AN: Hello! I'm back! Thank you for all the love! And to my new readers and old, WELCOME! I was supposed to update yesterday BUT...homework so...
To Alex Tolleson, your critique was much appreciated! Yes, I agree that Wendy and Matthew's relationship is slightly...rushed now that I look back at it, and being a hater of the insta-love trope...well, that's just sad in disappointing to me :(. Unfortunately I can't do much about that now, BUT I will make longer chapters in the future! Not to worry!
And to be honest I wasn't expecting to have that many OCs, it's just that more people submitted profiles than I expected, whoops...
As for a collab, why not? It'd be easier for you to get an account though, that way we can PM.
Finally, YES I have a Bill Redemption story you'd love! It's called Bonded by LittleAmberAmethyst! It has the BillFord ship and the sequel is currently being updated as we speak, hope you like it!
Anyway, enough rambling!
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Chapter Forty-Five: Nail in the Coffin
Matthew stepped into the lavish bedroom Jordan had showed him to. He yawned lightly, falling into the bed and sinking into the quality mattress as his clothes melted into pyjamas at his will.
He could get used to this. The blonde made a mental note to generate himself one once the Shack was rebuilt.
His left eye fluttered against his eye-patch as...
Wait...what?
Matthew shot up and dashed to the mirror. Slowly, he removed the eyepatch.
Matthew's breath caught in his throat when he saw his left socket wasn't empty...but filled with a bright, unearthly, gold eye.
There was a light knock on the door, causing the boy to jump and quickly refit the eyepatch.
"Come in," he called.
The door was opened by Mabel who looked puffy eyed. She was wearing a pair of comfortable looking pyjamas.
"Hey Matthew...I, what I did..." Mabel wrung her hands. "I don't think I can sleep on my own. Can I...?"
Matthew sat on the large bed and patted it lightly in invitation.
Mabel smiled weakly, closing the door behind her and lying on the bed next to Matthew.
"Don't beat yourself up, Mabel, you couldn't've helped it, you were acting instinctively."
Mabel said nothing, just buried her face in Matthew's chest. The message was clear; Mabel didn't need a pep talk, she just needed her brother.
Matthew was more than happy to oblige.
"I'm sorry," Matthew murmured.
"For what?" Mabel asked, looking up at her brother.
"For being selfish. I mean, if I had given in when Stan was attacked..."
Mabel shook her head. "Damion's a bully; you're not supposed to give bullies their way."
"I know but, I'll lose you and everyone either way...I mean, either I lose my soul like I did all those centuries ago or...you all get hurt," Matthew said.
"It feels like I'm just resisting because of pride...it's something Bill would do-."
"Stop!" Mabel demanded, she got up and held Matthew's face, her brown eyes locking with Matthew's blue one intensely.
"You are nothing like Bill Cipher! You are a kindhearted, loving, good-looking superstar who's soul is filled with chocolate kisses and belugas high-fiveing each other, and unicorns that dance on pink cotton candy!"
"Uh...thanks?"
"Bill is a soulless, selfish, egotistical, poop face! That is not you, Mattie, you are so much better!" Mabel said, wrapping her arms around Matthew's neck.
"You told me not to beat myself up, practice what you preach, silly."
"I'll keep that in mind," Matthew said squeezing Mabel tighter to his chest and smiling, vowing that he'd do everything and anything in his power to keep his precious sister safe and sound.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
"So...are you a roaming spirit or something?" Dipper asked Clara as he was taken to a bathroom.
"Hmm? I guess you can say that," Clara said dismissively.
"You guess?" Dipper frowned.
Clara didn't answer, just handed Dipper a towel. "Use this when you're done!" She said with a forced smile.
With Dipper not exactly trusting Clara, and the adrenaline gone, an important thought occurred to the boy.
"But...I can't bathe; what about Grunkle Ford?"
Clara waved a dismissive hand. "He'll be fine!"
"He can die from hypothermia...!"
"Shhh..." Clara went to Dipper and tapped his nose. "He'll be fine."
Dipper was about to protest again when a warm feeling went through his brain.
"He'll be fine," Dipper repeated. A part of him didn't believe it, but majority of him, the warm, fuzzy, tingly part, wanted to believe everything and anything Clara said.
Clara smiled. "Good boy." She then left Dipper to bathe alone. When he got out he found a black suit and cape Clara had left for him, scowling at the fact that his original clothes were missing.
"I got mugged by my brother's ex-girlfriend from another life," Dipper grumbled, reluctantly putting on the suit and cape.
As he walked out he saw Clara waiting for him at the bottom of the marble staircase, smiling.
"I knew you'd look amazing in that!" She clapped her hands and smiled. "Come on! Let's have some dinner!"
"Um...Clara," Dipper said walking after the retreating red-head. "Look, I'm thankful and stuff but shouldn't I be going?"
Clara laughed. "Why would you want that?" She asked over her shoulder. "This place is amazing!"
Again, the warm tingly feeling appeared. "This place is amazing," Dipper found himself repeating.
"Exactly! There's no reason to leave!" Clara then led Dipper into a large dining room.
"Whoa!" Dipper said at the sheer amount of food on the table.
"Why thank you!" Clara smiled sitting down. "I made it myself...oh but I forgot the eating irons...fetch them in the drawer will you?"
"Uh...what?" Dipper said.
"Utensils, love," Clara said sweetly.
"Oh. Yeah, I knew that..." Dipper went and got forks and knives and stopped when Clara asked, "You've met me before?"
"What?" Dipper turned around.
"You never asked my name yet you seem to know it, and you act as if we've met before."
There was something eerie about Clara's smile. As if she knew the answer to the question, but just wanted Dipper to answer anyway, like a parent showing flash cards to a toddler.
"In a dream," Dipper said. "Also we came to your mansion one time." Dipper placed the utensils on the table.
"Did you, now?" Clara said, this time sounding genuinely surprise. "As did Matthew?"
"Yesss..." Dipper says slowly. "You seem to be interested in Matt a lot. Not to be rude but didn't you end on bad terms when he was Bill?"
"It was my largest regret," Clara said. Dipper waited for her to continue though she didn't.
"So...when do I leave?" Dipper asked taking a bite out of a baked potato and gasping at how good it tasted.
"Yes, I'm quite the cook," Clara said, averting Dipper's previous question.
"Yeah, but when can I...?"
"If you're feeling, lonely, there really isn't any need. Your brother will be here, along with countless others."
Although she was smiling, the look in her bright green eyes were clear; "Leaving is out of the question."
The potato didn't taste so good anymore.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Matthew woke up shivering, despite the warm comforters and the body heat radiating off Mabel it still felt utterly cold.
"What the...?!" Matthew demanded as he saw the white-out outside the window.
He furrowed his brow. No way could that be normal. Not in the freaking summer.
As the boy left the sleeping Mabel in the room and walked into the hallway, his pyjamas melted away into his normal clothes as he walked into the kitchen to find the Northwests dining on breakfast.
"Oh, Matthew," Pacifica said turning in her seat and alerting her parents to the teen's presence. "Dad told us you were..."
"Where's Dipper? Is he here?" Matthew says quickly.
"Not even a good morning?" Pricilla said with slight disapproval.
"You can't possibly find this a good morning," Matthew said gesturing to the window.
"Not normal, sure," Preston shrugged. "But it can't be dangerous. It isn't exactly 150 years, is it?"
Pacifica flinched and Pricilla slapped her husband on the arm.
"I-I mean...your brother isn't here right now," Preston said quickly.
Matthew turned and jumped up the stairs two at a time before re-entering his room, taking Mabel's phone and quickly sending Dipper a text.
After ten minutes, when he didn't respond, Matthew sent another.
After another ten minutes, Matthew called his cell. "Come on, Dipper. Answer," Matthew murmured drumming his fingers on his lap and looking worriedly out the window.
"Hello?" Matthew heard from the other end and shuddered in relief.
"Hey, Dipper...!"
"If you're calling now, and I didn't answer it's probably because I'm at school...or doing something else, or couldn't hear my phone...or else you made me upset somehow and I don't want to talk to you. But, you can leave a message, though if it's the third option leave an apology."
Matthew swore under his breath and ended the call, voice-mail, of course.
Matthew quickly typed Ford's number instead.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Ford's eyes snapped open and he shot up. Looking around. He was no longer frozen, that was obvious. The snow creatures were also gone, as was Dipper. He didn't know if that was good or bad.
Though he was freezing and numb and his fingertips were blue with cold. That was definitely bad.
He then yelled in surprise when he felt his back pocket vibrate. Though it turned out to only be his phone.
He saw Mabel's ID and answered it.
"Hello?" Ford said in quavering voice.
"Stanford?"
"Matthew?"
"Hey, look, is Dipper with you?"
"No."
Ford heard Matthew swear on the other end.
"Never mind, I'll find him then."
The line went dead.
"Somebody's cold!" A voice giggled.
Ford turned around, coming face to face with Paige.
"Hello, Stanford! Long time no see, hmm?"
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Kouri sat in the back of the car, her green eyes concentrated outside the window as she bobbed her head in time with her music, her hoop bangles swinging from side to side.
"I don't know if I should hug that boy or strangle him," Ellie Pines said. "I mean a child! Fifteen! Poor girl, and her poor parents!"
"On the other hand we will be getting those grandchildren we always wanted," Emmet said, steering the car towards the Gravity Falls Oregon sign.
As the couple continued talking, Kouri saw a single snowflake land on her window. She frowned, popping one earbud out of her ear as more snow began to fall.
"Uh...what's going on?" Kouri asked.
"What is this?" Emmet asked. "Snow? In the summer?"
Ellie squinted as the snow began to fall heavier, all occupants of the car screaming as a snow creature with soulless red eyes jumped on the car window, cracking the glass.
Emmett slammed on the brakes, causing another car to slam into them, followed by two more snow monsters.
The car spun and crashed once more, this time into the woods, as it crashed and rolled repeatedly down a snowy hill.
At that point, Kouri was fighting for consciousness. Pain blooming in almost every region of her body as the car finally crashed to a stop on an incredibly heavy oak tree.
Panting, Kouri let a little sob, she couldn't move and she was hurting all over and glass littered her brown hair.
She didn't want to die! She had so much she wanted to do! She couldn't die! She couldn't!
"What have we here?" A voice murmured.
Kouri forced her eyes up, locking on a young girl with white hair. Her eyes were also...purple?
"No more tears love, I'll get you out of this..." The strange girl cupped Kouri's face and the pain faded, her eyes closing as she fell asleep. The the snow and frost fading away.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Ford was quickly regaining warmth as the winter environment faded, Paige's words made him bristle inside, a part of him couldn't understand...just why?
But he reminded himself that Paige wasn't the Mabel 2.0 that he had loved long ago, she was gone. She was now a female Bill Cipher. And that was that.
He has recently called Mabel who informed him that they were currently at Northwest Manor.
Ford remembered the Northwest from thirty years ago, of course it was a different generation then, but if these Northwests took after the other ones, seemingly not including the Northwest heiress, they were quite bigoted and rather unpleasant people.
He was about to ring the electric buzzer when the gates opened on their own, Matthew walking out.
"Where are you going?" Ford asked him.
"To look for Dipper, where else?" He grumbled passing the old man and walking off.
Ford huffed and walked in, Matthew increasingly suspicious do to the strange weather. There was obviously something supernatural at work.
And the first conclusion that latched on to his brain was a supernatural creature dancing on the puppet strings of Damion Befuddlement. Next to Bill, he was a master at long term plans.
But what? That was another question. Paige couldn't control the weather, nor Damion, and neither could Bill while confined in the Dreamscape.
There weren't any frost giants in Gravity Falls, so it couldn't be that...
"HALLO!"
Matthew screamed out of his musings and glared at Mabel who grinned.
"Not cool," Matthew grumbled.
"Cool to me! Womp!" Mabel poked Matthew in the stomach and her grin broadened.
"Well, I guess you're feeling better after...you know," Matthew said, and instantly regretting it as Mabel's grin faded.
"Not really," she sighed. "It's easier to pretend then be all sulky though."
Matthew smiled darkly. He knew far too well what that was like.
"Did you call Dipper?" Mabel asked, changing the subject.
"Like fifty times," Matthew grumbled as they entered the woods.
They were promptly shoved aside by a police officer.
"Dude!" Matthew barked.
The man didn't answer just continued running, a few more following quickly behind him.
"What do you think's going on?" Mabel whispered to her brother.
Matthew didn't answer, but a sickening feeling had worked its way into his stomach. He found himself following the police men to a place closed off with caution tape. In the centre of it was an all too familiar car.
"That's not...is it?" Mabel said.
"It can't be," Matthew said. "It's probably just..."
His chest constricted when he saw an ambulance nearby, while medics carried stretchers with the bodies of none other than Ellie and Emmett Pines.
"No..." Mabel squeaked as Matthew ran down the hill had top speed and under the caution tape.
"Mr. Pines, I don't think you should be here..." Sheriff Blubs began but Matthew didn't hear, he just ran towards the stretchers of his parents.
"Mr. Pines," a medic said. "I don't think." Again, Matthew ignored thee people talking to him.
"Mom...Dad..." the words could barely be heard as she was carried away in the ambulance with her husband.
He could barely feel Mabel squeezing his arm with a vice grip. Or the police officers gently guiding him away from the scene.
One thought echoed repeatedly in Matthew's mind: Damion.
He felt his gold eye burn under the eyepatch as he pulled out of the policeman's grip and dashed out of the woods, desperately wanting a certain sociopath to burn.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
Dipper stood by Clara's side at her command as the strange brunette girl was placed on a large bed.
"Who is she?" Dipper murmured.
"My second doll," Clara smiled.
...C-I-P-H-E-R...
AN: again, no italics and bold...sorry.
Hope you enjoyed! Oh, and before I forget, a reviewer by the name of Maddison guessed the Season 3 paragraph break would be "P-A-I-G-E" I'm going to assume she/he believes that the title breaks are based after different bad guys, or people Matthew hates.
That's not actually the answer, so here's a clue! Think Pixar Inside Out!
Fantasy Fan OUT!