I Think You Should Have Edited It To Mach Sock-opera Bill.

I think you should have edited it to mach sock-opera bill.

Ah, I might do an edited version some day, but I figured maybe people would have liked reading my original version. Bill’s a fun character regardless and while I don’t really plan on having him cross paths with the Mystery Kids again (outside of prompt fics people might give me), I do have a Gravity Falls AU fic in the works that involves him heavily, and will definitely be informed by his appearance in Sock Opera. ;)

silverwingstorm said: On mobile, unless you use a browser, none of the tabs are available, so in order to get to your original fic, you’d have to scroll through every post you’ve made so far (and keep in mind that there are no read mores on mobile ;w;) it can add up fast

Aw man, I had no idea! in that case, here:

Opening

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Finale

That should help, right? ^^;

---

Mystery Kids: Possessed!

A long, long time ago my friend draw-ren-draw made this post, and it was such an intriguing idea I asked if it was alright if I wrote it. She agreed, and while it took me several months to finally finish it, it was done long before the second season of Gravity Falls was even close to starting. What kept me from posting it is that there was some character development that might seem like it fell out of the blue; I planned on writing it into the second main fic, but that's going so slowly, and after "Sock Opera", I think you guys might like to read this a bit sooner. 

Summary: Raz is proud of his duties as Psychonaut; it's something he worked hard to earn after all, and his lifelong dream. But all his training never really prepared him for malevolent geometry, especially when its name is Bill.

---

Gideon tossed in his sleep. He was dreaming, lost in a dark abyss, but he wasn’t sure he was alone.

“H… Hello?” he called, not even an echo answering him in the pitch black. Actually, he wasn’t even sure it was black. It was nothing.

An eye split the nothingness, its slit pupil coming to rest on him.

“Oh hey there you are!” an all-too-familiar reedy voice broke the silence, and Gideon only stared in awe. “Man, you humans all look alike from the astral plane. S’up Gideon!”

“I told you the deal was off,” Gideon growled at the eye. “You failed me, an’ that’s that.”

“Yeah yeah, sorry. Funny thing about that though, I still need your end of the bargain one way or another. So I was thinking, you help me out, and I’ll get you whatever the heck you want when we’re through. Humans like ice cream right? How about free ice cream for life?”

“Anything, you say?” Gideon narrowed his eyes, mental gears turning.

“Yeah sure. It’ll be great!”

“What exactly does my end of the bargain encompass?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just the use of your corporeal form to manifest my powers in the real world. You know. Standard demon possession, you’ll get used to it.” If an eye could shrug, it did.

Gideon felt as though the void was slowly gripping him. He waved his hands at the nothingness, and the sensation seemed to fade. He thought for a bit, mind racing. Demons seldom sought out second chances on their own; whatever he wanted must be important. There had to be a way to turn this completely to his advantage—maybe there was someone else that made good possession material.

“I’ve got it!” Gideon exclaimed, and the eye widened expectantly. “What if I could get you a body with no occupant?”

“Kid, I won’t possess a dead body. I don’t do zombies, did it once, never again. Do you have any idea how disgusting it is? Limbs falling off, fluids leaking everywhere, and the smell! Lemme tell you it is not pretty.”

“No! I mean someone who can leave their body at will.”

“Oh…. You mean—”

“Yes.”

“Well, as much fun as it is crushing the spirit of whoever I’m possessing at a given time, I’ve gotta say that’s pretty good. Nice and quick, no struggle, and should crush their soul anyway. Alright Gideon, do we have a deal?”

“Deal.” Gideon nodded, holding his hand out, and felt the void take it. And then, there was even more nothing than before.

-- 

It came at dawn; pale red sunlight gleamed off the gold-leaf lettering and worn paint, with tattered banners flapping in a light breeze—a long caravan of trucks and wagons piled high with colorful odds and ends. Bumping and shuddering across uneven ground, the odd assortment of vehicles, from all eras and makes and models, pulled into a fog-swept clearing and formed a broad ring amongst the trees. Within moments of stopping, the first flurries of activity began as people prepared for the day ahead. Shouts organized unpacking efforts or woke sleeping families; only the very young were excluded from work.

A real, honest-to-goodness old-fashioned circus had arrived.

A small pair of laced boots kicked up dust and pine needles as their owner hopped from his family’s van, a steadily widening grin on his face as he stretched and breathed in the crisp morning air. Mentally, he greeted the trees and mountains as though they were good friends, and indeed they’d met before. But it wasn’t the scenery that had Raz smiling, nor was it performing with his family later that evening.

His father appeared and ruffled his son’s auburn hair before clambering up to the roof of his family’s home to start unpacking their things, tossing a few of the necessities to the young psychic while the older siblings helped their mother get breakfast and the younger kids ready. Raz didn’t mind the work so much anymore, not like he had a little over a year ago, and today there was even more reason to be willing to help and get everything done.

“Alright Razputin, I think that’s all the important things,” Augustus said, hopping skillfully from the roof even with arms full of a few remaining supplies. “Let’s go in and get cleaned up, then you can go.”

Raz nodded eagerly, holding the door open for his dad before heading in himself to join the relative chaos. His younger brother and sister were holding a messy eating contest while his mother tried in vain to stop them, and the older siblings were getting everyone else’s food ready in the midst. Weaving through, Raz headed to the sleeping quarters where he kept his few belongings and changed into his regular outfit before heading back out, happy to stay out of the way.

Strolling down the overgrown road the circus had turned onto to reach the clearing, the young psychic broke into a smile again as town came into view; where else could he look forward to visiting so much besides Whispering Rock? Gravity Falls had become something of a home away from home this summer, and he hoped his friends wouldn’t mind an early wake-up call. The way to the Mystery Shack was second nature anymore, and in no time the shabby house was in sight. Heading around to the back, Raz rang the doorbell and tapped his foot while he waited, wondering if anyone was up at this early hour. The door swung open to reveal Stan holding a cup of coffee and looking unamused.

“We don’t want any, now scram,” the old con artist said gruffly, promptly shutting the door.

“Hey!”

“Ah, I’m just messin’ with ya,” Stan said with a chuckle, opening the door again and waving him in. “I don’t know if the kids are up yet. Why don’t ya go kick their lazy butts for me?”

“Uh, sure.”

Raz headed upstairs rolling his eyes, leaving Stan to his coffee and the morning paper. He was pretty sure sleeping at this time of day was not laziness on his friends’ parts. A little twinge of envy pricked at him, but was quickly snuffed by the excitement of seeing them again. Knocking at the door, he heard Dipper say “Come in” and some other movement before he entered, then nothing besides a shrill, joyous scream from Mabel as she vaulted from her bed and tackled him.

“Raz! We missed you a ton! Maybe more than a ton, what’s bigger than a ton? A gazillion tons!” she babbled as she squeezed the air from the already winded psychic.

“Please don’t do that,” he gasped once she let him go, and massaged his sides while Dipper and Norman gathered around.

“What brings you here this time?” Norman asked once it seemed Raz had recovered, but as he opened his mouth to reply, an enormous bellow rang through the house.

“What?!” Stan roared, slamming the attic door open with one hand and the paper crinkled in the other. “You little punk! You didn’t say you were here to steal my customers!”

“What?!”

Stan threw the paper down between them all, and Dipper hastily unfolded it to reveal a sizeable ad. Mabel’s eyes instantly widened at the colorful old-timey spread.

“The circus? Oh my gosh, I love circuses! All the animals, and the lights, and the—”

“Acrobats?” Dipper finished his sister’s sentence, and they all looked up at Raz, who wore a cheeky grin.

“Surprise!”

With another squeal Mabel wrapped him in a hug again, and after some effort he managed to pry her off.

“I have a girlfriend you know,” he coughed, but she merely beamed.

“What, and friends aren’t allowed to hug their other friends?”

“No no, it’s just she’ll be really mad if you hug me to death.”

“You’re no fun,” she pouted, but only for a moment.

“Wanna know what else isn’t fun? Loss of business. The last thing the Shack needs is a trainload of circus freaks rolling in and taking all my customers,” Stan griped, snatching the paper off the floor and crumpling it up.

“Grunkle Stan, rude! Raz is right here!” Mabel cried, gesturing at him, and he nodded. Stan merely rolled his eyes.

“He’s already a psychic, it doesn’t get much freakier.”

“Grunkle Stan!”

“Um, hello? Friendly reminder from the circus freak that we’re only going to be town for a few days. So I don’t think we’re actually gonna hurt your profits too much. We might even bring some in.”

“Hmm…” Stan grumbled, eye narrowed. “Fine.”

“Yeah. Anyway, that’s why I came here this morning. I wanted to tell you I was in town, and not on official Psychonaut business for once,” Raz explained, turning to his friends, and they nodded. “I was hoping you guys could come, if you wanted. Then you could meet my family after the show or something. Actually, I think they wanted to meet you—I hope you don’t mind I told them you were all pretty awesome.”

“Uh no, that’s fine,” Dipper said with a shrug, glancing at the others for affirmation. If anything he was definitely okay with being called awesome.

“So can we go? Please?” Mabel begged her guardian, eyes wide and hopeful, hands clasped pleadingly. Stan arched his shoulders at the sudden assault of adorable, then waved his great-niece off.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Maybe you can find something for the Shack while you’re there. Just don’t run off or anything. I’d hate to tell your parents you actually ran away to the circus.”

“I think we realize the circus is not as glamorous as it seems,” Norman said, and Mabel nodded.

“Alright. I’m going back to my paper.”

They watched him stomp back downstairs, then turned to continue their conversation.

“Okay, well, when’s the show?” Dipper asked.

“Not ‘til this evening. It probably said the specific time on that ad; I don’t know it off the top of my head. But you guys can come early and get really good seats.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dipper said with a nod, while Mabel looked thrilled and even Norman gave an agreeable shrug.

“Awesome! I expect you guys cheering for me in the front row,” Raz answered with a grin. “Now, I’d better head back. Still lots to do to get ready.”

“I bet. We’ll see you later.”

With a final wave to his friends, the psychic headed downstairs and out of the house, then summoned his levitation orb and sped down the road. Only a few early birds were out and about yet, and no one paid him any mind as he rolled by; really, they never had, even when he was a newcomer. Maybe they simply didn’t realize the sphere beneath his feet was made of nothing but pure mental energy. He made a note to do some mind reading and investigate the idea later, but for now, there was something in the road that required examination. Dropping to his feet, he slowly walked up to the still form, eyes narrowed with suspicion as he approached. An all-too-familiar figure clothed in a powder blue suit was sprawled on the pavement. While he still held the opinion that Gideon was a horrible excuse for a human being, Raz knew something wasn’t right, and it was his duty to find out what. Dragging the charlatan out of immediate danger, he did some basic readings; things Sasha had taught him about feeling for a pulse, internal injuries, and mental activity. Physically Gideon was fine, and his brain read as though he were simply sleeping.

“Maybe he sleepwalks,” Raz wondered aloud, then telekinetically lifted the child and headed to his house less than a block away. Reaching it, he rested Gideon just outside the door, and pondered ringing it or just leaving him. After all, he had somewhere to be, and his dad wouldn’t appreciate it if he took much longer. And as much as their rival undoubtedly needed mental help, he was underage and therefore illegal to project into.

It was then that Gideon began to twitch and murmur and Raz felt a pulse of something—deep and old and watchful— ripple through his mind. Now it had his attention; whether his dad liked it or not Raz’s duties as a protector against all threats paranormal in nature came first. And he was right to be suspicious; Gideon stopped twitching and sat bolt upright with a scream, eyes wide and glowing with a supernatural blue light. There was nothing for it— rules or no rules, something serious was going on.

He slid his goggles over his eyes and began projecting, working his way through Gideon’s mental walls. It was surprisingly easy to get in; Gideon was certainly not one to have the defenses for keeping others out of his mind— he was just too arrogant. Time to see what the mindscape of a would-be tyrant looked like. The world that swam into view was certainly chaotic, but he barely had time to process it before something broke.

He broke.

It was the only way he could’ve described it: a snapping sensation and suddenly feeling lost and weightless. Gideon’s mental world fizzled from view, and he scrambled to maintain the connection, to no avail. He couldn’t even sense the link to his own body anymore, and that meant… well, he only knew what True Psychic Tales #378 had to say on the matter. Trying not to think about it—that had been a very serious volume after all, one character lost their mind for good—he realized he was falling out of the astral plane altogether and was fading back into the real world, though he still felt numb, like being in a geodesic psycho-isolation chamber. Looking around, he saw Gideon stirring beside him, but no cause for his condition, which only deepened the mystery.

He could hear shifting and the familiar creak of his shoes just behind him, even the slight rattle his goggles made when he took them off, but he wasn’t moving and he definitely hadn’t taken his goggles off yet. And then something dark, both alien and familiar, walked through him, and he realized he was seeing his own back. Fighting off the rapidly growing sense of dread in his heart, he held both hands before his eyes and noted how clearly he could see straight through them.

He was still projecting— no, worse. He was nothing but a projection.

He could feel that same presence from earlier emanating from where the link to his body should have been, and soon not even that as it shut him out entirely. He couldn’t just stand by and let this thing take him—he had to get back in! Focusing everything he could muster, he launched himself at what he could sense was the walls of his own skull, only to crash against mental defenses he knew were both his own and foreign and far more powerful than anything he’d ever faced. Shaky from the effort, he was suddenly faced with his own image, which wore a sly smirk.

“Nice try,” it hissed, and passed him a wink before turning back. “C’mon kid, you can sleep later.” The thing that wasn’t him hoisted a groggy Gideon up by his collar with telekinesis. “Big plans, remember?”

“So it worked,” Gideon answered, rubbing his eyes as he got to his feet, and Not-Raz nodded.

“Like a charm. Poor kid’s consciousness is floating around here as we speak. Neat huh?”

“What’ll happen to ‘im? Can he still interfere?”

“Ah, he might just dissolve into space. What do I care? The point is we can get to work.”

Raz watched them head inside, ethereal form wavering with panic and horror. A trap. He’d fallen into the most diabolical, sick trap conceivable, and now this something was inhabiting his body, his brain— and cutting him off from it. This was worse than the brain-stealing incident by far. At least then he’d still had all his powers; now he’d be lucky if he could read minds or push an Ouija indicator around.

For a while he hovered between shock and consciousness, vaguely aware that if he lost it he might not come back in one piece. He was as good as dead, and no one would know until it was too late. Even if Lili or the others sensed something was wrong, it’d take them a while to get here, and by then…. No, no, that kind of thinking only led to panic, and in this state who knew what would happen if he let his emotions get the better of him. He had to think like Sasha. Control… calm… steady breathing... even if in his present state he didn’t actually need to; okay, much better now. Time to plan. What was a bodiless psychic to do? Whatever had his body was far too strong to try taking on like this, so that was out. Could he move at all? He experimented and found walking ineffectual, but thinking about the direction he wanted to go worked, so there was that. He didn’t want to hang around here if there was no chance of returning to his body soon, and it would feel like he was doing something, so he started off, quickly adjusting to the new form of motion. It was funny how the mind could adapt to almost anything.

“Okay,” he thought to himself; speaking was practically the same as thinking now. “If I were Lili looking for the disembodied spirit of my boyfriend…” A broad grin crossed his face as an idea dawned on him. If he really was as good as dead, then there was someone he needed to see.

-- 

The Pines had retreated to the attic with Norman in tow to maybe play some games, but now they simply relaxed as late morning sunlight filtered in through the triangular window; Mabel knitted a new sweater to wear for the evening while the boys read some of the books Dipper had gotten to pass the time. The laid-back air only masked the excitement of seeing their friend perform later. They’d all learned Raz was an acrobat almost as soon as they’d met, and they caught glimpses of his skill when he’d arbitrarily balance on fallen logs, and he tended to climb anything that looked like a challenge. But they never got to see what he was capable of with a full troupe and equipment, and could hardly wait to find out.

A scuffling commotion and movement out of the corner of his eye snapped the tension and made Dipper look up to see what was wrong. Norman was on his feet and wore a pained expression as he watched something only he could see. Mabel took notice too, and the twins exchanged looks before focusing on the one-sided conversation that was about to begin.

“You’re dead?!” the medium cried, and Dipper instantly had a sinking feeling it was someone they knew. They waited as Norman listened, his brows knitting at whatever he was hearing.

“But that doesn’t make any sense, how do you just lose—what?”

More silence.

“So what are we supposed to do? You can’t just stay like that.”

“Norman, who is it?” Mabel asked anxiously, and he slowly turned to the twins as though a weight sat on his shoulders, hands fidgeting with his sleeves anxiously.

“It’s Raz,” he replied mournfully. They stared at him, dumbstruck, so he frowned and turned back to the bodiless Psychonaut, who currently shared his troubled expression and hovered a few feet off the ground

“Look, I’m just glad you can see me,” Raz said, breaking the quiet, at least for Norman. “I mean, I’m not technically dead, so I wasn’t sure this would work.”

“It’s still your spirit, I guess,” Norman reasoned with a shrug. “Even without being officially dead, you definitely have unfinished business. Well, maybe that’s not the right words, but you know.”

“Yeah. But you’re right that I can’t stay like—”

“What the—what the heck happened?” Dipper finally stammered, unwittingly interrupting the psychic.

“Uh, I—I’ll try to explain what he just told me. He found Gideon unconscious on the street as he was leaving and well—you know, you can’t just leave someone in the street no matter how terrible they are, so he went to find out what was wrong, and something possessed his body while he was projecting. Now he can’t get it back… he’s stuck.”

“Wait, so some kinda spirity-thing is using Raz’s body as a meat puppet?” Mabel asked, and the psychic in question shuddered.

“Maybe you shouldn’t say it like that,” Norman said on his friend’s behalf, “but yeah… pretty much.”

“Uh, so…” Dipper started, “what do we do? An exorcism or something?”

“Maybe,” Norman said, a bemused half-smile on his face. He turned to the blank space just next to him and listened closely, eyes narrowing as Raz spoke.

“He says Gideon was acting strangely before he tried to go into his head.”

“If he was lying in the street then, yeah, I’d say—” Mabel started, but Norman cut her off.

“No, there’s more to it. I guess he was kind of twitching and mumbling, almost like he was dreaming, and then—”

“Wait, dreaming?” It was Dipper’s turn to interrupt. “An evil dream spirit?”

“Um…” Norman trailed, and looked to Raz. “Maybe?” he answered, “Raz doesn’t really know; he didn’t see anything.”

“And it’s working with Gideon… Mabel, sound familiar to you?”

“Aw man, not him,” she replied, her hands curling tightly around the unfinished sweater. Dipper rubbed the side of his face and sighed. Norman could only give them concerned looks, and Raz was equally perplexed.

“While you guys were gone for the three weeks Norman went home, one of the things we fought was a dream demon named Bill Cipher. He took over our uncle’s mind so Gideon could try and steal the deed to the house, but we managed to beat him.”

“Yeah, we were totally Psychonauts for like an hour, it was awesome. Well except for the whole nightmares part,” Mabel added, then her brother continued.

“Thing is, I thought their deal was off, and Gideon seemed pretty mad that Bill failed him. So why are they working together again?”

“And why would he want my body?” Raz wondered, even if only Norman could hear him. “What makes me the perfect dream demon possession candidate?”

“Well… he took it when you weren’t exactly in it. Uh… better that way than if you had, probably.”

“… I don’t even want to think about that. This is pretty bad already.”

“Oh yeah… Raz kinda does leave his body unattended when he goes insides people’s minds, huh? Remember when Gideon snuck up on him while he was helping Dipper and hit his head because he didn’t even know he was there?” Mabel babbled, and Dipper rolled his eyes.

“We were all there one way or another, of course we remember.”

“So Bill sorta did the same thing,” she said, “minus the whole ‘bash Raz over the head first’ part.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Raz huffed. “This Bill guy was being nice to me. And what’s a demon doing with a name like ‘Bill’ anyway? I can’t take him seriously.”

Norman shrugged; he could tell the psychic was getting impatient. “So if you guys beat him before, how’d you do it?”

“Actually, I guess we didn’t really beat him…” Dipper trailed with a shrug. “He was impressed with our fight, but he kinda left by himself.”

“Great. So there’s not even a way to beat this guy?” Raz grumbled.

“What about the Journal, Dipper? Did it say anything?” Norman asked, trying to keep the conversation focused on finding a solution. He knew if panic or negativity set in now, they were probably doomed.

“Well yeah, it’s how we were able to save Stan. I think I remember the incantation well enough.”

“I’ll even help you remember,” Raz said, forgetting only Norman could hear him, and the small detail that he couldn’t project either.

“Hmm… if we can capture Bill, I’d be able to recite the spell and get in there to kick him out. Easy right?” Dipper continued, and the others agreed.

“You’ll have to be careful though. He has all my powers, and not to brag or anything but I’m not exactly a wimp either,” Raz mused, and Norman relayed the info, to which Dipper nodded sagely.

“Right, right. We’re going to need a plan. And not a list-y thing,” he added, pointing at Mabel before she could speak, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Okay, we don’t know a whole lot about Bill’s motivations for… anything, I guess, but he’s probably going to come to the Shack sooner or later…” Dipper began, and the rest listened intently as he laid the groundwork. With Norman’s help, Raz pointed out details a psychic would render useless, and Mabel—though her ideas weren’t always perfect—added a touch of unpredictability.

“And we have until the show tonight to do this,” Norman reminded them when the plan seemed finished.

“Yep. Which means we’d better get started,” Dipper said, gathering the notes he’d taken. “Everyone clear on what to do?”

They all nodded, then Mabel led the charge downstairs, closely followed by her brother. Norman lagged behind; he could tell Raz was reluctant about the plan even if it meant getting his body back. Maybe if they hadn’t been involved he’d have been more like his usual self, but right now he looked pensive and nervous. He’d certainly never thought about all the ways his psychic powers or even the strength of his body alone could be used to hurt those he cared about, and it obviously unsettled him in much the same way Norman had felt about his own abilities. But what other options did they have?

The plan was to first locate Bill and Gideon, then learn anything they could about the duo’s plot. This part was up to Raz; he was the only one able to easily sneak into Gideon’s house, though he’d have to be careful since apparently Bill could still see him. After that, he’d relay anything he’d learned to Norman, and hence the rest of the group. Then, depending on the situation, they’d either move on or lay in wait. Mabel had penned a fake love letter they hoped would distract Gideon long enough to ambush Bill and pin him down so Dipper could recite the spell—which Raz theorized opened up all the minds involved and allowed otherwise normal people to astral project. Once they were in, it was a simple matter of kicking Bill out for good. It all sounded easy enough, but the twins knew first-hand how tricky the dream demon could be. Hopefully his attention would be on other things and they’d be able to catch him off-guard.

Keeping away from the busier streets, the group made their way to their enemy’s house, sneaking around the back. Even Mabel was in full stealth mode; Dipper lost track of her a few times only for the normally noisy girl to pop up beside him unexpectedly. Taking cover under some bushes, they regrouped and looked to Norman, their only way of knowing Raz’s activities. The medium nodded to his invisible friend, and watched him move across the yard and vanish into the siding. Now there was nothing to do but wait. While Norman stayed vigilant, Mabel toyed absentmindedly with the letter and her brother gnawed on the end of a sharpie, going over every conceivable sequence of events to make sure everything was accounted for.

“He’s back already,” Norman said quietly, turning to face the others and looking concerned.

“They weren’t there. I did a whole sweep of the house, and only Gideon’s mom was home. Man, I feel sorry for her,” Raz explained, coming to rest in an empty spot between his three friends. Norman relayed the info, and Dipper frowned.

“Any sign of where they are?”

Norman looked to the psychic, then shook his head, and Dipper gave an exasperated nod.

“Of course. Okay, well, any ideas on where to look for them?”

“Hey, it’s Raz’s body right? Maybe he can sense where it is, like a metal detector,” Mabel suggested.

“He already explained he can’t feel anything,” Norman replied solemnly. “Not even us, and we’re right here.”

“Yikes. I can only imagine what that’s like,” Dipper said, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully. “Time to get searching I guess. Come on.”

They crawled out of the brush and took to the streets, alert for Gideon, Bill, or even anyone they might be able to ask about their whereabouts. But most people were already working or simply passing through; they wouldn’t have known if Gideon had left his house. The only thing for it was to look everywhere they could think of. At least Gravity Falls was a small town.

--

Augustus, in the middle of a stretch, paused. Something was missing. Looking around his family’s camp, he could see everyone getting a last-minute practice in, but there was a notable absence. With a sigh, he scratched at his beard; where was it Razputin was always hanging out around here? Well, he could ask for directions in town if he needed them. Setting out with long purposeful strides, he left the bustle of the circus behind to look for his son. The problem wasn’t so much that they couldn’t perform without him, because they had for a while now. Raz was away on missions or training quite often, so there were times when they wouldn’t see him for months and had to adjust accordingly. It was that for once, he should be performing with them, and he knew how vital it was to be in top form and not slack off even in the hours before he was set to appear. Friends were important, yes, but so was one’s duty to their family.

With the noise—both audible and psychic in nature—finally starting to quiet down, he could home in on the boy. Augustus was not really a practicing psychic; he had more things to worry about than levitating or reading minds, but he was no mental pushover either, and had always endeavored to form strong mental links with his family, even if most of them couldn’t return the favor, and the one that could… well, there’d been more than just strong mental barriers in the way of that. But the link had been there regardless, and it’d led him to Raz before. And now…

Augustus paused, his brow furrowing as he wracked his brain. Much like the camp, every signal that should be there was— except one. Running a hand through his hair, he started again at a blazing pace. Surely his son would know if he’d gotten into something over his head, or could defend himself….

But no. A broken psychic link meant only one thing to Augustus Aquato.

-- 

Three worn-out kids slumped on a park bench. Unbeknownst to any onlookers there was a fourth, hovering invisibly over his friends and looking just as tired. They’d just finished searching the whole of Gravity Falls with no luck, not finding a single clue as to where Bill and Gideon had gone. The only thing Dipper could think of was that they’d gone somewhere into the forest, and that would take forever to search thoroughly; who knew what the villains could get up to in the meantime. They were out of options.

“Wanna head back to the Shack?” Dipper asked, sounding defeated. His friends—well, all the ones he could see—nodded, seeming equally as downtrodden. They got up slowly, with Mabel practically dripping off the bench before standing properly, and headed back. Maybe their best option had been to simply wait at the building in the first place. Dipper felt like smacking himself in the face; even his attempt at a straightforward plan had been too complicated to work right, and this time there was more than a chance at love at stake. A good friend, and possibly reality as they knew it, could both meet their end and it’d be because Dipper Pines couldn’t pull off a dumb plan.

He flinched as an elbow met his side, and looked over to see his sister not exactly beaming, but giving him a reassuring smile anyway.

“Don’t worry bro, we’ll get this sorted out in no time. In case you forgot, we’re all kind of amazing.”

“Yeah I just… can’t help worrying. Raz is flying around without a body for crying out loud. What’ll happen to him if—”

“Uh, he’d like it if you didn’t finish that thought,” Norman interrupted, and Dipper sighed.

“I’d like to not finish that thought too, but… Gah, sorry for being such a pessimist.”

“Sometimes it’s hard not to think like that,” Norman said with a shrug, “but we have to keep trying. If that means we have to wait at the Shack for them to come to us like some kind of slasher movie? Well, it worked out for the slasher guy right?”

“So you’re saying we have to become the bad guy?”

“Not become him, just think like him. Besides, from Bill and Gideon’s perspective, aren’t we the bad guys already?”

“Whoa! Norman, you’re on fire!” Mabel cheered. “This could totally work. Oh! Oh! Does this mean Dipper and I get to do the creepy twin thing?”

“Uh, I dunno. If it works out?”

“I’ll admit that sounds fun,” Dipper said, grinning. “The chance to freak out Gideon would be awesome, but our first priority is getting Bill out of Raz’s body. The less we stall on that the better.”

“Agreed.” Mabel said with a nod, not terribly disappointed. Thinking about it, she was too cute to pull the whole creepy thing off anyway, and Dipper too much of a dork. If anyone here could be considered creepy by the standard population it’d probably be Norman, but he didn’t have a twin. Plus, he was still kind of cute. Oh well.

“Speaking of Raz, he’s doing okay right? Sorry if he’s been trying to get in on this too,” Dipper said, turning to look over the group nervously. “I wish we had a way to keep track of him besides ghost-vision.”

“He’s right here,” Norman said, pointing to the space just over and behind his left shoulder, and Mabel waved. “He waved back, and he says he’s okay.”

 It was only a half-truth though, Norman knew that. He’d used that hollow “I’m okay” himself, but he knew Raz didn’t want the twins to know how he really felt. Dipper was enough of a worry-wart as it was, he didn’t need anything to add to his anxiety. Not that the psychic seemed in any immediate danger; he simply looked exhausted, and wasn’t his usual talkative self— presumably he was focused on keeping his projection up. But for the sake of the other’s morale, it was probably good only Norman could see him.

They finally reached home base, glad to see it looked just as run-down and cheap as ever. It wasn’t pleasant to think about, but without them there the old house was basically defenseless. No one else knew what Bill could dish out besides Soos, and while they all knew Raz was a powerful psychic they’d never suspect his demon-possessed body. Gideon was simply too easy to write off. Norman’s plan to wait for their enemies to come to them was looking pretty smart.

“Hey guys,” Wendy greeted them lightly as they entered the gift shop. “Oh man, you won’t believe what happened earlier.

“Uh, try me,” Dipper said nervously, eyes darting around the room. Everything looked normal, but not only was there a deranged nine-year-old and demon team running around, he was talking to his crush.

“Okay, so this crazy circus guy came in and started asking me all these questions about you guys. It was really weird and definitely creepy. I don’t even know how he knew you guys lived here; Stan made him leave, but I figured you’d wanna know about it.”

“Circus guy?” Dipper said with a frown, and the ginger nodded.

“Dad…” Raz trailed.

“Uh, he knows us, sort of,” Norman started, and Wendy blinked. “He’s Raz’s dad and was probably looking for him.”

“Well he’s not with you guys. That’s what Stan told him too.”

“…Yeah. We’re going upstairs now,” Dipper said, and Wendy shrugged and went back to her magazine. They quickly left the gift shop behind and headed into the privacy of the attic where they could talk a bit more freely.

“Sorry Raz,” Dipper said when they’d all settled, once again not sure where to look until Norman pointed him out. “Man, maybe we do need something to show where you are.”

“A balloon! We could get one from the circus and draw a face on it, and then Raz just hangs out with it so we know where to look,” Mabel suggested, grabbing a notebook and drawing a diagram.

“Uh, maybe,” Norman said, bemused. “So… what do we do now?”

“Good question. Should we go tell Mr. Aquato what happened?”

They waited expectantly while Raz thought; on the one hand, telling his father he’d lost his body to a demon was probably not a good idea, but on the other, he didn’t want him thinking he was dead. Neither option was good; they weren’t even guaranteed to fix things before the show tonight, so they couldn’t promise that either.

“Raz, you said your dad’s psychic too. Maybe he can help us?” Norman suggested, interrupting the psychic’s thoughts.

“Well yeah but… I just don’t want him to worry.”

“But he was looking for you, which means he’s already worried,” Norman pointed out, “and I think he’d rather be able to help than not be involved at all.”

“…Good point.”

“I didn’t think about that,” Dipper said, breaking into a smile. “I have an idea: me and Raz will wait here in case Bill and Gideon show up. Norman, Mabel, you guys can go get Raz’s dad and bring him here so we can fill him in. Sound good?”

“Man, that’s like the third plan we’ve had all day Dip,” Mabel said, rubbing her head.

“I’m learning to be flexible. Go on, we probably don’t have much time. We’ll see you in a bit.”

“Promise not to ignore Raz?”

“I’m getting used to not seeing him. I promise.”

They bumped fists, then Mabel grabbed Norman by the wrist and charged downstairs without another word. It was awkward at first, but eventually Norman fell into step with her pace and they hurried across town once more, finally reaching the dirt road into the clearing where an enormous multicolored tent now stood. Mabel gaped in wonder until Norman waved her on and she remembered their mission. Despite her distraction, she led the way through the bustle, grinning at clowns and waving at the jugglers as they passed by, and they even had to dodge an elephant as the animal’s handler led her on. There was so much happening the two weren’t sure how they’d ever find Raz’s family.

“Can I help you?” a kindly but gruff voice sounded from behind them, and the two spun to find a rather imposing but lean figure standing over them. It was Mabel who figured out who he was.

“Omigosh! You have awesome purple hair, just like Raz! You must be his dad, we’ve been looking all over for you!”

“And I’ve been looking for you!” he said, relieved, and crouched to their level. “Where is Raz? Is he alright?”

“That’s why we came here,” Norman replied, picking at his nails. “We were hoping you could come with us to the Mystery Shack so we could explain everything.”

He gave the two a quizzical look, then turned and strode over to his family’s caravan and disappeared into it. Mabel and Norman exchanged concerned glances, shifting nervously. But it wasn’t long and he was out again and rejoined them.

“I’ve just let them know I’ll be out. But please… where is Razputin?”

“He’s at the Shack… but you won’t be able to see him,” Norman replied, trying to be upbeat but more nervous than anything. Rubbing his arm, he stole a glance at the elder Aquato, who seemed to be processing what he’d said.

“You’re the one who talks to spirits, aren’t you? Norman?”

“Uh… yeah. I know this sounds bad, coming from me.” He managed a lopsided smile.

“Don’t worry Mister Aquato, Raz isn’t dead. He’s just a disembodied spirit at the moment!” Mabel piped up, smiling, but only received a deadpan gaze in return.

“…I guess I better come with you and find what all this nonsense is about,” he finally said, and motioned for them to lead the way.

Coming to the Shack, they weren’t sure whether to feel relieved or be worried that everything seemed quiet. At the very least there were still no signs of demon-derived chaos, so they headed inside through the gift shop again. There was no sign of Stan or Wendy either, but perhaps that was to their advantage; while Wendy probably wouldn’t have cared, it was unlikely Stan would have wanted them bringing this strange man into the house. They ushered him upstairs and found Dipper reading, but he quickly stood to introduce himself when they all came in.

“Mr. Aquato, nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand, and the man shook it firmly.

“Yes, yes. Now what’s going on? I was told Razputin was here, but that I couldn’t see him…”

“Uh, Norman?” Dipper turned to him, and the medium pointed to a spot right in front of Augustus.

“He says he’s sorry for worrying you,” Norman said, looking away, and the grizzled acrobat stared at him.

“You said he wasn’t dead.”

“He’s not, Mr. Aquato,” Dipper began. “A demon possessed his body while he was projecting, leaving his spirit stranded.”

 At this, Augustus had to sit down. He massaged his temples, and Norman looked over at Raz, who hovered with shoulders slumped but fists clenched, his face drawn. The twins could only wait anxiously until Augustus broke the quiet at last, and dramatically.

“A demon… How did he even get into this?!”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Norman desperately leapt in, “It wasn’t any of us. Raz was just doing his job, or he thought he was, but it was a trap.”

“We have a rival— well, rival is putting it lightly I guess—named Gideon, and he summoned this demon to help him get the Shack. Or at least that’s what we think,” Dipper explained as quickly as he could, trying to keep things calm. “He’s a demon, it’s hard to know what his goals are. But for whatever reason he stole Raz’s body, and now we’re here.”

“We’ve been trying to get it back all day, but we can’t find either Gideon or the demon, so we kinda thought maybe you could help,” Mabel added, poking her fingers together. Augustus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“And all this happened today?”

They nodded in unison.

“But if Raz is right here, why can’t I feel him? That only happens if—”

“He can’t feel anything either,” Norman interrupted, hands spread haltingly. “He’s pretty sure the demon is cutting everything off.... He wants to know if you can use clairvoyance?”

Augustus blinked. “I’ve never had reason to, but I can try.”

“Use it on me,” Norman said, giving him an encouraging nod.

Augustus tilted his head curiously, then assumed a familiar pose—two fingers touched to his right temple and left hand extended, focusing his inner sight on the small boy. The shift in perspective took a moment to get used to, but as he acclimated and his vision cleared, he resisted gasping. They hadn’t been playing a cruel joke on him; his son really was here, standing before him and wearing a somber expression under his goggles. He wanted nothing more than to hug him now, but if he was completely intangible there was no chance of that.

“Thank you Norman,” he said, having seen enough. “Well, this wouldn’t be the first time Raz has gotten in over his head. Or out of it. Do we have a plan?”

Dipper grinned. “Of course, sir. We’re pretty sure Gideon and his demon buddy are going to show up here eventually. We’ve beaten them both enough times to be confident about that. The idea is that some of us will distract Gideon so he can’t do anything, and then the rest will tackle Bill—that’s the demon by the way, I don’t think we mentioned his name—and get into Raz’s brain so we can kick him out. Thing is, we don’t know when they might show up or if they’re already up to no good.”

Augustus pondered the plan for a while before nodding. “If you’re certain they’re coming here, then perhaps it’s best to wait. I can stay for a while, but I’ve still got a show to do tonight. But if it means getting my son back I’ll do everything I can.”

“So… you still can’t sense where his body is?”

“Trust me, if I could I would have found him by now,” the acrobat replied sadly. “But both these characters sound dangerous. I’m not sure I would have wanted to find him on my own.”

“Raz says he understands,” Norman spoke up. “He… wouldn’t have wanted you to find Bill either.”

“Oh man, yeah,” Dipper sighed. “I don’t know what he can do now that he’s in the real world, but it can’t be good.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Craz and Xyler again,” Mabel wondered dreamily, and Dipper snapped his fingers in front of her.

“Focus Mabel. Remember what else happened? Bill attacked us with nightmares, and the Journal talked about chaos. I’m willing to bet that’s what’s in store for Gravity Falls if we don’t stop him.”

And so the waiting game began. They left the attic behind and stationed themselves at both entrances to the Shack, ready to alert the others should their enemies show themselves. At one point Mabel brought out lemonade for everyone when the trees around the Shack no longer shaded them, but the shadows soon grew long again, and the most they’d had to fight off was a swarm of persistent gnats. Augustus rose from where he’d been seated on the porch next to Dipper with a stretch and passed a worried look to the boy, who shrugged, looking just as perplexed.

“I guess you’ve gotta go, huh?”

“I’m afraid so. I’ll keep my eye out for anything suspicious, but I have a duty to perform.”

“I understand. We’ll let you know if anything happens after the show,” Dipper said, and they shook hands.

“Thank you. Let Norman know he’s in charge of making sure Raz doesn’t get into any more trouble,” Augustus replied with a bittersweet smile, and Dipper couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Will do. See ya later.”

He watched the patriarch break into a jog and vanish down the road, then sighed and got up to check on the others. He headed around the corner and found them playing ‘I spy’, but they were quick to notice him and looked expectant as he approached.

“Raz’s dad had to leave. What time is it anyway?”

“Almost five,” Norman replied, checking his phone.

“I can’t believe Gideon hasn’t shown up yet. He’s usually up in everyone’s business about how awesome he is,” Mabel sighed, “Or how I should come be his queen. Ugh.”

“Yeah. It seems like every time he comes after us, his plans get crazier, and he likes rubbing it in our faces. So why not this time?” Dipper pondered, scratching his chin.

“Raz says it’s either because of Bill or he’s planning something,” Norman suggested, and Dipper nodded.

“Bill was really over the top too though. Thinking about it, they’re sorta made for each other.”

“I ship it!” Mabel joked, and her brother rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, either they’re going to do the whole ‘showdown at sunset’ thing, or they’re waiting for us to come to them so they have the advantage. I dunno, what do you guys think?”

“Seems like… we all decided to play the waiting game today,” Norman sighed. “Raz thinks we could do nighttime investigations if they don’t show up, but I… I dunno, that sounds even more dangerous. No offense Raz.”

A loud slap interrupted the conversation, and Mabel gagged as she examined the large ex-mosquito now stuck to her hand. “Blech! Another one bites the dust. Though it bit me first.”

“Um. Let’s take this inside, shall we?” Dipper said, waving off another of the six-legged vampires as it bobbed around his ear, and the others agreed wholeheartedly. They wound their way through the museum and gathered at the dining room table, confident they’d know if their enemies decided to show up after all. But rather than pick up where they left off, a gloomy silence fell over the group. They’d done everything they could think of, but where had that gotten them?

“I don’t suppose anyone still wants to go to the circus,” Mabel sighed from where she sat with her head propped on the table, and the boys shook their heads.

“Raz says there’s probably not much point now.”

“Well, we could still go meet the rest of his family,” Dipper suggested.

“Maybe,” the medium shrugged, glancing over at his beleaguered friend. The group fell silent once more, only this time Dipper realized something about the hush.

“It’s late, but Stan’s still not here. And we haven’t seen Wendy since this afternoon… did Soos even show up?”

The others shook their heads.

“Now that’s really bizarro,” Mabel said, sitting up. “He’s always here. Sometimes Grunkle Stan has to make him leave.”

“Yeah. Stan didn’t say anything about errands… though come to think of it we haven’t been home a whole lot. But something still doesn’t add up,” Dipper wondered, finger perching thoughtfully on his chin. “I don’t know about anyone else, but there’s something wrong with this whole deal.”

“Don’t worry Dipper, I’m sure Stan’s just out doing… Stan-things. Watch, he’ll show up to yell at us any minute now,” Mabel said cheerfully. “The only definitely weird thing is the severe lack of Soos.”

They fell back into quiet thought, then Norman perked up, a focused look on his face but gaze distant.

“Something up?” Dipper asked, but the medium shushed him. They all listened now, but Norman was especially good at noticing softer sounds; perhaps it came from years of picking up on things no one else did. It was a skill that often came in handy when they were tracking creatures through the woods, or trying to find spirits trapped where they could only be heard. Paying attention to him was always important, but it was especially so when their lives may depend on it.

“Someone’s here,” he finally answered, getting up, and the others followed suit. “I heard a car door, and footsteps I think. At the back.”

They hurried through the living room and reached the door just as a loud series of knocks sounded. They exchanged nervous glances as they hung back, not sure who to expect, but the knocking sounded again, loud and urgent. They couldn’t just leave it, could they? What if it was someone important, like a friend, or Soos or Stan? They edged closer, and with his friends backing him, Dipper cautiously opened the door.

“Where’s Raz?!” a distraught Lili greeted them, barging her way in. She was certainly the last person they’d expected, but not entirely unwelcome.

“He’s here, he’s here! Don’t worry!” Dipper said quickly, holding his hands up defensively. “Come in and we’ll explain what happened.”

“You’d better! Just ‘cause we’re friends doesn’t mean I’m not mad,” she replied sharply, and followed them back into the house. By the time the others had related the whole story she was furious, but at least it was no longer directed at them. “We’re finding this Bill and Gideon and I’m killing them both myself! They messed with the wrong girl!”

“Uh, killing’s an awfully strong word—”

“I don’t care! They’re gonna regret everything they ever did to you guys, and especially Raz. Let’s find the creeps and get ‘em.”

“That’s just it, we don’t have any idea where they are,” Dipper repeated, trying to calm the angry psychic.

“And you dorks are sure you looked everywhere?”

“Yeah… but maybe we could do another sweep though. To make sure,” Norman suggested, and the others nodded.

“Well I didn’t use an official government car to get out here just so we could sit around while some paranormal entity prances around in my boyfriend’s body. Let’s go!” Lili insisted, lifting everyone from their chairs, much to their surprise. She carried them out of the house, only setting them down once the door had shut behind her, then took the lead.

“Your girlfriend really is scary when she’s mad,” Norman muttered to Raz, and he nodded.

“I’m pretty sure she’s going to punch me when this is all over. Still, I’m glad she’s here. Bill and Gideon are seriously in for it,” he replied with a smile.

The group headed into town and started working their way through once again, combing each street for clues as the shadows lengthened and the sky turned golden-orange with early evening sun. It was odd how quiet it was; they hadn’t spotted a single car, a single pedestrian in the whole town. It was like everyone had up and left. Nothing bode well, especially when Norman noticed something else about the town.

“Uh-oh… Uh, guys? There’s no ghosts.”

“What?”

“They’re not here. I haven’t seen any since we started searching.”

“Well that’s encouraging,” Dipper said, swallowing hard. “Any thoughts on… where they are?”

“Um… the only other time I saw this happen was when Aggie, uh, woke up. Everyone was afraid of her… even the dead.”

“You know things are bad when even the ghosts are afraid,” Lili sighed, and the others nodded.

“Guys, you know what this means though right?” Dipper said, his voice wavering. “Bill’s already done something to scare everything off… or get rid of it or something. He’s already started… whatever it is he’s trying to do.”

“And we’re the only ones left to stop him,” Raz said, which Norman relayed to the others.

“You know though,” the medium added, “it’s not like we haven’t faced these kind of odds before.”

“Norman’s got a point,” Dipper agreed, sounding more confident now. “I definitely feel better with Lili here too.”

“You should. Gotta admit, I’m actually excited. It’s been a long time since Raz and I got to do anything really cool like save the world,” she said with a grin, then glanced up with eyes narrowed. “…What did you guys say Gideon looks like again?”

“Um, short, white hair, blue suit…” Dipper listed. “Why?”

“Because I think I see him coming now,” Lili replied, pointing down the street. But her pose was more than to direct the attention of her friends. They heard a distant squawk, and suddenly Gideon was midair, hanging by his collar and floating their way.

“Put me down y’ little firestarter!” Gideon demanded, to no avail. Lili stared at him from under half-lidded eyes, jaw set.

“Hm… no,” she replied tersely, and he growled.

“Fine, but I will ask that y’all release me soon. I ain’t stickin’ around for what that maniac demon has planned!”

At this, they all exchanged looks, eyes darting from one another in worry.

“…What’s he going to do, Gideon?” Dipper asked warily.

“Somethin’ about th’ dawn of a new era, I’m not sure,” Gideon replied, surprisingly cooperative. “All I know is things are ‘bout t’ get real ugly, and if I don’t get any power of my own then I want no part of it!”

“That’s what you get for making deals with demons,” Norman said matter-of-factly, Raz nodding invisibly beside him. “Like it or not, you were in this from the start.”

Gideon scowled at him, but held his tongue.

“Norman’s right. And now you get to help us clean up,” Lili said sharply, “and get my boyfriend’s body back or so help me I will—”

“Lili, Raz says you should calm down,” Norman interrupted, and the wavering air around Gideon calmed as Lili unclenched her fist. She sighed, then snapped a glare at their rival when he chanced a smile at her, promptly wiping it off his freckled face.

“I guess we can’t really expect you to be much actual help, but you can at least tell us where Bill is,” Dipper said, folding his arms and frowning as Gideon broke out laughing.

“Y’all mean to tell me that between all these brilliant minds, you didn’t figure it out? Oh, that’s rich!” he hooted, and still smiled smugly as he was fixed with angry glares. “Hold on, hold on, I wanna savor this jus’ a bit more.”

Lili feinted dropping him.

“Alright, no need t’ be so forceful,” he grumbled. “I’ll give y’all a clue, though heaven knows it’s more than you lot deserve. If you wanted t’ gather all the lil’ people a’ this town in one place for some nefarious plot, where might you take ‘em?”

“Town square,” Dipper suggested.

“The convention hall!” Mabel shouted.

“Your place,” Lili hissed, eyes narrowed at Gideon.

“Raz says…” Norman started, gulping nervously, “the circus.”

--

The beleaguered group of five trudged slowly up the overgrown road, full of apprehension but left with no other choice. They’d let Gideon head on his way; he’d only be a hindrance if things went down and was just as likely to sell them out as anything. More than likely, really, but one could hope.

The circus looked amazing, banners flying and ready to receive folks eager to be wowed by animal tamers and clowns, or try their luck at the variety of carnival games tucked just behind the main tent. The furthest tent held such wonders as the World’s Smallest Pony, sword swallowers, and musclemen, while the tent on their left held animal rides. But only the main tent was lit, and it was silent. A silent circus was a dead circus, and Raz couldn’t help but shiver as he wondered if his family was okay.

A clang echoed across the grounds, and instinctively they huddled together until a distressed trumpet betrayed its cause, and Raz further clarified.

“It’s one of the elephants… I wonder if they can sense something’s up and are trying to get out,” he explained, and Norman reported to the rest of the group.

“Are elephants psychic?” Dipper wondered, and they waited on the reply.

“Not that I know of,” Raz answered, “but they’re really smart. Once I think I almost read whatever thoughts they have. It was weird and sorta cool at the same time.”

“Maybe we can get the elephants to help us,” Mabel suggested eagerly, and the others chuckled.

“Easier said than done, believe me,” Raz said, and once Norman had relayed his words she simply shrugged.

“Bill’s gotta know we’re coming. The last thing we need to do is ride in on a group of multi-ton pachyderms,” Dipper reasoned as another loud clang echoed. “Still, thanks to them we know we’re on the right track.”

They walked a little more quickly, passing a vacant ticket booth and food vendors where Dipper had to slap Mabel’s hand away from the racks of cotton candy. He had to resist grabbing a bag of chips himself; it was approaching dinner and after a long day he was sure they were all hungry… well, at least everyone who still had a corporeal body. He sighed and looked up at the main tent’s entrance, glowing with the warm golden yellow of giant stage lights. Rather than inviting as any other circus should be, the light only filled him with dread.

Lili pulled aside the flaps for everyone, and got a thumbs-up from Norman once they were all through so she could close the entrance. Filing through the aisle of well-worn wooden bleachers, they looked up to see every row was full. All of Gravity Falls had turned out, but not for the show they’d expected, that was sure. Mabel silently pointed out their great uncle and Soos to her brother, and he nodded grimly. Most of the crowd consisted of familiar faces, actually, but there were a variety of tourists and people who he guessed were the circus employees. Yep, there were three clowns in full paint and costume in the back third row, so that suspicion was confirmed.

“They’re in some kind of trance,” Lili whispered, confirming one of Dipper’s other suspicions.

“Bill must’ve hypnotized them somehow. I just wish I knew what he wanted all these people for… and how come he didn’t get us,” Dipper wondered aloud.

The spotlights snapped on, catching them all in the hot white light, forcing them to shield their eyes.

“Great question, Pine Tree,” a voice rang out from somewhere high in the rigging above. Lili twitched; the pitch, timbre, texture were all right, but the words and how they were said were all wrong. While the others huddled close, she stood stock still as the spotlights went down and a figure descended before them, the right shape but wrong disposition. He held himself stiffer, prouder, and his strides were off. The demon had taken the liberty of dressing himself too, decked out in a flamboyant yellow tailcoat, black fitted pants, a bow tie, and a top hat that seemed like it should fall off at any moment but didn’t. He leaned forward a bit, studying them with a smug gaze. “Hypnotizing a whole town when you’re partnered with a kid with access to broadcasting equipment and bugs scattered all over town is easy. One psychic radio message later and you’ve got one circus tent full of idiots. You guys must’ve just lucked out and not been near any speakers when the news went out.”

Lili listened with grit teeth. Her mind ached with something old and watchful where her connection with Raz should be, and she wondered if he could feel it too, cut off as he’d been. But they were here to fix that, and hopefully soon. She wasn’t sure how long she could take looking at her boyfriend’s face knowing it wasn’t him behind those eyes, and she hated every moment of it.

“Whatever you’re up to Bill, cut it out now!” Dipper demanded. “I don’t know what you want with all these people, or why you stole Raz’s body, but we’re not gonna let you keep doing it! Whatever… it… actually is.”

“Aw, and spoil all the fun?” Not-Raz taunted. “Y’know, I haven’t even gotten started.”

“Yeah, seems like you waited for us,” Raz said, knowing Bill could see him. “That was awfully nice of you.”

“Ah, Goggles, still floating around I see. I’ll admit I’m impressed,” Bill commented, folding a leg over a knee and floating himself. “Most people would have lost their minds hours ago if they didn’t disappear completely. So congrats kid, you’re in the top percentage of people who can actually use their brains. Not that you’re all that connected with yours at the moment.” He smirked, tapping the side of his head.

“Yeah, and you’re the reason for that. Care to explain why?” Dipper prompted again, only to squirm as Not-Raz’s gaze fell on him.

“Not really. You kids are smart, I’ll hand you that, but this is demon stuff you wouldn’t understand. I actually need your minds functioning, believe it or not. I’m glad I started watching you two actually. You brought me some good ones a little ahead of schedule.”

“Well you better plan a vacation, because your schedule’s about to open up!” Mabel shot, beaming at her one-liner, but it was quickly snuffed as everyone jumped at raucous laughter.

“Maybe I’ll take you with me, Shooting Star. How about dimensions of endless horror? You like animals, there’s a room with a large antlered cervine with your name all over it,” he said, grinning broadly.

“What’s a cervine?” Mabel whispered to her brother.

“A deer, I think?” he whispered back with a shrug.

“Ah, but that’s all beside the point,” Bill continued, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets and leaning forward like some kind of weird hawk. “Let’s get this show started!”

The crowd opened their eyes in one moment, glowing blue-white spots like so many Christmas lights, only creepier. The stands and rigging creaked alike, and minor objects like trash cans lifted off the ground. Dipper barely had time to put two and two together before Bill was speaking again.

“Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, disembodied minds—to my circus of nightmares! Let’s see… why don’t we spruce this place up a bit? I think we have our first nightmare up and ready, folks!” Bill cried, gesturing with arms wide. Raz barely had time to utter an ‘oh no’ before he snapped his fingers, transforming the circus into something the psychic had hoped to never see again.

“Oh my god!” Lili almost screamed, covering her eyes, and the Pines were hugging each other, apparently frozen in place with shock. Even Norman, who easily had the most experience with gore, looked pale and ready to pass out. Raz couldn’t blame any of them.

The Meat Circus was not for the weak-willed.

“Oh man, you should see your faces,” Bill chuckled. “How’s that for shock and awe? Psychics always get the best nightmares, believe me. Now that we’ve set the mood, let’s move on to our next act, shall we?”

They’d have to deal with the raw flesh and bone surroundings for now, and could only wonder whose fears would be laid bare next. Bill’s gaze seemed to fall and linger on Norman before coming to rest on Mabel.

“Y’know Shooting Star, I don’t think I picked your worst nightmare the last time we faced.”

Another snap, and suddenly she was bound to a spinning wheel, with someone Raz recognized as one of the knife throwers aiming at her.

“Mabel!” Dipper cried, and she waved at him even as she spun.

“How is this my worst nightmare, Bill?” she asked, brow furrowed. “This is actually kinda fun.”

“Oh, that’s only the setup,” he replied smugly, and snapped again.

Dipper found himself on a tightrope high overhead, with no net and only a pole to balance with. He was pretty sure the rope was actually sinew or something; the pole was mercifully still plastic, but it was only a small comfort. Between the disgusting surroundings and his nerves, and Mabel in danger far below adding to them, he felt sick.

“Funny how both of your guys’ worst nightmares is losing the other and not being able to do a thing about it,” Bill explained succinctly, still grinning as he watched Dipper wobble unsteadily high above. “Makes things interesting. Now while they’re busy with that, who’s next?”

Norman looked from Lili to Raz, hoping one of them had a plan. He’d tried remembering all the demons that had ever appeared in his movies and how they’d been defeated, but he’d always paid more attention to zombies. How could he expect any of that b-movie stuff to work anyway? Dipper had said there was a spell, but he was the only one who remembered it and he had to be close to use it. They were completely at Bill’s mercy.

“I thought you wanted our minds intact!” Dipper shouted from where he was still balancing desperately, and the demon laughed.

“True, but who said they had to be trauma-free?” he retorted, and the Psychonauts in the room flinched. “The less sane you are the better, actually! Anyway, for my next trick, it’s time Water Lily took the stage.”

“Water lily? I think I’m more of a tiger or day lily myself,” Lili stated, and Bill’s face fell.

“Hey, I don’t come up with these. Well in a way I do, but it’s complicated and you wouldn’t understand if I tried to explain. The universe says you’re Water Lily, deal with it. And this is already a nightmare for you, isn’t it?”

Lili was suddenly next to the demon who wore her boyfriend’s body like a costume, his arm around her shoulders. She froze, not hearing whatever Bill was mocking her about in that voice. She didn’t think, just act.

Raz cringed as he basically watched himself get punched out by his girlfriend’s psychic fist. Bill landed hard on the sawdust-coated floor, the Meat Circus gone. The various small objects that had begun floating earlier fell with clatters all over the tent, and the rigging sighed as it settled back in place. The demon groaned as he got back on his feet, rubbing his jaw, only to be cuffed over the head again. Mabel cheered, and her spinning wheel disappeared from under her, depositing her on the floor.

“Keep punching! It messes with his powers!” Dipper shouted, nearly losing his balance in the process. At least with Mabel out of harm’s way, he could focus a little better and maybe work his way to the platform only a few yards away.

“Uh, except I’d like to get my body back in one piece,” Raz grimaced. Lili wasn’t as good at combat as he was, but she still threw a mean punch. He exchanged looks with Norman, who’d taken to crouching near one of the bleachers but shared his concern.

“Um, maybe—not so hard though,” the medium called, and Lili looked up at him, the crowd, then back at Bill before seizing him by the collar and dragging him towards the exit. Dipper realized what she was doing and mustered all his courage. Inhaling, he started across the rope, steps coming faster as his confidence grew. By the end he was almost running, and his shoes made a reassuring thud as they met the platform at last. Tossing the pole, he grabbed the ladder and began the long climb down.

On the ground, Lili was in a mental tug-o-war. Bill had broken out of her physical grasp and was now locked in her psychic one, and while she was a master at telekinesis, Bill was just as strong, if not more so. They stood opposed to each other halfway to the exit, Lili in full fingers-at-temple pose and Bill braced against her pull.

“Looks like I’m gonna have to pull in the final act sooner than I thought,” the demon managed to grunt, and cut the lights. “With a bolt from the heavens, Frankenstein brought his monster to life. Be amazed! As Zombie Skull wields the same power!”

A spotlight snapped on in the center ring, its glaring beam falling on Norman. At first, his gaze darted in panic as he realized where he was and what Bill intended to do, but it gave way to resolve. The Pines had said how when they’d faced the dream demon before, he’d underestimated them, and now, maybe he was underestimating him.

“You are a freak you know,” Bill said, floating out of the shadows. It stung, coming from what part of him still knew as Raz. But he knew better and matched the demon’s gaze as he circled him. Recalling all the times he’d worked with the psychic to deal with the baggage of his past, he took a breath and focused.

“Maybe. But so what? As long as I’m not hurting anyone, what’s it matter?” he replied, and Bill narrowed his eyes.

“You do want friends right?”

“Yeah, and I have them. And you’re going to tell me it’s not true, because you’re a demon, and that’s what you do. You might know… a lot of things, but I know that about you,” he answered again, rewarded by a falter in Bill’s grin.

“You kids really are smarter than you look. Maybe I should just kill you.”

Norman inhaled sharply, taking a step back. “Don’t you need us for some plan?”

“Only a couple of you,” Bill replied calmly, examining his nails. “The rest, not so much.”

Norman backpedaled a bit more, mind racing. But he’d almost expected this, counted on it even. He had to focus, visualize, feel. He wasn’t strong enough to do much with his fists, and he couldn’t project like Raz or Lili, but he did pack his own brand of power. What he was confident Bill didn’t know was that he wasn’t so afraid of using it anymore.

Crack!

The artificial darkness Bill had created vanished as the lights flickered back on. Norman still stood in the center ring, his hands trembling but otherwise alright, a stunned Bill at his feet. The Pines were the closest to him and ran over, though Lili wasn’t far behind. Mabel wrapped him in a hug just in case, and Lili grabbed her partner’s body and the demon contained within, determined not to let go next time he startled her by shutting the lights off. As Dipper noticed though, the most important thing seemed to be that the crowd appeared to be out of Bill’s control at last.

“Okay, ready to finally get rid of this guy once and for all?” Dipper asked, looking to the others, who all nodded eagerly. “Great. Lili can probably join us anyway, but the rest of us need to put our hands on his head if you want to be included in the spell.”

“Um, remember that Raz has like the strongest mental walls ever, and that was before he had a demon possess him. I’ll take my chances with the spell, thanks,” Lili said, planting a hand on her hip.

“Fair enough,” Dipper said with a shrug, and they all snapped their heads in his direction as Bill groaned and tried to stir. “Quick, before he wakes up!”

But it was too late. Not-Raz’s eyes snapped open and flashed at them as he assessed the situation. Flicking his arms out, he bowled them over with a burst of telekinetic force and dusted himself off as he got to his feet.

“Not bad, kids. You actually managed to knock out my influence over these chumps,” he said, gesturing at the stands. “Looks like I’ll have to—ah!”

A bolt of violent magenta barely missed Bill’s head. Lili was on her feet with fingers pressed to her temple and ready to fire again. “Get out of my boyfriend’s body right now!”

“No way, I’m not done with this plane of reality!” he shouted back, ducking as another blast sizzled by, and another.

“Do it!” she demanded, punctuating her words with another shot.

“Uh, Lili, Raz would like it if you didn’t… if you weren’t so enthusiastic with the psi-blasts,” Norman piped up, but wasn’t sure Lili heard him. Bill was forced to dodge more as she kept the assault up—until he finally turned and fled.

“Were you trying to do that the whole time?” Dipper asked, and she simply smiled at him before summoning her levitation orb and chasing after the demon.

Norman was happy to see his friend smiling at his partner’s brilliance, but they couldn’t afford to dwell on anything yet. Dipper lead the charge after Lili, and they eventually managed to catch up with her as Bill fled through town on foot.

“So do you have another plan or what?” Dipper called after her, and she sighed.

“Not really. I can’t just punch him out like I want, but I don’t know how we’ll get close enough to use the spell. Even without all those people to siphon off power from he’s still really strong,” she replied, and Dipper nodded.

“I wish we knew more of Bill’s weaknesses, or if Raz does that he can’t make up for somehow…” he trailed, lost in thought.

“Um…” Norman spoke up, wincing as he listened. “There is one, but…”

“But what? Spit it out man!” Mabel cried, waving her arms. “Or else Bill’s gonna get away!”

“…Water.”

The others practically skidded to a halt to look at him. He cringed under their horrified expressions, and wrung his hands. “Look I don’t like it either, but it was Raz who suggested it.”

“Raz… Raz thinks it might get rid of Bill?” Dipper said quietly, and the medium nodded.

“We better hurry if we don’t want him to get away. We have to get him to the lake… somehow.”

They formed the plan along the way, and split up. Lili hoisted Mabel onto her levitation orb, helped her balance on the ephemeral energy, then took off to flank their target. Dipper, Norman, and Raz would keep up the pressure on their end, hopefully meeting up with the girls at the lake where they’d corner Bill and give him no choice but to leave.

Somehow, through persistence and encouragement in the form of Lili’s psi-blasts, they managed to steer Bill in the right direction until it was finally a headlong charge down the road, five determined kids chasing after one impostor. He ran all the way to the end of the dock, looked back at his pursuers, and smiled before summoning his own levitation orb. Still yards away, they could only watch as a globe of vivid red light orbited by electric blue formed under his feet, and with a jaunty wave he rolled off the edge of the dock.

Raz saw the phantom hand, but to everyone else it looked like Bill tripped, his levitation orb bursting as he fell. With a little boost of psychic power he managed to bounce himself back onto the dock, and as they drew near they could see how confused he was. He looked over his shoulder at them, his expression alone almost begging for an explanation.

“It’s over Bill, you’re cornered!” Dipper said, striding purposefully down the dock. “You either get out, or we’ll force you out! That body is cursed to die in water, and it’ll take you with it!”

“And how do you plan to do that? I’m an incorporeal force, you really think I care about whatever body I happen to be possessing?” Bill retorted, back on the offense.

“Considering how we managed to knock you out, I think you’re a little more attached to that body than you realize,” Lili replied, instantly deflating the demon.

“You know that if this body dies, so does your little friend,” Bill stated, satisfied at the dejection that passed through the kids’ faces.

Norman took a breath before he spoke on Raz’s behalf. “Yeah, but… that’d mean you couldn’t do whatever it is you’re planning… and it’s his job as a Psychonaut to keep the world of free thought safe. He’d do anything.”

Bill frowned; these kids were practically unscathed by anything he’d thrown at them, and he’d nearly given it his all. There were limits to this body after all, and they all knew it. He hated using force, it was so unbecoming of a mind demon, but it was the only way back to the shore.

They managed to duck his own psi-blasts, and his attempt to punch his way through only met the shimmering pink of Lili’s shield. When he paused to change tactics, she dropped the shield and grabbed him, putting him dangerously close to the dock’s end.

“Like I said earlier. Out. Now,” she commanded.

“You wouldn’t really doom your boyfriend, would you?” Bill jabbed, and Lili sneered at him as she put him over the water.

“I’m sick of you wearing his face, using his voice—everything! If he dies, it’s all because of you and that pest Gideon. Having him as a ghost would be better than you parading around and conquering the world in that body! But he won’t die because you’re going to leave before that happens!” she shouted, voice ringing across the lake surface.

Norman was keeping a worried eye on the person in question. His fate was entirely in the hands of a demon and his girlfriend, and all he could do was watch. Raz seemed more resigned than anything; from all the times he’d regaled them with stories of what it meant to be a defender of free thought, Norman knew he was committed to his duties as a Psychonaut. He’d just hoped they wouldn’t end so soon, but here on the shores of Lake Gravity Falls, there might not be any other options. Bill seemed to have entered a staring contest with Lili, his will against hers, and neither were budging.

“Come on Bill, we can’t stand here all day… or night,” Dipper urged, noting the ever-sinking sun. “Just leave us alone. You live to plot another day, we keep our friend and stop bugging you. Okay?”

The demon sighed, finally breaking the contest of wills. “You’ve got a point, Pine Tree. You kids are a good bunch, I think I’ll be glad I didn’t kill you after all. You two remember the warning I gave you last time?” he asked the Pines, and they nodded. “Good. It still stands. Well kids, I guess this is it. For now.”

He winked, and with a final blast of energy broke both his and Lili’s hold on Raz’s body. Raz felt his world expand to include the astral plane once more and an undeniable pull that yanked him from where he’d been hovering just behind Norman all in a split-second. As his body and mind finally reunited, his last thought was that he hoped Lili was faster with her telekinesis than the watery hand of Galochio.

Lili grunted, barely managing to catch her partner before he could sink more than an inch into the lake’s surface. Something seemed to fight her, but she’d been doing this all day and managed to tear away from it and deposit Raz’s limp form safely on the dock, and they all gathered close. Her own connection to him restored, she gave him a mental nudge and read his vitals, grateful they all seemed normal. With a groan, he finally stirred, and Lili squeezed him in a hug.

“Sorry for the lag,” Raz croaked, “but Bill left a mess in here. Had to sort some of it out.”

“We’re just glad you’re back!” Mabel cried, joining Lili in the hug, and they exchanged mischievous looks before squishing him in a bear hug. He coughed, then laughed, and they helped him stand and walk back to solid ground.

“It can wait, but we’re definitely getting you out of those ridiculous clothes,” Lili said as they trudged back up to town, and the others agreed wholeheartedly. “It was bad enough when he looked like you, but now you look like him and it’s gross.”

“I am with you on that,” Raz said, shedding the damp tailcoat and incinerating it. “Better?”

“Oh yeah,” Lili grinned. “See now you’re actually kinda cute.”

“Darn right, sister,” Mabel concurred, and Raz felt the heat rise in his face. Dipper was off rolling his eyes, and Norman wasn’t even paying attention; with Bill taken care of the ghosts were back, and he was doing his best to fill in the curious among the spirits as concisely as he could as they passed by.

Raz was exhausted himself. After almost a full twelve hours of keeping himself focused at all times and then suddenly not having to, the full weight of his effort was coming down fast. On the physical side, he was no better off; Lili really hadn’t held back at all when she’d punched Bill, and then the demon had run across town…. Adding it all up, he wasn’t sure how he was still standing. Chalk it up to stubbornness.

 “Um…” Norman suddenly piped up, breaking away from communing with the dead. “Isn’t there a whole tentful of people we haven’t dealt with yet?”

“You think they’re still there?” Dipper wondered, and the medium shrugged.

“Maybe, But we should probably go see Raz’s family anyway. They need to know he’s okay.”

“Good point,” Dipper agreed, shifting directions so they were headed back to the circus.

The group slowly made their way back down the old road, this time with weariness rather than dread. It was still quiet, but not quite the eerie silence that had once hung over the clearing, and the elephants seemed to have calmed down as well. They entered the main tent again, and found it still held the citizens of Gravity Falls, but without a dream demon lurking to steal mental energy from them it was somehow… peaceful. Like they were just waiting.

“They’re asleep,” Lili uttered.

“Which is what I’d like to be doing. Right now,” Raz said, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Soon, but we’re gonna need your help,” Dipper said, a hand perched on his chin. “We can’t just leave all these people here.”

“Dipper, Raz has been through so much today. You’re really gonna make him work?” Mabel said, gesturing at him. “He looks miserable!”

“Well yeah, but it’ll go faster if we all work together. If we had something really big that could carry a lot of people all at once, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Raz blinked his eyes wide. “Hey Mabel… remember your idea earlier? I’m too tired to do heavy lifting myself…”

They looked at him expectantly, and he smiled.

“But I know a few gals who’d be happy to help.”

--

Mabel could hardly contain herself. She was soaring, no, sailing, down the streets of Gravity Falls on the back of a trusty circus elephant, delivering residents to their homes or tourists to the lobbies of their hotels. Raz was with her, making sure they arrived at the proper destination, and despite his state helping lift each person to a safe spot in or around their homes. Norman, Lili, and Dipper were off somewhere doing the same thing; Raz had walked them through the basics of guiding the elephants after picking the two he knew were the most gentle and the favorites amongst the little kids for rides. They’d already been decked out in the saddles and gear for a performance that never happened, so it was just a matter of leading them out, loading them up, and heading into town.

The group was grateful Gravity Falls was so small. Even at the elephant’s lumbering pace, they managed to get everyone home within a few hours, and reconvened back at the circus. They decided they couldn’t leave the workers either, and with Raz’s direction they took everyone to their appropriate campsite and made sure they were comfortable. Their work done, the elephants were rewarded with a variety of fruit and fresh hay, and left to doze in their pens.

“I think that’s everyone,” Dipper said as they gathered under a streetlight, and he double-checked a list of names. “Yep. Good work everyone. Um… I don’t think we’ll be seeing anyone tonight. I guess Bill messing with your head takes a lot out of you, psychic or not.”

“You can say that again,” Lili said, poking her boyfriend in the temple. He was so out of it by now he nearly fell over, but she caught him before that could happen, and gave Dipper a look. “We crashing at your place?”

“I think we count on it anymore,” Dipper replied.

“I vote we build an awesome pillow fort and all sleep in that,” Mabel suggested, clearly the only one with any real energy left.

“Maybe tomorrow, Mabel,” Norman said softly, looking over the group. “I think even pajamas are going to be optional tonight.”

The Mystery Shack finally poked through the trees; though they’d been here earlier to drop off Stan, only now could they finally say they were home. A weight seemed to lift as they headed inside and upstairs. It would be a cozy sort of crowded; the twins had their beds, while Norman had his sleeping bag in its usual spot along the wall, and Raz and Lili shared a few blankets in the center of the room. Raz was already out cold, and Lili was letting Mabel braid her hair before crawling into bed herself. Norman laid on his back decompressing, but sat up as with a laugh, Dipper realized something. The girls exchanged looks, then gave him their full attention too as he elaborated.

“Guys, I just remembered something amazing. Gideon skipped town and doesn’t know we stopped Bill.”

“So… he could be super far away by now?” Mabel asked, eyes lighting up.

“Yep. He’ll probably come crawling back eventually, but for now we can enjoy a completely Gideon-free summer,” Dipper said, and the group raised a muted cheer that faded back into a comfortable quiet.

Norman heaved a sigh and settled back into his sleeping bag. Today had… not quite been a whirlwind. Parts of it certainly were, but a lot of their time had gone by on the steps of the Shack, waiting for something that had actually been waiting for them elsewhere. He wondered about Bill and what sort of dimension he might be terrorizing now, and remembered that deep, raw part of his psyche he’d never thought he’d have access to of his own free will. A rush of exhilaration washed over him; it was scary and cool all at the same time, realizing all the meditation and training he’d done with Raz at Sasha’s behest had worked. He hoped the senior agent would be pleased, and looked forward to telling him about it. But that would have to come after everyone had gotten some proper rest. Lili’s hair was done, and with everyone settled in, Dipper blew the lantern out.

A nearly full moon hung low in the sky, framed perfectly by the triangular attic window.

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Norman's seen enough horror movies to know where this is going.

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So I've been holding off posting one of my finished fics because it technically comes after the next main one I'm trying to write (yes my fics have continuity ;3 )

But after tonight's episode of Gravity Falls, I'm really tempted to post it

So

Everyone okay with that?

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Have some rough Gravity Falls-style Laika main characters. :)

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