the man since returning, an-"Where are youuuuu?"

Mabel's cry for him, made him lose his train of though, and he continued up the stairs, ignoring the haunting music from behind, the echoes increasing. He frowned at the top of the steps, the music louder than ever, blaring throughout the attic. He observed Mabel staring out the triangle shaped window, realizing for the first time since he had moved into the Shack, that the window reminded him of Bill Cipher. He approached her, the glimpse of the party spread out below them. "Are you watching th-?"

She spun around, arms tightly embracing him a hug, face burying into his stomach. He groaned as his shoulder was jostling, reaching around her shoulders with his good arm, squeezing her. "Sweetheart, I appreciate the affection, though you have to be careful with how you jostle my shoulder. My injuries haven't completely healed yet."

Her hands clasped together, behind his back, squeezing his body tighter. He felt slightly comforted by the way her arms were wrapped around his extended middle and he patted her shoulder. His voice came out slightly pained, wondering where she had gotten the strength to cause him actual pain when she hugged him. "Alright, Mabel, this is beginning to hurt a bit. Could you per-" She tightened her hold even more, causing him to release a gasp, highly pained by her constricted hug. "M-Mabel, p-please t-this h-hurts q-qui-"

His eyes widened, as she glanced up at him, lips stretched unnaturally thin, into a beaming smile. Her eyes glowed a bluish hue, an unearthly and seductive giggle erupt from her mouth. "A little pain is supposed to be good for you, darling."

The entire situation clicked into place, remembering how each time she hadn't forgotten the "Grandpa" portion of his name, though he had barely given it a second thought. The hair, in his research he had discovered the prolonged possession had certain side effects, such as mental instability and physical damage to the body. Her hair had begun the dying process, while still attached to her scalp. The music, he had heard music the first time she appeared and a handful of times Bill did. Gideon's adorable nervousness around her was not stemmed from a crush, but from how the familiar possessiveness she presented (yes, his brother informed him the entire situation involving the 11-year-old). No one in the family had cared to tell him, that she still lingered in Gravity Falls, though he supposed now of them were aware that Jill Rephic was inside his granddaughter."Y-You!"

"It's been such a long, long time, my darling, and oh, how I have missed you!" She squealed, rubbing her cheek across his stomach, causing him to filch in disgust at her disturbing behavior. "I've wait such a long time and now I finally have you!"

"M-Mabel!"

"Oh, this precious little thing? You know, I thought Gideon was the perfect little slave, but Mabel is even better! Sure, he used to be fun to toy around with, but Mabel caught my interest much more than he has! Her skin is such a soft texture and has the hair of silk. And her soul, oh, it's such a strong one. I am absolutely in love with her! Oh, not as much as you though, darling. She's not as great as you will ever be, but I think she'll be joining us when we leave."

"Y-You leave...h-her alone!" He choked out, panting from the strain of attempting to speak.

"Honey, I can see your beautifully brave side peeking out and I love it! I cannot wait for your bravery to be put to the tes-Oh. Shooting Star, sweetie, I would appreciate if you cease your struggling. It furthers the deteriorating proc...oh, look what you've done to your hands!" Jill cried out, frustration in her tone, as Stanley observed her hands in horror. They had began to age further than the rest of her body, wrinkles sprouting and the skin becoming a grayish hue, dying away before his very eyes.

"P-Please, leave h-her!" He pleaded, hoping he could at least rescue his granddaughter's soul from Jill.

"Oh, I well, though she will be coming with us to the dre-NO!" The dream demon's voice morphed into Mabel's at the end, her entire body spasming, releasing her confiding grip on Stanley. As he gasped for breath, her hands clawed through her hair, as she screamed out. Her hands froze seconds later, dropping from her tangled hair, returning to Jill's voice. "Honey, didn't I just get done telling you to cease your fighting? It's futile at this point, since you can only push me aside for a mere moment."

"I-I'll willingly go, if you just leave her be, for God's sa-"

"Have neither of you listened to me? The three of us are leaving for a better world! Even though I do love your bodies, they're not necessary where we're going."

"Jill, please, she won't survive in the dreamscape! She'll lose her mind! I was lucky that I was only in a pocket dimension and not the compl-"

"Oh, so that's where Bill hid you! What a NAUGHTY dream demon he is!" Her voice had morphed into a crackling, static-like screech during her sentence, causing Stanley to clap his hands over his ears, in attempt to reduce the painful noise from reaching his eardrums. She appeared to be fuming, hair greying and splitting at the ends, from the stress this was causing Mabel's body.

"S-Stop!" He cried out, brought to his knees from the force of her noise, horrified as the brunette's body died away, as she released a ear piercing scream of agony, obviously not from Jill Rephic, but from Mabel Pines. Tears slid from his eyes, realizing he wouldn't be able to cease the dream demon's abduction of his granddaughter's soul. He had only escaped the first time, due to Bill Cipher's interference with the portal. Those seals he had made around the Shack would of not lasted forever, but he had gotten away, thanks to the triangle. He didn't have any seals or interference from Bill this time though, so he could only watch as she wasted away to nothing. There was a tugging in his stomach and his heart, leading him to have his soul be slowly ripped from his body. The words he had written years ago in journal haunted his mind. Dream demons needed permission to use the body or soul of others, though even with that there would be damage if too much time passed. Forcefully removal or entry though, that could cause the worse damage of all.

"LEE!" He heard Stan scream from behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut, the glimpse he received before doing so, was of the ghostly shape of Mabel beginning to exit her deteriorating body, image stretched taunt, as though she was putty. A whirlwind of a rainbows surrounded them both, as she turned a bluish hue, and the wind howled in his ears. He heard the screaming of his granddaughter cut off, his brother's screaming distant to his ears. He felt his heart and soul torn from each other, leaving him weightlessly for a moment, before he felt the warmth pass through his hand. His eyes snapped open, revealing the aged face of Stanford, his hand reached out to his translucent one. "STANLEY!"

He shut his eyes, voice coming out a sigh, echoing as the music he had heard before was. "I'm sorry..."

End Chapter 35

THIS IS PART TWO OF MY DOUBLE UPDATE. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER YET, GO BACK AND DO SO NOW. Ok, I stopped my lies, and finally had Gideon's birthday. Notes for this chapter is only one; Gideon stated he didn't trust Stan in Chapter 10 and now I've gone full circle with that, having Gideon state he does now trust him. Next chapter will have Stan finally discovering where Fiddleford has been, since he disappeared from the Mystery Shack.