When Gravity Falls

CHAPTER 3: "First Night In."

Dipper couldn't sleep.

He didn't really know why. Maybe it was his anxiety. Maybe it was Mabel's snoring. Maybe his conscious didn't want him to sleep. Maybe it was the wind howling through the open window.
Dipper grew frustrated. He slid off of his bed to shut the window, but that's when he caught sight of it.

No, not the gnome, you idiot! Look closer!

That's right. The shadow of a triangle with legs, a top hat, and a cane.

That was the shadow of Bill Cipher.

It took a very short moment for Dipper to fully process what he was seeing–or maybe that's exactly what it was–he was just seeing things from pure paranoia. Or maybe...

No. Dipper slammed the window shut and locked it (though, he didn't think locking a door would stop a demon, but all that really mattered was that he felt like it helped).

Mabel stirred in her sleep, and Dipper was relieved that Mabel didn't wake up, so he laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

"Dipper?"

Shit.

"Dipper, was that you? Are you awake?"

Dipper debated whether or not to answer. He could pretend to be asleep and ignore her, leave her to decide if it was the wind or an animal, or something else. But he didn't.

"Yeah, it was me. I was just shutting the window."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Mabel rolled around so she was facing her brother's bed. She moved around and adjusted herself, tugging her stuffed unicorn closer to her body.

"Dipper?"

Dipper rolled around to face Mabel.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

What was he supposed to say to that? What she stupid? No, he wasn't fine! He hadn't been fine since he got here!

But at the same time, Dipper didn't want her to worry about him. Even though he felt like he needed someone to worry about him, because he couldn't do it for himself.

He thought back to the gnomes. Dusk 2 Dawn. Weirdmageddon. Just now seeing a shadow of Bill (or maybe it was Bill?) outside their window. The howling of the wind. And he wondered how everything was connected, and he wondered–

"Dipper?"

"Yeah," Dipper answered, almost breathlessly. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Mabel prompted.

Dipper thought for a second. He could tell her the truth and risk upsetting her, getting sent back to California alone, being questioned by Ford, or even get them both sent back home and risk never being able to see Stan and Ford again–or he could lie to her, and risk their relationship, his own safety, his family's safety, and worst of all, the fate of the world if his suspicions proved to be anything but.

"Uh."

"Uh...?"

"Yeah..." Dipper said slowly. "I'm 100 percent positive."

Mabel hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually nodded and rolled back around to face the wall, and she soon fell back asleep and started snoring again.

Dipper wished he could fall asleep that easily. It was a struggle for him to sleep, even at home, after Weirdmageddon–he'd have to take a high dosage of Melatonin if he even wanted to take a short nap. But he forgot his medication at home–all of them–and Stan refused to keep anything in the house for an unknown reason.

"Mabel?" Dipper whispered.

No answer.

He rolled onto his side and faced the wall, in a similar position his sister was in, their backs facing each other. He didn't know how he was going to make it through the night; not sleeping, that was for sure. He wouldn't be able to get a good night's rest until his theory was proven incorrect, and Lord knows how long that would take.

Or if it would even happen.

"Mabel?" Dipper tried again, and this time Mabel stirred and made a small humming noise, but she didn't wake up.

Dipper sighed.

It was going to be an excruciatingly long night.

~

When the sun rose the next morning, Dipper was already awake–in fact, he hadn't slept at all, and he was extremely annoyed when Mabel woke up in such a great mood.

"Morning, Dipping Sauce!" Mabel sang as she sprung from her bed and dug through the closet for an outfit, though Dipper had a feeling she'd slip on the same shooting star sweater she always wore.