"My, My, Pinetree, I'm honored." Bill walks around Dipper in a circle. "I mean," he starts, grabbing Dipper's chin and pulling it close to himself. "I know giving people nightmares is my specialty, but you?" Dipper was too horrified to move. Bill wiped a tear from Dipper's eye and flicked it in a random direction. "The heroic Dipper Pines is crying? Because of something that happened when you were twelve?" He asks, and Dipper opens his mouth to speak, finally building up the courage to respond.

"sh-shut up" he mumbles, looking down at the floor and taking a step back.

Bill laughed. "That's all you've got? 'Shut up'? What happened to you? You were much more heroic when you were younger." He took a step closer to Dipper, who took a step back. Bill grinned, taking another step forward, and Dipper backed up. Bill kept pursuing him until Dipper was backed up against a wall. "I'm telling you, kid; something's changed in you since I took over your body. Maybe as soon as I get out of this stupid body I'll do it again so you'll obey my every command" He slaps his hands against the wall behind Dipper's head, and he flinches at the motion. "I'm not hearing any objections, is that a yes?" Bill asks sarcastically, and before Dipper can open his mouth to speak, Mabel stands up and pulls Bill off of the wall away from her brother.

"Leave him alone, Bill. He's traumatized! Look at him!" She says, gesturing to Dipper, still staring where Bill had been standing. His eyes are wide, and his face is the palest she's seen in years. His mouth is still half open, as if he's still trying to think of a response to Bill's threat.

Bill rolled his eyes. "That's the point, Shooting Star" he hissed. "He's the reason I'm here. He ruined me" He glances over at Dipper, who is still repeatedly opening and closing his mouth and moving his hands around. "He's better off this way. He's pathetic. It shows how he really is. I've had enough of his brave hero ego." Dipper takes off his hat and slides to the floor and covers his face with his hands. "It's about time people see what he's been hiding under that Pine Tree hat and deformed birthmark of his" He pulls his arm away from Mabel's grip, and heads into the other room. When Mabel was one hundred percent sure he wasn't coming back into the room, she walked over to Dipper and sat down.

"I-I can't believe it" Dipper mumbled as soon as Mabel sat down next to him.

"What can't you believe?" she frowned.

"I let my guard down. In front of Bill." He hit his head against the wall. "AGAIN".

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It happens to everyone"

"But not with Bill! Everyone else who's gotten involved with him knows not to do it again, and this makes the third time it's happened to us and still nothing's changed. He's still much stronger, braver, and smarter than me. I wasn't even the one who stopped him. Both of those times we've gotten involved with him you were the one who stopped him. It was always you and never me.

"Hey, don't say that! You were plenty help the first time, and he totally would've gotten the journal the second time if you hadn't come and talk to me during intermission at the puppet show!"

"Yes, but the only reason he almost got the journal the second time is because I was foolish enough to make a deal with him. If I hadn't been so stupid-"

"You weren't stupid at all! You were very sleep deprived and obsessing over that laptop. You were vulnerable."

"Yeah, what about you then? You seemed to be fine the day we erased evidence of the Blind Eye, and you had spent the whole morning upset about your failed relationships"

"Don't you remember? I tried wiping the memories of ever meeting those guys, and don't even get me started with those hologram-thingies the Love God made. Everyone's vulnerable to something, Dip. Don't forget that. Getting ripped out of your own body? Watching somebody else walk around in it? I'd be traumatized if I were in your shoes, too."

Dipper paused, looked down at his dog tag for a moment, and sighed before reaching for his hat. "I guess you're right" he says, looking straight forward into the other room. "Thanks" he says, and looks over at her and smiles before standing up.

"Yeah, that's more like it." Mabel says, standing up as well. "You wanna go visit Wendy?" she asks, and Dipper's face beams.

"Wendy's here? I thought she was away at college"

"Well, she was, but I heard that's she's home for a few weeks for vacation"

He pauses for a moment. "Yeah, okay, let's go" He says, and she smiles.

"Okay, I'll go get my shoes. Wait here" She says, and heads into the other room. Dipper sighs and heads over to the couch and plops down. Not even a minute later, he feels someone plop down next to him and throw their arm around his shoulder.

"Already? That was fast"

"Nope! Guess Again!" Bill's voice startles him, and when he looks over and sees fresh cuts and scratches crossing over old scars, he looks the other way.

"I must say, Dipper, you have a pretty interesting relationship with your sister"

Dipper slid away from him. He knew if he were to respond in any way that defended their relationship, Bill would try to ruin it. Losing Mabel's support would be the absolute last thing he wanted.

Bill laughed. "Oh no, as great as that would be, that's not why I'm bringing it up." He scooted himself closer to Dipper. "I mean, every time one of you becomes all panicked over some petty thing, you think leaving for the day will fix your problems. Maybe it'll fix boyfriend problems, or accidentally walking in on your uncle when he's getting out of the shower, but not for me." He threw his arm around Dipper, and leaned in closer. "Because I'm going to be here for the rest of your life, and there's nothing you can do about it. So go on, run off and visit Red, stay with her for the week for all I care. But just know that I'm always here, always watching." Bill stands up and passes Mabel as she comes back in the room with her sneakers.

"You ready to go?" She asks cheerfully, obviously trying to avoid bringing anything up that would prevent Dipper from seeing his best friend. Dipper glances over at Bill, but he can't tell what he's doing. He sighs. He knows exactly what Bill is going to do once they leave, but what Bill said is true. If Bill is going to be with them for a long time, Dipper might as well try to find excuses to be out of the house as much as possible.

"Yeah, let's go" he says, standing up. They walk past Bill on the way out, and when Dipper walks by, he shakes his head slowly. Dipper rolls his eyes, ignoring the gesture, and follows Mabel out the door.