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The night was stormy, more so than lately. The clouds were thick and dark, overflowing with shadows and darkness, trailing thick raindrops. Lightning danced around, leaping from cloud to cloud and occasionally striking the ground with such force it let out a shattering bang. Somehow, much to Dipper's surprise, Mabel was able to sleep through the whole ordeal. He envied her ability to sleep so heavily.
He remained awake, sitting in bed, once again reading a mystery novel. He had learned from past mistakes and grievances to leave his pens on his desk and shirt out of his mouth when reading such things. Smuggled into the pages of the novel were the written ciphers he'd found and a small note from his deciphering manual. Upon close observation, it was the wrong note and was ultimately no help in deciphering this specific could. Not that he was truly focusing on it.
"He…can't be back."
The storm outside let out another bark, flashing across his window. Dipper hardly noticed it. Thumbing his novel for more notes from his deciphering manual, he was reminded of the Caesar cipher, one of the easiest ciphers he was able to find, apart from the simplest cipher whereas you switch a with z and so forth. These were easy ciphers. He believed he had matured pass them.
The tree outside started scratching at his window, along with the muffled sound of something else batting at his glass. He ignored it, associating it with the storm. The rain sounded as though it was growing heavier, beating on the roof. Dipper rolled over, tossing his book onto his desk. The light from the desk lamp remained on, illuminating the desk and part of his bed. More importantly, it shone on his lucky hat, spotlighting the iconic pine tree on the white fabric.
"Pine Tree…" Dipper whispered, rolling onto his back.
He could still feel it, when he closed his eyes. The smell of the trees and Uncle Stan, the clear sky, the grass between his feet, the adventure on his heels. Everything seemed so close and yet felt an eternity away. Even thinking about, he could feel his heart racing and his blood pumping, with Gideon or Bill or some other monster chasing after him. He could feel his Mabel at his side.
There was another rap at the window. This time, Dipper could not ignore it. He slowly rolled out of bed and moved to the window. Throwing open the blinds, he peered down into the shadowy night of the storm. Staring into the abyss, Dipper almost returned to bed, had it not been for another flash of lightning. With a sudden rise of light, Dipper pressed his face up against the glass in surprise at the sight of both his great uncles standing in the rain. Grunkle Stan was holding the rocks. Grunkle Ford was holding an umbrella, which Stan refused to stand under.
Dipper threw open the window, sticking his head out into the rain. Stan dropped his collection of rocks, slicking his wet hair back. They both offered a wave. Dipper sighed but grinned.
"What are you two doing here!?" Dipper shouted, hoping to get his voice through the storm.
"Ford thinks something's wrong!" replied Stan.
"Let us in!" added Ford.
"Alright," chuckled Dipper, closing the window.
He opened the backdoor, allowing his soggy uncles to enter. They each formed their own puddles on the floor. Ford rested his umbrella against the door. Stan took off his coat, placing it on the nearby rack. Having taken off the heaviest of his clothing, he took this chance to give Dipper a hug. Naturally, he was still very wet and managed to soak Dipper's clothes instantly. Ford simply offered him a pat on the shoulder.
"How are you doing, my boy!" cheered Ford.
"Well, right now I'm tired," yawned Dipper. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Something's up!" announced Ford. "I was doing research not far from here when I noticed some odd messages in nearby houses."
"You'd never guess who's ugly mug showed up," grumbled Stan, crossing his arms.
"Bill," whispered Dipper.
"You know?" perked Ford.
"He's been appearing around here too. Symbols of him, the circle, even ciphers!" Dipper explained. "We…we even got attacked."
"We?" Stan gaped. "You mean Mabel's caught up in this too?"
"She's been helping," nodded Dipper. "She wanted to forget it but…after that guy attacked us, there wasn't exactly a chance to turn back."
"Someone attacked you?" Ford hummed. "What did they look like? Did they say anything?"
"He…called me pine tree…" mumbled Dipper, looking away.
Stan and Ford stepped back.
"He said he was…this chosen child. Something about bring back…" Dipper snarled. "He's working with Bill…or some cult of his."
"A cult of Bill worshippers outside of Gravity Falls?" offered Ford, rubbing his chin. "This is just getting more and more interesting."
"By interesting you mean dangerous," Stan snapped. "I don't want to get involved in this mess again!"
"We never left it, Stanly," nodded Ford, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We have to look after the kids. Not that they need much looking after."
Dipper grinned.
"How're your parents doing?" Stan questioned.
"Oh…yeah," murmured Ford, looking around. "I never met them, have I?"
"Do they even know about you?" perked Dipper.
Dipper and Stan turned and stared at Ford. The sound of the storm echoed on, flicking outside the backdoor's protection. Ford shrugged, crossing his arms.
"We need to focus on this cult and get to work," he instructed.
"We should probably tell your folks that we're here," Stan corrected.
"There's some spare blankets in the closet," offered Dipper, "I'll go ask them."
"They'll be half asleep!" called Ford.
"That's the idea," Dipper and Stan spoke in unison.
Ford glared at his brother. Stan simply grinned, motioning for his brother to follow him into the next room. Dipper slipped upstairs carefully, making as little noise as he could, not that it mattered in this storm. Mabel's room door had opened and Waddles was making his way out, sniffing the air. Dipper knelt down, pressing a finger to his lips.
"Keep quiet, Waddles. Stan and Ford are downstairs," Dipper instructed.
Waddles snorted, tucking himself back into Mabel's room. Dipper smirked, nodding at his own accomplishments. His parents' room was right next to Mabel's. Opening it gently, Dipper peered in to see his parents snoozing softly. He stepped in, moving silently to their bedside. His mother stirred but his father remained like a rock. Dipper stood beside the bed, squinting in attempt to find his parents in the shadows.
"Mom?"
His mother awoke quickly, sitting up. She looked around, half in a daze, eventually laying eyes on Dipper. She offered a weary grin for him. He smiled back at her. She patted his hand, no doubt still half asleep.
"What is it, honey?" she mumbled.
"Can Great Uncle Stan and Great Uncle Ford stay here?" Dipper whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Stan and Ford. Our Great Uncles," repeated Dipper, leaning in a bit further.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course, sweetie."
With that she slumped back into bed and was snoring soon after. He grinned in a way that Mabel called devilish. He slipped out of the room easily. Closing the door and turning around, he yelped as Mabel stood before him. She giggled.
"You scream like a girl," she remarked.
"I do not!" snapped Dipper.
"Kids! Quit fighting!" called out Stan.
"Wait…was that Stan?" perked Mabel, glancing down the stairs.
"And Ford," nodded Dipper, pressing a finger to his lips. "Don't say anything."
"What about mom and dad!" gasped Mabel. "They thought Stan was dead and by Stan I mean Ford or rather Stan pretending to Ford was alive but Stan died…"
"Mabel just stop," sighed Dipper. "They won't get that and there's no way we can explain it like that."
"But…do they know about them staying here?" whimpered Mabel.
"I just told them," nodded Dipper, hands on his hips.
"You are gonna be so dead in the morning," yawned Mabel, reentering her room. "Don't wake Waddles up. He needs his rest."
"Well, I'm soooooorry," mocked Dipper.
Mabel shut the door. Dipper yawned, moving softly to the top of the staircase. The lights downstairs remained off and he could already hear the sounds of Stan snoring. He took one step down before Ford appeared at the bottom. The old man waved Dipper off.
"Go back to sleep. We can talk in the morning," he instructed.
"Night," Dipper replied.
"Sleep well," nodded Ford, returning to the shadows.
Dipper yawned once more and then returned to his room, shutting the door behind him. The storm had softened.
