One Last Deal

Sick Day Part 2

(Andie's POV)

I slept restlessly on the couch in Ford's room, tossing and turning. When I opened my eyes, I gasped at what I saw.

A younger version of Ford... offering his hand to Bill Cipher.

"Then it's a deal; from now until the end of time," young Ford said, holding out his hand.

Bill held his hand out, which was glowing blue with flames. "Just let me into your mind, Stanford!"

The two shook hands. "Please, call me a friend," Ford replied.

Ford's eyes suddenly turned yellow with black silts, mimicking Bill's and as he laughed, I could hear the dream demon's laughter echo from it.

"No, NO! Get out of my head!" I yelled, pulling at my hair.

***
(Ford's POV)
I creaked open the door to my room and saw Andrea, sleeping fitfully on the couch where I'd left her. I walked over and sat down on the couch, running my fingers through her hair.

Andrea rolled over onto her side and gripped my trench coat. I tried to pull her fingers off gently, but the kid had a good grip.

It's almost as if she were scared.

Andrea's mumbling in her sleep interrupted my thoughts. "No...go away," she muttered, unconsciously throwing an arm off the couch, as if she were trying to push someone away.

Then her voice got louder. "I said...get AWAY from me!" she growled, gripping my coat even tighter. I could see tears forming in her eyes.

And then I saw a faint blue glow emanate from the inside of one of her clenched fists. I managed to pry her hands off me and gasped.

The Taurus symbol on her hand was now glowing blue with small flames, but they burned nothing.

I clenched my teeth. I'd seen that glowing blue fire before... and it only came from one person.

"STANLEY!" I yelled, holding my granddaughter close to my chest. My brother walked in, annoyed.

"Sixer, what's the big-" Before he could finish his sentence, Stan's eyes widened. "What the heck happened to her?!"

"I have a vague idea," I muttered, holding Andrea closer still. "We can't take her to the hospital, but I can do the next best thing." I pressed a button on my watch and the vending machine door flew open. I handed Andrea over to Stanley and we both rushed down the stairs.

Stanley looked down at the girl in his arms. He sucked in air between his teeth when he saw the glow had spread to her arm's veins.

"Hang in there, kiddo."

When we reached my private study, I took Andrea from my brother and laid her down on a table. I firmly shook her shoulder. "Andrea, can you hear me? Please wake up!" I urged.

The girl twitched in her sleep, tears now flowing from her closed eyes. "Leave me alone! I-I won't let you hurt me like you hurt her!" Hurt her...who?

Her eyes suddenly shot open and she began to breathe heavily, one hand gripping her shirt. She stared at her hand with the glowing Taurus symbol, then at Stan and I.

Stanley put a hand on her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo; Sixer's got this all under control," he reassured her.

I knelt down to her level and shone a small flashlight in her eyes, feeling a sigh of relief threaten to come out when both her pupils dilated. I gently tried to take her marked hand, but Andrea snatched it back.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you," I tried to rationalize. "I just want to see why your hand is glowing."

Andrea still looked skeptical, clutching her fist to her chest with no intent of letting me examine it.

I sighed; this was like arguing with a rock. "Can I at least check your temperature?" I compromised.

Andrea's glare softened, now seeming to understand I had no intention of hurting her. She sniffled and nodded to which I slipped a thermometer into her mouth. When it beeped, I took it from her mouth, squinting at the reading.

"100.7," I muttered, ruffling her hair before scooping her up into my arms. "No wonder you're not feeling well."

Andrea just let out a weak cough and laid her head against my chest. My brother and I walked upstairs to see Dipper and Mabel waiting for us. They looked at the girl in my arms with immediate concern.

"What's up with Andie? Is she okay?" Dipper asked.

"The kid's fine; she's running a little fever," Stanley assured the twins. "She just needs to rest for now."

Mabel ran up to Andrea and squeezed her into a tight hug. "You feeling alright, Andie?" she questioned.

The poor girl looked like she was gonna vomit any minute now. "Not that great, given that you're about to make me lose my lunch," she wheezed out.

I chuckled, shaking my head a little as I gently picked up my granddaughter again. "You two get to bed; Andrea's going to be sleeping in my room tonight."

The twins nodded and I carried the young girl to my bedroom before laying her down on the couch and placing a damp rag on her forehead. She looked up at me with half-open eyes.

"Love you, Grandpa Ford," she murmured as her eyes slowly closed. I was stunned for a moment; Andrea had never directly referred to me as her grandfather. Usually she just called me Ford.

But I then felt my heart swell a bit as I gazed down at the young girl asleep on the couch. I tucked her in with a spare blanket and brushed her messy bangs back.

"I love you, too, Andie."