Dipper paces back and forth through the halls of Northwest Manor. The rain pours and thunder echoes loudly above, shaking the mansion to its foundations. But he barely even hears the rumbling. Mabel is in the hospital.

"Damn nurse… but she needs rest… of course she does. Doesn't mean I shouldn't be there… you're paranoid… we're both paranoid, you schizoid doofus… heh."

Dipper makes his way into the master bedroom. He glances at himself in the mirror and smirks. Dipper wears a black and white striped shirt with cuffs. He wears a black coat over the white shirt. He looks into his right eye in the mirror, the other hidden by an eye patch. An azure glow emits from his revealed eye, a subtle off-color tint due to the amulet he created. He looks at the amulet, placed in the center of a ring on his finger. He touches the gem, feeling a surge of power course through it and into his body.

"Absurd, all these fancy clothes… yes, but it helps maintain our cover… still annoying. Looking like some pompous rich ass… your fault for taking the Northwest's name… no, that was your idea."

He unbuttons the cuffs and the top button, finding the tightness irritating. He begins to undress. He removes the black coat first, neatly folding it up and setting it by the bed. He unbuttons his shirt, sliding it off to reveal Lichtenberg marks covering the left portion of his body. The markings are bright red and branch out in increasingly detailed patterns, almost like a crimson tattoo. He rips off the eye patch and faces the reminder of his demonic other, his second personality. His left eye is a daunting yellow iris with a black slit. The piercing eye of Dipper's demonic essence, given form and power by the jewel on his ring. He remembers when he made the jewels. The one he uses and the one Mabel wears in a brooch.

He had spent long hours in the vaults beneath the Northwest mansion. He worked tirelessly to recreate the amulet Gideon once wore, obsessed with the potential it had to aid the twins. At the end of his long labor, he had two powerless gems in pitch blackness. He covered them in dark cloth, save for a small exposed tip. And he flashed a light on each. The sliver of energy empowered the jewels. They both began to glow brightly before their gleam dimmed, showing that Dipper finally succeeded. The weapons he created were more powerful than their predecessor. The jewels could not be easily broken, not even by a bullet or being smashed with a hammer. And the gems gave the twins far more control over the mind. But it had a cost. Their eyes no longer appeared brown. Their thoughts mingled and distorted together. If they wear their gems for too long, they begin to lose track of who is who.

Dipper groans, still too restless, too aware. His mind is unsettled. And the only way to settle his demonic other's thoughts is to relive the moments of sheer, insane joy. Dipper enters the walk-in closet, moving down the rows of suits and dresses to find two chests. He opens the two chests. In his treasured collection, he finds knives, guns, hammers, and other tools he has used to kill. They are memories and trophies of his deeds. But now he wishes to relive his sister's kills, the times she was forced into action.

"She still thinks its gross and morbid… funny. She's funny, isn't she?... Yes."

Dipper's two minds focus on the weapons stored. He takes the chest out of the closet and sets it on the bed. He opens it, taking out each weapon. Her collection is small, but each kill has a deep meaning. Each one is a piece of a great change, one that brought them to their current point. Their lives as the masters of the Northwest name and fortune. Dipper looks over the first weapon she used. Their friend had discovered Dipper's demonic other. He had aimed a gun at Dipper, prepared to kill who he believed to be an unrepentant demon. So Mabel shot their friend first.

"Gary. Idiot wouldn't let us go… yes. Not too bright, was he?... still, he was our friend… no friend worth a damn tries to kill us."

Next Dipper slides out a shard of glass. A weapon used during their first year back in Gravity Falls.

"That's when she showed me how far she's willing to go… yes. She was so beautiful that day."

Dipper thinks back on those days. They had fled their home after being discovered by their parents. Now, with no other place to go, they had returned to the Mystery Shack, now owned by Soos, as Stan was too withered with age to continue. But their help wasn't enough to help Soos and Melody, now his wife. The money was running low and they were draining resources fast. So Dipper cornered Mabel one night in the attic where they slept. He presented his idea for a money making scheme.

"So, sis… how about… magic!"

"Really?... that's your big 'money maker'?"

"Yes, I know it's not the best idea, but it might work for now. In the meantime, I'll look for cheap college books. I may not get a degree, but at least it's something to work on."

"And I'll work on my art."

Dipper began with simple card tricks. And with the aid of his book of spells, he learned to influence people into parting with their hard earned cash. He became a sly and devious trickster, no longer using his book of spells to simply murder. But soon the twins' magic had drawn the attention of those who knew about the other world. Most simply discussed their knowledge of magic with the twins, allowing Dipper and Mabel to set up a network of supernatural allies to trade supplies with. However, two of those who discovered the twins had come with ill intent. Dipper noticed them walking down the street of Gravity Falls one day. Their skin was cracked and sickly, while they glared with a heavy menace in their eyes. He recognized the sign of the magic amulets, the green eyes that glowed unnaturally in the shade. They were the descendants of the warlock who Dipper murdered the summer after Bill Cipher was destroyed. Now, they had come to reclaim their father's treasure, his book of spells. Later that night, the twins were in the bedroom. Mabel was already asleep. Dipper watched over her, waiting long into the night. He never stayed asleep for long in Gravity Falls, knowing that it still attracted the supernatural, but now he would remain awake all night if he had to, knowing the two warlocks may come for him and his sister. The window slid open. Dipper turned around, meeting the eyes of the two warlocks. Looking closer, he realized that they were twins. One female, the other male. Dipper couldn't help but smirk at the coincidence. Then he launched himself at them. The female of the pair used her power to throw Dipper out the window of the attic. He smashed against the cold ground with broken arms and a cracked knee. The female of the pair flew out the window, descending to meet the broken body. She dragged him into the woods.

"My brother is going to have fun with your sister. I may as well entertain myself too."

She threw Dipper against a rock.

"So you're the boy who killed my father. I would say I was here to avenge him… but, I never was one for family. Truth be told, we simply need his book of spells… but perhaps I'll let you live as my pet."

The witch moved in close, attempting to gain a reaction from Dipper by unbuckling his jeans and sliding out his member. Dipper looked closer at her finger, seeing a silver ring. A familiar green gem sat within, revealing the source of her power. Dipper grabbed her finger and bit it off. She screamed in agony as Dipper kicked her away. He spat the finger out and took the gem, standing and limping forward with a twisted grin.

"You. That's not possible!"

"It is… my arms are broken. My legs are snapped. I'm bleeding out… but my body… cannot… die!"

Dipper lunged at her, forgoing the use of magic in favor of a closer, more intimate kill. He suffocated the life from her as he pressed his ear to her chest, listening to the sound of her heart stopping as the life was wrung from her body. Dipper stumbled back to the Mystery Shack, ignoring the burning sensation of his cracked bones. He expected to find a bloodbath. To find Mabel dead or dying and unable to be saved. As he walked up the stairs from the outside, he instead found his sister, standing over the remains of the warlock as he bled out onto the floor. She had a shard of glass in her hand. She was breathing heavily, almost snarling at the corpse. And then she turned to Dipper. Her eyes were blank. He couldn't see his sister in those eyes. He couldn't see her innocence and love, only the person who killed to defend everything she held dear. Suddenly she dropped the shard of glass and ran over to Dipper.

"Yes… that was when we knew… something had changed in her as well. She had a second self… just like us."

Dipper places the shard of glass back in its chest. He next retrieves a knife.

"Yes… this was a wonderful use… it's when I received my scars… beautiful scars…"

Dipper presses the cold blade against his shoulder, remembering how he came to be scarred all over his left side by lightning.

It began during Christmas a year after they had returned to Gravity Falls Dipper made a present for Mabel. A special gift, one he hoped would ease the pain of them running away. He had searched for demons that would offer him power and value, but ones who wouldn't resort to trickery and betrayal. He found one he believed to be reliable. The demon Elphorgul, a creature entirely of electricity, was written about in Dipper's book of spells. Late at night in the bunker beneath the Mystery Shack, Dipper used black paint that conducts electricity to paint the summoning circle. Then he placed a metal cage around the archaic symbols. The words were invoked, the dark gate was opened, and the demon appeared, electricity crackling in the center of the circle.

"Elphorgul, the Light Weaver." Dipper said, admiring the bolts of electricity jutting all around the metallic area. The demon drew forth its power, appearing within the circle as a chaotic stream of lightning.

"I have not been summoned by you before."

"No, but I have a simple task that requires your special talents."

"And what will you offer me in exchange?"

Dipper presented several items for the entity. A phoenix feather, a scale from a merman, and a rodent in a cage. Dipper placed the phoenix feather and the scale in the cage with the rat. He set the cage delicately above the larger cage that contained the demon. Dipper retrieved a cell phone. He used a plastic, insulated pole to push the cell phone into the cage with the demon.

"What do you require of me, mortal?"

"I need to make a simple phone call. But I can't let anyone know where it's coming from… truth is, I need to call my parents. Our… my sister and I… we share a love that is frowned upon by these silly humans… we had to run. It's been several months since we've seen our family… and this is a gift to my sister. But the police, the court, the judges. They'd know where we were calling from. That's where you come in. You can make this phone appear to call from anywhere and everywhere on the planet."

"I have not been summoned for this task before. Very well."

Dipper opened the rat's cage allowing the sacrifices to be given. The items burned and sparked with electricity. With the energy taken from Dipper's sacrifice, the demon used its power and knowledge of the demonic gates to make the phone untraceable. Dipper used the pole to retrieve the phone.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello, could you tell me exactly where I am? Just look at your silly map thing."

"I… this is for emergencies, sir."

"See, I'm kind of lost in the woods and don't know where this phone is. Just tell me."

"I… weird… I can't see you… no wait, you're near Calif… no, your… what the fuck?"

"Rude. I don't like swearing. I'm hanging up."

Dipper turned the phone off and giggled. The demon returned to the dark gate, amused at being summoned for such a simple task. Dipper wrapped the phone in a gift box and placed it under the tree in the living room. On Christmas day, he gave the present to his sister. She unwrapped it greedily, anticipating the surprise her brother made her. Then she stared curiously at the seemingly ordinary phone.

"Is this a magic phone?"

"Kind of. Its… its untraceable. No one can ever find out where the call is coming from… it's for, well, calling our parents."

Mabel went silent. And then she cried, dragging her brother into a hug. She cried into his shoulder as he held her. She moved away and looked up into his eyes, a bittersweet smile plastered on her face.

"I… what do we say?"

"Everything… everything we couldn't say before."

The twins took the phone up into the attic. They turned the volume up and set it on the ground. Mabel dialed the number to their parents. It seemed hours passed before they heard an answer.

"Hello?" the twins' mother said. Her voice was hoarse and tired. They hadn't spoken in more than a year. Mabel said nothing, not knowing if they were simply bringing more pain to their parents. She reached a hand for the phone to turn it off, but then set her hand back down, deciding to press forward with the conversation.

"Hello?"

"I… hey." Mabel responded. She received silence from the other end. Then their mother's voice was heard, breaking and wavering on the edge of tears.

"Ma… Mabel?"

"Uh… yeah…"

"…"

No words came from the other end, the only sound being the shuddering agony of the twins' mother.

"Uh… what's… new?" Mabel muttered.

"I… Mabel… come home."

"I… I can't… not… did you tell anyone?"

"I… no. No one knows."

"… I heard from the news in Piedmont… says two random teens vanished… police were looking into it."

"I… Mabel."

"Would me and Dipper be safe?"

"I… we'll help you… we'll get you what you need."

"… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called… I… I need to go."

"Wait!"

"I… you called the police… they'd throw me or Dip in jail… they'd… they'd treat him like filth… like I didn't know what I was doing… I'm…"

Mabel was on the verge of shattering.

Thinking back on that night, Dipper feels the sting in his chest still. It was the night when they realized they could never return to their old lives. The words spoken by his parents cemented that fact.

"Mabel… you have to come back… it's… it's wrong."

"I… goodbye Mom."

Mabel threw the phone away. It sparked slightly. Then the spark grew in power until Elphorgul revealed itself. The demon, believing the twins to be weak and defenseless, attempted to claim them after the deal was done and the phone was not needed. A bolt of lightning struck Dipper. Then the demonic creature attempted to possess him. But it found that Dipper was not simply a weak human boy. The lightning grew in power and strength as Mabel cried for help. But Dipper's dark mind fought against everything. Dipper held the demon within as the lightning scarred and seared his flesh. He hurried down the stairs to the kitchen and fetched the knife. Then he ran to the abandoned bunker where the summoning circle was made.

"Sister… I need you… to take a knife… cut the arm. Cut the arm."

"Brother, no!"

"If it takes control… then we both die."

Mabel took the knife. Dipper began to reverse the spell used to summon Elphorgul. He focused the lightning in his body into a single point on his thumb. He retrieved a jar from the storeroom in the bunker and coated the inside with the conductive paint. He placed his hand in the jar. Mabel, using the knife, cut her brother's body. The blood leaked down into the jar. Dipper focused his mind on banishing the demon. He pushed it out of his body through the blood. With the demon torn out, Dipper sealed the lid. They buried the demon in the forests, preventing it from ever harming them again.

"Nearly died that night… yes, we did. No thanks to you… you're the one who let me make that present… strange…"

Dipper looks over the scars left by the demon. He thinks of them almost like a work of art, a complicated scar for his complicated and broken mind. Dipper sets the knife back in its place before retrieving another blade. This time, Dipper frowns. Both sides of him are saddened by the memories that the knife brings.

"Yes… the blade that gave us Pacifica's fortune."

Dipper thinks back on the events that led to the twins claiming the Northwest inheritance. Dipper had finally created twin amulets for himself and his sister. And, with the gems' power, the twins' magic show had begun to take off, becoming the star attraction of tourists visiting the Mystery Shack. But the money coming in was still not enough to support both the Mystery Shack and Melody's shop on the other side of town, which she started to try and support her husband and young kid. Their great uncle Stan had long since passed, leaving Soos and Melody the owners of the Mystery Shack. As the days passed, Melody and Soos grew more and more curious as to why the twins' hadn't returned to their parents, nor even spoke to anyone from their old town.

Soon, fate would provide Melody the answer. It was a little less than two years since the twins came back to Gravity Falls. Melody and Soos were away at a lunch with their kids. Dipper held his sister in a loving embrace, listening to her hum quietly as they stared at the silent television. He kissed her on the neck, and that was all that was needed to light a fire in both their hearts. Dipper and Mabel threw their clothes off and leapt into Dipper's bed. Dipper all but growled as he began fucking Mabel. It was less an act of passion than it was primal instinct. A need for his sister's warmth. And in that mad heat Melody had returned without him noticing. She quietly crept up the stairs to the attic where the twins had been staying. And she saw everything, watching the twins give in to their lust for each other. She saw the reason for Dipper and Mabel fleeing to the town. The reason for their secretive lives, for Stan's irritation at Soos and Melody asking too many questions. She knew then that Stan had helped the twins. That he had kept everything about them a secret. A secret she now uncovered. And several days later, Dipper and Mabel received pictures of their own act of lust, taken by Melody in an attempt at blackmailing the twins, along with a message.

I know what you are. Meet me at the Taste of Italy tomorrow at 5:00 P.M., or everyone will know.

The twins had no choice but to meet with Melody. But Dipper wasn't going to easily give in. As they entered the restaurant, the warm yet eerie red drapes covering the walls gave Dipper an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew how close the twins were to being discovered by the rest of the world. The twins found Melody and Soos waiting for them. Soos was looking away, not knowing how to fully react to knowing the truth, and Melody sternly glared at the twins.

"Melody, now what might this surprise be about?" Dipper asked with a sadistic smirk.

"You two…"

Melody shook with disgust. She seemed ready to vomit before she took a deep breath.

"You two ran away… because you are having sex."

Mabel's gaze had gone cold and blank while Dipper licked his teeth. The twins seemed to have reversed personalities, Dipper having becoming the giggly lunatic as Mabel glared with a stern, judgmental eye. Melody retrieved three pictures from her pocket, copies of the pictures she left with the twins.

"And you took those photos… why, do tell?" Dipper inquired.

"Proof. Proof of what you are."

"And I suppose… you want something in return for those photos."

Dipper leaned back with his hands folded on the table, entirely too calm for the situation the twins found themselves in.

"You and your uncle owe us. We've helped you keep your shack afloat for years while we've struggled to get by. Now you have to return the favor. My next kid is coming along and I'm slaving with barely any pay."

"Mel…" Soos started, trying to make his wife relent despite knowing what the twins are.

"Soos… this is for the best."

Soos swallowed, nodding his head while turning back to the twins.

"So, all those years of helping Stan… was a lie…" Mabel said.

"He treated us like garbage."

"He treated you like family." Mabel whispered, her rage barely contained beneath her cold shell.

"Our shop has gone to shit while we were trying to help him. Trying to keep his pointless tourist trap going."

"So now that we're starting to make a good buck, you want a piece of the action." replied Dipper.

"Five hundred bucks every month for the rest of our lives."

"Three hundred dollars every month. That's all we can afford."

"You think this is a game?"

"It is. It always was."

"Five hundred every month. That's what we're getting."

Dipper laughed slightly, taking a cigar and lighter out of his pocket. He put the cigar in his mouth, lighting it and inhaling a puff. The waiter, noticing Dipper's smoke building in the room, came over to scold him.

"I'm sorry sir, but we do not allow smoking in this establishment."

"Leave us." Dipper commanded. His amulet ensnared the waiter's body, forcing him to walk away. Dipper retrieved a silver coin from his pocket, tossing it in the air as he breathed through his nose, the smoke wreathing around his face, giving him the aura of a demon.

"Melody… you have proof of our love… you can call the police… you could tell our parents… you would have had us trapped and at your mercy… if not for one. tiny. error."

Dipper flipped the coin in the air again, the sound reverberating through the room with an irritating ring. The coin fell back into Dipper's open palm.

"You are operating under the belief that my sister and I still value your lives."

Melody shifted back in her seat, appearing unnerved by Dipper's threat as he retrieved the pictures from the table, using the cigar to burn them. He dipped them in his water glass before putting them in his pocket.

"Those weren't the only pictures." Melody claimed, trying to regain control of the situation.

"I know. That's why we're going to burn your house down later." Mabel whispered. Soos gasped as Dipper smiled on, eyeing the two before him. He flipped the coin in the air again.

"You gambled, Melody. Eventually all gamblers lose. Take this coin, for instance. Heads or tails. You flipped the coin when you decided to come after us. Heads, you get payments for the rest of your sweet, little lives. Tails, my sister and I decide to kill you while you sleep and burn all the evidence, leaving your kid homeless and parentless, unless we kill him too. But that's the thing about me. I don't leave things to chance."

Soos and Melody realized that the coin had been spinning in the air the entire time, twirling and ringing throughout the restaurant. Dipper grabbed the coin and smacked it on the table before moving his hand away.

"Would you look at that? Tails."

Dipper's head tilted back like a curious dog, looking towards Soos and Melody as he smiled psychotically. Soos and Melody dashed away from their seat and never looked back. Dipper put the cigar out on his open palm, wiping away the ash and using his amulet to repair his hand. Mabel motioned for the waiter when he returned, no longer under the effects of Dipper's spell.

"Could we get some mostacholi? And a small four-cheese pizza?"

In the present, Dipper can't help but feel relief that Soos and Melody never uploaded the pictures anywhere. His supernatural vileness was enough to scare them away from the town. Dipper then thinks back to the following insanity, the year when everything changed forever.

With Melody and Soos gone, the twins were alone. In their solitude, Dipper and Mabel grew closer together. Closer than they ever were before. They were tied together by an invisible chain of mutual desire that tightened every day, ready to do any horrifying act, including murder, to protect themselves from all threats, human or otherworldly.

Then Pacifica returned. She wanted to erase the corrupted legacy of her family and stayed at the Mystery Shack for the time being. No longer able to stay together, the twins were forced to keep separate rooms. And yet, with Pacifica back, they didn't seem to mind. She helped them through their dark times, going so far as to use what little money she had to help support their livelihood. She even offered them a place at the mansion once she took control of the Northwest inheritance. But then she vanished. The inept sheriffs simply believed that she went back to her home in San Diego, but the twins knew her family. They knew the true insanity that Preston Northwest managed to hide, even after the defeat of his demonic master, Bill Cipher.

Dipper and Mabel marched to Northwest Manor during the annual party held for the rich and famous friends of the Northwests. But the thick iron gates were sealed shut, keeping the townsfolk out. Suddenly it started to pour, but the twins appeared dry and untouched, using their amulets to keep the water off of them.

"Northwest… come out, come out, wherever you are." taunted Dipper and Mabel in unison.

The twins looked up at the security camera. Their piercing azure eyes glared at the lens, alerting Preston Northwest to their presence. Moments later, the gates opened. The twins wandered through the gates, their cold aura forcing the rest of the townsfolk back.

"My sister, are you ready?"

"Always. For Pacifica!"

Dipper smiled insanely as his yellow eye flares beneath its cover. The twins approached the large wooden doors to the manor, seeing the flickering light of the party. The wind built up, whirring like a tornado as it smashed into the doors, ripping them off their hinges. The lights dimmed and flickered before going out as the twins made their presence known. They entered the mansion as the casual chatter of the greedy rich went silent.

"Northwest! We would have words with thee." the twins announced.

"Quoting Thor, Dipper? How nerdy can you get?"

"Shut up."

The twins giggled before their faces went blank again. The twins saw the large portrait of the Northwest family, save for Pacifica's painting. All memory of Pacifica had been stripped away and torn down. Dipper and Mabel looked up to the second floor, meeting the gaze of Pacifica's father. The arrogant, brown haired man made his way down the steps.

"Welcome, welcome. Dipper and Mabel Pines… please, come with me."

Dipper and Mabel followed him, moving away from the guests. He lead the twins down to the wine cellar. The brick-lined, cold cellar was filled with barrels of alcohol from all over the globe. Dipper turned the knob on one of the barrels, allowing it to pour out. He rubbed his hand underneath the flowing liquid, taking it up to his mouth and licking it. The slobbery, messy behavior was like digging a nail underneath Preston's fingertips. He grinded his teeth and clenched his fists. His eye twitched while watching his precious wine go to waste.

"Red wine… good taste." Dipper said, giggling arrogantly. Preston walked to the back wall. He pressed in one of the bricks, triggering the mechanisms to his hidden vaults. Dipper and Mabel followed him down more steps.

"Leading us away from the party. Spooky."

"Well, I need to discuss business with you two. You and my… daughter."

Preston shook with disgust at the reminder of what his daughter had done, how she turned against him and joined with the lowly, revolting townsfolk. The twins followed their enemy into the vaults beneath the mansion. Piles of gold and wads of dollar bills were stacked up everywhere. Priceless antiques and artifacts were around the room. And within a circle of sacrifice dedicated to the defeated Bill Cipher lay Pacifica, captured by her family. But they had not harmed her, still having some standards despite kidnapping her.

"Northwests, you will suffer for this." Dipper said in a firm voice. Pacifica's mother was in the center of the room with her daughter. She turned around at the sound of Dipper's voice and glared at him.

"We have already suffered! Because of you freaks!" Pacifica's mother screamed. The unhinged woman charged at the twins. Her husband grabbed her and forced her into a hug, not yet ready to let her hurt the twins.

"Please, my little sweetie. We are not animals. I invited these two over to partake in a business deal."

Dipper and Mabel walked over to Pacifica. Mabel helped Pacifica stand, holding her friend's limp arm around her shoulders. Another presence made its way into the hidden chambers. Dipper smiled, seeing another of his enemies return.

"Gideon. Hello again."

"Evening, Mr. Pines."

Dipper tipped his hat to his old nemesis.

"And now what is to stop us from killing you three?" Dipper said, smiling sadistically as his eyes glowed brighter.

"That." Gideon said, pointing to the summoning circle. Dipper looked closer, realizing that mercury paint was coated into the markings. Gideon began speaking his spell.

"Nazar boncuğu or nazarlık, acnul fascinarus, malum!"

The ancient words worked against the twins' minds. Their eyes returned to their natural brown and their amulets lost their gleam. Two chairs were brought out by the Northwests. Gideon remained standing, watching the twins with a twisted, hateful glare. He took out his phone and dialed a number. Pacifica's father aimed a gun at the twins to prevent them from running.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Pines."

The twins heard their mother on the phone. She seemed hopeful at hearing Gideon's voice. Dipper threaded a hand through his hair, knocking off his top hat. He fiddled through his pockets and retrieved a cigar. He took out a pocket lighter and lit the cigar, inhaling a puff, which seemed to settle his nerves.

"It's you. Hi Gideon."

"Hi. I was just checking up on you."

"Thanks. Have… have you heard anything from Mabel?"

"Nothing yet. I do hope she comes back soon. We'll get her the help she needs."

"I… thanks. Thank you… so, why did you call?"

"I was just checking up on you. I had hoped you might have heard something yourself."

"No, nothing… but I'm still hoping. Still praying."

Gideon smirked obnoxiously at the depressed sigh of Dipper's mother. Dipper ignored the desire to strangle Gideon right then and there before taking another puff of the cigar.

"Yeah… just, thanks for calling. It gets rough."

"I know. I'll always be there for Mabel. I'll help her get away from her brother's web of lies. Anyways, I have an important business meeting to attend to. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Gideon sniggered as he shut the phone off.

"So, little Gideon learned some new tricks. I guess I shouldn't have sold you short." Dipper said with a grin. The barely five foot tall Gideon grumbled under his breath.

"Don't think I don't know what you are, Pines. A freak."

"Hello pot, name's kettle. Tea's almost done."

"Shut up."

Dipper smiled arrogantly. Mabel was also grinning psychotically. But Gideon and Pacifica's parents were too blinded by fury to realize the twins were not the ones who were trapped. Dipper spoke again, taunting his enemy.

"We're just having fun here. I mean, you had a lot of short comings in the past, but now you stand tall above… seven year olds."

Dipper knew he was getting under Gideon's skin. He knew he could drive his enemy into a rash decision. Gideon stomped forward and looked into Dipper's eyes.

"You know… I was almost ready to make a deal with you. But I've changed my mind. Northwest, would you do the honors?"

Dipper snapped the cigar. His other, forever a trickster, had created an exploding cigar with a few magical enhancements. A blanket of darkness spewed forth from the cigar, causing the electrical wiring to fail. Mabel pulled Pacifica down while Pacifica's father fired blindly in the darkness. Dipper dodged to the side, avoiding every bullet. When Preston's clip was empty, Dipper sprinted towards him. Dipper triggered the hidden blade in his cane, slashing across Northwest's chest. He weaved and flicked the blade like a deranged artist, cutting up his enemy's body and bleeding him onto the floor. While Gideon stumbled in the dark, Dipper cut into his own palm. He used his blood as a catalyst to destroy the circle binding his power.

"Where are you?!" Gideon screamed. With the spell broken, Dipper's eye flashed a sickening green.

"I'm right here." he whispered.

Mabel's eyes also returned to their unnatural green as the darkness dissipated. Mabel helped Pacifica stand before walking over to Gideon. Dipper pushed Gideon down to the floor, sliding another knife out of his pocket. He handed it to his sister, who marched over with a cold, emotionless glare.

"Would you do the honors, sister?"

Mabel took the blade and crouched over Gideon.

"Gideon… you're biggest mistake was hurting our parents. Goodbye." Mabel whispered. She pressed the knife into Gideon's throat. His blood spilled out onto the floor as he screamed before being silenced forever. Preston Northwest gazed at the pair of twins.

"It's your fault! You ruined everything! Our deal with Cipher, our family, everything!"

"If it's a demon you want, I believe I can play the part."

Dipper removed his eye patch. He revealed his demonic soul to Preston, with an eye glowing bright yellow. Dipper licked his front teeth, anticipating his kill. Preston's hands shook as he attempted to reload the gun. He just barely managed to set the clip in before Dipper ripped the weapon away. Dipper aimed the weapon at Preston. He wanted the kill so much. He wanted to destroy with such hunger and lust for death. But Pacifica stopped him. She grabbed his hand, begging him to relent. To not give in to his inner darkness.

"Dipper… stop… please stop."

Dipper's sadistic smile vanished. He dragged his teary-eyed friend into a hug. Pacifica was the one who could drag her friends from the darkness, the darkness that she once was nearly consumed by. And then a gunshot echoed through the room. Pacifica's eyes darted open. She seemed perplexed at the sudden sensation in her body. The odd feeling of having no feeling at all. Pacifica fell to the floor, shot in the head by the Northwest mother in a blind rage.

Dipper looked down at Pacifica, and looked deep into her mind, but repairing the mind was far beyond his magic. The pathways of neurons, the delicate balance of molecules, the complexity of the human brain. There was nothing Dipper, a lone human, could do to bring Pacifica back. Dipper and Mabel did the only thing they could. As Mabel held Pacifica in a loving embrace, Dipper dragged the Northwest mother into the summoning circle. He removed the traces of Bill Cipher's calling. He began a different sort of magic. He used the blood of Preston Northwest, now dead, to paint the forbidden spell on the ground. Mabel and Dipper knew what they would do. They knew it would condemn them in the eyes of their friend. They knew she would never forgive them for the madness they were going to commit. Dipper retrieved his book of spells and placed his bloody palm on the center jewel. Through their shared connection with the amulets, the twins began to recite the incantation as Dipper's blood began to empower the gem, giving life to the spell they were about to use.

"This is our will. Let the blood of one be sacrificed for the life of another. Let the soul of Pacifica Northwest come forth. We bind you to this circle of power, this mortal plane."

Dipper next dragged Pacifica's mother into the center of the circle. She fought helplessly against Dipper's demonic strength. He held her down as the twins continue their prayer to the world of demons. The lights blinked and faded in the cellar. Suddenly all was dark and cold and silent. A light flickered in the distance. The twins were no longer on Earth. They were in a corridor, a passage into a dimension beyond their own. A demon came from the light. Its flesh was like flayed skin and exposed muscle. It spoke ancient, unknowable words. Its voice sounded like static and the bellowing of a diseased, insane animal. The noise became the sound of hoarse screams. The twins continued their dark prayer as Pacifica's mother struggled against Dipper's hold.

"With the blood of this cursed woman, let the life of her daughter continue. Let one life be taken so that the other may live."

The demon obeyed the commands of its summoner. The blood of Pacifica's mother boiled in her skin. Her blood burst from her pores and entered Pacifica, healing the twins' only remaining friend. And the first thing Pacifica heard was her mother screaming in agony. It was a painful, hellish wail that mixed with the screeching blathering of the summoned demon. The demon claimed the Northwest mother's soul as payment, and then returned to the demon dimension. The twins and Pacifica were sent back to the cellar. The lights of the bunker flickered back on, revealing the corpses of Gideon and Pacifica's father.

"Pacifica?" Mabel said, worried for her friend's safety and sanity. Pacifica backed away from the twins. She saw how they had changed. How they had become monsters. And she ran. She ran away from them. She ran away from her life. Away from Gravity Falls. Dipper and Mabel never saw Pacifica again. With the Northwests dead, the twins took control of their wealth, masquerading as the twin children of a mistress of Preston Northwest. They had waited for Pacifica to return and reclaim her fortune, but she never did, having abandoned her old life and the people who were once her friends.

Dipper's thoughts return to the present. He places the knife he used to kill Gideon back in its place in the chest. He closes the lid and returns the chest of memories to the closet before going back to the master bedroom. He falls down onto the large bed. He feels so small and insignificant, surrounded by their massive home. Dipper yawns, preparing to return to sleep. Then he hears a bird chirping outside. His eyes open, looking out of the window and seeing daylight. Dipper giggles slightly. Then he presses his face in his hands, mumbling in exhaustion.

"Did we really just stay up all night thinking about killing people?" he says to himself.

Dipper's hands drop from his face as he smirks again.

"Yes. Weren't those memories fun?"

Dipper groans in irritation.

"Figures I'd be stuck with a split personality."

Dipper giggles slightly before mumbling incoherently. The phone rings. Dipper sits up and retrieves the phone, now anxious to hear the news from the hospital. He worries endlessly, a hundred terrifying scenarios playing through his mind before he hears her voice on the other end.

"Hey… you there, Dip?"

"Sister… we shouldn't use our real names."

"Who… cares… so… so tired…"

"I… how are you?"

"… Just said… tired… gonna… take a nap…"

"How are they?"

"They're… they're good… doing fine…"

"I'll… I'll be there in a bit."

"Yeah… you better."

Dipper sets the phone down. Dipper rises out of his bed and begins to get dressed. He looks over himself in the mirror, taking in the sight of the Lichtenberg marks again before covering them with a white t-shirt. Then he buttons up a collared shirt with cufflinks, making sure to maintain the façade of the Northwests and their riches. Next, he retrieves his black coat. Then he places the eye patch on, looking over his appearance in the mirror to make sure he seems to be a Northwest: proud, arrogant, and oblivious to the troubles of others.

"This is the day… yes, it is."

Dipper takes a deep breath. He walks down the stairs out of the mansion. His footsteps echo loudly through the silent halls. He goes to the garage, humming to take the edge off of the stress of the last year.

"Insane. Our life really went insane… yes, it did."

Away from the mansion, Mabel is in the hospital bed. Several nurses are in the room as machines beep periodically. She's anxious, despite her exhaustion.

"So… when can I see them?" she asks one of the nurses.

"In a bit. They slept, well, like a baby."

"Ha ha." Mabel says sarcastically. Footsteps echo rapidly from beyond the room. The sound of someone hurrying, all but running to see his family. Dipper rushes into the room, smiling brightly as he sees that his sister is okay.

"Hello, brother…"

"Mabella…"

Dipper begins crying. He runs up to his sister, pushing past the nurses. He leans over to hug her. To give her comfort after the day before, when two more twins entered the world. Dipper pulls up a chair, sitting close with his sister. Minutes later, their son and daughter are brought before them. Both are crying again, desperate for their mother's warmth. She takes them both in her arms, smiling at their perfection. Their skin is soft and warm, almost unreal. And now, both sides of Dipper are one. The same feeling passes through them; joy. Pure and beautiful joy.

"They're… they're perfect…" he mumbles, tears beginning to stream down his face. The nurses walk out, giving the unnatural family precious moments together. Dipper looks up into Mabel's eyes, smiling with streams of wetness pouring down his face.

"So… Xander… want to hold them?"

Dipper nods as he rubs her shoulder affectionately, not caring in the slightest if anyone grows suspicious. This day, he won't allow his paranoid self to ruin the moment. He won't let his worries get in the way of comforting his sister.

"So… a boy and a girl…" Mabel says.

"Bella… that was our choice for a girl name."

"Yes… and Stan… little Stan and Bella… you two will be wonderful."

Dipper sits with Mabel as the hours pass, looking into the future with hope for the first time in many years.