Shermie was tired. He hadn't gotten any proper sleep since he'd gotten Ford's call. It hadn't even been two full days ago, but it felt like so much longer. He thought things were starting to calm down, and maybe as soon as tomorrow they could go back to California and properly start the journey towards recovery. There were just two things keeping them here. They needed to tear down that portal in the basement. More important than that, they needed to make sure that Ford was truly safe from Bill, at least temporarily.
They would have to find a more permanent solution to deal with the demon, but with those problems addressed, they'd at least have a little more wiggle room.
Ford was able to use the unicorn hair and a bunch of other stuff to quickly make a bracelet for himself. He was convinced that it would shield him from Bill's influence. Despite his confidence, he was clearly anxious about falling asleep. Ford insisted that he was tied to the bed, and that neither Stan nor Shermie should be in the room with him, just in case. Shermie agreed. He'd already almost lost Stan today, and he didn't want to give the demon another chance.
Even though it was barely afternoon, Shermie thought they could all benefit from getting some sleep. He didn't want to tie Ford up, but it was better to be safe than sorry. While he did that, Stan announced that he would go down to the basement to start tearing down the portal. Ford grimaced at the news, but to his credit he didn't complain about Stan messing with his things, and he didn't make a passive aggressive comment about how Stan had plenty of practice destroying his work.
Instead, Ford gave Stan a concerned look and told him to be careful with his shoulder, to make sure to not strain it. As much as Ford wanted the portal torn down, he told Stan that right now it was most important that he be careful and just do some precise damage to some vital pieces of the machinery.
While Stan went downstairs, Shermie got to work himself. He carefully, but tightly, bound Ford to the bed. They both reassured themselves that Ford's barrier bracelets would work, and these precautions would be unnecessary. Neither of them sounded very convincing, but they tried.
There was one more precautionary measure that Shermie had, and it was one that neither of his brothers knew about. When they were at the store he had grabbed some cheap baby monitors. He left one on the dresser, and kept the other on him. This way he would know if Bill showed up, or if Ford needed him.
Shermie thought about helping Stan out downstairs, but he didn't want to make his little brother feel like he couldn't trust him. He wanted to keep an eye on him, but he didn't want to baby him. Stan may have been out of his life since he was just a teenager, but Shermie needed to keep in mind that he was an adult, and he needed to treat him as such.
Shermie went downstairs, but he didn't go down to the basement. He went into the living room and just collapsed on the couch. He wanted to sleep so badly, but there was something he needed to do first. Something he probably should have done yesterday.
He was able to find Ford's phone buried under all his scattered papers and books. He called the number of his home back in California. It rang for a long moment before it was answered.
"Hello, Pines household." Alex said in that practiced way that Shermie and Olivia had taught him.
"Hey, Allie." Shermie said.
"Daddy!" Alex practically shouted. "Hi!"
"Hey, Kiddo." Shermie chuckled. He missed his kid so much. "You behaving yourself over there?"
"Uh-huh." Alex said. "Is Uncle Ford there? We started reading a new book at school with all kinds of cool creatures and sciencey stuff, and maybe he's run into that kind of stuff."
"I'm sure he'll love to hear all about it." Shermie said. Ford easily got worked up and thought that people patronized him and his passion, but he loved exploring fun ideas with Alex. "You can talk to him about it while he's visiting."
"Uncle Ford is going to visit?" Alex exclaimed excitedly. "When?"
"He'll be coming back with me." Shermie said. "We should be back in the next few days."
"How long will he stay for?" Alex asked.
"We don't know yet." Shermie said honestly. "Hey, can you get Mom on the phone?"
"Sure." Alex said. Shermie heard him call out loudly for his mom. "She's here. I'll go make sure the guest bedroom is ready." It was a good idea. The phone was handed over.
"Guest room?" Olivia asked. "Are you finally dragging Ford out of the woods kicking and screaming?"
"Ford's actually coming willingly." Shermie said. Stan was the one who had put up more of a fuss. "He's not the only one coming though." Shermie smiled to himself. "Would you mind having someone stay with us for a bit? It might be for quite some time."
"I'm assuming you're not talking about your brother," Olivia said. "I wouldn't mind having a houseguest, but I want you to be sure that Alex would be safe with them."
"Well, I'm not talking about Ford." Shermie said slowly. He suspected that Ford would start to get antsy after just a week or two. "But I am talking about my brother."
There was a sharp intake of breath, and then a long pause. When Olivia finally found her voice, it was thick with emotion.
"You wouldn't joke about this." Olivia said quietly. "But you can't mean…Stanley? After all these years?"
"I couldn't believe it either." Shermie said. "A part of me is scared of falling asleep, because I'm sure when I wake up I'll realize that it's all just been a dream. But Stan's here. More than that, he and Ford are actually getting along with each other…mostly." Their conversations still had a lot of tension and arguments involved, and Shermie thought it would take them a long time before they could let go of that. It was a vast improvement to the resentment that had festered for so long.
Stan and Ford were both so hurt and tired, and they both recognized that the other wasn't really in any state to really get into anything. Stan knew that Ford wasn't as perfect as he'd always thought he was growing up. And Ford knew that while Stan had made some mistakes, he didn't deserve the bad hand in life he'd been dealt.
"How is he?" Olivia asked in concern. Shermie sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Not great." Shermie said. "One of the first things I'm going to do when I get him home is to drag him to a hospital, just in case." At the very least, that burn needed to be taken care of. "He won't really talk about what happened, but I have my suspicions, and none of them are good."
Shermie looked towards the door, just to make sure Stan hadn't made his way back up here. "I'm pretty sure he's homeless, and unemployed, and has been this whole time." He could feel that familiar guilt rearing its ugly head. "If I hadn't pushed him away that night-"
"Shermie, stop this." Olivia said firmly, but not unkindly. "What happened isn't your fault, and you know it. Even if it was, instead of wallowing in the past, focus on the future. Of course Stanley can stay here for as long as he needs to. I have some friends that volunteer at that local homeless shelter. They might have some advice on what we can do going forward."
"I hope so." Shermie said. He could give Stan a roof over his head, but his brother needed to stand on his own two feet, and Shermie didn't know how to even begin to get him going down the right path."
"I'll talk to them." Olivia promised. "Do you know when you'll be back?"
"Soon." Shermie rubbed the fatigue out of his eyes. "We've just got some stuff we need to finish up here."
"Feel free to take your time." Olivia said. "I can hear the exhaustion in your voice."
"It's been a long couple of days." Shermie said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm well rested before making the drive." The last thing he wanted to do was get into an accident because he was too tired to drive attentively.
They talked for a few more minutes before they wrapped things up. Olivia had some things to do, and Shermie might as well get a head start on sleep. When they hung up, Shermie leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. He felt more comfortable about dozing off this time than he did earlier.
Shermie fell asleep fairly quickly, and it was more restful than he had thought it would be. The couch wasn't comfortable, but it was reassuring to know that both of his brothers were here, and they were okay.
Shermie slept for hours, and didn't wake until after dark. He could have slept even longer, but a muffled but loud sound woke him up. Shermie woke up slowly, not understanding what was happening. He looked around for a minute, barely remembering that he was at Ford's cabin in Gravity Falls. He finally found the source of the noise. The baby monitor.
Shermie forced back his drowsiness. He sat up, listening intently. He could hear Ford shouting through the baby monitor, and also from all the way upstairs, but he also heard a second voice. Stan. He was in there, with Ford, when they'd specifically done this so that nobody would be around in case Bill struck.
Swearing under his breath, Shermie stumbled to his feet and scrambled up the stairs. He should have known. It was supposed to be obvious that Stan avoided Ford for at least a few hours, but Stan always had his own ideas of what to do, and he always went through with it.
"Stanley!" Shermie shouted. If he didn't get hurt by Bill, Shermie was going to kill him. He ran up the stairs and into Ford's bedroom. He found his brothers standing in the middle of the room, yelling at each other.
The first thing he noticed was that Ford was untied. Fortunately, he immediately noticed afterward that his eyes looked completely normal. As far as Shermie could tell, he was unpossessed. Both of his brothers looked unharmed, which meant that Shermie could let go of his concern and lean into his frustration that his brothers had almost given him a heart attack.
"What are you knuckleheads doing?!" Shermie shouted. He felt like they were kids all over again and he was intervening in their fight. They stopped arguing for a moment and looked at Shermie. He walked closer, putting himself between his brothers. He looked at Stan.
"You're not supposed to be in here. I thought you were working on the portal."
"Look, just hear me out." Stan held his hands up defensively. "I swear, I knew what I was doing."
"I don't care what excuse you've come up with." Ford hissed. "Nothing excuses you coming in here. Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
"I had a plan." Stan said.
"A plan that somehow involved untying me, giving Bill the chance to finish the job that he'd started?" Ford threw his arms out. Shermie sent Stan a sharp look.
"You did what?" He growled. Stan took a step back from his two very scared and very angry brothers. "We had those precautions in place for a reason. Why in the world would you just throw them out the window like that? I know you can be reckless about throwing yourself in danger, but this is stupid, even for you."
Stan flinched, and for a short moment it was like they were thrown back in time. Shermie felt like he was looking at his teenage younger brother, shrinking back and looking terrified because he was being lectured by their Dad. Shermie hated that he had done anything that would make his little brother look at him like that.
Shermie took a deep breath and made himself loosen up. He needed to stop looming over his brother. He needed answers, and he needed his brother to understand what he had done wrong, but getting mad at him right now could just set them back.
"I'm sorry." Shermie said. Stan and Ford both looked at him like he was insane. "I don't agree with what you did, but maybe I'll understand more if you tell me why. I promise I'll listen." He said this kind of thing to Alex when he did something wrong. It certainly accomplished more than just yelling or jumping straight to punishment. Shermie much preferred to focus on correction than discipline.
Stan looked uneasy at first, but he visibly relaxed. "We're pretty sure that this Bill guy couldn't bother Ford while he had those bracelets, but we didn't know for sure. That's why we tied him up and left him alone, just in case something went wrong. I was just thinking, Bill sounds like a slippery guy, and pretty smart too. What if he can get past the barrier thing, but he wanted us to think that he couldn't. He could just bide his time and do nothing until we let our guard down, and then he'd strike."
Ford put his hands behind his back and glanced to the side. "The possibility certainly occurred to me, yes." Shermie hadn't even bothered thinking that far ahead. Usually he tried harder to see the bigger picture, but dealing with his brothers right now he felt like he couldn't handle more than what was right in front of him.
There was a familiar mischievous spark in Stan's eyes. Shermie definitely preferred seeing it to seeing his fear and reluctance. "See, I knew you'd never relax until you knew for sure the unicorn hair worked. Now we know for sure."
Ford bit his lip. "You endangered yourself on purpose, because you knew that as much as Bill would bide his time, he wouldn't be able to resist going after you if he had the opportunity, so you gave it to him." Ford had never looked so horrified to realize something.
"Why would Bill care about Stan?" Shermie asked.
"He doesn't." Ford said. "But he'd still try to get rid of him for any number of reasons. He could threaten Stan to force me to cooperate again. He could hurt Stan as a warning as to what might happen if I continue defying him. He could feel threatened by the way that Stan balances me out, pulling me further from his influence. Or he could just go after Stan because he's there, and Bill is the most sadistic creature in existence."
Shermie really didn't like how easily Ford could come up with so many reasons why Bill might want to hurt their little brother. He didn't want to think about just how dangerous this demon could be.
"And I was the one tearing down the portal." Stan reminded them. Shermie hadn't questioned why Stan had volunteered to get started on that job, but now he wished he had. "I thought it would make Bill act now instead of waiting. He didn't, which means he can't. That unicorn hair works like a charm, and now we don't have to second guess it." He looked very proud of himself. Shermie still felt like his younger brothers were going to be the death of him.
Ford stormed closer to Stan. He punched his arm harshly, and then wrapped his arms around Stan's shoulders, avoiding the brand.
"Don't you ever do something like that again." Ford said. He sounded furious, but the way he was hugging Stan made it clear that his anger came from a place of fear. "We could have found another way to be sure. You shouldn't have endangered yourself like that."
Stan just looked confused, and Shermie thought he knew what the problem was. "You thought that if anybody has to get hurt, better you than Ford, right?"
"Right." Stan said automatically. Ford growled and tightened his grip. Shermie crossed his arms and gave Stan a dangerous glare. His brother shied away slightly under his gaze. "I mean…"
"Wrong answer." Shermie said. It was clear that he needed to really drill it into Stan's head that he was far more than just the spare twin. They'd work on it.
Shermie didn't like that Stan had been so careless with his own safety, but he had to admit that he liked the results. He wouldn't say as much to Stan, because he didn't want to encourage this kind of behavior from him in the future, but it was nice to know for sure that Bill couldn't get into Ford's head. He was sure that the relief would hit Ford eventually, just as soon as he had calmed down from the terror of what could have happened to Stan.
Shermie clapped his hands together. "Alright, before you decided to act like a martyr, what work were you able to get done on the portal?"
"Well, the lights aren't flashing anymore, and no matter what buttons I push, it doesn't start making weird noises and stuff, so it seems pretty broken to me." Stan said. It sounded good enough to Shermie.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do." Shermie said. "Ford, tell Stan where to find that last journal of yours that you need. He can go get that, and you can go make sure you're happy with the state of the portal. When you're ready, I think we're set to get out of here." He hadn't planned to leave this early, but he didn't see any reason to stick around here.
Ford finally pulled away from Stan. He went to his desk and grabbed a stray bit of paper. He drew out a map and instructions on it, which he handed to Stan. Shermie left his brothers to take care of what they needed to deal with. He started to go through the house, grabbing things that they might need.
He packed the car with the first-aid things, as well as some of the food they'd bought. When Ford went to the basement, Shermie went through his room and grabbed clothes that he could use for a few weeks, as well as enough for Stan until they got some things for him. He was able to find an extra winter coat that Stan could borrow.
Shermie even drove back into the woods to where Stan had left his car. Even with all of their things, there was still enough room to fit in everything that looked relatively meaningful from Stan's car.
By the time he got back to the cabin, Stan had returned with the journal, and Ford had come upstairs. Ford was turning through the pages of his journal, showing Stan different things he'd made notes of. It was nice to see them acting like they had when they were younger, though Shermie knew it wouldn't last.
"You guys ready to go?" Shermie asked. If he hadn't slept so well that afternoon, he would wait until morning to leave. As it was, he felt refreshed and well rested. He could easily handle the drive, and the sooner they got home, the sooner he could really help both of his brothers get back on the path they needed to be on.
"I believe so." Ford said. He clutched his journal protectively. "Stan did well with the portal." Their brother looked surprised at the simple compliment.
"You sure you want us hanging around your place?" Stan asked slowly. "I can just do my own thing, and just call and visit more."
"Absolutely not." Shermie said sternly. He wasn't going to let Stan out of his sight until he was sure that his brother was okay, and he definitely wasn't yet. "Olivia's already expecting you, and if you don't come home with me, she's going to drive across the country to drag you back herself." Olivia didn't know Stan well, but she knew how much he meant to Shermie, and she wasn't going to let him suffer through that again.
"It would disappoint Alex if you don't show up." Ford said. "He's always wanted a 'fun' uncle. You wouldn't want to let him down, would you?"
He was using Stan's love for family and fear of letting them down against him, and Shermie couldn't be more proud.
Stan scowled. "Fine."
"Then let's get out of here." Shermie said. He intended to not give Stan the chance to change his mind. "We've got snacks in the car, and we can stop for food on the way." Despite both of their reluctance about going to California, both Stan and Ford looked relieved to get away from this place.
Ford made sure his house was secured while Shermie made sure that Stan was bundled up enough. Ford sat in the front seat, partially because he got carsick, and partially so Stan could have more room to avoid aggravating his burn.
Once his brothers were settled Shermie got behind the wheel and started the car, warming it up. He looked over at Ford, who looked truly content and comfortable for the first time since they'd gotten here. It finally seemed to be sinking in that at least for now, he was free from Bill's influence.
Shermie looked over his shoulder at Stan, who was already sprawled across the back seat, bundled up in all of the blankets and jackets they were bringing. While Ford looked content, Stan looked like he was finally going to accept that he was safe.
Smiling to himself, Shermie pulled away from the house and finally started to make their way back home.