Evelyn had a strange sense of foreboding ever since she'd woken up.

Her dream had been spent the same way it had been for weeks – with her wandering a forest in the Mindscape, following Bill's voice.

She had been closer than ever before; his voice sounded like he was just around the corner, and she was sure she could see an irregular light ahead. He had been excited, crowing, "Almost there, Little Bird! You'll see me soon."

The idea – and his giddiness – affected her, and she found that she was looking forward to finally reaching him too. What would he look like? What would he do once they were face-to-face?

She ignored the small part of her that felt a rush of dread at the thought.

Yet when she'd gotten out of bed, she couldn't keep her good mood. It felt like something was just on the horizon, but for the life of her, she couldn't think of what it could be.

The brunette shook her head, deciding to ignore her feeling. She reasoned that it was probably just residual stress from almost being eaten by dinosaurs the day before, on an adventure she'd have rather not participated in. As much as she'd liked dinosaurs as a kid, Evelyn had no intention of ever being within biting distance of a pterodactyl again.

Changing into a comfortable pale blue t-shirt and her last pair of clean jean shorts – she made a mental note to start a load of laundry later in the day – she left the bedroom quietly. It still felt strange, not to have the twins in the room; old habits died hard.

She snuck into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, only to see her great uncle sitting at the table, reading the local paper. He nodded to her, still tired as he sipped his coffee. The brunette saw an ad for Gideon's show on the back and wrinkled her nose, before remembering something Sophia had said to her a few days ago.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan?" Once he grunted, she continued, "Gideon won't be a problem, will he? I was talking to one of the locals and she said that she saw him pacing and plotting against us in the street."

Stan waved his hand dismissively. "That brat's got a flair for the dramatic, but it's all hot air. Kid, he's at an age where everything seems life-changing – his next 'plot' could just be to write another 'anonymous' article against us in the paper."

Evelyn nodded hesitantly. She wanted to believe her uncle, but she had seen some of Gideon's more… violent tendencies. He'd been unhinged enough to willingly harm her and her siblings in the past – but could this really be on the same level?

The twins hadn't been meddling with any magical crystals lately, so Evelyn could only hope that the kid didn't have any supernatural objects at his disposal… and she hoped he never found out about the dinosaurs currently roaming the abandoned mineshaft underground. Still, how much of a threat could a ten-year-old be alone?

Stan groaned. "I can hear you thinking from here, and it hurts. Just get your tea and sit down, kid."

Evelyn nodded, deciding to let it go for now. She could always keep her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, after all.

The red-eyed teen went to set up the old-fashioned kettle, only to realize that it was already filled with steaming-hot water. A mug was placed on the counter beside it, along with her usual box of morning tea.

Evelyn's heart warmed, realizing her uncle had set it out in advance – she was a bit of an early bird, so he must have realized that she would be up soon and had done something unusually thoughtful.

Grabbing her mug of tea, Evelyn paused by her uncle to kiss his scraggly cheek. "Thanks, Grunkle Stan."

Her uncle grumbled as she sat down, but Evelyn could see the mottled flush on his face.

They sat there in comfortable silence, Grunkle Stan with the newspaper while Evelyn read a book she'd left on the kitchen table, until eventually they heard a loud clamour on the stairs.

Mabel made a dramatic entrance into the kitchen, stumbling until she collapsed in her sister's lap. "Evie, I'm dying! Without Mabel-juice and sparkles, I'll turn to stone!"

Evelyn smiled in amusement as she smoothed her sister's messy hair. "You'll survive, Mabes. You know the rule – no sugar or sparkles until you eat a proper breakfast. How does scrambled eggs sound?"

The young girl nodded enthusiastically, holding her sister's waist in a death grip to continue her cuddles. Dipper appeared, in a much more subdued manner while wiping his eyes tiredly. "Did you say scrambled eggs?"

"Take it or leave it, Dip." The red-eyed teen managed to pull her sister off of her and ruffled her brother's hair as she passed him. "Did you sleep well?"

Dipper groaned. "I've been trying to solve the mystery in this book, but it feels like they're not giving all the clues. Why did the mysterious sister betray her brothers? Did she, or was it the family's rival that stole the golden bird, and he just pinned it on her? At this point, either would make sense!"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Evelyn hummed, cracking an egg. "Just try to go to bed at a decent hour; lack of sleep won't make you a better detective."

Dipper nodded, getting two glasses of juice for himself and his twin. They nursed them at the table, occasionally nudging each other with a foot.

It was these quiet, familial moments Evelyn loved the most. The peace in the kitchen as the four of them co-existed made the brunette happier than she could describe.

As she placed the finished eggs on each plate, Evelyn smiled.

She wished moments like this could never end.

-DaLD-

Later, Evelyn found herself called into the living room. She had been half-arguing with Bill about the plot of the book she was reading, and was grateful for the excuse to drop the topic.

'I'm just saying, Little Bird,' Bill continued, 'that there's no way a government that poorly organized would have been able to maintain order of a galaxy. They couldn't even tell that's the protagonist was a spy, even when she directly against orders!'

Evelyn sighed in playful exasperation. 'Bill, it's the author's debut novel, and it's a sci-fi fantasy. It's not exactly grounded in realism.'

Before he could argue, she cut him off. 'I'm tuning you out if you're going to continue this debate – I don't need to be spacing out in front of my family.'

Bill grumbled but stayed mostly silent as the teen leaned against the sofa. "What's going on?"

The twins entered the room behind her as Stan spoke up, laughing. "I need you to laugh a this with me!"

Evelyn looked to the TV and immediately groaned. The campy, cheap-looking commercial for Gideon's 'Tent o' Telepathy' was not what she'd wanted to see, but she could at least understand why it would have been something to laugh at.

"Remember when I wouldn't date him and he tried to destroy us?" Mabel spoke up.

Evelyn sighed. "Yeah, I'll admit I hadn't seen his homicidal streak coming."

"He's always trying to trick me into losing the Mystery Shack." Stan added.

The group continued sharing their stories about the white-haired menace, bonding and laughing over their shared dislike for Gideon. It was enough to make Evelyn laugh…

At least, until the commercial showed the Shack getting crushed by the Tent o' Telepathy with cheap special effects.

Sophia's warning about Gideon from earlier in the week came back to her, causing a knot of worry to form in her stomach. Gideon wasn't the type to loudly broadcast his goal unless he already had something planned; which meant that, whatever he had up his sleeve, this commercial didn't bode well for the Pines.

Dipper seemed to echo her sentiments. "Uh, should we be worried about that?"

"I second that." Evelyn added. "It seems to be sending a pretty specific message."

Stan waved off their concern. "Please, the only way Gideon's taking over this Shack is by breaking in and stealing my deed."

As if the universe was trying to mock Stan, the six members of the Mystery Shack froze when they immediately heard the sound of crashing and shattered glass from somewhere in the house.

"You mean like, right now?" Wendy asked nervously.

Then they were all up, rushing towards the sound. As they got closer to the noise in Stan's office, Evelyn was almost positive that she heard Gideon's grating voice mumbling something.

The Pines family - plus Soos and Wendy – opened the door to see Gideon crouched over Stan's safe, whispering, "Oh, heaven's to Betsy!" as he tried to figure out the combination.

"Gideon!" Stan's raised voice startled the white-haired kid, causing him to tense in surprise before attempting to regain his cool.

"Well, well, Stanford, my arch-nemesis. We seem to have entered a dangerous game of cat and mouse. But the question remains who is the cat, and who it the-"

Stan did not spare any time listening to the small child's monologue, reaching for Soos. "Soos, broom."

"Oh no, not the broom!" Gideon screeched.

Evelyn laughed at the scene of Gideon hissing and clawing at the broom her uncle wielded. Normally, she was the kind of person that would find this treatment of a minor terrible and step in…

But this was Gideon. As far as she was concerned, he could use a little wake up call. Besides, her uncle wasn't been too violent – him chasing the kid out with a broom was hardly something that would leave long-lasting mental scars.

Evelyn didn't bother following her uncle as he successfully got Gideon out of the Shack. Instead, the teen approached the broken window with a sigh, glancing at the howling wind and rain that entered the room through the new entrance.

From behind her, she could hear the sound of Wendy's boots kicking shards of glass. "Is it just me, or has he gotten crazier this summer?"

Evelyn sighed again, more loudly this time. "I can barely imagine him not being a psycho."

Wendy moved into the brunette's line of sight, shrugging. "I mean, at least he hasn't snuck into your house with a knife yet. He's still at the 'comical arch-nemesis phase'."

The older teen frowned. "He's been pretty ready to kill Dipper and I in the past – or at least maim us. I doubt anyone would help even if we brought it up with the city though. Blubs is obsessed with Gideon."

The redhead pat her friend on the back. "I'm sure he'll slip up eventually, Lynnie. Besides, you can always let me know if he goes crazy – I have access to axes, and I know how to use them."

Evelyn smiled, leaning over to wrap an arm around the younger teen in a short hug. "Thanks Wendy. I appreciate it."

'If you're that worried about that pathetic flesh bag,' Bill added, 'I can take care of him, Little Bird. I'll make him wish he could have nightmares!'

'As threatening as that sounds, it's strangely comforting.' Evelyn warmed at Bill's attempts to soothe her.

They stood in silence for a couple moment before Wendy spoke up. "So, um, you wanted to clean the glass, right Lynnie?"

Evelyn groaned.

-DaLD-

A little while later found the Pines family and Wendy lazing around the TV. The rain was still coming down strong, so everyone had decided it was pointless to wait in the gift shop for customers. The much-needed break was welcome, though Wendy moaned in protest when Stan let them know they weren't getting paid while they watched TV.

"Worth it." Wendy mumbled from her spot on the floor.

Evelyn was beside her friend, leaning against her side as she yawned. "Somehow, having nothing to do just makes me sleepy."

Wendy snorted. "What, are you telling me this old-man-flick isn't exciting?"

They both ignored Stan's gravelly. "Hey!"

As Evelyn rubbed her eyes tiredly, Wendy and Dipper half-heartedly shot each other with Nyarf darts. While the brunette wasn't sure whether Stan was forcing them to watch 'Grandpa the Kid' out of his genuine interest in the film, or his desire to torture them, she knew that there wasn't much else for her to do.

'You can always temporarily blind yourself, Little Bird,' Bill suggested helpfully, 'I guarantee you'll find it more interesting than this stale, desperate attempt at reaching a fictionalized past.'

'Blinding myself, even temporarily, doesn't seem like the best solution.' Evelyn sighed.

After a few minutes of playing with a strand of her hair while Stan commented over every 'relatable' line, Evelyn was pulled from her thoughts by her sister's voice.

"Grunkle Stan, why can't we watch a movie that we'll all enjoy?"

Just as Evelyn was about to second her sister's idea, the younger brunette pulled out an obnoxiously bright VHS. "Dream Boy High! 'Where love is on your permanent record'."

Everyone booed as Evelyn internally groaned. 'Dream Boy High' was worse than the boring western they were watching; Evelyn may have a weak spot for romances, but the neon sets and vapid characters practically blinded her every time Mabel forced her to sit through it.

Mabel shrugged, unfazed by the negative reactions. "You'll learn to like it."

"Spoken like a true crazy kidnapper." Evelyn muttered. Beside her, Wendy snickered.

Their laughter was interrupted by a crashing sound from the kitchen. For a moment, Evelyn was worried it was another attempt at a break-in from Gideon, until Soos came barreling around the corner.

"Dudes, there's a bat in the kitchen! It tried to touch me with its weird little bat fingers!"

The brunette winced at the imagery. While bats on their own were not a phobia of hers, the idea of 'little bat fingers' touching her – or getting stuck in her hair – was enough to cause a shiver to go down her spine.

She turned to her uncle expectantly as he cleared his throat. "Don't worry, I got this under control." Then, without pause, he ignored the incredulous stares of Evelyn and Dipper as he leaned back and said, "Dipper, take care of it."

The eldest Pines' siblings stared in confusion. Shouldn't there be a few more precautions beyond throwing a twelve-year-old at the problem? Bats could carry bacteria and viruses from what Evelyn remembered from her biology class, and getting one out of the kitchen peacefully would require skill…

Dipper seemed equally dismayed. "What? Why can't Mabel do it?"

Stan shrugged. "'Cause life ain't fair. Now go fight a bat so we can watch TV."

Evelyn hastily began to get up. "It's alright, Grunkle Stan. I'll take care of it."

Before Dipper could voice his approval, Stan cut in gruffly. "No way, kid. This is for Dipper to do."

"Uh, actually, I-" Dipper began, but Stan cut him off.

"Are you really gonna hide behind your sister like a wimp your whole life, kid? I said do it now!"

Dipper flinched and glanced at his older sister uncertainly before taking a defensive stance against his uncle. The two had a silent stare-down, until Stan growled.

Finally, Dipper caved, brushing off Evelyn's hand as she reached for him. "Okay, I'll do it!"

As he and Mabel scurried off, Evelyn scowled. "Grunkle Stan, whatever out-dated logic you're going off of right now, you need to cut it out. There's nothing wrong with Dipper relying on me or looking for someone more qualified to deal with the problem."

Stan scoffed. From her place on the floor, Wendy watched the two as though she was watching a boss battle from one of the cheesy action movies her family liked.

"I'm teaching the kid things that will help him survive in life. He can't expect you to be around forever – he needs to be fine on his own."

"He doesn't' have to do everything alone, Grunkle Stan!" Evelyn groaned. She wanted to continue, to let him know that she felt that his approach with Dipper was based more on his own past experiences than on what was best for her brother, but a crash and shriek from the kitchen caught her attention.

The brunette bolted out of the living room to her brother's aid, leaving her grumpy uncle and bemused friend and repairman behind.

-DaLD-

Half an hour later, Soos was applying cream to Dipper's many scratches, while Evelyn placed bandages and Mabel gleefully wrapped her brother's head.

The red-eyed teen sighed, wincing when she flexed her scratched-up hand. It turned out barreling into the kitchen only served to scare the bat more… but at least it didn't get her face?

'Or you could have avoided all of that when I warned you that running in was a bad idea, Little Bird.'

'And let Dipper attempt to fight a bat alone while I hide in the doorway?' Evelyn snorted mentally. 'I may have been a bit reckless, but I couldn't see what was going on.'

Bill grumbled, but the brunette was more focused on her brother's hisses and whimpers of pain as the disinfectant touched his cuts. "It's almost done, Dip. The stinging will stop soon."

Dipper nodded in acknowledgement, before pouting and sighing. "Why does Grunkle Stan always pick on me?"

"Dip, you know that's not-" Evelyn began, but Dipper cut her off as his frustration gained steam. "Think about it! The more painful or difficult the chore is, the more likely it is I'll have to do it. Why doesn't he pick on you guys? Evie, you literally volunteered!"

Soos piped up. "Dipper, Stan's personality is one of life's great mysteries. Like whether or not it's possible to lick your own elbow."

As Mabel and Soos began to banter back and forth, Evelyn focused on Dipper's scowl. Soos led Mabel out of the room as he tried to lick his own elbow, leaving the older brunette and her brother in the kitchen. Evelyn had a feeling that if she didn't address Dipper's growing resentment, it would make things more strained in the long term.

As he stared holes into the floor, the teen heard Dipper mutter, "Sometimes I feel like Stan hates me."

The red-eyed teen sighed and put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. "Dip, you know that's not true. He might have a bad case of 'tough-love', but he cares about all of us. Maybe he's just trying to teach you a life lesson in some round-about and misguided way?"

Dipper scoffed, but leaned into her comforting touch. "What lesson – how to be a manservant? He goes easy on you and Mabel, but never on me."

As though summoned by their discussion, Stan's shout echoed through the Shack. "The sink's clogged. Dipper, get in here and fix it!"

Dipper growled, and in a fit of anger grabbed his Nyarf and shot a dart at the framed photo of Stan on the kitchen wall.

"Dipper-" Evelyn began to scold, but the preteen was already out of his seat and heading towards the bathroom.

The brunette sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stewed in the silence.

'You know, Little Bird, you should stop trying with Pine Tree if he's going to keep pushing you away.' Bill sounded annoyed on her behalf.

Evelyn shook her head, and began rounding up the medical supplies. 'I want him to know he can come to me if he needs to – I don't think I could ever give up on him. I just wish he'd listen…'

'I'll make him listen to you once I'm there, Little Bird.' Bill promised.

Evelyn snorted. 'Because that's not ominous at all. Say things like that and I'll never help you get here.'

She'd been mostly joking, but Bill's silence struck a cord of unease in her.

'Bill?' When he didn't answer, she decided he'd just left her mind to sulk.

She didn't think too much about his absence until she was busy putting the medical supplies back in the bathroom. There was a sudden burst of something in her mind. It felt bright and strange, lik something snapped into place. Evelyn clutched her head as it felt like a thread, once frail and thin, had suddenly become more substantial, and it filled her chest with warmth. Instinctively, she knew it had to be Bill, or at least connected to him.

But what had he done?

-DaLD-

In another part of the forest, a white haired child collapsed to his knees in front of a summoning circle, his voice frantically mumbling words backwards. A creature's laughter echoed as he was pulled into a new plane of existence.

Bill Cipher was back.

-DaLD-

Hey guys! I am sorry for the long delay between chapters; this was almost finished several weeks ago, but I made a bit of a rushed decision in making an appointment to have all four wisdom teeth removed (I wanted to get it out of the way before the new semester starts). I underestimated what kind of mental state I would be in after the procedure, and it took me longer than I expected to get back into a place that would let me write without being distracted by discomfort. The procedure did go well though! There wasn't much swelling, and I have been lucky so far and infection-free. I've also started driving courses (better late than never, I guess), which was put on hold for my recovery period. That being said, I truly apologize for not sticking to the update schedule I had promised. I'm intending on having part two up and ready in two weeks, and ideally have the complete episode finished by the first week of September. The final episode of the season will be a bit shorter on my part (it's looking like it will be two chapters), as it's going to be focusing a bit more on the emotional fall-out of Dreamscaperers and Evie's own revelations than on a play-by-play of the episode itself.

As for this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! This was a bit shorter than planned (I wanted to update on my birthday – a few hours late, but hopefully it's alright!), but I meant to set the tone a bit for the upcoming arc, and I wanted to reflect a bit on Evie's desires for her family and her own sense of powerlessness in her attempts to maintain that ideal. I've personally never really agreed with Stan's treatment of Dipper in this episode, even though I understand the perspective he's coming from – it feels like he's projecting – but I wanted to highlight that Evie's not necessarily in the right either. She wants things to stay the same, for her family's dynamic to be a certain way, and as each character grows and changes, this will be a bigger issue for her to face.

Bill and Evie will officially meet face-to-face next chapter, everyone! The moment we've been waiting for since the first chapter is finally coming, and I am so excited for you guys to see the final product.

Onto reviews!

Moon ninja Luna: Thank you! And I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with McGucket; I remember when I first watched the show I saw him more as comedy relief until we started to learn about his past, and then I just wanted someone to be there for him. He and Evie have some shared experiences, and Evie is too stubborn and kind-hearted to leave McGucket alone, so you can expect more scenes like this in the future! The Sophia twist was one I had brewing since I created the character, but I was a little hesitant to foreshadow it too much – the most I did was hint that the family line had continued. The family link will be expanded on more in the future though! I'm excited for the drama that's about to unfold with the Pines family, and future conversations between Dipper and Bill. They're definitely going to be tense…

Cat-Gods-Of-The Cat-People: Thank you so much! I'm sorry for this second delay, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've definitely had fun writing it.

Angelwings2002: I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Legion29: Things are definitely going to get weird!

Musicromo: I wouldn't do something too terrible to Evie just yet! She's about to go on an emotional roller coaster, though…

Kuchia-chi: I'm glad you enjoy their interactions! I know it might be a little while before you read this, but I appreciate your comments and your critiques! If you have any constructive criticism, or things you would like to see happen, please let me know!

starrat: Thank you!

guadadominguez4: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

pumkin: I'm sorry to hear that! I know that Evie's forced memory loss is a bit of a frustrating scene, but it'll be worth it in the end!

Zoreux: Yeah, Evie definitely has a storm coming!

Fantasy Fan 223: I love those kinds of settings too! It'll definitely take Bill a while to learn to just be honest and upfront with Evie, but I'm excited to show that journey. As for a smooch… we'll see! I love Breath of the Wild, and I recently got into Animal Crossing – it's amazing in shorter bursts, since the time of day can actually effect the game and the items you can collect. Thank you so much for your support and understanding – I appreciate it!

: Thank you so much for your support! I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter's pace (I really like writing slower-paced chapters), and I agree with your perspective on Evie and Wendy's relationship. As for the tea party, it's definitely going to be a bit of a ways off – I'm putting it after Scary-oke, since things are about to get pretty hectic.

lolistarkiller: I'm glad to hear the move went well! I've never been to Kentucky, but one of my old profs grew up there and had some funny stories to tell. I love the sunset pic! Things are definitely going to shift depending on how Bill handles his escapades in Stan's mind. I hope that they will be able to weather this too!

DancingAdventurer45: Thank you! It hasn't been easy, and some days make it feel more real than others, but the best we can do is move forward and honour his memory. I'm glad you can relate to Evie!

CamiStark13: Thank you!

mew mew 124: I'm glad you're enjoying the relationships! And yeah, human Bill may be seen soon… I'm also glad you liked the interactions with Wendy and Evie; as for the teasing, I don't mean for this to automatically mean that Wendy necessarily thinks that Evie likes Bill. She's teasing because Evie gets easily flustered, and Evie herself hasn't quite worked out how she fells – she's on the path to romantic feelings, but at this point she's still teetering that line. I'm excited for the upcoming events, and I have big plans for season 2! I can confirm that Alison is not related to Sophia, but I have plans for both of them going forward. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Sage S. Adoren: I'm sorry for making you wait! I'm so happy to hear about you enjoying this story though. I can promise that nothing gross will happen between Evie and Bill. As someone sensitive to unhealthy/toxic/abusive situations, I have no intention of romanticizing or normalizing problematic behaviour. Bill is tricky to write, but I fully intend on highlighting issues in his behaviour and having them be addressed in the story. Once they first get to interact in person he'll have some issues, since he's a demon who doesn't really understand the intricacies of relationships, but I really want to highlight both of their growth through their relationship. And because you expressed an interest, I will happily write a fluffy one-shot between Wendy and Evie! I'll upload it during one of my breaks between updates during the school year; if you have any prompts you'd really like to see, I'm open to suggestions!

Jake Day-Rea: I'm glad you do! They'll have to really work on themselves if they'll ever have a healthy relationship, and I want to highlight these difficulties.

laurenalyse24: Thank you! I'm really looking forward to season two! I have a lot planned.

Oof: True! I think for Wendy it's more about getting to a place in her mind where she feels comfortable opening up and getting emotional with a father than has an aversion to 'feelings'.

Guest: Thank you so much! I'm really happy that you're enjoying this story.

I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter, and be on the lookout for the incoming update in two weeks' time (anywhere between Friday and Sunday evening). I'm trying to get this updated quickly, so I apologize if I missed any spelling mistakes! Please favourite, follow, and/or review! I'll see you all soon! – Aria

I don't own Gravity Falls.