A/N: Hoooo boy, I must apologize for taking so long on this chapter. I was really lost for a while, and then I wrote half of it, but I was totally stuck on the other half and it was just a big cycle of BLAH. But, it's up now, currently, as of... 1:24AM on November 25th, not edited. As always I appreciate your reviews. Enjoy!

Dipper awoke with a start, sitting up when he realized where he was. Was the day before... real? It felt like a terrible dream. He took a deep breath and looked to his twin's bed, surprised to not see her still bundled up under the covers. Normally he'd be awake long before her. He figured today could be an exception considering what he dealt with the day before. His body showed a bit of resistance as he got out of bed. There was an uncomfortable tenseness in his arms and legs which spread dully through the rest of his body.

Mabel greeted the boy as he slowly made his way downstairs. The tree from yesterday was set up close to the couch, the branches still bare. It was surprising that Stan actually had a tree stand. Though looking more closely, Dipper noted that it looked rather new. He took a seat on the couch and Mabel joined him soon after.

"So do you wanna decorate the tree now? I was waiting until you woke up. Oh! That reminds me, how are you feeling?" Mabel spoke with her usual peppiness.

Dipper rubbed his arm in thought, "A little sore... But I'm alright. Thanks," he smiled at her, "I don't think I could focus on the tree right now, though."

Mabel frowned, disappointed at her brother's response. She could, however, recognize the gleam in his eyes. There was something he needed to do, and nothing was going to stop him. Her smile returned, giving off a gentle glow.

"I got it, bro-bro," she stood up and fished around in her pocket, pulling out the money she'd pocketed back on the bus. Mabel placed it in her brother's hand and punched him in the arm softly, "I do need more time to make some decorations."

Dipper looked down at the money and slid into his pocket, "I'll help you later today. Promise."

It wasn't often that Mabel did these kinds of things. Usually it was always about Mabel, so he was really touched by his twin's kindness. She sent him off with a shooing motion and Dipper got dressed for the colder weather outside. He grabbed his journal on the way out and said a set of quick goodbyes to Mabel and Stan. Stan glanced out from the kitchen, keeping his worries for the teen to himself. Dipper was more of a fighter these days, so Stan knew he couldn't stop the boy, but he also felt that he didn't need to anymore.

Needing a place to think, Dipper made his way to Greasy's Diner for just that, and some breakfast while he was at it. He was surprised that not many people had left town for the holidays. Then again the town in general was weird, so he wasn't sure what he really expected. Dipper took a seat at one on the empty booths and pulled out the journal from his coat. He flipped through the pages and leaned back with a groan. Even with the black light trick, there was nothing new that he could read up on to help him. As he tossed the book onto the table, Lazy Susan came by to take his order. All he asked for was a plate of pancakes and a glass of chocolate milk. Dipper rubbed his temples slowly, trying to think things through with the limited knowledge he had.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice interrupted.

Dipper snapped out of his trance and sat up straight. Before he could get a word in, the unfamiliar figure took a seat across from him in the booth. The brunette found it exceptionally strange, not to mention rude.

"Do I know you?" Dipper questioned, crossing his arms with a pout.

The mystery person began laughing as though they'd heard a hilarious joke. This further confused the boy. He stared, brow raise and mouth hanging open. Maybe this was a dream.

"Jeez, Pine Tree, I thought you were more clever. Perhaps the cold is getting to you."

With a sudden realization Dipper's jaw dropped further. He couldn't believe it. Though his confusion was quickly discarded when he connected "cold" to the previous day's events. Regardless he could hardly believe that the Bill Cipher was sitting across from him... sitting across from him in a human body. His skin was darker than Dipper's. If he had to compare it to something, it was close to coffee with just a bit of cream in it. And his hair could have been pure gold. It was short and flipped to the side in the front, covering one of the demon's eyes. As for his clothes, it seemed like a rather simple suit. Bill's usual bow tie and top hat were a familiar sight to the boy. Other than that he could see a plain white dress shirt, a yellow coat adorned with a brick-like pattern on the edges. And although he couldn't see it, the tails of the coat were rather long. Everything else, gloves, pants, and dress shoes, were a clean black. Dipper noted that this was a lot different than how most people in Gravity Falls dressed. The only people he could think of that dressed similarly were Stan, during work at least, and Gideon. Now that he thought about it, they didn't exactly change what they wore. But coming from the kid who practically wore the same thing everyday, he didn't have the right to try and criticize them.

The brunette snapped out of his roaming thoughts and shot a glare at the dream demon.

"What are you doing here?!" he hissed, "And whose body did you take this time?"

Bill let out a hearty laugh once more. It was a surprise that no one even glanced over once. Perhaps they were too busy with their own meals.

"Oh, Pine Tree... You must know that demons like me can grow stronger just like any meat bag. Though, in a different way. I don't see any of you going into peoples' dreams," he chuckled softly and rested his chin in a hand, "The point is... I thought it'd be easier to keep my eye on you like this. So, I conjured up myself a body. All the wonderful senses of you humans," pain remained his favorite of them, "And all of my power to use as I please," he paused, frowning slightly, "However, I can't use it all willy nilly now... You set one thing on fire and everyone freaks out. So if I want to stick close to you, Pine Tree, I have to behave myself to an extent. Nothing's going to stop me from causing a bit of havoc at your dear old Mystery Shack though."

Dipper rubbed his temples, convinced he was dreaming at this point. It didn't make sense for Bill to keep an eye on him if he didn't even know what Bill's plans were. Even though it was the kind of thing Bill would do, Dipper couldn't help but feel more than suspicious of it.

He let out a deep sigh, "Then... I guess I can't exactly stop you."

The demon smirked. Rather than an evil look, it was smug, like he'd won some kind of game. And as he watched his miffed Pine Tree, Susan brought over Dipper's order and set it down in front of the boy, paying little mind to Bill. Bill, however, payed quite a bit of attention to the plate and glass, staring at them with genuine curiosity. Dipper ignored the nuisance that was Bill and began eating.

"What are those?" Bill piped up.

Dipper rolled his eyes, "Pancakes."

The blonde nodded, feigning an understanding of it. Sure, he was a being of pure energy that knew lots of things, but what good would it be to him to know of simple breakfast foods? But faced with something new, he wanted to learn about it now.

"Do they taste good?" the demon inquired.

"Yes," Dipper only wanted to eat in peace.

"What are they made of?"

There was a hint of annoyance in the twin's voice, "Flour, eggs, milk, sugar... That kind of stuff."

Bill smiled, interested in the golden disks, "Can I have some?"

Dipper almost choked on what he had in his mouth, flashing a look of disgust at the other. Who in their right mind would share food with someone like Bill? The brunette sighed, finding he was doing that a lot in Bill's presence. Knowing that Bill wouldn't give it up he cut off a piece and held a piece up for the other on his fork. Syrup dripped slowly from the soft cake and onto the plate. Dipper waited for the fork to be taken, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently. Bill stared, unsure of what he was meant to do. Instead of taking the utensil he leaned over and ate the morsel right off the fork. Dipper reflexively pulled his hand back, shocked, and the fork fell to the table with a soft clink. He rubbed his forehead, frustrated. He wasn't prepared for something like that. Maybe Bill was teasing him while he had the chance.

"It's good," Bill mentioned.

"Huh?" Dipper blinked, not processing the demon's words at first.

"It tastes good," he smiled and looked down at the plate of pancakes.

The twin's head tilted to the side, "Okay?"

"They're sweet. Warm. Fluffy. No wonder you enjoy them."

Dipper scratched the back of his head and looked away, "Uh... Yeah."

The reaction was understandable. After all, Bill had never eaten this before. He never needed to eat anything. And it wasn't like he had a mouth in his usual form. Dipper still found it to be weird though. He reached over for his fork and continued to eat, surprised that Bill didn't utter a single word after that. All he did was watch the boy eat until he finished.

Dipper tossed the money his sister had given him onto the table and wiggled out of the booth. It would probably cover the bill and some kind of tip. He figured it was better than running out on the bill like Grunkle Stan would do on occasion. The teen shoved his hands into his coat pockets and hurried out of the diner in an attempt to ditch Bill.

Unfortunately for him his time alone was rather ephemeral. The dream demon hung over him, following from behind. From what Dipper could tell, Bill was about half a foot taller than him. After remembering that Bill "conjured" the body, he assumed it meant that Bill wanted to be this height. Though it really wasn't that tall. Wendy would trump Bill's height and she wasn't even an adult.

"Why Pine Tree, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to ditch me."

He knew better. That's exactly what Dipper was trying to do.

"That's definitely not what I'm trying to do..." Dipper scoffed.

Bill hummed in their silence and moved to walk beside the boy. He tapped his chin in mock thought before placing a hand upon the boy's shoulder.

"How about we go on an adventure?" It sounded like a suggestion, but Bill wouldn't be taking no as an adventure.

Dipper rolled his eyes, "Yes, that sounds like such a smart idea. Going on a weird adventure with the creep who almost made me freeze to death."

"Almost," Bill pointed out, "That's the key word."

"I'm going to say no, but do I really have a choice?"

The demon laughed and led Dipper along, "No choice whatsoever."

Their little trip wasn't anything special. They walked through the cold little town and into the forest that Dipper was more than familiar with. At the moment it didn't seem like he'd be left for dead, so he just went along with things without a word. Bill took to humming again, leading Dipper along in what could be seen as a game of follow-the-leader.

"So..." Dipper started, rubbing the back of his neck, "Where are we going exactly?"

"Mm, around."

Dipper opened his mouth to question further, but it didn't feel like he'd get a straight answer no matter what. He'd left the shack to think and try to figure out what Bill could be planning. And now here he was, with Bill. There was no way he'd get anything done at this rate.

The brunette let out a quiet 'oof' when he suddenly bumped into his guide.

"Why did you stop? Where are we?" From what Dipper could tell they were in a simple, and strangely small, clearing.

"Pine Tree, why did you come here?"

With a dumbfounded gaze the boy quirked a brow, "Uh..? I've been following you?"

"I meant why did you come back to Gravity Falls?"

Bill sounded oddly serious.

"For the holidays. You know, to spend it with Grunkle Stan and Mabel," Dipper explained, watching the taller curiously.

He received a hum in response and the blond continued walking.

"I've seen this holiday celebrated a lot of times. Humans give other humans gifts, right?"

Dipper moved to catch up as he spoke, "Uh, yeah, usually. It's more for younger kids when they believe in Santa and all that. Families usually exchange gifts even as they get older though."

"What a weird tradition... Aren't there humans undeserving of gifts?"

"Er, I guess so," Dipper cleared his throat softly, "Don't you think it's nice though? To get presents?" He let out an awkward chuckle when Bill remained silent, "Well they say it's better to give than to receive."

It was a shock to see Bill acting so civil on their adventure, which was honestly just a walk. They spoke occasionally, with the dream demon inquiring about seemingly random topics. Their chats were simple and friendly, much to Dipper's confusion. He halted in his tracks, his senses finally reminding him that Bill was plotting something.

"Why did you tell me you had some kind of plan? Wouldn't it be... kind of a hindrance for me to know?" Dipper huffed when he saw Bill continue to walk and moved to catch up with him once again.

"It wouldn't be any fun if I didn't tell anyone. Besides, I want you to know about it specifically."

The cryptic words were certainly something Bill was known for. That didn't mean they annoyed Dipper any less. So now he knew he wouldn't be getting any kind of information from the demon.

Bill paused, looking toward the sky, "Amazing how early the sun sets, hm? We were wandering around for so long."

Dipper gazed at the sky in amazement. The stars were already out and he hadn't even noticed. But that meant he'd been out for hours now. Hours with Bill and it was actually kind of nice. He shook his head rapidly at the thought. It was all a hoax after all. Bill was up to something and Dipper wasn't going to let his guard down just because they spent a nice afternoon together.

"I suppose I'll be off," Bill commented, taking no time to return to his familiar triangular form, "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Pine Tree," he reminded before fading away.

Dipper, now alone, leaned against a tree. He was bothered by the fact that he'd made no progress. Tomorrow was his last day to do any kind of research. Come midnight of the following day, Bill would be up to whatever it was he was up to. For now Dipper headed back to the Mystery Shack. It wouldn't be fair to Mabel if he didn't come back to help decorate the tree. His sister worked hard all day, with a few breaks of course, but made great progress regardless.

It felt too coincidental when Dipper came to the shack after only a few more minutes of walking. Bill had to have planned that. The teen sighed and headed inside, deciding to drop all his other thoughts for the time being.

Before he knew it his sister had tackled him to the floor in some sort of excitement. Mabel scooted off when Dipper gasped for air and the pair stood up. She smiled widely, overjoyed to have Dipper back. She'd been dreading a repeat of yesterday. There would be no way to tell where Dipper was if it happened again.

"Welcome back, bro-bro. Ready to get decorating?" Mabel got straight to the point and dragged her twin along.

He was going to say yes anyway, so he just smiled and went along with her. The tree was still bare, to Dipper's surprise. He expected to see lights at the very least. Mabel had held herself back the entire day, busying herself with creating a plethora of new ornaments and the like. From what Dipper could tell, the majority of them were heavily coated in glitter. They were, of course.

"Alright!" Mabel called out, dragging over the box of lights, "Let's get to work!"

The twins worked together wrapping the tree in lights. They ended up having to take time to fix some of the small bulbs that simply didn't want to light. Although the process was tedious they enjoyed themselves. Next the ornaments were hung with care. Both of them made sure to distribute them evenly considering all angles of the tree were visible in its spot. It didn't feel like a long process, but with a glance at the clock, Dipper noticed they'd worked for a full two hours. Their hard work left them with a beautifully decorated pine that glowed softly with colorful lights. The silence was broken when Dipper's stomach sounded with a loud growl.

"Ah... I guess I haven't eaten since I went to the diner."

He'd completely forgotten he skipped lunch, and at this point dinner as well. Mabel glanced at him, taking in the sight of their now decorated tree one more time, before grabbing her brother's hand and leading him into the kitchen.

"Lucky for you I haven't had dinner either. I'm sure we can figure something out with whatever Grunkle Stan keeps around."

Dinner wasn't anything extravagant, just like it'd never been back in summer. The twins got together enough to make sandwiches that at least seemed appetizing. After their quick meal and cleanup, the two marched upstairs to get to bed. The day had flown by just like the one before. It left Dipper and Mabel feeling anxious, but for different reasons.