A week had passed without any significant process. Ford had continued the investigation on the obsidian knife only to hit a wall. So much time had passed between when the dagger had been stolen and when he had picked up the case. Maria Morgan failed to remember important details she might otherwise have divulged had they been involved sooner. It was frustrating and led to Ford running around aimlessly, chasing whims without the slightest foundation in the hopes a lead would pan out soon. He wasn't so lucky. But he did buy a second car. It made him seem more like a serious private investigator than an Uber driver did. Still, after a week, he had nothing to do.

Dipper, Mabel, and Grunkle Stan's side of things was no better. Miss Hirsch, they had found, had brought a talisman back from Europe. When asked to see it, she found no reason to refuse them and Stan's skillful eye determined whoever had sold her the 'artifact' had been an expert con-artist because what she had bought was a fake. The stone was real but the gem at the center was made of plastic. On the bright side, it had ruled her out along with her brother. Neither could be involved in the occult when she had so blindly purchased a fake. It left to wonder why she was registered in the government's database but then, Dipper supposed, they probably had other things do to than to verify whether the supposed artifact Miss Hirsch brought back was real or not.

In the case of Robert Chang, the pompous, prideful man who showcased all of his expensive antiques, things had turned out to be rather unprogressive. The man had allowed Dipper and Mabel to sort through his belongings on the condition that they tidy everything as they looked for whatever they sought. He was nonchalant and uncaring, and the problem with that was his overall disorganisation. He didn't keep track of his artifacts and what little paper work he did have on them, he lost. Though they found various items from Europe that looked to have Enochian carvings and sigils, they couldn't know if he had once had something needed for the Warlock's ritual which had then been stolen. Not even Robert Chang himself could illuminate them on the matter though he was "pretty sure" nothing was missing. With that, the only conclusion they left with was that the rich man was most definitely not the Warlock.

As for Sydney Valentine, Mabel took up the task of getting cozy with her youngest son in the hopes of being shown the ancient artifact in question. Her mission was advancing more slowly than anyone would have liked because she could only make progress when it wasn't her turn to stay with Bill and entertain him or simply keep him company for the day. She did the most she could with the time she had. Though she hadn't gotten close enough to be bold and convince him to show her his family heirloom, Mabel was fairly certain she was quickly approaching that point. Dipper wasn't particularly surprised. His sister had an electric personality.

Lastly, the situation with Theodore McGee was the only one that had yet to be addressed. The three had been so busy with their other cases that they hadn't had the chance to tackle their last suspect. That being said, they were all fairly certain advancements would be made quickly once they got around to investigating him. Much like Tad and Mabel, Theodore was naturally very friendly and kind. He was reputed to befriend people almost instantly and though none of them had really spoken to him before, they were sure it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Regardless, all they had managed to do over the week had been to rule out Miss Hirsch. A full moon was quickly approaching and they were still no closer to solving the mystery of the Warlock's identity. What was worse was that no one had dared to sleep during the course of the week, which made the days longer and more unbearable. The Pines family was surviving on copious quantities of coffee and energy drinks. If they had been trying to identify the Warlock to protect Gravity Falls from his evil intent before, now they were doing so to catch some desperately needed hours of sleep.

"Who's staying with Bill today?" Mabel yawned as she poured herself a cup of black coffee. She used to need to add sugar and cream, finding the liquid too bitter for her tastes, but not anymore.

"I think it's my turn." Dipper mumbled and sipped at his own steaming mug of Joe. "Does anyone think they could pick up the game zombicide? I think I'm going to explode if I have to watch anymore TV or play Call of Duty again."

"We'll take care of it, kid." Stan said and patted his back encouragingly, "We'll also come back for lunch. Anything you want?"

"I can't think of anything right now." Dipper admitted.

"I'll take care of it." Mabel assured, "I'm pretty good with guessing what you want."

"Thanks." He mumbled and his eyelids suddenly felt very heavy.

Dipper almost fell asleep as abruptly as that but the realisation startled him back to consciousness and he downed his coffee in an instant. His heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He hated that he was now scared to fall asleep.

They ate breakfast and Dipper saw his sister and great uncle to the door. He watched them leave before returning to the living room where Bill laid on the sofa playing video games. He held a handheld console above his face as he laid upside down, his feet up against the backrest. The ex-demon had taken a shine to video games the past week. He wasn't much into the classics like Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. He preferred strategy games or shoot 'em ups and, as much as Dipper loathed to say it, he was rather good at them. Better than good, he was amazing.

"Want to multi-player?" Bill asked without looking away.

Dipper glanced at the xbox console that sat in front of the TV. It wasn't his, he was more of a Nintendo boy. It actually belonged to Grunkle Stan who had won the thing randomly for a roll up the rim contest. He had been rather disappointed, wanting the million dollar prize above the game console. For that reason, he lacked many games and the scarce he had didn't interest Dipper so he didn't play with the machine.

"Sure." Dipper shrugged and he made to walk to the TV to turn on the console when a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. "But no Call of Duty."

"No, you're not." Ford said. He had spent the whole night in the basement likely searching for something he had missed or a clue that would propel his investigation forward. "You're coming with me."

Bill immediately sat upright and frowned. "No, he's supposed to stay with me." He said.

"He'll play games with you some other time." Ford dismissed and pulled Dipper along, "I need help solving the obsidian dagger's disappearance. Two brains are better than one and you're a smart kid, Dipper, if you don't figure this out for me, I'm sure you'll set me on the right path."

The compliment had Dipper's chest welling with joy. He never failed to blush bashfully whenever his hero praised his intellect and spoke as though it were equal to his. Dipper didn't believe for a second that he was as smart as his great uncle but the sentiment was still nice and filled him with pride. That being said, the sixteen year old wasn't sure about leaving Bill behind. It didn't matter that he would get to go on another adventure with Ford, if Bill was in danger then he would forsake it. The potential end of the world was at play. Again.

"Are…are you sure it's safe?" Dipper asked and worriedly glanced back at Bill who seemed dismayed.

"Of course." Ford insisted, "Remember the ward. It's still up and the Warlock hasn't managed to break through it."

"But he found a way to get through before." Bill stated, drawing their attention.

"I already told you," Ford repeated, annoyed, "What he did, he can't do again. If he could, he would have already done it."

"How do you know?" Bill fired back, steadily getting as angry as Ford.

Dipper felt like he was a child whose parents were openly fighting for his custody in front of him. But because Ford and Bill weren't his parents, it just made him feel awkward.

"Because it wouldn't make sense for him to have waited so long." Ford explained impatiently, "He had multiple opportunities to come get you but he didn't."

"How do you know he didn't do it because he chose to wait?" Bill asked, folding his arms over his chest and shooting Ford a challenging look.

"Considering he seemed so desperate to get you before, that wouldn't make sense either." Ford said, "Now you're wasting our time—"

He grabbed Dipper a bit too roughly by the shoulder and started pushing him along when Bill stopped them.

"Wait—!" Bill insisted and took a nervous step towards them. "Don't leave."

Ford sighed deeply and finally chanced a look at the ex-demon. Dipper saw his hard expression fall instantly. It was evident from just looking at Bill that he was scared. How couldn't he be? He was mortal. For the first time in forever he was vulnerable and someone, a Warlock with the intention to kill, knew. Naturally, Bill was too prideful to openly say he was afraid. He brought fear down upon others – he didn't feel it. He was the nightmare, not the snivelling child who cried in a corner and prayed to any God who would listen for mercy.

"You're safe." Ford repeated and though he was firm, there was something tender and soft to his tone.

Bill opened his mouth to speak. Maybe he wanted to retort, to oppose the statement further, or maybe he wanted to say something entirely irrelevant – Dipper didn't know because he kept it shut. His gaze fell to the ground in resignation and he let them leave without any more arguing. And as Dipper followed his great uncle to the car he had recently bought during the previous week, he couldn't help but feel like they were making a huge mistake.