Back From The Grave

The Negotiator and the Twins

"Now what?" Dipper questioned his Uncle who was glaring at a map of Gravity Falls.
"I wish I knew. I wouldn't begin to know where he would of ran off too." He sighed, pressing his fingers into his temples. "All we really can do is wait till he's causing trouble." It was clear that Ford hated that option as much as Dipper did.
"There has to be something we can do! Maybe he went to the magical side of the forest or hiding in the Aliens ship!" Dipper pleaded. Ford only shook his head.
"He's got to be desperate. We would have seen some sort of activity by now." Ford stood. "but we have no other leads." He gave Dipper a forced smile. "Alien spacecraft it is."

Dipper forgot how far the trip to the crash was, especially on foot. "Wait," Ford halted their movements, motioning for Dipper to stay quiet. And then he heard it. Someone else was walking around in the forest, and it sounded like they weren't aware of their presence yet.
Carefully Dipper and Ford followed the sound of the footsteps, until Dipper accidentally stepped on a twig and the noise sent the other into a sprint. Ford was quick to follow their pace, dragging Dipper along with them. Who ever or what ever they were chasing was small, because they always chose to duck under the lowest branch and through bushes, but Ford dragged them through and they kept up. Whatever it was ran slow for a floating demon.
Eventually the thing ran into a clearing and slipped through the gates of McGuckets mansion. Ford only hesitated for a moment before following it in and into the mansion, only to be cut short by McGucket aiming a banjo at their heads. But Ford and McGucket stilled in confusion. A small form hid behind McGuckets back. Dipper stepped to the side of the two to get a better view of the figure. Dipper didn't know what he was expecting. It wasn't Bill, and if Bill was a floating triangle, he wouldn't have made any footsteps. What was hiding behind the ex-hillbilly was clone number 3. He totally forgot that he and 4 ran off. It's been almost 5 years, how the hell was he still alive?, but the way he ran to McGucket did help answer that question.
With a quick motion, Ford reached behind the other man to grab the clone by the neck and then freeze when he saw what (or who) he was holding. Before he had a chance to put the kid down, he was thrown back by a plume of blue fire. As soon as the clone hit the ground he ran to the fires source. A man that stood proudly and the edge of the stairs. His cheeks were covered with dark skin and freckles that glowed yellow. One of the man's eyes was covered by a black eye patch while the other was a shining gold. Dipper watched in horror as the golden colors of the man turn a sickening red.
Oh no.
The tall blonde now redhead stood menacingly, only held at bay by McGuckets out stretched arm. Clone 4 held lightly to the fine fabric of the man's leg and 3 joined him moments later.
"Now, now fellas. There's no need for a brawl."
Apparently Ford had the same realization that Dipper had because he lunged at the demon.
"You don't know what your dea-" He was cut off by McGucket shoving him back. Bill was surprisingly staying on his side of McGuckets arm. The twins seemed to be directing Bills attention to him and forcing him to give deep breathes? They didn't let up on Bill until his color returned to normal and Bill turned to walk up the stairs trailed by the twins, apparently disinterested in Ford's continued screaming. And then they turned the corner and vanished...
"Why the hell is he here?!"
"Ford, please calm down. I needed someone to talk business deals for me because.. You know." He made a crazy gesture to his head. "Rich guys don't like dealing with the insane and Bill seems to have a knack for it. I have investors breaking down more door because of him." He gave a smile. It's wasn't fake, Dipper noted.
"What did you have to do?"
"What?"
"What was your side of the deal?" Ford sighed. He rubbed at his temples again.
"There was no deal. He needed a place for him and the kids to stay and said he would work for a place for them to stay." McGucket shrugged.
"The Clones were with Cipher?" Ford grimaced. McGucket nodded, and then sighed.
"Look, I get it. Arch nemesis and all, but he's trying to make the best of what he got. He's not looking to pick a fight. Just leave him alone." McGucket tried to convince Ford.
"He tried to set me on fire!" Ford tried to argue.
"And you tried to kill Alexander." McGucket retorted.
"They're named?" Dipper spoke up, and their expression was clear that both of them forgot he was there.
"of course. Where the called something else?" McGucket gave him an odd look, meaning wasn't the one that named them. Bill was.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Ford and Mcgucket catching up and Dipper sitting in the back of the room bored out of his mind. He eventually excused himself to the restroom to wander the mansion. It was remodeled since the last time he visited with Pacifica, but the sound of the clones playing drew him back to the main room.
Bill floated with 3 on his torso and reaching down, but still out of reach of 4, Who was now jumping trying to reach the two. With a couple of jokes about 4 being short, Bill reached down further to grab him by the arm and then launched him 20 feet in the air. Dipper paled seeing that he almost hit the ceiling and Bill mimicked then same expression, flashing a quick color of purple, before placing 3 down and racing over to catch 4. It. Was clear that Bill had panicked, but he forced the purple back down before the twins had a chance to see. 4 however was laughing when he was caught, completely unaware of the close call. The twins trusted Bill..at least enough for him to launch him in the air. Bill didn't thrown another one. Instead he placed 4 back on the safety of the ground and stood up straight, before reaching to pick up 3 before realizing that he was no longer there.
That's when he realized Dipper was there and that's when Dipper realized 3 had approached him with a curious grin.
"U-uh, Hi. " Dipper sputtered to the clone. Had he been that short when he was a kid?
"Hey. How's the dance with Wendy go?" He smiled. Dipper could feel the stare from Bill, but he moved on to picking up 4.
"Oh, uh. Terrible?" Dipper laughed awkwardly. The clone laughed with him.
"Really? You gotta tell me what happened man!" The clone sat down as if expecting a story. This has gotten the attention of the other clone who scrambled out of Bills arms and to Dipper.
"Oh! I've been dying to know for years!" 4 shouted when he sat next to 3.
Bill seemed to be ready to follow 4 before backing off when he realized where he was going. He kept a sharp eye on Dipper socializing with the twins.
Not moments later McGucket called down the hall. "William! Dipper! It's chow time!" That was when Bill approached him, but refused to make eye contact. Dipper realized he was being civilly ignored. Bill helped the twin off the floor and the ran down the hall laughing laughing in the other direction. Bill watched them turn until they were out of sight with an expression that reminded Dipper of a paranoid parent.
"I miss having that much energy." Dipper found his voice and hoped to ease the tension.
"I miss being that short." Bill chuckled. Dipper found himself appreciating that it wasn't the psychotic cackling that he was used too.
Bill lead them to the large dining room were Ford and McGucket already sat. Ford seemed at ease until Bill walked in. He could practically see his shoulders tense up.
Bill paid him no mind and sat on the other side of McGucket and the old man smiled at him with tired eyes. Bill responded with a smile that could be considered reassuring. Plates were set in front of them by the Northwest leftover servants.
They ate quietly and Dipper couldn't believe the elegance or his dish. He wasn't even sure what it was. It was beef drizzled in some sort of beige gravy and veggies that he didn't recognize. Bill however had a completely different dish than the rest of them. A vegetarian dish, Dipper noted. He also noted that McGucket would have cycles of having difficulty using the silverware and would resort to using his hands until Bill would clear his throat, and then go back to using silverware. Once Bill had reached over to help show him how to hold his fork more comfortably, but Ford's hard glare made Bills attempt to help very short and instead looked down at his salad when Mcgucket resorted to using his hands again. There dinning room began to fill with conversation when the servants filling in the rest of the dinning table with their plates.
"It's been nice, but Dipper and I really should be heading back." Ford excused himself and Dipper followed him out into the main room.
"Dipper?" Ford paused. "He's up to something. He may have McGucket fooled, but you and I are better than that." He smiled deviously. Dipper didn't like where this is going. "All we have to do is expose him for the beast that he is."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Dipper ventured.
"I have some ideas." He smiled as the twins ran down the stairs and into the court yard. "And luckily we don't have to kill anything that actually real." He stalked out after the kids.
Oh no.
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Yea! Super long chapter! I hope it didn't drone on too much. Okay, that's enough of me.