Chapter 39

Disclaimer: Alex Hirsch owns Gravity Falls, not me.

"J-Just trim it, please..." Fiddleford whimpered out, eyes squeezed shut. Stan held the scissors in his right hand, left hand on his friend's shoulder for comfort. He had requested for his lengthy beard to be trimmed down to a manageable state, considering how difficult it was to maintain and how itchy it was against his exposed neck. Stan supposed that Fiddleford hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that his mind was beginning to stabilize in a way (though he was considerably a long way away from being sane), he noticed his appearance.

"I ain't gonna accidentally cut you, so just calm down." He rolled his eyes down at the ex-curator.

"I-I know, b-but I..."

"Don't trust me?"

Fiddleford's eyes snapped open. "I-I do!"

"Then, relax, so I can cut this damn beard off."

He bit his lip, squirming in the seat located in the bathroom, before releasing a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Stan dropped his hand, moving to stand in front of him. He reached out, before snipping off half of the beard, letting the hair fall partly into Fiddleford's lap and onto the floor. The ex-curator had flinched at the snip, stiffing as Stan cut closer, before beginning to trim the end. He could feel the metal brushing up against his jawline, shivering from how cool it felt to his skin. When Stan finished off the trim, he brushed his hands through the shorten beard, pieces of hair drifting down from it. Fiddleford visibly relaxed and Stan patted his shoulder. "That look alright?"

He assisted Fiddleford in standing and turned him to the mirror. He had a much cleaner appearance, though he thought being bald with a beard appeared unnatural to himself. There wasn't much he could do about hair on top of his head though, considering his age. Now that he didn't wear overalls though, he thought he appeared much as he had been when he was young. Stan had went by his old house, finding much of his clothes to be abandoned in the closet, most moth-eaten and frayed. After searching for a couple of minutes though, he had savaged a couple for his friend. "Yes, thank you."

"Good. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat and I'm sure the kids are as well," Stan answered, removing the towel wrapped around Fiddleford's body, dumping the hair across the floor. "Though I gotta get Dipper to clean this up first."

Fiddleford frowned, a thought occurring to him. "I didn't notice until now, but...w-where is Mabel?"

Stan stiffened, before easily passing a lie. "She's spending the night at one of her friend's houses."

"Oh..."

"Anyways, you can sleep in my brother's room, if that's ok with you?" He asked, as they exited the bathroom, heading towards the living room.

"That's alright." The ex-curator agreed immediately, fine with the familiarity of that room.

"Ok...Dipper," They arrived, to reveal him and Gideon to be laying on their stomachs in front of the television set, though neither seemed to be focused on the cartoon being played. They had a haze to their eyes, as though they were stuck in deep thoughts. He had a distraction for the moment, which was taking care of his best friend, while the younger ones didn't. He knew what their minds were drifting to, though Dipper snapped from his thoughts on Mabel, when he called out his name. "Can you get the broom and sweep up the hair in the bathroom?"

A glint appeared in his eyes, Stan immediately knowing Jason was on the surface. "Kid, that better be a 'yes, sir' that comes out of your mouth and not some sassy answer."

Dipper snapped his mouth shut, the glint remaining though, he stiffly nodded. It seemed at moments when Dipper was set of edge, such as his emotions on his sister being missing, did Jason make minor appearances. Jason had merged into Dipper's personality, so he remained subdued, but Stan didn't believe he could ever get used to that whole concept. "Ok...Grunkle Stan..."

Gideon observed his friend, taking note of the tone. The elder Pines narrowed his eyes at his great-nephew, aware Jason was pissed at this point, though held it back for appearances. Fiddleford was confused at the entire exchange, frowning at them. Dipper pulled himself to his feet, before heading to the kitchen for the broomstick. He glowered over his shoulder at Stan, before disappearing from the room. Fiddleford frowned deeper, before whispering to Stan. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, he's just upset...um, Mabel and I got into a fight, so she went to her friends' house, until things cooled down." He smoothly lied, aware that Jason was actually upset with him. He had a theory as to why, though didn't quite understand the reasoning. He probably blamed him for his sister being abducted by Jill Rephic, though he wasn't upset with Gideon hiding the knowledge that she was inside Mabel. Now, Stan didn't blame Gideon, but he blamed the root of the problem, the obsessive dream demon herself. Jason wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind when Dipper exhibited him, so he couldn't exactly analyze the reasoning for his anger.

"Oh...is there anything I could do to help?"

"No, everything will be ok, let's just get you to bed, ok?" He replied, waving away his concern. "Gideon, I think you should go off to bed, kiddo. We're going to be...busy later."

Gideon seemed to perk up at these words, knowing Stan was going to work on discovering where Mabel and Stanley were tomorrow, though he didn't know how, when he needed to assist Old Man McGucket in stabilizing his mind. The 11-year-old wasn't going to question this though, because he wanted Mabel back. He hadn't been comfortable around her, ever since she began to act different. He was thankful though, it wasn't her, but Jill Rephic. She hadn't changed, but he missed her right now. And, he knew what Jill could do to her. Gideon knew he was a poster child for what could happen. He couldn't work through his stutter and found himself in the midst of flashbacks, involving her presence. Though, he supposed in a way though, they were perhaps better than the one's involving his father. "O-Ok."

The freckled boy began to head to the staircase, though he was startled to run directly into Dipper, standing on the first step. Gideon flinched, backing away, before frowning in confusion. "Um, D-Dip-?"

Dipper's-no, Jason's-piercing gaze deepened, as he gazed into Gideon's royal blue eyes. "...I just heard her."

"M-Mabel?"

"No, Jill Rephic's."

Gideon's eyes widened at the words and he licked his lips nervously. "W-What d-did s-she s-say?"

"...she knew I was listening...she..." He clenched his fists, face twisting into a scowl. "...she said...'dear, don't bother rescuing your family, because they're mine now, and the Nightmare Realm is unreachable by mere mortals, such as yourself'."

The 11-year-old froze, beginning to tremble from head-to-toe. Jason seemed to melt from Dipper's face, replaced with a mask of concern and confusion. He stepped forward, off the first step, reaching out to Gideon. A hand rubbed his shoulder and he released a quivering sigh of tension. "D-Did you say the N-Nightmare R-Realm?"

"...you know what that is, don't you?" Gideon's pudgy hands trembled by his sides, raising up to cover his eyes. "Gideon?"

"I-I...s-she's n-never c-coming b-back!" Tears slipped out from the spaces in-between his fingers, hunching his head over.

"What? Gideon, what do you mean?" Dipper-Jason-sounded sharp, demanding, as his fingers dug into his shoulder.

"What's going on over here?" Stan appeared by the entryway, Fiddleford lingering behind. "Didn't I tell you to go clean u-Kid?"

He pulled his fingers from his face, snot dripping from his nose, appearing nearly hysterical. His eyes were blown wide, pupils darting about, from each figure surrounding him. He leaned forward to Dipper, whispering hoarsely. "...p-people a-aren't s-supposed t-to g-go t-there...i-it...t-twists t-their s-soul a-and...t-they b-become...d-demons a-are b-born i-in a-all s-sorts o-of w-ways..."

"S-Stanford...is there something I need to know?" Fiddleford broke the silence that had ensued after Gideon's crypt words, appeared pasty pale.

"Gideon, what did you just say?" Stan demanded, ignoring his friend, and grabbing Gideon by the forearm in a tight grip. The freckled boy didn't flinch away, distant look in his eyes. Stan shook him, his own heart beating violently in his chest, the realization what Gideon had whispered to them. His hand loosened it's hold, before dropping to his side. "...holy Honey Nut Cheerios..."

Dipper felt himself gulp down his panic, as he stated what they feared. "Grandpa Stanley and Mabel are going to turn into demons."

A clap of a noise louder than thunder echoed throughout the Mystery Shack, causing all the occupants to cover their ears. A golden light momentarily blinded them, heat roiling the air enough to produce a steam above their heads. They all blinked, shaking away the ringing in their ears. Bill Cipher floated in the middle of the room, massive in size, eye glowing a red hue. The room had lost all saturation, Bill's glow drawing attention to all around, though the red eyes was what truly captivated them. The heat seemed to emerge from the dream demon himself, voice rumbling out his displeasure. "THIS IS GOING TO END NOW! The number of rules she has and will break, results in the highest level of punishment: destruction."

They all trembled, visibly frightened by his presence and screeching voice rattling their bones. Fiddleford was curled into a ball, squeezing his eyes shut. Stan was on his hands and knees, eyes wide, as he stared frozen in place at the dream demon. Gideon had covered his eyes, producing a series of choking and sobbing noises. Dipper's knees wobbled, mouth gaping open at him. There was a moment of silence, before he spoke, voice barely heard. "W-Who are y-you, to decide t-that?"

Bill's pupil darted over to him, heat increasing enough to cause the four to break out into a sweat. Then, the heat died, leaving an icy coldness to wash over them. They all shivered, as fog swirled out from their mouth. Goosebumps raised on their skin and the red vanished immediately from his glow. His golden hue appeared before their eyes, though he continued to induce a feeling of horror from him. "I'm not the one to decide that. I am simply the one to be assigned for this assassination."

"B-By who?" Stan hoarsely choked out.

Bill's pupil darted to him, his mood alternating to an unknown one, as the temperature of the room returned to normal. An pressure that had frightened them beyond what they had experienced before, vanished in an instant. They were shaken though, all four trembling. Fiddleford continued to be curled into a ball, eyes squeezed shut, whispering aloud. "No...no...no...not again..."

The cane in Bill's hands was pointed at Fiddleford, his other hand snapping his fingers. The whispering ceased and the ex-curator slumped forward, onto the ground. Stan gaped in horror at the unconscious homeless man, before lunging at the dream demon. His voice exploded with rage, hands reaching out for revenge for his best friend. "CIPHER!"

Bill rolled his eye, snapping his fingers, once more. His finger, barely a centimeter from touching Bill, froze in place, as the rest of his body did. The hand that had snapped, used the index finger to point downwards. Stan was slammed in the wooden floor, releasing a groan of pain. The triangle shrunk in size, floating closer to the elder man. "I've wiped his mind of me appearing before him today, along with the damage he has done to his own mind over the years. Some of his memories will have gaping holes, but what can you do? Working with the mind is tricky business, but he wouldn't be so off his rocker anymore. Frankly, his whole little crazy-trash-eating-racoon-marrying-shenanigans were becoming boring."

Stan's eyebrows furrowed, confusion apparent on his face. "H-Holes? But...y-you...y-you can't be trusted..."

"And, to answer your earlier question, that is knowledge you don't need, nor would you understand the concept of. What you do know though, is that the time for the wheel to end, draws near." The dream demon drawled, ignoring the stuttering words emerging from the elder Pine's lips.

"W-What?" Dipper whispered, the words striking a sense of dread, deep within his soul. Bill's cane disappeared from view, increasing into his previous size. Instead of answering his question, he lifted his hands into the air. They began to glow, as golden as his eyes had become, voice rumbling steadily throughout the confines of the room.

"THE PROPHECY SEEMED FAR AWAY, BUT FINALLY WE'VE REACHED THE DAY. AND, THOUGH THEY WILL STRIVE, ONLY THREE PINES WILL SURVIVE. ONE DEMON WILL BE TRAPPED INSIDE, BUT THEY KNOW THEY CAN'T HIDE. A BOND THOUGHT DEPARTED, WILL BE RESTARTED. IT HAS BEEN QUITE FUN, BUT DESTINY HAS FINALLY HAD IT'S RUN. SO, UNTIL THE MOMENT ARISES, YOU'LL BE IN FOR A FEW SURPRISES." He tipped his top hat to them, before vanishing in a bright flash of light.

~!-?-!~

"FIDDLES! FIDDLEFORD!" Stan's hands clung to his shoulders, shaking the unconsciousness ex-curator. Dipper reached out to his great-uncle, taking hold of one of the hands. He whirled his head to the 13-year-old, a desperate look plastered across his face. Dipper's heart ached at the broken sight, knowing there were few instances he had seen Stan nearly unravel. He knew there had been details he had never been told about the elder man's past, ones he would never likely reveal. The past the brunet had heard, sounded heart wrenching, and could drive a man to crumble. He didn't know how close Stan had been to the edge, but he did know that he couldn't let him do so right now.

"He's ok, Grunkle Stan. His mind has to adjust to the changes, before he can wake up."

Stan blinked a couple of times, removing his hands from Fiddleford, allowing him to be laid back onto the wooden floorboards. He removed his fez, running a hand through his grayed hair, and the desperate look became a blank one. "Yeah...I knew that...just...You ok there, kid? You're hands were shaking when you grabbed me."

Dipper bobbed his head up and down. "I think Gideon isn't though."

The freckled boy had collapsed onto the first step of the stairs, hands clinging to the railing. His face had a much more ashen complex to it, than usual, which caused his freckles to stick out vividly against his skin. Stan brought himself to his feet and cautiously approached Gideon. When he didn't react, the elder man plopped down next to him. "You doing ok, kiddo?"

Gideon's voice came out, without a stutter, sounding not quite there. "I need to tell you about it."

"The Nightmare Realm?" Dipper asked, standing in front of the pair.

Stan, whole had began to rub Gideon's back as a sigh of comfort, frowned at these words. "Nightmare Realm...why does that sound familiar?"

"Grunkle Stan?"

He gasped aloud, using his other hand to cover his mouth. "The Cipher File!"

"Wait, what?" The 13-year-old was ignored though, as Stan jerked his hand away from Gideon, and scrambled up from the staircase. He sprinted away from the room, disappearing to an unknown location. "Grunkle Stan! Where are you going?!"

Gideon muttered an incomprehensible sentence, catching his attention. Dipper briefly glanced over to the hallway his great-uncle had disappeared through, before he sat himself next to his friend, leaning in to hear him better. "What did you say?"

The 11-year-old's eyes were red-rimmed, though no tears were welled up in his eyes. "Souls get broken there and change into...what's there, destroys souls and then the demons trick them, into becoming like them...you see what you're scared of most and...you become a demon..."

Dipper felt a cold sweat breaking out on his skin. His words were momentarily stuck in his throat, before he questioned further. "How do you know that?"

"Jill, she told me lots and lots of things..." His voice sounded nearly giddy, the echoes of who he been before, shadowing who he was today.

"Here it is!" Stan called out, as he entered the room, hand holding onto a manilla folder. The words "THE CIPHER FILE" were printed in a bolded red in the font. Gideon's eyes flickered over to the elder man, leaning his face up against the railing. He appeared exhausted, the previous echo missing, as Stan shoved Dipper over, into Gideon. "Budge over, will you? A old man's gotta sit, especially after that sprint I just did."

Dipper complied, side flush up against his friend, as Stan blew off the layer of dust on the top of the file. He opened it, tilting the folder to the side, so that his grand-nephew could view the contents. "My brother decided to put this together and I helped out a little."

The first image sent shivers down his spine, as he observed every detail of the illustration. A human skull, with an eye bulging outwards was presented to him, the outline of the flesh surrounding it. The words "OUR WORLD" were bolded across the top. The next had the words "MIND SCAPE", with a human figure gaping at a image of Bill Cipher, lines stretched taunt in the background, reminiscent of muscle tenons. The final, featured a larger image of the dream demon, his arms outstretched, with fires blazing in each. "NIGHTMARE REALM" burned into his retinas, tingles of anxiety shooting through his veins. "Dipper?"

He forcefully dragged his eyes away, suddenly realizing his breathing sounded fast paced. He breathed, in and out, deep breathes, before he calmed. Stan was obviously concerned by the reaction, but handed the file to Dipper anyways, when he stretched out his hands for it. He flipped to the next page, reading over articles about pyramids and studying the images of drawn triangles. When he suddenly stumbled across the images of ancient objects with stars, his eyes widened. Stan abruptly snatched the files away, appearing bewildered. "What the hell? These weren't here the last time I saw this!"

"T-That's Grandpa Stanley's handwriting though..."

He frowned, fingers brushing across the familiar script, and nodded. "They are...when did he put these in though...?"

A faded photograph, exhibiting the Milky Way, had stars twinkling throughout. A hastily scribbled note was writing across, sounded quite paranoid to his chocolate eyes. "Is she always watching? Every night, can she see my activities?" Stan seemed to be reading the same line Dipper was, for he rubbed his thumb across it, as he whispered. "He's known about her...this whole time...and he never told me he knew..."

~!-?-!~

Stan light his cigarette, lungs begging for the toxic, yet calming, smoke to fill them. The flames licked the end, lighting it afire, as he shoved the other end into his mouth. He inhaled the smoke, beginning to feel the tension leave his shoulders. Stanley never told him, that there had been another dream demon, harassing them during the same time period. He and Dipper had found notes, describing how she had appeared, harassing him to join her, in another realm all together. He had been frightened of Bill Cipher at first, but had begin to want him to appear, more than Jill Rephic. He had told the male dream demon about her and according to the notes, his reaction had been crypt. He had informed him that he knew she was messing with what she shouldn't be and could take care of her. Stan didn't think he ever did anything though, until now. He dropped his head into his hands. "Jesus, I could of helped you..."

Gideon and Dipper had been sent to the attic, so he could have alone time with himself. He had allowed Dipper to take The Cipher File upstairs, so he could further analyze it, Stan knowing his great-nephew would treat it as if it was made of glass, and inflict no damage to the records of the dream demons. He lifted his head, removing the cigarette from his lips, blowing out a ring out smoke. He observed the haze, float away, before disappearing into a wisp of smoke. He wondered when Fiddleford would wake, glancing up from the dining room table, to him laying in the reclining chair. Before his thoughts could drift further, the telephone rang. He sighed and headed over to the phone. As the elder man plucked up the phone from the jack, his cigarette slid over to the corner of his mouth. "Hello?"

"Mr. Pines?" Soos' voice drifted into his ears.

"Soos? Why the hell haven't you called? I told you four days and you don't even call for two weeks!" He was pissed off by this fact, slight concern present in the back of his mind, about the young adult. He didn't know the exact address or phone number of where he would be, when visiting his mother in the hospital.

"I know and I'm sorry Mr. Pines. I...got caught up and didn't really pay attention, and..." He sounded exhausted, as though he hadn't slept in years.

"What's going on, Soos? You don't sound..."

"...My mami she...passed away about a week ago...my relatives didn't call, until they were sure she didn't have much time left..."

Stan froze at the words, mouth twitching, as he attempted to think of words to apply to this situation. "Um...uh...t-that sucks..."

"Mr. Pines, you don't have to try to make me feel better. I know you're not too good at that stuff and I'm better now...I'm not...over it, but I'll be ok...we had the funeral a few days ago, so I'm coming home tomorrow." Soos explained, as Stan felt guilty at the knowledge that he couldn't produce a source of comfort. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had seen Soos as a type of son, for quite awhile now. He treated him gruffly, but underneath his facade, he had a soft spot for him.

"...Take a few more days, kid. You don't have to be in a hurry to return here." Stan answered, realizing perhaps he shouldn't involve Soos in what would occur over the course of the next few days.

"Oh, Mr. Pines, I've already taken so much time off an-"

"Soos, it's fine. Just, hang out with your relatives for a few more days, and just relax, ok?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, kid, I am. And...I'm sorry about your mother, I really am."

"...thank you, Mr. Pines..."

Stan felt a lump at in his throat at the words. "See you in a few days, Soos."

"Ok, goodbye Mr. Pines." He hung up, leaving Stan there, with the phone in his hands, the smoke swirling around his face.

End Chapter 39

Perhaps you've noticed the hints throughout the story, but in case you haven't, I'll state this plainly. This wonderful story, that's I've worked on for a year now (I wrote the rough drafts back in November of last year), is soon drawing to a close. There are only a handful of chapters left to be written, so the story may end anywhere between late December, to January of 2016. I won't be saying any goodbyes yet (I'll leave that for the final chapter), but I really want to thank you all for the support you've given me. Now, notes in this chapter include the following; If anyone is still confused about the entire Dipper/Jason aspect of this story, I'll try to explain it the best I can right now. Dipper is the main personality, that usually interacts with others, while Jason is a minor one. Though they've combined into one individual once more, there are moments when you can tell who is who. Jason is more the one that appears when Dipper feels threatened or when he feels intense moments of anger/frustration. Who exactly assigned Bill the assassination? Well, let's just say there's a higher being in all of this, one that will remain anonymous, simply because I find that to be the best approach to the idea I have of them. What I will tell you, is the the best dream demons are by their side, doing all the work that is needed for the wheels to continue to move. Now, with the prophecy, I took the first line from a decoded cipher in "Dipper and Mabel VS. The Future", while the rest I made myself (rhyming stuff is sooo hard!). The Nightmare Realm was in The Cipher File and was the where all of Bills' friends come from, when he opens the rift. When I imagine Stanley, choosing between which demon he would trust more, I feel as though that would be Bill, instead of Jill. In my story, which side Bill is on exactly, is a blur. Why exactly does it seem he tortures the older Pines, while helping out the younger ones? Well, that's an answer you'll have to find out for yourself.