To the Nights in the Hold of Stone (BillDip)

Not-So Empty Woodland Clearing(6)

Dipper POV

We reached the clearing where Bill's statue used to stand and I was expecting the girls to panic, and was trying to come up with the best way to fake panic or maybe even an explanation.

But they didn't, they just paused for a second looking around at the trees and me. "What? Why'd you stop?" Pacifica asked, more confused than suspicious.

I was about to say some sort of stupid excuse I hadn't fully thought through when I heard something. The rustling of grass and bushes as someone or something got closer to us. "Did you hear that?" I said instead, trying to play it off as if the noise was the reason I stopped. They both know these woods are filled with odd and extraordinary beasts so they might just believe it.

They both straightened up and looked around, "yeah..." Mabel muttered. Pacifica coward closer to her, cursing under her breath something about monsters. Mabel only stood taller like tightly wound spring wire.

The bush on the other side of the clearing pulled apart as someone split their way through it. My own nerves curled up on themselves trying to go through all the possibilities of what Bill would do and what he meant by "it's time".

"Hey what are you 3 doing out here?" Wendy appeared through the brush. She was still as cool as she was when we met.

"We were gonna go see Bill's old statue, till you scared the crap out of us!" Pacifica sighed in relief.

"Going to but-" Wendy's smile faltered, she turned to look at the empty center of the clearing. She knew it was supposed to be here, she was out in these woods almost as often as I was. She looked at me yet she didn't say anything, she didn't even look worried, just confused.

"But what?" Mabel asked looking around and then to me, "What is it?"

The wind picked up, but it was not a windy day.

"Well well well, would you looky here? The old gang is still together! But how things have changed!" His voice came booming through the trees, Pacifica jumped out of her skin and grabbed onto Mabel whose head swiveled around frantically searching for the source. They could finally hear him too. I turned to see if Wendy was ok, worried she'd panic as they had, but she looked entirely unphased.

Mabel's eyes locked on wide to something over my shoulder, I could practically feel the energy rolling off him from behind me. "Bill Cipher?" Even as she searched for the right words her voice did not waver. "What- How?"

As I tried to turn around to face him, hands glided over my shoulders traveling down my arms to my elbows, the warmth from his breath on the side of my face and neck.

Mabel and Pacifica took a step backwards.

"How are you here right now?" Mabel asked panickily, her fingers twitching at her side. I knew her to normally carry self defense items on her but right now all she had was a damp towel. As for me, I was frozen, not sure what to say to them, or what Bill was planning. I couldn't figure out how to respond or whose side I was now on.

"The power of friendship." He purred, his voice deep and melodic in my ear.

The trees rustled again, this time coming from the other side, through the trees I could see another figure. She had long light purple hair that fell over her shoulder in waves, a crisp white button up tucked into a dark knee length skirt which floated as if in water as she walked towards our small group. She wore a twisted grin and the eye I could see from under her hair was set wide and searching as she took the scene in, she locked onto me, "You must be Pinetree, I've heard a Lot about you." She stopped walking, barely a foot away from me, leaning in, she took my face in her hands, I jerked to pull away but her grip held, "My, my, I can see why you're so interested in this one."

"Ana." Bill had let go of me and was now floating above us. She let go, I rubbed away the finger nail marks she'd left on my checks.

"Relax, I don't want him," her attention turned on Wendy, who was staring slack jawed and horrified at her, "She's the one I'm here for."

"Wendy?" I croaked. Bill had said something about another demon but I never thought there would be another demon like him, or that they would go after Wendy. I should have warned her, she has nothing to do with this or my family. I don't know this demon or what she's capable of, I can't keep her safe. The demon was now at Wendy's side, taking her hands into her own, Wendy was still shocked, just watching the woman in confusion, slowly she shook her head at an utter loss for words.

Mabel stood between us looking wildly between Bill, and the woman he called Ana. She was snarling, but I could see fear in her eyes, unable to think of anything.

"Well Pinetree, are you ready to go?" His voice was bombing and theatrical, entirely different from the morning in this same clearing. My heart drummed in my ears as I looked at him for the first time since he showed up, he even looked different. His hair floated in the air and the triangle in his eye was glowing so brightly it was almost too blinding to look at, the pupil of the other was strip thin like a cats. His whole body was taut in sharper edges that looked almost nothing like the man I'd meet.

I hadn't felt the air leave my lungs, not till it was forced back in by Mabel. Who grabbed onto my arm in a panic, "What does he mean?" She hissed in a hushed tone, her eyes flickered to me, filled with rage and hate.

Bill's laughter drowned out any cobbled together answer I might have been able to spit out, "We made a deal of course!" He leaned forwards, from the air towering over us, gripping his stomach in stitches. He whipped away a fake tear, "I am simply collecting his half of our bargain."

I pulled my arm away from Mabel, I think it was the pure shock of it that loosened her normally ironclad grip. Bill's feet hit the ground, I moved towards him without thinking. I couldn't wrap my mind around the way Bill was acting compared to how he'd been this week but I could focus on how Mabel had been. She's been cold and cruel, she's shut me out since she's been here, as if that anger wasn't rightfully mine. I should be the one mad at her for everything she put me through. If I could get over it why couldn't she?

Fear and confusion took over her face, she was staring at me like I'd hit her. "Dipper..." Her voice was dripping in dwindling anger, trying to sound caring or maybe empathetic. But she was failing, she couldn't pretend anymore. The doe eyed look didn't work anymore.

I only flinched a little when her expression curled as I took Bill's outstretched hand. "I made a deal with him, to protect you, Stan, and Ford. In return for my freedom, from you and them." I had to tear my gaze away from her before I lost what meager confidence I had, but my eyes landed on Wendy who was now watching me with shock in her eyes too. Her hand was still interlaced with the purple haired woman. "Wendy, I thought I would be the only one-"

Bill clicked his tongue, cutting me off, "Now now, she made her deal with her own free will just like you had, there was nothing you could have done about it."

I turned to him, "You could have at least told me." I growled, for the first time feeling mad at him. A small voice in the back of my mind, maybe the last sane voice, warned me that I should have been angry this whole time.

He shrugged, raising his free hand in defense, "All I knew was that she intended to make a deal with someone in town, I had no idea who. Frankly I don't care." He dropped the apologetic act, squeezing my hand still in his, "I only care about you, dear Pinetree, and our deal. Speaking of which," he sighed loudly giving one last passing glance at Mabel and Pacifica, "We really should go."

With a loud, "Snap!" the forest was gone.

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I think this is where I leave you till I have the next handful of chapters!