To the Nights in the Hold of Stone (BillDip)

Old Faces(2)

Dipper POV

I bounced on the balls of my heels, waiting impatiently in my room at the shack. After this morning I was practically vibrating with excitement and a mix of fear. Mabel was coming back to Gravity Falls today. I haven't exactly seen or spoke to her in 7 years or so... It made me just as nervous as I was happy. We had fought the last time we saw one another, and I had gotten on a bus before either of us could apologize or say anything more to one another. She didn't cut off contact entirely but she surely hadn't talked to me. She kept in contact with her old friends and my Grunkles and even started dating Pasifica, who is riding in with her on this morning's bus.

The one I am waiting for.

My alarm, telling me the bus was about 5 minutes from the bus stop, shocked me out of my haze. After a long moment of fumbling my phone out of my pocket and frantically turning off the loud blaring it was making, the room fell into silence again. I didn't move, I should have. I had set that alarm to tell me when to leave, that way I didn't leave several hours earlier and camped out at the bus station like a psycho. Yet, I felt frozen in place, the fact that this was really happening was only now setting in.

Finally, when I was able to move, I was sprinting.

The stairs groaned under the pounding of my feet, I could hear my Grunkles whine and shout something about not being so loud, "I'm going to go meet Mabel and Pacifica at the bus station!" I shouted back as I be-lined it past the living room and out the front door, running down the familiar dirt path fueled by the replaying loop of our last fight in my head. When I finally made it to the long stretch of lane with the bus stopped my body finally failed me and I couldn't run anymore.

The bus station itself was about 20 feet away, the bus was already there, Mabel and Pacifica were already out of the bus pulling their bags from the storage unit.

Pacifica noticed me first and said something to Mabel, she looked up but there was no smile on her face and she looked different, older. I guess I must look different too.

I made the first move, I started walking again meeting up with them.

"Mabel..." I lost my words after that, drowning in the emotional whirlpool of seeing her.

When I made it in range of her, to hug her, she stepped back. She looked frantically to Pacifica, "Can you help me with this bag?" she muttered. She even sounded different, her voice had changed, her face had changed, and her hair.

"Yeah... Hey Dipper, it's really nice to see you again." Pacifica gave me a quick sympathetic hug before taking the bag from Mabel so she could grab the last one from the bus. Even when she lived in Gravity Falls, I haven't really seen her. She spends most of her time in school or on the other side of town, whereas I moved to online classes and became a hermit. From what my parents have told me, after her and Mabel started dating she's spent the last two summers with them in California.

I felt a wave of dread and fear douse the last bit of excitement I had tried to protect. It had been so long, all of my anger over our last fight had faded years ago, but Mabel seems to still be holding on to hers.

"Welcome back Mabel." I uttered at my feet. When she didn't respond I just grabbed some of their bags, forcing myself to be useful. We had all their stuff from the bus and made the trek to the shack.

The walk was long and awkward, but not quiet, even when mad she was never good at the silent treatment. Her and Pacifica walked behind me and I could hear them talking about the town and how excited she was to see some of the people she hadn't seen in years. They talked about shops she wanted to visit, and about a date to the mini golf field.

But every time I looked back at them, with the mere thought of joining their conversation, Mabel would shut down and look at her shoes. 

The shack coming into view put fresh air in my lungs. I walked just a bit faster, with the feeling that if I could just get her though the doors it would change everything.

"We're here!" I shouted, throwing myself into the excitement of the people who met us on the inside.

Candy and Grenda stood at the front of the pack, screaming the moment Mabel made it in they jumped on her. Her mood changed immediately, she started beaming and squealing back, jumping with them in the explosive excitement in the room.

Stan reached into the pile of girls and pulled Mabel into a tight hug, "Good to have you back kid," She pulled back and he ruffled her hair. Her smile brightened even more, the same smile she used to wear all the time, you know, minus the braces. She turned to Ford and gave him the same back breaking hug, "Nice to see you to!" He wheezed. I did my best to cover a flinch. I turned away from them, pushing through the crowd of waiting people who were completely focused on Mabel. The kitchen was a lot less crowded and I was able to just sit at the table, away from all the people.

Bill POV

This morning was not entirely how I was expecting things to go. I knew that sometimes when I was able to see out the stone eye I would see him throughout the years, coming to me in the dead of night and staying for hours, asleep and awake.

"I didn't think after so many years trapped in your own mind you would daydream, Bill Cipher." She appeared through the trees, floating over the ground with her ankles crossed.

"Ana!" I smiled, throwing my arms wide. She returned the smile but didn't come in close enough for a hug, she crossed her arms across her chest curling into the mass of lavender hair floating in the hair around her like water. "Have you made the deal yet?" I asked, shaking it off like nothing.

"Yes. I see you haven't though."

"No, this morning started off differently than I thought it would, I will make the deal in a few hours. We just have to be patient." I hummed.

Her eyebrow shot up, her gray eye searching me, "I didn't think you knew the definition of the word patient." Mocking filled her tone.

Uncrossing her arms she straightened up, fingers outstretched, her hands began to glow. From blue flames bloomed smoke that curled and turned around her arms till enough of it pooled between us. "Might as well watch what's happening till then."

It was only a few hours until I found the perfect moment, the stage was set, each of those in my zodiac were all in one place.

When the time came I whistled softly to myself as I walked into the shack.

We'll meet again don't know where, don't know when

I pushed past the stupid meat sacks, looking for him.

But I know we'll meet again

I found some of the easier prey of my zodiac, but they did not interest me. I could just turn them to stone, but in the end that wouldn't work, not with him fighting on their side.

Some sunny day

Pinetree was sitting separately from the main party, seemingly avoiding contact with all of them.

Just like you always do

I'd pasted Shooting Star in the other room... interestttting. Maybe I should change my plan a little bit. Be more subtle.

'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away. 

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This chapter was defiantly the most satisficing to rewrite. Also I'd like to point out that I'll be changing the relationship between Bill and Ana, they are no longer siblings for one thing- more like odd friends now, I'll explain better as the story unfolds.