Sorry this chapter is a bit late. As you can see, it was quite the challenge to write. But I finally got it done so lets get this show on the road!

Gravity Falls belongs to Alex Hirsch.

I only own the plot of this story and the AU.

Enjoy!

He stared at the floating piece of smelly fabric and googly eyes in shock and alarm. Surely this was not happening. Ford had seen many, MANY weird things during his years of studying the little odd town of Gravity Falls, but hearing his brother's voice coming from the sock puppet was just too much!

"St-Stanley?!"

"No, it's Bigfoot. Of coarse it's me!" the sock puppet yelled irritated. Ford rubbed his eyes and reached over, putting his glasses back on his face to make sure he was not seeing things. Nope. The floating sock was still there.

"Stanley you...You're a sock puppet!"

"Not exactly." the younger twin admitted. "I'm actually more like a ghost at the moment. I've been here the whole time ever since you stepped out of the portal but you couldn't hear me or see me."

A pair of six fingered hands made their way to the scientists face and he rubbed it, trying to wrap his brilliant mind around the current situation. "What...what happened?"

Stanley paused for a moment before beginning to speak. "Well, it happened like this..."

The flickering blue fire reflected itself in Stanley's brown eyes as he stared at the outstretched hand. He was torn. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him. Every instinct was warning him to turn around and not look back. To not take the deal. But at the same time, an even bigger part of him was telling him to take the deal and save his brother. That voice being equally as loud and as powerful as the first.

"Tick tock Stanley. I'm not getting any younger here."

He looked from the blazing blue hand and up at the single eyeball which was staring straight to his soul.

This shape, this creature, this Bill Cipher person was Stan's only hope of seeing Ford again. He had been working on portal and he would continue to do so...but realistically speaking, what were the chances of success? Ford was a genius, Stanley was not. Not to mention without the other journals, would his attempts even work? And how long would it take? He had already been working on fixing the portal everyday for an entire year.

What if he said no and never got the portal to work on his own? What if this was his one and only chance to bring his brother home?

As that last thought crossed his mind, his mind was set and his fate was sealed. Two brown eyes met a single blue one. With his face stoic and determined, Stanley lifted his own hand and grabbed the triangle demon's hand in his own. The blue fire spread, engulfing both hands. The fire was warm but not unbearably so.

"Deal."

The moment the word left his mouth and the deed was done, the cold hands of regret and fear gripped at Stanley's heart. Bill's eye sparkled with delight and crinkled upwards slightly as if he were smiling. The triangle glowed and an other worldly manical laugh sounded. On instinct, Stan loosened his grip on Bill's hand and tried to pull away but Bill's hand tightened and he pulled.

Due to the force of the pull, Stan stumbled forward. A strong, vaccum like force was felt and for a split second, he felt all the air leave his body. The field fell away and everything went back and the conman found himself tumbling in a circle before he finally came to a dizzying stop.

"So that just happened." he mumbled rubbing his head. He blinked looking around and quickly realized he was back in his bedroom in the Mystery Shack.

The room was eerie and something felt...off. Way off. But what could it be? Everything was exactly as it had been before he went to bed. There was the pile of dirty laundry in the corner of the room, the empty pizza box next to the night stand, Stan sleeping in the bed, the slippers at the foot of the bed

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Laying in the bed on his back, brown mullet hair splayed out over the pillow was Stanley...or at least his body.

Stan blinked looking at the body in the bed and then down at himself. He gasped in shock as he looked down at his hands. They had a white-ish tint to them and were see through!

"What the-h-how the-" the younger twin stuttered, beginning to hyperventilate. "Am-Am I DEAD?!"

"Not quite."

Stan looked up at the sound of the voice, once again looking at his body in the bed. Slowly, the eyes opened. Stan jumped back in alarm seeing the yellow eyes and oval shaped pupils, along with the creepy, evil smile that occompanied them.

"Okay! This is getting weird!"

The body slowly began to rise into a sitting position and turned to look at the twin. "Well what did you expect to happen?" Bill's voice asked, coming out of the body.

"What did you do to me?!" the newly debodied Stan demanded. "Am I dead?! Did you kill me?! So help me if you killed me I'm gonna kill you, do you hear me?!"

"Sheesh, you human's are so dramatic." Bill rolled his eyes, kicking the blankets off of him and standing up. "No, you're not dead. Technically speaking, at least."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It means that without a vessel to posses you're basically a ghost." Bill grinned and Stan felt his heart drop (if he still had one) "No one can see you or hear you."

"You...YOU TRICKED ME!"

With an angry cry, Stan threw himself at the trickster mind demon. He felt a sort of shifting, tingly movement throughout his body and he came to a stop right behind Bill. He had phased right through him.

"Again I repeat: You are a ghost without a vessel to possess!" the former triangle exclaimed, letting out a gleeful laugh.

Stan went numb, looking down at his see-through body. He had made a terrible mistake.

"Oh but don't worry." Bill suddenly said, stopping mid laugh, interrupting Stan from his lament. "I'm still gonna hold up my end of the bargain. Which should be starting right...about...Now."

Right at the exact moment that the word "now" left his lips, Stan discovered he wasn't the only thing floating. In a mixture of confusion and amazement, and slight panic, he watched as everything in the room suddenly began to levitate. The bed, the night stand, the chair in the corner, even Bill/Stan's body. Anything and everything that was not nailed down was floating in the air as if the gravity had been turned off.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hey! What's going on?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bill asked, laying in a casual pose in the air, a lazy smile on his lips. "You're brother's coming home."

The world stopped and Stan felt his eyes widen. This...this was it.

"Stanford!"

The ghost suddenly shot off, floating as fast as he could out of the room and heading towards the secret lab. Stan barely registered the fact that the rest of the objects in the house were floating before he suddenly came to a sudden stop. "Wait, what am I doing?! I can just take the shortcut!"

He then positioned his ghostly body like one does when they are about to dive off a diving board into a swimming pool, and dove. Through the floorboards he went, past the other stories of the house and within moments, he was in his brother's secret lab.

Just like the rest of the house above, the gravity had ceased to exist in the lab as well. Everything minus for the portal and some of the bigger machines which were nailed and or welded to the floor, was floating lazily through the air. Stanley barely paid attention to that though for his attention was on the portal. Electric shocks zapped through and the rainbow colors spun around the opening at a rapid fire pace. The countdown clock flashed red numbers on the wall, getting closer to the end.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Everything was white. Stan found himself trapped in a void of white nothingness. He was sure that if he still had his physical body at this point, the force of the blast from the portal would have blown him back into the wall. He couldn't feel it but he could hear the deafening winds blowing and could vaguely make out the shapes of the floating objects, lazily drifting through the air.

And then suddenly, it all stopped.

Stan automatically winced as the gravity suddenly turned back on and all the floating objects fell to the ground. Things broke. Things dented. Things remained in tact but still landed with a loud bang. He heard broken pipes falling down with a loud creak behind and the sound of metal screaming in front of him. At the same time the vast void of whiteness disappeared and his sight returned. Stan blinked rapidly, trying to get his bearings. He gasped looking straight ahead. The portal had broken during the ordeal, but the entrance still remained in tact. The rainbow colors still swirling.

His attention was diverted away from the portal and to the stairs by a loud crashing noise. Down came his body, tumbling like a rag down the stairs until it stopped with Bill landing on his back. He grinned and laugh hysterically like an amused child. "That was fun!"

"What...what just happened?!" Stan demanded beginning to get overwhelmed.

Bill said nothing and just simply smiled as he sat up. His lifted a hand and pointed to the portal. "That just happened."

"Quickly, Stan looked back at the portal. He stared right at the entrance and he felt himself stop breathing (metaphorically) as a silhouette suddenly appeared in the center of the portal. The figure grew larger as they grew closer to the entrance. Stan's smile grew as the figure fully exited the portal.

The person was dressed in all black from head to toe, the face completely covered with only the nose poking out. They turned their head this way and that, surveying the damage of the laboratory from the lack of Gravity. But even with the face covered completely, one look at their hands and Stanley instantly knew the identity of the man in black.

"STANFORD!"

The younger twin pushed off, flying towards the man, arms outstretched for a long awaited hug. But instead of feeling arms around him, he felt a tingly sensation run through him. Sort of like when you foot falls asleep. Only spread throughout his whole body.

"Huh?" Stan blinked in confusion. His brother was no longer in front of him, both of their backs to each other, Stanley facing the portal, watching as the lights went out as it died once more. Stan turned looking behind him, finding his brother bent over, examining his old journal. The very journal they had fought over in over a year ago which ultimately resulted in them getting in this mess in the first place.

"Ford?" he said it quietly. His previous excitement beginning to fade. Cautiously, he floated over and reached his hand out to touch Ford's shoulder. The mullet man watched in alarm as his hand phased through, sinking completely into Ford's shoulder, that same tingly feeling from before returning. Quickly, he yanked his hand out and recoiled in horror. He couldn't touch him!

The ghost twin was brought out of his thoughts by a sound. No, his name. No, the sound of his name being said through a deep, furious, animalistic growl.

"Stanley!"

Stan watched as his twin got to his feet and stormed over towards...him.

Or who Ford thought was him.

"Oh no, no! Ford! Wait! That's not me!" Stan called floating after his brother, but his warnings were useless.

"What were you thinking you knuckle head?!" Stanford demanded as he reached his target, their back to him. "You could have destroyed the universe! This was an INSANELY risky move restarting the portal! Didn't you read my warnings!?"

"You got the wrong guy Ford!" Stan shouted, barely registering his brothers angry words. "I'm over here! Ford?! STANFORD?!"

"Ignoring me isn't going to work Stanley! Answer me, dammit! What the hell were you thinking?!" The six fingered scientist exclaimed when his target didn't turn around to acknowledge him, thus only making him angrier. "Stanley Pines! I am talking to you!"

From his standing-er, floating point of view, the real Stanley had a clear view of his brother's face. He could literally see the exact moment that his brother snapped. His brown eyes blazed with fury, the vein in his neck popped and his hand clenched into a fist. Stan watched as all of that anger and colored drained from Ford's face the instant his "brother" turned around and he saw the eyes. Those terrible sickening, otherworldly, yellow cat eyes. "No..."

"Welcome back Fordsy~" Bill grinned, ravishing in the look of pure horror and confusion on his former pawn's face.

"No...No! No! It can't be?!"

"Surprise~!" Bill laughed giddily. " "Oh boy, does it feel good to be in a body again...Though, I gotta say, this ones a little bit more on the chubby side."

"HEY!" Stan exclaimed insulted. "Who're you calling chubby?! At least I have a stomach!"

But before he could continue on with his rant, Stan was interrupted when Ford suddenly lunched forward, grabbing Bill by the shirt and holding him up. The anger from moments before had returned, along with a new emotion: Determination.

"You! You leave my brother's body this instant!" Stanford demanded, tightening his grip on the t-shirt.

"Yeah! You've had your fun now gimme back my body!" Stan agreed, floating over and floating next to his twin.

"Hmmmm, yeah not gonna happen." the former triangle responded to both twins, then proceeded to push Ford off of him, causing the scientist to trip and fall.

Stan froze, Ford's fall seeming to go in slow motion. The younger twin froze, flashing back to the days of his youth. Of how whenever the school bullies would pick and push on his brother, Stan would retaliate. Those old protective instincts resurfaced, washing over Stan like a flood and all he could feel was one thing:

Rage.

"HEY! My body or not, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, pushes my brother around like that! LEFT HOOK!"

True to his word, he clenched his fist and charged at the dream monster, swinging his left fist at Bill's face and...phased right through.

"AW COME ON!"

"Besides, your brother and I made a deal." Bill continued, completely ignoring the incident that had just happened with Stan.

Stan turned just in time to see his brother sit up. Just in time to see the look or terror and horror appear in his eyes. "He...what?"

After a bit of a distraction of Bill and his reflection, Ford managed to get his former friend back on topic. Bill then explained the terms of the deal he and Stanley had made.

Ford sat there stunned and numb, letting the words sink in and Stanley could only watch as his nerdy brother began to retreat within himself. The reality of the situation becoming too much for him.

"Ford, please?! I'm here! I'm right here!" Stan begged, his voice cracking and emotional. Oh what he wouldn't give to be able to hug and comfort his twin right now. To let him know he was there. To-

Both twins were pulled out of their respective thoughts as a slapping sound was heard.

"Haha! Pain is hilarious!" Bill exclaimed staring at his reflection. A red handprint on his cheek.

"Hey hey! Don't damage the merchandise!" Stan scolded. Bill just slapped his other cheek, which was apparently the trigger into snapping Ford out of his hopeless slump. Stan watched the two as they broke out into a verbal fight.

"No! I wont allow it!" Ford swore, "I wont let you do to my brother what you did to me!"

The world stopped. Stan felt his eyes widen. Ford...had let bill possess him before?

"Ford?"

"Oh come off of it, Sixer." Bill scoffed. "You can drop the righteous, loving brother act now. We both know that everything you're saying right now is a lie."

"You know nothing!" Ford growled, clenching his hands into fists.

"Oh really?" Bill crossed his arms. "Then explain to me all those times where you ranted and raved to me about how your brother ruined your life?"

"Now see here-" Ford began, but Bill was on a roll and would not be stopped.

"About how he cost you your dream school by breaking that machine of yours?"

"Shut up!"

"How many times have you told me that you hate him?"

Stan blinked, feeling as if he had been slapped in the face. A familiar wave of guilt washing over him as memories of a broken science fair project came rushing back. I mean, the portal incident he could understand Ford being mad about but the science fair? That was nearly eleven years ago!

A mixture of shock and disbelief swirled around inside the ghost conman's head. He had done all of this, he had worked so hard to being his brother, his best friend, home to his deminsion.

But his brother hated him.

"I said SHUT UP!"

Stan barely had time to register his brother's shout before he felt a tingly sensation as Ford ran right through him. Bill's sentence was cut off as Ford's fist made contact with his, (Stan's) jaw, and fell to the ground. Only to almost immediately be grabbed and lifted up by the shirt by the angry scientist.

Stan blinked stunned. A grin pulling at his lips, impressed. "Damn! When did you become such a badass? Also, DONT BRUISE MY FACE!"

"Wowzer Sixer! I don't think I've ever seen you this mad before. I kinda like this side of you." Bill grinned, still trapped in Ford's tight grip. "But like I said, your brother's my meat puppet till further notice."

"If you wont get out of Stanley's body then I'll force you out!"

"Go ahead. "Do your worst. But just remember, whatever you do to me, you'll be doing to your brother."

Stan watched his twin's expression go from furious rage to horrified realization. He noted the way his body shook and how pale he grew as his grip loosened on the enemy.

"Ford don't listen to him!" the younger twin called even though he knew it was useless. "He's trying to get to you! Beat me up! I don't care! I've been through worse! Seriously!"

"What do you want?" Ford whispered in a low broken voice.

"I want you to fix the portal."

"NO!" Ford shouted so suddenly, loudly and firmly, he unknowingly startled his currently ghostly brother. "Forget it! I wont do it!"

A moment passed. Stan glancing over at Bill, waiting for his reply, bracing himself for whatever fight was about to break out-

"Suit yourself then."

"I wont let you take over-...wait what?!"

"Huh?" Stan raised an eyebrow.

"I said, suit yourself. Are you even listening?" Bill snapped, rolling his eyes.

"...That's it? No rebuttle?" the now dumbfounded Stanford asked, not beliveing what he was hearing.

"What more do you want from me Stanford?! Geez!" Bill sighed, reaching a hand up and wriggling Ford's six fingers from the shirt. The former Cyclops then proceeded to calmly walk up the stairs, leaving the Stan twins alone.

Stan glanced over at his twin still frozen in shock over the conversation that just happened. He hesitated for just a moment before zooming upwards, through the ceiling and up to the main part of the house, stopping once he reached the kitchen.

"Okay ya freak what the hell are you playing at!?"

"It seems your brother needs a bit of a persuasion to see things my way." Bill stated, smiling his signature sadistic smile as he began rummaging through the kitchen drawers.

"What are you doing?! Why are you this?! Hey! I'm talking to you! BILL!"

But the younger twins demands were ignored and cut short. Stan opened his mouth to continue to speak but the words died on his lips, turning into a horrified gasp as Bill suddenly pulled out a very large, very sharp looking knife.

"This should do the trick!"

"H-Hey! Hey! Hey! Wha-what're you doing with that?! Put it dow-"

"Bill!?" they suddenly heard Ford call, accompanied by the sound of running feet.

The demon's grin grew even wider. "Perfect timing."

Before Stan could get out another word, with a flick of the wrist the ghostly man watched horrified as his possessed body dug the knife into his own arm. The blade slicing the flesh as it was drug down the length of the arm, stopping just before reaching the wrist. All the while a river of blood seeping from the wound and onto the tiled floor.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Just a little bit. By the way this will probably leave a scar."

"Bill?!" Ford was heard once again. Sounding closer this time. He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, his horrified expression mirroring Stan's when he saw the wound.

The former triangle grinned, carelessly twirling the knife around in his non injured hand. "You know, I'm partially fond of yellow myself, but I also like red too~"

What followed next was all a blur that Stan had an unwilling front row seat to witnessing. Bill made a second cut, the action causing Ford to literally leaps into action, attempting to tackle his possessed body, only to slip on the blood.

"Ah, ah, ah~ Not so fast Fordsy." Bill tutted. ""You keep forgetting he's mine now. Which means I can do whatever I want with him!"

"Like hell it does!" Stanley exclaimed. "I never said you could slice my freaking ar-!"

"And what I want," Stan's rant was cut off, freezing in terror as Bill suddenly placed the knife at his throat. "Is to make him bleed."

Shit.

A back and forth between Ford and Bill ensued. The scientist begging, pleading with the monster to show mercy and spare his brother. Bill however refused to budge. His demands the same."

"Stop it! DON'T!" Stan screamed, watching as Bill dug the knife a tiny bit deeper, making a small trickle of blood appear. "You cant do this!"

"I can and I will!" Bill declared to both of the Stan's. "A deal is a deal!"

See through hands grabbed as transparent hair in a panic. Stanley desperately trying to think of someway to save himself from this fate. If Bill actually did manage to kill the body, what would happen to him? He'd be stuck as a ghost forever!

"Wait!"

Stan was pulled from his paniced thinking, looking over at his brother. Bill did the same, still keeping the knife in place.

"You like making deals. Make one with me."

"What?" Stan gaped at his twin. "Ford you cannot be serious?!"

"Go on." Bill instructed; his curiosity peeked.

"Give me two weeks. You promise not to hurt Stanley during those two weeks and give me some time. If I cant find a way to get you out of his body, then I'll fix the portal."

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because if you don't take my deal, then I wont fix the portal. And if you hurt Stanley than you wont have a physical form anymore. You and I both know that your powers are limited when possessing a human. And if I cant...if I cant defeat you, then I'll fix the portal. You'll have rule over this deminsion and an actual physical form of your own."

Silence filled the tiny kitchen. Stan looking anxiously between his brother and at his own body. He knew the deal was a bad one. But what other choice was there? He was a literal deadman otherwise. Besides, apparently the only one who could see him and hear him was Bill. And the former triangle was obviously keeping that fact hidden from the scientist.

"Make it one week." Bill demanded, thankfully lowering the knife.

"One week." Ford relented, reaching out his hand to seal the deal.

The familiar, psychotic smile returned. Stan jumped in surprise as he watched his own hand erupt into blue flames and then clasp with his twins.

"See you in a week Sixer. And don't worry. I'll take good care of your brother for ya~"

The whole kitchen erupted into a burst of blinding blue light as Stan's whole body erupted into the signature blue fire. Bill's crazed, victorious laughter mixed with Stan's echoed through the room and in an instant, both Bill and the body were gone. Only a scortch mark remained.

The kitchen fell into silence. The twins once again left to themselves. Stan was numb, trying to process the events that just occurred. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a soft, but heavy thud.

Ford had fallen to his knees, the palms of his hands behind his glasses and pressing into his eyes. His body shaking violently with heavy, fearful sobs.

"Ford..."

He was home. After being gone for so long, his brother was finally home. And once again, Stan had managed to screw up both his, and his brother's lives.

"Ford I...I'm sorry..." he spoke, knowing that he wasn't able to be heard. "I...I just wanted to bring you back..."

As expected, Stanford didn't respond. Didn't look over. The only sounds coming from him were the sniffling sobs. Looking so alone. Lost. Frightened.

Stan floated over, kneeling next to his brother. He reached over, wrapping his arms around his distressed twin. Wishing, hoping against hope that Stanford could feel it, at least a tiny bit.

"I'm here Sixer...please don't cry...I'm here...I'm right here."

So surprise~! Our loveable conman has been with us the whole time. We just didn't know it. =P

I do apologize that this is basically a re-write of chapter 3. I got the idea to retell this scene through Stan's POV and well, this is what happened. I tried not to copy the entirety of chapter 3 word for word and I also tried to break things up a bit by adding in Stan's reactions. I hope I did okay. ^^;

Chapter 7 will be out ASAP. I hope you all enjoyed this. Thank you for reading and have a great day! Bye!