The Shapeshifter strolled around the laboratory, in it's human form.

"Oh, Dipper, my boy," It said, his face contorting violently. "Come out, with your blond friend!" When it still didn't get an answer, it transformed into a creature with a fist for a head. "COME OUT, YOU SINGLE FORMED WEAKLINGS!"

It slammed it's head into the ground, creating a crater.

"Hey, ugly!"

The monster turned, and saw Bill and Will standing a distance away from him. Bill was holding the journal.

"If you want this book, then come and get it!" Bill taunted.

The Shapeshifter smirked, looking between the twin brothers. "Finally, you arrive, and with that new one." It proceeded to take Bill's form. "Should I be one?" Then took Will's form. "Or the other? How about both..."

Then, the Shapeshifter mutated into a horrifying combination of the Cipher twins. The brothers screamed, before running in the opposite direction, with the monster chasing them. Soon, they reached an opening, where the rest of the group was waiting beside a water valve. As the monster drew near, Wendy and Mabel immediately leaped into battle. The Shapeshifter hissed and changed forms rapidly, while the girls distracted him. Meanwhile, Bill and Will arrived next to the water valve, where Dipper was waiting for them.

"Pull back!" Dipper yelled at Wendy and Mabel. They did as they were told, and when the creature was in full view, and he tried to turn the water valve. But unfortunately, years worth of rust made it impossible to move. "Oh no, it's stuck!"

"What, it can't be!" Will panicked, before trying relentlessly to turn the valve.

Bill didn't have time to digest the situation, when the Shapeshifter wrapped it's tongue around the journal. He held tight onto it. "Let go, you freak!"

"Leave him alone!" Dipper yelled, before charging towards the creature.

"Dipper!" Bill shouted, in distress.

Dipper jumped at the Shapeshifter, before landing on it's head. He rose his sword, and prepared to strike it, but on that time, Will had managed to turn the valve. Water burst from the pipe in heavy waves, and soon the whole tunnel was filled to the brim. There was complete darkness, and all Bill could see were the floating silhouettes of his friends, before the water emptied out in the next chamber.

After being swept out on the floor, everyone gasped for air. Will wrung the water out of his sweater, before checking everyone for injuries. After making sure Wendy, Mabel, and Bill were fine, he went to inspect Dipper...but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where is Dipper?" Will breathed.

That caught Bill's attention, and he immediately looked around in search for the brunette. What he found, however, was Dipper's sword laying on the floor. He picked it up, and newfound fear bubbled inside him.

"Pine Tree!" Bill called, his voice bounced off the walls.

Not giving up hope, he walked around the area. After a while, he finally found Dipper, but it wasn't what he expected. The male Guardian was soaked, and laying on his side, unconscious.

"DIPPER!" Bill cried, dropping the sword, before rushing to the other's side.

Bill knelt before Dipper, and shook him urgently. "Wake up! Please, wake up!" He begged.

Dipper was silent, barely moving a muscle.

"Dipper, please..." Bill pleaded, tears streaking down his face. With shaking movements, he placed his hands on each side of the Guardian's face. "I should've told you the truth, maybe we wouldn't have ended up like this. Now, you could be hurt, or...or..."

He emitted a broken sob, pressing face against Dipper's lifeless chest. "I should've told you! I should've told you that...that I'm in love with you!"

"Uh, Bill?"

Bill blinked, recognizing the voice behind him. He turned, and shockingly, Dipper stood there holding the journal. He was soaking wet, but nevertheless, he didn't look hurt.

Bill wiped his eyes, before staring at him. "Dipper!? But, what--"

The Dipper imitation hissed, before lunging at the male Guardian. The two proceeded to grapple at each other, for the journal. Yells rang between them.

"Give it to me!"

"The journal doesn't belong to you!"

Bill's gaze darted between the two, before he remembered the sword that laid only a few inches away. He picked it up, before aiming it at the two, his eyes narrowed.

"Which one of you is the real Dipper!?" Bill demanded.

"It's obviously me!" The left Dipper insisted.

"Don't listen to him!" The right Dipper shouted.

Bill groaned. "That doesn't help with my decision."

The left Dipper smiled at him flirtatiously. "You know, Bill, I've always found you attractive."

"I mean, I can't argue with the truth," Bill agreed.

"Are you kidding me, Bill!?" The right Dipper snapped.

"Hey, between you and me, this isn't easy for me," Bill shot back.

"You and I!" Right Dipper corrected.

Bill stared at him, before immediately jabbing the sword into Left Dipper's stomach. Green goo oozed out of the cut, and the Shapeshifter roared, before switching to it's true form. Dipper and Bill stood back, and that was when they noticed a large tube in the back of the room.

"Push him in!" Dipper instructed.

So they charged at the creature. Right after the Shapeshifter removed the sword from it's torso, it was shoved roughly into the container. It slid closed, before the tube was filled with clouds of frost, as it began to freeze it's contents. The Shapeshifter tried to escape by turning into an array of creatures, but in the end, he was enveloped by the frost.

"Thank goodness, that's over," Bill sighed, in relief.

Dipper smiled at him, and Bill immediately recalled what happened earlier. He turned away, blushing madly.

"Guys!"

It was Mabel's voice that called them, and they turned, to see the others rushing towards them.

"You're alive!" Wendy beamed.

"What happened to the monster?" Will asked.

Before either of them could answer, a low laughter interrupted them. The group gasped, when the Shapeshifter pressed it's face against the glass.

"You think you won?" It hissed, looking directly at Dipper. "Wrong! You'll never find what you're looking for. And if you keep digging, this is the last form you'll ever take!"

The Shapeshifter took it's final form, of Dipper screaming in agony, before freezing while the real Dipper looked on in horror.

"Good luck sleeping tonight," Wendy said.

❇❇❇

After that terrifying experience, the group ran into a predicament about how they were going to get out of the laboratory. Luckily, with the help of the journal, they managed to tear down the magic seal, while also disarming the traps. Bill was still indifferent towards this Ford person, but he had to admit, the guy was resourceful.

Now, the group watched as the tree rose to it's original position, closing the entrance to the bunker.

"Alright, I'm kinda adventured out now," Will said. "My face hurts from screaming all day."

"Same here," Wendy agreed. "Who wants some breakfast at noon?"

"Me!" Mabel exclaimed. "I suggest syrup on cereal."

"Mabel, I'm starting to worry about your liver," Will said.

"What's the worry? I still have the other one," Mabel said.

The three walked off, leaving Dipper and Bill alone together. The blond didn't look at Dipper, and sat on a nearby log. Dipper sat beside him, and for while, there was silence.

Finally, Bill mustered the courage to speak. "Look, Pine Tree, in the heat of the moment, I might have said some things. Do me a favour, and pretend it never happened...please."

Dipper looked at him seriously. "No, Bill. This time, we're not gonna pretend like nothing happened, we're going to see it through." Then, he said hesitantly. "I wanted to tell you this sooner, but...I was in love with your past life."

Bill perked up, and looked at him in shock. "You were?"

"Yeah, I was crushing on him pretty hard," Dipper said. "But, after what he done, I didn't think I could trust him again. Trust you, again. But, you proved me wrong. Somehow...you made me fall in love with you all over again."

The blond was speechless, and momentarily, he forgotten to breathe. His heart was beating so hard, he could hear it in his ears.

He blinked his eyes, as the rims misted. "Pine Tree, if I start crying now because of your cheesiness, I will never forgive you."

Dipper smiled at him, before placing a hand gently on Bill's hand. "I'm willing to try this out. To try us out."

Bill frowned. "What if, it doesn't work out?"

"We'll never now unless we try," The brunette said.

"But...but.." Bill paused.

"Yes?"

The blond made a pained expression. "But, what if I ruin things again? I don't want to hurt you, Dipper--"

"You won't hurt me."

"There's no guarantee, though," Bill said. "Whether I'm a Demon or a human, I always screw up somehow."

"And you think I don't?" Dipper responded. "Bill, what you did was bad, but then you have to remember, that I killed you. Neither of us are perfect, in fact, we're far from it. But, I don't want our past to weigh us down anymore. So, what do you say?"

There was a long drawn out pause, and neither of them made a move. Then, Bill made a gentle smile. He leaned in gingerly, before kissing Dipper lightly on the lips.

"Let's try this out," Bill decided.

Dipper turned a beet red, and looked away shyly.

"So, now that we agreed to go out," Bill started, smirking. "Who's top?"

"Bill, we just started dating, don't make me break up with you."

"If so, that would be a new record," Bill joked.

Dipper rolled his eyes, before embracing the other. Bill tensed, before hugging him back, running his fingers through Dipper's brown locks.

"FINALLY!"

The two released each other, then turned around. Staring at them from the bushes, was Wendy, Will, and Mabel.

"You creepers!" Bill snapped. "How much of that did you hear?"

Wendy shrugged. "All of it."

"We're so happy for you two!" Mabel beamed.

"I guess, some good things came out of this mission," Will said.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty bummed we're not any closer to finding Ford," Wendy admitted. "But, at least I got this briefcase."

She lifted the briefcase, but then something happened. It opened, revealing to be a small computer.

Dipper stared. "Wait, that's a computer!"

"And a really busted up one," Wendy noted.

"I think I can fix it," Dipper said. "It'll take a while, but we'll probably find information in it."

Bill peered at the computer, and his eyes directed on the tag on it.

"Property of F?" He read, out loud.

"Could that be Ford?" Will questioned.

"Hopefully," Dipper said. "That's what we're gonna find out."

The group smiled at each other, but were unaware of the figure staring at them from the bushes.

An elderly man with glasses and ancient attire, smiled at the group.

"You five are in for a lot of surprises," Fiddleford said, humbly. He took out some canned meat he recently got from the bunker, and proceeded to eat some. "Ugh, that is definitely expired...still delicious." Then, he proceeded to eat more.

❇❇❇

Back at the shack, Gompers was working in the basement while the others were gone.

It was easier with Bill around, but the goat was on a time limit.

He looked over the pieces of blueprint that he made Bill write down on papers (it was hard, without opposable thumbs), and examined the unfinished machine.

As he stood there, Gompers recalled some memories of his past, rushing back at him like a tidal wave.

Just when, I knew everything, you always surprise me. You are as  fascinating, as you are frustrating.

He remembered his voice. It was firm and a bit unhinged at times, but it oozed with brilliance that the creature was naturally attracted to. He remembered when Ford described him as fascinating as while as frustrating, because the creature was something the Guardian found unique, but also difficult to understand. Gompers counted that as an ultimate win.

While remembering his old partner, he recalled the warning that Ford left about this portal.

I miscalculated greatly. After I use the portal, it must be left untouched. If it were to be turned on, it will cause a worldwide catalyst.

"I'm sorry, Ford," Gompers said, to himself. "You should've known not to rely on me, when it comes to promises."

After all...Demons never keep their word.