At the water's edge (not mine)- Billdip

chapter 20

Alright, now,” Mabel paced back and forth in front of Tad and Bill who had calmed down somewhat and were sitting watching her. “This, Lanius, is a full blooded demon?”

“Yes.”

“And he wants both of you dead.”

“Along with the rest of the crew, yes,” Tad answered her.

“Why? Because you are only half-demon?”

“Yes, he is a very old and powerful demon. All the full-bloods hate those who have assimilated into human society. Lanius thinks we are nothing more than dogs that need to be slaughtered at birth. And for that reason, he hunts us, takes pleasure in killing us. Not just demons, but any lessor half-breed.” Tad looked to the side before turning back to her. “And he hates humans with a passion.”

Mabel paled a bit and kept pacing, it helped…somewhat. “And now he has Dipper.”

Bill growled lowly. “If he lays one hand on my Pine Tree, I will make him suffer for a thousand years.”

“And you’ve beat him before?” This time Tad and Bill looked at each other before Bill jumped up from the chair he was sitting in and began to pace himself. Mabel took the empty seat. Tad sighed.

“We got lucky. And at the time, Bill, was at full strength. Unfortunately, he depleted his power when he teleported us.”

Bill stopped suddenly in his tracks and turned to look at them, his face stricken with disbelief and pain. “That’s how he found us,” his voice was strained.

“Ah,” Tad murmured.

“What?” Mabel demanded.

“When we teleported, it took so much magic and energy that it created a huge ripple. Like when you drop a rock into the water, it ripples outwards.”

Bill slumped to the ground, with a dull thunk when his knees hit, head bowed. “This is all my fault,” he whispered quietly. It was so unlike him it unnerved Mabel a bit. The room fell into an eerie silence. Mabel had to blink her eyes a few times to clear the tears that were starting to gather.

No.

She was not going to accept this. There had to be something they could do, but looking at the two of them, they both seemed to be in some kind of shell shock. Almost as if they had already accepted defeat.

Not on her watch.

“Get up,” she ordered Bill. He looked up at her, blinking, a dazed look on his face. “This ship needs its Captain, so get up and start acting like one. We have a crew member that needs saving.”