:::::::::::: Dipper's POV ::::::::::::

We continued to climb the spiral staircase until we reached a wooden door with metal decorations. Bill opened it gently and I caught a glimpse of someone with dark hair sleeping in a kind of hospital bed and Bill sat down on the bed next to him.

B: Hey Tad, hi. How are you?

The guy opened his eyes, showing two wonderful violet irises, and he smiled as soon as he saw Bill.

T: Hey Cipher...!

His voice was weak almost like a hiss.

Bill took a remote control by the bed and the mattress moved so that now Tad was comfortably seated. I closed the door behind me and he finally seemed to notice my presence.

B: Tad, I want to introduce you to someone but before I tell you who he is, I'm telling you this: I trust him. You don't have to worry.

Bill gestured for me to get closer so I could better see Tad. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, the covers covered him up to the waist, and his face, although very beautiful and youthful (like all the vampires after all), was signed by slight wrinkles and he had a tired and dull look, like that of an elderly person.

B: Pinetree, I introduce you to my cousin Tad Strange, Tad, this is Dipper Pines.

Tad's eyes widened as he heard my surname and his eyes flashed red for a moment.

T: Pines? You... Are you related to Stanford Pines?

B: Yes he is, but, as I've just said, don't worry. He is one of us. I gave him my blood more than a month ago but he only ate yesterday. You can say that he has a strong willpower.

Tad sighed, relaxing slightly.

T: Typical of you Pines...

Bill smiled in his usual old and mischievous way and he approached Tad's ear as if telling a secret but letting me know exactly what he was saying.

B: You should have seen the way he devoured those humans (and yes, I said humans, he didn't eat one or two but nearly 6!). It was a priceless show!~

I covered my face trying to hide my face which seemed to be on fire from embarrassment. Bill laughed and gave me a pat on the back while I heard Tad sigh, but when I looked at him he was smiling.

T: You're always the same Bill, when will you stop behaving like a child?

Bill pouted and crossed his arms, pretending to be more childlike than before.

Tad half-laughed and he gestured for me to sit down on a chair next to him.

T: Sorry for my cousin, he can be really strange sometimes... more than my own surname.

D: Y-yeah...

T: What?

D: I... uhm... I-I had no idea he had a cousin...

Tad chuckled again.

T: Actually... I'm not his REAL cousin. I'm descended from the sister in law of Bill's dad and I was born a few centuries later after him. More precisely, in Paris during the Belle Époque. If you like history, having vampire friends can be really interesting.

D: Wow... sometimes I forget that you... that we vampires can live that long ... I still have to get used to all this.

T: I understand. Becoming a vampire is a change bigger than one might think.

I nodded. There was still something I wanted to ask and I hoped I didn't sound rude.

D: Why are you here? In this room... on a hospital bed...

Tad stopped smiling and sighed and Bill looked down. Then he turned to Tad who nodded and Bill rolled up Tad's sleeves, revealing two pale arms full bandaged, and he opened his shirt, showing more bandages.

T: Just over 32 years ago, there was a battle against humans. A stranger who came from afar led the revolt. He was a scientist who had found some ancient vampire-slayers weapons and he had managed to copy and invent new ones. These silver weapons cause very strong burns that can kill you slowly and painfully. It was like they were built with hot solid poison.

Tad took a trembling breath.

T: Stanford Pines... the man who managed to lock me in a trap that blocked my leg in a grip. I freed myself quickly but I burned my hands. I started to run as fast as I could but I was slowed by the wound and I was limping. He soon reached me with two other men who threw three silver arrows at a time at me, while he threw bombs with incendiary. I don't know what hit me later. I remember that I fell to the ground, on my knees. I looked at my stomach and saw that a weapon was coming out of the wound. I couldn't see what it was. My vision was completely blurred. I didn't even feel the ground when I hit my head. I was sure that it was my end.

Tad looked up and his eyes were starting to fill with tears.

T: When I opened my eyes I was in this bed, with the wounds all bandaged. My right arm was totally burned and I couldn't move it without feeling a strong pain. I couldn't feel my leg. My back was full of different wounds caused by all the weapons that hit me, not to mention my stomach was literally pierced. As soon as I saw Bill, he told me that I'd been in a coma for five years. The worst part is that the wounds caused by these weapons can never heal. No matter how strong the regeneration of us vampires is, because of their venom, they don't allow you to heal. There is no cure... I can only suffer...

He started to cry and Bill hugged him gently, probably trying not to touch the wounds on his back.

D: I'm sorry to have made you rethink these sad things...

Bill helped Tad get comfortable and he brought the bed back to a horizontal position.

T: Don't worry Dipper. I've been living with these and other things for 27 years.

D: As much as I love Grunkle Ford, I cannot remain indifferent to what he did, especially if you add this to all the strange stuff he wrote in his journals. He described many forest creatures but the vampires are described as the worst of all them but I realize this is a lie. I mean, Bill is probably worse than a demon but in general, vampires are nothing but people with a different diet and superpowers. There are demons (*cough cough* Bill *cough cough*) and there are those who are really funny people (like Oswald). I held a weapon against someone only once but it was only to defend my twin but the most damage I did was a scratch on Bill's cheek.

Tad raised an eyebrow and looked at Bill.

T: Did he really do it?

Bill smiled.

B: Absolutely yes. Pinetree really has a lot more guts than you could ever think (even if this could be understood by the sass he sometimes uses while he speaks).

The two chuckled (though this caused Tad pain) and I kept talking ignoring them.

D: Leave someone to suffer so much... I think it's even worse than kill someone. I may not be a doctor or something like that but... if I'll ever find a way to help you, you can count on me. I have the eternity ahead, I don't mind spending it trying to fix the errors of my Grunkle and finding a way to help other vampires like you.

I smiled, meaning every word. Tad smiled at me.

T: Thank you so much for your words. Even though I don't think you can do anything, I know you said them from the bottom of your heart.

B: Well, now it's better that we go. I have things to do and I still have to show you things, Pinetree.

Bill stood up and motioned for me to follow him and we headed for the door.

B: See you soon Strange!

D: Goodbye Tad.

T: See you next time Cipher, Dipper.

●○◌◦ ~ TIME SKIP ~ ◦◌○●

D: Hey Bill... why did the scratch on your cheek heal immediately? I used Ford's vampire-slayer weapons, shouldn't it have left at least a scar or something?

I asked sadly. Bill turned to me and he messed my hair smiling like he always does.

B: Don't worry, Pinetree. That gun was still an experiment and it didn't do anything to me.

He then took his own chin like he was thinking but he was still smiling.

B: I never thought you would be worried about me. I'm flattered!~

I turned and I crossed my arms, blushing in embarrassment.

D: In fact, I'm not worried. It's just your imagination.

Bill chuckled.

B: Yep, It's TOTALLY like you say.

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1479 words

16/05/18