Runaway

Chapter 12

(Dipper pov)

I feel Bill gently squeeze my hand pulling me out of my thoughts and making me realize our situation again.

We're both at the hospital, Bill sitting in a chair nearby as I sit on the hospital bed. Despite Bill having been stabbed in the back literally the doctors were worried that when Mark was trying to kill me that me might have damaged something vital in my throat like my windpipe or vocal cords. He didn't although there will be bruising for a while and the other injuries on me and Bill will eventually heal into scars, the only ugly reminders we'll have left of this night.

I glance up at the detective that had been asking us questions. "I'm sorry, what were you asking?"

"I asked what happened after he put the knife in Bill's back."

"He tried to strangle me, I just wanted him to leave us alone. I grabbed the nearest thing and it wasn't until I had already hit him twice that I realized it was a frying pan. Defeated him Rapunzel style."

"What?"

"In the Tangled movie and show Rapunzel tends to hit enemies with frying pans......never mind it's not important. Once he wasn't moving I just had to make sure that Bill was okay and that's when the police and an ambulance showed up."

"Okay, well we should be able to handle everything from-"

"Is he dead?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Is Mark dead? Did I kill him? Am I finally free from him so he can never hurt me or Bill ever again?"

"Don't worry, he is in police custody and with your testimony we will be able to put him away for a long long time, hopefully forever if we can convince the jury properly."

"....he....h-he isn't dead?" I feel tears stinging my eyes. How is this possible? Didn't I hit him hard enough? Should I have just hit him harder or hit him at least one more time to make sure that he would never stand up again?

"I'll give you two some time together." He leaves and Bill sits on the bed next to me. He gently wipes tears off my face, tears that I hadn't even realized were there in the first place.

"Hey, talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"He is still alive....."

"But he can't hurt you. He is in police custody. "

"No, you don't understand. He will never stop coming for me as long as he's alive! I have to kill him so he can't come back after us!"

"Dipper-"

"If he comes back he will just kill you and he won't fail this time! We have to make sure that doesn't happen!"

"Dipper, calm down."

"No you aren't listening! I have to-" He cuts me off as he kisses me out of nowhere. He breaks from the kiss as I looked up at him in confusion.

"Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of to get you to calm down. Just please listen to me. He has killed a lot of people, correct?"

"Yes."

"The police have him in custody. He will be in handcuffs and behind bars for the rest of his life. He will never come after you again. He will never come after me again. We are safe. You are safe, more than anything."

"But-"

"No buts. He is alive and I know that knowing he's still breathing scares you, but he will never hurt you ever again. I have a better chance of literally being struck down by lightening than you do of him getting out of jail and somehow finding you again."

"But what if the jury finds him innocent? He can be very convincing when he puts his charm on and he made a lot of arrest in his police career. What if they believe him when he tries telling lies about me?"

"What kind of lies are you scared of him telling?"

"That I just had some sort of hysterical moment. A mental breakdown or some kind of early mid life crisis, something to make them doubt anything I say about him because that's how he works. He weaves his words into people's minds like a slippery snake until they believe all of his lies, not doubting him for a single second."

"His words have no value over anything. Look at this." He holds up my hand, it wrapped tightly with a bandage. It got cut somehow during my struggle with him. "His words can't make the scars go away. His words can't make my story change. You know what sways a jury the most during a court case? Evidence. Not stories, physical proof that something happned. We both are living proof of how dangerous that fucking psycho is. Only a fucking idiot would ever let him go again. You hear me? You will never be hurt by him or anyone else again."

".....he really won't hurt me? H-He really is going to prison and I'll never have to see or hear from him ever again?"

"Once he's in prison he's as good as dead."

"But what if he tries to call or write to me when he's in prison?"

"You won't have to answer his calls and won't have to read his letters or even open them. If you really want to we can throw them into the garbage or even burn them if that will make you feel better again."

"You have been through so much for me and endured so much pain. Why would you do this all for me?"

"Because I love you, Dipper Pines. I love you more than words can ever possibly describe and I will continue loving you long after I have died. Nothing in this world or in any other world will ever make me stop loving you."

"Why do you love me? He's broken me...."

"You aren't broken, and I will help you see that you are perfect the exact way you are. That's a promise."

He kisses me softly and I kiss him back, happier than I have ever been that this horrible nightmare was finally over for good.

The End