I had a LOT of fun writing Dipper's flashback, tbh. The Axolotl is cool to play around with, and I realized that I adore writing Dipper. 3

Bill is... still Bill, lol. Even Dipper acknowledges that very little about him has changed, except his appearance. Everybody's got a long road ahead of them if they wanna help Bill be a better person. It ain't gonna be pretty OR easy.

Translations for Bill's language/the shift-of-three Caesar cipher can be found in the notes at the end~

Alrighty! Welp, as always, please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! Tell me what your favorite parts are! Guesses for future chapters! Stuff you'd like to see more of or see in general, in the long run! Reviews feed me and motivate me to wanna write more. :3

Also sorry this took so long! It's been up on AO3 for a while but I kept forgetting to update here!

"I apologize that we must meet like this, Dipper."

The voice was low and soothing, cutting through the pink cotton clouds. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere as far as Dipper could tell. He was floating without his feet on the ground, not touching anywhere, his fingers reaching out only for the clouds to break apart like an illusion and form again. As if this atmosphere was formed around him rather than was disturbed by him. Everything felt in sync. Peaceful. Cool and soft and the air so thick with creation that he drew in life with every breath.

His eyes search for the voice's source for a moment before it came into view; a large lizard, translucent carnation in hue and adorned intermittently with magenta frills. Black eyes that shone brighter than stars while they looked straight into Dipper's soul. Dipper felt at the time like he should be afraid, like he should scream or at least scramble backwards, but he didn't. The only feeling that washed over him when he saw the creature was a sense of unburdened serenity. It looked as if the creature was smiling.

"It's… okay," he found himself saying. He wasn't even sure why the creature was apologizing, and yet, the need to reassure him tugged at the young adult's mind. "Who… or… what… are you?"

The apparent smile didn't fade. "I am the Axolotl."

That didn't tell him too much. Dipper gave an awkward smile in return, carefully pushing himself a little closer. His curiosity hadn't waned over the years even if he was more cautious now. "Nice to meet you. Seems like you already know me, so… what ― what does that mean? Axolotl. I know what those are, but… I mean…"

"You want to know why you are here and what my place in the universe is." It wasn't a question, and Dipper got the feeling that the Axolotl always knew. He was just doing things at the pace that was most comfortable for Dipper. Pretty considerate. "I am a creator. I am a being of pure energy who shapes things into existence."

I'm a being of pure energy with no weaknesses! The memory of a long-dead voice rattled around in Dipper's skull for a moment. He probably couldn't have hidden it from the Axolotl, whose eyes took on a softer glow as the echo of a quote faded. Eight years and several sessions of some-things-left-out therapy hadn't quite mended every traumatized recess in his mind. He still thought about Bill a lot. "So you're, like… the anti Bill Cipher."

"In a sense." The Axolotl's tail swept backwards slowly, even though the creature himself seemed not to move otherwise. "It is interesting that you brought him up all on your own. I was not sure whether you would. You have not forgotten him, have you?"

Dipper scoffed slightly, crossing his legs in a mime of sitting on one of the clouds that molds perfectly to complete the illusion. "How could I? Even if I ever get over everything he did to my family and I, he's… not exactly the kind of person or ― or thing ― you just… forget."

The Axolotl didn't move. However, the vibe that was given off toward his guest gave Dipper the sense that the creature was nodding. "You are not angry with him."

"… Not really. Not – not anymore. Which is probably stupid, but…" A sigh left the brunette as he rested his chin in a cupped hand. Although it hadn't been very long and the wounds were still kind of raw, he hadn't been truly mad at Bill for about two years or so now. Of course, that wasn't to say he forgave Bill for anything. "It's not like I could carry that around forever. Anger is heavy and dangerous. It's like poison. I just… I just don't get it, you know?" He didn't have to tack that on at the end. He knew that the Axolotl knew.

The Axolotl made a quiet humming noise, as if in approval or agreement. A gentle push for him to go on.

"I mean…" Dipper ran a hand through his hair as he thought about exactly what he did mean. "That whole summer that Mabel and I were in Gravity Falls… we ran into some weird shit. Crazy monsters who all seemed… totally incomprehensible. But… almost every adventure we had… ended with us having some kind of understanding as to why they did what they did. You know?" Again it was totally unnecessary, but Dipper's habit of rambling to ensure that he gets his point across fully has only grown with time. "Everything, everybody we went up against, it was like I got them, even if I didn't agree with what they did. The gnomes were all lonely and didn't have any girls around, so they wanted to marry Mabel. The Summerween Trickster just wanted to be accepted for what he was, because he was literally born out of people thinking his parts weren't good enough. I mean, even Stan made some really bad choices and we almost didn't forgive him. But everything he did was for a reason… to get Ford back, to protect his family. Hell, I actually even understood Gideon enough to get him to turn stuff around for the most part."

He paused to look down into the clouds, despite only being able to see more candy-colored fluff below. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking at or looking for. It was just that the only person he ever talked about this in depth with was Mabel. Their great uncles would probably have heart attacks if he tried to talk to them about this. Mabel at least got it. "But, Bill… I never understood him. None of us did. We never could. Like, I understand that his dimension was dying and all, but… who thinks that's a good reason to… come take over another dimension and hurt people and try to destroy the whole world? And act like it's all one giant party? I dunno. Bill never made sense to me. No matter how hard I think about it, he… still doesn't. He just seems like… I don't even know what he seems like. Like there should be more to him than there is."

It had always frustrated Dipper to think about Bill. Was Bill really just some megalomaniac who didn't care about anything except what he wanted? Just a powerful demon seeking more and more power and thought it would be fun to fuck with strangers' lives along the way? There were no real motivations behind what Bill did. The little motivation Dipper could find ― escaping his own decaying dimension ― didn't account for the way Bill was so insistent on not having rules, on just doing what he thought was fun, on having more power than anybody else. That one reason was disproportionate and mostly irrelevant to everything Bill said and did.

There wasn't anything Dipper had overlooked all these years. Nothing he knew or had experienced about Bill added up to form some big, coherent picture, no matter which way he looked at it.

If everything he already knew about the demon was everything there was to know, Dipper was sure he'd never be able to understand Bill Cipher.

"I just… that's always bugged me," he laughed, face heating up a little. Sometimes when he thought about this or talked about it with Mabel, he sounded nuts even to himself. "That I could never understand him. That I never… figured him out."

"You are a solver of mysteries by nature." If it were possible, the Axolotl's smile got wider. "You look for truth. You need truth. You never learned the truth about Bill Cipher, did you, child?"

Dipper would protest about being called a child if he didn't feel incredibly young at the moment. "Nope, I guess not. I'm willing to bet you know it, but…" He sighed softly, though his smile stayed. "I'm also willing to bet you're not just gonna tell me. That's usually how stuff like this goes, isn't it?"

"Perhaps. I will tell you that Bill Cipher has been asleep for a long time. Since you defeated him, he has remained sealed away and dormant."

"That figures," Dipper scoffed. Just that knowledge tugged at the still-healing edges of his mind. Somewhere deep inside him, however, he'd never been able to deny that Bill still being alive was a possibility. It had just been pushed away when Weirdmageddon 2.0 hadn't been started in the past few years. There were more important things to worry about, and he had to go on with his life. "Bill doesn't strike me as the kind of person who's that easy to kill for good." More to the point, he's not sure he would want to. Demon blood would still be blood on their hands if Bill died. He just wished Bill would have found someone else to torment so they wouldn't have been forced to what they did.

… Even so. That would be making someone else's life miserable. Shoving all those decisions on somebody else. At least Dipper and the others would be somewhat prepared for something like that now, after all they'd been through.

Despite the atmosphere staying completely motionless, Dipper got the notion that the Axolotl was chuckling. "I apologize for thrusting you into the situation so suddenly, Dipper, but before Bill was sealed away, he invoked my name. A deal that the two of us made long ago. When called upon, it was a promise that he would be able to return. However…" The Axolotl's eyes sparkled with something that was between mischief and benevolence. "You must know by now that Bill Cipher is highly impulsive and has a startling lack of foresight. He rarely thinks things through, considers all options, reflects on future consequences or outcomes. That means our deal was riddled with loopholes to my advantage. It is something seldom invoked for a reason, and that reason is the price. He will not be a danger to you or your loved ones. I simply have… quite a favor to ask of you regarding his return."

"… A favor, huh?" Dipper must have looked at least a little riled up by the way he felt. Bill was waking up. Coming back. And this being wanted Dipper to deal with something about that. "When he comes back, he's gonna be pretty pissed at my family. And at me. Even without his powers, he might try to hurt us."

"That is true. I will understand if you decline. It will be a great responsibility placed on all of your shoulders. I know you may not wish for that. Please know that I will not be disappointed or upset if you tell me you do not want to deal with Bill again. You do not have to do it if you don't want to." The Axolotl showed no signs of lying, if he even could lie. It was an absolute guarantee that Dipper could make whatever choice he wanted; both for the sake of himself and his family. "Because of the deal he made with me, I have chosen his form to be human. When he comes back, his powers will be inaccessible until he proves himself."

Dipper quirked an eyebrow. While the Axolotl was significantly more willing to answer questions honestly than Bill was, evidently he was no less cryptic at first than the demon. "Proves himself how?"

The air swirled around them gingerly. "He must redeem himself, make up for all the chaos he has caused, and become a better person."

A snort was Dipper's first reply, and he ducked his head down in a silent apology. That was probably kind of rude. Did the Axolotl really think that Bill Cipher was capable of that kind of change, though? "No offense, but… I'm really not sure he can do that. You've known him for a while, obviously. Do you really think a guy like that can make up for everything he's done?"

The Axolotl's smile became flattened in sympathy. "Everything is impossible if you do not try. Whether or not any of you forgive him… well. That is not a condition of this, if you choose to accept it. You are all free to never grant him forgiveness; I understand if you cannot after everything he has done to you. It is not about him selfishly earning your forgiveness. It is about him changing to improve himself ― selflessly. Not to earn anyone's approval, but because it is the right thing to do. He must learn that his place in the universe does not permit him to cause wanton destruction for the sake of destruction. He simply… needs some help learning. Needs help understanding. He has been alive for so long, and is an adult, but… he has never truly grown up. Again, you are free to say no, but you did say yourself… you are still curious about him, are you not?"

Dipper glanced down again, because he couldn't dispute that without lying.

"Before you decide, I will tell you this, child. You have not seen all that there is to see about Bill Cipher."

Maybe the Axolotl is an even greater manipulator than Bill. That's how it seems with hindsight.

Just picking up the letter is enough to make a full memory rush through Dipper's head. He knows it wasn't a dream, and he remembers it all clearly… right up to finding Bill's unconscious new body in place of the statue he'd been going to visit. (It was a dumb ritual, to be honest. Going out to that thing and just standing there, staring down at it, every time he came to Gravity Falls. Dipper is kind of glad the statue is gone so he can maybe break that habit.)

The only reason he agreed to this risky situation is because the Axolotl assured him that Bill would be unable to harm anyone like he had before. If Dipper didn't have that promise, there's no way he would be doing all this right now. He's still not sure why the Axolotl would appear to him and tell him everything and leave the choice to him. After all, he could have just as easily reached out to Stan or Ford, since they were already on their way back to Gravity Falls for the summer. Or Mabel, since she was here, too.

Was it because Dipper was the one happened to be in the area near the statue when whatever was left of Bill stirred? Was it because he's the one who's still inquisitive? Was it because he's always been sensitive to the paranormal?

Whatever the reason, he made his bed. Now everyone's got to lie in it. If things turn out poorly, it's going to be on Dipper's shoulders for agreeing to this.

He swings the door open after unlocking it to find Bill in almost the same position as he found him the first time. Those wide eyes, back ramrod-straight, still sitting on the bed. The only difference is that now he's staring across the room into the mirror. It looks as if he can't believe what he's seeing.

"Take a selfie, man," Dipper calls as he hands over the piece of parchment. "It'll last longer."

That seems to do it. It snaps Bill out of whatever trance he was in, and he scowls ― first at Dipper, then at the letter that's now lying on his lap. "What's this, Pine Tree? List of demands? Some rules, maybe? Come on! Every prison has rules. I should know, I've been in most of them! What am I not allowed to do? Am I allowed to dress myself? I'm definitely not allowed to stab people, right? Can I stab myself? You'll probably even refrain from giving me anything that could possibly be made into a weapon! Humans are so predictable!"

Wow. Not that Dipper is surprised, but it looks like eight years haven't made a dent in Bill's sparkling personality. He's as big an asshole as ever. Only this time around, he can't channel that into world-killing destruction. "Don't be a dick. It's from the Axolotl."

The look on Bill's face only intensifies. "Ohhhh! I should have guessed that frilly know-it-all was behind this!"

"Yeah, seems like you guys have some history. Something about a deal you made with him?" Dipper knows it's probably not wise to probe for information so early. It's barely been a day since Dipper brought him back to the Shack, and even less since Bill's been awake. Even more, nobody in this family trusts Bill, and he doesn't trust any of them, so it's likely to be fruitless. He still has to ask. He wouldn't forgive himself if there was the slightest chance of getting anything and he passed it up.

Bill, on the other hand, is too busy reading the message to even register the fact that Dipper wants an answer out of him. There isn't much writing on the page. Mainly it's just two lines, centered, written in a code that corresponds to the language Bill slipped into earlier. Two lines that look to Bill as if they're going to jump from the page and bite him in the face.

JRRG OXFN, ELOO.

GRQ'W GR DQBWKLQJ L ZRXOGQ'W GR.

If he could burn it to ash in his hand, he would.

"'Don't do anything I wouldn't do'! Are you kidding me?! What a pompous little―!" The thought goes unfinished as Bill literally hurls the piece of paper as far as he can manage. By virtue of being a piece of paper, it doesn't go any farther than about a foot from the bed. He growls and reaches up to pull his hair out again. There's got to be something he can control. This whole situation is ridiculous. When he used that deal, it was to save himself from dying, not to be transferred to some pathetic skin puppet. "Zkhq L jhw rxw ri khuh, kh lv GHDG!"

Dipper almost feels bad for finding this so amusing. Were Bill in his usual demonic form, his little tantrum would involve fire spiraling in every direction. In this form? He just looks like a kid pitching a fit because he didn't get his way. It's actually kind of hilarious to see a grown man (or a trillion-year-old demon) acting like a toddler. The only thing Dipper would change is that he wishes he had his phone to take a video of this. If nothing else, his grunkles and Mabel would find it funny. "Alright, well, I've done my job."

Although he's curious, he also thinks it's best not to be down here for too long at a time… at least for now. It's probably a good idea to give Bill some time to cool off before anybody starts asking questions. Dipper heads toward the door and opens it, making sure to never turn fully around. Even though he has a guarantee that Bill can't use his powers at the moment, there's exactly nothing that stops him from just lunging at anybody as soon as their back is turned and using his human body as a weapon. Plus, he would have to be nuts to trust Bill. Probably not a great idea to turn his back on the guy right now. Or, well, ever. "Not sure who's gonna be down next, but right now, I think we're all gonna give you space. Try not to freak out so much; you're only hurting yourself."

Ten locks are done up in quick succession once the brunette exits the room completely. Bill sits there, and stares down at the paper he just threw, and wishes again that he could burn it to a crisp. This whole thing is a joke. Does the Axolotl honestly think Bill is going to learn anything from this? All it's done so far is make him panicked and angry, in that order. And all over. Right now, the only thing he's feeling is a cycle between fear and fury.

It's going to make this weak body run out of steam sooner or later. Humans apparently can't maintain extreme states of any emotion for too long.

"You're only hurting yourself."

Dipper's last words before leaving bounce around in Bill's head, and almost as if to defy his captors, Bill's fingernails grate down his cheeks again.

That's fine. It's fine that he's only hurting himself.

At least it's something he can control.

Translations!

JRRG OXFN, ELOO. = GOOD LUCK, BILL.

GRQ'W GR DQBWKLQJ L ZRXOGQ'W GR. = DON'T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN'T DO.

Zkhq L jhw rxw ri khuh, kh lv GHDG! = When I get out of here, he is DEAD!