This was their last hope.

"Triangulum, entangulum."

They were desperate.

"Veneforis dominus ventium."

There was no other way.

"Veneforis venetisarium."

And he couldn't know about it.

Pacifica was thrown down to her knees as a powerful magic influence exploded throughout her. Her nails raked against the hardwood floors, eyes rolling back in her head. From her lips flowed a stream of ciphers twisted into nonsense. Her body tensed and shook. From the her head opened a trapdoor - a light shone from it and out popped a little yellow triangle with a fancy top hat and bow tie.

"Hoo-wee, this place is fan-cy! Talk about living the high life of luxury," Bill sang as he stair-stepped out into the realm of reality, a red carpet path forming at his feet. The mock trap door closed behind him and Pacifica was unscathed as though it had never been there. Bill turned to look at her with a smile bright in his eye. He tipped his top hat to her and leaned forward on his cane in the air. "Well well well, another Northwest wants to make a deal with me; I can't say I'm surprised."

"Don't call me that! That's not my name anymore, alright?" she quickly corrected, crossing her arms and glaring at the demon.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I wouldn't want to offend! How 'bout Llama then?" Bill generated the cipher wheel around himself and motioned to the image of a llama. "That is your symbol, you know."

"Whatever. I don't care what you call me, but I refuse to be Northwest anymore."

"You got it, moneybags! Llama it is. And you can call me Bill Cipher. So," he reclined backwards and twirled his hand, "let me guess: ever since daddy cut you off of money you've had a hard time adjusting and you want me to make you rich beyond you wildest-"

"Not in the least," Pacifica interrupted. "I don't care about any of that, alright? I'm better than that."

"Wow, you're better than a lot of humans I meet! Can't say I'm not used to the ol' financial debt sob story, 'specially for brats your age. Actually, remind me - how old are you again, exactly, sweetheart?"

"Twenty one."

"Yep, that does seem about right. But if you don't want money, what is it then?" he asked, moving closer to hover eye-level with her face. He had a sickening, expectant amusement written all over his face. "What could a still-rich, influential, and - might I add - particularly beautiful young lady such as yourself want from a demon like me? For that matter, can I ask how exactly you managed to learn my summoning ritual if daddy disowned you?" he asked in a charming voice, wrought with an sticky undertone of deviousness.

"I have connections, friends in low places."

"So low they're willing to..." Bill gestured to his alter where the candles and image (of Pacifica herself, eyes crossed out as per tradition) sat in a white chalk circle.

"Look, if you're just going to be more trouble than it's worth-"

"Oh I assure you I'm trouble, sweetheart," he chuckled, "but I can guarantee," he leaned back, twirling his cane between his midnight black fingers, "it's worth it."

Pacifica grimaced, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and flipping her long, blonde hair back behind her.

"I found out the other day that I'm infertile. And... I want to have a daughter with my husband. I don't want him to know I can't have his baby because it would just break his heart, so adoption is out of the question."

"Still used to that childhood niche of carrying on the family name, huh?" he said, pointing the end of his cane at her.

"That's why I want a daughter. I wanna get as far away from Northwest as possible."

"I don't see why. Northwests are rich and powerful liars and cheaters. Can't say I don't have respect for those kinds of meatbags," said Bill, examining his make-believe nails.

"Are you gonna help me or not, Bill Ciphen?"

"Ci-pher. Not that it matters, I guess, it's not exactly my real name; but you and your sad species wouldn't be able to tolerate hearing that. No no no, you'd probably collapse onto the-"

"Final offer, demon, or I'll summon someone else."

"Alright, alright, sheesh. But you can't get something for nothing, you know. What's in it for me?"

"Ugh, I don't know, what do demons like? Souls or whatever?"

Bill fell silent. He stared deadpan at her with his brow furrowed and light dimmed, arms dropped and dangling. A pain he knew all too well pulled at him, tugged and tore and demanded to be felt. And he felt it. Loud and clear. And the more he tried to avoid it and pretend it wasn't there, the louder it got.

He responded in low, "Not me."

"Well then what do you want? I'll give you anything. I've got it all, anyway," Pacifica muttered, casting her eyes to the ground.

"Just give me your happiest memory and we'll call it even."

"Why would you care about my happiest memory?"

"I'm a demon of the mind, tootz, each fond memory I get increases my power and the more power I have... let's just say I have a few enemies who need to pay their dues. Plus, I get a kick out of seeing your kind miserable and suffering, haha!" Pacifica bit her cheek and rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the wall beside them - so interesting.

"Fine, but I've heard about you. I'm not giving you anything until my baby is born alive and healthy and human!"

"You've got good connections, Llama, I will say that." Bill ignited his hand in cerulean tongues of flame and extended his hand to her. "Have we got a deal?" Pacifica hesitated and glanced behind herself at the staircase leading up to the second floor where her husband was sound asleep in their bedroom. She clutched her lower belly with a frown, reminding herself that this was how it had to be, and took a deep breath before holding her hand out to take Bill's.

"Deal," they shook. The flames traveled up the young woman's arm and engulfed her body, curling into a fireball at her womb and phasing into her body where she then shone with an inner light for a second before it dissipated. Bill had granted her with the gift of fertility.

"Great!" Bill rejoiced. He swung his arms showily and tipped his hat to her once more. "I'll be back in nine months exactly to see how human kind will continue to suffer and to collect my payment." Bill spawned a briefcase in his free hand and raised his cane in the other to bid her farewell. "So long, Llama! Enjoy fueling the fire to this miserable race!" He opened another dimensional door in mid-air and left her to her doings, tutting "And you were lucky enough to be blessed with the inability, so sad to see you throwing that away. What a pity!" as he went.

Breathing a sigh of relief that that was over, Pacifica moved to clean up the alter and dispose of the grafitied picture of herself so that her husband wouldn't see. When that was done, she rubbed her belly with a weak smile, got a drink of water, and headed up to bed.