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Chapter Seventeen: Ends

The blood on her hands smeared across his cheeks as he looked down at her, vivid amber eyes staring down at her with shock. There was pain in her stomach, but not nearly as much as there had been before, and everything about her felt weak. Mabel's hands were shaking just with the effort to put her hands on Bill's cheeks.

"Mabel?" Bill breathed out, not caring for the blood as he pressed his lips against her palm, stained red almost immediately. There was just so much blood, everywhere. If it wasn't for the fact she was still lying in an inch of cold water, she would be lying in a puddle of her own blood.

Their time to bond was cut short, as Stanford ripped Bill away from Mabel and let his niece lay in the cold water. Bill didn't even get a chance to defend himself before Stanford punched him hard in the face, a crack echoing through the room as Bill's nose broke underneath the first.

Tad rushed between them, pulling the two men apart as Bill clutched his nose to stop the bleeding. Mabel groaned and rolled on her side, trying in vain to get up on her own but unable to do so. She only managed to sit up, and even that was a stretch. When it seemed like Bill and Stanford wouldn't come close to each other again, Tad went to Mabel's side and picked her up, easily supporting her in his arms.

"I'm tired." She mumbled, resting her head on his chest. Stanford was right next to them, checking Mabel for a temperature but only finding slightly cooled skin under his hands. Mabel let her eyes slip shut, only opening them again when she heard Bill groan in pain.

"Tad, please." Mabel mumbled, and Tad sighed before going to his cousin and handing Mabel off. Mabel wound her arms around Bill's shoulders, leaving her uncle fuming in silent anger as she seemed ready to fall asleep right in his arms. Mabel didn't even care right now.

"I want to go home."

They did, they left the island, with their ships carrying prisoners and wounds from battle. Dipper had nearly cried at the sight of his sister when he saw her, and all the blood, but she told him she was fine. Bill tightened his grip on Mabel when Dipper tried to take her away, getting a glare from Dipper at the action.

"Thanks for your help, but you can let her go now. She needs to be with her family." Stanford came up behind them. Mabel didn't even glance at him.

"I want to stay with Bill." Everyone turned to stare at her. "At least until we get to a real port and see a doctor."

Dipper grumbled, Stanford looked ready to punch someone, and the only reason Stanley hadn't punched Bill like Ford was because he was sailing the other ship next to them. Bill pressed a soft kiss to Mabel's forehead, taking her downstairs to his cabin.

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, before Bill could even tuck the blanket around her. Her breathing was soft, barely noticeable with how her chest hardly seemed to rise and fall. She was pale too, almost like she was sick.

Bill pressed his fingers against her wrist to check for a pulse, just to reassure himself, and kissed her forehead. There would be no sleep for him, not until he was sure she was going to be okay. Even in sleep, she curled closer to him, rolling on her side so she was pressed against him when he sat next to her on the bed.

Bill brushed her hair away from her face, feeling the saltwater and dried blood in her hair. At some point, Dipper came in to check on his sister, but left after a couple minutes. Bill felt no need to leave, not when he had lost her once. He wouldn't lose her again.

"She's fine, heart sounds normal, she can breath. She just seems a little cold, but otherwise she's fine. How about you let me take a look at those cuts and that nose instead?" The doctor didn't spend a lot of time with Mabel, only checking over her vitals, since she seemed to be the only one there who hadn't been torn apart in a battle.

Bill huffed, resting his head on Mabel's shoulder. There was always some kind of contact between them now, their hands always linked together, Mabel leaning against him, Bill's arm wrapped around her waist. It seemed almost natural, with how at ease they were together. Mabel yawned, resting her own head against his own. Bill shivered at the chill that radiated off her.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Bill asked softly, the doctor looking over Stanley's arm. Mabel smiled, reaching up to gently touch his face in reassurance.

"I'm sure. You always going to worry about me now?" Mabel asked with a slight laugh. Dipper glanced at them but didn't say anything.

Bill only nodded, unable to explain it. He didn't really have to though, not with what they both knew he went through. Mabel might have been the one who died, but Bill was the one who cradled her dead body in his arms, hoping for a miracle.

"What happened, when you died?" Bill asked. They both knew it was possible she hadn't died at all. She might have just been on the brink. She never talked about what happened though.

"It's not important, I'm here now, aren't I?" Mabel ran her fingers through his golden hair, her hand trailing along his neck and then his cheek so her thumb could trace the freckles he had.

Bill didn't ask again, just burying his face once more against her shoulder. Stanley had been patched up, the doctor sent on his way, and they were left sitting on Bill's bed, with nothing more than their thoughts and each other for company.

Stanley and Stanford made quite a pair, a pair that fought especially hard when Mabel said with finality that she was staying with Bill. If Bill wanted to sail across the seven seas, she would be with him, if he wanted to settle down, then she was still going to be by his side. Dipper had long since given up trying to argue with his sister when she had her mind made up, and instead turned to Bill.

"She's been through enough, you've taken her away for a long time." Dipper said softly while Mabel argued with Stanley about what she apparently 'needed' in life. "If you really want what's best for her, settle down and take care of her, like she's done for you."

Bill crossed his arms, turning his back to Dipper and instead pulling Mabel aside. She still had arguments on her lips, but that was silenced with a kiss from Bill, and a soft sigh when he pulled back from her.

"You know, I've always wanted to open a shop on the beach. A nice little place where I could sell things I've collected, with someone I care about." He picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around his finger as a smile stretched over Mabel's features. "I don't see why this town would be a bad town to do that in."

Her eyes lit up with excitement, a smile stretching over her lips and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Behind them, Tad mentioned something about finding work in town, and Mabel's uncles finally settled down in their arguments.

They didn't find a place just right on the beach, so they built it. As summer faded into fall, and then into winter, the house went up in structure similar to the Mystery Shack, where there was a main room where they would sell the wares and trinkets, and the back rooms where they would have their lives together.

As soon as the doors opened for the first time, Bill sat behind the counter as he watched Mabel sweep the main room and greet customers. Dipper was their first customer, buying a couple books that Mabel had told him about but refused to let him have.

"You're swindling me just like our uncles." Dipper muttered, putting money on the counter. "I hate you both."

The whole day had been like that, until Mabel and Bill were exhausted, coming into the back rooms and falling into bed together. There was no time for whispered goodnights, there wasn't even energy for a goodnight kiss. They fell asleep, still dressed, in each other's arms.

Time went on like that though. Mabel and Bill hearing the gossip of the town, sometimes old allies of Bill stopping by with new things for Bill to sell. Tad picked up a bakery in town, bringing them a fresh loaf of bread every morning so they would never have to go without.

Mabel wasn't aware just how much time was passing until Dipper showed up at their shop, tears in his eyes and saying that the worst had happened, that the Stanford had a heart attack, and wasn't in the world with them anymore. Bill and Mabel closed the shop early, and he held her all night while she cried.

Stanley was quick to follow after, passing in his sleep without a sound. Dipper found him in the morning when he went to rouse Stanley for breakfast. Again, they closed up shop for a day, and this time Tad brought over Mabel's favorite chocolate cake, something he normally only made for her birthday.

Time just seemed like something she didn't need to concern herself with anymore. Dipper finally met someone he liked enough, a Mrs Mystery who helped him run the Shack. Mabel enjoyed meeting her, but she couldn't go back to the Shack without thinking of her uncles.

In fact, she didn't notice how much time was passing until the light caught Bill's face, just as he opened the door for another day. There were crinkles in the corner of his eyes, laughter lines from years of staying with her, of actually being happy. Mabel went to their room with an excuse she didn't even think about, looking at herself in the mirror they both shared. She still looked the same as she did so many years ago, not a beauty mark or wrinkle to be seen.

"Let's get married." Mabel suggested later, unable to take her eyes off of Bill. He nearly choked on his tea, coughing as Mabel gently patting his back to make sure he didn't choke.

"What?" Mabel asked, tilting her head. "You don't want to get married."

"No, no, I do, I just thought you would plan something, not make something so spur of the moment." Bill laughed.

"Let's get planning then."

She didn't realize how much she had been missing out on, just by a piece of paper that she never had before. Bill surprised her one morning by placing a ring on her finger before she even woke up, a brilliant yellow stone set in rubies, sparkling in the morning light. Mabel had finally got him his own ring, a wide golden band that Tad helped her find just so she wouldn't have to let Bill in on the secret.

They said their vows on the ship that Bill never could think about leaving, with Tad and Dipper as their witnesses, and the priest binding them together for eternity. Mabel stared up at Bill with nothing but love on her face, his eyes crinkling even more in joy as they took their first kiss as a married couple.

Time again, was nothing. Small little points that would forever stand out in her mind. Dipper telling her that he was expecting a baby with his wife. Tad bringing over new things he tried to make, staying up late and laying on the sand with Bill, watching the stars.

Mabel never did have children with Bill, and not for want of trying. They talked of adopting, they talked of other things, but nothing ended up happening. One time they got a cat who, greeted customers with a meow that let them know when someone else was there. It was another thing that Mabel didn't notice had become a constant in her life until it just wasn't there.

Bill sometimes would hum her favorite music, sweeping her into a dance around the shop when they had no customers, and those were the memories that she clung to the most, when his hand would rest on her hip and her head would rest on his chest, hearing the hum coming from deep in his chest.

More lines appeared on his face, and Mabel caught Bill staring at them one day when they got ready for breakfast. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and kissing his shoulder. Bill poked at the more prominent lines near his eyes, before turning in her hold and kissing her head.

"Look at me, getting old while I'm still married to this fine woman. Wonder when she'll wise up and leave me." Bill chuckled, but it sounded sad. Mabel shook her head, laughing as well.

"Never."

Her own face never gained a line though. Her hands never hurt with age, she never got spots on her skin and she never found it hard to move in the mornings like Bill did. Dipper's baby had been a boy, and now a young man, and even Dipper would come over and complain they should have built their house closer to his own so he wouldn't have to walk so far.

Mabel didn't realize such an age had passed though, it didn't truly hit her that is, until Bill was trying to get up from their bed one morning, and simply couldn't. His golden hair was streaked white with age, and Mabel had to help him rise from bed. He panted for a moment as though he had just run a mile, before smiling at her.

"Didn't realize how big of a step it was, caught me off guard."

Mabel laughed a little, taking his joke in stride and a tight grip on his arm as though she was afraid he would fall. Bill didn't wave off her efforts. That night, Mabel dragged him out to the sand and shore of their house, and they laid to watch the stars, talking about everything they had lived through in life, until the sun rose in the morning over the sea.

That was the last night they ever stayed up to watch the stars.

As amazing as firsts were, Mabel distinctly remembered the lasts just as much. She remembered the last morning that Tad made the journey to bring them a fresh loaf of bread in the morning, telling them he was retiring and passing the bakery to his apprentice. She remembered the last time Bill pulled her into a dance in the middle of the day, and she remembered the last time that she looked into his eyes and only saw the young pirate who had kidnapped her.

They only talked about it once, in whispers in the middle of the night when Dipper was mourning the loss of his wife, when Mabel couldn't sleep. Bill's hands were wrapped around her own, gently toying with her ring, as though making sure it was still there.

"Would you have saved me, if you knew this would happen?" She asked softly, her voice barely louder than the whisper of the waves on the shore. She hoped, only for a moment though, that Bill didn't hear her.

"Yes." He murmured back, and Mabel freed one of her hands to cup his cheek and trail her thumb over his freckles.

"I'm glad." Mabel whispered as Bill fell asleep in her arms, and she didn't sleep a wink at all that night.

He never asked her to leave, but sometimes she would look over at him when he thought she wasn't paying attention, and would see the sadness in his face as he stared at her. Mabel would always go and give him a kiss, no matter who was there.

Dipper died just as Stanford did, taking after his uncle one last time with a heart attack, and the final Mister Mystery was buried next to his uncle's. His son was too upset to keep the Shack open, and Mabel didn't blame him at all. She had only asked that he bring a couple of her favorite things down, which he did without complaint.

Tad died when Mabel came to visit him, as he smiled sweetly to her and said thank you for everything she had ever done. Mabel cried as much as she had when all of her friends died, pushing away when Tad's breath left his body in one last exhalation, as his caretaker came forward and asking if Tad was her grandfather.

Mabel was the one who came home that night and told Bill the news, and she was the one who held him as he cried for the last of his family that had died. Mabel took care that night, preparing Bill's favorite dinner, and Tad's signature dessert that made his bakery so popular.

Bill Cipher died in the middle of the night, when Mabel was sleeping next to him, not a sound coming from him. Mabel woke up with a gasp as though she knew something was wrong, and it was like the breath had left her body, she couldn't get enough air in her lungs.

"Please, please, wake up." She had begged for hours, as Bill's body cooled down as her own did, just a barely passing thought that maybe she really had died that night, when Gideon finally got what he wanted. "Please, I don't want to live without you."

Bill was buried next to Tad, an empty spot next to Bill that was left open for her. At some point, people had stopped thinking that Bill was her husband and thought he was her father, and Mabel corrected them with pride in her voice, because story of the notorious Bill Cipher still stayed on the seven seas.

Every morning, she rose with the sun, and took a loaf of bread to Tad's grave, and set flowers on the grave of her husband. Every day, she opened the shop and sold her wares to whoever came by, and parents sent their children over to hear the stories that she had to tell. Every night, she closed her shop and went to lay in the sand, and told stories of what happened to Bill, who she hoped who could hear her.

"I should have told you, I should have told you every day how much I loved you. I'm so sorry. I love you."

Every night before bed, she crawled into the bed that she once shared with her husband, and said goodnight, and a simple statement of love to someone who wasn't there anymore.

If you're traveling to northern Oregon, and happen to find a town on the shore that slept more than it was awake, you might hear stories about pirates who came sailing through, so many years ago. You might just be lucky, if the townsfolk liked you, to hear of a small shop on the shore, where a woman stayed, selling things that you could never find anywhere else. If you were truly lucky, and asked nicely, she would tell you a story, of love and heartbreak, of adventure, a story unlike anything else.

If you are truly one of the lucky ones though, one of the rare ones who she liked, one of the blessed ones, you might just realize all the stories were true, and she just might show you a pirate ship that was tied at port, well worn from age and battle.