Finally! The next chapter!

Listen to the song Dream by (guess who else?) Imagine Dragons for this chapter.

Also, this is where the story is officially kicking off. If you thought the other chapters were intense or feels-y, you better get ready. This one should also be a bit longer, my treat for not updating in so long. So, hows about you thank me for this, because it was originally a short little filler chapter.
Oh, and thanks for reading so far and enjoying!

The mud had just dried up as Dipper finally reached the Shack. Despite what he had just been through, everything else seemed in perfect order. A faint rainbow danced up above, and the sun was peeking through the thin clouds.

He was almost at peace, but the terms of his deal with Bill wouldn't leave him. The demon had to be playing him again, like last time. But no matter how hard Dipper thought, there weren't any loop holes in it.

That's what you thought last time, too, he had to remind himself.

So what if everything failed? The end of the world had been closing in anyways, right? No harm done. Nothing was wrong. No one would ever know a thing.It was never as simple as that, though. Something that seemed to be tainting the whole summer.

What if Mabel or Ford noticed that he was acting strange? Maybe they would ask for the journal and realize that he didn't have it. Would they know what had happened?

No, that wasn't what was important now. The real question was; what was Bill going to use the journals for? He hadn't destroyed them as Dipper had at first thought, so then what might he have in store? Was there a way that the demon would be able to get a hold on the first one?
What did Bill even need to use them for in the first place?

Too many question pounding in his head still, Dipper slowly walked up the creaking steps to the Shack. Hesitantly, he turned the handle and opened the door, only to be tackled by something fuzzy and very loud. Mabel.

Why was Mabel hugging him? She should have been angry at him for leaving like that. Unless... Unless Bill had held up his end. Maybe there hadn't been any tricks in that deal at all. Dipper wasn't too keen to get his hopes up about that quite yet though.

"Dipper!" She said. "Where were you bro-bro? I didn't know if you would come back."

He felt tears hit his shoulder as he hugged Mabel back. "It's okay Mabel, I'm back."

"The--I--" she stuttered. Dipper hugged her to him tightly. How could he have run off like that? What was he thinking?

Stan rubbed the back of his neck from where he stood. "So, uh, look kid. I'm sorry that we--"

"Its okay, really."

Their Grunkle gave them a small smile. For the first time in a few days, Dipper felt like everything would be okay. Behind him, the door opened again, and Ford stumbled in.

"I couldn't find him!" His Great Uncle trailed off when he saw that Dipper was, as a matter of fact, standing right in front of him. His shoulders slimmed down in relief.

"Look Grunkle Ford!" Mabel cried. "Dipper came back!"

"I can see that," Ford said, smiling. He turned to Dipper. "Look, Dipper, I'm sorry. I should have seen how important your friends here were to you. We should have thought it through more."

"It's... It's fine, Great Uncle Ford."

"If we all work together on this though," Ford added, hesitantly, "we might be able to have something figured out soon."

Mabel gasped. "How soon?"

"Tomorrow."

"Really?" Dipper said. "You think we can figure it all out so soon?"

"If we work hard on it, I'm sure all of us could figure it out."

"Yay!" Mabel said. "Science stuff!"

"Not quite." Ford said, leading the way to the vending machine, opening it. "There won't be that much 'science stuff,' we just have to figure out how to push Bill back through the rift once we get it open."

" So, we just have to find something that's... That's what?" Dipper asked.

"We just have to find something that will interest the largest threat of our dimension enough that he'll risk ruining his entire plan."

"What would that be?" Stan said.

"That's just it," Ford said, "I have no idea."

They all walked down the stairs and into room that had once held the portal. A few large pieces of it were laying against the walls. It looked like it was still possible to resemble if ever needed. The room reminded Dipper of the strange dream he'd been having. Ford noticed him pause, but didn't say anything about it. Dipper wondered if he should tell them about his deal with Bill, and how they only had one journal left.

He decided against it.

After all, what if it tore their family back apart, like the dream demon had warned him of? Then it would have all been for nothing.

"So, think, everyone." Ford said. "What could we use?"

"I don't think anything will work." Stan said.

"That's not helpful." Ford said.

"I'm just sayin."

Ford rolled his eyes and looked at Dipper.

Dipper shrugged. "Do you have anything that you've built that could get rid of Bill?"

"I have built a Quantum Disabliser, but we would only have one shot with it. It's a last resort."

"Is there anything in the journals?" Mabel piped up.

"Nothing very useful." Ford said.

"Nothing?" Dipper asked.

"What about you two?" Mabel asked.

"What?" Stan said.

"Well, both Dipper and Ford have made deals with him, and made it out, wouldn't Bill be interested in that?"

"It would be dangerous." Ford said. "Bill could end up killing someone."

"Is there anything else you can think of?" Dipper said desperately.

"No." Mabel murmured.

"I'm not gonna let one of risk your lives for the rest of use, you hear me?" Stan said.

"It might not work anyways." Ford added.

"That what will work?" Dipper asked.

"The Quantum Disabliser will have to do."

"But what if that doesn't work?" Mabel cried out.

"Then we'll have to improvise." Ford said.

"When are we going to test this? How do you know that the whatever-it-is will even work?" Stan asked.

"There isn't a test run." Ford said, meeting all there eyes slowly. "If it doesn't work, either think fast or get out of there."

Mabel hugged Dipper's arm tightly, Stan looked on grimly. Ford just looked defeated. Dipper was really hoping that the Quantum Disabliser would work.

'Don't be getting too hopeful, Pine Tree' Said a rather familiar voice in Dipper's head.

'What?' Dipper thought back, stiffening at the thought that Bill knew their plan. 'Bill? How?'

'You can't get away so easily. That barrier was already weak.'

But how--?"

'We still have a deal, Pine Tree. One from a while ago. I never remember placing a limit on how long it would last. You can't get away.

Oh no, Bill was right.

Dipper tried to say something back, but he could feel that Bill wasn't listening to him anymore. When he blinked back to what was actually happening, Ford was looking at him carefully, even as he explained the rest of the plan. Dipper looked down at the ground. Did Ford know?

Finally, they all left to go to sleep. Dipper followed Mabel up the stairs to their bedroom. When they were about to fall asleep, Mabel suddenly got up, saying that she had needed to ask Stan something. Before Dipper had a chance to reply, she had bounded down the stairs.

He was asleep before she got back.

...

The moon was a sliver of silver in the sky. Dipper was sitting outside, up on the roof where he sometimes spent his time if he didn't have anything to do. It was a lot like the nights he had spent trying to solve the laptop. Everything was quiet, he could here the crickets down on the ground. A soft little breeze made the trees rustle. A few birds glided by up overhead.

Dipper didn't think he was alone, he felt like there was someone else around. He chose to not worry too much, it was the first peaceful dream that he'd had in weeks.

"Glad to know that my work is appreciated."

The voice was everywhere. It came from every surface.

"Bill?" Dipper asked. "What do you want? Leave me alone!"

No reply was heard.

"Bill! Answer me! What do you even want?"

"Poor little tree can't figure it out."

"What is it?"

"I want this dimension." Bill's deep, demonic voice echoed.

"Why?" Dipper asked, a chill running up his spine.

"Hows about you learn for yourself?"

"What do you mean?'

"My, my, Pine Tree, aren't you full of questions today?"

"Bill!"

Suddenly, the ground shifted and Dipper fell through the shack. As he fell past the trees, hundreds of eyes opened on them, focusing on him. He fell through the ground, the world, the dimension. Everything was red, flames danced up, snatching at the air. Bill towered in front of him.

"Why? Because I'm tired of this world!"

"What is this place?" Dipper said, his voice shaking.

"How about you learn for yourself, Pine Tree?"

"What? But, I---"

"You'll find out soon enough!" The dream demon boomed. "While we're on the topic... You should really learn how to keep track of family members! It might come in handy at some point!"

Before Dipper could ask what he meant, everything was gone, and he was sitting up in bed, gasping and sweating. It was still night, he took note of. Probably around one or two in the morning. The other thing was, Mabel wasn't back yet.

Panicking, he scrambled out of bed, got dressed, and ran down the stairs, tripping and face planting down the last few. He smashed his face on the ground, and landed on his arm awkwardly, but Dipper got up and ran outside anyways.

Ford, Mabel, and Stan were all standing there. Ford held a huge type of gun, and Mabel was clutching the glass that the rift had been contained in. Stan had the first, and last, journal that they had left.

They were going to break it without him. They were going to save the entire dimension, and they weren't going to tell him. He could have gotten up the next morning and Bill could have had a physical form and everyone might have been dead. And he wouldn't have even known.

"Guys?" He said, so quietly hat he was sure they wouldn't hear him.

Ford whipped around and met eyes with him, suspiciously.

Could Ford really think that... No, why would his Great Uncle think that he had betrayed everyone? Sure, he had made a deal with Bill, but to save everyone. So yeah, they might not have all the journals anymore, but they all had each other, right?

"Dipper?" Mabel said.

"What are you doing?" He tried to smile, but it didn't come out right.

"Look, kid..." Stan said. "We're sorry, but we didn't think it would be safe if you got involved."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Mabel was right." Ford said, readying the Quantum Distablizer . "Bill might have an interest in one of us, and we didn't want to put you in any danger."

So they weren't trying to keep him away because they didn't trust him, but because they cared for him. But, he could take care of himself. What if they had ended up needing his help and he hadn't been there?

"I can help."

"Just, be careful, Dipper, please." Ford said.

"Yeah, bro-bro! What if you get hurt!"

"Hey, kid'll be fine, he's tough." Stan said to his brother.

"Dipper! You can help me!" Mabel said. "We get to smash this!" She pointed to the sealed rift. Dipper felt himself freeze up slightly at the site of it.

'Aw, is something wrong, Pine Tree? Scared?'

Dipper ignored Bill and walked over to Mabel. She handed him the rift, holding on to one side of it. Again, Dipper ignored Bill's pressing to drop it early. His fingers twitched, and he knew that Bill could force him to drop it, but he didn't.

Dipper didn't think that their plan was very good. If the Quantum Disabliser didn't work, it could lead to Weirdmageddon, something that even Ford hadn't been able to completely explain.

Ford was ready much too soon in Dipper's opinion, and he motioned them to continue.

"Okay, go ahead and break the rift." Ford said, before mumbling under his breath: "Never thought that I would say that."

Mabel and Dipper looked at each other, then, as one, they dropped it.

The rift shattered as it hit. A shockwave ripped across the ground, throwing them off the ground and rocking the trees. Dipper looked up and watched as a beam shot up from where it had shattered. The sky ripped and tore open, revealing the terrible dimension of fire and madness.

A triangle formed in front of it, laughing, a top hat floating above its head and it's one eye fixated on them.

Ford, without missing a moment, fired the shot. A huge beam of energy tore through the air and struck Bill in the middle.

Dipper watched in horror as nothing happened. Bill was still there, and so was the rip in the sky.

Sixer!" Bill admonished. "How silly! Did you really think that that was going to work?"

"Wha-?" Their Great Uncle managed to say.

"That little gun won't work on me!" Bill said. "I've gained physical form, and now have unlimited power!"

"We can still stop you! I have the journals!" Ford shouted.

"Are you sure? When was the last time you actually held one of the journals?"

Ford pulled the first journal out of his coat, flipping through the pages.

"You know that one doesn't have anything interesting in it! You need the other two journals! Unfortunately, for you, I think you might be missing them."

The second and third journals flashed into existence with a burst of blue fire, floating in front of Bill. Dead silence fell over everything. Only the strong wind was there to threaten the trees. The sky was red.

"Oh, poor Pines family." Bill said, catching Dipper's eyes for a moment. "You underestimated me. Did you really think that you would be able to stop me? I've waited one trillion years for this!"

"Grunkle?" Mabel asked, her voice shaking. "How did he get those?"

Stan held her hand and looked to Ford, expecting an answer. Ford had nothing to say.

"Who would have thought? The Pines family has a traitor in it! Ahahahah! I wonder who it is?" Bill said.

"Could it be Pine Tree?" Bill taunted.

Dipper felt himself get lifted off the ground by some invisible force. He tried desperately to grasp the ground, but it did no good. He found himself floating next to Bill at eye level.

"Dipper!" Mabel screamed.

"What about you then, Shooting Star?" Mabel got lifted up next. "Could it have been you who betrayed your whole family? You already decided to ignore your brother once, perhaps you decided to go against the entire world?"

Bill made a finger gun towards Ford. "What if it was you, Sixer?" He turned to Stan. "Or you, Fez?"

"Stop it!" Dipper said. "You said you wouldn't hurt any of them!"

"So, the little tree finally admits to it." Bill said, as Mabel was floated back down to the ground.

"Dipper!" Mabel called up. "What does he mean?"

"What I mean, Shooting Star, is that your brother made a deal with me and handed over the other two journals!"

"Your lying, Bill!" Ford said. "You couldn't have made a deal!"

"Not unless I'm summoned." Bill said. "You forget, Six Fingers! Little tree had the second journal as well."

"No I didn't!" Dipper snapped. "I found it! In the forest!"

"Even so," the triangle said, "it was your choice to open it."

Dipper didn't have anything to say.

"I think I'll let you off this once, Pine Tree! Here! Be with your family!"

Dipper was dropped back to the ground. He didn't bother to stand back up, it wasn't like anyone else would want to be by him. Mabel tackled him in a hug. He felt tears on his shoulder.

"How cute!" Bill said. "Anyways, I'm kinda busy!" With a wave of his hand, he tripped them and sent them all to the ground.

Dipper felt something break. Not physically, not emotionally. There was no way to describe it. He only knew one thing, Bill had broken their deal. Dipper wasn't held back by it anymore.

"Hey! Bill!" He said.

"What, Pine Tree?" Bill asked.

"Give me the journals."

"Hahahahaha! Why would I do that, Pine Tree?"

"You broke the deal."

The Dream Demon paused for a moment, regarding Dipper.

"You really think that a single, little deal, with someone as weak as you, would really make that much of a difference to me?"

"I gave you the journals. I can take them!"

The demon laughed at him.

"Go ahead then, Pine Tree!" He taunted. "Go ahead and try to defeat me!"

Dipper closed his eyes and focused on the broken link between them that had once formed the deal. Some of it was still there, stuck from the first deal he had made.

"Pine Tree, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Bill warned. "You won't like the outcome."

"Maybe I won't!" Dipper shouted back. "But it will save everyone else!"

"I don't think so."

It was too late anyways.

Bill let out an outraged cry as Dipper used the demon's own power against him. The rip went into reverse. Instead of pushing the Nightmare Realm into the world, it started to suck it all back. The sky went back to normal, the wind stopped.

Mabel hugged Dipper tighter, a huge smile on her face, trying not to giggle. Ford was standing his ground, just in case, even while Stan ran over to the kids. Bill started to waver as his newly found physical form was torn from him. He locked eyes with Dipper. The said twelve year old felt ice creep up his spine and dread fill him like a balloon.

"If I'm going, Pine Tree," he said, turning red, "you're coming along!"

Something tugged at his soul. Dipper felt his breath catch, he lost his footing. Mabel grabbed his arm, Stan asked what was wrong. Ford started to run over to him when he realized that something was wrong.

"Say goodbye!" Bill laughed. "It might be a while!"

"Don't open the portal again." Dipper said when Ford reached them.

"What?" His Great Uncle asked.

"Bill's going to take me with him. Promise me you won't open the portal again just to get me back!"

"I--I promise!" Ford managed.

"How sweet! They're having a final moment!" Bill said.

Dipper felt his vision go black. He fell against Mabel as Bill dragged his soul out of his body and through the rift. Dipper had a feeling he would be stuck in the Nightmare Realm for a while.

He didn't hear Mabel scream as the rift closed and her brother's body went limp.

So, yep.
I finally finished the chapter.

Aren'tcha proud of me?

I felt so evil writing this chapter.

Hey look, updated for Christmas as well.Well, Merry Christmas!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

                    TOODLES!
                               ~Aza

(P.S. Who else is really exited for the hour long season finale of Gravity Falls coming next year? I know I am! It's a long wait, sure, but that just gives us all more time to theorize. Admit it, that's always fun. And, more time for fan fictions. Along with how it gives the show a longer time to last before it's over . It also gives more people an opportunity to catch up and watch all the episodes.)
(It's still a long wait, though.)
(Kinda like for when the next chapter of this story is coming out!)
:P
Okay, toodles now!