In which Bill tangles with one of the last people that he wants to see, Dipper's weird dream continues, Pacifica reappears, and Mabel sleeps through it all. And did I mention ghosts?

So maybe humans weren't all that bad. Stanford may have been a real shithead to Star, and the ones from his past weren't exactly brag-worthy, but as much as he hated to admit it, these two weren't terrible…

Except for when it came to picking a damn campsite!

"Kid, I already told you, every part of this forest is going to have leaves on the fucking ground!" Bill seethed, slapping a palm to his forehead for what must have been the thirteenth time that evening. They'd been searching for a place to camp since the beginnings of orange had seeped into the blues of the sky. Now it was almost pitch black, save for the moon and stars; Bill had to conjure a portable ball of light to guide them with because somebody couldn't get over the fact that he'd have to spend the night in the middle of nature.

Granted, it was the teen's first time outdoors, and his imagination had probably worked up thousands of ways for him to die out here, (hell, the few unintentionally shared through their link were ridiculous enough), but that was no excuse for being incapable of sleeping in the dirt for a few hours.

Mabel seemed to have grown just as tired of her brother's indecisiveness, plopping her bag down and throwing her head onto it drowsily. Waddles trotted up to her and curled up to her side, nuzzling himself beneath one of her arms. "Let's take a vote: those in favor of saying 'screw it' and camping here, say 'I'."

"I!" Bill's hand shot into the air, Mabel's rising a millisecond after. Even the piglet snorted loudly in response.

"And all opposed…" she trailed off, shooting the brunet a disapproving look.

Dipper didn't even bother to dispute the verdict, kicking some leaves aside to set his bag down. "Fine, but if either of you wake up with leeches or ringworm, I'm not healing it."

"Oh please, Pine Tree, those should be the least of your concerns out here," Bill mumbled automatically, clamping a hand over his mouth a second later, eyes wide. Shit, what had he just done!?

A quick glance at Dipper more than confirmed his worries. The young man was staring slack-jawed at him, awaiting further elaboration. When the demon failed to continue, his eyes darted around anxiously, hand reaching for his bag again.

Bill sighed, flicking a glowing gold tendril out to snatch the strap from the brunet's hand, tugging the bag toward himself. He set it at his own feet, shooting Dipper a weary, but challenging gaze.

Dipper frowned, reaching for his bag as if some invisible force would deliver it directly to his hand. Not a full second later, something rustled the bushes behind him, tearing a rather undignified yelp from the teen as he inched closer to his guide. He gazed longingly at his bag, pleading eyes trailing up to the demon. "Come on, man, help me out here."

Bill opened his mouth to retort that he was indeed trying to help, but shut it when a sudden thought hit him. Oh, he could most definitely use this opportunity!

Dipper was curled in on himself, obvious paranoia wracking his body. If he focused enough on their link, he could catch uncertainties like, "Why did we do this?", "What if Gideon does find out?" and his personal favorite, "What if something happens to Mabel?" It seemed that without his brighter other half, the brunet was susceptible to overthinking himself to worry. Definitely not a quality to boast about, but it could certainly work in Bill's favor.

His lips twitched with a suppressed smirk as he sidled up to Dipper, internally snickering at the shiver that raced up the boy's spine when he did so. "Pine Tree, you don't look so hot," he stated matter-of-factly, touching the back of his hand to the other's forehead and wincing when he pulled it away.

"I-I don't?" the brunet stuttered in response, eyes darting from the blond's face to the shadows warily.

"No, and I doubt that sleeping out here will do you any better – if you even sleep at all," the demon added with a knowing tone.

Dipper's wide eyes finally settled on him, chocolate hues tired and worried. "So what should I do?"

It was getting harder to contain his grin, the boy's emotions like putty in his hands. It probably had something to do with the fact that he'd expended quite a bit of energy in healing his sister, the brunet looking absolutely drained and somewhat delirious. Whatever the reason, he was making this way too easy.

Bill feigned a dramatic sigh, biting his lip and looking away. "Look, I don't normally do this – in fact, I don't think demons are ever supposed to do this – but, I'm letting you out of the deal."

Dipper's lips fell into a thin line, his brows furrowed. "Wh-What did you say?"

"I said that I'm letting you out of the deal," the blond repeated, voice dripping with insincere sympathy. "I'll take you home so you can sleep in your own bed. It's obvious that you're feeling guilty for sneaking away without permission, and mostly for putting Shooting Star's life in danger to do it. I mean, she did almost die twice earlier–"

Aside from the bandits incident, Mabel had stumbled across a patch of wild berries that, after quick examination by Dipper, were determined to be yew berries. The swiftness at which he'd slapped the bunch out of her hand and pried her mouth open to check for seeds was rather comical.

"–And it's pretty apparent that you don't have what it takes, so allow me to take you two home before any real damage is done. No harm, no foul, I get the journals and you get to keep your familial relationships and your sanity." As he spoke, Bill was already setting the bag back onto Dipper's shoulders, steering him toward an already dozing Mabel, and picking her up to carry her along.

Dipper didn't resist initially, seemingly lost in thought, before he shook his head, digging his heels into the dirt and whirling on the half-demon with a glare. "Whoa, no way! I see what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work!"

Bill could feel his eyes take on the same dangerous red that Star's did whenever he or Dot screwed a spell up with major consequences. He set Mabel down carefully before digging a finger into Dipper's chest, the human backing away to avoid being impaled, but standing his ground on the matter.

"Excuse me?" he was vaguely aware of the sinister tone his voice had taken on, the words reverberating from his core with an audible echo.

Dipper visibly gulped before answering, a fire of his own igniting his glare. "I think you heard me the first time. I'm not succumbing to your 'Charm-speak,' or whatever the hell you demons call it. Mabel and I are going to that festival this year, and there's nothing that you can say or do to convince us otherwise!"

The passionate words threw Bill off, but not as much as what Dipper had stated before them. He'd picked up on the magic laced into his proposition – a spell used countless times in quite literally charming the pants off of people. It was a tricky technique that Dot had taught him early on, resulting in the revelation that he also had an apparent aptitude for mind magic. With this as the case, the trio often used it in their cons. Sure, people would catch onto the charade after the fact, but he'd never heard of anyone seeing through it – not even other creatures or magic users!

He must have had a strange expression on his face, because Dipper frowned at him and turned away with a huff, the paranoia that had plagued him a moment ago apparently lost. "I'm sure you're not used to humans talking back to you and all, but don't expect me to just roll over and give you what you want. Tired or not, I'm not falling for your tricks so easily."

Bill shook his head in wonder as the teen walked as far away from him as their link would allow, laying his bag and coat down on the ground gingerly before settling on top of them, back turned to him. He didn't know what to think of the exchange, the kid proving to be an even greater enigma than he'd anticipated.

The half-demon sighed, lying down on his back with his arms crossed beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. He stared up at the stars visible past the canopy of trees, shifting a bit in discomfort. The terrain along here was more on the bumpy side, and while he was grateful that there weren't jagged stones digging into his back, the pebbles beneath his rear were not welcome in the slightest. Just as he had resigned to staying awake through the night, a large mass suddenly smacked him in the face.

Bill sprung upright, spluttering as the offending object fell into his lap. In the dim light, he was able to make it out to be a coat, similar in fashion to the one that Dipper had tied around his waist…

His head turned to his right questioningly, eyes meeting bashful brown ones, their owner biting his lip apprehensively.

"Mabel was on a roll and made two of them for me, and I felt how uncomfortable you were through the link, so…" Dipper trailed off, nervously picking at his fingers.

Bill's eyes widened at the chivalrous display. Just a moment ago, he'd been sulking about the demon's (admittedly rude) attempt at manipulation, yet here he was offering him his spare coat because he sensed his discomfort.

"Dipper, I-"

"Don't read too much into this," the brunet quickly added, his blush apparent even under the cover of night.

"Aww, Pine Tree, I knew you cared!" The half-demon couldn't help but tease, wiggling his eyebrows at the flushed human.

Dipper pouted, rubbing at his eyes. "I'm too tired for this; I'll deal with you in the morning."

"I'm sure you will," the blond chuckled fondly. "Goodnight, kid."

Dipper mumbled something that sounded like, "'night Bill," in response, nuzzling into his bag. In seconds, his breathing softened into light snores.

Bill ran a thumb over the firm fabric in his lap, a soft smile coming to his lips. He inched closer to Dipper, laying the coat on the ground a couple of feet to the left of the sleeping teen. The garment created an almost cot-like surface, cushioning the rough terrain bearably.

He settled onto the coat gratefully, finally relaxing and allowing the day's events to replay in his mind. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with the arrangement he'd overzealously sold himself into, but the twins were steadily giving him more reason to be.

The coat provided much more cushion than one would expect from such a garment, although that could also be attributed to the exhaustion wearing on the young half-demon. Just as he felt the weight of his eyelids become too heavy to support, he sensed another being approach the makeshift camp.

Oh, for fuck's sake! He mentally groaned, steeling himself for a fight as he rolled to his feet. His head whipped in the direction of a rustle in the bushes to his right, eyes scanning the foliage carefully. He silently crept toward them, unhooking the frying pan from Dipper's bag as he passed it.

When he was a mere meter from the intruder, they stilled, likely picking up on his presence, as well. In a bid to maintain his advantage, Bill tightened his grip on his weapon before diving into the bushes after them.

His body collided with another roughly his size, the two tumbling through the undergrowth. With the element of surprise still on his side, the blond managed to wrestle his target to the ground beneath him, only pausing to look at them once they'd been subdued.

"Wait – Dot?"

"Bill?" A pair of electric blue eyes stared up at him in shock. "So that was you!"

"Are you stalking me or something?" Bill half-joked, climbing off of his brother and offering a hand to tug him up.

The other allowed himself to be dragged up, brushing the leaves from his clothes once he was on his feet again. "I was on my way back from a session with The Council when I heard voices. I thought that it was just a band of lowly humans who'd wandered too deep into the forest."

Bill was suddenly very self-conscious, biting his lip and looking anywhere but at the blue-haired demon before him. He knew that Dot especially greatly detested humans, and being caught in such a compromising position with two of them probably wouldn't sit well with him. Dot read his apprehension and took it as a sign to continue.

"So imagine my surprise when I find what looks to be my baby brother cozying up to some scrawny mortal! Last I checked, you're supposed to be recovering the other two journals. There had better be a damn good reason for this!"

The blond opened his mouth to respond, then hesitated, mulling his words over. The last thing that he wanted to do was let something slip that warranted Dot dragging Star into things. Sure, the two would likely have a solution to the deal, but it would not be worth the lectures and restrictions that he'd be slapped with. Not to mention that they'd never trust him with a solo mission ever again! He'd be watched like a hawk for an infraction of this magnitude.

"Well?" Dot's snapping fingers reminded Bill that he had yet to give an answer. "This excuse has got to be good for all of the time that I'm giving you to formulate it!"

Think, Bill, come on! It doesn't have to be true; it just has to be convincing! The half-demon wracked his brain for an idea, his extensive library of bullshit racing through his mind. Finally, a story came to him, and while his chances with it were slim, it would work if he could twist it right.

He fixed his expression into an easy grin, allowing his instincts of self-preservation to takeover. Dot raised a brow at the sudden shift in demeanor, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Alright, Bill, let's hear it."

"It's a bit of a long story…"

"I assure you, I have time." Dot crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

Bill sighed, as if it had been his brother stalling and not him. He glanced around despite knowing that they were alone, and leaned in toward the blue-haired demon's face conspiratorially. "Alright, I was hoping to keep this as a surprise, but since you insist I'll spill the beans."

"Oh for God's sake, Bill! Cut the crap and tell me what's going on!"

In his past experiences, Bill learned that the best made lies are ones founded on small truths. "I found one of the journals in the possession of those two kids. One of them seemed especially protective of it. I figured that was a bit suspicious, especially when they recognized the one that I had, and I wanted to figure out how much they know."

Dot's eyes were calculating, piecing the story together. "Do you think they might have some relation to Stanford?"

That possibility actually hadn't occurred to Bill, but it didn't matter whether or not he believed it so long as he could convince Dot of it. "There may be a chance of that. I'm still trying to weed information out of them. But if they are related to Stanford in any way, I thought I'd deliver them to Star along with the journals so that she could have her cake and eat it, too."

Dot seemed fairly appeased by the full response. Skepticism still radiated from his gaze, but approval was at the forefront. He patted Bill on the shoulder, a small, proud smile on his face. "Not bad, little bro."

"Thanks." The praise mingled pleasantly with the high of successfully deceiving the older demon, leaving a giddy feeling in the blond's core. He was certain that Dot would be keeping tabs on him, but for the most part, he was in the clear. "Now if you'll excuse me, babysitting is a fulltime job and I'd like to catch a few hours of sleep while I have the chance."

"Of course, I won't keep you any longer."

"Oh, and don't mention it to Star just yet," he added with a wink. "I'd like to keep it a surprise." Bill turned to leave, but paused when Dot called after him. He didn't turn around, but acknowledged that he was listening with a hum.

"Just… be careful. Don't let those two lull you into a false sense of security. Remember how dangerous humans can be."

Bill scoffed, shooting his brother a confident expression to mask the foreboding feeling trying to force bile up his throat. "Don't worry, Dot. There's no way that I could forget that."

He was falling. Back into the abyss, sinking through the ink-like air. There was no discernable source of light around, but he could easily see his own person. A strange red mark was streaked across the abdomen of his torn shirt. He tried to recall whether or not he'd noticed the state of his attire the first time he'd had this dream. Then again, he'd been more concerned about–

The eyes returned. First the brilliant gold one with the playful aura, quickly followed by the menacing pink and dismissive blue. The smaller eyes were close behind, popping up to surround him on all sides. This was where the dream had cut out last time, but if he was dreaming it again there had to be more to the convoluted story.

His eyes focused on one of the smaller gold eyes, the same innocence present in the large one shining back at him. Suddenly, the air surrounding it flickered, twisting and morphing and glittering with various colors. It finally seemed to settle on a similar hue of gold to the one that the iris sported, the color molding into the shape of a triangle around the eye.

Beside it, one of the pink eyes began to undergo the same transformation, settling into a pink star that slotted perfectly to one of the triangle's corners. A blue eye on the triangle's other side mirrored the shift, forming a blue square as its outer shell that lined up with the triangle's side.

From those three a wave of colors and shapes poured out to the adjacent eyes, each adopting the same look as its related eye color. Dipper was mesmerized by the ripple effect that overtook his surroundings, so much so that he almost didn't notice the large eyes take on the same metamorphosis, barely catching the movement in his peripheral vision. The air around them solidified to form massive versions of their smaller counterparts.

He continued to fall in spite of the cylindrical wall around him. If he tipped his head far enough back, he could see the pitch black of the air he'd fallen through. Similarly, if he looked far enough down, he could spot the darkness that awaited him, no sign of a destination present.

'Was there a point to all of this?' he wondered idly. 'Was there some sort of symbolism that he was missing?'

Lost in his musings, he almost missed the bright golden tendril that shot out at him. It slowly encircled his waist, almost like a gentle embrace. Dipper's eyes traced the appendage to the large golden triangle, the eye gauging his response cautiously. When he didn't recoil from the touch, another limb extended to curl around his center, the support from the two slowing his decent.

It shouldn't have been physically possible, considering that they had been moving at the same pace, but the triangle's efforts were not in vain. He steadily felt himself coming to a stop. The golden eye seemed to be relieved in his deceleration, the corners crinkling upward at him in the faintest expression of a smile.

Suddenly, a large pink tendril lashed at them, severing the connecting gold limbs and hurling the teen back into his rapid plummet. He blinked at the pink star, startled at the aggressive display.

The bold pink eye glared back at him, launching another tentacle at him in an almost enraged manner. Rather than mimic the tentative approach that the triangle had taken, the star immediately went for his throat, strangling him in a rough chokehold.

Dipper's eyes widened as he was starved of oxygen, (or whatever substance he had been inhaling in this strange dream world). His hands moved to latch onto the offending limb and attempt to pry it from his neck, but another quickly subdued his efforts. A desperate glance toward the golden figure dashed his hopes against the rocks as he found the triangle wrapped up in the square's cobalt limbs, eye watching him helplessly.

As he began to lose consciousness, his eyes caught the pink iris studying him with a sadistic glee. Black spots flooded his vision, the star's eye glinting wickedly in amusement. Finally, he succumbed to the inevitable, eyes slipping shut.

Dipper woke with a start, groaning at the cold sweat beading at his forehead. His hand subconsciously rose to his throat, fingers gingerly running along the skin to feel for contusions. He slowly inhaled deeply when he found none, finally satisfied when pain did not follow the motion.

It was still dark out, the middle of the night, if he was charting the moon's location correctly. He glanced over at Mabel's prone form, a faint smile on her lips. Waddles dozed peacefully in his sister's arms, snuggled up to her breast for warmth. The pair was still locked in a deep slumber; he was relieved that at least one of them would be well-rested come morning.

Bill was also sound asleep, curled into the coat that the brunet had loaned to him. He was much closer than Dipper recalled him being before he'd fallen asleep, though the proximity allowed him another chance to openly appraise the blond.

He had very delicate features, though, unlike Dipper's, they did not retain a boyish quality. His hair was tossed behind his right ear, revealing the pointed tip that was usually covered by the wild waves. He'd also neglected to notice that the blond sported a single earring, a small opal encased in gold, in his right ear lobe. Upon closer examination, Dipper also discovered faint traces of gold freckles splashed across his nose. No matter the form, gold seemed to be a large part of Bill's identity. Somehow, Dipper couldn't see it any other way.

The only impurity that he spotted was a smudge of dirt barely the size of a pebble just below the blond's eye. Before he realized what he was doing, the brunet's thumb was stroking the man's cheek, gently removing the mark. Bill's eyes lazily fluttered open, pupils still dilated from sleep. He hummed, nestling into the thumb that had quickly become a hand cupping his cheek.

'What am I doing?' Dipper scolded, yet he couldn't bring himself to tear his hand away. As far as the labels of "criminal" and "demon" went, Bill was not living up to Dipper's expectations. Like this, he was, dare he say, adorable.

Dipper's hand mindlessly wandered from the blond's cheek up into his wavy locks. The strands felt like silk running past his fingertips. Bill released a content sigh, unconsciously snuggling closer. Dipper continued his ministrations in response, smile widening. Something about the moment just seemed so right.

Of course, the peace was quickly shattered by a sudden wail. Dipper immediately shot up, hand accidentally catching some of the half-demon's hair in his rush.

"Ouch! While a kiss on the cheek would be preferable, a pat on the shoulder is a sufficient way of waking someone up, you know," Bill complained, rubbing his scalp with a wince. "And here I thought we were having a moment."

Dipper shushed him with a finger to his lips, listening for the screech he'd heard before. His eyes scanned the wilderness around them, having adjusted to the dim light after he'd awoken. "Did you hear that?"

Bill rolled his eyes, inching closer to the brunet and curling up to his side. "It was probably just an animal. You know, the whole food chain business. Now stop waking me up, I'm not ready yet."

Dipper shook his head, shrugging the demon off to stand up. He heard Bill's whine, but that took a backseat as the scream rose again.

"It's coming from that direction!" He wasted no time in bolting toward the source of the noise, wrestling the pain that jarred his head when Bill was too slow to follow.

"Ack! Kid! Slow the fuck down!" the blond chastised from behind him.

The human continued to press onward as the screams became louder and more frequent. He couldn't shake the déjà vu moment that he was experiencing, the voice emitting the cries sounding awfully familiar…

A body suddenly slammed him into a nearby pine tree, his breath knocked away by the force of the impact against the solid trunk. He glanced up quickly enough to catch a glimpse of a light green dress just before it vanished between two shrubs.

A glance in the other direction justified the woman's screams. A pack of wolves emerged from the shadows, seemingly materializing from thin air. Their coats shimmered unnaturally, almost a transparent milky color. They emitted a glow that outshined the moonlight cast onto the rest of the forest. He'd read briefly about beings that possessed these qualities in the journal.

"They're ghosts," Bill confirmed with a whisper that almost gave Dipper a heart attack. He'd been so caught up in examining the newfound beasts that he hadn't heard or felt the half-demon approach.

The two watched silently as the wolf at the front of the pack, likely the alpha, sniffed at the air. Its snout twitched as it seemed to pick up on the woman's scent, head trained on the direction that she'd run in. Eyes narrowed, it released a single howl before launching full speed after her, the other wolves swift to follow.

"Why are they so focused on that woman?" Dipper wondered aloud once they'd all fled. "We were much easier targets…"

Bill gave Dipper a skeptical look. "Your only concern is why the wolves didn't try to maul us?"

Dipper shrugged. "Clearly, they have some kind of vendetta against her."

"And that's suddenly our problem because…?"

"Because we need to help her!"

"Geez, what is with you humans and your need to rescue each other? Why not let natural selection take its course?"

Dipper didn't stay to argue further, opting to chase after the predators. He heard a disgruntled groan before heavy footsteps followed him.

They managed to catch the wolves circling a tree, their alpha attempting to leap to the lowest branch. About twenty feet above them sat the woman that Mabel had "rescued" earlier… Pacifica, was it?

"Help!" she cried, clawing at the trunk desperately as a small crack was heard from the branch she was perched on. She scrambled to a nearby branch just as the one that she had been on snapped and plummeted to the ground. It landed on one of the wolves, falling right through its ethereal body.

"If these things are ghosts and can allow objects to literally pass right through them, how are we supposed to stop them?" Dipper murmured to Bill, eyes still trained on the blonde in distress.

"I don't know, genius, I'm just along for the ride," the blond retorted apathetically.

"Bill, I'm serious!"

"You seriously want to save the woman that insulted you and your sister after you both risked your lives for her… again?" the half-demon asked incredulously.

Dipper didn't even hesitate with his response. "Yes."

Bill clenched his fists and took a few deep breaths to steel himself before asking, "Then what's the plan?"

Dipper tried to shake off the shock that Bill's sudden compliance threw him into. He knew that the blond couldn't just leave because of their link, but he was more than welcome to sit on the sidelines until Dipper made a fool of himself and gave up. "Um, I don't have one. You're from this forest, right? And you know about ghosts! You must have encountered some here before!"

Bill cracked his knuckles and rolled his eyes. "Geez, Pine Tree, one vicious stereotype after another. First of all, I am not from the forest, it's purely coincidence that I just so happen to live here now. Secondly, my vague knowledge of ghosts should not automatically indicate that I've encountered them, nor should my current place of residence. Therefore, I do not know what we should do in this case."

The well-articulated argument did its job of putting the human in his place, but it also meant that they had no clue of how to deal with their current predicament. Another snap sounded from the tree as Pacifica scrambled up to the weaker branches. The alpha had managed to latch onto the lowest branch and was now steadily pulling itself up to her.

"Wait a minute!" Dipper exclaimed, an idea suddenly formulating in his head. "One of the journals has to have some information on ghosts! It's like the 'monster hunter's almanac,' right?"

"Your point being?"

Dipper threw Journal 2 at Bill in response, already thumbing through the first pages of Journal 1. "Start looking!"

"Where did you even pull these from?" Bill asked, staring at the book in his hand incredulously.

"Search now, explain later," Dipper responded, deciding that it wasn't the time to attempt to explain the magic that was Mabel's infinity pockets.

Pacifica noticed their presence and took care to offer them a greeting. "Hey! Don't just stand there catching up on your reading! Save me, damn it!"

Dipper tuned her out, flipping deeper into the tome. Was it too much to ask for a table of contents or an index? Hell, it would be just their luck that the section on ghosts was in Journal 3–

"Found it!" Bill cried triumphantly. Dipper eagerly looked over his shoulder as Bill read the passage aloud. "'Ghosts come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and strengths. I've found that they are typically motivated by vengeance, whether it is directed against the one who wronged them, or someone associated to them. A ghost's strength depends on the depth of the curse sworn upon their enemy. If their target is the one who wronged them directly, the ghost's strength will be far greater than if they are attacking an accomplice or associate. Strength may also be spread among multiple ghosts united against a common enemy.'"

"So these wolves can't be too strong if their power is divided among them," Dipper inferred. Then again, the alpha seemed to be doing all of the work… "Unless they've diverted almost all of their magic to the alpha!"

"That seems to be the case," Bill agreed. "But they still seem pretty weak. That may be why they didn't bother with us; they only have so much power to use against their target."

"Does the journal mention any weaknesses?"

"Yeah, and can you make it snappy? Running out of branches here!" Pacifica was nearly at the top of the tree, the alpha closing in. It had run out of branches to scale at that height, as Pacifica had broken them all off, and was now scaling the trunk with its claws.

Bill rolled his eyes at the demands, skimming the pages with a scrutinizing gaze. Dipper wanted to hurry him along, but he knew that any attempt to do so would only encourage Bill to slow his efforts further. "Ah, here's something! You wouldn't happen to have a silver mirror on you?"

Dipper furrowed his brows, reaching a hand out to examine the journal entry himself. "Is that really all that it says?"

"Well it mentions holy water, too, but I'd rather not have any of that stuff within a fifty-yard radius of my person– "

Finally recognizing them as a threat, one of the wolves that had been circling the tree suddenly leaped at them, claws catching Bill's shirt and dragging him down.

"BILL!"

The half-demon grunted, kicking the ghost off of himself and diving at it. The other wolves noticed the scuffle and began to converge on them.

"I'll handle the ghosts," Bill shouted to him, dodging another one that flew at his head. He tossed the book in his hand to the teen before turning back to the beasts. "It should divert enough power from the alpha to stall them for a bit. You find something in that journal that can end this!"

Dipper frowned, wanting to argue, but knowing that he didn't have the fighting or magic skill that the blond clearly possessed. He shook his head to refocus himself, flipping back to the page that Bill had shown him. There had to be more to it, another section that they were missing… a second line of text somewhere.

He ran his fingers along the page as he reread, feeling the impressions of the text and drawn images. Despite the age and density of the book, each page retained the grooves from the quill they'd been written with. He idly traced the sketch of the ghost along the side of the page as his eyes frantically scanned the text, but paused when he felt more indentations than there was ink on the parchment.

Holding the journal up to the moonlight, he cocked the page at different angles. Sure enough, glittering text that hadn't been visible before slowly became legible. Trying to contain his excitement, the human steadied his hands enough to make out two lines of text written in the same cursive penmanship as the rest:

I have discovered that ghosts, much like vampires, harbor a sensitivity to bright light, especially that of the sun. Most vanish at the first signs of its dawning, but if they are directly exposed to sunlight, they will be vaporized where they stand (or hover).

Dipper glanced up at the sky. The moon was nearing the west, but it would still be some time before dawn – and even then, the author warned that ghosts usually disappear at the first break of dawn to avoid disintegration. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't return the following night.

"Pine Tree, have you come up with a plan, yet?" A piece of bark separated Bill's chest from the snapping maw of a wolf, its teeth easily shredding through the wood. He held another two wolves at bay using the same golden tendrils that he'd used to fight the bandits the day before. Dipper deduced them to be his default magical weapons.

The alpha wolf was nearly upon Pacifica, who'd reached the top of the tree and was holding onto the flimsy trunk for dear life as the treetop swayed. It lunged at her, jaw closing around the heel of her boot. Pacifica yelped and kicked at it, losing her shoe in the process but managing to knock it a few feet lower.

On the ground, a fifth wolf was slowly circling Bill and the other wolves, waiting for the right moment to strike. It had a wild glint in its vacant eye sockets, and if you looked closely enough, saliva could be seen gathering at its lips.

Not knowing how to summon a silver mirror, (and with Bill too preoccupied to attempt it himself), Dipper bit his lip and willed the sun to rise sooner. If it could just pop in for a second…

The lone wolf paused its movements, body trained directly toward Bill. It watched as he wrestled with its pack member over the plank of bark, his back turned and vulnerable. Dipper's eyes widened helplessly as it suddenly charged at the blond full-speed, claws out, fangs bared–

"NO!" he cried. If he'd had a silver mirror in that moment, he would've witnessed his entire body ignite with energy, his eyes and birthmark glowing. Wind whirled around him from an indiscernible source, his hair whipping about wildly. His voice took on an ancient intonation, words involuntarily flowing. "NUS I DNAMMOC UOY OT ESIR!"

A brilliant heat and light emitted from his body, and he could feel a great force tear through his core. The air surrounding him crackled with violent energy akin to that of a lightning strike. He had more than likely blacked out, because the next thing that he was aware of was waking up with his head propped up on Bill's lap, a hand running shakily through his hair.

His eyes unsteadily focused on Pacifica, who was kneeling awkwardly in front of him. She didn't immediately meet his gaze, though she was clearly aware of it by the way that she abruptly jerked her head in the opposite direction and began to fiddle with her hair.

The hand in his own hair paused, an uneven breath causing the body beneath him to shudder. Bill seemed to contemplate saying something, but he quickly recovered and resumed stroking his brunet waves, the movements much smoother and less jerky than before.

"Thank you," Pacifica finally stated stiffly. "Again," she added as an afterthought.

Dipper drew his eyes back to her slowly, still trying to shake the remnants of his previously dazed state from his head. He became acutely aware of the raging migraine rattling his brain. He inhaled slowly, allowing the cool air to wash over him. The breeze did little to settle the thunderstorm in his head, but it woke his body enough to (reluctantly and painfully) shift into a seated position.

"You're welcome," he responded after a pause to gather his own thoughts. His throat was terribly hoarse, as if he'd spent the last hour screaming. Pain was slowly beginning to make itself known in other parts of his body, as well.

The trio sat in silence for another moment before Pacifica broke it with a question that had been bothering her since the brunet had arrived on the scene. "Why did you do it?"

"Because it was the right thing to do."

"But I treated you like shit after your sister saved me the first time. People don't normally just hand out second chances."

"We're not normal people." His throat was killing him, his own voice grating on his ears. "Besides, we've already invested so much in keeping you alive; might as well make sure that you stay that way."

"But–"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, just be grateful! Not everything in this world has to make perfect fucking sense!" Bill spat.

The outburst startled Dipper, who was still delirious from the output of magic he'd unwittingly projected. A wave of vertigo washed over him, but he did well to contain and resist it. Pacifica bit her lip and gave Bill a hard look, but she didn't express a further argument.

Her eyes softened when they landed on Dipper again. "Are you okay?"

My brain is melting, I'm pretty sure that I'm going blind, my throat is on fire, and my entire body is crippling in on itself. "I'll be fine."

"Not unless we get you to Shooting Star," Bill grumbled, standing and dusting his hands off. Despite his tone, he didn't seem angry. Tired maybe? Worried? He quickly stretched his back, having been in an awkward position with Dipper in his lap. Once he'd deemed his muscles limbered enough, he bent down and scooped the brunet into his arms, the latter too weak to fight it.

Nestled comfortably in the demon's arms, Dipper felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness. A nap seemed simultaneously wonderful and terrible to his pounding head. Closing his eyes triggered sparks of pain that danced across his eyelids. Keeping them open resulted in bright spots that bombarded his vision and made him even dizzier.

"Relax, Pine Tree," Bill cooed. He turned to Pacifica, who was standing beside them uncomfortably. "Think you can run ahead and find his sister? Have her meet us halfway?"

The blonde nodded, eyes giving Dipper another onceover before she took off in the direction that she had seen them come from.

Bill directed his attention back to his charge once Pacifica had disappeared from sight. "Tell me if you need me to stop, okay?"

Dipper managed a small nod, signaling Bill to take the first step. A jolt of pain flared up his legs, a similar one spreading through his back on the second step. By the eighth one, Bill stopped himself, cursing when he caught sight of tears that Dipper didn't realize he was shedding.

He quickly sat down with him again, feeling the teenager's feverish forehead. "Damn it, kid, why didn't you stop me?!" he chastised softly.

Dipper moaned a weak response before he lost consciousness again.

A/N: Don't you just loooooove cliffhangers?

Man, did this chapter kick my ass! I honestly tried to work on it in between the usual craziness, but every time that I revisited it I wasn't satisfied with how it was progressing. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, (I'm already working on it, so don't worry)!

Thank you so much for the amazing response that this story has received so far; it's really encouraging!