Until Death Do Us Part

Chapter 4

(Dipper pov)

He lets go of my hand as we get to the top of a cliff. A smile breaks out on his face as he looks at the view. "I love this. It would take my breath away if I had one."

He takes a seat on the nearby bench patting the spot next to me for him. I hesitantly take a seat, my hands resting on my knees.

"I know that this all must be a lot to take in...."

"That is putting it lightly. I....I just realized that I don't even know your name."

"Right, it's Bill."

"All of that stuff about how you died.....was that all true?"

"Yeah." I see him glance down at his hands.

"Who was he? The guy who killed you?"

"That's the thing. It happened so long ago that I don't remember. The more time that goes by, the more memories that I lose."

"Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"

"I remember that I fought back. Scratched at him bad enough to leave a scar. I remember my mother's soothing voice, how elegantly she could play the piano. I remember my father's gently yet rough hands. They were good people. I regret going against their wishes that night."

"I am really sorry about what happened to you."

"I almost forgot." He reaches into his suit jacket pulling out a flat box. He hands it to me. "A wedding present."

I open it, seeing it's full of bones. I look at him confused until the box starts shaking. I quickly put the lid back on it before it falls off my lap and onto the ground.

The bones put themselves together forming a pig. It picks up a collar that had been in the box and holding it in its mouth offers it to me. I hesitantly take it, reading the inscription on the dog tag.

"Waddles.....no way...." A smile breaks out on my face realizing who it was. I hold out my arms and he oinks excitedly as he jumps into my arms. I laugh as he licks my cheek before I put the collar on him. Bill scratches Waddles' head.

"He's adorable."

"You should have seen him when he had skin. My sister won him at a fair when we were children. She....she passed soon after, so Waddles was all I had. But he got out two years ago and....and I was alone again."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. My mother never approved of when he would jump up like this."

"Would she approve of me?"

"Doubtful, she never approved of anyone or anything." A sudden thought dawns on me. It's not a good one, I feel bad about it. But this could be my only chance at getting back home. "But....if we are to be married, you should at least have the opportunity to meet my parents. If you would like to I mean."

"I would love to. Where are they buried?"

"They're not...."

"Oh.....they are alive....that is tricky." He looks down in thought for a minute. "I might know someone who can help us actually. Come on."

Standing up he takes my hand. He pulls me down the pathway off the cliff, Waddles following behind.

He pulls me through the city, taking me into an old building. It's dark and dusty, books piled as high as the ceiling.

"Where are you taking me? Who are we going to see?"

"Fiddleford Mcgucket. He was a genius a very long time ago. He kinda went mad as he got older. Tried to have a staring contest with an oncoming train and....well, you know."

"Oh...."

A lamp clicks on and looking up at a tall desk we see a skeleton with a long beard, some funny looking glassess and a pioneer hat. Bill smiles waving up at him. "Hey, Mcgucket!"

"What can I do for you, Bill?"

"We need to get up to the land of the living."

"Land of the living? Why get up there when everyone is dying to get down here?"

"Please? It is really really important to us."

"Hm....I'll see what I can do."

He looks through different things in his desk before he stands up holding an egg. "Here it is. Now, when you want to return, just say hopscotch."

"Hopscotch?" Bill remarks with a slight laugh as he holds onto my hand.

He cracks open the egg, a strange misty powder falling and surrounding us.

When it's gone, we are right back to where we were when I was practicing my vows. I see him look up at the moon, a wide smile breaking out on his face.

"It's been so long since I felt the moonlight......holy shit....."

I feel bad about tricking him like this. But it was the only way. I gently lead him over to a stump and have him sit down on it.

"Just stay right here, I will go get my parents and be right back. Okay?"

"Alright. Just hurry back."

"I will."

I walk away from him and once I know that I am no longer in his sight I take off running back into the city.

I run down the familiar streets until I stop outside Pacifica's house. It all looks dark until I notice a light upstairs.

Gulping nervously I grab onto the trellis as I start climbing up. I make it to the balcony pulling myself up. Looking through the french doors I see Pacifica in her nightgown, sewing patches on a quilt.

I hesitantly knock on the doors, seeing she jumped slight. When she sees me, her eyes widen in joy as she comes over unlocking the doors and opening them. She grabs my hand pulling me inside.

"Where have you been? I was worried sick. Your hands feel like death."

"Sorry, just....a lot of stuff happened."

"Your hurt." She has me take a seat by the fireplace as she gets a bowl of warm water and uses a cloth to clean the cut on my head.

"Pacifica....um....did you want to marry me? Like if you had a choice?"

"I admit I was hesitant when my parents told me about it, but I figured that this would always happen. I was honestly scared, because my parents were a forced marriage and hate each other. I guess I was worried that you would be like my father is, and it would end up another unhappy marriage."

"But?"

"But you are nothing like me or my parents. You are amazingly different." I feel her put a small bandage on the cut.

"I will admit I wasn't thrilled about the marriage at first. But....you make me want to be a better person. You make me happy. If I had any say in the matter, then I believe with all of my heart that I would choose to marry you no matter what."

"Dipper...." She smiles and I feel a blush rising to my cheeks as I see our hands intertwined. "I feel the same way."

We lean closer to each other when the balcony doors fling open, a cold wind blowing out the fire. We both hastily stand up as Bill stands there. I watch his expression turn to confusion.

"Pinetree, what's going on?"

"Dipper, who is he?" I look at Pacifica as I try to think of an answer.

"I'm his husband."

"What?" Pacifica looks at me, hurt and disbelief on her face.

"Pacifica, it isn't what it looks like. I didn't even mean to. A-And besides, he's dead."

Bill suddenly wraps an arm around me pulling me back to his chest. I struggle trying to get out of his grip but he won't budge.

"Hopscotch." I hear him say before a murder of crows surrounds us and Pacifica disappears from my vision.